Colfax power station of the Duquesne Light Company Pittsburgh

THE PITTSBURGH district is the foremost steel-producing and manufacturing centre in this country. Steel plants with their furnaces and mills line the river banks for miles from the center of the city. Associated industries, attracted by an abundance of natural resources, adequate transportation facilities, ample labor supply, and proximity to markets for their products, have rapidly come into the adjacent territory. Growth during the war period, was extensive, and the district as a whole has been busy since hostilities ended. Today, the Pittsburgh district may be fairly called the workshop of the world. By 1912, central station facilities in the Pittsburgh district had become inadequate to meet the requirements of the rapidly growing industrial demand. The Allegheny County Light Company and other companies, owning and operating a number of small properties, were consolidated with the Duquesne Light Company. A steam-generating station previously built on Brunot´s Island in the Ohio River below the city was considerably enlarged and the foundation laid for a comprehensive distribution system.