Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-02-24
LETTER.

wa &aa0
Boom Cheerful State Of Ar
fairs-The City OF Homes
Toothsome Dainties-PoHtical
Brief Mention.
CorrSspeRdsncs Of the Register.
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 70, 1850.
The commercial interests OF this city
are OF considerable proportions, and
rank second In importance in the Uni
ted States, but An y manufacturing cen.
tire 1t leads the van "by a large MAORI
ty.' At the present time, under the
viviiying boom, the great manufactures
aro pressed with orders, which seem 10
Increase rather than decrease. A visit
TO the manufacturing districts discloscs
The Tact that they have not been 80 busy
and pushed by orders Tor several years.
The mills Of kensington, which are very
numerous, arc mostly all working day
and night The gloomy and detected ap-
pearance whichthe mills borea short time
ago, when they were running half time
and hardly making expenses, has given
way to bustling activity, Gathering ma
ehinery, busy employees, by day and
by night, making u complete mctamur-
phosis, which has the hearty sanction Of
all. Tho mills illuminated at nights by
thousands Of gas jets are a most cheerful
and pleasant sight, after the years Of
darkness and gloom. Wages have kept
pace with the increase Of business.
While passing q large stocking mill q
week or more ago, We accidentally over
heard u couple Of neatly-drcssed, ine-
looking girls, who were employed In the
mill, comparing their earnings for two
weeks. cine had SIS aud the other had
$3.50. Ia speaking Of the fact after
wards we were informed that when bust.
ness WAS brisk u was not a rarc thing Tor
experienced girls to earn Sl2 to SO per
week. Buttho "fcmalcgirls AS Gov. Les.
lie calls them, generally make the money
fly for the bane Of womankind- ribbons
and gcw.gaws. But it must not be-
supposed that all their earnings are idly
anu ibollhllN h~lualutIou.
The great aim Of working people here
seems To be- to secure a home Of thor
own; and Ia accomplish that object,
men, women, aud even children, belong
to bullding societies, which institutions
have been the enabling power for many
To procure homes. who otherwise would
be- under the merCiless tyranny ol u
landlord. The building associations arc
entitled 10 the honor OF beingth channel
through which a majority IL the work.
ing people procured homes. Rightly
named IL the Quaker City when called
tho City Of Homes" for it not only
commands that aPpellation-nay, moro
it deserves 10.
town sister To kensington in the way Of
mills and factories, aud IL in a whiTl OF
activity and prosperity. Al Frankfort,
Germantown aud many other districts
IA the suburban portions Of the city,
mills are being built, and industrial
works oi various kinds arr being cstab-
lishCd. BaldWin's locomotive works,
which occupy upwards Oi three squares
On our popular and "tony" lhoroughiarr,
Broad street, arc running full time to
their fullest capacity, aud the din crrn,
ted by 5000 men in pounding aud ham
m0ring ron IN almost dcafening. They
have now employed moro workmcn
than Tor years. At the ship yards,
Crump's, Wright's, simpsons aud the
numerous others, they are busy, both in
repairing vessels aud building new ones.
ludustrially speaking, Philadelphia Is
in a state oi "boom" that in highly en-,
coumgiug, and augurs we'll for the future
Of Pennsylvania metropolis, and the
second city ia the Union.