The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-18

CENTENARY

One hundred years ago to-day,
March IS, 1916, Pittsburgh was incor-
porated as a city The centenary of
the Smoky City affords an epitome of
the industrial development of North
America. When Pittsburgh received
it's city charter the town had a pop
ulatiOn of only about 5000, and there
was not a millionaire among themi
To-day the western Pennsylvania me-
900, and, standing eighth among
the cities of the United States.
threatens to surpassi Baltimore. AS
for, rnillionaires - well, one has but
to read the so-called comic week11es
to believe that at least half of Pitts
burgh's people fall in that category.
Small as Pittsburgh was when it
first began to assume city airs, the
place already had the beginnings of
several of those industries which
were to make it the industrial center
of America. The manufacture of
seagoing vessel, the President Adams,
was built and launched in Pitts
burgh in 1898. The Pittsburgh Ga
zette, still published as the Gazette
Times, was founded in 1885, being the
first newspaper west of the Allegheny
er of Pittsburgh's infant Industries
established before the close of the
eighteenth century.
The dawn of the nineteenth century
witnessed the dim beginning of those
great industries which have made
the Smoky City famous. An iron
foundry was erected in 1901, a roll
ing mill was started in 1912, and a
steel furnace in 1913. OPT of those
infant industries grew the fortunes
the earth Mother Nature had been
toiling for ages on the raw materials
out of which should be created the
wealth which has made possible, in
our happy day, that supreme efflores-
ence of humanity, the Pittsburgh
multi milli onaire!
The history of Pittsburgh prior to
its incorporation is filled with re-
1t was the young George
still loyal to the British
crown, who suggested the erection OF
an English blockhouse on the site of
the future city. In that moving dra-
ma of the Seven Years War when
England and France struggled for the
of a continent, the western
outpost at the confluence of the Allie
gheny and the .MonongaheIa rivers
became the stage for stirring scenes.
The English were driven out by the
French, who changed the name to
Fort Du Quesne- After two unsuc- |
cessful attempts to retake the fort, the |
English under General Forbes sue |
ceeded in 1853, and the Lilies of |
France were torn down and replaced |
by the proud standard of England.
Fort Pitt was restored and served as
IS a protection against the incursfons
IF bloodthirsty Indian bands. In
1854 streets were laid out near the
tort, and a village sprang up, and in |
1869 the lands in the vicinity were I
for the proprfetors, the heirs
# William Penn, under the name of
he manor of Pittsburgh. Virginia
or a time claimed the country, but
lfter the revolution it was Incorporate
ID with PennsyIVania.
The village grew slowly but stead
ly. Increasing In population from LII
los in 1896 to 4.968 in 1910; 7,24S in
500; 12.452 in 1880; 21,115 in 1870;
g, 601fin 1850; 1921 in 1860; 5000
n 1870; 156,s89 IN 1880; 2SS, 617 in
$685. S21,616 in 1900 and 533,905 in
80 The sooty pail which gave to
the nickname of Smoky
,ity,' and the appearance, as seen
rom distance, of a pillar of cloud
y day and a pillar of fire by night,
7as greatly diminished by the intro
uction of natural gas, and although
is still a Smoky City to some ex-
emit it is a vastly cleaner and more
eautifu1 community than in the old
avs