USA > New Jersey > Essex County > Orange > History of the Oranges, in Essex County, N.J., from 1666 to 1806 > Part 5
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24
55
Early Local Industries.
Schuyler's son, John, who inherited the property, worked it very profitably, sending the ore to England to be wrought. In 1753, the first steam engine intro- duced into the colonies, was set up in the mine at a cost of £3,000 sterling. It was capable of throwing about eighty hogsheads of water per minute. It was de- stroyed by fire some years afterwards. There were sent to the Bristol Copper and Brass Works, England, at least thirteen hundred and eighty-six tons and prob- ably much more. This was one of the earliest mining enterprises in the American provinces. The ore was prepared for shipment by crushing the rock in which it was found, by means of a stamping mill. It was then washed from the rock and placed in barrels for ship- ment to the mother country ; for, be it noted, that the careful old mother would not trust her daughters to work out the pure material on their own account and for their own profit.
This mine has been worked with varying degrees of success till within about twenty years. A shaft was sunk not many years since by a Philadelphia com- pany, to the depth of 275 feet, and an abundance of valuable ore obtained, but the expense of working it proved too great, and caused its abandonment.
Those who drive across the Hackensack meadows towards Newark, have probably noticed, a little north of the cut of the Midland Railroad, a bank resembling the white dune sands on the seashore. This is the dé- bris from the washings of the copper mine. It marks its locality to the traveller, as also the immense amount of material which has been unearthed during a period of more than a hundred years.
Our fathers of this "Old Newark" region, during the first fifty years of its history, had no higher ambi- tion than to reap the reward of their labor in the sup-
,
56
History of the Oranges.
port of their families, and in adding a little to their means by their diligent culture of the virgin soil of their lands. But now, new sources of profit filled their thoughts. A valuable ore had been found in their immediate neighborhood, and
A MINING EPIDEMIC,
spread throughout the Newark settlement and through the Province, as well. Geological knowledge was very crude. Indeed, Geology had not as yet been raised to the rank of a science. The grouping of rocks, their distribution and relations, and the natural_position of minerals, was not yet known or even discussed. No "School of Mines" existed, even in the old country, nor was known till a hundred years afterwards. The miners of England wasted capital as they "blundered their way into practical skill." No wonder that our fathers cherished the delusive hope, that if their lands furnished copper, metals still more precious might be brought to light by diligent search.
The old town records show that such search was made. In 1721, (two years after Schuyler's discovery,) "it was agreed by vote, that the trustees, or the major part of them, should have power, with Capt. Samuel Harrison and Lieut. Samuel Dod, to let out the Com- mon Land, or any part thereof, to dig for mines, to such persons and on such terms as they shall agree upon." In 1731, the same agreement was again adop- ted, and in 1735, "the town being assembled together, there was a vote put, whether the inhabitants were willing that the Common Land should be leased out to any person, for to search and dig for mines, which was carried in the affirmative, and not one person oppos- ing it."
There is abundant evidence that the privilege to dig
57
A Mining Epidemic.
for ore was used in Orange and Bloomfield. One mine was opened and successfully worked, of which here- after. Upon the Ropes property, when being graded, three places were found by the contractor, where deep excavations had been made in early times, filled up by successive layers of leaves and earth. One of them, at the foot of Mount Vernon Avenue, was a finished shaft, sustained by heavy timber in good preservation. This shaft was discovered many years since by the former owner of the property, Judge Williams, while digging for purposes of improvement, and was recog- nized by him as a mine-digging relic. The recent grading rendered it necessary to remove a considerable portion of the timber of the shaft. The bottom was not reached. The remainder is there still, being cut off to grade. There is no evidence in the vicinity of these diggings that there was any reward or even en- couragement for the labor bestowed.
In Bloomfield, a little south of Ridgewood Avenue, and crossing the highway to Montclair, was a locality where considerable mining was done. A hammer and a handpick were unearthed two years since at this place, when the avenue was being widened and graded. A drill was also noticed in the rock, which, upon meas- urement, proved to be fifteen feet in depth. There is no tradition that this mine ever yielded anything more than the "stoneheaps" which distinguished that part of the town for more than a century. They lay there till about twenty-five years since, when the last of them were removed, being utilized for farm and building purposes. When the ground where they lay was cleared, the stumps of the primitive forest trees were brought to view. This mine was opened at a very early date. Thomas Cadmus, who was born in 1736, near the mine, and afterwards inherited the property,
58
History of the Oranges.
always declared that it was worked before his remem- brance. He only remembered the stoneheaps. Allow- ing ten years for the dim recollection of childhood, it seems certain that they lay there in 1746.
About twenty years since a Cornwall miner, who had worked in the Schuyler mine, made an effort to lease the Bloomfield property for mining purposes ; but the owner (the widow of Thomas Cadmus, ) did not "want to see any more stoneheaps," and persistently refused to consider his offers. The only successful en - terprise was the
COPPER MINE IN ORANGE,
which was discovered on the lands of John Dod, who owned about 500 acres, extending from a line a little west of the Bethel Presbyterian Church north and north - east towards Bloomfield, including the site of the present saw-mill between Dodd street and Bloomfield Town- ship. This mine was opened near the bank of the Second River. Its entrance is now partly covered by the foundation of the church. The terms on which it was . worked appear from the articles of agree-
John god ment, an ancient copy of which, duly attested, is in the possession of Calvin Dodd, Esq., now in his 85th year, a great- grandson of John Dod. They are dated February 24th, 1720, and were made between John Dod, of Newark and Gideon Van Winkle and Johannes Cow- man, of the same place. The first party grants free liberty for the term of twenty-five years, "to search for and dig in any of the lands or any part of the lands belonging" to John Dod, "within the limits of his patent, or other patent, by which he holds his land in the bounds of Newark, not undermining any building or buildings, to seek for any mines, minerals,
59
Copper Mine in Orange.
copper or any other metals or ore whatsoever." Each party agreed to meet one-half of the expenses and re- ceive one-half of the profits. A stamping mill was erected on the stream where the saw-mill now stands, and the whole venture was put in successful operation. Tradition says that it yielded a profitable return by shipment of the ore to England. Documents in pos- session of Mr. Calvin Dodd show that it was worked through the twenty-five years' lease. In 1745 the lease was in possession of Frind Lucas, an Englishman, CalvinDade who, it was said, came to this country to purchase it. He operated it as late as 1755, and, probably, till 1760, or later. It was abandoned on account of the water, the floor of the mine becoming lower than the creek, thereby arresting drainage. In the Library of the His- torical Society at Newark, is an original release of John Dod for one-half of his interest in the agreement with Van Winkle and Cowman. It is made to Cor- nelius Clopper, and dated November 13, 1720. In this document, Dod describes the mines, minerals and ore, as upon "my land at Rattlesnake Plain."
The entrance to the mine was large enough for the passage of a horse and cart, and the excavation was carried from 700 to 800 feet N. E. from the entrance. Mr. Dodd, on the occasion of digging a well about twenty-five years since over the mine, went down and found a chamber, which he estimated at half an acre, covered with water and full of large rocks. About 1853, the people of that part of the town were alarmed at the sudden sinking of a considerable surface of the earth, and a Newark paper noticed it with the sensa- tional heading, "A part of Orange sunk." It was, doubtless, caused by the decay of the timber supports of the mine beneath. The rock is of the same nature
60
History of the Oranges.
as that of the Schuyler mine, as the writer examined it twenty years since, and before the entrance was filled up by earth. The débris at the site of the old stamping mill, a little of which is still noticeable, cor- responds in appearance with that of the bank at Belleville. The ore is in the sandstone formation, but of a lighter color than our quarries.
It is reasonable to infer that the discovery of the Orange mine was nearly contemporaneous with that of the Schuyler ore. The latter was discovered in 1719, and early in the next year, February, 1720, the articles of agreement were executed for working the mine at Orange.
Traces of copper are to be met with in the red sand- stone of our fields and quarries, but the writer has nowhere seen the rock peculiar to the mines noticed, in any other locality.
The original owners of the Dodd estate, in all their releases of whatever kind, reserved the right to all mines and minerals. We have seen a receipt dated January 28, 1796, "in full for all demands against the estate of John Dod, late of Newark, deceased, only excepting and reserving all mines and minerals." The working this Orange mine gave an impulse to traffic and increased the population, especially in the neigh- borhood of the mine.
It may be stated that in the years 1748, '9 and '50, lumps of virgin copper were found near New Bruns- wick. Elias Boudinot leased the land for 99 years, with a view to mining. A company was organized and many tons of ore were obtained and exported to Eng- land, but the accumulation of water caused its aban- donment.
Copper ore is also found to a limited extent in many places in New Jersey, and many attempts at working
61
Copper Mine in Orange.
them have been made. With few exceptions "they have been enterprises of a speculative character, com- panies being organized and large amounts of stock sold and but little mining done." (Prof. Cook's Geology of New Jersey, p. 675.)
The grant of Charles II. to the Duke of York, 1674, includes mines, minerals and quarries. The opening and successful operation of the Schuyler mine, in the ore of which some traces of silver may have been found, excited the expectation in the inhabitants of the Province that its virgin soil was rich in precious ores, and a desire to know their rights to them. On May 24, 1722, a memorial was sent to the Lords of Trade relative to leasing the mines in America, repre- senting that there are found in New Jersey several rich mines, consisting of silver and gold, unmixed or mixed, with other metals, and asking whether, by royal instructions to his Majesty's Governors in America, licenses might be granted for digging and working the mines. 1
On February 12, 1722-3, Gov. Burnet communicated to Lord Carteret that silver and gold are to be found in New Jersey, saying : "There must be great allow- ances made for the humour that now prevails to run a mine hunting ;" and, not pretending to give an opinion as to the truth of the reports, asks for information as to the right and title remaining to his Majesty in such mines, and how far the present proprietors have a right in them, according to the grants on record in Great Britain, or if the royal mines are invested in the Crown. 2
In 1723, November 30, the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General gave, as their opinion, that the char-
I. See New Jersey Archives, V. p. 37.
2. Ibid. p. 64.
62
History of the Oranges.
ter granted only the base metals, and that the royal mines did not pass to the grantees of New Jersey. 1
A branch of the royal revenue, the right to mines, has its original from the King's prerogative of coinage, in order to supply him with material, and, therefore, those mines which are property royal, and to which the King is entitled when found, are only those of silver and gold. (Blackstone, Book I., Chap. XIII.)
The restrictive policy of England towards the Amer- ican colonies is illustrated in her action concerning the manufacture of iron. Representation of the General Assembly of the Province of New Jersey was made in 1741 to his Majesty, "relative to encouragement for the manufacture of iron," in which the province abounded. ? No notice was taken of the application till 1750, when an act of Parliament was passed, the title of which is sufficient to show its jealousy of the American colonies, and its shortsightedness in dealing with them-"An act to incourage the Importation of Pig and Bar Iron from His Majesty's Colonies in America, and to prevent the Erection of any Mill or other Engine for Slitting or rolling Iron, or any plating Forge to work with a Tilt hammer or any furnace for making Steel in Any of the said colonies." 3
THE MANUFACTURE OF HATS.
In the early years of the settlements of the colonies, special efforts were made to encourage the emigration of all classes of tradesmen and artisans. These efforts were not without success. During the period of which we now write they had become sufficiently numerous, not only to meet the wants of the people, but to man-
1. See New Jersey Archives, p. 74.
2. Ibid. VI. p. 140.
3. Ibid. VII. p. 554.
The Manufacture of Hats. 63
ufacture and ship to England the products of their skill. Early in the last century hats became an in- portant article of trade. The makers offered large in- ducements to skilled workmen to emigrate, and set up their manufacture, and by taking apprentices to in- crease production.1 The felt makers of London be- came alarmed, and, in 1731, presented a memorial to the Lords Commissioners of Trade and Plantations, rep- resenting that the inhabitants of the plantations had set up the manufacture of beaver hats, which they could make and send over to England, and undersell the home manufacturers. The memorial represented, also, that the production of "great quantities of woolen manufactures made in most of the northern Planta- tions," would in time, if not prevented, "grow ex- tremely prejudicial to the manufacturers of Gr Brit- ain." 2 Great Britain was very careful to promote its woolen manufactures. In the 18th of Charles II., an act was passed by Parliament "for burying in woolen only." It was provided that no corpse should be buried but in woolen only ; penalty £5. The act was intended to lessen the importation of linen from "be- yond the sea," which was the customary fabric for swathing the dead by those who were able to pur- chase. 3 That "the consumption of Linnen of all sorts is amazingly great," thus lessening the revenue and allowing the inhabitants of the plantations to have "the goods much cheaper than the inhabitants of the kingdom, who even bear the burthen and charge of protecting the plantations." 4
Gov. Cosby, in 1732, wrote to the Lords of Trade
4. I. New Jersey Archives, V. 307.
2. Ibid. V. 309.
3. Sepulture : Its History and Methods, by the author of this work, p. 140.
4. New Jersey Archives, V. 309.
64
History of the Oranges.
from New York : "The hatt making trade here seemed to make the greatest advances to the prejudices of Great Britain."1 W. A. Whitehead, the editor of the Archives, in a note, remarks that about this time a hat manufactory was established in New Jersey. Its lo- cality is not noted.
That there were at the Mountain those who were engaged in the trade may be inferred from a charge made by Rev. Caleb Smith to Mr. Woodhull, 1758, for a sum paid to Nehemiah Baldwin for " dressing an old hat of mine," for Billey, who was a pupil in the gram- mar school. We have no evidence that the manufac- ture of hats, to any extent, began in Newark town- ship before the last decade of the century. 2
DISTILLERIES.
We cannot fix the date of the working of the first distillery in the Newark township. The abundance of the apple crop, and the universal use of cider, doubt- less, became very early a temptation to convert it into a beverage more concentrated. The distillation of West India molasses into New England rum was be- gun in 1731 or '32. Hildreth, in his History of the United States, says that the agents of the Colony of Massachusetts, in 1751, undertook to show to the
I. New Jersey Archives, 306.
2. The style of hat worn before 1700 was that of the days of Cromwell and Charles II., high and conical with a narrow, straight brim, and often embellished with a feather. Towards the beginning of 1700 the crowns of hats were mostly round, much lower than before, with very large brims. The brim became such an incumbrance that for convenience they were soon turned up in front. Fashion dictated the unbending of another side or flap and at last a third, so that in 1704 the regular three cocked hat, without feather, became the fashion of the time. (Fairholt on English Costume.) Cowper commissioned his town friend to send him among other things a hat, "not a round slouch," but a smart well cocked fashionable affair. This request expresses the laudable ambition of a well-dressed man at nearly the close of the 18th century.
Products-Currency. 65
British government that New England rum was the mainstay of the trade of New England.
From the period of the French war, to 1776, the use of spirituous liquors had its greatest development in the colonies. When the war of the Revolution cut off foreign supplies, distilleries so multiplied that, accord- ing to the testimony of eye witnesses, it was difficult for travellers to get out of their smoke. In the early part of the present century, there were more than twelve distilleries in the Oranges.
PRODUCTS.
The resources of New Jersey in 1721 in its produc- tions were most abundant. It is spoken of by a writer to England in 1724, as the most prolific of any prov- ince in America. During the twenty years following this, in these mountain plantations, beef, pork, horses, cattle, swine, copper ore, timber and staves for ship- ment to the West Indies, were the standing articles of production and trade. In Samuel Harrison's account book we find, under the date of June 9, 1743, the fol- lowing memorandum of his agreement to supply army stores in evident anticipation of the war between Eng- land and France, which was declared a year later :
" With all the expedison emagnable agree for and purchas for the five hundred men, or in purporson for so maney as shall inlist not exseding five hundred, viz 191 Barels of pork one 110 Barels of Beef 6000 pound waight of Bisket 2000 galans of Rhum, four Hundred and Sixty bushel of Pees, four Hundred and Sixty two Bushel of inden Corn, 650 pounds of Baken, forty Hundred Waight of Rice, 3000 pound Waight of Cheese, 3000 pound Waiglit of tobacco."
CURRENCY.
The coin which the emigrants to New England brought with them soon found its way back to the
5
66
History of the Oranges.
mother country in exchange for goods imported. Their trade soon thereafter established with the West Indies brought to them coin, and this, too, was shipped to England. To stop this drain of specie, Massachusetts resorted to the experiment of coining shillings, six- pences and three-pences, alloyed one-quarter below the British standard. These pieces are now known as the "Pine tree Shillings," etc., from having a pine tree on one side and "New England" on the obverse. The same measure was adopted elsewhere, with the fal- lacions idea that the coin thus debased would not be exported. It thus happened that the pound currency of the colonies came to be one-fourth less valuable than the pound sterling of England. This standard was afterwards adopted by the British Parliament for all the American colonies.
In East Jersey, for some time after its settlement, the coins of Holland and England and their respective moneys of account were current. The differences of value of coin in the colonies, especially between New Jersey and her contiguous colonies, New York and Pennsylvania, caused much annoyance in trade, and in 1704 Queen Ann issued a proclamation to correct the "inconveniences caused by the different rates at which the same species of foreign coin pass in drawing money from one plantation to another, to the great prejudice of her Majesty's subjects." The only remedy being the reduction of all foreign coins to the same current rate within her dominions in America. The proclamation declared that no Sevill, pillar or Mexico pieces of eight, though of the full weight of seventeen penny weight and a half, and other enumerated coins at a value stated, should be accounted, received, taken or paid at above the rate of six shillings, seventy-two pennies, per piece current money for the discharge of
67
Currency.
any contracts or bargains to be made after the first of January next ensuing. The lesser pieces of the same coins to be accounted in the same proportion. 1
There is reason to believe that in 1700, or thereabout, the ordinary rate of the piece of eight weighing not less than seventeen penny weight, was in Boston six shillings, in New York eight, in New Jersey and Penn- sylvania seven and sixpence, and in Maryland four and sixpence. This was complained of by the English merchants, and the proclamation followed, which, a few years later, was confirmed by act of Parliament. 2 Bills of credit were afterwards issued by this stand- ard. 3
American traders were as much dissatisfied, espe- cially in the Middle States, with the proclamation as were the traders, in England with the old rates. Gov. Cornbury suspended its operation in New York, and the other colonies practically disregarded it. In 1708 the Legislature of New York passed a law fixing the value of silver coins at eight shillings per ounce troy. This was called York money, and, in making contracts in New Jersey, payment was provided for in York, or proclamation money.
From Samuel Harrison's Account Book.
ARTHUR PERRY, CR.
September 23, 1747. Received of your wife, 2 00. 07. 0 two bils of three shilings and sixpence,
One eight shiling pees of silver, 00. 08. 8
I. See Smith's History of New Jersey, p. 281.
2. Elmer's History of Cumberland County, N. J., p. 120.
3. When and how pieces of eight came to be called dollar does not ap- pear. The name was derived from Germany called there thaler, in Den- mark dalor, and translated in English dollar.
68
History of the Oranges.
Such was the scarcity of coin that there was an earnest call in the colonies for paper money. It was resisted by the British Board of Trade, to which all questions relating to currency were referred. Only on special emergencies would the Governor sanction its issue. 1 The first act passed in New Jersey was in 1709. It authorized the issue of bills to the amount of three thousand pounds for his Majesty's service, some of which remained in circulation six or eight years, but were sunk by being paid in taxes. In 1716 an act was passed for the currency of bills of credit to the amount of eleven thousand six hundred and seventy-five ounces of plate, or about four thousand pounds of proclama- tion money, which were soon paid in and redeemed. 2
After much controversy between the Assembly and the Governor (Burnet), the former refusing to provide for the support of the government, unless bills of credit were allowed, an agreement was reached in 1723 by which the Assembly "provided for ten years to come for supplying the government in order to obtain money which their necessities made inevitable." 3
This act authorized the issue of forty thousand pounds in bills of from three pounds down to one shil- ling. The preamble to the act recites the hardships of his Majesty's subjects within this colony, and says that, though they had enough of the bills of credit of the neighboring provinces yet to pay the small taxes for the support of government, they have been obliged to cut down and pay in their plate, including, it is be- lieved, silver coin, ear-rings and other jewels. Four thousand pounds of these bills were directed to be paid to the treasurers of East and West Jersey for the
J. Elmer's History of Cumberland County, p. 122.
2. Ibid. p, 123.
3. Ibid. p. 123.
SAMUEL HARRISON'S SAWMILL.
1
69
Currency.
redemption of old bills of credit and for other purposes. The rest were put in the hands of loan commissioners of the several counties, who lent the money on mort- gage of real estate at five per cent., for periods not ex- ceeding twelve years. The bills were made legal ten- der, and a stay of execution was provided for until the bills had been six weeks in the hands of the com- missioners. Subsequent laws provided for other issues, amounting in all, previous to the revolution, to about six hundred thousand pounds. The last act, which was passed in 1774, was not assented to by Governor Franklin until an interval of ten years had withdrawn most of the previous issues from circulation. "The bills under this act bore date March 26, 1776, and consti- tuted the principal part of the currency of the province at the commencement of the war." 1
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.