The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-08-30
GROWTH OF AN INDUSTRY.
A Bit Of the History Of American steel
Making.

A Bit OF the History OF American Steel
Making.
/ Upon a certain summer day in the
year iF55 there might have been wit.
messed the advance of a small detach-
ment of British and colonial troops
not much over a thousand stogs
through the dense forests that "aG9
the banks Of the Monongahela ver
few miles above the point where X
merges with the Allegheny The OBJ
jective Of the point Of the expedition
was small fort at the confluence OF
these rivers, which formed one Of the
most important links in that chain OF
military posts and trading stations,
which the ESstless and far seeing en-
ergy 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.
the Ohio, and the Mississippi valley.
In the van Of this little army. bearing
himself with confidence born Of
much successful warfare in other
lands under less difficult conditions,
and needless Of the warning Of his
young colonial aide de camp, George
Washington, yho had command Of The
rear guard Sas General Braddock.
Advancing in a close formation, which
was far better suited to the open space
Of continental battle grounds than to
the all but impenetrable forest OF rhe
American frontier, the devoted band
marched right into an ambush OF the
French regulars and their Indian al
lies, and we're quickly cut to pieces.
Braddock was killed, and Colonel
Washington, his military coat pierced
more than once by the bullets Of the
French sharpshooters, barely succeed.
ed in carrying the shattered remnants
of the force back over the Alleghenies
into colonial territory. The political
and military considerations that
prompted that disastrous expedition
we're worthy OF a better fate: and. in
deed. subsequent history has proved
that in endeavorilB to capture Fort
Du Quesne and Break the bounds
which the French we're endeavoring TO
set TO the westward development OF
1 the British colonies. our forfathera
4 had taken just view OF the situation
Today the objective point Of the expe'
. dition forms the site of Pittsburg, one
4 of the greatest centers OF indusraal
activity in the world; while hidden
among the back streets OF the city
\ rescued from destruction and preserV
ed through the care and munihcence
of a local historical society may still
J be found Fort Du Quesne, or rather
its immediate successor, Fort Pitt A
few miles up the river, az the town o.
Braddock and on the Identical spo
| where the battle occurred is to b'
found one of the greatest stee
works in the world; while for many
a mile along the banks of the Mcnon
gahelia where Braddock laboriouslS
cut his way through the woods IS c
be found the most wonderful aggre
CATION OF coklng ovens, blast furnaces
! and rolling mills In the world. Al
r though now we are concerned merely
= with the history Of the development O
these industries, we may be pardone'
a reference to the fact that in st
Louis 500 miles to the westward o
the Braddock battlefield, the great re
public which has sprung from ina
,s strip OF colonies that fringed the Allan
= tic seacoast in 1855, Is just now ceie
brating the Tooth anniversary OF IL
ACQUISITION from France Of the vas
l. territories from which that eountr
II sought to bar the early colonials ou'
> ccientiac American