The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-10-29
Special Correspondence.

Real Estate Magnatc of the Capital
City.
Special Correspondence.
Columbus, o., Oct. 81, 1896.
In times of general depression people
are apt to lose sight of special causes
which operate against certain indus
tries. 1t is a fact not generally known
that within the past few years a very
important line OF manufacturing has
been almost wiped out in Ohio by rea.
son of causes entirely removed from
those which have temporarily prostra
ted other branches of business
The class of manufacturing to which
reference is made is that Of glassmak.
ing, A semi-official inquiry into the
present conditions of this industry re.
veal somewhat peculiar state of af'
fairs. No branch of manufacturing
received greater benefit from the dis
covery of natural gas and the ability
to utilize IL for fuel than glassmak.
ing. This was true as regards not only
economy of operation, but with respect.
likewise, to the quality of product
Through its use manufacturers were
able to more nearly approach the best
qualities of the i'm ported article, which
is the result of processes and heredi-
tary skill dating back to the time of the
birth of the art.
The discovery of natural gas in Ohio
gave wonderful impetus to the bus.
mess in this State. Although the in.
dustry had for some years flourished al
a number OF towns, the new fuel in
creased the volume of product many
fold, Glassmaking sand of fine quail
ity exists in abundance in Ohio, and
before the gas era the chief considera
tions in the location of glass plant
was convenience to coal and to the ma.
terial out Of which the product was
made.
Massillon. GAINESVILLE, Newark and
number of towns along the Ohio river
were among the older glassmaking
points in Ohio. When, however, the
gas fields of the State began TO be devel.
oped the industry quickly adjusted
itself to the advantages offered by the
new fuel. The greatest inducements is
existed at Findlay, and that city in a
very brief space of time became one of
the greatest glass manufacturing point Is
outside of Pittsburgh. A large number
of concerns, both in and out of the
State, abandoned their plants else.
where and flocked to the great Ohio
gas fields. Less was known about this
element then than now, and the belief
1aI NlAN
haustable. Many large factories of a
substantial character were erected. Gas
was furnished manufacturers free. or
at merely nominal cost, to encourage
them to locate there, and for a time il
looked as though Findlay was destined
to become the great glassmaling cen.
ter of the United States. Glass terri.
tory had, in the meantime, been devel.
oped in other parts of Ohio, notably in
the vicinity of Toledo. With the ad.
vantage of gas fuel, piped in there in
abundance from an adjoining county,
this city possessed an excellent quality
of sand. Along the Ohio river, also,
gas was found in considerable quanti-
ties, so that some of the concerns al
ready located there felt no necessity for
removing.
Statistics for the years when the
maximum output was realized showed
an enormous production on the part of
Ohio factories. The failure of the gas
supply, after enormous and unneces.
sary waste, had sudden and blighting
effect on the industry, so far as this
State was concerned About the time
of the first indications of failure of sup.
ply, the possibilities of the great gas
belt of Indiana began to loom up as
temptation to manufacturers. 1t was
not long until the exodus into that field
began, not only from Ohio, but mum.
ber of other states, notably Pennsyl-
vania. Manufacturers eagerly took ad-
vantage of the opportunities offered
for free fuel, to which was added free
ground and even cash bonuses by rival
towns within the gas belt,
Within a comparatively short period
there has become massed in the gas ter.
ritory of the HoosiCr State the great
bulk of the glass industry of the coun.
try. Much the same waste has charac-
terized the use of natures fuel in Indi-
ana as in Ohio, and as a result the sup.
ply is already on the wane, with the
prospect of being soon utterly exhaust
ed. A question of great Importance
now confronts the manufacturing in
out of the gas in Indiana, and with no
new field of great productiveness In
sight, will Ohio resume her former
prestige in glassmaking by the removal
back within her borders of many of the
concerns that formerly flourished herep
Leaving the question of gas aside, this
State offers greater inducements than
almost any other, in widely diffused
coal supply and the quantity and quail.
ity of glass sand. When the gas is ex-
hausted in the Indiana territory the
manufacturers will find themselves a
long ways from fuel, as the coal fields
of the State are in another section of
the same.
Notwithstanding the magnet of the
free gas towns of Indiana, several Ohio
cities have maintained hold upon the
industry. Massillou and Newark both
have large bottle houses, and the win
dow and flint glass industries still -four.
ish to a considerable extent in the
southern part of the State. I'm the
latter locality there is yet fair supply
of natural gas, the drain upon wells
never having been so great as in other
sections. Findlay, which was the
greatest gamer during the boom IN
glassmaking in Ohio, has been the
worst sufferer. number of large
plants there have been entirely aban.
doped, and now stand idle and deserted
Whether or not they will be reinha bit
ed again remains 70 be seen. The lit
flo nitu ~ nnrulinas Graan uuhinh haA