Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-15
BUILDING FOR PROFIT.
Next Season Very Likely to See an
Enormous Amount of Work
TO MAKE UP FOR LATE IDLENESS.
A Better Class of Houses to Be Put Up by
Several Capitalists.
FAITH IN PITTSBURGS GREAT FUTURE

the loss this CITY has sustained this year in
consequence of disagreements in the build
ing trades and the discomfort that many will
experience as a result But though the field
is lost for this seasons campaign-or at
least in great measure-it is evident that
some capitalists have had revelation, and
that all is not lost.
1t is patent TO the discerning that house
building offers a safer and better investment
than most bonds and stocks, as a really good
bond will not generally pay over 2 per cent
and fraction when the amount of premium
it commands is taken into consideration,
and several heavy capitalists are casting
about for opportunities to invest their sur
plus in houses ones, that can
be made net a revenue of per cent. These
are'houses of-the better class.
RUMoRs OF EXTENSIVE BUILDING.
1t is said that Mr.. Herbert Du Puy, of
Anderson, Du Puy s. Co., 'contemplates the
erection of some 400 houses at a cost of
100000, on ground he owns in Allegheny
City. A call was made on him, but he re-
fused to enlighten the caller. He showed
him O room where two carpenters were
making some alterations at his Office on
Wood street, and by indirect expressions
seemed as though he wished TO convey the
impression that this was all the building he
had on hand. But a reliable man states
that he has been told by man of known
veracity that Mr.. DU Puy intends to build
400 houses, and man employed at work at
MeKee's Rock, stated that though he had
never heard ANYTHING said of building in
ho of b17il hat had
called of late indicated there was some
thing in the breeze.
A. W. Mellon isbuilding so fine houses
on Parker street, the second street east of
Roup and two squares from the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, 30 on one side of the street
and 20 on the other These buildings will
all he of the better class, built of brick and
similar in shape to the fine stone structures
lately erected on Dinwiddie street. A track
has been laid from the P r. Il. along the
street where the work is to be done and
material will be landed Just where it is
wanted and much expense in hauling
saved.
OTHER ENTERPRISES TALKED tABoUT
1t is reported that Senator Finn, some
saw the firm, Booth & Finn, proposes to
build a large number of houses on Ruch's
Hill Each denied, separately and in COM
v.
but they said they had laid out lots and
would grade streets and put down walks so
IS to make the property desirable for pur-
chasers, but said this improvement was
merely for the purpose of putting the prop
erty on the market in good shape.
These symptoms, along with others OBJ
servabIe, indicate a material increase in the
size Of the city in the very near future.
This city and Allegheny are not vet COM
pleted, nor are they near completion.
Those who study the growth of cities know
that even in Europe, especially in England,
large cities continue to increase long after
they are supposed to be finished, and few of
them have the undeveloped future that
PiJsburg has. This is destined to be
vast ship-bUilding port, for not only, as |
Colonel Roberts points out, can one build |
steel ships and send them down the Ohio and /
Mississippi, but the Ohio river and Lake Erie |
Canal viii yet be built and lake craft will |
be built here also. Since the Middle Ages
the growth of cities has nearly all been in
the present century. London in the twelfth
century had only $4,000 population, and
only POO, 900 FIVE centuries later. In 1901 it
had less than 100000 inhabitants, 9JS. S63,
so that in the last 80 years it has more than
quadrupled its population and is still grow
ing aS fast as ever, though, owing to its i'm
mense size, the addition of tenements is not
so noticeable as in the first half of the CEN
tury.
VERY MODERN CITY.
The city of Liverpool is really quite |
modern, and has grown nearly as much |
in the last so years as have our pushing |
American cities. In the United States the |
same thing is noticeable New York, Phil |
adelphia Baltimore and Boston were all |
comparatively small towns at the beginning |
OF this century. In 1890 New York, with |
all its suburbs, had but little over half the |
present population of Allegheny CITY. /
Philadelphia was still OF less importance in |
the matter of population. Boston was less |
than half the size of the Southside (this |
citv), Baltimore about the same. In one |
respect, all the great English-speakng |
cities are identical-they have gotten nearly |
all their growth during the present century. |
In 1900 ST. Louis had but 1,600 population, |
and Chicago was unknown even Fort Dear |
born was not built until 1904, but Just |
% years later 1t was announced that Chi |
cago was the greatest primary grain port in
the world, surprising even that of the grain |
center of Russian shipment, and now it has |
no competitor. It is a notable fact that ali |
cities above noted, both English and Ameri- |
can, are growing just as fast now as at any |
previous time in their history but the |
y early added to each of them enough houses |
10 make a good-sized city
WHEN PITTsBURG WAS ASLEEP.
Now, from $500 to 1860 Pittsburg was
aSleep. When the war broke out her people |
began to rub their eyes and roll over in bed |
and strike impatiently at the flies of prog
ress which were beginning TO annoy their
slUmber and tell them il was time TO awake,
bat il took fully 20 years to arouse them
thoroughly before 1860. This city was
respectable; wealthy, as the term
then slgnitied, and intensely orthodox, andt to
the latter quality she still holds somewhat
tenaciously in the estimation of the outside
world. in 1880 she fully awoke, and were
it not for a remnant of old foggyism that
prevents her from showing to ad-
vantage in the census of 1890, the
Geutiles in the outer court would
be asJonished at the progress of a decade.
Now there is no reason why, if capital and
labor can find a middle ground on which to
treat, that the growth of the past u years
should not be kept up to steady average
for another half century, by which time all
advantageous localities contiguous will
probably be filled There are many people
sill needing houses and thousands more |
hat should move for their own benefit and
that of the public, out of the novels in
which they now alternately shiver and
perspire.
PITTSBURG AS A GRAIN CENTER
While this city will never cut a great
figure as a primary grain center it is already
ln important distributing one 1t has a
future before it never
dreamed of in Birmingham and its indus
ries are becoming more diversified and as a
point for groceries, drygoods,