Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-06-11
LETTER FRoM wnEEL1Ne.

vATE Observation-Disclosures BRIDGE
VIEW FROM THE HILL.
Editorial Correspondence Of the Daily Wisconsin,
i WHEELING, May %, ls6o.-As Wheeling
manufactures and Wheeling bauknotes
have something of q circulation all over
the Northwestern United States, felt de-
sirous to pass at least day here; l do not
regret it -as fad it to be much more of
city than first impression would give. II
may properly be termed second edition
of Pittsburg-but pleasauter place to re-
side, as the smoke is not near so dense
Ulost of the furnaces, glass works, rolling
mills, &c, are in South Wheeling-about
a mile from the business heart of the city
and therefore the sky is not, as at Pitts
burg, canopied with a cloud of smoke
Still there is enough of thst shiny SCOT
to 6arEen the brick of the stores and
houses. iujure the furniture, and blacken
the carpets; but the faces of the nnabit-
auts-except those who work in the mills
are not prematurely Africanized-as ma
ny allege is the case with the native-born
Pittsburger. who lives and dies in coal
smoke.
Wheeling has population of $4,000,
and is literally busy hive of industry.
There are cunning workers in iron and
glass, though not in "purple and fine
/ linen" In some respects Wheeling has
advantages over Pittsburgh, Coal is
cheaper here. IL can be laid down at the
/ iron and glass works at from to cents
/ per bushel, whereas at Pittsburgh it costs
| from 4 to cents per bushel. Cheap fuel
| is one of the essential elements OF sue
cessful manufacturing. Yet Pittsburgh
has a decided advantage in the greater
abundance of capita'. The Wheeling
manufacturers pride themselves upon turn
| ing out good article. 1t is thus that the
nails made at the Belmont and La Belle
works are rather betterthan the Pittsburgh
article
The South Wheeling glass company also
pride themselves upon making better ar
ticle of flint glass-for the reason that
they use more of the Missouri flint sand,
which is a hundred per cent better than
the Pittsburg sand. Many of the articles
for table use, made by the South Wheel
ing works, are equal TO the best articles
made in New York or Boston. One of the
proprietors happens to he New England
er, and he buys the best of material ne
| cessary for the manufacture of glass, in
! Boston. There is no sand in the United
| States vet discovered so good as the Mis-
souri, sand, obtained at st. Genevieye-l0O
miles below ST. Louis, Window glass is
but little made at Wheeling. Pittsburg
can so underseil them-haVing n cheaper
I
cannot be sustained. There is one win
dow glass mandatory here, but at pres
ent it is not in operation-as Pittsburg
sells cheaper, and OF course it cannot
thrive.
The Wheeling manufactures are just now
undergoing severe strain from Pittsbnrg
competition. Pittsburgh has put down
the price of nails at % cents wholesale
price, for tenpenny nails, whereas the
I ~ hot Nln,V ha
afforded for less than . 7-lO; but if the
Pittsburghers use poorer iron, they can
sell cheaper and make profit too. Go
where you will, | find that business is
subjected to the severe test of under-sell-
ing below living profit; but also find
that those who sell the Cheapst, generally
use q poorer material. 1t is thus that
apparently an cxhausting competition is
maintained for years The consumer gets
gpqgreFm aEticls II. i Is some time before
time the manufacturer has improved and
cheapencd his processes, and can then
give better article than lie ut first did,
and thus retains the business which he
had unfairly obtained.
The most elegant private residences of
Wheeling are on Fourth and Monroe streets.
Some of the houses are very pleasant
looking. They have home-like appear
ance, as shrubbery and flowers surround
every house of any pretensions; bnt the
, finest dwelling in Wheeling is on Main
street, in a handsome situation, and is
owned by Mr.. Sweeney, glass m"nufac-
turer. The house was pointed out to me
with some pride by a citizen, who said,
'There is the finest house in Wheeling
it cost over $4,000" Mr.. S. has over an
acre of land, and as his grounds are taste
fully embellished, it is altogether q con-
spicuous dwelling. The land and the
house are valued at $4,000, which, in the
frugal habits of this aged city, is an i'm
mense outlay for n private house.
The Suspension Bridge is naturally one
of the first objects which attract the at
tentiOn of the stranger. It is similar to
the bridge at Niagara, but neither so
tasteful nor so strong. Still it is q most
creditable enterprise for this comparatively
small city. The first cost of the bridge
was 100000. 1t is 1886 feet in length,
and 80 feet above the Ohio river. They
say here it is pure Pittsburgh humbug to
nllege that it is any obstruction to nayi-
CATION, as no steamer, even when the river
is highest, can tOach the flooring Tue
bridge blew over once. 1t cost SIS. 900 to
right it. Now the proprietors are making
PREPARATIONS on it by widening it, to the
amount of 5000. There are two bridges
The suspension bridge reaches to the
Island, which is one of the wards of
Wheeling, and contains AGO acres. From
thence to the Ohio river is another bridge,
costing $4,000 and $40 feet in length.
We consider it an enormous enterprise
that this little city should expend $780,
600 in a bridge to unite Ohio and Virginia.
1t is also more gratifying to know that the
travel over it is SO immense that ms large
as is the outlay, the receipts return an un-
common interest-somc say IL per cent,
which is high rate in Virginia, where the
legal rate is only percen Thus Wheel