Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-30
INTERESTING HISTORY
THE FIRST NINE OPERATED IN wEsfERNs
PENNSYLVANIA. s.s-s' -
The COal and Coke Industry Traced Ffon ls BgiR-
ming ng-0Oe1is,azi With htsbuy- -Erx Sals
Of Coal Lands-fhe Beginning Of
The Present Immense Business.

Ky
In its excellent centennial number the
Pittsburg Commercial -GaSette prints pages
of most interesting history pertaining 10
Western Pennsylvania, among which the
following will be of much interest to pco-
pie of Wheeling and vicinity:
In the year 1850, 50 says Capt. Thomas
Hu,chins, who visited Fort Pitt in July Of
that year, coal mine was opened ON the
Monongahela, opposite to Fort Pitt, for the
use of that garrison.
This is probably the earliest recorded
continuous use of the coal of that unrivaled
deposit, the Great Pittsburg Seam, de-
posit that, in the language of Prof Lesley,
State Geologist of Pennsylvania, is ''abso-
lutely inexhaustible for several thousand
years." that 'has made Pittsburg the envy
of the business world, and is sufficient
guarantee for destiny of inin,itable mag
nifcence in not distant future"
There is one earlier reference TO this
coal In 1859 Col. James Burd, while
completing the cutting of Braddock's road,
camped at place near the present site of
Brownsville, some two and half miles
from The Monongahela river, on the banks
of a small stream, which even then was
called Coal run. ''This run" he says in !,
his Journal, sis entirely paved in the bot
tom with fine stone coal; the hill on the
south side OF il is n rock of the finest CO.
| ever saw. burnt about bushel Of
on my fire" This, however, was only q
use. The pit opened ON Coal
Hill, in i76O, is probably the first coal
mine operated in Western Pennsylvania.
MINING AND THE CITY IN THE SAME AGE.
Accepting this date, l760, as the begin
ming OF coal mining in this region, Il will
be noted that this industry and PittsbuIg
are of the same age II was this year, 30
says Breckenridge In the first number Of
the Gdzttte, quoting trom Capt HutchinS
that "a small town called Pittsburg was
built near Fort Pitt" But five years be-
fore this Braddock met his disastrous de-
feat, and il was scarcely two years since
Fort Dcluesne had been abandoned and
burned by the French ON the approach of
the British.
The great abundance, excellent quality
and easy mining Of this coal at once d. I
rcctcd attention 10 il, and led to more than
one prophecy from the travellers who visit
ed this point rs to the future prominence
of Pittsburg as a manufacturing center.
Rev. Charles Beatty, who visited the Fort
in 1866, speaks of ascending the hill OPP
positc the Fort from which the garrison Is
supplied with Goals" and describes %
burning coal vein that at that time had
been on fire for twelve months lie sayss--
THE earth in some places is NO warm
that we could hardly bear Ia stand upon IL;
at one place where the smoke came up we.
opened u hole in the earth till il was 80
hot ~ To burn paper thrown into IL; tho ,
steam that came out was No strong of sui
phur that We could scarcely bear it,"
In November, l76s, the proprictarics, as
the Penn family and their coadjutors were
styled, purchased from the chiefs of the
Six Nations the whole Of the bituminous
coal field of Pennsylvania, except that
portion which lies &orihward Of kittan-
ming, which was not purchased until l7s5
The purchase price Of this magnificent
domain, portion of which has been de-
scribed ~ destined 10 ''be nm empire of IL
self, rs wealthy, rs powerful as England,
all other counties for its own
uses, and unasailablc from all quarters Of
the compass, " was $4,000.
The next year after this purchase, In
1869, Gov. John Penn, in giving directions
relative 10 the survey Of Pittsburg. says;
II would not engross all the coal hills,
but rather leave the greater part 90 others
who may work them" The difficulty
with the mother country interfcred with
The carrying out Of these instructions, but q
IN 1884 the proprietaries, who still retain (.
ii their rights, sold privileges 10 mine coal
rom the great seam In Coal Iiill, opposdfc
he town, for f)0 lot - - i
THE FIRST STEAM ENGINE. 4
From this time the demand for coal, not
,nly for domestic but for manufacturing
purposes, increased rapidly. Various :
minor industries, such ~ are common ~ I
frontier towns, and especially 30 one situ-
lted NJ WIS Pittsburg, were established.
The inst steam engine was brought 90 the
own in 1894; salt was produced In the
in considerable quantities.,
,oal being used in evaporation; coal-pits
we're opened ON the Pittsburg side Of the
-iyer at Mincrville (iIerron's HID among
,ther places, and In 1871 Craig * O'Hara
ocated their glass works, the iirst west Or
he mountains, just opposite the Point On 4
he South Side, this location having sen
elected because coal could be obtained jlsst
Il the works, proposed site ON the Alie-
,heny side Of the Allegheny river having
,een abandoned because digging failed W
how coal. "a
In the first twenty years OF the new ospA
ury the new industry assumed new ini-
,Ortance. Steam engines were introduced y
ntO manufacturing; industries requiring
arge amounts of coal were established and n
he population that was attracted 10 this \.
apidly growing town found coal ~ cheap
hat II was used with freedom In ti1 "a
scarcely known In other and Len
ayored localities. n
Mr. r. Cunning, who visited Pjttsburk x
n 1SJ7, in his Sketches Of Tour states
hat on entering Habach's tavern. -
ireensburg, he was no little surppnsed ~:
- fine coal fire, and was informed tlast.
,oal II the fuel Of the country fifty or sixfg !.
niles round PittsbuTg" Ofooal at Htts-
,urgh, he says -l' y
'it Il as fine as any In the word, In
uch plenty, 10 easibly bronght and -
Hear the town, tina. Il is delivered IL w. !.
ms drawn by four h0ses ut the doom q 4
be inhabitants at the rate OF fye cent?. 3 q
,ushel." In consequence Of this eh1sp-
iess there are few houses even smonG1t
he poorest Of the inhabitants whers -
east two fires are not used--one for eoei-<
ng and another for the family 70 sit n. . &
In 1903 the frst foundry WAS buiIt ~
In 100 steam Touring min
vas erected In 1911 the first steaGnbo6f g
he New Orleans, using PittstarRb O. q
md fuel, descended the Ohio the frvt -
hat long line Of boats that have p1ied go
his river using and Transporting Pit1S
,urgh coal. In 1872 the first rolling Mn
vas built, getting is coal from NIpac
lille. In 1913 two steam engine woelD
we're reported In the town, which nnnbees
iad increased In 1914 20 three, and, n -
lition 10 these, three foundries vQs -
orted In the same year. 49,
THE INDUSTRY II 1e13- q
In Cramer's Navigator for 1914 b . NJ q