The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-19
GheQmtelliqetrte1 !.
wheeling and Ohio County In

1851.
We have before US directory for 1901
Of the city Of Wheeling and the county oil
Ohio, gotten up by Oliver /. Taylor one
Of the original propric!ors Of this paper.
Itis altogether the most interesting and
valuable directory of the city that we
have ever seen, and contains an amount
ofinformation in regard to the early set
tlemen, of tho city and county, their
growth and progress, MOTTO be found in
Nnv publication OF the kind in our midst.
Commencing with the early settlement
oithe city ns far back as..l770, it presents
the reader with quite contrast between
the Wheeling Of that day and the Wheel
ing OF 1851. The first record Of popula-
ton is in 1910, at which time it amount
ed, all told, to ola. In 1920 it was 1867;
in 1880, 5,92l;in 1910, s,7ss; in 1850, 49,
lGl. 'I1... I'M 2
The name Of the city, about which so
much has been written at one time and
another, affords a curious illustration Of
the unreliable nature Of history-eyen
modern history-since no one can say for
certain whether it is the outgrowth Of
some Indian name applied to the creek,
or whether there was once missionary
priest hero named Wheelan, which hame
was afterwards changed into Wheeling
when the place was settled in 1770.
The names Of some forty:eight different
kinds Of leading manufactures, carried on
in Wheeling in 1851, are given, together
with the capital invested in them, value
Of the raw material used in them, number
Of persons employed, wages annually paid,
and their aggregate productive value.
For instance, in the line OF "iron, bar and
sheet, and nails" the capital invested is
put down at S77, ,511, the value Of the raw
material used at 500, ,o4o, the number Of
persons employed at 500, the wages paid
at Sls72OO, and the productive value at
s56s,456. These same tootings under the
head Of "aint and green glass" ,",were IS
follows: $4,000, sl26,59l, ,-S4s,-slO5,-
ss6 and 100000. In "Cotton Yarn and
Fabrics" they were (respectively) $780,
900, $55,s45,-l52,-Sl90sO and S97,7lG.
Next follow such industries as "Stcam
Engines and Machinery" Carriages and
Wagons" "Paper," "iron Castings and
Plows," "soap and Candles" and ever SO
many other departments of manufacture
and trade. The aggregate OF them all
ioOts up, for capital employed, 81 1872
All; for value OF raw material used,
sl,O7O,Gl7; number Of hands employed,
e,459; amount Of wages annually paid,
s676,SlS; and total annual productive
value, s2,2el,47o.
This showing was no doubt considered
very creditable for the city Of Wheeling at
the time named-a quarter Of century
ago-but it is u small affair indeed as
compared with the footings that could be
made under the same heads to-day. For
instance, in 1851 the capital Of the "Bel-
mont Iron Works" was put down at
sG5,OOO, whereas to-day it is eight or ten
times that amount. The capital Of the
present Riverside Iron Works is greater
than was that OF the Belmont works, the
Washington Iron Works" and the "Nlis-
souri, Iron Works" seven or eight times
over, in 1851. And, in like manner, We
might contrast several others OF our pres
ent large concerns with their small fry
predecessors at the time named. The de-
velopment since 1851 in the Nail busi-
ness has been immense. From being at
that time sort OF experiment it has
grown to be . business Of overshadowing
proportions, so much so as to make
Wheeling and vicinity, in 1876, the great
est Nail market in the world.
In 1851 the late Alfred Caldwell was
Mayor Of Wheeling, and General James
s. Wheat was City Clerk, The members
of Council were: First Ward, Thomas
G. Culbertson. Michael Edwards, John
Goodwin and Thomas Sweeney. Second
Ward, Thomas NJ. Alexander and D. Nc
Ginnis. Third Ward, ]. G. Harbour, DR..
A. s. Todd, John j. Yarnall and William
Hamilton. Fourth Ward, N. L. Dorsey,
James N. Ewing, Alexander Hadden, W.
R. Maybury and DR.. james Tanner,
Fifth Ward, B. NJ. Carr, John W. Gill,
George Forbes, R. Fl. Hubbell and Lo-
renzo Wait,
Among the other officers OF the city
were the following: Treasurer, R.
W. Harding; Superintendent Of, Water
Works, John Moore; Sergeant. j. L.
sangston; Wharfmaster, Robert Hamil-
ton; Collector OF ofAssessments, Jno, Laugh
lin; Street Commissioner, Pulaski Scat
terday; City Surveyor, R. D. Woods;
Assessor Of Water Rents, Josiah Powell;
Curator of fMarket Square, Jacob Wines.
burgh; Flour Inspector, james Melvin;
Lumber and Coal Measurer, Joshua G.
Wiley. -t.y s.st
A L. L IL. ktua MT ~.