The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-07-26
A BIT OF TRAVEL.
The New Capital of West Virginia
Question of RemOval-Leading In
dusfries - Beauty Everywhere -
wheeling SOciety-A SOmbre Clad
Priuna Donna-CentenniaI Interest.
Cnrresnnndence of THE Philadelphia In
Correspondence OF The PhlIaueIpHIa III
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wheeling SOciety-A SOmbre Clad
Pri,na Donnn-CentenniaI Interest.
Correspondence OF The Philadelphia In
quirer.
WHEELING, w. Va, July 20.
Ever been in Wheeling? Then you
don't know anything about it. must
tell YOU something. At first sight the
impression is not favorable. The city
looks much as though the fair goddess,
with plenty of dingy brick building in
her horn, had fitted over the alluvial
plane on the East bank of the OHIO and
filled several miles of its length with
the abodeS and workshops Of men.
Fresh from the level lands of the East,
thought the river washed the city up
against the mountains, and the noun
tains in stern decorum, stood there to
keep the city from running away into
the country.
When l spoke of mountains Il good.
natured resident smiled benignly, and
said they were only bills, which knocked
I all the poetry out of the thing. Splcn-
didly located for river commerce. III the
/ heart of country rich in coal-bearing
/ and petroleum formations, Wheeling has
/ naturally turned its attention to manu-
/ factures. Its industrial establishments
number something like three hundred,
/ covering all sorts of things-iron, nails,
/ glassware cotton goods, flour, machinery,
white lead, silk and wooden goods. etc,
NAILS.
/ Wheeling cut nails have national re-
putation. ldropped into the Belmont
/ Works. a representative establishment,
to sec how they made their stock in trade.
What a cluttcr and racket and cease
less clicking of machinery. Over hun
drcd machines, from pigmies to giants,
were bcbbing up and down, showing no
signs of fatigue Before each, sat man
or boy, revolving in his hand with Won
drous deXterity and rapidity, an imple-
ment that looked like Il broom handle.
The iron finger on ore end took up the
heated strips and thrust them under the
| knite-that made nail. These works
employ about five hundred men and
! bows. and this is about the average.
/ Wheeling capital runs seven large nail
works, each with about one hundred ma
/ chimes, turning out about $4,000 kegs a
week when running. The annual pro.
! duction is something over n million and
quarter kegs. As trial effort the Bel
mont Works have made in one week s.
/ lj9 kegs. Last winter we heard II great
/ deal about the strike OF the Wheeling
"nuilers,' ana | asked something about
them. | discovered mailer to be a
man who has charge of four machines
and employs help 10 run them. He is
paid by the piece, and in turn pays his
own assistants. He can earn and does
earn from S35 to $40 per week net, and
Vet they are now receiving less pay than
they have at any time within ten years.
| know of some brain workers who get
| still less.
The price oflabor follows the price Of
/ nails, which has not been 50 low since
/ 1861. Within the past few months
/ Wheeling nails have found their way to
] the Pacific coast To-day they have II
ready market in San Francisco. This
industry Is growing, thriving, and is an
inviting investment for capital.
GLASS.
The glass works of Wheeling afford
remuncralvc employment to large
number of pcopIe-men, women and
/ girls. Your correspondent was cOur-
| tcouslv escorted through the extensive
works of j. III. Hobbs Brockunicr X Co.
To this firm, perhaps more than to any
/ other in this city, belongs the credit OF
having brought Wheeling glassware to a
state of great perfection. The East
takes the palm for blown ware, which
has the merit of higher price, If not OF
substantial superiority. In fine pressed
ware Wheeling is far ahead of all rivals.
| saw beautifully executed articles OF use
and ornament, some OF graceful simpNc-
tv, some elab.rately emhellishcd-all
finished in the highest style Of the glass
| makers art.
Messrs. Hobbs, Brockunicr & Co. have
been exceptionally successful in the use
of kryolite in the manufacture OF white
porcelain glass. Other manufacturers
had tried il for like purpose, but it
proved so strong an alkali that it ute out
the pots as fast as it was put in. These
gentlemen prrscvercd in experiment un-
mi thev discovered method whereby
the effects of the strong alkall are ncu-
trallzcd and the translucent whltcness
impaired to the ware.
Of course YOU know that the largest
deposit of kryolte in the world is found
in Western Greenland. | am not 80
sure that evcryboGy knows that the
PENNSYLVANIA Salt Company has third
interest in it, and that the greater part,
if not ali, of what is brought to this
country is landed at Philadelphia. There
is also another vein of kryolite at My
ask, in the Ural, but that has no special
interest for Us.
THE CAPITAL REMOVAL.
Nearly every man | have met here
has had something to say about the capi-
tai removal question, upon which the tel
egraph kept the readers OF the hq'arer
| to!erablv well Informed while the matter
was under consideration, during the last
session of the West Virginia legislature.
! I. will be remembered that Tor n short
/ time after the birth of this State which
Ex-Governor Wise pithily, if not politely,
characterized as an issue not creditable
to its progcnitors-I draw it rather
| milder than the Ex-Governor did -
| Wheeling was the Capital of West Nir-
ginia. subsequently the seat Of govern
ment was removed to Charleston.
By virtue of All act Of the last legisla
ture, passed after determined fight and
signed by the Governor, Wheeling was
made the Capital. 1t Is not necessary to
recount the several legal processes to
which tha opposition reSorted to prevent
the govcri8ental headquarters from being
carted bodily to Wheeling. 1t is enough
TO say that the State officers are here, the
State archives IN Charleston, and the
whole matter before the Court of Appeals
awaiting adjudication. knowing ones
saws the court stands at least three to one
in favor of Wheeling. Upon what pre-