Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-18
LIFTING THE VEIL.
A Glance at Pittsburg as She Ap-
peared Fifty-One Years Ago.
STATISTICS OF YE OLDEN TIME.
Local Speculative Interests Moving Along
in the Customary Groove.
THE NEWS AND GOSSIP OF THE CITY

Everybody knows what Pittsburg is in
this good year of grace. 1890, but there are
few who remember what she was in 1889
81 years ago. To bring the Pittsburg of
that day before the readers of The DIS
PATCH, the following article is excepted
from Harris InteHigencer. leading local
publication half century back. The
article is entitled "Pittsburg and It's En-
virons," and appears in the issue for JAN
uary 1, 1889. 1t follows:
I'm our remarks on the population, busi-
ness and prospects of Pittsburg, we will in
clude our very fourishing neighbor-the
beautiful town of Allegheny. separated
from us by the river, over which we have
two bridges, an aqueduct and another
bridge in the course of construction. We
will also include the u or 13 towns and
villages which are clustered around Pitts
burg, ana embraced within a compass of
five miles. The vote given in this space at
the general election, in October last, was
about 800. Calculating, as is usually
done, ten souls for every voter. The popula-
tion would be 5000; we presume, however.
that 55, 600 would be fair estimate. Allegheny
town has population of near 10000. and is
rapidly increasing
1.-THE annual business of Pittsburg has been
fairly estimated at S3l, ,59O75 which may be
divided as follows: Pittsburg manufactures,
sll, COS S5O mercantile sales. Sl3 100 600: commits
sion business, $3.50 900; coal trade, 81, ,0O0 600.
There are banks, with a capital of about
81, ,500, 600; insurance offices, and one or two
agencies; 8 exchange offices: extensive water
and gas works, to supply the city with water
and gas light: postof1ices, VIZ: City, Allegheny
and East Liberty; sets of city and borough
officers, viz: Mayor, Select and Common Coun-
Gil, and subordinate officers, for Pittsburg;
Burgess. Town Council, etc., for Allegheny,
Birmingham and Lawrenceville respectively.
A United States Custom House; United States
Arsenal at Lawrenceville, that cost about $780,
00O, and has generally from so 900 to 5000 stand
of small arms, and is likewise supplied with a
large number of heavy and field cannon, and a
corresponding quantity OF ammunition and
equipments. There are also Board of Trade
and Reading Rooms, receiving weekly upward
of 90 of the best papers in the United States.
OF newspapers, l3 are published 2 daily and
II weekly German, 8 religious, counterfeit
detector, mercantile. literary and business
and political journals.
There are also several libraries and soce-
ties; an Institute of the Arts and Sciences; 2
theological seminaries; l University, and
large number of seminaries and public and
private schools. About 50 clergymen of vari-
Gus denominations, and about as many
churches and Sabbath schools; Western For
eign Missionary Society, and number of
ladies' and gentlemen's humane and benevo-
lent societies; about IS physicians and dentists.
Five different courts are held in Pittsburg-
United States, Supreme, District, Common
Pleas and Mayors. Law officers-3 Judges 2
Associates, l Recorder, l Sheriff. l United
States Marshal and under officers. and about
80 attorneys at law; 9 fire companies and 10
volunteer companies. all organized and hand
sohely equipped; steamboat offices, and
about 81 steamboats, owned either IN whole or
in part by our commission and other mer-
chants who are generally agents: 10 canal and
railroad lines, canal packet offices, 80 canal
and packet boats between Pittsburg ana Johns
town, 4 mail stage offices with stages going
out and coming in daily, s turnpike roads, 4
bridges, finished and unfinished, and aque-
duct.
THE following will show pretty correctly the
business department:
"Wholesale merchants-46 grocers, % COM
mission merchants, most of whom are also gro
GERS, or receive all kinds of goods On consgn-
ment; Fl drygoods, hardware, 5 variety, comb
and fancy; aueensware, l3 shoe and boot, most
of whom keep bonnets and chip hats; bonnet
and hat IL hat. 8 leather. IL drug (almost all of
which retai), 2 extensive auctioneers, paper
warehouses, looking glass dealers.
"Manufactories-9ir iron and naiI 2 shovel and
spade, 10 iron foundries, 10 steam engine manu-
factories. 6 cotton, white lead. l platform
scale, patent asbestos chest, plow. wagon, 8
coach, 3 engravers. French burr milestone fac
tories, IL steam sawmills, gold leaf factory, l
sash factory, 8 breweries, 2 oil mills, steam
flour mills, carding machine factory, 4 rope
walks, l chemical factory, steam planning ma.
chimes. l saddle tree factory,l hat body factory,
and about s74 mechanical establishments of
various kinds. There are also hotels, 40 tav.
erns and 80 boarding houses"
Business News and Gossip.
Clearing house business shows that things
are picking up. The fall trade has set in.
Brokers report an improvement in the out
side demand for stocks. 1t may reach the ex-