USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Nanticoke > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 28
USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Ashley > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 28
USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Sugar Notch > History of Hanover Township : including Sugar Notch, Ashley, and Nanticoke boroughs : and also a history of Wyoming Valley, in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania > Part 28
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
Afterwards the drafts of men were made by the United States authority, and were for terms of three years, unless sooner dis- charged. The drafts were as follows:
Ist. State draft, 9 months-made in the fall-1862.
2d. United States, 3 years-made in the fall-1863.
3d. United States, 3 years-made in the spring-1864.
4th. United States, 3 years-made in the fall-1864.
5th. United States, 3 years-made in the spring-1865.
The war ended at the time this last draft was being made, and the men never went into the service.
In 1862 and also in 1863 the Confederate army invaded Penn- sylvania and the governor each time called on the men of the State to come and assist in the defense of its soil. In both cases they
318
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
responded by thousands. In the last case-1863-there were many thousands of them. They were uniformed, armed and equipped and served like any other volunteers until discharged.
These soldiers on their return home at once resumed the place in civil life which they had left for the service of their country in its time of peril. They may now be found in all the walks of life where the distinction of officer and private does not exist, and as often as any way the private in military life has become the employer and superior in civil life of his late military superior. Many of the talents most useful in the soldier are not so useful in time of peace at home. Many of these old soldiers have emigrated to other places, States and territories, and many of them have died. The living comrades of the dead decorate the graves of their dead with flowers on each recurring 30th of May. What will be done in this respect when their comrades are all laid to rest? Let us hope their sons will continue to perform this beautiful tribute of respect to the memory of the soldier of the Republic. He was not like the soldier in an ordinary war-one country against another, where defeat does not destroy one's country-for in this case defeat would necessarily have been the destruction of the country. The United States would have ceased to exist. The life or death of our native land as a distinct nation depended upon the result of this war. Who can estimate what we really owe our soldiers in this Rebellion?
So many persons leaving their work at home for the military service made laborers scarce, and the price of labor, and of course the price of the products of labor in all its branches, rose in conse- quence. The price of animals, produce, manufactures, everything inanimate as well as animate started on a course of inflation in value that seemed ready to swamp the whole country. Gold and silver coin went to a premium in a very short time, and then, of course, ceased to circulate as money. Such banks as we had-State banks-and there were thousands in the country, suspended specie payments, of course. Some "medium of exchange" had to be found. So private persons and municipal and other corporations issued their own notes-"shin-plasters." Postage stamps were largely used and were better than nothing in making change; and then the United States issued-according to a law passed for the
<.
319
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
purpose-"U. S. Postal Currency," as it was called; and finally the legal tender act was passed, creating our present United States treasury notes. These treasury notes soon began to depreciate in value, and prices rose on that account. Wages rose in the same or a greater proportion.
The various necessities of the government had its effect on coal as much, probably, as on any other production, causing prices to advance to a degree never before thought of, and mines were opened in new places and on a larger scale than ever before. The price of coal and labor and all kinds of productions went up to figures that seem unreasonable, but when we take into considera- tion the fact that the legal tender note was worth in gold or silver, at one time, only forty cents or less on the dollar, the price of things was not so unreasonable as otherwise they would seem. Now comes again a curious circumstance, that the highest prices of the necessaries of life are reached, as they were in 1812-15, several years after the war has ended. And here may be mentioned another curious circumstance, the complement of the other, that the lowest depression in industry and prices comes some years after the "panic" which causes it. The greatest depreciation of the "Greenback" took place in 1864. A list of prices is here introduced, commencing in 1863 and ending in 1869 :-
1 863, Oct. 22-I bbl. flour
. at $ 8.50
$ 8.50
" Nov. 2-6 Ibs. butter
.30
1.80
1864, Jan.
16-1 bbl. flour
«
8.50
8.50
April
18-4 lbs. butter
.35 1.40
May
2-2 Ibs. butter
.40
.80
=
20-1 bbl. flour
9.50
9.50
= 20-15 Ibs. sugar
.19
2.85
1 865. Nov. -- 14 bbl. flour
I 3.00
3.25
-- 12 bushel potatoes
1.25
.63
-4 Ibs. sugar
.21
.84
-312 Ibs. cheese .
.25
.87
-534 Ibs. butter
.55
3.16
-9 Ibs. pork
.22
1.98
-I gal. coal oil (kerosene)
4
1.25
1.25
«
-5 yds. muslin
.50
2.50
1 866, Oct.
-I bbl. flour
14.50
14.50
-
·
320
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
1866, Oct.
-- 2 bushels potatoes
. at $ 1.30 "
.18
-- 21% Ibs. cheese
.25
.72
-2 lbs. butter .
.50
1.00
-I gal. coal oil
1.00
1.00
16
-734 Ibs. pork
.20 1.5.5
1867, Feb. I-I Ib. cheese . .
.25
.25
„
May 17-12 bbl. flour
«
.8c
.40
July 12-1/2 bbl. flour
15.50
7.75
August 7-3 Ibs. sugar
.16
.48
Oct. 19-12 bbl. flour
14.00
7.00
1868, June I-I bbl. flour
14.50
14.50
"
July 2-2 Ibs. sugar
.18
.36
1869, March 31-1 bbl. flour
10.50
10.50
31-114 lbs. butter
.52
.65
Sept. 30-12 bushel potatoes
“
1.00
.50
Year.
Value of coin in paper July Ist.
Value of paper in coin July Ist.
1861 .
$1 00.0
$1 00.0
1862.
I 15.4
86.6
1863 .
I 30.5
76.6
1864.
2 58.4
31.7
1 865
I 42.0
70.4
1866
I 51.5
66.0
1867.
I 39.4
71.7
1868.
I 42.6
70.1
.
1 869 .
I 36.0
73.5
1870 .
I 16.8
85.6
1871 .
I
12.3
89.0
1 872
I
14.3
87.5
1873 .
I
15.7
86.4
1874.
I
09.9
91.0
1875 -
I
14.8
87.2
1876.
I
12.8
89 5
1877 :
I 05.5
94.7
1878.
I 00.6
99.4
1879 .
I 00.0
I 00.0
Act, March 3, 1863. Rates of postage on domestic letters, half-ounce to any place in the United States, 3 cents.
'All mail matter to be prepaid.
$ 2.60 1.80
"
-10 Ibs. sugar
17.00
8.50
June 4-12 gal. coal oil .
321
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
In 1864 the Warrior Run Mining Company leased the Wright and Rummage properties of Col. Hendrick B. Wright, the owner of both, and built a breaker at the foot of the Little Mountain near the Warrior Path in the Gap. After operating till 1869 they leased their mines to A. J. Davis, who has operated them ever since, increasing their capacity very greatly. The mines produce about five hundred tons per day, or that is the capacity of the mines and breaker. This coal is shipped on the Lehigh Valley railroad that passes near the breaker at the foot of the mountain, and most of the coal goes west. This coal is washed as it passes through the breaker, by water run in on the top of the revolving screens. This running water carries the coal dirt or dust through troughs to the East Branch of the Nanticoke Creek that passes by close to the breaker. This coal dirt is filling up the creek all the way down to Nanticoke; four miles. At this writing the dirt is about eight feet deep at the Middle Road where the creek crosses it, and spreads out over the land on either side, on a level, the creek being about that much above its ancient bed.
In 1866 the Sugar Notch Shaft had been sunk and a breaker built and commenced operating. They prepare and ship about eight hundred tons per day by the Lehigh and Susquehanna rail- road. It belongs to the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, and is No. 9.
The Hartford Mines at Ashley operated during this period. The breaker was enlarged and made higher, and was of the capacity to prepare and ship about twelve hundred tons per day. It belonged to the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company, and was No. 6. In January, 1884, it was burned to the ground. They now prepare the coal from this mine at the New Jersey Breaker No. 2, close by, which had previously become their property, and is now called L. & W. No. 8.
A company called the New Jersey Coal Company leased the land known as the Knock property, adjoining the Sugar Notch on the east side, built a breaker in 1866, drove gangways above water level and operated for several years. They sold out to the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company and removed their breaker. The coal is now taken out of that property through Sugar Notch Shaft No. 9. They shipped their first coal from No. 1 in 1866. They built a 21
322
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
breaker at Ashley and in 1869 shipped their first coal from this No. 2. This is the breaker now belonging to the Hartford called No. 8.
A company called the Germania opened a mine during this period, 1864, and built a breaker about a half mile east of the Hartford on the same seams of coal. It was on the "back track" of the Lehigh and Susquehanna railroad. After operating a few years they sold out to the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company. The coal is now mined through the Hartford Slope and is prepared in their breaker at Ashley.
In 1867 Sugar Notch and Warrior Run, two mining villages situated a mile or more apart, the one being at the Sugar Notch Gap in the Little Mountain, and the other at the Warrior Gap further west on the Warrior Path, were organized according to legislative enactment into a borough to be called Sugar Notch. Together they had at that time a little more than five hundred in- habitants. The inhabitants were then, and still are, almost ex- clusively employed at the mines. This borough is wholly within Hanover township and is at this writing divided into two wards or voting districts. Sugar Notch No. 9 is within the borough, but the breaker called No. 10 and the slope are in Hanover township a few rods-three or four-east of the Sugar Notch line, near the old Jacob Garrison house.
No. 10 Slope was sunk and breaker built in 1872. The breaker has a capacity of about one thousand tons per day. This is the mine where the roof fell in, in 1879, and inclosed five persons in the mines for about six days, when they were dug out by opening a way in from the out-crop of the vein at the surface of the ground and getting to the men, about 700 feet deep, partly through old worked out chambers. The imprisoned men in the meantime lived on a mule that was closed in with them, which they killed for food. The water in this mine was good to drink, and they did not suffer for food or drink.
A small railroad called the Nanticoke railroad was projected and partly built in 1861-2 when the Rebellion broke out, and it was sus- pended. It started from above Wilkes-Barre two or three miles in a small valley, back near the foot of the mountain above Mill Creek, passed down by the Empire Shaft, the Stanton Shaft, and
323
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
through Ashley to Sugar Notch. In 1865 it was completed to Plumbton near Warrior Run, in 1866 to Wanamie in Newport-a large mine of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company-and a few years afterwards to Nanticoke. It is a branch of the Lehigh - and Susquehanna railroad.
The Lehigh and Susquehanna railroad completed in 1866, what they called the "back track" of their road; from the top of the mountain at Solomon's Gap, (called "Mountain Top," and also "Fairview") by a regular grade around and down the mountain side to Ashley, at the foot of their inclined planes, a distance of thirteen miles. This back track enters Hanover through Solomon's Gap on the east side of the upper plane, and running east soon leaves Hanover and enters Wilkes-Barre township, and going on descending, curves through a notch or gap in the Little Mountain where Laurel Run breaks through, it runs west-again entering Hanover-to the foot of the planes at Ashley. Continuing on down towards Wilkes-Barre, not on the old track from the foot of the planes, but making a large curve towards the west, it,strikes the old road at Petty's mill-pond and enters Wilkes-Barre a few rods. beyond the mill. This "back track" was built for the purpose of sending the empty coal cars, and others, down the mountain with- out having to let them down the planes with the stationary engines; and also that the passenger and freight cars of the ordinary kind could be taken up and down the mountain in the ordinary way without having these cars built specially to run on the planes. The common passenger and freight cars could not be taken up and over the planes, as they could not pass over the top- to go either up or down. In order to do that the cars must be built specially for the purpose. Thus, in order to run cars of other railroads over their road this back track was necessary. The three planes, each nearly a mile long, and eight or ten miles of other parts of their road are within the ancient boundaries of Hanover township (not Hanover district which reached to White Haven).
The Lehigh Valley railroad was built in 1867 from White Haven to Wilkes-Barre. It also enters Hanover (and the Wyoming Valley) through Solomon's Gap, but it is on the west side of the upper L. & S. plane and the gap. It skirts along the end of the
324
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
mountain from the south to the north side, high up, overlooking the plane, and curves around the end of the mountain through the gap to the north side of the mountain and then rapidly descends by a steep grade towards the west, opening out most magnificent views of the valley, as the cars pass along the mountain side for four or five miles. The road rapidly descends west along the mountain side for about six miles where it crosses the Hanover line into Newport township. By this time it has arrived at the bot- tom of the valley, between the Big and the Little Mountains, crossed to the foot of the Little Mountain, still rapidly descending, it skirts the south foot of the Little Mountain about a mile, where it passes Newport station and with a sharp curve to the right through what of old was called "Hell-Gate" Gap, in the Little Mountain, takes a north-east course along the side of the Little Mountain and enters Hanover again, having coursed about two miles in Newport, and in about two miles more it leaves the foot of the mountain at or near the Warrior Run Mines, where it enters the cleared land of the valley at Plumbton-the old Blackman homestead. Continuing its course north-eastwards towards Wilkes-Barre, six miles distant from Plumbton, it runs through Sugar Notch, passes to the left of Ashley about half a mile, without having a station there, it comes to the side of the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad at Petty's mill- pond. It leaves Hanover, crossing the line a few rods beyond : Petty's Mill, and runs along the side of the Lehigh & Susquehanna to South Wilkes-Barre.
This railroad has no planes to ascend and descend the mountain, but the grade up the mountain from Sugar Notch or Plumbton to Fairview at the top is very steep-said to average ninety-six feet to the mile, about the same as the L. & S. back track. From the bot- tom of the very heavy grade on both these roads, to the top of the mountain is about thirteen miles, but across, the shortest distance is about three miles. About twelve miles of the L. V. R. R. is within the ancient boundaries of Hanover township. It has a passenger station at Plumbton called Warrior Run, named after the Warrior Run Mines, a half mile south of it by the wagon road. It has a station at Sugar Notch, and there also is the dispatcher's office for the distribution of coal cars to the several mines, and for the run-
325
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
ning of all trains, for shifting and making up trains to go up the mountain, the shops for repairing injured coal cars, and the men and apparatus for removing wrecks on the road.
On this road all along the side of the Big Mountain to the top, the very finest views of Wyoming Valley are to be had. Plymouth or "Shawnee" Mountain lies right opposite across the valley. It seems quite close, but it is six miles off, and between there is seen a most delightful valley, right at our feet-small hills and vales, villages and towns, here and there cleared lands, green fields, and fields of yellow grain, and groves of woods, of all hues and colors in the autumn, and on the further side near the foot of Plymouth Mountain, winds the bright blue and silver Susquehanna River, with its slight fringe of trees along each bank. The buildings are so numerons on both sides of the river from river to mountains, with the exception of the flats, that it seems almost like a contin- uous village for more than twenty miles up and down the valley; taking into view at one sweep the townships of Newport, Hanover, Plymouth, Kingston, Wilkes-Barre, Plains, Pittston and Exeter, and the city of Wilkes-Barre, the boroughs of Sugar Notch, Nanti- coke, Plymouth, Kingston, Ashley, Parsons, Miner's Mills, Pittston, West Pittston, Edwardsville, Luzerne and Wyoming, and in the dim distance, towns up the Lackawanna, Hyde Park, part of Scranton City, twenty-five miles off. But Wyoming Valley, noted and famous, constitutes the delightful view.
During the war of the Rebellion very high prices had been paid for work of all kinds, and to the end of this period skilled workmen received as mechanics from two dollars and seventy-five cents to three dollars, and unskilled from two to two dollars and fifty cents per day. This is to state the matter in a general way, some received more than that stated above and some received less. Skilled miners would make four, five and six dollars per day, and there would be only two or three lost days in the month, unless they were out on a strike. Prices were slowly tending downward after about three years from the end of the Rebellion, and the work- men were resisting it by constant strikes. They believed they could raise wages higher instead of letting them go lower, if they were only all combined, and would strike long enough and all together. Some of the strikes therefore lasted six months, and of
326
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
course the strikers became very much impoverished, as did their employers also, and the merchants who furnished them with pro- visions and clothing. There had been constant strikes during the war, and then under the pressure of circumstances they were always successful, and the men believed they could always be suc- cessful just as well after the war had ended as while it was in progress, if they would. This being impossible, much bad blood was engendered among the workmen in consequence. They be- lieved there was too much wealth opposed to them, and that that defeated them, and not that the condition of things had changed and their efforts had become impossible of success.
This went on till it culminated in the financial and general business depression of 1873.
These strikes here were only the counterpart of strikes else- where. They were all pretty much alike, had the same causes, and the same consequences, and although the general expansion of business from the constant investment of the profits in business, if there are any profits, will in time cause an overdoing of business in any case, no matter what, until an upheaval, an explosion, as it were, comes, and the overloaded-say stomach-throws it off and a panic follows, and for a time values fade out, and, in reality, cease to exist.
These strikes in the coal regions had driven nearly all the smaller companies and individual operators out of the business during and very soon after the war, and they had sold their works to the larger companies. Then they were called monopolies. The laboring men combined against the companies or employers; and the companies or employers consolidated against them. Each side looked out for its own especial benefit, and perhaps each side tried to injure its opponents, and they both fell in the dust, as it were, and some of the working men had to eat "mush and molasses" for some years in consequence of it, and several of the companies and members of individual operators went into bankruptcy. This effect had not, however, come upon either of them yet-during this period-(from 1860 to 1870).
The same method of repairing turnpike roads continued as of old. The earth was plowed up at the sides of the roads and scraped or shoveled into the middle to be washed back into the gutters again by the first heavy rain or two. Few, if any new roads
327
HANOVER TOWNSHIP.
were made. The population had grown rapidly; school-houses had to be built, and they were now of a more improved kind. Desks and seats were built together and made for two pupils only, and were nicely made and varnished, and arranged facing the teacher.
The valuation of property for taxing purposes was high, and the taxes proportionately-about all the law allowed,-longer terms of school were taught, and the salaries of teachers were increased from three to four hundred per cent. Where teachers used to get eighteen to twenty-two dollars per month, before 1860, now they received from fifty to eighty, and without any improvement in the teacher. It seemed even as if the higher the salaries of the teachers the poorer the services of the teacher were. The higher the wages, the poorer the work was done, whether among school- teachers or among mechanics and workmen. The same appeared in the coal business-the higher the price of coal the poorer the coal was.
In some places near the mines persons not connected with the mines built houses to rent. Rents were high, and so were taxes and everything else. The necessaries of life and the luxuries all bore the necessary proportion of price to cost of production. Many persons had saved some of their wages and built houses of . · their own. In such cases they were in general neat frame or plank houses, nicely weather-boarded and painted, and fenced around, and generally with good gardens, fruit trees, grape vines, and flowers and a grassy green dooryard. Rooms cheaply but nicely furnished and carpeted, and the place altogether comfortable and tasty; a great contrast to the houses and comforts of sixty and seventy years back. Generally some effort was made towards beauty in architecture on the outside of houses built during this period for the use of the owner. They were all painted. Com- pany houses for miners were usually whitewashed on the outside, but some were painted. All were a great improvement on the old settlers' houses even when they were built of frame work.
The end of this period, 1869-70, found many changes. Houses had increased in number amazingly. They were all either of frame or plank. The log-houses of the olden time had nearly dis- appeared, only sixteen being left standing and in use. Houses were now generally painted in colors, and made a neat appearance,
328
HISTORY OF HANOVER.
were lathed and plastered inside, and generally with good founda- tion walls and cellars. Mine houses were frequently built of plank put on upright, with "battens" of three inches in width put on over the joints between the planks, and built double. The miners seem to prefer a double house to a single one. These houses were generally plastered, but sometimes were wainscoted up inside with dressed boards tongued and grooved. Good brick chimneys of small size for coal stoves were built, as no wood was used for fuel. Men in large numbers being needed at the large mines now carried on, farm houses and private houses were entirely inadequate in numbers. The proprietors of the mines were forced to build large numbers of houses. These mine houses were built in rows near together and near the mine, and were very comfortable, but the population being in general on the constant move from mine to mine, nothing could be kept in order about them, no fences could be maintained around the door-yards or houses, no shade or fruit trees, or vines or shrubbery would be allowed to grow. All would be destroyed by the boys and men, as no one-hardly-ex- pected to remain any length of time in one place. And when any- thing was destroyed no one could be found to let the owner know who did it. This has continued to be the case with all miners' houses, with rare exceptions. The consequence of course was that . this class of people, good and bad, had to, and has to, live in houses with no shade trees, no fruit trees, no shrubbery, no gardens, no fences-nothing but the bare houses-with a few rare exceptions.
How different this from the industry, care and economy of the old dwellers here and their descendants? There was not at this time, probably, one acre in a hundred owned and occupied by such persons in Hanover and Sugar Notch. They had sold their land and left the township, and although prosperity reigned as far as plenty of work and high wages and sure and regular pay was con- cerned, nothing looked like prosperity about the mines, but rather dilapidation, improvidence, waste, poverty and decay. Numbers do. not constitute prosperity. Prosperity comes only to a saving people.
A few foreigners came here when Col. Washington Lee and Mr. Holland did mining in a small way in Hanover from 1840 to 1847. One-half of them probably were Irish, the others were
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