The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-02-29
BY.G0NE DAYS,
REcoLlEc rloNs OF AN OLD c,TlztN.
wheeling Of Long lfo, Her six, Population, Man
ufAeturinx Iahrtsts asd the Bridge fiSht
A. Told 10 al "iuttllixeaes," Reporter
By Colonel Thomas Sweeney.

FL. ltuat htbuk u AUPoAtoA VI -
dropped In 10 see Col. Thomas Sweeney at
his temporary home on North Main street.
Alter so,as enquiries az 10 the state Oh bis
health, which by tho way, is much improved,
the reporter vcntursd 10 ask him 10 tell some.
thing OF the early days OF Wheeling, knowing
that no one man had done more for the dc.
yelopmsnt and growth Of the city than he.
II came to Wheeling In the spring Of 1885,"
said Mr.. Sweeney.
100 late then to meet La Fayette2' asked
the reporter.
"Yes, to, late to soc him hare. But I met
him In Pittsburgh. At that timel was asst
lieutenant OF the Jackson Independent
Blues the Captain was sick and | had charge
OF the company. All Ulcers with the rank
OF captain and up. were introduced to him
formally. l shall never forget him, be was q
splendid looking Mno. Bnt as l said, / came
down here In 80. 6ome time before that
James II. Forsythe, Col. Archie Woods, John
List, aud several others, had formed a joint
stock company and started q general foun-
dry. From Bome cause tho affair was not
successful, and Mr.. Cuthbert and myself,
bought the props1ty. We remained IN psri.
nership for n year or 80, when l bought him
wv Alt CuttkAkCaa VAN bA9AAC1o "a ~ wax
taken up by my soma"
TIN WHEELING or LONG AGO.
"How much Of a town WAS there In those
days ~ srF t lsgl
II suppose a town OF some i've or ak thou.
sand people. All Of 1t, or nearly all, was up
on the hill. That IL, above whore %6heppard's
saddery now stands. down below there
we're a-fsw houses. In the square between
ruyaNfk aud E1rrkaartk atrnuku ga. Tab,
McCourtney's tavern and wagon yard. The
Nstionsl pike had only been finished a few
years, and John Mcclure, an uncle Of Captain
John Mcclure was superintendent OF this end
OF the road. All the merchandise was hanlcd
by wagons. It was no uncommon thing 10 aee
from twenty-five to thirty-hve four horse
wagors drive Ia, in one day. The marchan.
disc WAS then distributed, some going up,
some down tho river, and in all directions"
From what point did they haul tho
goods2n tsh5
swell, when I first came here, I bsllevs
they were hauling them from the town Of
Hancock, down uearB ir Johns Kun. About
this time or shortly afterwards the stone
bridge was built over the creek, and ali the
ground below was mostly utilized AS farm.
Ing land. / remember DR.. EotT used to 1.-Two
IN a house where the Riverside mill now
stands. He had a ferry which used 10 touch
ut tho point OF the 1slsnd and then run over
to where West Wheeling now Is. The
other ferry, and a rope one at that, used to
DO at the foot Of Eleventh street. Some few
boats would come up Tho river but they wers
small. The Ltors room on Eleventh street
formerly occupied by Robt. Sweeney and the
resideuca Of Noah z me were the only houses
In that whole tqnare.n
"How was the Island ?a
ut was owned by Noah and Daniel 2 .na.
Nosh Zane afterwards gave bis ~interes. 10 his
son EGentzer. Daniel Zane had his home a
little below where Capt, John McLure's house
now stands, aud above Zlne street I think
there were only three houses, one al them
part Of the present Berger homestead. Near
the latter was an Indian. mound. The Island
was not thought much Of then as a living
place. There was more groand on this side
Of tho river than We could manage at that
time"
Il MANUFACTURING INTEREST,". El
Where there any manufacturing interests
then ?" sd ~
Comparatively nons. There was a glass
house out in East Wheeling built by a man
named Wheat, but they had closed down.
Where the B. & Q. depot now stands was a
small cotton factory, operated by William B..
4yo01s 70 Aa4lbAOhS uAO ASu lUls
merly Operated ut Pittsburgh, hal q paper
mill, I btlive, where the Riverside Furniture
compsny'9 VOL Is now are. IN nhout 1884
| wag instrumental In ga.tius Dr.. John
schonbergtr, OK Pittsburgh, q warm friend
Of mine, 10 bny property aad build a rolling
mill on the site OF the present Top mill.
From this ;inie the manufacturing future Of
Wheeling YES assured"
"What advantages did Whealiug possess 10
bring capital from Pittsburgh?
.L.tAfe.l, in those days, boats could come
here when they couldn't 60 to Pittsburgh,
and beA;des tho natural advantages. But
there wa' one thing that nearly ruined it all,
aud that was the property qualification and
poll-:ux OF old Virginia after that was fixed.
though, things went along smoothly"
LIVELY FIGHT OVER THE usI. oE.
"Whsn vas tho 1spension bridge built?'
u can't give ye1 the ex set year. tPfesi-
dnnt Jackson's opposition 10 internal I'M
provcments killed q scheme to bridge the
river much earlier. But about 1850 the firot
bridge wa7 built. Mr.. Robuling, father Of
the engineer who built the Brooklyn bridge,
aud Mr.. Elliott both presented plans aud
made BLDG. There wss a hot h,tt over the
two proposale. Onelittle incidsnt will show
the feeling. Henry Moore and William
AaA1oA neio nv lEp uleetAHE, Cuhtl.
p'onifg their favori!es. Mr.. Moore
il ltly contradictcd Mr.. Paxton, and the
lat!e-'w;tbout any words drew a sword from
his cane and madec lungc, which fortunately
missed its mnrk. OF course order We, per
emp;orily demanded and Mr.. Paxton re.
signed his seat In Council. Mr.. Elliott was
the successful competitor, but the Council
unanimously voted 500 to MIR. Rcbeling 10
help dsfray his personal expenses. Mr..
Roheling accepted tha check with the rt-
mark that Nj. Elliott was u did %humbus'."
''rnis bridge blew down in about 81. A
strong wind was blowing and tho bridge
oscillated up aud dJwn the river till one OF
the cab!ea was thrown frem lis supports upon
the brace between the columns, breaking the
cable and letting tho bridge down. Next q
narrow bridge WAS built, and later In the
fttits the present struc.urc was erected and
I believe that tho s:esl cables put In it In
1872 we're its salvation during the late food"
How ives real Estate va!ued'?
mich lower than at preFcnt. I can't give
exact figures, but a very t,iiling sun could
havo bought some valuable property to-
day."
ibid you have any FIRE Department.?
Nothing bu' the bucket brigade and some
reels with a little hose. But the improve
ment came In that as in other things with
tho growth Of the city,"
49,
OH, MOI
Observation-Disclosures" Told the Story in
! RS.