The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-05-21
Ghe9ntelliQencer.
Interesting Letter from REV.
Frank Hall..sThe Elder swing.
Ing Round ON u Tour u Obser.
wilton and IsecreatlOn..-Ile
picks Up % Good Many Items
About Pittsburgh and Vicinity.
PIvnBUR0H, May IS, 1877.

PICKS Jp UOOu MANY Items
About Pittsburgh and Vicinity,
PlvEBuRGH, May IS, 1877.
ELTON InislliSencer:
On the morning Of the 10Th | left
Wheeling with the peculiar feeling that
/ might never again call Il my home.
Within the fifteen years past | have
formed many acquainlances and strong
attachments among its citizens. Numer.
on. acts Of kindness received at their
hands will be very kindly remembered
by Mrs. Ball and myself, Many OF these
would name, but Il would at least seem
nyidious and would be embarrassing TO
those whom l would be glad to name,
hence must forbear.
In route met with Mr.. Hall, former.
" Of Wheeling, and an expert In photo.
eraphy. lie Is a most entertaining tray.
cling companion and thorough gentle.
man.
In passing through the Allegheny Park
/ wss surprised to see II overspread with
yellow carpeting Of dandelion, inter.
spcrsed with green grass. This has been
declared a nuisance by the fathers, and
the expeditions (?l plan for it, exlermi.
nation has been adopted OF having some
boys employed at SO cents per day to take
out the dandy" root and branch. The
lawn mower also IA at work.
There is tradition Il don't know
that it is more than this) that the
original owner Of these lands, seeing
that this was destined to become
great city, and that the cows
were likely 10 suffer for want Of pasture,
donated these grounds to the city author.
tiles for COW pasture. But the COWS,
like the Delawares, Shawnees, Mingoes,
MohicanS and other uncivilized animals
have retired before the march of civil.
i1ation, and have sought and found other
hunting grounds, and now the sWamps
and sour cow.pasture has become the
pride Of Allegheny. 1t ia u beautiful
and popular resort.
There is Just now quite tlntter among
the TOusorial fraternity Of Allegheny. The
Chief OF Police has unearthed an old law
Of 1874 which prohibited BARRIERS from
plying their trade Oh Sunday. For each
offence a fac Of 81 was imposed. This
act however was amended in 1855 and the
penalty was increased to S25, or impris.
onmenI Of not more than thirty nor less
than ten days. This is now being en-.
forced, and it applies to the entire coun.
". Our opinion il that, all Of this sort
OF Sabbath dissertation, is mere mat.
ter Of habit, for which there il no necessi.
ty. One OF the leading BARRIERS says he
has not opened his shop on Sunday for
i've years.
The military history OF the city is isll
Of interest, but can only be limited at
now. In 1854 u stoCkade erected by Mr..
Trent, on site chosen By Gen. Washing.
ton, and held by Capt. Ward with forty
men was surrendered to a French officer
who approached with sixty batteries,
three thousand canoes, eighteen pieces OF
cannon and one thousand French and
Indian troops. Upon this site fort Du
Qaesne" was Immediately erected. This
was believe, the beginning Of the
French and Indian war, which lasted
about four years. In 1858 the French
took fright at the approach of general
Forbes, and fired their magazines, de.
stroyed their Improvements and left. On
the day following Gen. Forbes took pos.
session of the ruins and proceeded ut once
10 erect Sort Pitt" This tort held two
hundred men. From the name Of this
Fort originated the name Of Pittsburgh.
In l770 Gen. Washington was on his way
TO Kanawha to locate llnds for himself
and other parties, and Of Pittsburgh he
said ave lodged in what ia called the
town, distant about 800 yards from the
fort. . The houses, which are
built logs and ranged in street,, sup.
pose may number twenty, and are inhab.
tied by Indian traders" In 1904 it claim.
ed population Of 1865 inhabitants.
From this city, the frat steamboat, the
New Orleans was launched upon these
great Western waters.
Now Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities
cover m area OF $1,000 acres with 500
miles OF streets and over 100 churches,
with population Of 22j,00O.
Pittsburgh was a right arm OF power
to the Government during the war. In
December, 1860, an order came from Mr..
Floyd, Secretary Of War, for the removal
u one hundred and fifty pieces Of canon,
from the Allegheny arsenal to New Or.
leans. This order the people, regardless
Of pariy, determined to resist, even unto
blood and death. A portion Of these
guns, in charge OF United States soldiers,
we're within two squares Of the "Silver
Wave" for transportation TO the South.
The soldiers were halted in the street and
delayed by red tape speeches, etc , till such
answers were received from Hon. L. NJ.
Stanton, as allayed the excitement and
the order was countermanded.
Pittsburgh furnished over 10000 sol.
,i.crs for the war OF the Union. A COM
pany OF forty Pitobarghers under Capt.
Mcdonnell, were the first volunteers 10
arrive in Washington and report for
duty. This occurred in six days after
the attack on Sumpter. They marched
across the country from Harrisburg. A
word here for West Virginia and Pitts.
burgh "a neighbours. It will be remem-
bsred that the first success obtained by
the Union soldiers during the war was a
victory won by a body OF West Virginia
troops at Phillippi under Gen. Kelley.
They had been furnished with muskets BY
Gov. Andrews Of Massachusetts, but they
had neither powder or balls. These were
furnished by two prominent Pittsburgh
ers at great risk. Thus West Virginia
and Pittsburgh share the honors OF the
first victory Of the war, and that upon
West Virginia soil.
In 1861 a Subsistence Committee was
formed, and from July IS, 1861, to the
close of the war they fed 400, 745 soldiers,
and nuried in the Soldiers Home 79,400
lick and wounded.
In June, 1864, a Sanitary Fair was
opened. | do not know how long it con.
linued, but the receipts amounted to the
enormous sum OF 1851 ,5lGl7.
Over 1000 tons Of armor plates we're
made in Pittsburgh by the Wayne Iron
Works for the ironsides and other ships,
and the shoppers, weighing 10, 900 pounds
each, for the port holes OF the iron Clads
built at St. Louis, were also made here.
The wages paid in the manufactures
Of Pittsburgh are over S30,000,000 an
nuglly I, "a raIculaIn1 that ,La f,nIo,;o,