Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-08-06

J most ably managed. He accomplished
ali this by his mastery Of every detail
OF every department, a task which in
volved vast amount Of study and hard
work. A history of the Riverside
Iron Works would be but story Of the
achievements of Col. Frank j. Hearne,
as the plant would never have grown
to its present magnitude without his
brilliant administration of its affairs.
The Riverside dates back to 1852,
when Mr.. o. c. Dewey came to Wheel
ing from Cadiz, and built the Eagle
Wire Mill which was equipped with
five boiling and two heating furnaces.
The plant suspended in 1855, and re-
sumed operations three years later, I'M
der the management of j. H. Pendle-
ton & Co. In 1859 disastrous fire de-
stroyed the mill, but it was Immediate
ly rebuilt, and the following year was
/ leased TO o. c. Dewey, ]. n. Vance and
w. 81. Russell, under the firm name Of
De Ney, Vance & Co. The name of the
plant was changed to the Wheeling
Iron and Spike Works, and later to
Juniata Iron Works.
This was the nucleus from which
has grown the magnificent establish
ment of to-day. In 1886 a nail mill 7as
added to the property, and Messrs. j.
ID. Culbertson, N. Wilkinson, and
Chauncey Dewey were added to the
firm. Subsequently the property
was purchased at the corner Of
Main and Twenty-fourth streets, and
the nail factiry erected upon it was
finished in 1867 About this time Mr..
William l.. Hearne became a member
OF the firm, but its style was not chang
ed, and the mill became known as the
Riverside. The blast furnace in Ben
wood was commenced in 1871, and COM
pleted a year later.
The Riverside Company was incor-
porated in 1874, with a capital stock o.
LOCO, 900 and Col. Hearne's connection
with the company dates from 1872. For
number of years the prin-
eipal article of manufacture was
nails and the Riverside product
enjoyed prestige which was equaled
by few firms and surpassed by
none. The factories at the foot Of
Twenty-fifth street contained 224 ma
chimes, with capacity of 1900 kegs
of nails a week. The buildings still
stand. mute reminder of Wheeling's
departed glory in the nail industry.
Those were the city's most prosperous
| days. Wheeling was the largest nail
manufacturing center in the world.
turning out fully one-half Of all the
cut nails made, and earning the SOU
briquet Of Nail City. still sometimes
used, but now a misnomeT. Thou
sands OF men and boys were given
employment, at the highest wages
paid to mechanics then or since. The
nailers were perhaps the best paid
skilled labor in the world. The money
which they earned in the mills was
generally spent with prodigal hand.
and every branch OF business was
benefited thereby.
To recount the events leading uD to
the disastrous nailers' strike OF 1884.
and the subsequent decadence of the
cut nail industry, would be but a rep
etition OF facts with which every read
er OF The Register is no doubt more
or less familiar. II was an epoch in
the history Of Wheeling. a blow from
which the community did not recover
for many years. Comparative hard
times followed. and then came a di-
versifeation of the city's manufacture
ing interests Before absolute de-
pendence was placed upon the nail
business. and the degree of local pros
perity fuctuated with the changes in
5he raRrket cc=Sitin-- Capital which