Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-28
Opinions of an Englishman on Pitts
burg and Its Many Advantages
for Manufacturers.
CHAT WITH AN EX-LEAGUE UMPIRE
W. S. Wykoff Tells How He Managed to Get
Along With the Ball Players With
out Filming a Man.
SOME ADVICE ABOUT PLANTING TREES.
Hotel Bel Boys in Washington Have Very Wholesome
Fear Of Mr.. Blaine

Henry Webb, one of the English iron
and steel delegates who visited America
last fall, has written q series of letters
-='hich he has issued in pamphlet form for
the benefit of his friends, giving his opinion
of tie places he saw. Several are devoted
to Pittsburg While in this city Mr.
Webb was the guest of Peter Dick, and
through him one of the pamphlets
was obtained. Mr.. Webb, like
most of the Englishmen, COM
plains about the American interviewer
who pestered him with questions, though
few of the delegates were disturbed very
much by reporters in Pittsburg. In answer
ing question whether he would rather live
in England or America, he says: Judging
from my hurried visit, of course, in Eng
land, the only land of true liberty" This
statement will fill the average Yankee with
delirious glee, for the Americans think
there is no country on the face of the earth
as free as Uncle Sans domains
A Readable Opinion of Pittsburg.
Writing about Pittsburg Mr.. Webb says:
'Pittsburg is the Sheffield of America, and
is the center of the iron and steel indus
try. Both here and in Philadelphia the
paving is as bad as bad can be, but, Pitts
burg seems much rougher than New York or
Philadelphia. The houses and buildings
are not go good, but the town is filled with
life and hustle. They are highly favored
with everything, natural gas being close to
the city. This is used in all the works and
houses, and they have no dense black smoke.
Last year the amount of natural gas used
represented 100000 tons of coal so that
anyone can imagine what an immense boon
1t is. The oil fields lie almost wholly in the
basin Of the Allegheny river, to the north
east of Pittsburg. The total production of
the first eight months of 1890 was
Is, ,333, $40 barrels. There seems to be no
certainty of knowing whether oil is present
in a locality or not, and it can only be de-
termined by boring In one field from the
hill where we stood % wells could be seen.
The petroleum industry has done a great
deal to develop steam pumping machinery
and the manufacture of cast and wrought
iron pipes. Oil refining is also an important
industry. The total railroad tonnage of the
city for 1890 is estimated at q ,00O, 900 tons,
end the total number of cars handled in one
4lOl4sA - 4AOIOVOy Will al dNSldSS 1OdO VI ~
tons each.
The Rivers of Great Value.
"The rivers are of immense value to
Pittsburg. BY means of the three rivers in
the city and the great streams beyond more
than %, 900 miles of inland navigation are
open TO the steam craft of Pittsburg.
Voyages of 4 900 miles TO New Orleans and
back are common thing. The farthest
point reached by Pittsburg steamer is
Fort Benton, on the Missouri river, 4,300
miles away. a curious sight is to see the
coal boats pushed by towboats. These
boats are made into fleets of about
10, 600 tons and are taken down the
Ohio river by stern wheel steamers This
is the least expensive mod, of transporta-
ton known. We were told that coal is
thus sent 10 New Orleans and the empty
boats are returned for less than one-tenth of
2 cent per mile.
Mr.. Webb was highly pleased with some
o: the iron mills he saw here. He thinks
The wire rod mill of Oliver and Roberts
superior to anything in England, and
he mentions the cold-rolling process
OF Jones * LaUghlin's and the work
of the Pittsburg Reduction Company,
as something new and well worth the atten-
tion Of foreigners. Speaking further of
natural gas he said the number of miles of
pipe bringing gas into the city and distribu
ting il is placed al 200. About q, 900 feet
of gas are equal in efficiency to ton of coal,
ard he was told that ii saved annually 5,000,-
600 tons of coal in Pittsburg alone.