Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-30
INTERESTING HISTORY
IConhinned from FYrNt Paae. ]

Continued from Frst Page
since the price has been advanced from
the increased demand, 4 considerable
supply is now obtained from that
luarter. Little short of a million OF
are consumed annually; the price,
o cents, has now risen to II,
pace with the increased price of
provisions, labor, etc. Several of the man
ufactories have coal pits at their very
doors, such rs those under the Coal Hill,
which saves the expense of transportation.
The coal pits on the side of the Coal Hill
are about One-third from the top, which Is
about on a level with the stratum on the
opposite side of the river. There are forty
or fifty pits opened, including those on
both sides Of the river. They are worked
into the hill horizontally, thecOal Is wheel
ed to the mouth OF n pit i'll a wheelbarrOw,
thrown upon a platform and from thence
into wagons. After digging III
distance, rooms are formed On each
side, pillars being left at intervals to sup
port the roof. The coal is in the first IN
stance separated in solid masses, the veins
being generally from six to eight feet IN
thickness, and is afterwards broken into
smaller pieces for the purpose OF tranSpor-
tation. A labOrer is able to dig upwards
of 100 bushels per day. 1t is supposed,
and perhaps with good reason, that the
main or principal stratum lies considerably
deeper. us in the English cOllierieS; but the
quantity so near the surface Of the earth
will for a long period Oftime render 1t un
necessary to look for it ut 4 greater depth.
Fuel, that indispensable necessary OF life,
is so cheap here that the poorest rarely sui,
fer for want of it. We TO not witness near
Pittsburgh that pitiahle spectacle, the fee
BILE infancy and decrepit age OF the untor-
tunate poor. suffering in 4 cold winter day
for a little fire to warm their meagre and
chilly blood-we do not see them shiver,
ing over 4 few lighted splinters or pieces
of bark cleaned from the highways or tori
from the fences In tie skirts OF the town. u
IT WAS SMOKY THEN.
At this early date PittSburg had earned
the right to the sOULriqaet Smoky City.
Cramer, in his Navigator, before referred to,
fsAs every blessing has its attendant
evil, the stOne-eoal is productive OF con-
siderable inconvenience from the smoke
which Oyerhangs the town, and deScends
in fine dust which blackenS every object;
even snow can scarcely be called white in
PittSburg. The persons and dress Of the
inhabitants. i'm the interior OF the houses
rs we'll as the exterior, experience ITS ell
fects. The tail stGaple Of the Court House
once painted white, tu! alas, how
changed
We cannot follow the growth Of Pitts
burg and its manuiactOrieS in order to show
how rapidly the consumption Of coal IN
creased. Rolling mills, nail factories,
foundrieS, machine shops, glass works, SAW
mills, pape mills, wooden factories, cotton
factories, among the great industries, ana
the thousand and one minor trades that
about q great town, were establish
ed here. All of these used coal for power
and many of them still larger amounts IN
manufacturing processes. Phe steamboats,
pIying on the rivers and the salt works
made large demands upon the mines, while
StiH greater quantities were sent down the
Ohio 10 the lower country. 1t was eStl-
mated that i'm 1888 there were ninety steam
i'm Pittsburg, consuming 2,O6',3 O6
bushes a year; $500, 900 bushels were con
sumed iR families, 2,DOO,OOO bushels IN
stoves schools and in SmaIi manufacturing;
, total of 1885, 306 bushels, which, ut 4
cents n bushel, was worth S3O6, 5l2. In
the ninety salt works of Western PennSyl-
vania 5000. 600 more bushels were used pei
year.
FIRST COAL TRANSPORTATION,
A word about the transportation OF coal
nm the Ohio, though Il discussion of tins
subject does not properly fall within the
limits of this article. The rirSt load of coal
sent down the Ohio from PittsbQrg was IN
the ship Louisiana, which was built IN
Pittsburgh in 1903 and sent out "ballasted
with stone coal which was sold at Philadel-
phia for 374 cents y buShel.' Some time
nrior 10 iSlO coal WAS sent down the river
from Grave Greek, below Wheeling, and
in 1917 the transportation of coal from
Pittsburgh in fat-boats was be-
nm. In 1915 steamboats, were
inst used in towing coal, the boats
and barses being ut first fastened to the
sides and in tho rear Of the tOwboatS. Ii
WAS not long, however, before the present
of placing the tOwbOats behind the
fleet was adopted. In ISL Locks l and
. of the Monongahela River Navigation
Company's Improvements were completed
and opened for navigation on October Is
the eight weeks succeeding tins
date Al. 500 tons of coal passed through
Lock No. 1. The industry has grown until
1000 crafts of various kinds trom the
steamboat to the flat, are employed, an9
the amount of coal passing the locks hasat
times reached nearly loo, O0O, 600 bushels a
much of which, in addition to some
mined below the first dam, Is sent down
the Ohio.
II is also true that the history Of n de
yelopment of the use Of coal and coke IN
iron making, especially in blaStturnaces IS
more properly given IN connection Witl
the history Of the iron industry. 1t IS es'
sential TO the completeness OF the article,
however, to state in addition to dat al
ready given that as early as 1907 there
were three nail factories in Pittsburg.
The one rolling mill in 1912 had increased
10 eight in 1S29. At Plumsock, ON Red.
none creek. in 1916 o. 1917 the first nail
tApuddle iron in the United States wa