USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania > Part 37
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66 1,649,550.00 Worthless, 51,310 " 66
341
AGRICULTURE.
" We believe there has been no increase in value of the unseated lands in general by clearing and improvements; but on seated lands there has been an increase of value by clearing and improvements, to what extent we can not say.
" Baltimore and Philadelphia are considered the principal markets for the coal and produce of our county.
" The average yield in our county is perhaps from ten to fifteen bushels of wheat; rye, ten; oats, thirty; corn, thirty bushels, per acre.
"The price for agricultural produce in our county is as follows: wheat, seventy-five cents; rye, forty cents; corn, thirty-three cents; and oats, twenty cents, per bushel.
" We have no cash market for the produce in our county; generally the cost for taking our produce to a cash market is from fourteen to sixteen cents per bushel.
"The average price for stock is as follows: for horses, forty dollars; cattle, ten dollars; sheep, one dollar and a half per head; and hogs, three cents per pound.
"The price of lumber in our county is about from seven to eight dollars per thousand; iron, none; limestone and salt, none; coal at the pit's mouth is worth about one dollar and a quarter to send to market.
" The lands in our county will yield a rent of about five and one half per cent. on the assessed value, and on the selling value five per cent."
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
The Northumberland County Agricultural Society (the first of that name and the first in the county) was organized on the 24th of May, 1851; the following is a transcript of the minutes, the original of which is yet in possession of W. I. Greenough, the first secretary :-
Pursuant to public notice, a large number of farmers and others assembled at the court house in Sunbury on Saturday, the 24th instant, at two o'clock P. M., for the pur- pose of organizing an agricultural society for the county of Northumberland. On motion of the Hon. George C. Welker, Samuel Hunter was appointed president, and on motion of William L. Dewart, the meeting was organized by the appointment of the following officers :-
President, Samuel Hunter.
Vice-Presidents: George C. Welker, Peter Oberdorf, Jacob Seasholtz, J. W. Leighou, Jacob Hilbush, Amos E. Kapp.
Secretaries: W. I. Greenough, William B. Kipp, David Taggart.
The president, on taking his seat, returned his thanks for the honor conferred upon him, and briefly stated the object of the meeting.
On motion of David Taggart, a committee of five persons was appointed to prepare and report a constitution for an agricultural society for Northumberland county; the president appointed the following: David Taggart, William B. Kipp, James Cameron, Samuel John, and Alexander Jordan. The committee, after some delay, reported the following constitution, which was read and unanimously adopted.
The constitution was then signed by the following members: M. Barnhart, David
342
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
Taggart, William B. Kipp, W. I. Greenough, James Cameron, Alexander Jordan, Jacob Seasholtz, Jesse C. Horton, Peter Oberdorf, Amos E. Kapp, Samuel Hunter, Samuel John, George C. Welker, Jacob Hilbush, J. B. Masser, J. W. Leighou, William McCarty, Joseph Weitzel, William L. Dewart, Hugh Bellas, William D. Gearhart, Martin Gass, Philip Renu, George Conrad, Charles Weaver, Robert Campbell, Joseph R. Priestley, Elida John, C. Bower, Thomas H. Watts, Elias Brosius, John B. Heller, Charles Gobin, G. M. Yorks, James Covert, John P. Pursel, Francis Gibson, and William H. Leighou.
On motion, it was resolved that all the editors of newspapers published in the county be members of this society.
The society then proceeded to an election of officers for the ensuing year, and the following persons were elected :-
President, Samuel Hunter, of Upper Augusta.
Vice-Presidents: James Cameron, of Chillisquaque; Joseph R. Priestley, of North- umberland; George C. Welker, of Sunbury; Jacob Seasholtz, of Upper Augusta; Will- iam B. Kipp, of Rush; Jacob Hilbush, of Jackson; John Montgomery, of Lewis.
Recording secretary, W. I. Greenough; corresponding secretary, David Taggart; treasurer, William L. Dewart; librarian, William McCarty.
On motion, committees for each township in the county were appointed to obtain members for the society; the chair appointed the several committees as follows :-
Lewis .- John Montgomery, William Tweed, Kerr Reepert, Michael Reader.
Delaware .- Jacob Stiltzel, John Kase, John McCormick, John F. Deutler, Elijah Crawford.
Chillisquaque .- John H. Vincent, William Nesbit, Reuben Troxel, John Voris, James Cameron.
Turbut .- William Follmer, Charles Riddle, Anthony Armstrong, Philip Billmyer. Milton .- James Pollock, Samuel Binn, Thomas Mackey, William McCleery, Sam- uel Hepburn.
Point .- Joseph Van Kirk, Jesse C. Horton, Anthony Watson, W. H. Leighou, Thomas H. Watts.
Northumberland .- Amos E. Kapp, Joseph R. Priestley, David Taggart, Charles Kay.
Sunbury .- George Weiser, William McCarty, Alexander Jordan, William L. Dew- art, Benjamin Hendricks.
Upper Augusta .- James Funston, Elisha Kline, Jacob Eckman, Jacob Seasholtz. 1 Lower Augusta .- George Conrad, Samuel Lautz, John Yordy, Thomas Snyder, Jo- seph Weitzel.
Rush .- William D. Gearhart, William H. Kase, William G. Scott, James Eckman, Charles Kase.
Coal .- William Fagely, Daniel Evert, William M. Weaver.
Little Mahanoy .- George Peifer, Jacob Raker, Daniel Dornsife, Peter Sholly.
Jackson .- Jacob Hilbush, William Deppen, William Zartman, Daniel Hilbush, John Wert.
Upper Mahanoy .- Daniel Hine, Felix Maurer, Peter Beisel, Peter Brosius.
Lower Mahanoy .- George Brosius, Michael Lenker, Jacob Spatz, Adam Binge- man.
Shamokin .- Jacob Leisenring, William H. Muensch, H. H. Teats, Samuel John, David Martz, George Mills.
Cameron .- George Long, David Billman, John Hine.
The society then proceeded to an election of managers for the ensuing year, and the following persons were duly elected: Rush, James Eckman; Shamokin, Samuel John; Upper Augusta, Peter Oberdorf; Lower Augusta, George Conrad; Coal, William
345
AGRICULTURE.
Fagely; Jackson, William Deppen; Upper Mahanoy, Bonneville Holshue; Lower Ma- hanoy, Michael Lenker; Little Mahanoy, Isaac Raker; Cameron, George Long; Sun- bury, Alexander Jordan; Northumberland, Amos E. Kapp; Point, Jesse C. Horton; Chillisquaque, John B. Heller; Delaware, Henry J. Reader; Turbut, Charles Riddle; Lewis, Samuel Sherman; Milton, James Pollock.
On motion, it was resolved that the proceedings be published in the several papers of the county.
On motion, it was resolved that the recording secretary send to each member of the township committees a paper containing these proceedings.
On motion, the society adjourned to meet again at the court house on the first. Monday of August next at two o'clock P. M.
W. I. GREENOUGH, Secretary.
The first fair* was held on the 17th of October, 1851, on land of W. I. Greenough at the upper end of Second street north of Race. The grounds embraced about four acres, and were surrounded by a post fence; by the terms of the constitution, only members were permitted to make exhibits, which were required to be produced or manufactured in the county; each exhibitor was charged for the privilege of making such exhibit, and from the funds thus accruing and annual membership dues the premiums were paid. The grand jury room in the "state house" was used for the exhibit of needle work, fancy goods, and similar articles. The first fair was largely attended, and was regarded as a complete success; but the exhibits were principally from the northern part of the county, and the payment of bridge toll caused many citizens of that section to refrain from attending after the first enthusiasm had abated, and although fairs were held in 1852, 1853, 1854, and 1855, the enterprise languished, and in 1856 the place of holding the exhibitions was changed to Milton, where a local organization of some strength was developed, and fairs were held annually for some years; in 1868 the exhibition was re- moved to Turbutville, but the length of time it was continued there has not been ascertained.
The Augustaville Farmers' and Mechanics' Association was organized on the 1st of January, 1870, with Elias Emerick, president; S. H. Zimmerman, vice-president, and W. H. Horning, secretary. The word "Horticultural " also appears in the title a short time later. It has not been ascertained how long the association sustained an active existence.
The Northumberland County Agricultural Society was incorporated, No- vember 17, 1871, with the following officers: Joseph Bird, president; John McFarland, vice-president; G. W. Armstrong, secretary; Lemuel Shipman, corresponding secretary; J. H. McCormick, treasurer, and John H. Vincent,
*In 1802 a supplement to the charter of the borough of Sunbury was secured, authorizing the holding of annnal fairs, and Theodorus Kielil, chief burgess, advertized in the Northumberland Ga- zette that the first fair would be held on the 2d and 3d of November in that year, when "persons wishing to dispose of horses, cattle, wagons, carts, or farming utensils of any kind " were assured of sufficient accommodations. This was, in the sense in which the word was then used, the first fair in the county.
20
346
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
assistant recording secretary. Grounds were leased from the Northern Central Railway Company at Sunbury and buildings erected thereon, but the enterprise does not appear to have been a success.
The Union Park and Agricultural Association was organized, April 7, 1873, with Solomon Malick, president; Isaac Campbell, vice-president; Philip H. Moore, recording secretary; Lemuel Shipman, corresponding sec- retary; George B. Cadwallader, treasurer, and William A. Sober, librarian. The buildings erected at Sunbury by the Northumberland County Agricult- ural Society (the second of that name) were secured, and the first fair was held in October, 1873, when the gross receipts amounted to twenty-three hundred dollars, of which thirteen hundred were paid out in premiums. The fairs were continued as late as 1878, and perhaps longer.
The Milton Driving Park and Fair Association was organized in 1885 with the following officers: president, W. Kramer; vice-president, Samuel Hoffa; secretary, W. B. Chamberlin, and treasurer, W. A. Heinen. The grounds comprise twenty-five acres, of which seven are owned by the society. The first fair was held, October 14-17, 1885; the exhibitions have since been continued annually. The constitution prohibits any form of gambling what- ever, and the fairs of this society have maintained a high moral character throughout. It is recognized by the State Department of Agriculture as the county fair for Northumberland county, and receives the annual appropria- tion provided by law.
The Shamokin Agricultural and Driving Park Association was organized on the 1st of April, 1889, with George S. Fisher, president; M. H. Kulp, secretary, and John Schabo, treasurer, who, with John Mullen, Edwin Lud- low, William Beury, John P. Helfenstein, Joseph Wolf, and Darlington R. Kulp, (elected April 5th), constituted the first directory. The association was incorporated, May 6, 1889, with an authorized capital of ten thousand dollars. The first races occurred on the 8th of August, 1889, and the first fair, September 10-14, 1889. The grounds are situated in Ralpho township, two miles from Shamokin; the improvements include a half-mile track, stables, and a road-house.
347
THE SHAMOKIN COAL FIELD.
CHAPTER X.
THE SHAMOKIN COAL FIELD.
IMPORTANCE OF COAL-ITS LOCATION-NAMES OF THE VEINS-THEIR POSITION AND CHARACTER-A WALK FROM THE WEIGH SCALES TO THE CAMERON COLLIERY- ASCENT OF THE GREAT CULM BANK-A TALK WITH THE INSIDE FOREMAN ABOUT THE COAL FORMATION-FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF THE SIXTEEN VEINS FOUND IN THIS REGION-A SECTION OF THE MEASURES-DEPTH OF THE SHAMOKIN COAL BASIN-A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DISTRICTS AND BASINS- PRODUCTION OF THE THREE DISTRICTS-THE QUESTION, "HOW LONG WILL OUR COAL SUPPLY LAST?" ANSWERED.
BY DR. J. J. JOHN.
A LTHOUGH the United States is noted for the great variety and abun- dance of its productions, yet without the aid of this valuable fuel, how could these products be converted into the means of comfort and wealth ? Without the use of coal how could we now carry on our business in all its varied departments? How could we put to work the thousands of our people in manufacturing the many articles and implements that we need in extend- ing our dominion over our wide domain? How could we furnish the neces- sary power to aid skill, enterprise, and capital in its efforts, were it not for the "black diamonds" that lay hidden beneath our soil ?
Coal is indeed the foundation of our prosperity and civilization. It is the most important factor that we possess to furnish power. Its value to the country is beyond all calculation. Its sudden loss would be irreparable. It is said that three hundred pounds of coal will produce power equal to the labor of one man for one year. By the census of 1880 we are informed that the annual production of coal at that time was seventy million tons. Apply forty million tons of this to heating and lighting and the smelting of metals, and the balance to furnishing motor power, and we will have the work of two billions of men performed without the tax of food and clothing.
The wealth and prosperity of a country depend largely upon the abun- dance of coal. Pennsylvania with her large supply of mineral fuel is far more wealthy than those countries that abound in the precious metals. Pro- fessor Newberry says :-
By the power developed from coal all the wheels of industry are kept in motion, commerce is carried with rapidity and certainty over all portions of the earth's surface, the useful metals are brought from the deep caves in which they have hidden them- selves, and are purified and wrought to serve the purposes of man. By coal, night is converted into day, winter into summer, and the life of man, measured by its fruits,
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HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
greatly prolonged. Wealth, with all the comforts, the luxuries, and the triumphs it brings, is its gift. Though black, sooty, and often repulsive in its aspects, it is the embodiment of a power more potent than that attributed to the genii. Its possession is, therefore, the highest material boon that can be craved by a community or nation.
" Dark anthracite! that reddenest on my hearth, Thou in those inland mines didst slumber long, But now thou art come forth to move the earth, And put to shame the men that mean thee wrong; Thou shalt he coals of fire to those that hate thee And warm the shins of all that under-rate thee.
" Yea, they did wrong thee foully-they, who mock'd Thy honest face and said thou wouldst not burn, Of lewing thee to chimney-pieces talked, .And grew profane-and swore, in bitter scorn, That men might to thy inner caves retire, And there, unsinged, abide the day of fire.
"Yet is thy greatness nigh. Thon too shalt be Great in thy turn-and wide shall spread thy fame And swiftly-farthest Maine shall hear of thee, And cold New Brunswick gladden at thy name, And, faintly through its sleets, the weeping isle, That sends the Boston folks their cod, shall smile.
"For thou shalt forge vast railways, and shalt heat The hissing rivers into steam, and drive
Huge masses from thy mines, on iron feet Walking their steady way, as if alive, Northward, till everlasting ice besets thee, And south, as far as the grim Spanlard lets thee.
" Thou shalt make mighty engines swim the sea, Like its own monsters-boats that for a guinea, Will take a man to Havre-and shall be The moving soul of many a spinning jenny, And ply thy shuttles, till a bard can wear . As good a suit of broadcloth as the may'r." .
Nearly all the anthracite coal of America, of which over thirty-five mill- ion tons are now annually mined and shipped, comes from one small district in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. The several coal fields that constitute this district and furnish the enormous tonnage just named, if brought closely together would represent a small space on the map of our State. It would only be a little section of mountainous territory, about twenty miles wide and twenty-five miles long, giving an area of five hundred square miles. This ter- ritory represents about one ninety-secondth part of the entire area of the State, and is not much larger than our own county, which contains four hundred sixty square miles. This anthracite territory lies between the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers and is principally included in the counties of Northum- berland, Schuylkill, Dauphin, Columbia, Carbon, Luzerne, and Lackawanna. The reader, on first reflection, will hardly believe that such vast wealth and such large annual outputs can possibly be drawn from so small a section of country, with an acreage barely sufficient to form a county of moderate size. But on careful reference to maps and reports he will find the statements are correct and will soon come to the conclusion that the anthracite coal region,
349
THE SHAMOKIN COAL FIELD.
though barren and forbidding in appearance, is really the richest section of our Commonwealth.
Different authorities have given different divisions of the anthracite region, but they are practically the same in results.
The following division in five distinct coal fields, with square miles and ton- nage, is thought to be as satisfactory as any :-
1st, or Southern coal field, 140 sq. mi., 10% of production.
2d, or Northern coal field, 200 sq. mi., 50% of production.
3d, or Western Middle coal field, 90 sq. mi., 25% of production.
4th, or Eastern Middle coal field, 40 sq. mi., 15% of production.
5th, or Western Northern coal field, 30 sq. mi. Total 500 sq. mi. 100%.
The third, or Western Middle 'coal field, is composed of two parts, the Mahanoy or Eastern district of forty square miles and the Shamokin or West- ern district of fifty square miles. The Shamokin district, the part that is treated of in this chapter, embraces that portion of the Western Middle coal field that is in Northumberland county, and represents about one tenth of the entire anthracite region. This territory is contained in Coal, Mt. Carmel, and Zerbe townships, with outcrops of the Buck Mountain and Lykens Val- ley veins in Cameron township. The greater part of this district is drained by Shamokin creek and its tributaries. This district is divided by several anticlinals into a number of basins, of which more will be said in another part of the article. The Shamokin coal district is bounded on the north by the Big mountain, and on the south by the Locust and Mahanoy mountains. It is about two and one half miles in width and twenty miles in length, ex- tending from the county line on the east to a point about two miles west of Trevorton, where the basin terminates and the underlying Mauch Chunk red shale comes to the surface. There are some sixteen veins found in this dis- trict, the average total thickness of which is said to exceed sixty feet.
NOMENCLATURE OF VEINS. 1
It is thought proper at this point to give the names of the coal seams that are found in our region. Professor Lesley states that it is useless and impossible, until we are better acquainted with the subject, to prepare a nomenclature that will satisfactorily apply to all the anthracite coal fields. The writer has adopted the plan used by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, believing it to be the best adapted for the present pur- pose. In this plan the seams are designated by numbers, to which are added the local names given to them in Schuylkill county and Shamokin.
Beginning at the top of the coal formation in our region and descending to and into the conglomerate the nomenclature will appear as follows :-
350
HISTORY OF NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY.
No. 17, Little Tracy.
16, Tracy.
15, Little Diamond.
66 14, Diamond.
13, Little Orchard.
12, Orchard.
11, Primrose.
10, Holmes or Church or Black Heath.
9, Mammoth-Upper Split or Crosby. Mammoth-Middle Split or Lelar.
No. 8, Mammoth-Lower Split or Daniel.
7, Skidmore or Tape Vein.
6, Seven Feet.
5, Buck Mountain.
3 and 4, Lykens Valley-Upper.
1 and 2, Lykens Valley-Lower. Pottsville Conglomerate.
Mauch Chunk Red Shale.
Pocono Sandstone.
POSITION AND CHARACTER OF THE VEINS AT SHAMOKIN.
In order to obtain a clear idea of this subject, suppose we start at the Weigh Scales, located in the gap of the Little mountain. This mountain represents the No. X or Pocono sandstone formation, the outermost rim of the Shamokin coal basin, which at this point is about six hundred feet in thick- ness. Crossing over to the roadbed of the Reading railroad, we will leis- urely pursue our course towards the city of Shamokin. In so doing we will cross diagonally a narrow valley (Brush valley), which lies between Little and Big mountains. This represents No. XI or the Mauch Chunk red shale, and is the filling between the outer and inner rims of the coal basin. The thick- ness of this red shale filling is supposed to be two thousand feet. Proceed- ing on towards Shamokin, we leave this valley and enter the gap of the Big mountain. One of the finest opportunities for the study of geology of the coal formations is now presented to us. The Shamokin creek, which has its source in the eastern part of the basin, and in its course thus far has fol- lowed the great trough of coal, here suddenly deflects to the north and breaks through the two rocky barriers of the coal basin and makes its way through older formations to the Susquehanna. At this point we have the east and west walls of the Big mountain to study. Here, as we leave the red shale, we meet No. XII, the Pottsville conglomerate, the inner rim of the basin, which here measures about six hundred feet in thickness. At this point the measures are so well exposed by the grading of the Reading railroad and the improvements of the Cameron colliery located here, that but little diffi- culty is met in studying their general character. We here find that the rocks have a south pitch from forty to fifty degrees.
While standing at this point we will notice that the veins at Shamokin may be divided into three series, as follows :-
1st .- The underlying veins of Lykens Valley and Buck Mountain repre- sented by Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 imbedded in the Pottsville conglomerate.
2d .- The middle veins, consisting of the Seven Feet, Skidmore, and Mam- moth, being 6, 7, 8, and 9, lying between the Pottsville conglomerate and an upper small pebble conglomerate.
3d .- The upper lying veins, consisting of the Holmes, Primrose, Orchard,
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THE SHAMOKIN COAL FIELD.
etc., lying between the small conglomerate, and the slates and shales for covering.
The first and third series are principally red and pink ash, and the second series white or gray ash.
While standing here we notice that the northern outcrop of the Lykens Valley takes place on the crest of the Big mountain, and a short distance down on the south side the Buck Mountain comes to the surface and disap- pears. Lower down the mountain the outcrops of the Skidmore, Mammoth, Holmes, Primrose, and Orchard will successively appear in regular order.
A few hours spent at this interesting geological point, in company with some intelligent miner, will afford the student a better and more practical knowledge of our coal formation than days spent in poring over works that treat learnedly upon the subject, but often only to confuse the reader. Mr. William H. Marshall, a prominent practical geologist of this region some forty years ago, remarked to the writer, that the best lessons he ever had on the coal measures were obtained in a similar manner.
The lowest depth of coal formation in the Shamokin district is said to be at or near the gap, in Shamokin, though some experienced miners contend it is at the Henry Clay basin. The depth of the coal basin at Shamokin is supposed to exceed one thousand seven hundred feet below water level, to which add the vertical height of Big mountain of eight hundred feet more will give clear run of two thousand five hundred feet. The level of the creek at the Cameron colliery is six hundred ninety feet above tide, and the top of Big mountain at this point is eight hundred ten feet above the creek.
The reader now, in company with the experienced inside foreman, will be asked to ascend the great culm bank that stands at the Cameron colliery, and which so well represents the enormous wastage that is connected with mining. This towering pile of fine coal, slate, and dirt is of itself a curi- osity, an object that never fails to attract the attention of strangers on their first visit to our city. The ascent is steep, but, by gradual stages of walking and rest, the summit is reached. But what a scene is spread before his eyes! Surprise and pleasure will greet him at one and the same time. A large section of the Shamokin coal field will lay spread out before him, divided into basins and sub-basins, showing surface and contour, elevation and depression, dips and saddles, as fully in many respects as if drawn from maps and books. The view will be a perfect object lesson in geology. His miner teacher will now commence his instruction to an interested pupil with only the book of Nature to study from. Only a brief abstract of this lesson can be given in this article.
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