History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 23

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 900

USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 23
USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 23
USA > Pennsylvania > Wyoming County > History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 23

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).

lots, and the largely increasing population of the coal regions must hunt lairs like beasts of the field. Is it good policy to invite such a state of society?

Coal companies do not, as a rule, erect buildings for the miners and laborers calculated to make homes to be proud of. A neat house, however humble, with a rose bush and fruit trees about it, are useful aids in educating the young to cleanly and careful habits and regard for the comforts of neighbors. The man who owns his house and garden is a better citizen in all respects than one who is tenant of a shanty at six or eight dollars per month.

The coal is a necessary of life which must be mined, and there should be some mode devised to mine it with- out damage to the surface. If this is impossible should an operator be mulcted in damages for casualities which human foresight could not prevent, any more than for that of a lightning stroke or midnight conflagration ?

Mr. William S. Jones, inspector of coal mines for the eastern district of Luzerene and Carbon counties, says over date of March 8th, 1879, at Scranton, Pa. :

"Another very extensive eave occurred at the Diamond mines, and still another at the Bellevue mnines, both belonging to the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company. In cach of these eases they were working three veins, one over the other, and the eaves were eaused by the same system of working as at the Mt. Pleasant mines. In. no ease, so far as I know, is there any attempt made to work the pillars in one vein exactly over the pillars in the vein below, or rice rersa, and so long as this is not done there is no hope of preventing these eaves. I admit that it requires good mining engineering to do this, but that will not alter the faets of the case. I believe it ean be done, and I believe it would pay the operators to try the experiment."

Against careless or unskillful mining of course the courts should protect every man, whatever the terms of his release. It is the very object of creating courts of law and equity not to protect man from his own acts, or from the operation of natural laws, but against the evil nature and carelessness of his fellows.

But what can be done to save all the coal left in pillars to support the upper crust of the mines? Can coal be made to pay the expense of iron or stone supports in place of coal now wasted for the purpose? In very deep mines, with veins of six or eight feet thickness, the break- ing up of rocks would fill the space excavated before affecting the surface. By the long-wall system of mining the surface may be let down by taking out all support but not with entire safety.

Is it impossible for men to obtain homes without such risk to themselves as to those who mine the coal from veins below? This is becoming one of the most import- ant questions of the near future.

WASTE OF ANTHRACITE DEPOSITS.

Another question intimately connected with that of proper support for the mines is the waste of this store of fuel in the mine and in its preparation for market. The Journal of Industry is quoted on this subject, from an article extremely apropos and timely:

" The wanton destruction of any kind of property is regarded as a crime, and the negleetfnl waste of the gifts of nature, bestowed for the coming good of mankind, no matter how great their present abundance, onght equally to be held as an offense against the rights of humanity, and justly censurable.

" Americans ure proverbially wasteful, not alone in small matters but in great ones. This is exemplified in u striking manner in the an-

HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

thracite eoal regions of Pennsylvania, where it is estimated not less than $100,000,000 worth of fnel has been wasted in getting out and preparing the coal for market, the present average annual loss being set down at $15,000,000. This enormous waste is aseribed by men of experience to the use of imperfectly designed machinery for breaking the coal. This matter demands serions attention ; for vast as our natural resources, sneh extravagance will not only tend to exhaust them sooner than they should be, but also to increase present cost to consumers. Land owners and miners are in this matter equally remiss in duty to their successors and the people of the country, who have a right to demand that an artiele of such prime necessity shall be economically worked in order to yield the best results to the various industries and comforts dependent upon this kind of fuel.

" The great eause of this waste in anthracite coal is said by competent engineers to be what are known as coal erushers, toothed cylinders geared to run towards each other, which of necessity literally crush a great part of the coal into fragments and dust too fine for use, unless it can by artificial means be again made into blocks of suitable size. The percentage of waste is estimated at one-fourth of the entire prodnet, the greater part of which could be saved to the operators by the use of proper machinery. But the operators it would appear are a very con- servative set of gentlemen, and opposed to innovations ealeulated to do away with time-honored methods. It is within the personal knowledge of the writer that a mechanical engineer of wide experience, and thoroughly posted in the mining and marketing of anthracite coal, in- vented and set up at one of the great coal eenters machinery for the more economical preparation of the fuel. He invited the operators and engineers to come and witness his experiments, but few of them availed themselves of the opportunity ; and although, as he claims, he can demonstrate beyond peradventure that he can save from fifty to eighty per cent. of the coal now lost, he has as yet been unable to seeure the adoption of his improved methods and machinery. This gentloman is a conspicuous example of a prophet being without honor in his own country.

"The operators of leased lands have labored under a mistaken idea that waste cannot be committed by the destruction of corporal heredita- inents under as well as upon the surface, or in the unskillful prepara- tion of coal taken from the mines. In all leases there is an implied eov- enant, even when not plainly expressed, to mine in a proper and skill- ful manner, and with as little damage as possible to remaining property, or waste in that which is taken out; just as a lessee of a farm is under an implied agreement to farm in a workmanlike manner, and not to ex- haust the soil by negleetful or improper tillage. Why, then, should a coal company be permitted to waste sneh a valuable fuel by improper crushing to the extent of one-quarter of the entire produet, when a tenant may not eut down an apple tree without committing waste and being responsible in damages to the owner of the property?

"Not only the land owner, but every citizen, now and in sueeeeding generations, is and will be interested in staying sueh waste."

Messrs. Sheafer, engineers of mines, Pottsville, Pa., estimate the waste in mining and preparing anthracite coal at two-thirds the estimated quantity of the deposits in each coal field.

CHAPTER XI. -

RIVER NAVIGATION-THE CONSTRUCTION OF CANALS.

TEWART PEARCE, in his excellent " Annals of Luzerne," gives a history of the navigation of the Susquehanna, from which much of the following is condensed.

This river was of course the natural thor- oughfare over which the Indians had passed in their journeyings to and from their hunting grounds, or on their hostile expeditions. Many times have the fleets of the warlike Iroquois glided silently over it, bearing the dusky warriors on their excursions against distant southern tribes, or on their return from these ex- peditions bearing their trophies of victory.

As stated elsewhere the earliest settlers in this region

came from Connecticut, crossed the Hudson river near Newburg and the Delaware near the mouth of Shohola creek, and thence came by Indian trails across the country to the Wyoming valley. The waters of the river were al once utilized by them for local transportation or passage, and for communication with the settlements below; but in order to render the river a safe avenue of transporta- tion it was necessary that the drift timber should be removed and the bars of gravel be cleared away. In 1771 the provincial Legislature declared the river a public highway, and appointed commissioners to superintend the work of improving the channel. This was done, and towing paths were constructed where there were rapids. The expense of these improvements was defrayed by con- tributions from the settlers and an appropriation for that purpose by the Legislature.

What was called a Durham boat was first used-so called because it was built at Durham on the Delaware river. Boats of this style had a length of about sixty feet, a breadth of eight, and a depth of two ; and with fifteen tons of lading they drew about twenty inches of water. They had decks at each end and running boards for " poling" at the sides. Masts with sails were erected on them when a favorable wind blew, and a steersman and two polers on each side constituted the crew. The boats built on the Susquehanna were similar, but larger, and carried larger crews.

Increasing trade soon demanded better facilities for transportation, and an attempt was made to use a " team boat," which was propelled by poles that were worked by horse power, but after a trial the plan was abandoned.

In 1826 the plan of navigating the Susquehanna by steam was tried. The " Codorus," a small stern-wheel steamboat which had been built at York, ascended the river as far as Binghamton, and returned. The com. mander of this boat did not consider the project of steam navigation on the Susquehanna feasible. A larger boat, the " Susquehanna," built at Baltimore for the purpose, ascended the river on a trial trip in the spring of the same year, having on board commissioners to superintend the experiment. In the attempt to ascend the rapids at Nes- copeck her boiler exploded, killing and injuring many of the passengers and crew and destroying the boat.

Another experiment was made on the west branch, but its success was not encouraging, and for a time all attempts at steam navigation on the river were abandoned.

Delay in the completion of the North Branch Canal, and the strong desire to introduce anthracite coal into regions up the river, induced other attempts afterward, by the citizens of Wilkes-Barre and Owego in 1835, those of Tunkhannock in 1849, and those of Bainbridge in 1851. Though in each of these attempts a partial success was achieved all proved to be failures at last. Small steam- boats for carrying passengers make voyages now over portions of this river.

In early times it was thought practicable to build sea- going vessels on the banks of this river, and in times of high water float them to the sea. Accordingly, in 1803, Messrs. Arndt & Phillip built a sloop of twelve tons bur-

THE NAVIGATION OF THE SUSQUEHANNA.

den on the common in Wilkes-Barre, and launched it on the river, down which it floated in safety to tide water. The success of this experiment aroused sanguine hopes that a new branch of industry was soon to be developed along the Susquehanna. A stock company was formed at Wilkes-Barre, and in 1811 a ship of between fifty and sixty tons burden was commenced, and launched in April, 1812. As it passed down the river it was wrecked on the rocks at Conawaga Falls, near Middletown, and thus perished the anticipations of those who had dreamed of populous ship-building cities along this river.

The Susquehanna river has since about 1795 been util- ized for floating rafts of lumber and timber to various markets. These rafts were floated down during the high water of spring or autumn. When the country was first settled there was very little market for lumber, and much valuable timber was piled together and burned in the process of clearing the land. As time went on a demand arose for this timber, or the lumber into which it was converted, and mills began to spring into existence for the manufacture of this lumber. These mills multiplied as the demand increased and rafts came to be more - frequently seen.

The forests on the river and its tributaries above the Wyoming valley were filled with valuable timber, and during many years this timber and the lumber into which it was converted were almost the only sources of wealth to the settlers. The river furnished the outlet for this lumber, and when the business of rafting was at its height as many as one hundred rafts in a day mnight be seen to pass in Tunkhannock creek alone, and of course many more in the river at that point.

This lumber consisted of boards, shingles, staves, hewn timber, spars, etc., and its market was found at Harris- burg, Middletown, Columbia, Port Deposit and other places. The pine was of excellent quality, and the lumber into which it was converted would now be con- sidered valuable far beyond what it was then.

The Lackawanna river, too, was utilized for rafting lumber from about 1808 till the country was exhausted of the pine timber with which it originally abounded. At first rafts were run in squares, with one man on each square to conduct it with a setting pole. These squares were of boards twelve or sixteen feet in length, laid crosswise, with usually eight or ten courses. On arriving at the Susquehanna these squares were doubled or placed one on the other, which could be done in the deeper water of that river. Some years later the practice came to prevail of fastening five of these squares or platforms together and steering them with large oars at vach end, and on reaching the Susquehanna these were doubled as before and also made ten squares in length. The rafts were prepared, and when the freshets in the spring and fall occurred, taken down the river to market. In what was known as the "June fresh "-when it occurred (which was not every year)-rafts were also taken down. Very little rafting has been done on the Lackawanna since 1840.

It is known that in 1796 thirty rafts went down the

river. The number continued to increase till during twenty-six days in the spring of 1849 2,243 rafts, con- taining 100,000,000 feet of lumber, passed Wilkes-Barre.

The produce raised here after the forest was partially cleared away consisted of wheat, rye, oats, corn and flax, and the nearest cash market for any of these was Easton, to which the wheat was drawn on sleighs in winter, over the Wilkes-Barre and Easton Turnpike from Wilkes-Barre; and the rye and corn were used for feed or converted into whiskey.

No arks had passed down the river previous to 1800, but subsequent to that wheat was sent down the stream in bulk in those rude vessels, and found a market gener- ally at Baltimore, to which place it was taken in sloops and schooners from Port Deposit. It is recorded that in 1814 eighty-four arks went by Wilkes-Barre, and in the freshet of 1849 as many as two hundred and sixty-eight. Since that time timber has become more and more scarce, and other avenues of transportation have been opened; and now but few rafts are seen passing down this river, and no arks or boats used for transportation.

Action with regard to the construction of canals along the Susquehanna and other rivers in the State was taken in 1824, and in 1826 the Legislature enacted a general internal improvement law, under which the many miles of canals in the State were constructed.

At that time the existence of vast mineral wealth in this region had become known, and the people of this county felt deeply interested in the projected improve- ment in transportation, which when accomplished would develop that wealth; and they took measures to secure for this county a portion of the benefits of the system of im- provements which the State inaugurated. They were successful; and in 1828 the North Branch Canal was commenced. It was completed as far as Nanticoke in 1830, in which year the first boat in Luzerne county, the " Wyoming," was built at Shickshinny. In 1831 the second boat, named the "Luzerne," was built on the bank of the river opposite Wilkes-Barre, and during the summer of that year it made a trip to Philadelphia and back to the Nanticoke dam; and in 1834, after the com- pletion of the canal to the Lackawanna, this boat made the first round trip between Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia.

Beyond the Lackawanna, toward the north line of the State, slow progress was made in the construction of this canal, and the work was suspended in 1832. In 1842 and 1843 the State made liberal offers to the North Branch Canal Company, which was incorporated in the former year; but capitalists did not see fit to invest their money in this enterprise, and in 1848 it became evident that nothing would be done by the company which had been chartered, and successful efforts were made to procure an appropriation for the prosecution of the work, and during that year the work was put under contract. It was by reason of the indefatigable efforts of Hon. R. R. Little, of Wyoming county, that this appropriation was made. Connection with the canals of New York was effected in 1856 by the Junction Canal Company, which constructed the last sixteen miles of the work.

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HISTORY OF LUZERNE COUNTY.

In 1858 the State canals were sold to the Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company, and this company at once sold the north branch division, from Northumberland to Northampton street, in Wilkes-Barre, to the North Branch Canal Company.

CHAPTER XII.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF RAILROADS IN LUZERNE COUNTY.

HE Lehigh Navigation & Coal Company be- gan 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 navigation 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. 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 over- come by a circuit to the northeast, and over this passen- gers and ordinary freight trains are taken, and empty cars are brought back by gravity. This circuit was built about the year 1866. The same year the Lehigh and Susquehanna was extended to Green Ridge, above Scran- ton, where it connects with the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company's road.

The Nanticoke and Wanamie branch of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad connected 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 composed of owners of coal lands along the route of the road. In 1866 or 1867 the Lehigh and 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 and Hudson Canal Company's road. Another branch, now owned by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, connects the Lehigh and Susquehanna at South Wilkes-Barre with the Bloomsburg branch of the Delaware, Lackawanna and 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 and Susque- hanna 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. These extensions and bridges were built under the superintendence of the engineer Dr. Ingham.

The Nescopeck branch was built by the Lehigh and 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, and it is now operated by that company.

LACKAWANNA AND BLOOMSBURG RAILROAD.

It became evident to the owners of real estate on the west side of the Susquehanna river in the Wyoming val- ley that an outlet was necessary for the coal which was known to abound there. The canal on that side of the river came no farther up than Nanticoke, and the pro- jected railroads on the opposite side would not be avail- able for the transportation of coal mined here. Under these circumstances capitalists and owners of coal lands on the west side of the river conceived and put in execu- tion the project of constructing a railroad which would afford the desired outlet for this coal, and thus greatly enhance the value of their lands.

On the 5th of April, 1852, by an act of Assembly a charter was granted for a road between Scranton, Luzerne county, and Bloomsburg, Columbia county, fifty-six miles, with authority to extend the same to Danville, twelve miles. By a supplementary act passed March 3d, 1853, a further extension of twelve miles to Northumber- land or Sunbury was authorized, making a total length of eighty miles. The authorized capital of the road and its extensions was $1,400,000, and the road was subse- quently bonded for $2,200,000 more.

The company was organized at Kingston, April 16th, 1853, and William Sweetland was chosen president, Thomas F. Atherton secretary, and Charles D. Shoe- maker treasurer. In 1855 William C. Reynolds became president, William Sweetland vice-president, Payne Pette- bone treasurer, and H. Woodhouse secretary. The Erst directors were Selden T. Scranton, Samuel Benedict, Stephen B. Jenkins, Amos Y. Smith, Thomas F. Atherton. William Sweetland, Samuel Hoyt, George Peck, George W. Woodward, Henderson Gaylord, Mordecai W. Jack- son and John R. Grotz. Some changes were subse- quently made in the board of directors by the retirement of some of the members.

Payne Pettebone served the company as treasurer from the spring of 1855 till the summer of 1863. During that period the collection of stock subscriptions, raising funds, settling controversies concerning right of way, and many incidental matters affecting the interests of the company, necessarily absorbed much of his time and energies beyond what his salary would remunerate. The heavy responsibilities that the directors had incurred rendered these efforts necessary.

LACKAWANNA AND BLOOMSBURG AND LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROADS.

Among the officers and managers conspicuous for doing hard work and assuming heavy responsibilities to relieve the company from embarrassment were Judge William C. Reynolds, Samuel Hoyt, William Sweetland, Henderson Gaylord, Thomas F. Atherton, Joseph H. Scranton, Mordecai W. Jackson and Hon. George W. Woodward; and in their special departments, Hon. Warren J. Wood- ward and Hon. Charles R. Buckalew. Valuable aid was also rendered by R. J. Wisner, Theodore Strong and S. T. Scranton. John Brisbin and James Archbald repre- sented the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in the board, and they were always esteemed valuable counselors. Mr. Pettebone was succeeded by A. H. Reynolds.

Thomas F. Atherton was the first secretary, but was succeeded in 1854 by Henry Woodhouse, who served the company during the hard work of construction and who was universally commended for his faithfulness.

The grading of the road was commenced at Scranton, in 1854, and in June, 1856, the first train ran from Scran- ton to Kingston. In 1858 the road was opened to Rupert, connecting with the Catawissa road, and in 1860 to Dan- ville and Northumberland.

This road was consolidated with the Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western in 1872, and it is now known as the Bloomsburg branch of that road.

The shops of the Bloomsburg division are located at Kingston. They are for the manufacture of locomotives and the repair of all cars. They are five in number, and 160 men are employed in them.

The success of this road has fully demonstrated the wise prevision of its projectors.

LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD.

In 1846 this was chartered as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad Company. In .1850 a survey of the road was first made between Easton and the mouth of Mahoning creek.

In 1851 Asa Packer became a large purchaser of stock in this company, and instituted measures to secure an early completion of the work. In 1852 Robert H. Sayre became chief engineer and located the road, and in the latter part of the same year Judge Packer undertook the construction of the road from a point opposite Mauch Chunk to Easton, where it would make such connections as would give outlets to New York and Philadelphia for its trade.

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History of Luzerne, Lackawanna, and Wyoming counties, Pa.; with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 23

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York Publication date: 1880 Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co. Number of Pages: 900

Author: Munsell, W.W., & Co., New York
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: New York, W.W. Munsell & co.
Number of Pages: 900