The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-09-26
wHEELING'S NATURAL ADvAN-
TAGES.

A Louisville gentleman, Mr.. A. b
DEAN, writes to the Mayor of this city
Mr.. SWEENEY, for information as 10 the
natural advantages of this city as a place
for manufacturing the article of Plate
Glass. He inquiries particularly as to
coal and clean river sand.
We have taken pains to talk with
some of our leading manufacturers upon
the subject, and can answer as to coal.
The habit of manufacturers heresbouts
is to purchase the virgin coal in the hills
which surround Wheeling, erect their
works upon the premises, open the coal
mines and run n track so as TO convey
the fuel directly from the digger in the
mine 10 the mouth of the furnace where
consumed. There is an abundance of
virgin coal within and near the city,
which can be purchased at from $50 per
acre up to, say, $500, owing to loca-
tion, convenience for handling, &c.
This, of course, is the cheapest and most
satisfactory plan TO pursue. But few
manufacturers pursue the mode of giving
out their cosl-supply by contract, and in
that way they get It delivered in their
works, at this time, for 90c. to 81 OO q
ton, which is between three and four
cents busbel. The Baltimore and
Ono Railroad is now getting its supply
of coal at Cambridge, AZ IS cents u ton,
and we suppose that corporation pays
about the same price for
what it gets in this
immediate neighborhood. The manu-
facturer could scarcely do better, rs to
price, by owning and running his own
coal, but he would have 1t more COM
pletely under his own control.
As to the other branch of the inquiry,
IN re lard to clean river sand, we cannot
speak as definitely. That is, we cannot
say that our river sand, which is clean,
abundant, and convenient, wOult do to
make plate glass with. We should
rather think it would not. When
used in window glass it gives
it blueish cast. Our flint
glass work, we.know, require brighter
and clearer sand The Bellaire glass
men have been using n sand which Is
procured out on the line of our new
Tuscarawas Valley railroad. This sand
would probably answer well the purposes
OF plate glass factory. As soon as this
road is completed, which will probably
be by this time next year, this sand
ought to be brought to Wheeling quite
cheaplv. There is also pretty
GOOD article of sand for glass pur-
poses, IN the vicinity of Fairmont, which
ought not cost much delivered here. A
manufacturer having choice between
these two qusrries, one on each side OF us
and on different lines of railroad, could
probably geta satisfactory supply at salts
factory prices.
Ii Mr.. DEAN has anything tempting
to offer our capitalists in the way OF IN
inducemont to 90 into the manufacture
of plate glass, as he intimates he
has, it would be well for him to run
10 to Wheeling and view the lay OF the
and for himself and make the personal
acquaintance OF our men OF means.
Our people are very conservative and
generally quite judicious in making imam
cial ventures, yet they usually have the
clearness of comprehension to know a
good thing when they see it. 1t may
have to be made pretty plain to them be-
fore they will take mold, but once they
lay their hands to the plow they never
look back.