Cleveland

Cleveland, a lake port of northern Ohio. It is situated on a level beach, on both sides of the Cuyahoga River, 115 feet above the surface of Lake Erie. The mouth of the river has been dredged and affords a capacious harbor, having several miles of wharfage. Its area is enlarged and protected by an immense outlying breakwater or dyke of masonry, constructed by the general government at an expense of $8,000,000. The valley of the river is filled with warehouses, depots, coal sheds and grimy factories. The two parts of the city that are divided by this valley were formerly crossed by only two viaducts, or elevated roadways, but three others have lately been added. The most noteworthy of the five is one of the last three built - the High Level Bridge. The central span of this structure is 591 feet long and 96 feet above the water, permitting the passage beneath of the tallest masts of the lake shipping. Its total length is 5,630 feet, and its cost was $5,407,000.

The city is the metropolis of the Western Reserve. It was named for General Moses Cleaveland, its founder. It was intended originally to be the capital of a state to be called New Connecticut. It was laid out in 1796. The first library was started in 1811; the first bank in 1816; the first newspaper in 1818; in 1824 the first steamer was launched from its shipyard; in 1828 the bar was cut away from the entrance to the river; in 1851 the first railroad was built.

Cleveland is the largest city in Ohio and the fifth city in the United States. While its growth has been very rapid, it is easily accounted for. The city is the most natural outlet for the fertile country lying along this part of the lake. About fifty lines of lake steamers make the city their headquarters.

In the matter of imposing public buildings, Cleveland ranks high among American cities. Among these are the Chamber of Commerce, Public Hall, Western Reserve Historical Society building, the Federal building, court house, city hall, numerous bank buildings, and the Museum of Art, in Wade Park, a recent important addition to the city's artistic and educational interests. The monumental Union Terminal Station is to be constructed on Public Square. The Cleveland Symphony Orchestra also adds greatly to the city's artistic life. The churches are numerous and beautiful. Among the fine hotels in Cleveland are the Statler, Hollenden, Cleveland, Colonial, Olmstead, Winton and Wade Park Manor.

A reorganization of Cleveland's educational system was effected in 1917. Among the most important features of the revised system are eighteen junior high schools and the School of Education, affiliated with Western Reserve University. Besides the public schools, which are modern to the last detail, the educational institutions are Case School of Applied Science, St. Ignatius College and the Cleveland School of Art. The city's libraries are quite adequate.

INDUSTRIES More than half the pig iron produced in Cleveland is worked into finished product in the city. Cleveland outranks all other American cities in the production of steel ships, wire and wire nails, bolts and nuts, heavy machinery, malleable castings, automobile parts, and other metal articles.

Cleveland-made wires are strung around the world. Cleveland leads all other cities in the production of wire and wire nails. Its wire rods, barbed wire, piano wire, electrical wires and cables and its wire rope go into every land.

Wherever you enter a hardware store you find Cleveland-made products-wire and wire nails, fences, nuts and bolts, shears, tacks, drills, lathes, punches, shelf hardware of every kind. And in the production of vehicle hardware and of plumbers' goods the city's rank is correspondingly high. It has long been known as the "Sheffield of America."

Cleveland-made equipment for the handling of bulk freight is to be found in all the world's seaports. The large crane which is installed at League Island Navy Yard was built in Cleveland shops. The electrical magnet used in handling pig iron and other metals in bulky form is a Cleveland invention.

Cleveland is an automobile town. Cleveland makes ten automobiles of national reputation, and leads the world in the production of automobile parts. The automobile business ranks third among the industries by which Cleveland lives, exceeded only in value of output by the iron and steel, and foundry and machine shop interests.

Cleveland was the scene of the first successful test of electric street lighting, in 1876. The use of petroleum coke, a product of Cleveland refineries as arc lamp electrodes, has led to the development of that supplemental industry, and today more than 80 per cent of the nation's electric carbons are produced here.

In Cleveland are located the headquarters, general offices, and great laboratories of the world's greatest makers of electric lights. Cleveland is, moreover, a leading producer of electric batteries, generators, fans, trucks, vacuum cleaners, and electrically-driven machinery of every kind. Population, 1920, 796,841.

Rev 2000-02-18