Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-11-17
A BIZ o. the History Of American Steel
Makina-


From the Iron and Steel Number OF the
Scientific American: Upon a certain sum-
mer's day In the year l1o5. there might
have been witnessed the advance of a
small detachment Of British and colonial
troops, not much over a thousand strong.
through the dense forests that lined the
banks of the Monongahela river a few
miles above the point where 1t merges
with the Allegheny. The objective point
OF the expedition was a small fort at the
confluence OF these rivers. which formed
one Of the most important links in that
chain OF military posts and trading sta
lions, which the restless and far seeing
energy Of the French colonial govern
ment had strung out between the mouths
OF the st. Lawrence and the Mississippi.
by way of the great lakes, he Ohio. and
the Mississippi valley. In the van OF this
little army. bearing himself with u con-
fidence born of much successful warfare
in other lands under less difficult condi-
tons. and needless of the warnings of
his young colonial aide de camp George
Washington. who had command Of the
rear guard, was General Braddock. Ad-
vancing In n close formation, which was
better suited to the open spaces Of con-
tinental battle grounds than to the all
but .mpenetrahle forests of the American
frontier, the devoted band marched right
into an ambush of the French regulars
and their Indian allies, and was quickly
cut to pieces. Braddock was killed. and
Colonel Washington. his military o
pierced more than once by the bullets "
the French sh~arpshootcrs. barely suc-
ceeded in carrying the shattered REM
nants of the force back over the Alle-
ghenies into colonial territory. The po-
lttical and military considerations that
prompted that disastrous expedition were
worthy OF a better fate: and. indeed, Sub
sequent history has proved that in EN-
| <1nr &y@ Nf~v . TN-.a vN,. ,,1-r n MI
break the bounds which the French were
endeavoring to set to the westward de-
velopment OF the British colonies. our
forefathers had taken a just View OF the
situation. Today tie objective point OF
the expedition forms the site of Pittsburg,
one of the greatest centers of industrial
activity In the world: while hidden among
from destruction and preserved through
the care and munificence of a local his
tor.cal society, may still be found Fort
du Quesne. or rather its immediate sue
cess"r. Fort Pitt. a few miles up the
river. Mt the town ~ Braddock and on
the identical spot where the battle oc-
Cured. is to be found one of the great
est steel works in the world; while fol-
many a mic along those very banks OF
Monongahela where Braddock laboriously
cut his way through the woods, is to be
found the most wcndeful aggregation o.
coklnS ovens, piast furnaces, ana rOlllne
mile in the world. Although just now We
are concerned merely with the history o.
the development of these Industries. W.
may be pnrdored a reference to the fac
that in st. Louis. 500 miles to the west
ward of the Braddock battlefield. tn
great republic which has sprung from
hat strip of colonies that fringed the At
lantic scaboard in 1855. Is just now pre-
pairing to celebrate the Tooth anniversar!
OF its acquisition from France of the vas
territories from which hat countr.
sought to bar the early colonials out.