Page:Early western travels, 1748-1846 (1907 Volume 4).djvu/261

 gradually approach the river until immediately opposite the town, where rising abruptly from the water's edge to the height of about five hundred feet perpendicular, they take the name of the Coal hill, from that fuel being formerly dug out of it for the use of the town, before pits were opened more convenient on this side of the river. It still supplies the coal for general O'Hara's glass-works, which, with the houses of the overseer and workmen, forms a village at the foot of the hill on the river bank, immediately opposite the point where the spectator stands, who has now gone round rather more than half a circle since his first view up the Allegheny. Window glass of a good quality and quart bottles, are made at this manufactury, which with a rival one at New Geneva, about sixty miles up the Monongahela, supplies all the western country.

The face of the Coal hill is very steep, and on the summit, major Kirkpatrick[164] has a farm house and barn, which seem to hang immediately over Pittsburgh, to a traveller approaching from the north {230} eastern avenues. The bird's eye view from thence of the town and rivers is very striking. Every street, lane, alley, house and object, however minute (if visible to the eye) being delineated under the spectator, as a plan on paper, the inequalities of surface not being discernible, and even Grant's hill being flattened to a plain on the optick sense.

Continuing to turn to the right from our original centre, the point, we see the Ohio for about two miles, with Elliot's mills on Saw mill run below Coal hill on the left, an amphitheatre of lower hills about Chartier creek and M'Kee's farm to Brunot's island in front, and Robinson's point