American Industrial Revolution in Pittsburgh - Essay Example

Running head: PITTSBURGH AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Pittsburgh and the Industrial Revolution Insert Here Insert Affiliation Here Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a centerpiece for the start of American's Industrial Revolution. By taking a closer look at the history of the Industrial Revolutions' development in Pittsburgh, one can understand how Pittsburgh became a city that spawned and inspired the Industrial Revolution elsewhere in the United States. The primary reasons for Pittsburgh's huge boom revolved around the coal discovered within the city, the city's location, as well as the steel revolution that took place within the city's boundaries, the development of the glass industry promoted by the city, the city's incredible inventors, and the city's connection to the rest of the world via its rivers, and its focus on railway technology. These factors all allowed Pittsburgh to become the major American city contributing to the Industrial Revolution, and Pittsburgh's connections with the rest of the United States helped to spawn the Industrial Revolution in other parts of the country. In order to understand why Pittsburgh was such a key player in America's Industrial Revolution, one must trace the city's boom back to the start of the Industrial Revolution within the city's own boundaries. The start of the Industrial Revolution in Pittsburgh can be traced all the way back to the start of the nineteenth century. The low cost of coke, and iron, alongside the large amount of coal found near Pittsburgh contributed to the development of the iron industry within the city, and later, within America (Bernal, 1970, p. 83). Most of the iron production during this time period used charcoal as a source of fuel. However, the discovery of the abundance of minerals around Pittsburgh introduced a new and better way to produce iron. This occurred mainly because coal can create a higher temperature, and is thus more effective for burning in comparison to charcoal. Furthermore, the coal found outside of Pittsburgh was excellent in quality, and was vary abundant (Derry and Williams, 1993, p. 94). For example, coal seams were discovered to be at least four to ten feet in thickness outside the city, and when compared to London, Pittsburgh's coal turned out to be of better quality, more abundant, and most importantly, more profitable. The early production of iron nails, balls, and different farm tools began to occur, and eventually these products were widely available to the public. In 1812, Pittsburgh developed the first iron rolling mill, using the development of the steam engine. This first mill spawned many other mills using steam engine power, and the city grew as a result (Hannegan, 2000, p. 23). By 1815, Pittsburgh could be called the biggest city in the east. This advancement in iron technology in the city opened the door to allowing Pittsburgh to become a major city within the Industrial Revolution. Obviously having better quality coal than London, which was at the heart of the Western Industrial Revolution, is an early indicator of how important Pittsburgh was becoming to the rest of the United States. The coal developments in Pittsburgh inspired the rest of the United States to revise its approach to goal development. After the development of the iron mills came the development of glass factories, pottery mills, breweries, grist mills, nail mills, steam engine factories, cotton factors, and printing offices. The glass factories were yet another important development to the Industrial Revolution and the rest of the United States. Not surprsingly, plate glass saw very limited residential use in the 1800's. In Boston some of the wealthiest people had begun to use polished plate glass instead of sheet glass in their front windows before 1850. In 1897 the Marsh Plate Glass Company developed a continuous lehr (oven) for annealing plate glass, reducing the carefully controlled cooling time from three days to three hours. Oldhousejournal online (http://oldhousejournal.com/magazine/2002/jan-feb/pictures.shtml. Thanks to Henry Ford, by 1922 engineers had developed a semi-continuous method of rolling glass for automobile windshields that was soon adopted by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. As a result the price of plate glass plummeted in comparison to standard window glass, and though it remained the costlier material, more affordable plate glass contributed to the growing popularity of picture windows. Olddhousejournal online (http://www.oldhousejournal. com/magazine/2002/jan-feb/pictures.shtml). Pittsburgh's location can be cited as the major reason why the city grew so quickly and became such a bit part of the American Industrial Revolution. Pittsburgh is located at the intersection of the Allegheny and Monoghela rivers; a place that makes up the head of the Ohio River. This gave the city the nickname, "the point" (Hobsbawm, 1989, p. 34). Pittsburgh's location near to these rivers is another reason why it was able to play such a vital role within the Industrial Revolution, for at this time, shipping was a major industry and one of the main ways goods were moved from city to city. Thus, with its river ports, trade would have contributed to the city's overall growth. At this time, rivers were the fastest and easiest method to transport goods. Another huge factor that contributed to its excellent location was the fact that coal formed in abundance within and outside of the city; therefore, Pittsburgh as a city seems to have been prime land for the development of a movement like the Industrial Revolution in America. Pittsburgh certainly took advantage of its ability to ship coal and thus connect itself and its own development with the rest of America. Other American cities became more and more reliant on the coal Pittsburgh was producing; its own boom affected the rest of America and America's desire for coal. The city continued to grow, and the demand for coal, glass, and other products increased. As a result, in 1825, the Erie canal was opened (Powell, 2000, p. 47). This canal travels from New York up through Albany, Buffalo, and Cleveland, all the way back to Pittsburgh. The locations the canal traveled through demonstrates that it was an important means of transporting Pittsburgh's goods, and serves to demonstrate how the canal would again assist the city with its own expansion. The new route allowed increased commerce between Eastern and Western states, most importantly opening Pittsburgh up to the bustle of New York. The opening of the canal only increased Pittsburgh's importance, because it help to link it up to other major cities who had in interest in Pittsburgh's coal. It is important to note that cities that had at one time been larger, like New York City, were desiring Pittsburgh's coal. Around about the same time of the canal's implementation, the railway became a hot ticked in the United States. The first railway was actually installed in England around 1825, the second was placed in New Jersey, America in 1827 (Stearns, 1998, p. 76). However, there was some major opposition to the railway idea in the United States. Many key figures had invested much money in the canal project and were resentful of the idea of a competing system with which to transport goods. The federal government as well decided to stay away from any type of financial interference. On the other hand, though, the government did want to see railways develop, and thus encouraged the private parties to continue to build. Obviously, the development of the iron industry in Pittsburgh played a major part in all of this because iron and steel were used to develop the railways and railcars, and thus, again Pittsburgh became a major focal point for yet another technological development. This again serves to demonstrate its importance in regards to the Industrial Revolution. Another important point is that the first railway linked Baltimore and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania together, perhaps another indicator of the fact Pittsburgh was being recotnized for its contribution of resources to the United States. Still, for the most part, the river system was the more popular route for many years, perhaps because it was the more familiar one. (Crane, 2003, p.8) In April of 1869, George Westinghouse obtained a patent for one of his most important inventions: the air brake. The device enabled trains to be stopped with fail-safe accuracy and were eventually adopted by the majority of the world's railroads. Previously train accidents were frequent since brakes had to be applied manually on each car by different brakeman following a signal from the engineer. Westinghouse Electric Company/Our Company (http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/A1b.asp). Westinghouse saw potiental profit in the invention and organized the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, which was located in East Pittsburgh. Westinghouse continued to make many changes in his air brake design and later devloped the automatic air brake system and the triple valve. The air brake revolutionized the railroad industry, making braking a safer venture and allowing trains to travel at higher speeds. Westinghouse Electric Company/Our Company (http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/A1b.asp). Organized in 1881, the Westinghouse Machine Co. was devoted mainly to the manufacture of gas and steam engines, turbines and mechanical stokers. The main works were in East Pittsburgh and the company employed approximately 3,500 men by 1905. The uses of the equipment this company manufactured were varied: gas engines were used to power interurban railway and fire service pumping stations, while steam engines were used often by the railway industry (Crane, 2003, p.27). George Westinghouse attended college for only 3 months in 1865, dropping out soon after obtainig his first patent on October 31, 1865 for a rotary steam engine. Later, he invented an instrument that replaced derailed freight cars on the train tracks and started a business to manufacture his invention. He expanded into the railroad signaling industry by organizing the Union Switch and Signal company. In this company, devices based on his own inventions and the patents of otehrs were designed to conrtol the increased speed and flexibility, which was made possible by the invention of the air brake. Westinghouse also developed an apparaus for the safe transmission of natural gas. (Crane, 2003, p.47). Westinghouse saw the potiental for electricity and fromed the Westinghouse Electric Company in 1884. He obtained exclusive rights to Nikola Tesla's patents for a polyphase system of alternating current in 1888, persuading the investor to join the Westinghouse Electric Company. Westinghouse Electric Company/Our Company (http://www.westinghousenuclear. com/A1b.asp). The hydroelectric development of Niagra Falls by GeorgeWestinghouse in 1896 ingaurated the practice of placing generating stations far from consummtion centers. The Niargra plant transmitted massive amounts of power to Buffalo, New York over 20 miles away. With Niagra, Westinghouse convincingly demonstrated both the general superiority of transmitting power with electricity, rather than by mechanical means.about.com inventors (http://inventors.about.com/ library/inventors/blwestinghouse.htm.Niagra. Therefore, the development of new technologies that took began in Pittsburgh resulted in Pittsburgh affecting the rest of the United States, and bringing the country further along in the Industrial Revolution. Many of the inventions and technologies discovered in Pittsburgh were quickly used in other areas of the United States, and Pittsburgh had become a hub during the Industrial Revolution. Its location played a key part in its influence, mainly because of its incredible natural resources and wonderful river system. The coal industry and the glass industry were the start of Pittsburgh's influence, and as the city continued to produce more and more technology, and share the technology with the rest of the country, it continued to affect the industrial development of other areas within the United States. The city eventually contributed several inventions, and also contributed to the development of the canal and railway industries, thus furthering its importance as a major contributor and participant in the Industrial Revolution. References Bernal, J., 1970, Science and industry in the nineteenth century. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Derry, T. and Kingston and Williams, T., 1993, A short history of technology : From the earliest times to A.D. 1900. New York : Dover Publications. Hanagen, M, 2000, "Fighting words: Working class formation. Social forces. 79 (2). Retrieved March 12, 2006 from ProQuest [No. 65208548} Hobsbawm, E., 1999, Industry and empire : From 1750 to the present day. New York : New Press ; Distributed by W.W. Norton. Powell, C, 2000, "Pittsburgh's progress." Discover 21(6) Retrieved March 12, 2006 from WorldCat [No. 0274-7529]. Stearns, p, 1998, The Industrial Revolution in world history. New York: Westview Press. Read More