Cities and towns -- Middle Atlantic States; Middle Atlantic States -- History
when the strong arm of Government smites it without fear or respect.
[Illustration: THE COAL FLEET.]
Pittsburgh was incorporated a borough in 1794. Her first glassworks was
built in 1797; and both her population and her industries multiplied
until she was made a city in 1816. In 1845 (April 10th), a great fire
destroyed about one third of the total area of the city, including
most of the large business houses and factories, the bridge over the
Monongahela, the large hotel known as the Monongahela House and several
churches;—in all about eleven hundred buildings. The Legislature
appropriated $50,000 for the relief of the sufferers.
In 1877, the municipal government, being, in its personnel, at the moment
incompetent to preserve the fundamental principles on which it was
established, permitted a strike of railroad employees to grow without
restriction as to the observance of law and order until it became an
insurrection. Three million dollars’ worth of property was destroyed by
riot and incendiarism in a few hours. When at last outraged authority
was properly shifted from the supine city chieftains to the indomitable
State itself, it became necessary, before order could be restored, for
troops to fire, with a sacrifice of human life. The lesson was worth all
it cost, and anarchy has never dared to raise its head in the corporation
limits since that time.
[Illustration: CARNEGIE INSTITUTE.]
In 1889, the great flood at Johnstown, accompanied by a frightful
loss of life and destruction of property, touched the common heart of
humanity all over the world. The closeness of Johnstown geographically
made the sorrow at Pittsburgh most poignant and profound. In a few hours
almost the whole population had brought its offerings for the stricken
community, and besides clothing, provisions and every conceivable thing
necessary for relief and comfort, the people of Pittsburgh contributed
$250,000 to restore so far as possible the material portion of the loss.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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