History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 122

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140

USA > New Jersey > Sussex County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 122
USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 122

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The Belvidere Delaware Railroad was completed to Lambertville in 1850, to Milford in February, 1853, and finished in 1854. It was leased to the United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company, Feb. 15, 1876, and assigned to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company March 7th of the same year. Its capital stock, paid in, is $994,050, its bonded debt is $3,44-4,500, and its float- ing debt (being special bonds) is $156,081.77. The cost of the road and equipments had been $4.246,638.92. The receipts from all sources for 1879 were $718, 152.31, and the expenditures for the same time $454,900,11. leaving as net earnings $263,252.20. Ashbel Welch is its president, and llugh B. Ely secretary and treasurer.

THE WARREN RAILROAD.

On Feb. 12, 1851, the Warren Railroad Company procured a charter for the construction of a railroad from New Hampton, on the Central Railroad of New Jersey, to a point since called Delaware Station, on the Delaware River. This rond was designed to con- nect with, if not to form part of, the line of the Del- aware, lackawanna and Western Railroad, then in progress from the Delaware River to Binghamton, N. Y., by the way of Scranton, Pn. The incorpora- tors of the Warren road were Robert S. Kennedy, Charles Scranton, Adam Wandling, William P. Clark, George W. Taylor, John O. Stearns, and George Titman. The capital stock of the company

was placed at $400,000, with the liberty to increase it, and the time for the completion of the road was lim- ited to six years from June 4th following the passago of the act. At the time the route was surveyed the Warren and the Morris and Essex were rival compa- nies, each contending for the eastern extension of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, but by the promptness and energy of Mr. John I. Blair the survey and plan of the Warren road got into the Sec- retary of State's office at Trenton and was recorded a few hours in advance of the papers of the Morris and Essex. Mr. Blair and the engineer of the Morris and Essex went to Trenton on the same train, but while the latter was attending to some matters of toilet, preparatory to making his debut before the secretary, Mr. Blair slipped in and transacted his business. Other anecdotes might be told illustrative of sharp and energetie action by the Warren directors or their head during this contest between the two corporations, but this must suffice.

The Warren Railroad was constructed under a tri- partite agreement whereby each of the companies,- the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Com- pany, and the Warren Railroad Company,-in their several corporate capacities, subscribed $150,000 of stock. The last-named company was to construct the road, with the understanding that the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Company would take it on a perpetual lease, paying the stockholders of the Warren Company seven per cent. as a rental. The Central Railroad Company also entered into an agree- ment to give the Delaware, Lackawanna and Westeru Company the right of running over their road from Elizabethport to the junction at New Hampton. This part of the contract was annulled when the Morris and Essex division was leased by the Delaware, Lack- awanna and Western Company.

Early in 1854 the road was put under contract to Victor E. Piollet, of Wysox, Bradford Co., Pa., Col. Charles Wells, of New York, and Marcus Blair, son of John I. Blair, of Blairstown, Warren Co., under the firm-name of Wells, PioHet & Co. These principal contractors sublet portions of the rond. Barton & Ayers, of Oxford, took contracts to grade the west end, west of the Oxford tunnel, and Anthony Robe- son built the stone viaduct over the Pequest at Butz- ville. The engineer was Andrew N. Rogers, assisted by Homer S. Goodwin, now assistant superintendent of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Mr. Rogers resigned while the work was in progress, and the engineering of the tunnel was intrusted to James Archibald, en- gineer of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. A tablet erected at the entrance of the tunnel bears his name. The contractors for the con- struction of the tunnel were Thomas Rutter and T. Haskins Dupuy, who began the work, and tien. Rob- ort Mc Allister and George W. Weistling, who finished it in the spring of 1862.

488

WARREN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

The road was opened in May, 1856, from New Hampton Junction to Binghamton, N. Y., a tempo- rary track having been constructed over the tunnel, which latter was not completed till six years later. From 1854 to 1857, during the construction of the road, the following were the officers of the company : President, John I. Blair; Vice-President, John Tay- lor Johnston ; Secretary, Jehiel G. Shipman ; Treas- urer, John W. Wyckoff; Directors, John I. Blair, James Blair, Col. Charles Scranton, Adam Wandling, James Hiles, William P. Clark, John Taylor John- ston, William E. Dodge, Jehiel G. Shipman.

The principal tunnel, at Oxford Furnace (Van Nest Gap), is 3500 feet in length, and wide enough for the double track since laid down by the Delaware, Lack- awanna and Western Railroad Company. At Vass Gap, near Manunka Chunk, there are two tunnels, one opened originally when the road was built, and a second one when the double track was laid, the rock being of such an unsubstantial character as to make it necessary to separate the tracks and pierce the mountain in another place.

The scenery on this road is very romantic from the Musconetcong Valley westward, especially at the Del- aware Water Gap, through which it passes on the Pennsylvania side, having crossed the river at Dela- ware Station, some seven miles below. The length of the road in Warren County is eighteen and three- fourths miles. It crosses the Musconetcong at Change- water over a trestle-bridge of immense height, but the company have in contemplation the springing of a fine stone arch over this crystal stream and the filling in of the valley on either side.

John I. Blair was first president of the Warren Railroad Company, and has held this position ever since. To his capacity and indefatigable energy the construction of the road is chiefly due, and this honor is cheerfully accorded by all his associates in the enterprise.

We append the following statistics of this road from the report for 1879: Cost of road and equip- ments, $3,150,000 (covered by capital stock, paid in, $1,800,000, and bonded indebtedness of $1,350,000) ; earnings for the year, $490,040.50; expenditures, $176,842.20 ; floating debt, $13,141.49.

MORRIS AND ESSEX RAILROAD.

There are few railroads in the State which have gone through greater vicissitudes or been more useful in increasing the material prosperity of the sections through which they pass than this road, which was originally projected to connect Morristown with New York and to supply the agricultural population of Morris and Essex, and the mining sections of Morris, Sussex, and Warren, with railroad facilities for reach- ing market. It was for a long time a doubtful experi- ment. The population was sparse and scattered, the grades heavy, and the company poor. An old con- ductor tells of the time when his obligations for sup-

plies were preferred to the company's. It is compara- tively but few years since the Morris and Essex severed its connection with the New Jersey Railroad. Before that event trains changed engines at Newark, and were taken in charge by a conductor of the latter road, who collected the fares from that city to New York ; and for many years the cars were drawn from Newark to the top of the hill by horse-power, making the trip from Morristown to New York an eventful one in changes and delays. No wonder its stock was hardly worth quotation in the financial market. But the company persevered, and a few years saw an increas- ing local trade which saved the road from ruin.

The extension of the road to Easton opened another grand avenue to the West, and ambitious men toyed with the new comer, ready to buy or lease, for the privilege of reaching through its line the metropolis of the Western world. The Atlantic and Great West- ern was the first in the field, but the union of the two roads failed of consummation. Then the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western made overtures, and the union was effected. Wonderful changes have taken place since then, during the past ten years, which we will not here detail, they being well known to most of our readers of this generation.

The Morris and Essex Railroad extends from Ho- boken to Phillipsburg, 833 miles, with a branch (Boonton) from Tunnel to Danville, 343 miles. It has about 27 miles in Warren County, enters it a little east of Hackettstown. and follows the beautiful Po- hatcong valley in nearly a southwest direction to Phillipsburg. The road is leased to and operated by the Del ware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company, of which it is the Morris and Essex division.

Cost of road and equipments, $34,435,277.98; divi- dends and interest paid during 1879, $2,460,057.66 ; capital stock, $15,000,000; bonded debt, $20,123,000; receipts (1879), $3,515,099.10; expenditures, $1,955,- 743.26. President, Samuel Sloan, 1880.

BLAIRSTOWN RAILWAY.

The Blairstown Railway is constructed on the south side of the Paulinskill from Delaware Station, on the Delaware River, to Blairstown,-a distance of eleven and one-third miles,-and is wholly in Warren County. This road was opened July 4, 1876, and is intended to be extended eastward through the Kitta- tinny valley to the Hudson River. It is owned and operated by John I. Blair, president of the company.

Capital stock, $117,110; cost of road and equip- ment, $169,110; income (1879), $5205.42; expenses, $4045.67.

LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD.

The Lehigh Valley Railroad (Easton and Amboy division) passes across the southern end of the county from Phillipsburg and Easton. It bends to the north- east in crossing the county, and a few miles beyond its limits, at Bethlehem, Hunterdon Co., passes

489

INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.

through the great tunnel of the Musconetcong Moun- tain on its way to the valley of the Raritan, which it follows to Perth Amboy. This road is popularly known as the " Packer Road," Mr. Asa Packer having been from the first largely interested in it. It is leased to the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and is now operated by that corporation.

Capital stock, paid in, 85,000,000; bonded debt, $5,000,000; floating debt, $387,413.78; cost of road und appurtenances, $9,412,651.63. The receipts and expenditures of this branch are not kept separately by the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and the exact figures cannot be given, but the following is an estimate for 1879: Income from passengers, $22,460.99; from freight, $290,140,88; from coal, $665,902.34; total, $978,504.21. Charles Hartshorne is secretary and treasurer.

CONTEMPLATED RAILROADS.

Besides the above-mentioned railroads, which are in actual operation, a number are proposed to be built through portions of Warren County. Among these we briefly mention the following :

The Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad is now in process of construction. It is designed to fill up the gap between the Sussex Railroad and the Delaware, and also between the Sussex road, in McAfee Valley, and the Warwick road, making a continuous line from the Hudson River to the Lehigh Valley. The route is located from Belvidere up the Pequest Val- ley. The company was organized as "The Pequest and Wallkill Railroad Company," Aug. 9, 1869, the officers being Charles Scranton, President ; John W. Wyckoff, Secretary and Treasurer; Charles Seranton, Selden T. Seranton, John Rutherford, William M. Iliff, James Titman, John W. Wyckoff, Grinell Burt, and others, Directors. The company was reorganized as "The Lehigh and Hudson River Railroad Com- pany" in 1881, with firinell Burt, of Warwick, N. Y., as president. Mr. Burt is pushing the road forward with a design to its completion during the present year. Ties are being delivered along the line, and the work of construction is going on at Bridgeville and Danville, in this county.

The Boston and South Mountain Railroad has been surveyed through this county and Sussex, from the Delaware River, by the way of the Paulinskill val- ley, to connect with the Warwick Valley or some road in New York State, and thus supply a link in the contemplated through-route from Boston to the West on n shorter line than any of the trunk-roads now in operation. The great Kittatinny valley, through which it is proposed to constrnet this road, has long been looked upon by sagacious observers as the most feasible route from the East to the West, and among the first movements looking to the con- struction of railroads in New York and New Jersey a line was decided upon substantially corresponding with that of the present route. Charters were ob-

tained in 1831 for the purpose of constructing con- necting roads through the valleys of the Wallkill and l'anlinskill, connecting the Hudson and the Delaware Rivers, and the route was surveyed in 1836 .*

The Delaware Branch of the New Jersey Midland is another of the contemplated roads in the same gen- eral direction. The route has been surveyed from Belvidere up the Beaver Brook valley to Bear Creek valley, and so on through Sussex County.

III .- STEAMBOATING ON THE UPPER DELAWARE.

Measures were taken about 1850 to inangnrate steamboat navigation on the Upper Delaware. In that year the "Major William Barnet" was begun at Philadelphia, and was finished in the spring of 1851. She was a flat-bottomed boat, nearly one hundred feet in length. This boat got aground at Trenton with injury to her machinery, and was so long de- layed that she did not reach Phillipsburg and Easton till March 12, 1852. After this the boat ran quite regularly during a greater part of the season between Lambertville-then the terminus of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad-and Easton. But, the naviga- tion proving unprofitable, she was withdrawn from the upper river.

Another small stern-wheel boat, the "Reindeer," also attempted the enterprise, remaining on the river some little time after the withdrawal of the other boat ; but soon she too left the field, and steamboat navigation on the Upper Delaware was suspended,- once more to be attempted, a few years later, only to result in a fearful tragedy, and then to be forever abandoned.t

STEAMBOAT DISASTER.

In 1859 was again revived the old project of steam navigation on the Delaware above Belvidere. Sur- veys and examinations of the stream were made dur- ing the low water in August, with a view to ascertain and report on the feasibility of the project. The report was favorable, and it was decided to build a small steamboat, to be placed upon the Dela- ware to run between Belvidere and Port Jervis,-a distance of about sixty miles. Three of the corpora- tors of the Kittatinny Improvement Company-viz., Messrs. William R. Sharp, Alfred Thomas, and Rich- ard Holcomb, of Belvidere (acting in their individual capacity)-were the projectors and proprietors of the boat enterprise. They employed Thomas Bishop, of Easton, to build the hull, the dimensions of which were: Length (including wheel), eighty-seven feet ; width, fifteen feet six inches; width over guards, nineteen feet; capacity, abont seventy tons.

The building of the machinery was intrusted to Mr.

* Sco history of railroads in Sussex County, antocedent.

+ The stenmer "Mountain Bello" was sold In 1872 by A. and J. S. lough, of Branchville, to partles at the Delawaro Water Gap, who Inunched It in the Delaware in July at Dingman's Ferry, from whenco It steamed to the Cap. It created quite a sensation among the boarder at Dingman's.

490

WARREN COUNTY, NEW JERSEY.

Wills, of South Easton. Work was commenced at once, and after one or two trials and alterations of machinery, the boat was, on March 5, 1860, declared ready to try the perils of the river. On the morning of Tuesday, March 6th, the " Alfred Thomas" (for so had the boat been named, for one of its owners), after receiving on board a party consisting of gentlemen belonging to Easton and Belvidere,-in all nearly one hundred persons,-steamed away from the boat-yard on the Lehigh and down that stream, passing into the Delaware through the ont-lock at Williamsport. Heading up the river, about noon she reached the Northampton Street bridge, and there she stopped to allow such of her passengers as wished to do so to go on shore. Many of them debarked at this point, but there were between thirty and forty who remained to make the trip to Belvidere.

Those on board were :

From Belvidere .- Alfred Thomas, Richard Holcomb, Judge William R. Sharp, William Sharp, Jr., William Carhart and son, J. Depue Lahar, John Smith, Solomon MeIntire, Frederick Weichler, Peter Fisher, Isaac L. Fisher, Andrew Mellick, and Dr. Redford Sharp.

From Easton .- Valentine Schooley, John Dehart, Benjamin M. Youelle, George Diehl, Joseph Weaver, George Smith, Charles E. Buck, George B. Able, Eugene Troxell, Stewart Beatty, Peter Bercaw, Arthur Kessler, David Troxell, Edward MeIntire, Richard Williams, Robert Burrell, John Clifton, Charles Arnold, Samuel Yates, Henry Metler, Sammel Schaeff (engineer), George Schaeff (fireman), William Diehl ; and Joseph Losey from Washington, N. J.

The engineer's bell sounded, and the boat stood up the river, but, as it became evident that she could not procced far without greater head of steam, she was brought to shore at the island just above town, and there moored till the necessary power should have accumulated. After lying there for a time and having generated sufficient steam to carry her over the ripple, the word was given to cast off. Just at this moment the upper works of the boat were lifted into the air, torn and scattered into fragments. Simultaneously came a loud report, which was heard through all the lower portion of the town and for a long distance on either side of the river. The boiler had exploded. Of the passengers who a moment before had been seen stand- ing on the deck, with no thought of peril, some were killed instantly, some terribly wounded, some drowned, and nearly all were violently thrown into the river.

The shattered wreck swung off from the shore and floated helplessly (but with the Stars and Stripes still flying) down the stream, and lodged against one of the piers of the railroad bridge.

Boats at once put off from the shore to rescue the sufferers. The dead, such as could be found, were taken upon the island, and everything possible was done to alleviate the dreadful sufferings of the maimed ones. A gentleman of the press who was soon at the scene of the disaster said,-

" With the rapidity of lightning the newe of the disaster spread over Easton, Phillipsburg, and South Eastou, and crowds hastened to the river-bank. All tho bateaux that could be found were seized upon to carry persone over to the island, where the wounded and some of the dead lay. Such a sight as the writer there witnessed he had never bo- fore looked upon, and hopes never to hehold again. Some of the unfor-

tunate passengers were blown into the river, others were thrown upon the island, and others again, who had been but slightly injured, jumped from the stern of the boat into the water and swam to shore. Nearly all the physicians of the borough were on the island shortly after the explosion, rendering all the assistance to the sufferers that lay in their power."

The following are the names of the sufferers :

Killed,-Judge William R. Sharp and Richard Holcomb, of Belvidere; George Schaeff (fireman), Samuel Schaeff (engineer), George Smith, and Joseph Weaver, of Easton.

Mortally Wounded .- Valentine Schooley, Samuel Yates, Heury Metler, and Arthur Kessler, of Easton.

Missing .- William Sharp, Jr., Belvidere ; Stewart Beatty, Easton.

Wounded .- Benjamin M. Yonells (leg broken in two places) and Peter Bercaw (leg broken), of Easton; Andrew Mellick (arm broken), Belvi- dere; Edward McIntire, Eugene Troxell, and William Diehl, of Easton ; Jolin Smith, Solomon McIntire, and Frederick Weichler, of Belvidere; Jos. Losey, Washington, N. J .; Richard Williame and Robert Burrell, of Easton.

Peter Fisher, of Belvidere, being anxious to reach that place, and doubting whether the boat would get up, resolved to go ashore on the Jersey side and take the train home. He had but just left the "Alfred Thomas" when the explosion occurred.

CHAPTER. VI.

BENCH AND BAR OF WARREN COUNTY.

I .- EARLY LAWYERS AND JUDGES.

THERE were several lawyers and judges residing, before the county was divided, in that portion of Sus- sex which is now Warren. It is proper that mention should be made of them in this chapter. The lawyers of that period-from 1794 to 1824-have been placed in the list of attorneys and counselors, which we give below, accompanied by the names of those of the Warren bar since the organization of the county.

Those regularly admitted to the bar previous to 1824 were all good lawyers, and were not only of great service in the organization of the new county, but their education and experience fitted them to take an active part in its civil and political affairs. One of them, Matthias O. Halsted, was clerk of the courts of the county from its organization to Feb. 23, 1831, a period of about seven years, in which he rendered the county faithful service. Many of the early records, written by him in a plain and legible hand, have fur- nished valuable material for some of the chapters of this work. John M. Sherrerd, admitted to the bar in 1816, was appointed the first surrogate of the county, Jan. 3, 1825, and discharged the duties of the office till February, 1830; farther on in this chapter will be found a sketch of his life. William C. Ilarris, admitted in 1818, was the first prosecuting attorney for the county, which office he held for a quarter of a century,-from 1825 to 1850,-a fact which speaks well for his ability and integrity.

Of several of the first-mentioned lawyers in our list we have been able to obtain little or no information.

491

BENCH AND BAR OF WARREN COUNTY.

The Croxalls-Morris and Daniel C .- were brothers, and were practitioners in the first courts, as appears by the records. Phineas B. Kennedy was among the influential members of the bar from 1825 for many years, and served the county in various capacities; was ten years county clerk,-from 1831 to 1841,-and prosecutor of the pleas from 1850 to 1855.

This bar has furnished three members of Congress, -viz., Hon. John P. B. Maxwell, 1837-39 and 1841- 43; Hon. Charles Sitgreaves, two terms, 1865-69; and Hon. Henry S. Harris, 1881-83. llon. Isaac Wil- drick, who was in Congress from this county, 1849-53, was not a member of the bar.

The names of the judges connected with the bar and the courts of the county will be found in the civil list and in the personal biographies included in this chapter.

IT .- MEMBERS OF WARREN COUNTY BAR.

The lawyers who resided and practiced in Warren before the organization of the county were the fol- lowing :

DATES OF ADMISSION.

NAMEA.

As Atturney.

As Counselor.

Henry Hankinson* November, 1791.

Jacub S. Thompson* November, 1796.

May, 180-1.

l'otitegy's Paul* Felnoury, 1808.

Matthlus O. Halstod* November, 1814.

Julin M. Sherrerde November, 1816. February, 1831.

William C. Morris* November, 1x18.

Morris Croxalle September, 1821. November, 182.4.

Dunkel C. Croxal!® November, 1821. Edward 11. Swayzet. February, 1821.

The following is a list of admissions since the county was organized, in 1824 :

DATES OF AUMISSION.

NAMES. As Attorney.

Thinens R. Kennedy* May, 1825.

John P. B. Maxwell May, 1827.

Heury J. Maxwell ..... .. September, 1834.

William F. Clenwsont September, 1835.

Bennington F. Randolphit . February, 1839.

September, 1840.

Isuse II. Nortout .May, 1813.

Augustus G. Richeyt ..

September, 184-1.

Jebiel G. Shipman. Charles Sitgreaves" ,Ortoher, 18-17.

James M. Robeson. Julillary, 18-18.

Julin F. Dumont January, 1819.

David A. Depnet.

July, 1810.

Joseph Vliet*

Jannary, 1850.

Falw In Sitgreoves"

.February, 1852.

De Witt Clinton Ulair June, 1859.

November, 1859.

February, 1860.

Abraham Duplo®

November, 1861.

Peter R. Wlators

.November, 1863.

Daniel B. Harvey

Noveinher, 1863.

William S. Holtt Durur Jeffrey ...

November, 1861.

Willam M. Muckey

November, 18H.

WIllant M. Davis ..

November, 1864.

William II. Morrow November, 1865. J. l'urcell Toadvine* - 18GG.

Charles F. Fltch February, 1867.

J. Flavel Motivet .. June, 1868.

Roderick Bylngtout November, 1868.

l'ulob 11. Valentine. February, 1869. John A. Malrt „Inne, 1860.

June, 1872.

June, 1876.

June, 1870.

November, 1880.

Juhn I. Kline® June, 1×73. Silas W. Dewitt. .November, 1×73. Samuel Shorreril. February, 1873. Irylug longhund , 1871. F. J. Smith .. we, 1871.

John M. Van Dyke. November, 1875. Jacob C. Allen. .June. 1575.

Joseph S. Smith* .June, 1873.

· Deceased.

t Removed from the county.

DATES OF ADMISSION.

NAMES.

Aa Attorney.

As Counselor.

Robert S . Prico.

.November, 1875.

Jacob W. Davis

November, 1877.

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 122

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1140

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140