The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1913-10-28
STEEL AND IRON INDUSTRY TN THE WHEELING DISTRTC7
Resume Its Present 1ir

mills sprung up. among them the old
Aetna-Standard and Laughlin mills IN
! Martins Ferry and the Carnegie plant
I In Bellaire. Zach OF these industries
were constructed on large scales and
for the production principally of iron
and steel. The Laughlin mill In Mar
I iins Ferry Mas for number OF years
I the largest Of its type in the world
l and Is today one Of Tive most prosper.
Gus. About % hot mills are operated
D when In running order and the output
OF these mills il Exceedingly large.
The Aetna Standard mill is the re-
SulJ 81 a merger some years ago OF
the old Aetna mill AMI the STANDARD
I Iron company. The Aetna mil WAS
established Ia 1872 by local capital.
. v ". holloway was the first presi-
I dent and W. Ii. Taiiman was secre-
taTy.
, In 1892 the Standard Iron company
was organized by ". r. Graham, W
IN Tallman. }. j holloway. A. T.. Tall
man. II was strictly a sheet mill AMI
was conducted on q Paving basis from
, ne start In a few yeas after the
ST. ndlrd was erected and placed in
operation the CONSULTATION with the
Old latina was effected, much to the
benefit OF both concerns The two
L.iliS were thereafter operated as one.
several years after thu consolidation
the Aetna-StandGrd abs orbed tho
junction Iron compary'S Plant at Min
80 Junction. @. This plant was the
hrst ~ the valley TO have "A bar mill
J.. connection. The junction property
also included a blast furnace
II was in 1897 that the United
states steel corporation assumed con.
troll OF the Aetna Standard and has
retained its title To the present day
Aetna Standard min was one OF Inc
most successfully operated in the
country. but recently il has fallen TO
comparatively low standing aud
only two or three of the mills arc
operating now II is the cOnccnsus
o. oEinl1n mat the t'll-,ined StriE. Of
several years ago was instrumental
IN causing the mills downfall. It's
equipment is almost worn out and
although al one time IL had n wide
pNl-'pn Tor turning cut tho best
sheet steel in the country. IN now
Struggles 10 hold its own with a yerv
small production. From time to time
Wlthin the past year there has bCcu
TAX 20 the effec: that the United
states steel CORPORATION. which owns
me thr'" chic So" mills. was plan
ming 10 raZe the old Actna-Standar I'd
ana erect more modern and extern.
SlNe mil in Us stead. but this IS moth
ing more than vague rumor at pres
tht. as no reports q. q definite nature
have been issued by the corporation
The location of The mill is. however.
SO advantageous 10 the industry that
many believe the rumors TO be we'll
founded
Later DEVELOPMENTS.
ono" wheeling wenJ in for steel
and iron manufacturing il lost no
time m carving for Itself a ranuta-....l
N that department Of the business
world. Little more than a quarter OF
century after the first mill was
built IN the district Al least eight 9TH
erS OF Importance were operating full
blast One by one. as the mills were
f H''- erected th"N Irfntt toward rht
production OF nails and al were more
OF less successful in their efforts.
Wheeling contributed more nails 20
me worlds markets than any other
CITY IN the country Engaged IN this
INDUSTRY were five OF the biggest
1!ils. namely. Top Min. Riverside.
Belmont LA Relic and Benwopd. This
was about th!rty-twu years ago: but
year or SO later the nail bushes 4
was almost entirely abandoned on &C
count a. tho na!lers' strike
whether Wheeling was the loser by
the discrimination q: the manufac-
ture OF nails Is a matter for conjec-
lure. but II IL was the loser there
are any number Of persons who would
volunteer no prediction as to iust
what height Oh prosperity the com
munlty might have scared by retain.
Ing the nail business. II has Ger.
i'mlv reached p DIV height since
dropping IL. Authorities on the ouas.
ton are Of the opinion that BY dis
continuing the nail industry the
wheeling district was greatly, bene-
fitted In that ~ enc rged from a one
Industry district into one REMOVED
industry district into ono rakrOwnei
ducts. In this vicinity today IS man
ufactured from steel and iron almost
every product marketable. and tn.