The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-06-30
THE BELMONT MILL.


Samuel l.aughlin, Esq, who bid In the
works for the bondholderS at $4,000, a
merely nominal sum, OF course. The
ycissitudes through which the Belmont
Works have passed since It's organization
have been many and interesting, It's last
struggle being, perhaps, as eventiul as
any in It's history. It's stoppage at a period
when times were hard necessarily worked
great hardships with those who were
thrown out OF employment, whose daily
bread depended upon the success Of the
establishment. The struggles Of those at
the helm Of the concern to stem
tho troubled sea Of Ia difficulties ought
TO have been rewarded by a bet
ter success than their endeavors met with.
Numerous plans were devised and nego'
tiations set on foot for tho repair Of It's
crippled financial condition, but all fell
through, and in the early part OF last De-
cember the fires In her furnaces died out;
her vast machinery stood still for long
rest, operations having ceased from that
day to the present, to continue how much
longer we do not know positively, but
hope for very short space Of time.
In connection with the present sale OF
the mill, and with reference to remarks we
shall mako further on, short sketch OF
the mill may be very GprQpos. We quote
from former article on this mill, ap.
pearing in the lNrELILGESCER under date
Of February 18th, 1874.
The Belmont Mill owes its inception to
the withdrawal Of +. NJ. Norton, Esq, and
others from the Virginia Mill curly in
lS49. The writer in speaking Of this says:
"ThesucCesS attending the operations Of
that mill during the time OF their Conncc-
ton with it had more fully developed the
natural advantages Of Wheeling rs a man
ufacturing point, and had attracted the at
tention OF practical men elsewhere, who
were DESTROYS OF securing for themselves
more immediate and higher results from
their small capital and skilled labor than
seemed possible under the shadow Of the
wealth which controlled the iron interests
OF the great manufacturing centers Of the
country. Mr.. Norton and his associates,
therefore, had no difficulty in drawing u
number OF the best class Of workmen from
other cities to the support Of their new
enterprise. A company was soon formed,
consisting Of Messrs. VIM. Bailey, S. II.
Woodward, Henry Wallace, G. u.
Doty, lIolston Harden, +. D. Nor.
ton, William Hay, John Wright and
+. NJ. Norton. These gentlemen consti-
tuted corps Of experienced, practical
iron workers. They purchased from the
late IoonpI, Cnl1woIl two nornu of lopI To,
ing on the river bank, in what is now
known us Center Wheeling, but which at
that time, although embraced in the city
limits, was only Cornficld, and for which
they paid 81, 600. On this ground they select
ed d site and erected the Belmont mill, and
put up eighteen machines. Just after the
works were completed Henry Moore, Of
this city, but now OF Baltimore, was adj
mitted TO the partnership, and tho COM
pany represented capital OF $4,000. Ac'
tive operations were commenced in Octo'
Der 1919, with L. NJ. Norton Us President
and William Bailey as manager OF the
mill, under the title OF Norton, Bailey &
Co. About this time radical changes
were effected in the manner Of
manufacturing iron, and improvement
in the manufacture Of nails. The grea;
improvements were quickly adopted by
the Belmont Company. The Virginia mill
having fallen into unskilled management,
the Belmont Immediately took precedence,
and entered upon that career Of success
which has attended its operations ever
since" barring its recent fatal plunge into
debt which neCessitated its sale, but which
could have been tided over had not the
crisis Of 10 with itsdepressing effect swept
over the land, which taken together with
the unsettled condition OF the nail trade
swamped it. -
The writer already quoted continues his
sketch OF the mill: ut continued under
its first management until November,
1851, at which time Messrs. Bailey, Wood.
ward and others retired from the compa-
ny, Henry Moore becoming the purchaser
of the retiring interest. The late j. G.
ACheson then became a member OF the
company, which changed its title to Nor
ton, Acheson & Co. In 1851 Joseph Bell
became stakeholder, and was added 10
the active membership. From year to
year the business continued to increase
with uninterrupted prosperity; so that in
the year 1850 its productive capacity had
been brought up to eighty machines, or
more than four times the original number.
After the commencement Of the civil war,
the Government made overtures to the
company for the manufacture Of plate,
for gunboat armor, and they accepted
large contracts for that class OF products.
"In the year 1868 the partnership ar
rangement OF the company expired by
limitation, and the mill property was sold
at public auction for Sl27, 900, Henry Nc.
Cullough, Of Pittsburgh, becoming the
purchaser. The company was re.organized
under the title OF Mccullough, ACheson 4
Co. NJ. B. Cox also at this time became
a member Of the company. After brief
existence the title OF the company was
again changed, AMI became Lehr l. Co.,
and this again merged into the title Of the
Belmont Iron Works, with Henry Moore
as President. In the fall Of 1865 the title
was again changed to the Belmont Nail
Works Company, under which operations
have continued to the present time. Since
its organization rs the Belmont Nail Works
COmpanyit has largely added to its produc-
tive capacity, having increased the num-
Der Of machines 10 ITO, the largest num-
Der operated in this city and the third
largest in the United States"
The company in the fall Of 1872 com.
menced a blast furnace, laying the founda-
ton and suspending further work until
the spring Of 1873, and owing to the ad-
vent Of the financial panic, il was not fin
ished until the spring Of II. 1t was built
by VIM. TAFT, and is a model OF its kind in
perfection and convenience, standing as it
does so near the mill, on Main street, be-
tween the Belmont AMI Riverside mills.
To the building Of this furnace, us much
as anything else, the mill owes its recent
failure, although failure need not have
followed It's erection II had not been for
the Observation-Disclosures Of its principal stock
holders. The management Of the mill
was not at fault, but the division of $780,.
OOO among the stockholders ut the time It
was building, seriously crippled the
finances OF the concern, carrying as it
was bonded debt OF 5000, 900