The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-02-20
WHEELING INDUSTRIES.
The Top Mill

By our Old Euploye.
Our brief sketches Of the rise and pro-
gress Of Wheelings great nail interest,
commencing with The shoenberger Mil
and thence 10 the Virginia, the Benwood
the Belmont and the La Belle, have
brought US back, in engineers parlAnce
to the place Of beginning. We left The
old mill, partially revived, in the hands o.
the Belmont Company, forging out the
massive gun boat armor plate, the
iron strength Of which was proof
against shot and shell. The lease
Of the property, which had not
expired when the Belmont Mill was sold
was continued by Acheson 6 Bell, who
had the controlling management OF It.
These gentlemen, with Thos. s. Acheso1
as partner, under the title of Acheson
Bell s. Co., purchased the material lett by
the Belmont Company, and continued the
manufacture Of gunbost plates, and, Civ
ing the business more than ordinary a.
tention, received large increase Of or
ders, which they filled promptly, and, il
anything, more satisfactorily than ever tc
the government contractors. Large
quantities Of their plate were used in thu
navy yards and other places east and
west where iron-clsd vessels were being
fitted out In the year 1884, Acheson
Bell & Co. bought the works from the
Schoenberger heirs, for which they paid
forty.tour thousand dollars. The pur-
chase embraced, besides the mill proper
ty, some fifty acres Of land adjoining the
city, and having q river front Of about
three. quarters Of q mile. Those who are
familiar with the old mill property need
not TO be told that the buildings oc-
cupied but small portion Of the site
covered by the present extensive works
The mill, from long disuse was fas
falling into decay, and required consid-
cradle amount Of repairs before the COM
pany were enabled 10 add 10 the manu.
iacture OF gunboat plates that of bar iron
also. The firm also set on foot prepare
tons for building nail factory by exca-
waiting from the hill a site for the neces
sary additional buildings. This was a
Herculean task, and was only accomplish.
ed by vast amount Of labor and expense.
In the spring OF 1865 one OF the boilers
exploded, doing considerable damage 10
the works and necessitating an entire new
battery Of boilers and the re.erection Of a
portion OF the mill.
During the year 1865 Moses B. Cox
and the Brockunier Bros were taken
into the partnership, and in the spring Of
1858, with view of enlarging the cap
ital, q joint stock company was formed
and under the title Of tho Wheeling Iron
and Nail Works Company, commenced
the erection Of a nail factory, which was
completed during that year, and forty
machines put in operation. The concern
is generally known by the more cupho-
NOUS title Of the Top Mill Company.
As yet the nail business had suffered
but little depreciation from the prices
which ruled at the close OF the war, and
there was an increasing demand, which
taxed to the utmost the productive
capacity OF all our mills. The Ton MN
therefore, found but little difficulty In
building up an immense trade
In the year 1869 Mr.. Acheson, who had
been President Of the Company and one
Of the foremost men in the enterprise
died. and the company was reoreanized
with John P. Gllchrist as President, Hon
@. D. Hubbard as Secretary, and Adams
Dodson as Vice President, lis capital
largely increased, and It's productive
capacity more than doubled by the sddi-
ton Of finy.slx machines.
In September, 1871, the Company, by,a
disastrous fire, suffered the entire destruc.
ton Of their mill, but while the fire was
yet smouldering, active preparations were
made Tor rebuilding the works. Taking
advantage Of the necessity thus forced
upon them, they remodeled the entire
plan Of the works. All the latest i'm
provement, either In machinery or the
arrangement oft were adopted, and eyerv
detect which experience had pointed ont
was remedied in the construction of The
new works. The rebuilding was rapidly
pushed 70 completion, 80 that by mid.
summer Of 1879 the mill was again in
operation with It's capacity increased 10
one hundred and Eve machines.