USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania; also containing a separate account of the several boroughs and townships in the county, with biographical sketches > Part 11
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 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
About this time, many of he independent operators suffering, from the losses entailed by these conflicts, together with the discriminations and exactions to which they were subjected by the transportation inter- ests, were crushed, and, to save themselves from utter ruin were forced to turn their properties over to the control of a few great corporations, which thereby grew in strength and power.
On January 10, 1871, a general strike was ordered, continuing until August, and shutting down practically
150
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
every anthracite mine. It was necessary to put troops in the field to suppress rioting and terrorism, and in conflict with them several strikers were killed. The union was utterly defeated, while the men gladly went back to work on terms laid down by their employers.
Between the strike of 1871 and that of 1875, there was no general suspension of work, although local troubles were constantly coming up to be discussed, debated, and in some manner adjusted.
The conflict of 1875 is generally referred to as the "Long Strike," and with its adverse termination at the end of five months, what remained of the power of the Workingmen's Benevolent Association was com- pletely broken.
During the continuance of the great railroad strike of 1877, there was a long period of enforced idleness in the coal regions, owing to the lack of facilities for transportation. This resulted in much want and suf- fering among the miners and their families.
For the span of sixty years, from the beginning of the coal trade, in 1820, to 1880, the anthracite industry was dominated almost wholly by native Americans and by the older immigrant nationalities, the Irish, Eng- lish, Germans, Scotch and Welsh.
But toward the close of this era, if one with an eye to racial characteristics had stationed himself at some high point overlooking the lower or Schuylkill section, he would have seen trinkling into the valleys the begin- nings of a newer immigration stream, and one that in later years became so large as to be properly termed an inundation. These were the first arrivals of the Slavic and Italian nationalities.
Quietly and peaceably they came, and with ever in- creasing numbers, gradually spreading over the whole anthracite region, until, with the lapse of a few de-
151
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
cades, they had largely supplanted the English speak- ing miners.
Their presence soon wrought important and far- reaching effects in every phase of the life of the coal region. Coming at a time when the English-speaking miners were disorganized and to a large extent de- moralized as result of the reverses they had sustained in their efforts to wrest better terms of employment from the operators, the newcomers served to further depress the conditions of labor and to reduce the stand- ards of living.
Notwithstanding the apparent hopelessness of the situation that now confronted the miners, the cause of labor was not without its champions, chief among whom were those of Irish nationality.
Always the first to resent injustice or oppression, the Irish in the anthracite region, manifesting a total dis- regard of personal consequences, have from the begin- ning been in the forefront of every movement calcu- lated to advance their own interests and those of their fellow-workers.
It was in 1884 that the Miners' and Laborers' Amal- gamated Association was organized, and three years later its membership amounted to about thirty thou- sand.
During these years, too, the organizers of the Knights of Labor were actively at work in the anthra- cite region, and in 1887 the two associations became one in membership. A demand was then made for an increase in wages, which was refused by the operators, who also declined to submit the matter to arbitration.
This resulted in the declaration of a strike, on Sep- tember 10, 1887, and the closing down of all the mines of the Lehigh region.
152
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Temporary concessions were, however, made to the miners of the Schuylkill region. Upon the withdrawal of these concessions, on January 1, 1888, they, too, joined in the strike.
Meanwhile, the mines of the Wyoming field, which remained in operation, supplied the demand for coal. During the long, gloomy winter the men on strike fought heroically against want and the power of the operators; but their fight was fruitless.
With the coming of spring, after six months of idle- ness, they were compelled to acknowledge their de- feat and return to work. The adverse result of the conflict sounded the death-knell of the Knights of Labor in this portion of Pennsylvania.
After nine years of comparative peace, unbroken by any general strike, although punctuated with unnum- bered disputes and local difficulties, the strike of 1897 broke out. It began at the colleries of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, in Banks township, quickly spreading to other portions of the nearby re- gion. An increase in wages and various other conces- sions were demanded.
Among the principal strikers now were those classes of foreigners who in previous years had been im- ported to the region by the operators themselves for the express purpose of enabling them to control the labor situation.
Marching in large numbers from colliery to colliery, they coaxed or coerced as many workers as possible into joining their ranks.
In September, toward the end of the struggle, which was foredoomed to failure from its inception, owing to the lack of organization among the men, a band of marching miners was fired upon at Lattimer by the sheriff of Luzerne county and his deputies.
153
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
More than a score of foreigners were killed, while over forty were wounded. This unfortunate affair led to the calling out of the National Guard, and soon thereafter work was resumed at the mines.
Thus every effort which had been made during the course of a generation to permanently organize the anthracite mine workers and to ameliorate their lot had met with disaster.
Each defeat left them a little more hopeless, and the conditions under which they lived and labored grew steadily worse.
When, therefore, the region was first visited by the organizers of the United Mine Workers of America, it is little wonder that many miners grown old in the anthracite fields gloomily shook their heads, predicting that the efforts of the organizers would be of no avail.
But, in 1900, flushed with a great victory in the bitu- minous fields, and guided by its young and able leader, John Mitchell, this union, which then had a member- ship of but eight thousand in the anthracite region de- clared a general strike. This action, however, was not taken until the failure of every peaceable effort on the part of the men to gain some concessions from the operators.
While the union was not numerically strong, most of the miners were in sympathy with the movement which had been inaugurated, and nearly one hundred thou- sand workers responded to its call on the first day of the strike. Within two weeks, fully ninety per cent. of the mine workers in the entire region were idle.
Among those who preferred to remain at work were the majority of the employes of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.
And, in candor, it must be said that to a large ex- tent they were justified, because they were not being
154
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
exploited and oppressed as were the most of their fel- low workers in other portions of the anthracite fields.
Their course in remaining at work, however, was not satisfactory to the men who were on strike. During the month of September, with a view to making the tie- up more complete, several thousand miners from the Hazleton district invaded the Panther Creek and Nes- quehoning Valleys by night, in order to be in a posi- tion when morning should come, to dissuade the men from going to their employment.
One party, led by "Mother" Jones, a noted agitator, and many other women in carriages, proceeded by way of Tamaqua, while another division crossed the Broad mountain to Nesquehoning.
The last named contingent succeeded in closing down the colliery at Nesquehoning for a single day. But the host following "Mother" Jones was met west of Coal- dale by the state soldiery under Colonel O'Neil, and was turned back at the point of the bayonet, bloodshed being narrowly averted. The expedition, therefore, failed of its object.
The strike occurring at the height of a presidential campaign, strong political pressure was brought to bear on the operators in favor of a speedy settlement.
This influence, together with a growing scarcity of coal and the weight of public opinion, which was on the side of the miners, finally caused the operators to yield, granting an increase in wages of ten per cent., besides agreeing to reduce the price of powder, to pay wages semi-monthly in cash and to adjust some of the other grievances complained of by their employes.
Work was resumed on October 29 after an idleness of six weeks.
While resulting in a victory for the men, the strike of 1900 did not solve the problem of the proper rela-
155
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
tion of labor and capital in the coal fields. It was felt on both sides that the outcome was not conclusive, and preparations were begun for the further struggle which was certain to come.
The agrressive policy of the operators was evident from the start. Immediately after the strike, stock- ades were built about many of the mines, depots were established for the storage of coal, and washeries were opened in many places. On the other hand, the men quickly built up a compact and formidable organiza- tion and began the accumulation of a war fund.
The settlement which had been reached was guar- anteed to remain effective only until April, 1901.
It was then renewed by mutual consent for another year.
At the expiration of this period, the miners, through their representatives, the officials of the union, de- manded further concessions in the form of increased wages, the recognition of their union, and a shorter work day, together with the payment for coal by weight wherever practicable.
The absolute refusal of all these demands precipi- tated the greatest strike in the annals of American in dustry, entailing enormous financial losses, perma- nently increasing the price of coal, and inflicting many hardships upon the miners and the general public.
On May 15, 1902, at a signal, nearly one hundred and fifty thousand workers dropped their tools, and for more than five months the conflict raged. Both sides fought with unflinching determination, the foreign ele- ment, as in the two previous strikes being particularly unyielding.
The operators were led by George F. Baer, while the cause of the miners was again most ably and fairly championed by John Mitchell.
156
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Before the restoration of peace, the entire National Guard of Pennsylvania was stationed in the coal fields.
The warring forces were finally brought together through the intervention of President Roosevelt, while the questions at issue were adjusted by the Anthracite Strike Commission, by him appointed.
Under the award of this body the miners gained a number of important concessions, and the Anthracite Conciliation Board which is still in existence, and which has amicably disposed of many difficulties be- tween the miners and the operators, was established.
In comparison with the chaos and warfare of former years, the anthracite region has enjoyed peace and prosperity since 1902.
The award of the strike commission remained oper- ative until April 1, 1906, and was twice renewed for a period of three years, though not without a temporary suspension of work on each occasion.
In 1912, the representatives of the miners and the operators met on the friendliest of terms, and it was apparent that hostility on the part of the latter toward the union had practically died out.
Operations at the mines were suspended for nearly two months, however, pending the formation of a new agreement, under the terms of which the union was partially recognized for the first time. The men also received an increase in wages, besides gaining a num- ber of other points for which they had contended. The duration of this agreement is fixed at four years.
CHAPTER XII.
STEAM AND ELECTRIC RAILROADS.
The first railroad in Carbon county, and the first of any importance in the United States, was the Switch- back, extending from Mauch Chunk to Summit Hill. As is well known, this was built as a gravity road, and is still in existence.
The Beaver Meadow Railroad was the first within the limits of the county employing steam as motive power. It is now a part of the Lehigh Valley system. The Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company was incorporated on April 13, 1830.
According to the provisions of its charter, the com- pany was empowered to build a railroad from the Beaver Meadow Mines, in what is now Banks township, to the Lehigh river, at, or near, Mauch Chunk, a dis- tance of about twenty miles.
Various difficulties beset the projectors of the enter- prise, chief of which appears to have been their own lack of confidence in the feasibility of the undertaking.
It was not until 1833 that a definite start was made. Canvass White, who had been one of the principal engineers in the building of the Erie Canal, and Ario Pardee, later a millionaire coal operator of Hazleton, surveyed the route, which followed the windings of Beaver, Hazle and Quakake creeks to the Lehigh.
Trouble with the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com- pany concerning tolls on the canal led to the determina- tion on the part of those building the railroad to ex- tend the line to Easton. The tracks had already been
157
158
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
laid as far as Parryville when an agreement was reached.
The railroad was opened for transportation in the fall of 1836, and Parryville was made the shipping point. It so remained until 1841, when the memorable freshet carried away all the bridges from Weatherly to the end of the line, and Mauch Chunk became the termi- nus, below which the road was abandoned.
Originally wooden rails, covered with an iron strap, were used, and the locomotives were of the wood-burn- ing type.
In 1860 another heavy flood occurred, carrying away a number of bridges, together with the shops of the company at Weatherly and Penn Haven.
The road gained rapidly in business, however, as the mines tributary to it were developed, and it grew steadily more prosperous until absorbed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1866.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad, which was the first to be constructed through the length of the region from which its name is derived, had its inception in the efforts of a few enterprising and far-seeing men in Lehigh and Northampton counties, while being brought to completion and successful operation principally through the labors and determination of Asa Packer, its former president and the architect of its greatness.
A charter was secured on April 21, 1846, under the name of the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susque hanna Railroad Company.
In May of that year the stock of the company was offered for subscription ; but capitalists seemed to have little faith in the project. Although the promoters of the enterprise were active, it was not until August, 1847, that enough stock had been subscribed to warrant a start being made. Five thousand shares had then
159
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
been taken, on each of which an instalment of five dol- lars had been paid. At the first election of officers, held on October 21, 1847, James M. Porter was chosen as president.
Little had been done beyond securing the right of way, when, on April 4, 1851, Asa Packer became a member of the board of managers. This was just sev- enteen days before the charter would have expired by limitation, and soon thereafter a mile of road-bed was graded near Allentown to forestall this embarrass- ment. In the following October Mr. Packer purchased nearly all the stock which had been subscribed and took steps to obtain the additional money required to finish the road, which proved to be a difficult task.
He secured the services of Robert H. Sayre, who had prior to this held a responsible position with the Le- high Coal and Navigation Company, as chief engineer.
In January, 1853, the name of the corporation was changed to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company.
The line between Easton and Allentown was finished and placed in operation on June 11, 1855. Two trains were run daily between these points from that date, and during the month of September the road was com- pleted to Mauch Chunk.
In the begining, all the rolling stock was leased from the Central Railroad of New Jersey, but before the close of 1855 a passenger locomotive and four coaches were purchased. At the close of three months, re- ceipts from the passenger service were larger than had been anticipated, while the earnings from carrying coal and other freight were kept down from the want of cars.
Headquarters were first established at Mauch Chunk; but in 1856 the main offices were removed to Philadelphia.
160
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
During the next few years a number of advantageous traffic arrangements were made, adding largely to the prosperity of the road.
Perhaps the most important of these was that pro- viding for connections with the North Penn Railroad, opening the way to Philadelphia.
Notwithstanding that the company sustained heavy damages as a result of the great freshet of 1862, the career of the road was one of steady growth and ex- pansion, and before the close of the decade it had gained control of connecting roads in the Lehigh and Schuylkill regions and had effected an entrance to the Wyoming Valley, whence the line was extended north- ward to the state line of New York.
In 1866, the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad was merged with the Lehigh Valley. This comprised the stretch of road from Black Creek Junction, near Weatherly, to Mt. Carmel, a distance of forty miles.
That portion of the line lying in Carbon county, and now a part of the Mahanoy Division of the Lehigh Val- ley Railroad, was first graded by the Morris Canal and Banking Company, about 1837. The road had scarcely been completed and placed in operation when the com- pany failed, and the rails were taken up and shipped to Pottsville. The Quakake Valley Railroad, incorpo- rated in 1857, relaid the tracks during the following year, and the road was operated tributary to the Cata- wissa, Williamsport and Erie Railroad for a time. Its name was changed to the Lehigh and Mahanoy Rail- road in 1861.
The Hazleton Railroad, connecting with the line of the Beaver Meadow company, was acquired in 1868.
A branch extending from Lizard Creek Junction to Pottsville was completed in 1890. The Hay's creek "cut-off," extending from Ashmore, near Hazleton,
161
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
to the main line of the Lehigh Valley, below White Haven, was opened to traffic in 1912.
Asa Packer remained the president of the company, though not continuously, until his death in 1879. He lived to see the Lehigh Valley become one of the fore- most railroads of the state, more than fulfilling his fondest expectations, and fully compensating him for the trials and discouragements which he encountered in its building and extension.
Under subsequent management it was for a period less prosperous, but in recent years its securities have regained favor with investors.
The railroad to-day occupies a commanding position among the anthracite coal carriers, and is one of the leading trunk lines between New York and the Great Lakes.
The Nesquehoning Valley Railroad Company, the line of which extends from Nesquehoning Junction, near Mauch Chunk, to Tamanend, Schuylkill county, a distance of nearly seventeen miles, was organized on May 14, 1861.
This road was built principally to carry the output of the mines of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com- pany, receiving the traffic which formerly passed over the Switchback Railroad and the gravity road from Nesquehoning to Mauch Chunk.
It was subsequently merged with the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, and is now operated by the Central Railroad of New Jersey.
The immediate cause of the building of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad was the freshet of 1862, re- sulting in the almost complete destruction of the Le- high Canal between Mauch Chunk and White Haven. It was generally believed that the giving way of the dams on this portion of the canal was largely respon-
162
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
sible for the ravages of the flood farther down the valley, which led to the enactment of legislation against rebuilding them.
In lieu of this right the assembly of Pennsylvania granted the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company a charter for a railroad from Mauch Chunk to White Haven, connecting with a road which had previously been built from the latter place to Wilkes-Barre.
Later, the company was authorized to build the road to Easton. When completed, this railroad supplanted the canal above Mauch Chunk, while largely reliev- ing its overburdened condition below that point.
In 1871, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad was leased to the Central Railroad of New Jersey, being still operated by the latter company on this basis.
In 1861, a stretch of railroad was built by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company from Hanto to Ta- maqua. This connects with the various collieries of that company in the Panther Creek Valley.
With a view to providing an independent outlet for its coal to the eastern markets, this company, in 1912, completed a line of railroad extending from Tamaqua through the Lizard Creek Valley and on to Daniels- ville, Northampton county, connecting there with the Lehigh and New England Railroad. This latter road is also controlled by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.
The Chestnut Ridge Railway, reaching from Palmer- ton to Kunkletown, Monroe county, was built in 1898. It is a little more than ten miles in length, and is now owned by the New Jersey Zinc Company of Pennsyl- vania.
The first electric railway in the county was built by the Carbon Transit Company, which was incorporated in 1892. Its line originally extended from Mauch
163
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Chunk to East Mauch Chunk. In 1901, the road was built to the Flagstaff, and during the following year it was constructed to Lehighton. This company has been several times reorganized, and is now known as the Carbon Street Railway Company.
The Lehigh Traction Company, operating a line which passes through Jeanesville and Audenried on its way between Hazleton and McAdoo, was chartered in 1892.
The Tamaqua and Lansford street railway originally extended from Summit Hill and Lansford to Tamaqua. It was built by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com- pany. In the fall of 1902 the road was opened to Mauch Chunk. It is now conducted by the Eastern Pennsylvania Railways Company.
BOROUGHS AND TOWNSHIPS
CHAPTER XIII.
BANKS TOWNSHIP.
The earliest settlement in Banks township was made in that portion which was in 1897 set off to form the borough of Beaver Meadow. The township was con- tained within the territory of Lausanne until January, 1842, when it was separately organized, being named in honor of Judge Banks, then on the bench of North- ampton county, of which Carbon formed a part until 1843.
The township is about ten miles in length, from east to west, and approximately two miles in width. Its territory comprises the top of the Spring mountain, varying between fourteen and sixteen hundred feet above sea level.
Beaver creek has its source near Jeanesville, flowing eastwardly till it reaches Hazle creek, on the verge of Lausanne township. Hazle creek rises in the north- eastern portion of the township and flows southeast- wardly. The two streams meet at Hazle Creek Junc- tion, forming Black creek, which descends the moun- tainside very rapidly on its turbulent way to the Le- high.
The principal railroads in the township are the Beaver Meadow and Hazleton divisions of the Lehigh Valley. The Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and the Central Railroad of New Jersey also touch the western portion of the township, while the line of the Lehigh Traction Company passes through Jeanesville, Yorktown and Audenried on its way between Hazleton and McAdoo.
167
168
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Banks township owes its settlement and develop- ment wholly to the underlying coal deposits, scarcely any of its soil being arable.
The mining and shipping of coal being the only in- dustry of importance, the township has a large foreign population.
Nathan Beach, of Salem, Snyder county, found coal in the township in 1812. The discovery was made near the point where the Leviston station of the Lehigh Valley Railroad now stands. A mine or quarry was opened by Beach in 1813 where Cuyle's stripping is now situated. The first coal produced here was hauled in wagons to Berwick and Bloomsburg, where it was used for blacksmithing purposes. As the nature of anthracite became better understood and the demand increased, the product of this mine was hauled over the Lehigh and Susquehanna turnpike to the landing on the Lehigh, from which point it was shipped to Philadelphia in "arks," commanding eight dollars per ton. Mr. Beach, being called upon to defend the title to his land, in 1829, won the suit, and soon there- after sold five hundred acres to Judge Joseph Barnes, of Philadelphia.
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.