Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-15
A MODEL NEW TOWN.
An Innovation in City-Founding That
Hasn't Been Improbable.
ALL SEWERS AND WATER PIPES
Laid Before Streets We're Made and Every.
thing Now in Order.
SHORT SKETCH OF A MAMMOTH WORK

them, are fully cognizant of the rapic
growth of the outlying towns tributary t.
Pittsburg in the last five years. Since 1885,
boroughs east of the city have increased in
population from 1G, 600 then to 5000 now,
but this fact expressed in figures does moi
impress the improvement on one like visil
to some of these colonies that have separated
from the parent hive.
A notable example is the new town oi
Wilmerding. nestled in the Turtle Greek
Valley, emerald-rimmed and protected by its
surroundings from cyclones. The four.
score daily trains on the Pennsylvania Rail.
road thunder into it, and the traveller knows
it not until the station is reached. 1t is the
first town in the State to be built solidly
and without shsnties, with streets ready
severed and graded, with water works, in
side water closets in houses, natural gas in
houses and plumbing all ready done, and
with stores of all kinds, doctors, miles OF
sidewalks a park. and, in fact, everything
necessary for the comfort of people accus-
toned to city conveniences, not even except
ing an elegant club house and reading
rooms.
Just when city building began history
does not disclose, but we are told that Cain
built city in the land Of Nod. According
to biblical chronology, this must have been
early in the second century of mans do
minion, for it seems to have been before the
birth of Seth, who was born when his
parents were only $50 years old. City
building was quite common in those early
days, but the creations were probably rather
shabby affairs. Relying on Hebrew patriot
ism some of US still sing Jerusalem a city
is compactly built together" but travellers
assert that its comFactness is a curse, and it
is probable that the sweetest portion of the
HOLY City is no better than that insalu brious
district lying southfof Old avenue and bet
ter known BY the name of Hardscrabble
than by any other.
TWO WAYS OF BUILDING.
II is somewhat strange that until within a
few years past most cities in the world have
been planned but little better than old Jeru-
salem. The Western people had sen Sc
enough. after the old part of St. Louis was
laid out, to make wide streets, but in other
respects they showed but little knowledge of
sanitary requisites; but this is perhaps not
matter TO cause astonishment, as the material
progress of the last two centuries is greater
than all that preceded, whether one calls
mans habitation here 6, 900 or 100, 900 years.
There have been great improvements
in this line since Gains day,
but very few towns are built
properly 10 begin with. Most of them are
like PittsbuIg, in which, as improvement
goes on, streets must be widened at enor-
nous cost. The streets during the greater
part of the year are constantly torn up for
pipe laying or for some other reason, so
driving, instead of being a pleasure, be-
comes an evaporation. All this is averted
at Wilmerding by the East Pittsburg I'm
provement Company setting the example of
building a town ready to hand. 1t is COM
fortIng to know that the innovation has not
been Improbable.
The first lot in the place was sold in April,
1889, less than 16 months ago, and were it
not tor the new look of everything, a visitor
might suppose that the evidences OF culture
were the growth of decades. This pioneer
town of the Turtle Greek Valley is 13 miles
from Q nion station, and from its location is
destined soon to be the center of a vast pop
ulation. A short distance east is Walls
station, where the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company will locate its shops, roundhouse,
etc., make up its trains, and by its connec-
ton via the Pittsburg, Virginia and Charles
ton and Pittsburg, Cincinnati and St. Louis
Railway, with the Ohio river connecting
railway bridge, will move the vast
bulk of its freight around Pitts
burg, thus concentrating at Wilmer
ding and Walls a business to appreciate
which to the full requires a vast stretch of
imagination, and this will all be accom-
plished within few months. In addition
TO this is the Turtle Creek Valley Railway,
running through Wilmerding to Brinton,
and which will eventually be extended to
Murraysville into the heart of the gas field,
seven miles distant, while the Standard Un-
derground Cable Company's works at Brin
ton will furnish employment to an army of
men whose families will live in Turtle Creek
Valley or on the charming heights border
ing it
NEED AN ELECTRIC ROAD.
Braddock, Wilmerding and Walls will
be connected before the close of this year BY
an electric street railway, the need of which
is already imperatively felt, notwithstand-
ing the frequency with which trains run on
the Pennsylvania Railroad.
But sketch of Wilmerding would be in
complete without a passing reference to the
nucleus of Que of the most complete and
vast enterprises of modern times. Within
q few feet of the Pennsylvania Railroad, on
the left hand as you go east, are clustered
the extensive buildings of the Westing-
house Airbrake Company To de-
scribe them succinctlv would require |
columns, The foundry building is 225x400 |
feet. In the casting department. where air
brake cylinders are made, the cupols, con- |
trary to ordinary usage, is In the center, and
the TASKS travel around it by an endless |
chain arrangement Sand is also brought |
70 the molders by similar device, running |
overhead and operated by 27-horsepower |
engine. The molding machines are oper- |
ated by hydraulic power. The blacksmith |
shop is 252x400 feet in area. In it also the
brass casting is done. In the boiler house |
are ten immense Babcock & Wilcox boilers, |
and there is great fan, which is almost |
cvclone in its wav, which forces warm or |
cold air to the various departments of the |
works. as NAV be desired. In cold |
weather the surplus heat of the boiler |
room is carried to where it is more |
appreciated than it is there. The |
lighting of the works is very complete,
many arc and thousands Of incandescent |
lamps being served by 1000 volt power,
with room for indefinite enlargement, as oc-
casion may require. The carpenter and |
fitting shop is very complete in its appoint
ments, and the machine shop is 300x5OO feet
in dimensions with four acres of floor space.
1t has high story in the center, with glass
rOot, which makes the two stories on the side
as light as though out of doors. Instead of
one great monster engine, with fywheels that
wreck town In case of rupture, steam is
conducted to the various departments and
supplied to small engines, which are scat
tered through the works where needed.
In this monster machine shop there are
800 lathes and miles of leather betting. A
studv of il brought to mind the ohsarSo.;o, |