F 159 • P6 N6 Copy 1 PITTSBURG AND- The Men Who Made It By THEODORE W. NEVIN. Price 25 Cents. THE BURTON PRESS, 43 J Fifth Ave., PITTSBURG, PA. PITTSBURG ■AND- The Men Who Made It By THEODORE W. NEVIN- Price 25 Cents* THE BURTON PRESS, 431 Fifth Ave., PITTSBURG, PA. LIBRARY Of CONGRESS Two Copies Received NOV 17 19U4 Copyright tntry CLASS ^ XXC. No; COPY B 7i Copvright 1 904 bv Theodore W. Nevirv. Preface. The following paper was pre- pared nearly a year ago at the re- quest of that distinguished literary body of the college town of Lan- caster, Pa., the "Clio," and read at one of the society's meetings by the writer. It contains so many facts of a valuable character not obtainable elsewhere that it has been thought by many friends to be worthy of preservation in a convenient and permanent form — hence its appearance in its present shape. A few emendations and corrections have been made since its original preparation so as to render it a more perfect repre- sentation of Pittsburg of to-day. The writer is indebted to friends in the business life of this community as well as to several local historical works for much of the data ; and it is his desire to extend his sincere thanks for the same. T. W. N. Pittsburg, Pa., Nov. 1904. Photo, of a Natural Rock Formation near Snow- den Mountain, Wales— named after the Father of Pittsburg on Account of its Resemblance to the Head of the Great Commoner's Statue in Westminster, London. The Beginnings of a City. About a century and a half ago George Washington, at the head of a small band of troopers, stood on the top of Mt. Washington, one of the high hills towering 300 to 400 feet above the Monongahela river, and looked down at the half square mile of com- paratively level ground at the point where the Monongahela river joins the Allegheny to form the Ohio. He was much impressed with the prospect, and, — 5 — with a keen appreciation of the possi- bilities of the place, remarked : "This would be a good place for a mill." He considered the judgment thus formed of sufficient importance to note it in his diary. It is not recorded whether the "Father of His Country" pursued any further the investigation of the advan- tages of that particular spot, which is now the business section of the City of Pittsburg; whether he knew that under his very feet there lay immense veins of coal — veins, the outcropping of which was visible half way down the hill he stood on; whether he knew that but a few miles away in the moun- tains ore was to be found ; whether he figured out that the large river which * — 6 — led off to the west was capable of car- rying the products of such a mill, or mills, to a vast empire of the future. Very likely not. Lieutenant Washing- ton was more intent on securing the military supremacy of his country in the district than in establishing indus- trial plants. But his off-hand judg- ment was good. Since that day Pitts- burg has grown and steadily advanced in manufactures. For the first hun- dred years the growth was compara- tively slow, but during the past twenty or thirty such great strides have been made that it has distanced all others as an industrial center. An idea of the steady growth of the place — 7 — can best be obtained by the citation of a few figures on population and the value of the manufactures at several periods during the century. Starting with the year 1800, one finds the popu- lation to be 1,500, and the annual value of the manufactured products $222,- 000; 1850, population, 68,000; value of products, $50,000,000; 1870, popu- lation, 175,000; value of products, $90,000,000; 1884, population, 240,- 000; value of products, $300,000,000; 1902, population of "Greater Pitts- burg," which includes the cities and boroughs lying* immediately outside the corporation boundaries, but which are an integral part of the city busi- — 8 — ness life, 950,000; value of manufac- tures, $450,000,000. The causes of the rapid development of Pittsburg may be seen at a glance. Probably the strongest factor at the outstart was its position as a trans- portation center. With one river lead- ing northward, another southward, and a third westward, when water transportation was the most convenient method of shipping freight, this point could not fail to appeal to the judg- ment of the early settlers. And justly so. Even now with railroads radiating in every direction the use of the rivers is a most important factor in the city's commerce. The extent of this traffic — 9 — is amazing, the available statistics for 1902 showing that 16,000,000 tons were handled at this port, and these figures would be largely exceeded if it were possible to get complete records of the business handled. A later and paramount reason for the concentration of business here was the question of fuel. Coal in and about Pittsburg is cheap, abundant and of the best quality. With fine water transportation at hand, fine coal cropping out of the hills surrounding the place, and ore in the mountains a short distance up the river, Pittsburg only needed men of sufficient business sagacity and enter- — 10 — prise to push it to the front as a manu- facturing community. The men were not lacking. They were mainly Scotch-Irish and Englisli, Those who inhabited the place previous to the beginning of the nineteenth century, it must be acknowledged, were nothing to be proud of. Like most pioneers they were a rough lot; the dare-devils and pirates of the east who rushed into the then unknown country to loot the In- dians and the unwary emigrants who might come their way. But the character of the people of the place soon changed. The emigrants who poured in were of a better class, and many of them, instead of going — 11 — down the river to Kentucky 01 out to Ohio, as had been their original inten- tion, were so pleased with the possibili- ties of Pittsburg that they stopped off and settled. In addition to these, many of the volunteers, men of fine stock, who were sent to Pittsburg about this time by the government to suppress the Whisky insurrection of 1 79 1, also decided to become residents. This new class of settlers gave the town an entirely new aspect. New en- terprises sprang up, churches and schools came into existence and health- ful bustle and activity ensued. In the forefront of business of that day we find such men as the O'Haras, Mc- — 12 — Cullys, McKee, Irwin, Harmar, Denny, Elliott, Craig, Davis, Bruce, McCul- lough, Guthrie, etc. These men built their plants and manufactured their iron and glass by the most improved methods. They brought skilled work- men from the Old World, as well as from the east, in order to get the best results. At the outset there was little competition ; they had the market west of the Alleghenies for their own. Nev- ertheless they did their work well, and when the canal and later the railroad came over the mountains and the products of the east came in their busi- ness was sufficiently well established — 13 — to stand the shock of eastern competi- tion. The early settlers, as stated above, were principally Scotch-Irish and Eng- lish with a sprinkling of German. They were a careful, conscientious, hard-working, just people. They had the Scotch honesty of purpose, indom- itable energy and perseverance, tem- pered by the Irish lightheartedness, which made them affable and well dis- posed toward mankind. When they came to this country and advanced into what was then a wilderness, it was for the purpose of work, hard work. They were ready and willing to stand the privations of the frontier ; their energy — 14 — Fhoto. of a Life-size Painting of Mrs. SCHENEEY IN THE OED SCHENEEY Mansion. Stanton Ave. was unrelaxing, while their perse- verance was inspiring. They were not mere plodders. The Scotch-Irish mind is a storehouse of ideas, and these pioneers made valuable use of them, planning- their work so as to get the best results. Probably the character of the people cannot be better illustrated than by briefly calling attention to some of the characteristics of the men who helped to make the city. Major Ebenezer Denny, of good Scotch-Irish ancestry, was the first mayor of Pittsburg, after its incorpora- tion in 1816. It is related of him that when he was a boy of 13 his intrepid- — 15 — ity and prowess were such that he was intrusted with the carriage of impor- tant papers from the east across the Allegheny mountains to Fort Pitt. On these long trips he was obliged to sleep out in the woods at night and travel cautiously by day. On two oc- casions he was chased by Indians, but succeeded in eluding them and getting through in safety the papers of which he was custodian. Another Scotch-Irishman worthy of mention was William McCully, who is known as the "Father of the Glass Industry." Possessed of a decided in- dividuality and a strong character, he devoted his indomitable energies to the — 16 — one aim of developing and making a success of the glass business. He learned the trade practically, and made a careful study of the methods and arts practiced by his contemporaries in the east and in Europe. If he saw or heard of anything better than his own methods he did not let his pre- conceived notions or practices stand in the way of the immediate adop- tion of the new ideas. He was most successful, and it is needless to say that the glass industry of the dis- trict profited by his activity. Dr. Hussey, of Quaker descent, born at York, Pennsylvania, in 1802, came to Pittsburg as a young man. He was — 17 — a most daring, though at the same time judicious business man. In any new enterprise in which he embarked he first carefully studied the details ; then, feeling sure he was right he would go ahead without fear. Thus it was he who established the first copper smelt- ing works in Pittsburg, and later on solved the problem of smelting large masses of copper by erecting a furnace with a movable top; and this in spite of the sharp criticism of numerous skeptics. But his method was found to be successful, and was soon adopted by all his rivals. So simple was it that the former methods seemed almost laughable. Dr. Hussey was the first in — 18 — this country to make crucible cast steel in large quantities and of good quality. His project was received, even by his immediate friends, with much the same doubt and coldness, amounting to positive opposition, that met his plans for a copper mill ten years before. All opposition, warnings and prognostica- tions of evil only seemed to stimulate him, and as difficulties arose his inflex- ible purpose only mounted the higher. He would never have undertaken to make cast steel by the old English methods; he developed and perfected what is known as the "direct process." This "direct process" was attacked bit- terly by the agents of English steel in — 19 — New York and elsewhere, who de- clared that "good steel could not be made in any such way." The experi- ment was, however, a phenomenal suc- cess. William H. Brown, who flourished during the middle of the last century, was another typical man of the time. He first worked on a farm, next on the canal, then opened a small coal mine in what is now the Thirteenth ward, Pittsburg, and sold his product with his own horse and wagon. This was followed by the purchase of a small boat; the purchase of other boats came in quick succession, and in a few years he became the coal king of the western — 20 — rivers. To illustrate Mr. Brown's keenness and courage it is related that in 1858 he entered on an experiment which the wisest of his fellow coal men declared would be a failure. His plan was to send a tow of flats to New Or- leans. Prior to that time coal, instead of being towed by steamers, had been floated to New Orleans in large keel boats or barges, and the expense of the trips did away with the profits. Tow- ing was accordingly in no favor among shippers of coal to the lower ports, even with the most substantial boats; and Mr. Brown's proposal to use a tow of flatboats, of light and shallow construction, was considered — 21 — absurd. The keen vision of Mr. Brown was justified by results and a new out- let for the growing coal trade of Pitts- burg was provided. Benjamin F. Jones was born in Washington county, his family, for several generations, being Pennsylva- n'ans. His ancestors came over with William Penn. His first venture in the iron business was with a Mr. Kier, in 1847. A few years later, in 1851, he secured an interest in the American iron works, which has steadily grown through a period of fifty years, so that to-day it is one of the largest works in the country, and to quote Mr. Jones : — 22 — "From the mines to the rolls the ma- terial used is of our own production." Mr. Jones' success was no freak of fortune, but was brought about by his ingenuity, his clearness of vision and well applied industry. He worked along scientific lines, made close esti- mates, careful investigation of new methods and did not hesitate to install novel processes and approved mechan- ical appliances when his judgment told him they were good. It was men like these and others of similar character that were instrument- al in the upbuilding of the manufac- — 23 — tories which made Pittsburg the solid, substantial, wide-awake city it was at the beginning of the 8o's. No small stimulus had been given to the trade of the place by the oil de- velopment of the 6o's and 70's. Many fortunes were made and the capital ob- tained was invested in new industries and the extension of old ones. \^> \^ 24 — Giants of the Boom Period. By 1884 Greater Pittsburg had a population of a little over half a mill- ion, while the annual output of its manufactories amounted to $300,000,- 000. In the twenty years succeeding there has been a phenomenal growth, both in population and the volume of products. Almost 1,000,000 souls in- habit the district and the annual output is worth close to $500,000,000. A potent factor in this marvelous twenty years' growth has been the — 25 — utilization of natural gas for manufac- turing purpOvSes. The introduction of this fuel into the mills and furnaces so cheapened products that a remarka- ble stimulus was at once given to all kinds of trade. The glass factories had new life put into them; the manu- facture of plate glass, which had pre- viously been tried in various parts of the country only to fail, soon became an established industry. New iron and steel mills, .wire mills, tube mills, etc., sprang into existence and old ones were enlarged. The benefit derived from natural gas was enhanced by the great reduction in the price of coke which came with the scientific develop- — 26 — ment of the coke industry by Mr. H. C. Frick and others. Mr. Frick is a business man quick of comprehension and accurate in judgment. He was the first to recognize the value and im- portance of Connellsville coal for cok- ing purposes. Shortly after the panic of 1873 he commenced buying coal lands in that region. His judgment proved to be correct; the cost of coke production was reduced and the use of it greatly extended. Mr. Frick be- came the dominant operator in the business, and a very wealthy man, His coke interests were so great, and his remarkable qualifications as an organ- — 27 — lzer and director of vast business interests so apparent, that the attention of Andrew Carnegie was attracted. This brought an offer of an interest in the Carnegie steel works, a consolida- tion of his coke interests with that com- pany, and finally the presidency of the combined enterprise. Among the forceful men whose rise has been contemporary with that of Mr. Frick there are two that tower above the rest — Andrew Carnegie and George Westinghouse, the canny Scotchman, and the modest inventor of Dutch descent. The secret of An- drew Carnegie's marvelous success lies — 28 — in his consummate genius for organi- zation, coupled with a keen insight into human nature. His powers in this lat- ter particular are extraordinary, and much of his success, as he himself ac- knowledges, is attributable to his abil- ity to select officers capable of carrying out his ideas. One of Mr. Carnegie's associates said of him : "It is hard to define in exact terms the power Mr. Carnegie had of stimulating his sub- ordinates and infusing them with his own consuming enthusiasm. He had a genius for discovering young men of exceptional ability — having secured them they were given a fair chance to prove their worth. No favoritism of — 29 — any kind was allowed, all promotions being solely by merit 'Deadheads' were a luxury never tol- erated in the Carnegie Company." Mr. Carnegie's basic principle in business was "concentration." "Concentra- tion," he says, "is my motto — first honesty, then industry, and then con- centration." Putting it another way he said : "I believe in carrying all my eggs in one basket — then watch the basket." This is what he did. When he entered the' steel business he dropped all else and devoted his time, thoughts and energies by day and by night, to business concerns. He ex- pected his "young partners," as he — 30 — called them, to do likewise; and they did likewise, or else ceased to be part- ners. One of these "young partners," in talking to me a year or two since, said : "Mr. Carnegie is a wonderful man. I don't understand the power he has over the officers of the com- pany. It matters not where he is — whether it be in Pittsburg, in New York, on the ocean, in Scotland, or in Egypt — I can't help but have the feel- ing that he is looking over my shoul- der watching me do my work. It is not necessary to say that the effect is to make me do the best that is in me; I fairly slave in order to bring results. He wants us all to concentrate our —.31.— thoughts and energies in the one thing— the work in hand; no outside interests must distract our attention. He pays us liberally — makes fortunes for us; but he exacts his pound of flesh in the amount and quality of work we do." Mr. Carnegie at one time in his ca- reer was tempted to establish his new works on the lake front in order to be nearer the source of the ore supply, which came down over the Great Lakes from Lake Superior. The idea was that the coal could be carried to that point more cheaply than the ore to Pittsburg. A most careful investi- gation of the points involved was — 32 — made, resulting in the decision that Pittsburg was the proper site. It was the natural meeting point of the three principal elements used in the produc- tion of steel — coal, ore and limestone, the latter coming mainly from the eastern slope of the Allegheny moun- tains. This question settled he then proceeded to build his mills — one large plant following another with magical rapidity. He soon had his own ore fields in the Lake Superior regions, his own fleet of ore boats to bring the ore down to the shores of Lake Erie, and his own railroad to bring it from that point to the Pittsburg mills. He had constant difficulties to contend with. — 33 — but nothing daunted him; he seemed to thrive on the throwing aside of the stumbling blocks he found in his way. He thus built up the great Carnegie works, probably the greatest industrial monument any man ever had. These he managed through his able lieuten- ants until he finally sold to the United States Steel Company. The various Carnegie works give employment to probably 40,000 work- men. Allowing five to a family, this would represent a population of 200,000, a city in itself, which Mr. Carnegie added to Pittsburg. Next to Mr. Carnegie in building up the industries of Pittsburg, and in — 34 — thus contributing to wealth and popu- lation, was George Westinghouse. Mr. Westinghouse is an American of Dutch descent. His father was the owner of a machine shop for the man- ufacture of agricultural implements, at Schenectady, New York, and at an early age young George was put to work in his father's establishment to learn the trade. It was while as a boy at work there that he earned the nick- name "Lazy George," because he in- vented machinery to do his work so that he could lie idly by. His fellow- workmen, at least, thought the sole im- pelling motive for this early develop- ment of his inventive faculties was the — 35 — desire of ease. A few years later he found himself in a railroad train that was wrecked between Schenectady and Albany, the wreck having occurred from the ineffectiveness of the hand- brakes then in use. This set young George to thinking how trains could be stopped more quickly. He decided that it must be done from the engine, since the engineer would be the first to see danger. His first experiments were with the use of chains, which were worked from the engine, but it was soon demonstrated that this plan would not do. Reading of the use of compressed air in Mt. Cenis tunnel for driving drills, he at once set his mind — 36 — to work on methods of applying that force to the subject in hand, and after numerous experiments he succeeded in perfecting the airbrake. When the airbrake was invented Mr. Westing- house was but 22 years old. The works for the making of the new brakes were established at Pittsburg, being capitalized at $50,000. He and his partners little realized at that time what a revolutionary invention it was. In three months they were compelled to double their capital, and the doubling process has gone on from time to time ever since, until now the company's holdings have a par value of $11,000,000, the market value, even — 37 — in the strenuous times of last year, ranging from 225 to 300 per cent, higher. But while the airbrake was such a tremendous success it was by no means Mr. Westinghouse's greatest triumph. He has established a num- ber of other industrial works which have been as successful, and bid fair to be more successful than the airbrake company. The Westinghouse Elec- trical Co., capitalized at $24,000,000, is one of the two great concerns which practically dominate the electrical manufacturing business of the coun- try. This company has 10,000 em- ployees at its East Pittsburg plant. The Westinghouse Machine Co. is — 38 — capitalized at $5,000,000, while the Union Switch and Signal Co., the smallest of the Westinghouse indus- tries, finds no difficulty in earning good dividends on $3,000,000 capital. It was George Westinghouse who con- ceived and carried out the daring project of piping natural gas from the Murraysville gas wells to Pittsburg, a distance of forty miles. As the enter- prise would cost many millions and the utility of it was problematical, the wise men of the day said it was foolhardy and certain to result in failure. Mr. Westinghouse, however, felt he was on the right track ; he inspired some of his friends with his own faith, and the — 39 — project was carried through. It made fortunes for every one that went into it, and gave a great impetus to Pitts- burg's industries. Mr. Westinghouse, through his various activities, has brought immense wealth to Pittsburg and added possibly over 100,000 souls to the population. I might go on and tell of the charac- teristics and the business accomplish- ment of a number 'of other leaders in industrial exploitation — the Olivers, fertile in brilliant ideas and daring in the carrying out of the same; the Parks, more cautious and careful, suc- cess coming to them through the per- fection of their goods ; the Millers, the — 40 — Allegheny County Court House. Mellons, the MeKees, the Chamberses, the Macbeths, the Joneses, the Pain- ters, the Byerses, the Moorheads, all thriving and prosperous, aiding in the growth of Pittsburg through their en- ergetic and capable, and, in a measure, concerted work. But the list would be too long. Suffice it to say that the city is rich in such types, and their combined genius and enterprise have made it one of the greatest manufac- turing centers, if not the greatest, on the face of the globe. — 41 — The Millionaire and What He Represents. One of the remarkable results of this sudden and enormous production of wealth has been the creation of the genus millionaire. The millionaire springs up in Pittsburg like a weed. George Westinghouse invites shrewd young men into his service, and behold ! in a year or two they are mill- ionaires; Andrew Carnegie waves his magic wand and forty millionaires spring into existence in a day. The millionaire is omnipresent. He is dem- — 42 — ocratic to a degree, in a few instances coarsely conspicuous, again proud, aristocratic and aggressively exclusive. He has his eccentricities and his fads. In one instance you find him building libraries, not only in all parts of the home community, but in cities and towns all over the face of the globe. Again you will find him with the love of flowers and plants so fully devel- oped that he is not satisfied unless he erects a $100,000 conservatory, or makes a $100,000 addition to an exist- ing one. A curious but none the less commendable fancy is the creation of a mushroom cellar, said to be the largest and most perfect in America. — 43 — A pastime with another is the giving away of big checks — on one occasion, at a birthday party, where eight mem- bers of his immediate family were present, each one found under his plate a certified check for a million dollars. One millionaire who is deeply devoted to politics as a pastime, loans a $100,000 residence to his election dis- trict to be used as a polling place. It is used for no other purpose. The fancy of another is fine cigars — he has them especially made in Cuba, each cigar in a paper wrapper with his name and coat of arms printed on it. These cigars, which cost him about fifty cents apiece, he rarely smokes. He puts — 44 — them in his mouth, chews the ends off, and then throws them away. Harm- less, but laughable acts, such as the placing in every conceivable location about the house and grounds of statues of peacocks, the running of a special train de luxe from San Francisco to Pittsburg for no other purpose than to attract attention; the spending of $175,000 for an automobile stable; the excessive indulgence in having a wife's picture painted — painted in life size and miniature by every painter of prominence that comes along, regard- less of expense; the presenting of numerous friends with costly automo- biles, are the fads of several others of — 45 — v the newly-made millionaire of Pitts- burg. But be the weaknesses of our 250 odd millionaires what they may, we cannot forget the manner of the ac- quisition of their wealth and the mar- velous productivity it represents. And just here it may not be inappro- priate to cite some of Pittsburg's mod- ern products and the quarters to which they find their way. We supply armor plate for battleships, and, not to be narrow-minded, shells which are guar- anteed to pierce the best made armor plate that can be produced. We make locomotives, not only for domestic use, but for South and Cen- — 46 — tral America, Africa, India and other foreign lands. A large trade is done in steel boats (hulls) for use in New York, New Orleans and other American harbors, as well as for use in South American and Mexican waters. Our Fireproofmg Company furnish- es material for buildings in every city in this country. It has recently en- tered the European field and has se- cured large contracts in London, St. Petersburg and other capitals. In the reconstruction of devastated Baltimore, Pittsburg is doing a great work in supplying vast quantities of fireproofing in addition to thousands * — 47 — of tons of steel structural shapes. Our plate glass and window glass factories are also aiding the good work with large supplies of their necessary products. Our crucible works produce a large proportion of tool steel for the United States. Pittsburg tools are used in the mines in Colorado, California, Idaho and Montana, while they are also found in use in Mexico, South America and even in the diamond mines of South Africa. It seems scarcely necessary to call attention to the world-wide use of that well-known life and property saving Pittsburg invention, the Westinghouse — 48 — airbrake. There are few railroads on the face of the globe which are not equipped with this simple yet wonder- ful device. While not so generally in use as the airbrake, the safety appli- ances made by the Union Switch and Signal Co. are used in vast quantities on the railroads of the United States, and are highly valued for their utility and efficiency. Another business, the market of which is measured only by the world, is that of the Westinghouse Electric Co. This company's motors are now on street car lines, in office buildings, factories, shops, etc., from one end of the land to the other. Its electric light — 49 — plants, as its enthusiastic agent says, not only give light and happiness to streets, office, hotel and dwelling houses all over America and Europe, but light up St. Peter's at Rome, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Mosques of Constantinople, and the pagodas of Peking. It might not be irrelevant to state that while traveling last summer in France and Germany it was not only interesting, but pride-satisfying, to see the magic words, "Westinghouse Air- brake," on cars one traveled in ; to find Heinz's Pittsburg pickles and tomato catsup on the tables of the dining cars and hotels, and, tell this in whispers — 50 — only, seeing on the counters of the so- called "American bars," to warm the cockles of French and German hearts, old Monongahela rye. \^' \^? 51 — Racial Divisions. No more striking illustration of the great change that has taken place among the working classes of the com- munity in the recent past can be given than the facts concerning the em- ployees in the mills. Twenty years ago the mill workers were Irish and Ger- man, with a large proportion of Eng- lish and Welsh, the latter two races being particularly strong in the copper, tin plate and puddling mills. Now nearly all the labor employed at these — 52 — plants, except for skilled work, is col- ored and foreign (Eastern and South- eastern Europe). Altogether there are thirty or more nationalities in Pitts- burg's population, every nation in Eu- rope and almost every one in Asia being represented. Of the non-English speaking races, the German — foreign born and native children of foreign born parents — are the most numerous, thrifty and sub- stantial. As nearly as can be esti- mated, there is a German population in Greater Pittsburg of 80,000. While the Germans are pretty generally scat- tered throughout the various wards of the city, there are three or four — 53 — centers where they gather together in such numbers as to completely Ger- manize the locality. One such center is what is known as the East street and Troy Hill district. This region is thoroughly Teutonic. The signs on the stores are in German, on the streets and in the shops nothing but German is spoken, the churches are German, concert halls and beer gardens, con- ducted in the style of similar institu- tions in the fatherland, are in abundant evidence; theatrical performances in German are of frequent occurrence; "Turn Vereins" and "Mannerchors" flourish in profusion — in fact, the en- tire life of the place is German through — 54 — and through. Possibly one-third of the residents of this district cannot speak English. Another even larger German center, though having more outsiders living within its limits, is the South Side hilltop wards; in this sec- tion the same conditions prevail as on Troy Hill. The South Side wards are estimated to have nearly 40,000 Ger- man residents. There are in the city a number of daily and weekly papers printed in German, to cater to this extensive element in the population. In perseverance, unflinching deter- mination to pursue an end once decided on, and in thorough, scientific methods, the men from the fatherland excel all — 55 — others. No class of citizens is so well situated with respect to worldly goods. A German making only $1.50 a day saves money and owns a home, where others earning threefold as much never own anything. With the Teuton the great ambition is to own a home. As a people they do not belong to the renting class. In a business way it is hard to assign any line characteristic of the German. He monopolizes the distilling and brewing industries, but he is also found in almost every line of manufacturing, mercantile, financial and professional life. Some of the most expert chemists, electrical and mechanical engineers, physicians, bank- — 56 — ers, brokers, educators, musicians and artists belong to this race. It will no doubt be a surprise to many to learn that the largest and most prosperous foreign element, next to the Germans, is the Italians. They are fast becoming one of the substantial elements of the city's population, and securing a footing as good citizens and home owners. In the earlier stages of Italian immigration their custom was to come over, work until they made a little money, or until hard times came, then fly back to their native land to live like princes among their old-time neighbors. Of late years a change has come. They now desire to become — 57 — citizens and property owners, and as such take an interest in politics. In Greater Pittsburg there are about 40,000 Italians with an additional Ital- ian population scattered about in other parts of Allegheny county. While there are six Italian districts in the city, what is popularly known as "Lit- tle Italy" is the largest and most dis- tinctive. This is located in the Fifth and Seventh wards, along Webster avenue and its cross streets and alleys. Here Italian is the language of the stores, the offices, banks and the high- ways: To a great extent the Italian is the day laborer engaged on street and railroad work and the excavation for — 58 — buildings, although large numbers are found vending peanuts, fruits, matches, etc. But there are many who have risen above these menial employments, and who now do an active business in other lines. The Webster avenue com- munity includes many prosperous mer- chants and bankers. There are about 200 Italians in business for them- selves in the city, and of these several have amassed fortunes ranging from $25,000 to $100,000. The East End Italian, settlement, which contains about 8,000 souls, is of still better character, both as to the class of people and the sanitary and attractive surroundings of their homes. — 59 The managers of the six weekly Ital- ian papers, the sculptors, music teach- ers, the real estate men, bankers, steam- ship agents and well-to-do merchants live here. Of the smaller colonies of foreigners one of the most interesting is the or- thodox Jewish, more commonly known as the "ghetto." This is located in the streets, courts and alleys in the Hill district immediately east of the court house, on both sides of Wylie avenue. The "ghetto" population is 5,000, while the total Hebrew population of Greater Pittsburg of all kinds, ortho- dox and reform, is about 15,000. The Hebrews maintain their own newspa- — 60 — pers, published in Yiddish, a wretched jargon, The "ghetto" Jews usually converse in that tongue, showing a great inaptitude or, possibly, a lack of desire for the study of English. The Assyrian colony, the members of which are mainly peddlers, contains nearly 2,000 people. They have come to us as a result of the oppression of the Turk, most of them having emi- grated in the last few years. They mingle very little with other elements of the population and rarely marry out- side their own race, the attractions of American women or those of other na- tions apparently having no fascination for the men. They are lovers of things — 61 — of beauty, and men, that one would think from their appearance to be en- tirely devoid of an appreciation of art in color or handiwork, will go into ecstacies over a particularly fine Oriental rug, a bit of real lace or a handsome jewel. A curious circum- stance is that women go about peddling- even in larger numbers than the men, the reason being that they are much quicker at learning our language. Another element that is a most de- sirable addition to the population of the city is the Greek, this people, like the Assyrians, having come here to es- cape the persecutions of the Turk. There are at present probably 2,000 of — 62 — them. They make good citizens. No sooner do they land than they make application for naturalization papers. As workmen they are industrious and efficient. Some of the best painters and decorators belong to this race, as do also many of the most highly skilled mechanics at the Westinghouse works. They also engage in the sale of flowers and confectionery, while the bootblacking business of the city is to a great extent monopolized by them. A very large proportion of the labor- ers in and about the mills and mines are Poles and various other Slavish peoples. Of the Poles alone there are about 55,000 in the county, while the — 63 — Croatians, Huns, etc., number possibly 30,000. They are a hard-working, sturdy people and seem especially well fitted to do the arduous manual work peculiar to a manufacturing center. Contractors say they prefer the Slavs to the Italians for excavating and other rough labor because of their strength, endurance and docility. The great increase in the Eastern and Southern European class of emigrants has had a decided effect on the political conditions and may lead to even greater. Unlike the emigrants from Northern Europe, those from Southern Europe are almost exclusively Roman Catholic, and to them their church is — 64 — the ne plus ultra of life. This has led to the practice of conducting political work through the medium of the priesthood and the consequent de- bauchery of the priests, and the voting of ignorant people en bloc at the behest of these parish leaders. One pastor of a Lithuanian congregation, having fully 1,000 voters in his parish, makes no secret of his ability to control the greater proportion of their votes. In certain Bohemian and Croatian church- es the barter and sale of votes by the priests is even more bare-faced. 65 The City Beautiful. It can justly be asserted that Pitts- burg has shown itself to be em- phatically up-to-date in business mat- ters, and, with its industrial supremacy thus assured, it is now beginning- to think about other things. Up to about ten or twelve years since comparatively little attention was paid to public im- provements. The streets were ill paved, narrow and altogether unat- tractive. Fine public buildings or business buildings were the exception. L.ofC. As for such ornamental and beneficial features of city life as parks, there was nothing worth mention. About this time, however, the civic pride of the people was aroused, and a good be- ginning was made. Since then parks have been laid out, the largest contain- ing some 400 acres, and these have been beautified in various ways. Fif- teen miles of boulevard have been laid out and improved at great expense. One of the largest conservatories in the country has been built and stocked with rare plants and flowers from all parts of the globe. A number of hand- some public bath houses have been put up at several points along the rivers, to — 67 — afford bathing for thousands of work- ers. A most extensive public library, an art gallery and a museum have been erected and filled with rich treasures. A zoological garden has been estab- lished in one of the parks and is al- ready stocked with a valuable collec- tion of animals. Downtown many new buildings have sprung up. Where a few years since there was nothing but small buildings, scarcely worthy of a small country town, skyscrapers have been erected, manv of them as handsomely finished as any in the country. The growing demand for civic improvements has forced the wid- ening of two downtown streets, regard- — 68 — less of expense, this to be followed shortly by the widening of three or four more. The new administration fortunately has progressive ideas and has the backbone to put them into ef- fect. Backed by the strong public demand for a better city there is no doubt that much commendable work will be inaugurated and pushed through by the public works depart- ment. There has always been an educated and cultured class in Pittsburg, though not as extensive in proportion to the population as is the case in some of the seaboard cities. The pouring into the city of thousands of scientific, col- lege bred men, attracted by the de- mands of the expanding industrial enterprises, has had a most beneficial and elevating effect on the character of the community. There has been an awakening. In educational matters the most notable evidence of progress is Andrew Carnegie's technical school, the equal of which is probably not' to be. found anywhere in the land. Mr. Carnegie gave $10,000,000 for the es- tablishment of this institution, and he promises to make it the greatest of its kind in the world. Much attention is being paid to the development of the artistic and literary tastes of the peo- ple. In addition to a dozen or more large private collections of paintings in which are some very valuable works, the permanent collection at the Car- — 70 — negie • gallery; ; a public ' institution,' Is growing rapidly, and since great care is ' exercised in the selections, many choice paintings are being hung there. In the museum, another Carnegie bene- faction, a varied and most valuable collection has been brought together. Great progress has been made in music. The establishment nine years ago of the Pittsburg Orchestra, an exception- ally fine organization, marked the opening of a new epoch in the musical advancement of the city. The educa- tive effect of the work of this superb body and the powerful stimulus which the presence of some seventy high class professional musicians has had on the musical life of the city is most marked. — 71 — The fact that over a hundred citizens promptly stepped forward a few months since with their financial guar- antee to secure the orchestra manage- ment against loss for the term of three years speaks volumes, as the amount required to make up the annual deficit is no mean sum. It demonstrates clearly the growing love for high class music, and the determination to have it at any cost. Pittsburg is not only resolved to be supreme in the manufacturing world, but also intends to bring about vastly better civic conditions and to educate her people in art, music and letters to a degree undreamed of by her residents of a generation or two ago. — 72 — Entrance to Highland Park. NOV 17 1904 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS mm 014 313