Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-19
IN EARLIEST TIMES.
An Old Settlers "reminiscences Of the
Early Settlement of the West
End District.
FIRST COAL MINE AND SALT WELL.
1empersnceville Center of Local Trade
and PIttsburg Then but a Very
Small Town.
FIRST COAL MINE AND SALT WELL.
A PROTRACTED REIGN OF TERRORISM
Resulting in the Formation Of the Present Police Pa
trol System.

Ol local antiquity. Olnce uls SdfliSst Sni4N
hood Mr. KemmIer has taken delight IN
collecting data, Indian relics, FOSSIL for ma
tions-anythiug that refers to the early his
tory of Pittsburg and vicinity. His re-
searches and expeditions alter relics have
often been productive of rich finds, and his
collection of petrfcations. fossils, stones,
ETC., are very valuable from an antiquarian
as well as scientists standpoint.
Among his treasures is pile upon pile OF
old papers of early dates, including
fac simile of the first paper published in the
United States. All copies of THE DIS
PATCH OF back dates bearing upon local
history have been preserved, as well as
copies of other journals.
EARLY LOCAL "REMINISCENCES.
While searching through his files one day
this week, an old copy OF the PIttsburg Her.
aid was found, having among its reading
matter an interview with an old settler on
the early history of the West End and de-
eidedly rich in "reminiscences Of the times
which the memory of the oldestresident now
fails to recall. The article does not give
the name OF the settler, but states that he
was a grandson of John Gutherie, and could
remember well things that happened in his
early childhood. The interview is given in
full as follows:
II was born in the garrison at Franklin in
1910, at the mouth of Sawmill Run. Where
Woods rolling mill now stands (1S7S) was
West Eliiott's house. On the opposite side
of the creek nv grandfather, John Gutherie,
lived. From nv grandfaUher's house to
O'Hara's glass works there was at
that time no house of any kind. The
Washington and Steubenville pixies came
together at Gutherie's house, forming a
point, one going TO the right up Sawmill
run, the other to the lett to Washington.
Out tbe Steubenyille pike, where the road
turns to go up the hill, stood West
Elliott's grist mill, built by Elliott and
Ezekiel Harker.
OLD TIME REAL ESTATE DEAL.
ABOUT 1917 Harker and Elliott dis
solved partnership. Elliott owned $50 acres
of land. The agreement between the part
ners on dissolving was to give or take the
mill at $500, the land on which it stood be-
longing to Elliott. The latter took the
mill, the deed specifying that it was to be
Elliott's as long as grass grows or water
runs on payment of $780, In 1880 the mill
proved Improbable. Elliott transferred it
to a man named McClarreD, who ran it
very successfully lor about 20 years.
During the time the mill was
still in the hands of Elliott,
man named Brookau Ga Frenchman)
and George Anshutz bored salt well on
West Elliott's property. They struck
vein of salt water, from which they were
able to make the finest kind of salt, bat not
in sufficient quantity to make much money
out of the venture. Brookau, who was
somewhat of an enthusiast, lost his mind
and the salt works were afterwards carried
on bv Anshutz, John NJ. Snowden and
others.
FIRST BRIDGE AND RAILROAD.
"About the time the Steubenville and
Washington roads were opened, about 1920,
the first bridge had been flushed and a road
was opened from Sawmill run up to the
bridge. The fsst coal was brought down
the Washington pike to Temperance
vile from pits then just opened Oh
the William Chess property. From
that time to 1862, the coal was
brought from these pits to the bank of the
river in wagons ard then wheeled aboard
what were termed Kentucky boats'' for
shipment down the river. West Elliott was
the first man to conceive the idea of trans
porting coal by this method and the first to
attempt It.
West Elliott and a man named SIR
loaded the first coal float in 1921 or there |
about, but their venture was unsuccessful.
as their boat containing abot 600 bushels.
was wrecked before it gotto McKee's Rocks.
Zacharlah Reno, many of whose descend
ants are still alive, was the first man to
make successful trip with coal to New Or
Jeans, and he succeeded only after many ex-
periments. This opened the coal trade OF
Sawmill run and induced number of enter
prising men Of that day to embark in the
business.
THE EARLY COAL TRADE.
George LedleY was the first man to put
up a coal chute and operate it successfully,
He bought the coal in Judge Shaler's farm,
and by means of the chute ran it to the
boats at the waters edge. Pits had now
been opened on the Chees, West Elliott.
Shaler and Foster farms, and the business
grew rapidly. In fact, the greater part OF
the enterprise of Pittsburg was drawn to
Temperanceville.
"At this time an Englishman named
Philpot came along, and alter a survey of
the ground bought the coal in the Foster,
Snodgrass and Charles King farms, and, in
order to compete success ully with Ledley's
chute, built a wooden railway, on
which the cars were drawn by horses
This was probably the 6rst raj lway of any
kind ever built in the United States. The
whole trade o. Pittsburg depended almost
entirely on the coal interest. The iron
works were then in their infancy, and had a
hard struggle to keep going
From O'Hara's glass works to Jones'
ferry, which was located at the place where
the Point bridge crosses the river, there
were no houses-only an occasional shanty.
After the death General O'Hara the glass
works passed into the hands OF a gentleman
named Algeo, who conducted them success-
fully for a time. They were then turned
over to Frederick Lawrence, a son-in-law of
Charles 1hmsen and brother-in-lav of |
Christian 1bmsen.
THE IRON INDUSTRY.
stMr. Lawrence, who was a man of fine |
business ability and great energy. retained |
control of the O'Hara Glass Works untiI |
his death somewhere between 1910 and 1S45 |
He was also interested in the mann acturr |
OF iron, having with Mr.. Cuddy built a |
rolling mill on the site of Painters mill on |
the bank OF the river. Mr.. Lawrence owned |
what is known as the Lawrence tarm. pr- |
tending along the rlver to TemperanceyiIIe |
ksSFrome Jones' ferry up to The Sinithfeld /
street bridge a few houses we're scattered /
Riong until you reached the present Site ol |
The Sligo mills, then known as Mrs. Crsis'>
ferry ground. She sold three or iour acres /
Z I.