222 



CONDITIONS BY COUNTIES. 



of buildings^ fences, etc., was rolled together in heaps and 

 burned. It was under these conditions that numerous settle- 

 ments were made in the valleys and on the fertile uplands 

 where the choicest of the timber grew. 



During the years of the early settlement of Ohio county 

 the only lumber sawed was by means of hand-power whip saws 

 and by water-power sash saws, several of which were located 

 along the larger creeks. These have all ceased to run long ago 

 and the names of most of the owners are forgotten. The old 

 Hubbard mill, located at the mouth of Wheeling creek had a 

 sash saw which was operated by steam-power. This mill was 

 one of the pioneers among the larger operations. It is said that 

 the mill cut a large quantity of white pine and other timber 

 from the Allegheny river for about 18 years following its build- 

 ing in 1830. 



Between the years 1835 and 1875 there were 4 wagon fac- 

 tories in operation in Wheeling. These were owned by Samuel 

 Irwin, Busby and Little, Josiah Bodley and Thomas Moffett. 

 The combined capacity of these factories was at least 1,000 

 wagons a year. Most of the vehicles manufactured were broad- 

 tread southern wagons which were shipped on steam boats and 

 barges to the sugar and cotton plantations of Mississippi, Louis- 

 iana and Arkansas. Busby and Little manufactured, in addi- 

 tion to the heavy wagons^ a large number of ambulances and 

 quartermaster's wagons for use during the Civil War. All the 

 wagon makers named made use of locust for hubs, hickory for 

 wheels and oak for frames. They obtained their wood entirely 

 from the forests of Ohio county. 



Ship-building was an important industry in Wheeling for 

 several years. It is of much interest that the first steam boat — • 

 the General Washington — which made the round trip from the 

 upper Ohio to New Orleans was built at Wheeling about the 

 year 1813. This boat, and many others built later by Wilson, 

 Dunlevy & Company and by others, were constructed of local 

 timbers. 



Following are the names of the tanners who have operated 

 at Wheeling. The location given for some of them by streets 

 and numbers is according to the present plan of the city : David 

 Garden's tan yard, in operation from about 1825 to 1845; Mc- 



