Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-10-01
ABOUT THE CITY.
The Trip on wheels-A Brief Inspection
of Wheeling's Industries.

of Wheeling's Industries.
To start at the beginning, under this
head, would be to bring to the fore, for
the thanks they deserve, the business
men of Wheeling. About two weeks
aso, Messrs. James II. Oglebay and 5.
n. Prather canvassed the city for fund
to be employed in defraying the ex-
penses Of rendering to the State editors
such warm, cordial reception as would
preclude the possibility of their ever re-
calling their visit without a vivid re-
membrance of the social fellowship OF
the citizens of Wheeling, and the ster-
ling solidity of its various industries.
These two gentlemen met with Halter
inc success, as win appear later on. All
honor TO these gentlemen from whose
generous hands the assistance came.
The press gang is warm-hearted II
some times cynical, and responsive IT
business-like, and in that generous spot
in their bosOms which is preserved IN
spite of the narrowing toll of an editorial
existence, will be found q CRATE
ful recollection of the kind
treatment and cordial reception ten
dered them by Wheelings business
men.
The visiting scribes assembled at the
McLure House at , o'clock preparatory
20 mounting the carriages which were to
convey them TO some OF the principal
manufacturing establishments OF the
citv. A slight delay occurred in mar
shaling the forces, butat length the task
was completed, and in a long line, fu-
neral in style, but with anything but the
"trappings OF woe" in the general get-up,
the excursion moved off. There were
twelve carriages in all, with an average
of four 10 the conveyance, say fortv-
eight in all. But all OF these were not
of the genus editor. The Mayor and
good sprinkling of business men accom-
panied the party, besides the Governor
and several other State officials.
TIVE RIVERSIDE MILL
was the first station along the route, and
As ths procession whirled up to the fac
tory, the dust rising to mingle with the
smoke, amOtley crowd of gamins tlOCked
to the door and gazed with Won
der on the unwOnted spectacle. Mr..
William l.. Hearne took charge OF the
visitors, en- mdSss, though the voices of
several instructors might have been
heard explaining the mysteries OF iron
manufacture 10 separate squads. The
heating furnaces were first inspected,
where the muck bars are heated to the
welding point and rolled out into
nail sheets. The process was then fol-
lowed; the shearing of the sheets into
plates; the cutting of the plates into
nails; the packing into kegs and the
final slowing OF the kegs in the ware
house. Many Of the visitors had al
ready seen a nail mill in operation, but
there were others who had not, and for
them there was a singular fascination in
the sight.
The only incident worthy OF special
mention, during the stay at the River
side mill, was the advent OF Plattenburg,
who turned up, no one knew how, IN
a cachemlre duster and confederate hat,
looking as natural, under the red glare
of the heated iron, as ever.
THE BELMONT BLAST FURNACE
was the next place IN order, and 10 1t
the newsgObblers went. Unfortunately
a cast was not in operation, and as most
of the work, at other times, takes
place under cover OF the heavy iron Of
the furnace, the most interesting pOr-
ton was lost. However, there were
several of the party who could and did
explain the process by which the iron is
set free from the fast embrace IN which
il is locked in the ore. For better un-
the party assembled in re-
laws, to the cone OF the furnace where
the flames and fiery vapors burst out
like tabled Tartarus Here is where the
ore, limestone and coke are fed to the
raging fires below, in which the hot
blast brings in oxygen TO catch up the
carbon of the ore and set the metal free,
when il sinks TO the bottom, floating
the other on its surface as Stag.
All this was told and much more, and
several striking comparisons were insti-
tuted between the flaming mouth and
that pace so graphically described by
Dante. Ii was very warm there, and
when Fleming and Trimble said they
sighed for "some retreat deep in yon-
der shining Orient pointing toward
Reymann's, their thought had an echo
in many breast. until Plattenburg and
Schoield promptly checked it by resO-
lutely turning their horses head to
HOBBS, BRoCEUNIER co.'s,
where the party arrived after drive
through clouds of dust that formed halOS
around many ahead, that will miss such
an article after "liie's titiul fever
Mr.. Charles Brockunier met the visit
ors in his sanctum and welcomed them
to the mandatory, offering to conduct
them himself. The magnificent sample
raOm first claimed attention, where gilt
tering heaps of plain, cut, engraved,
frosted, Opaque, irrideSCent and every
other species of glass, glowed under and
reflected the afternoon sun. But there
was no time TO linger, and the guests
passed along, Plattenburg giving one re-
gretful, fond glance at giant beer mug
in which he might have curled up. The
blowing room came next and proved the
greatest attraction yet seen. The im-
mense fnrnaces, with their hame-spoHt-
ing holes, the crowds of men and boys
darting hither and thither with their
"punty" sticks and balls of glass, look
ing for all the world ike torch
light procession made up OF
imps fresh from satanic regions, attract
ell and bewildered the eye with their
rapidly shifting scenes
Then came the cutting department,
where Mr.. Frederick Goodfellew took
the party in tow and exhibited the
mysteries of his profession; that Is, so
much Is were open to inspection. For
in one corner was door with the mystic
words: "No admittance and without
exception" J" and throughthat door, with
fatal curiosity, several luckless wights
did 20 and burriedly return. What
they saw must forever remain a folded