Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-04-10
Former Young Edgefie!d Man
Writes Letter Full of Interest
From Pennsylvania.
Editor Edgefeld Advertiser:

the industrial activity, Pitlsburg is
certainly doing her share to win
the war.
In 1914 the value of her manu-
featured products amounted to
s573, 100000. The annual value OF
manufactured products in the dis
trict for the current year is estlma-
ted at $1,000, 100000, showing an
increase of nearly so per cent.
The above and following figures
were given to me by the Chamber
of Commerce. Coal production
s,52s,o 900 tons, coax production
%, 100000 tons, steel iugot produc-
tion 7,7s6,OOO tons, pig iron pro-
duction 100000 tons. Plttsburg
District Payroll-sl,5oo 900 daily"
By District" is meant Pittsburg
and Allegenny county. Pittsburg
spreads over a big portion of the
county and small portion of two
adjoining counties. With census
figures as basis, manufacturers of
the United States are dependent
upon the Pittsburg District for their
raw materials in the following
ratios Agricultural implements
(raw materially A per cent, Hard
ware products As per cent, auto
mobiles 45.7 per cent, machinery
(all kinds) 81 per cent.
For technical and engineering
training Pittsburg has some of the
best institutions in the country, be.
sides the practical experience one
can obtain in the industrial manu-
facturing plants. But Plttsburg is
not all smokestacks as some would
have US think. By the liberal use
of electricity and natural gas she
has reduced the smoke to an ap-
preciable extent.
Besides, there are % parks, COW
ering about l400 acres, so one can
get a breath of fresh air anytime he
feels inclined that way. And 1t is
not unusual to see three or four
thousand people in one park on
summer Sunday.
Let us consider one manufactur-
ing plant somewhat in detail. The
Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Company. Its products
are known to every town and city
in the country. AS I am an en-
ploye Of this plant I think more of
it than any other Pittsburg concern,
but l have a good story about the
H. J. Heinz Co., where the 81 va
rieties are put up if you would like
to have it.
But let US return to the Westing-
house, whose products make the
wheels 90 round" In the valley
of Turtle Creek, - miles east of
Pittsburg in East Pittsburg IS
where this great plant is located.
1t was founded by George Westing-
house inventor of the air brake, in
1886. The Company's first force,
consisted of 200 employees. Today
it employs $4,000 people and has
payrole of two million dollars a
month. 1t requires but Is minutes
to pay off the whole shop. The
average output of electrical appa-
paratus is about 1000 carloads
month. The motors vary in size
from 100 to $4,000 horse power
and generators from lilo to 5000
kilowatts "a kilowatt is l.s4 horse
power and a horse power, accord
ing to James Watt,-but let US
quote an authority better known to
the locality-Brother George Med
lock says, "a horsepower varies
with the size of the horse. "} Trans
formers are built in sizes between
$50 and l6, 600 kilowatts. Nearly
all the transformers are wound
and assembled by girls. Girls also
make nearly all the windings for
motors and generators. In fact since
the last year of the war they have
been taking mems places all over
the shop. They operate drill presses,
sharpen the tools on the emery
wheels and operate the machinery
in the punch shops, lamination for
transformers. Some of them have
gone into the Westinghouse mu.
milton shops to help make the s
inch shells for the eovernm ent.
They help give them the pressure
test which is brought to bear on
the inside of the shell at eleven
thousand pounds to square inch.
They are paid by piece work" and
earn from two to five dollars day.
But it takes a Pittsburg girl to
stand the pressure.
There are quite number of