History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 10

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell
Number of Pages: 604

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EARLY RAILROADS.

In the year 1829 the following railroads from the

HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

shipping ports to the mines were put under con struction:

The Schuylkill Valley Railroad, commencing at Port Carbon, the head of navigation, and terminating at Tus- carora, a distance of ten miles, with fifteen branch rail- roads intersecting it, the distances combined amounting to about ten miles. This road was in partial operation during the year 1829.

The Mill Creek Railroad, extending from Port Carbon up the valley of the Mill creek four miles, with about three miles of branch roads intersecting it. This was the first road completed and was in operation part of the year 1829.

The Mine Hill and Schuylkill Haven Railroad, com- mencing at Schuylkill Haven and terminating at Broad mountain, having a length, including the west branch, of fifteen miles. There were also about five miles of branches intersecting it.

The Mount Carbon Railroad, commencing at Mount Carbon and extending up the east and west branches of the Norwegian creek; length of road seven miles.

The Little Schuylkill Railroad, from Port Clinton to Tamaqua, twenty miles in length, was likewise projected this year.

The superstructure of all these roads was a wooden rail strapped with flat bar iron.

The Schuylkill Valley Railroad was completed on the 12th of July, 1830. Soon afterward, as an experiment, twenty-one cars were loaded with coal by Aquilla Bolton, the proprietor of the Belmont mines, about two miles above Port Carbon, and hauled to the landing with great ease by three horses, the cars being under perfect con - trol of the brakes, so as to stop at the weigh scales and move on again without assistance. It would have taken fifty horses to haul the same quantity of coal over the common roads in wagons. In the year 1830 19,426 tons of coal were passed over the road.

The Mount Carbon Railroad was completed in the spring of 1831. Transportation commenced on the 19th of April, on which day the interesting spectacle of a train of cars loaded with anthracite was seen descending the road for the first time. The coal with which the cars were filled was mined by Samuel J. Potts from the cele- brated Spohn vein. This event ended the road wagon transportation of coal through the town of Pottsville.

hauling marble, and with sixteen horses hauled to Schuyl- kill county.

During the progress of the coal trade the railroads no- ticed above had been greatly extended, and after the com- pletion of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad they were reconstructed, with a wider gauge and an iron rail.

It is a notable circumstance that to Abraham Pott, a pioneer coal operator, belongs the honor of having built the first railroad in Schuylkill county, in Pennsylvania, and perhaps in the United States. A railroad which was about half a mile in length, and extended from the junc- tion of Mill creek and the Schuylkill river to a point in the Black valley, was built by him in 1826-27. It had an entirely wooden superstructure, and was successfully operated. Mr. Pott was the first to use drop bottom cars, with wheels fixed to the axles. He erected a steam engine in 1829 to drive a saw-mill-the first steam engine in the county. To him belongs the credit of being the first to use anthracite coal for the generation of steam for a steam engine.

EARLV DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRADE.

The coal trade from 1825 to 1829 inclusive had been very encouraging to the operators. All the coal that could be mined found a ready market at fair prices. The following is a statement of the number of tons shipped from the Schuylkill region during these years, with the price per ton obtained at Pottsville : 1825, 6,500, $3.08; 1826, 16,767, $2.80; 1827, 31,360, $2.80; 1828, 47,284, $2.52; 1829, 79,973, $2.52.

This result inspired a buoyant feeling among the pro- ducers at the beginning of the year 1830 in contempla- ting the prospects of the trade for the ensuing season. The market was in a healthy condition. The superiority of anthracite as a fuel for domestic, for manufacturing and for steam generating purposes was gaining recogni- tion, and its popularity was enhanced with its introduc- tion into more general use. All the indications pointed to a greatly increased consumption in the near future, and it seemed to warrant the preparation made to meet the probable demand. The Schuylkill canal was in or- der for business on the first of April. The coal operators were felicitating themselves upon their glorious prospects. At no previous period had they indulged in greater ex- pectations. The turmoil of business resounded in the streets of Pottsville. Coal wagons, in a continuous train, were conveying the treasure of the mines to the landings;

The Little Schuylkill Railroad was completed a few weeks before the close of navigation in 1831. On the 18th of November of that year the opening of the road the wharves presented an enlivening picture of activity; was celebrated at Tamaqua. A grand entertainment was there was talk of having relays of horses on the canal to hasten the transit of anthracite to the markets where it was so anxiously expected. Great impatience was dis- played at the snail-paced way of dragging along on the canal, with one horse, and that only in the daytime. Coal was king, and all the people in the coal region were his worshipers. given. On Monday, March 11th, 1833, a novel and in- teresting spectacle was presented on the road. A trial trip was made by a locomotive engine, running from Port Clinton to Tamaqua. It excited considerable interest, as it was the first locomotive introduced in Schuylkill coun- ty. The superstructure of the railroad was too light for the engine, which spread the rails and ran into the river. It was used afterward as a shifting engine at Tamaqua. FLUCTUATIONS AND EMBARRASSMENTS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING 1830. It is said that the engine was shipped from Liverpool to Philadelphia, where it was loaded on a wagon used for To this impulsive enthusiasm there was, unfortunately,

COAL PRODUCTION.

a check before these flattering hopes had time to blos- som. The movement of the trade had but fairly started when a series of misfortunes occurred on the canal; leaks and breaches and damaged locks interrupted the navigation. The shippers became vehement with impa- tience at the supposed tardiness of the superintendents who had charge of the repairs, and at the inefficiency and parsimonious policy of the managers of the naviga- tion company, who could not be made to appreciate the exigency of the occasion. At length on the 17th of May the navigation was restored, but complaints that the canal did not afford sufficient accommodation for the trade continued to be made throughout the season.

The sequel to all this outcry and protestation was an overstocked market at the close of the season. The amount sent from the Schuylkill region was 89,984 tons; an increase of 10,011 tons over the supply of the preced- ing year. The aggregate supply from all the regions was 175,209 tons, being an increase of 63,126 tons over the supply of 1829. The actual consumption of anthracite coal in 1830 was 126,581 tons, or 48,628 tons less than the supply. The prices of coal were fair in the spring, and they averaged for the year $2.52 per ton at Potts- ville and $5.50 to $6 per ton at Philadelphia. As the season advanced prices receded, and before the follow- ing spring they were as low as $4.50 per ton in Philadel- phia by the cargo.

The year 1831 forms an important epoch in the Schuyl- kill coal trade. It was then it met with its first serious reverse, induced by overproduction. The market was broken down by an excess in the supply of the previous year of not over fifty thousand tons. Half a century afterward an excess of millions of tons would be required to produce an equal effect. Truly, the trade was in its infancy. Prices of coal declined to $1.50 per ton at Pottsville and $4 per ton in Philadelphia. Miners' wages were reduced to $1 per day, laborers' to 82 cents. All together the situation was deplorable. It was the first serious revulsion the trade had encountered, and it was destined to become the first of a long series of periodical inflictions.

In the meantime the low prices of coal had effected almost insensibly a greatly augmented consumption, especially for household purposes. In the beginning of autumn the demand became unprecedented. The min- ers and boatmen, who had sought other employment during the stagnation of the trade, could not be brought back in time to mine and transport coal enough to supply the market. The scarcity of workmen caused an advance in wages. Canal freights rose from $1.12 to $2.50 per ton to Philadelphia, and from Philadelphia to New York from $1 to $2 per ton. On the 3d of December Schuyl- kill coal was selling at $9.50 in New York, advancing to $17 by the 26th of the same month.

The business of the year 1832 was distinguished by unvarying and unexampled prosperity-it was an oasis in the trade, affording unmingled and general satisfac- tion. The first boat of the season was shipped by the Schuylkill canal on the 28th of March. Loud cheers

and several salutes of fire-arms testified to the satisfaction of the spectators. The amount of coal sent from the Schuylkill region in 1832 was 209,271 tons, an increase over the supply of the preceding year of 127,417 tons. The average price of coal during the year was $2.37 at Pottsville, against $1.50 in 1831.

An embarrassing feature of the coal business in 1832 was the great scarcity of boats. Freights, which started at $1.50 per ton to Philadelphia (which was deemed a fair rate), advanced to $3.75 per ton before the close of the season. The prevalence of the Asiatic cholera in Philadelphia during the summer alarmed the boatmen, and many boats were withdrawn from the trade during the worst stage of the epidemic. The few boatmen who continued were only induced to remain by the increased wages they received. The dealers, becoming uneasy in regard to their supplies, instructed their agents to for- ward their coal as soon as possible, without a limit as to freights. From this time may be dated the origin of an element in the trade which became very harassing and uncontrollable. The freights on the canal, whenever there was a good demand for coal or whenever boats were scarce, were advanced at a rate beyond the bounds of moderation or fair dealing. The boatmen were sharp and unscrupulous, and they quickly took advantage of every circumstance which could be made to inure to their benefit. It became a common practice for the shipper or his agent to travel down the towing path ten or fifteen miles, if necessary, to charter boats, which could only be secured by an advance in freight at the expense of the consignee, and a bonus of five or ten dol- lars at the expense of the shipper. This intolerable prac- tice was not entirely broken up until the navigation company became the owner of a majority of the boats and was enabled thereby to control and regulate the freights on the canal.

COAL MINING ASSOCIATIONS.

In the month of January, 1832, the "Coal Mining Association of Schuylkill County " was organized. It was composed exclusively of master colliers, and those immediately connected with mining. In the roll of its members can be found the names of pioneers in the coal trade, who were distinguished for force of character and superior enterprise. The following is a list of the officers in 1822 : President, Burd Patterson; vice-president, John C. Offerman; treasurer, Samuel Lewis; secretaries, Andrew Russel and Charles Lawton. In connection with the association there was a board of trade, composed of the following prominent gentlemen, who were identified with the anthracite coal trade and its early history : Benjamin H. Springer, Samuel Brooke, Samuel J. Potts, M. Brooke Buckley, James E. White, Thomas S. Ridg- way and Martin Weaver. In the first report of the asso- ciation, the board estimated the amount of capital invest- ed in the Schuylkill coal trade up to that time as follows :

The cost of the railroads, including the Mill creek, Schuylkill Valley, Mount Carbon, Mine Hill and Schiy ..

HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

kill Haven and the Little Schuylkill, was about $656,000; the amount invested in coal lands and buildings in the county was estimated at $600,000; the amount expend- ed in opening veins of coal, in building fixtures, cars, etc., connected with mining, was $200,000; to which may be added 500 boats, averaging $500 each, $250,000; and the total investment is shown to have been $7, 106,- 000. The saving in the cost of fuel since the introduc- tion of anthracite coal was estimated by the board as being then $6,000,000 annually. Not an individual miner engaged in the business since its commencement was supposed to have realized a cent of profit.

ANTI-MONOPOLISTS.

industry." Samuel J. Packer, the chairman of the com- mittee, made a very able, lengthy and exhaustive report. It took decided ground against the incorporation of coal companies, especially when combined with the control of railroads and canals.

CRUDE VIEWS CONCERNING COAL DEPOSITS.

To what extent the coal seams extended downward was a matter of great curiosity and speculation in 1833. Although it was believed that the beds above the water level would not be exhausted during that generation, the North American Coal Company, Robert Young, M. Brooke Buckley, and Blight Wallace & Co., more as a matter of experiment or convenience than necessity, and as a means of ascertaining the relative expense of operat- ing above and below water level, were engaged in sink- ing shafts to a considerable depth. Beside the fact that the coal did descend to an unknown depth, their experi- ments, it is fair to presume, were not of much utility, the means adopted being entirely inadequate to the purpose intended. The undulation of the seams, forming basins and saddles, was not understood. Every outcrop was regarded as a distinct vein, but whether they ran through to our antipodes, or wedged out in Gnomes' land-the sphere of the guardian of mines and quarries-was a mooted question among the miners. That the veins should stop their descent and return to the surface in another locality was never dreamed of in their philosophy.

An earnest and increasing opposition to incorporated coal companies in the Schuylkill region, which had agi- tated the public mind for some time, culminated in 1833 in demonstrations of determined hostility, expressed in public meetings, in communications to the press, in me- morials to the Legislature, and in well sustained public and private argument and discussion. It was contended that acts of incorporation were unnecessary, all the transactions of the coal trade coming within the scope of individual enterprise. In the year 1833 and a num- ber of years subsequently, coal mining operations in the Schuylkill region were conducted with rude simplicity and economy, very little capital being required for their successful prosecution. The workings were all above the water level, no machinery being required for water " Nearly twenty years since," said Henry C. Carey, the great writer on Political Economy, at the McGinnes testimonial presentation in 1854, " Mr. Burd Patterson and myself were associated in sinking the first slope, by help of which our people were made acquainted with the extent of the wealth by which they were surrounded. Until then, strange as it may now seem, it was universally believed that the coal stopped at the water level-that the seams did not penetrate far down; and that idea had been apparently confirmed by the unsuccessful result of an attempt at going below the level, that had been made drainage or for hoisting the coal to the surface. Coal breakers and other expensive fixtures and ap- pliances for the preparation of coal had not then been introduced. There were at that time were many rented mines properly and successfully worked, which had not at any time required or had expended upon them a capital of five hundred dollars each. There were many operators sending from five thousand to six thousand tons to market annually (which was then considered a respectable business) that had not at any time a capital employed of as many thousands of dollars, by the North American Coal Company. We were then including the first purchase in fee simple of the coal laughed at; but we proceeded and thus established the fact that the quantity of coal was ten times greater than had ever been supposed." The slope alluded to by Mr. Carey, the sinking of which was promoted by himself and Burd Patterson, was sunk by Dr. Gideon G. Palmer, the practical work being under the superintendence of George Spencer. mine. It was confidently asserted that it did not re- quire as much capital to buy a piece of coal land and open the coal mines upon it as it did to buy a decent farm and stock it ; it did not require as much capital to work a coal mine as it did to establish a line of stages or transportation wagons. Hence the granting of acts of incorporation with associated capital was unnecessary The belief that the coal above water level would not be exhausted in that generation proved a delusion to many of the operators. Already in 1835 preparations were being extensively made to sink to lower depths for a continuous supply. Several slopes were under progress in that year, among the number one on the Black mine, within the limits of the borough of Pottsville; one on the tract of land known as the York farm, one at St. Clair and another about three miles east of Port Carbon. The North American Coal Company had sunk two slopes, one of which was in operation, the other was waiting the for mining purposes, and they were only procured for stock gambling purposes. On the 19th of March, 1833, a committee was appointed by the Legislature of Pennsyl- vania " to investigate the present state of the coal trade within this Commonwealth and the history of the mining operations generally, with a view to ascertain the effect the incorporated companies, with mining and trading privileges, will have on the progress of the business and the improvement and prosperity of the State; and also to inquire what further legislative provisions will be neces- sary to protect, facilitate and encourage this branch of l erection of a steam engine.

THE COAL TRADE IN 1834-36-BOATMEN'S RIOTS.

VICISSITUDES OF THE TRADE.

The coal trade opened in the year 1834 under less favorable auspices than had distinguished it for some years previously. The general stagnation of business incident to a financial panic and a grave political con- vulsion, such as then agitated the nation, precluded the possibility of large shipments or great activity in the business. The amount of coal held over on the ist of April from the supply of the preceding year was esti- mated at 120,000 tons, which was about one-fourth of the total production. This fact, together with the dimin- ished consumption by manufacturers during the first half of the year, had a tendency to seriously check the de- mand. The effect, upon the laboring classes in the coal region, of this blight upon this great industry was se- verely felt. About one thousand workingmen were thrown out of employment in the Schuylkill region alone.

The opinion was very generally entertained that the prospect of the trade for the year 1835 wore a favorable aspect. A continued increase in the consumption for household and manufacturing purposes could be relied upon with confidence; and the recent application of an- thracite coal to the purpose of steam navigation could be reasonably expected to greatly extend its use. The be- lief was in fact warranted that the demand and consump- tion for this year would be commensurate with the ex- pectations of those who would derive advantage there- from. The incentives to enterprise and industry were irresistible to the coal operators, who were naturally in- clined to see a silver lining to every cloud, and who were generally under the influence of the fascination which characterized the pursuit of mining; a pursuit the haz- ards and precariousness of which gave it additional zest and piquancy, in view of a possible bonanza.

The expectations of the operators were happily realized in this instance. The shipments of coal from the Schuyl- kill region show a gain over those of the preceding year of 119,796 tons, all of which had been consumed by the first of April, 1836.

THE BOATMEN'S STRIKE.

Among the notable events of the coal trade of 1835 the turnout of the boatmen and the demonstrations made by them produced the greatest sensation. In May inti- mations were given of the intended combination to raise the freights on the Schuylkill canal. In June the con- spiracy culminated in coercive measures and acts of vio- lence; the movement being animated by the crews of forty or fifty boats. Hamburg was made the centre of operations, the base of its supplies, and the field for ob- structive measures against the movement of the coal trade. Boats were stopped and contributions extorted from their crews to meet the expenses incurred by the strikers. Acts of violence were committed, outrages perpetrated, and by force of intimidation the business on the canal was almost entirely suspended. Finally indi- viduals were assailed with stones and other missiles; a reign of terror prevailed at Hamburg and its vicinity,

and the mob pursued its insurrectionary measures with impunity. The civil authorities connived at the lawless proceedings of the rioters, and by their culpable apathy afforded them encouragement. The interruption to the trade on the canal became at length a very serious and intolerable evil, involving severe loss and suffering to thousands of people, who were interrupted in their daily avocations by the closing up of the only avenue to mar- ket for the produce of the country. An attempt was made by some prominent citizens of Pottsville to pass up a boat, with a view of testing the accuracy of the reports of the conduct of the boatmen. They were resisted by a formidable force and violence committed upon their persons. This led to the arrest of seventeen of the prin- cipal offenders. A descent was made upon Pottsville by about three hundred of the rioters, headed by a band of music and with banners flying. They met with a warm reception; several of the leaders were arrested, while others made their escape, being hotly pursued for several miles by the sheriff. Thus after nearly three weeks in- terruption to the trade the boatmen's rebellion was sub- dued. At the November term of the court in Reading ten of the offenders were arraigned on a trial for con- spiracy. They pleaded guilty to the charge, and, at the request of the prosecutors not to fine or imprison them, they were sentenced to pay a fine of one cent and the costs of prosecution.

FLUCTUATIONS IN 1836.

The fluctuations in the coal trade were remarkably exemplified in the year 1836. The movement of coal commenced unusually late in the spring, after a severe winter. The market was bare of coal, and the demand for it was active and urgent, from the beginning of the boating season to its close by frost, at an earlier period than usual. During the first half of the season the prices of coal were moderate, ranging from $2 to $2.25 per ton at Pottsville. After that time an apprehension of a short supply induced redoubled exertions to increase the yield of the mines. The usual result followed. Miners be- came scarce and their wages rose rapidly. A supply of them and of laborers of every description could not be procured, and those already employed became demoral- ized by the high wages they were receiving. They be- came exacting and unreasonable in their demands, and aggressive in conduct toward their employers. Another difficulty encountered was a scarcity of boats. All the boat builders on the line were fully employed, but they could not keep pace with the growth of the trade .. Freights advanced from $1.25 per ton to Philadelphia in the spring to $2 per ton at the close of the season. Runners were employed on the line of the canal to secure ascending boats, and day and night a sharp and vigilant. competition prevailed. In sympathy with the rise in prices of other commodities, and the increased cost of its production, anthracite coal advanced in price to $3 per ton at Pottsville before the close of navigation.

The production from the Schuylkill region in 1836 was 448,995 tons, a gain over the shipments of the pre ..

HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

ceding year of 90,418 tons. During this year there were shipped from Philadelphia in 2,924 vessels to distant ports 313,838 tons of anthracite coal.

FIRST SHIPMENT DIRECT TO NEW YORK.

Although the Delaware and Raritan canal had been completed and in navigable order since the fall of 1834, no steps had been taken to use the facilities it afforded for transportation to New York by the Schuylkill coal trade up to the year 1837. At length Colonel John M. Crossland, a boat builder in Pottsville-a man of spirit, energy and dash-conceived the idea of making an ex- perimental voyage by this route, with a view of testing its practicability and if successful of bringing its advant- ages into public notice. Accordingly, having built a boat for the purpose which he named the " Adventurer " -an open boat without deck covering, furnished with a mast, sail, cordage, windlass and anchor-he departed from Pottsville on the 30th of August, 1837, with a cargo of coal bound for New York. It being the initial voyage by this route, great interest was taken in the enterprise, and fervent hopes were entertained that its issue would be prosperous; for, in the event of its success, it would probably be followed by regular shipments of coal by the same route.

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History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 10

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell Number of Pages: 604

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: New York, W. W. Munsell
Number of Pages: 604