History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 32

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532

USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections > Part 32

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

The provisional assembly of Pennsylvania of 1771 declared the Susquehanna river a public highway and appropriated money to render it navigable. In 1824 a boat called the "Experiment" was built at Nescopeck and intended to be operated by horse power. On her trial trip she arrived at Wilkes-Barre July 4, 1824. A great jubilee was held over the arrival. The thing, however, proved a failure. .

Necessity was pushing the people along this river. The Delaware river was being navigated successfully with steamboats, then why not the Susquehanna? In 1825 three steamboats were built for the purpose of navigating this important river. The " Codorus," built at York, by Davis, Gordon & Co., sixty feet long and nine feet beam, launched, and with fifty passengers drew only eight inches of water, ten- horse-power engine, and was expected to make up stream four miles an hour. She started on her trip in the spring of 1826 from New Haven. As she puffed along the people flocked in hundreds to the banks to see her. Arrived at Wilkes- Barre, April 12, where the town had an old-style jollification day of it. Capt. Elger invited the heads of the town and many prominent citizens to take an excursion to Forty fort. After a short stay the boat proceeded on its way and soon arrived at Athens, making frequent stops at way places. The Athenians, indeed the people for miles, even way up into New York, now realized their fondest dreams. The boat continued on to Binghamton and turned back and after a trip of four months reached its starting point. Capt. Elger was disappointed and reported to the company that it was a failure for all practical purposes.

The next boat was the "Susquehanna," built in Baltimore, eighty-two feet long, two stern wheels, engine thirty-horse power, intended to carry 100 passengers, loaded drawing thirty-two inches. The State appointed three commissioners to accompany the boat on her trial trip; several merchants and prominent business men were passengers, and these were continually added to at stopping points. It was hard moving against the current. The boat reached Nescopeck falls, May 3, 1826. This was considered the most difficult rapids, and so the commissioners and all but about twenty passengers left the boat and walked along the shore. As she stemmed the angry current the thousands of people on shore cheered and cheered; reaching the middle of the most difficult part she seemed to stop, standing a few moments, then turned her course toward shore and struck a rock and instantly followed an awful explosion, and death and horror followed the merry cheers of the people. John Turk and Ceber Whitmash were instantly killed, William Camp died in an hour or so, Maynard, engineer, lived a few days. The fireman and William Fitch and Daniel Rose slowly recovered; Col. Paxton, C. Brobst and Jeremiah Miller were severely scalded, Woodside, Colt, Foster, Hurly, Benton, Benjamin Edwards and Isaac Loay were all more or less wounded and scalded. William Camp was the father of Mrs. Joseph M. Ely, of Athens, who was on his way home with a fresh stock of goods.

The third boat was the " Pioneer," which was abandoned after an experimental trip on the western branch of the river.

In 1834 Henry F. Lamb, G. M. Hollenback and Pompelly built at Owego " The Susquehanna," a strong, well-built boat, forty-horse power. Her trial trip was down the river to Wilkes-Barre, reaching that place August 7, 1735, traveling 100 miles in eight hours, and returned laden with coal. Her second trip she broke her shaft at Nanticoke dam, where she sunk and was abandoned.

In 1849 the "Wyoming," was built at Tunkhannock, 128 feet long, 22 feet beam, stern wheel sixteen feet, to carry forty tons of coal. This was a coal boat and made trips from Wyoming valley to Athens during the years 1849, 1850 and 1851. The arrivals of this boat were known all along the river, and the people were wont to crowd the landings to see the sight, and hearty cheers greeted it. They would lower their smoke-stacks, and at Athens land at the foot of Ferry street. The cargo generally was anthracite coal, and in return carried grain and farm products.

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

The last steamboat for commercial purposes was built at Bainbridge, N. Y., by . a company, under the superintendence of Capt. Gilman Converse, commander of the " Wyoming." She was named " Enterprise," ninety-five feet long, to carry forty tons-completed and launched in 1851, and the first season had a profitable carrying trade, as the river was high through the season, but in the fall she grounded and was left on the dry shore to rot, and this was the end of attempts to navigate the Susquehanna.

Rafting at one time was the inviting stepping-stone to the young man of the country, strong, active and desirous of great fortune. The first wealth of northern Pennsylvania lay in her great pine trees that stood straight and tall in the valleys and on the hillsides. Logs were cut in the winter and in the snow were "snaked" to the water's edge and a raft was built and the spring rise in the river would float them away to market. Early in 1790 these were to be seen in the river and success had followers and there was a rapid growth of the industry until every little stream in the country contributed to the swelling tide of rising commerce. It was a vast. work to denude these boundless forests and make merchandise of it, yet if there is " millions in it " there are few things man's energies are not capable of doing. For fifty years this work went on until at one time during twenty-six days of high water in 1849, 2,243 rafts floated by Wilkes-Barre, estimated to contain over 100,000,000 feet of lumber.

Wheat was shipped down the river in arks first in the year 1800; taken to Port. Deposit and in sloops from there to Baltimore. This, too, rapidly grew in impor- tance and in 1814 no less than eighty of these passed Wilkes-Barre, and in the fall rise of 1849, 268.

Canals next became positively necessary after building the turnpikes, and steam- boat navigation had proved a failure. As early as 1824 the question of a canal along the Susquehanna river began to be seriously stirred. Remote neighborhoods were moved to its importance and engineers began to travel along the banks noting every advantage as well as obstruction. All over the State the movement for canals- now commenced, and so quickly did this bear fruit that in 1826 the legislature enacted a general internal improvement law that soon after resulted in building the many miles of those water-ways within the commonwealth.

The North Branch canal was commenced in 1828 and by 1830 completed to Nanticoke and immediately came the first boat ever in Luzerne county-the "Wyom- ing," built at Shickshinny. The second boat, the "Luzerne," came in 1831. This was built on the docks on the bank opposite Wilkes-Barre, and that year made a successful trip to Philadelphia and return to Nanticoke dam. The canal was com- pleted as far as Lackawanna in 1834 and then this boat "Luzerne" made the first round trip between Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia. Beyond the Lackawanna the work on the canal was suspended in 1832. It was a busy institution from the Lackawanna to the south from the day of its opening. It was the great outlet for the vast wealth rapidly developing in the valley, the outlet to the world's trade and commerce. It was twenty-two years after the completion of the canal through Wyoming, 1856, before the entire line was completed to a junction with the New York canal at Elmira. Those were two decades pregnant with important things to the civilized world, in some respects the most important era in the nation's history- the coming of the railroad. Within two years after the completion of the canal, a great work truly and one that had taxed human energies to the strongest tension, the public mind had already advanced so far beyond the artificial water way that the State in 1858 sold the canal to the Sunbury & Erie Railroad company, and in turn this company at once sold the North Branch division, from Northumberland street in Wilkes-Barre, to the North Branch Canal company. This was the beginning of the end. The canal was hardly completed before its insufficiency for the age became only too apparent. The State had put $40,000,000 in her public

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

works, mostly of this kind, the authorities following in the wake of the notable State internal improvement convention which met at Harrisburg in August, 1825, at which Nathan Beach and Jacob Cist were the representatives from Luzerne county. Garrick Mallery and George Denison, perhaps two of the most brilliant men in the county, were sent to the legislature in 1827, for the express purpose of hastening State action in reference to the North Branch canal. In the act pro- viding for it the commissioners were directed to place the North Branch division from Northumberland to the State line under contract and ground was broken at Berwick, July 4, 1828, where were crowds from Luzerne to witness the event. A great day! A great multitude were present. State officials, military drums and colors flying and the booming of cannon proclaimed that the ground was being broken, the canal was now coming. Nathan Beach held the plow, and the yoke of red oxen were owned and driven by Alexander Jameson. As stated the North Branch extension was slow to push the work and every legislature nearly would pass some act to assist or encourage builders. This portion of the canal, when sold by the State, had cost the commonwealth $4,658,491.12. It was November, 1856, before the first boat laden with coal departed from Pittston for Weston, N. Y. The boat was the " Towanda," commander, Capt. A. Dennis, carrying forty tons, from the mines of Mallery & Butler. In the sale by the State of the North Branch extension men- tioned above, the purchasers soon sold the portion from Northumberland town to Northampton street, Wilkes-Barre, to the Wyoming Canal company, retaining that portion from Northampton street to the State line, a distance of 104 miles. July 14, 1858, S. T. Lippincott left Pittston with five boats of coal and reached Elmira, and from there by New York canals to Buffalo, thence by steamboat to Cleveland, which he reached August 8, the first cargo of coal that ever passed beyond the mountains from Luzerne county.

Railroads. - The first successful attempt in this State at what in time became a railroad, was in 1827-the Mauch Chunk railroad, connecting the coal mines with the Lehigh river. The Mount Carbon railroad was commenced in 1829. In 1831 the State granted charters to twelve railroad companies and this may well be named as the date of the commencement of the great railroad era. The steam whistle suc- cesding the pony express tin horn; the stage horn and then the canal big tin horn, all telling of the evolution -- the transcendant strides of man's energy and ingenuity in bearing aloft the glories of civilization. There are left now but precious few to whose minds will come like far-off chimes of half-heard bells pealed from the king- dom of the dead yesterdays, the fading dreams, the old landmarks, where no more is heard the sounding horn of the packet boat, Capt. Wells commanding, as it plowed the "raging canal" triumphantly into "Port " Wilkes-Barre. When the way from Canal bridge to the public square was green fields and sweet blossoming apples, and which are now replaced with great solid business blocks, shops, factories and tall chimneys, filled with eager fire and the roar and whir of heavy iron machinery and the spell, the charm, the day dream is gone-the dolce far niente flits as the silent sadow and the terrible struggle for life is on; wealth and splendors flash- ing in blinding colors from myriad facets; in the background-but-put out the lights-then put out the light.

The Lehigh Navigation & Coal company, begun in 1839, and completed in 1841, the original Lehigh & Susquehanna railroad, from the public common at the foot of South street, Wilkes-Barre, to White Haven, then the head of slack water naviga- tion of that company.

It was designed as a portage over which to transport boats between White Haven and Wilkes-Barre, and thus form a link in the connection between Buffalo and Philadelphia through the North Branch canal and the canals in New York on one side, and the Lehigh and Delaware rivers on the other. This portage over the mountain was accomplished by three inclined planes, having their foot at Ashley.

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

The aggregate ascent which these planes make is about 1,150 feet. From White Haven the road was afterward built down the Lehigh to Mauch Chunk, and thence to Easton.

At first horse cars ran between Wilkes-Barre and the planes. These planes have been much improved, and more coal is taken over them than over any similar planes in the world. The ascent of the mountain is now overcome by a circuit to the northeast. This circuit was built about the year 1866. The same year the Lehigh & Susquehanna was extended to Green Ridge, above Scranton, where it connects with the Delaware & Hudson Canal company's road.

The Nanticoke & Wanamie branch of the Lehigh & Susquehanna railroad con- nected with this road at the foot of the planes and extended northeastward a mile above Wilkes-Barre, to the Baltimore coal mines, and southwestward to Nanticoke village. It was built in 1861 by the Nanticoke Railway company, which was com- posed of owners of coal lands along the route of the road. In 1866 or 1867 the Lehigh & Susquehanna company, which had purchased this road, built a branch from near Nanticoke to Wanamie, and an extension from the Baltimore mines to Green Ridge. Subsequently a connection was made between this extension and the Delaware & Hudson Canal company's road. Another branch by the Delaware & Hudson Canal company connects the Lehigh & Susquehanna at South Wilkes-Barre with the Bloomsburg branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad by a bridge in the township of Plymouth, and thereby with the collieries on the west side of the river.

. Another connection between the Lehigh & Susquehanna and the Bloomsburg branch is by a short track over the bridge across the Susquehanna at Nanticoke. This branch and bridge are owned by the Susquehanna Coal company.

The Nescopeck branch was built by the Lehigh & Susquehanna company in 1867, between White Haven and Upper Lehigh. In 1871 this road was leased in perpetuity by the Central Railroad company of New Jersey.

Lackawanna & Bloomsburg Railroad .- April 5, 1852, a charter was granted for a road between Scranton and Bloomsburg, fifty-six miles, with authority to extend the same to Danville. By a supplementary act passed March 3, 1853, a further extension of twelve miles to Northumberland or Sunbury was authorized, making a total length of eighty miles. The company was organized at Kingston, April 16, 1853, and William Swetland was chosen president, Thomas F. Atherton secretary, and Charles D. Shoemaker treasurer.

The Lehigh & Eastern Railroad was chartered in 1889, intended as a line from Tomhicken to Port Jervis, N. Y., tapping the Lehigh anthracite regions in the southern part of Luzerne county, and 106 miles in length, connecting at Port Jervis with the Erie railroad; thence over the Poughkeepsie bridge, making, when built, the shortest line by fifty miles between the anthracite region and New England; also connecting with the New York, Susquehanna & Western road at Gravelplace, and by tidewater to New York. Ten miles of the eastern end of the road is already built. Capital stock of the company, $10,000,000. Senator Hines and Liddon Flick are the Wilkes-Barreans actively in this enterprise. The charter originally was issued in 1869, and from that time on it has been in a sea of troubles-litigation has delayed the progress of the enterprise-that are now, it is hoped, all settled, and the road soon to be built, a matter of great importance to the county.

The Wilkes-Barre & Williamsport Railroad is now an assured fact; was chartered November 26, 1889; W. P. Ryman, president. Directors: W. P. Ryman, George R. Bedford, Ira A. Hartrode, F. C. Sturgis, H. A. Fuller, George F. Nesbit, F. W. Wheaton, E. Troxell, A. S. Orr, Gustave E. Kissel and Joseph W. Ogden, a direct line from Wilkes-Barre to Williamsport. The assurances are that this road will be shortly finished.

Wilkes-Barre & Eastern Railroad was chartered March 8, 1892. Officers and

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

chartered members: W. P. Ryman, president; De Witt H. Lyons, vice-president; Roswell Eldridge, secretary and treasurer; H. A. Fuller, assistant secretary; J. W. Hollenback, G. R. Bedford, Ira E. Hartwell, George H. Buller, E. Troxell, F. C. Sturgis, Henry A. Fuller, Tuthill R. Hillard, Albert S. Orr, De Witt H. Lyons and Charles B. Copp. The entire line is under contract and much of the work com- pleted, ten miles being done early in the summer. This road starts on the west side, opposite Market street bridge, and crosses the river at the north limits of the city, through Plaine township, and passes Yatesville toward the northeast and continues to Stroudsburg, where it strikes the New York and the Susquehanna & Western railroad, thus making a most important outlet from Wilkes Barre to tide- water. The Record of a recent date (October) announces that the Delaware & Hudson railroad has entered into a traffic arrangement with this railroad, and says that " near the Yatesville depot, at the Delaware & Hudson crossing, a connection is . being constructed at an enormous expense, on account of the heavy grade. A satis- factory arrangement will give the Delaware & Hudson through trains to New York over the shortest route yet surveyed from this region." This new line is therefore a promise of great things in the way of northern and western connections.

Lehigh Cut-off is a freight road starting at Pittston, and, avoiding the "Planes" by nearly a straight line that runs to the east of Wilkes-Barre and the steep grades or long circuits in climbing the mountains south of the latter place, connects with the main line at Mountain Top. This was built in 1886-7, and is a great improve- ment in the road's facilities.

Harvey Lake and Towanda Branch. - During the past season the Lehigh Valley has extended its branch road, recently built from Wilkes-Barre to the lake, and from the latter point to Pittston and to Towanda, making a direct line from Wilkes- Barre to Towanda via Harvey's lake. The first train over this road carrying official inspectors was in the early part of October, 1892.

The Lackawanna & Bloomsburg Railroad was built chiefly through the exer- tions of Chief Justice Woodward, William Swetland, William C. Reynolds and Samuel Hoyt. The work thereon was done in 1854. It was an extension of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western road from Scranton to Sunbury, and by a great mistake of supposed economy it ran on the west side of the river instead of the east side and through Wilkes-Barre, as the builders really desired. This was the first railroad extending through the county, and as its chief purpose with the projectors, it opened to the valley an outlet for both coal and lumber that was a matter of the most important consideration. It was not the first railroad in the county, but was very near it.

Largely through the influence of Mr. William C. Reynolds in 1837 the Lehigh Coal & Navigation company were by law authorized to build a railroad to connect the head of navigation on the Lehigh river with the North Branch canal at Wilkes- Barre. The bill was a compromise measure, releasing the company from the opera- tion of certain clauses of its charter bearing upon the extension of its system of slack-water navigation, but making obligatory the building of the railroad to Wilkes- Barre. Work was begun on the road iu 1838 and completed five years later; the first railroad completed in this part of the State, the really great opening day of the anthracite coal fields in the valley, as well as the rapid development of one of the richest spots on the continent, that has so signally followed.

Lehigh Valley Railroad was chartered in 1846 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuyl- kill & Susquehanna Railroad company. In 1850 the route was surveyed from Easton to the mouth of Mahoning creek. In 1851 Asa Packer became a principal stockholder and to this circumstance largely is due the great railroad system now known as the Lehigh Valley railroad. In 1852 he secured Robert H. Sayre (after whom the important borough of Sayre in Bradford county is named), as chief engi- neer. This year Mr. Packer commenced the building of a road from Mauch Chunk

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

to Easton to connect with the New York and Philadelphia outlet. The name of the corporation was changed in 1853 to the Lehigh Valley Railroad company. The first train from Easton to Mauch Chunk passed over the road in 1855. In 1865 steps were taken to extend the road to White Haven and thence to Wilkes-Barre; this was built in 1867. Mr. Packer in the meantime had purchased the North Branch canal from Wilkes-Barre to the north State line and had a charter for the Pennsylvania & New York Canal & Railroad company, authorizing the building of a railroad the entire length of the canal and along the tow path. This was the most important extension of the Lehigh Valley system. The road was completed to Waverly in 1869. Between Wilkes-Barre and Lackawanna junction the road was leased by the Lehigh Valley company. To-day this is one of the most impor- tant railroad systems in northeastern Pennsylvania. Before this account appears in book form the Lehigh will have its own road pushed through to Buffalo. It is a double track and in many respects the best equipped and operated road in the country-one of the great trunk lines and the hourly rush of long trains day and night the year round are the tremendous evolution from the hundred-year ago blazed way through the forest.

A marked characteristic of the Lehigh valley's history is that from the time that Asa Packer took control, through his entire operations and the same under Robert A. Packer, the policy was to extend the lines in every direction; buying lines wanted when already built, or building new lines where there was a needed connection or a demand for a railroad, or a link to fill in toward making the whole.

In 1868 the stocks of the Hazleton Railroad company and the Lehigh & Luzerne Railroad company were absorbed into that of the Lehigh Valley road. Another feature of Asa Packer's management was for the company to obtain where possible an interest in the coal lands and accordingly they have large interests in the valua- ble coal lands through which the road passes. In crossing the mountain range south of Wilkes-Barre this road makes a sharp loop to the northeast around the base of the mountain, which is here nearly 1,200 feet high. The other road makes a similar loop to the west, and simply to look at the map that is only giving the true course of the road bed, these opposite loops facing each other at the mouth of the two funnels present a curious appearance. It is the engineer's way of clambering up a mountain-simply winding around the sides, gradually rising all the time.

May 23, 1843, as stated, the first railroad train entered Wilkes-Barre over the Lehigh & Susquehanna railroad. Surely this was a great day in the valley, especially in the chief town, Wilkes-Barre. No people were ever more exultantly excited-the cannon was whirled out, unlimbered and belched forth the common joy; flags fluttered, the people cheered and a great day had dawned. The new era was here and all felt it fully. The road was twenty miles in length when completed. It had three planes from the Susquehanna river to an elevation of 1,270 feet, and then it descended with a grade of 50 feet to the mile to White Haven. Up these planes the cars were drawn by stationary engines. All the early short roads were built with a view of transporting the coal found here; this was the prime incentive. Their builders perhaps little foresaw the limitless commerce of all kinds that would some day, as we now have it, flow in a never-ending stream over these iron tracks. The old strap rail and stationary engines over heavy grades would be little more than a provocation in this age; they were great things then and here as in all time our fathers " builded better than they knew."

Ship Building was one of the many fruitless struggles of the people to advance themselves. The theory was broached that with our coal and timber so plentiful ships could be built here and floated out on high water to the bays and oceans and a profitable industry created. Messrs. Arndt & Philips, therefore, built a shipyard on the bank across from Wilkes-Barre and built and launched a twelve-ton sloop in 1803-" The Johu Franklin." This was floated out to tide-water in safety. This

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History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 32

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.) Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1532

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532