Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 15.djvu/791

PHILADELPHIA. of the 100 in the city are the Mercantile (1821), general circulation and reference; Carpenters' Company (1736), architecture and building; Friends' (1742); American Philosophical Society (1743); Academy of Natural Sciences; Franklin Institute, scientific; Hurst, law; College of Physicians; University of Pennsylvania, Apprentices', Pennsylvania, Presbyterian, and Baptist Historical societies; Drexel Institute; and the H. Josephine Widener Branch of the Free Library, with a valuable collection of reference works.

The municipal charities are the hospitals for the Indigent and for the Insane, General Hospital, and the Municipal Hospital (contagious diseases). The Pennsylvania Hospital, founded in 1751, through the efforts of Franklin, and maintained entirely by private subscription, is the oldest institution of the kind in America. The religious denominations maintain institutions, among them being Saint Agnes', Saint Mary's, and Saint Joseph's hospitals (Roman Catholic); Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian, Jewish, Saint Luke's (Baptist), and German (Lutheran) hospitals. Large hospitals are connected with the University, and Jefferson, Medico-Chirurgical, Polyclinic, Hahnemann, and Woman's Medical colleges. Other important charities are the Rush and Phipps hospitals for consumptives, the Gynecean, Orthopædic, Wills Eye, and Maternity hospitals. There are more than 100 dispensaries, homes, asylums, orphanages, etc. The College Settlement, Society for Organizing Charity, Working Women's Guilds, Flower, Fruit, and Ice Mission, various children's aid, protection, and country week associations do good work. The city maintains numerous public baths, which were patronized in 1902 by 4,453,000 persons.

Girard College, founded by Stephen Girard, who at his death in 1830 gave $2,000,000 for construction and the greater portion of his $5,000,000 estate for endowment, supports and educates annually over 1600 orphans. The residuary fund now amounts to $16,500,000. The Citizens' Permanent Relief Committee has relieved thousands of distressed in all parts of the world, over $5,000,000 having been distributed since 1879. The Mayor is president. The penal institutions are the Eastern State Penitentiary, the House of Refuge (boys and girls), the House of Correction (adults), and Moyamensing and Holmesburg County prisons.

The drama in America began in Philadelphia, a company being organized in 1749. The first permanent playhouse in the city was built in 1766; a portion of its walls still stands. The Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest in the country. At Locust and Eighth streets stands the Musical Fund Hall where Malibran, Jenny Lind, and Ole Bull appeared. Other important playhouses are Keith's New Theatre, the Garrick, the South Broad the Chestnut Street, the Grand and Chestnut Street opera houses, and the Auditorium. The Academy of Music, with a capacity of 2900, is used for large public gatherings.

Leading clubs are the Union League, with a handsome brownstone building, Philadelphia, Manufacturers,' Mercantile, Rittenhouse, Markham, Columbia, University, Penn, the Art, installed in a beautiful Renaissance structure of Pompeian brick and Indiana limestone, Sketch,

Lawyers' Clover, Five o'Clock, Maennerchor, Franklin, Country, Pen and Pencil, Philadelphia Yacht, and the New Century and Acorn (women's).

The industrial development of Philadelphia has been greatly aided by the favorable location of the city for commerce, and especially by its proximity to raw materials. The city has the advantage of superior railroad facilities. The great Pennsylvania Railroad system, with 10,484 miles of owned and leased lines, and the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, with $140,000,000 capital and 1457 miles of track, terminate and have home offices near the City Hall. The Pennsylvania lines give Philadelphia more direct communication with the productive Middle West than is enjoyed by any other Atlantic port. The general offices of the Lehigh Valley Railroad are in the city. The Baltimore and Ohio enters where Chestnut Street crosses the Schuylkill. The tracks of the Pennsylvania are nearly all elevated or below grade, the Baltimore and Ohio below, and the Reading partly above, partly below, but mainly at grade. The Delaware River admits of the entrance of ocean vessels, and is navigable the entire length of the city's frontage, 18 miles. Work is now in progress to deepen the river to 30 feet. The Schuylkill River is navigable eight miles for vessels of light draught and is being dredged to a depth of 22 feet. The general export and import interests, including the Port Richmond coal wharves, are located mainly on the Delaware. Eleven transatlantic lines enter the port.

Early in the nineteenth century Philadelphia was first among United States ports in foreign commerce, but its relative importance declined, until in 1901 it ranked fourth. The imports for that year were valued at $48,043,443, and the exports at $79,354,025. In 1901, 158 sailing vessels, with an aggregate of 115,779 tons, and 950 steam vessels, of 1,807,623 tons, entered the port. The pipe lines of the Standard Oil Company from the wells in the northwest section of the State terminate at Point Breeze, on the Schuylkill, and oil is one of the largest and most valuable shipments of the port. In 1901 the exports of illuminating mineral oil amounted to 207,111,311 gallons, valued at $12,323,961. The exports of corn for the same year amounted to $12,633,467, one-seventh of the total for the country. Wheat and flour are also exported extensively. In 1901, 37,833 head of cattle were shipped, and there were also considerable exports of meat and meat products. Coal and copper are other important exports. The largest import is sugar, amounting in 1901 to a value of over $15,500,000. Imports of unmanufactured silk were valued at over $8,000,000. Among other leading imports are goat skins, fabrics, bananas, etc. Philadelphia is a great manufacturing centre, ranking third in the United States in value of products. Of 15 selected industries in the census year 1900, it was first in one (leather), second in two (cigars and cigarettes, and women's factory clothing), and third in six. The value of the total output was $732,137,957. This was nearly double the corresponding figure for 1880, but the greater part of the increase was made in the decade 1880-90. The manufacture of foundry and machine shop products is most important, amounting in 1900 to $38,372,971. In this industry