History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

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

USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 16

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The wages in 1874 were : for miners, $13 per week; inside labor, $11 per week; outside labor, $10 per week, when the price of coal was $2.50 per ton at Port Carbon and to rise one cent to every three cents advance in the price of coal above $2.50 per ton. These terms were sub- mitted to a committee of the Miners and Laborers' Benevolent Association on the ist of January, 1875. After some discussion they were rejected, and an order issued by the officers of the association that work at the mines should be stopped immediately. Thus was inau- gurated the celebrated "long strike " of 1875. The con- flict of labor against capital, which had been prosecuted so aggressively through the agency of the Workingmen's Benevolent Association ever since its organization, reached a decisive issue this year, after a six months' struggle of the most determined character that had yet taken place, culminating in the overthrow of the miners' combinations and the permanent rescue of the property of the proprietors of the collieries from the arbitrary con- trol of an irresponsible trade union; as well as the eman- cipation of the workingmen themselves from the power of the political and professional agitators who had so long controlled them. In this prolonged and bitter con- test the workingmen-or those who assumed to act for them-resorted to their usual methods during strikes, of intimidation, violence, outrage, incendiarism and assassi- nation. A reign of terror prevailed, unchecked for a period, throughout the anthracite coal fields. The per- nicious combination of the miners had fastened itself like an incubus upon the coal-producing interest, and the individual operators were too weak to cast it off; but the strikers now had to contend with the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company as well.

At the end of the strike, in the middle of June, there was a deficiency in the supply of coal, compared with that of the previous year to the corresponding period, of 2,400,000 tons, nearly all of which was made up by the end of the year. The decrease from the Schuylkill region, however, was 689,011 tons. The prices were maintained, with monthly advances, by the Board of Control of the Associated Coal Companies. The prices in November, compared with those of November, 1874, show a reduction of fifty cents per ton on lump, steamer and broken sizes, twenty-five cents on egg and thirty-five cents on stove. The wages of the men working on the sliding scale varied from two to six per cent. above the basis of $2.50 per ton for coal at Port Carbon.

Mining operations were brought to a close in the Schuylkill region in 1875 on the first of December, the

THE COAL TRADE IN 1877, 1878 AND 1879.

market being fully supplied, and the wharves at Port ing, 28.625; Ixhigh Valley, 19 75; New Jersey Central, Richmond and all other depositories overflowing with coal. Before the trade of 1876 could begin to move a large depletion of the stocks on hand was absolutely ne- cessary. Consequently, there was very little coal mined until the following April, and in two months afterward such stagnation prevailed that suspensions were ordered every alternate week by the Coal Exchange, and the Board of Control of the Associated Coal Companies re- duced the monthly allotments. The peculiar condition of the coal trade this year, arising from the undercon- sumption of coal, caused by the general prostration of industrial interests, seemed to indicate the necessity for a regulating and controlling power in the management to Coal Tonnage. Cost of Coal Mined by Month. Coal and Iron Co. Railroad. at Profit. Loss. Breaker a greater degree than had ever existed before, and it was with unconcealed apprehension that the coal operators received the intelligence of the dissolution of the organi- Mined by Coal and Iron Co. zation called the Associated Coal Companies, on the 22nd of August. Following the disruption of the association Tons. Tons. ('wt. was the sacrifice of half a million of tons of coal at public Dec., 1877 647.727 03 361,829 06 $0.95 1-10 $400,488.23 Jan., 1878 231,323/11 96.935.03 2.38 1-10 auction, at prices that would not pay the freight to de- Feb., 229.260 00 .. 65.680 18 liver it, and about $2.50 below the August circular rates. Mar., ... 173.462 01 89.324 06 2.16 4-10 3.12 9-10 197.955.31 408,620 09 April, 189,983|03. 1.26 7-10 New schedules of prices were announced, based on an May, 513.614 04 ..... 484,165.83 1.14 June, 440.722 04 ..... 240,057 061 211,695.28 approximation to this great reduction; transportation July, .... 333.193 06 754,673 15 191,880 03 1.07 5-10 1.36 7-10 ... 688,588.15 588,660.14 Aug., .. ..... 341,129 03 1.10 8-10 1.49 5-10 was lowered correspondingly, and the wages of the oper- Sept., 327.539 15 ........ 139.736 11 683,076 15 Oct., 803,807 17 66 Nov., 299,268 02 378,590 14 .91 8-10 atives were reduced fifteen to twenty-five per cent. to 695,332|10 1.10 5-10 688,281.10 956,283,03 meet the changed circumstances. Operators worked their collieries experimentally, to solve the problem whether the loss would be greater to work or to stand idle.

FREE COMPETITION VS. ASSOCIATION.

The average price received for coal during 1877 on board vessels at Philadelphia was $2.41 per ton, or about $I per ton less than the lowest prices previously known, and about the value of the coal in the coal region. The only compensation to be expected from these low rates was the extension given to the consumption of anthracite coal, by its entrance into new markets and by the stimulus it afforded manufacturing industries. The amount of anthracite sent to market this year was 20,828,179 tons, an excess of 2,327, 168 tons over the supply of the pre- vious year. The amount sent from the Schuylkill and Shamokin regions was 8,195,042 tons, 1,973,108 more than in the previous year. The coal tonnage of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, including 152,742 tons of bituminous coal was 7,255,317 tons, an excess of 1,660, 111 over that of the previous year. These figures represent a heavy trade, and they likewise repre- sent a heavy loss to the producer. So dissatisfied were the producers with the result of "free competition " in 1877 that another combination was formed on the 16th of January, 1878, for the government of the trade of that year. The immediate effect was to advance prices of coal fifty cents per ton. A large curtailment of produc- tion was determined upon during the winter months, which was effected by suspension of work at the collieries. The following percentages of the coal tonnage were allotted to the several interests: Philadelphia and Read-

12.905; Delaware, Lackawanna and Western, 12.75; Dela- ware and Hudson, 12.48; Pennsylvania Railroad, 7.625; Pennsylvania Coal Company, 5.865. The trade was very dull, and the association of coal companies was unable to secure for coal a sufficiently increased price to compen- sate for the great restriction of production found neces- sary, and consequently the anticipations formed of profits to result from the combination were not realized. The operation of restricting the production of the Philadel- phia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, and its effect upon the business of that company and the railroad com- pany, is exhibited in the following table :

Net Profit and Loss of both Companies.

$107,652.91

236.174.82

87,638.98

7,522.43

5.909,140/04 2,727,608 01 $1.23 7-10 $4.213.117.07 8438,989.14

The above table indicates that in open competition for the market, with the admitted excellence and great variety of Schuylkill coal, and no restriction imposed upon pro- duction, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company had no cause to fear any of its competitors in the coal trade. But it does not follow that the restrictions im- posed upon production in 1878 were not necessary and beneficial to the trade generally. The benefits resulting from the " combination " were the actual consumption of all surplus coal and the ability to secure fair prices in the future, which it was impossible to obtain so long as the large production kept the market overstocked.

The amount of anthracite coal sent to market in 1878 was 17,605,262 tons, a decrease of 3,222,917 from the supply of 1877. The amount of coal sent to market from the Schuylkill, Mahanoy and Shamokin regions in 1878 was 6,282,226 tons, a decrease of 1,912,816 from the supply of the preceding year. The decrease in the coal tonnage of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company in 1878 compared with that of 1877 was 1,346,177 tons.

The restriction of production in 1878 made room for and rendered profitable the extraordinary production of 1879. In the latter year the trade was much improved, the demand active at low prices, and the consumption largely increased ; but the supply of coal was excessive, and the result of the year's operations afforded another example of the irrepressible tendency of the producing interest to over production. In 1879 the Schuylkill re- gion produced 8,960,329 tons, 2,678,103 more than in 1878 ; the Lehigh region 4,595,567 tons, an increase of 1,358, 118 over 1878; and the Wyoming region 12,586,293

HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

tons, 4,500,706 above the production of 1878; total, 26,142,189 tons, an increase of 8,536,927 over 1878. The coal tonnage of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad in 1879 was 8, 147,580 tons, an excess of 2,238,440 tons over that of 1878.

The aggregate amount of anthracite coal sent to mar- ket from the year 1820-the beginning of the trade-to the Ist of January, 1880, was 384,012,046 tons. Of this amount 155,693,353 tons were from the Schuylkill re- gion ; 71,415,446 from the Lehigh region, and 156,903, 247 from the Wyoming region. In this statement the Schuyl- kill region is credited with all the coal sent to market and reported from the Southern or Schuylkill coal field ( except the eastern end of the basin, which has its out- let by the Lehigh ), from the Mahanoy district, and from Columbia and Northumberland counties ; the Lehigh re- gion is credited with all the coal sent to market and re- ported from the eastern end of the Southern coal-field and from the detached basins in the middle coal field ;

the Wyoming region is credited with all the coal sent to of the Delaware on the eastern and those of the western market and reported from the Northern coal field. The amount of anthracite coal produced and not reported was at least 20,000,000 tons, making the aggregate pro- duction 404,012,246 tons. According to the estimate of Professor P. W. Sheafer we still have, after allowing sixty-six per cent. for waste, 8,786,858,666 tons to send to market. By the year 1900 we will reach our probable maximum annual production of 50,000,000 tons, and will finally exhaust the supply in 186 years. At the rate of production in 1879 the Northern coal field is being rapidly exhausted : the Middle coal field will cease ex- tensive mining in about twenty years ; and the source of supply beyond that period will be largely from the Southern coal field in the deep basins of Schuylkill county.

CHAPTER VI.

LAND TITLES IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY-THE FIRST SETTLERS AND THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS.

HE title to the soil in Schuylkill county cannot be traced farther back than to the time when Hudson first entered the Delaware bay, or to the time when, seven years later, skipper Cornelius Hendricksen ascended the Delaware river as far as the mouth of the Schuylkill.

By reason of priority of discovery the Dutch claimed both political jurisdiction and the title to the soil, and the English set up a counter claim of priority because the first discoverer, Hudson, though in the ser vice of the Dutch, was born in England. Both acted under the assumption that the heathen who possessed the country had no rights which Christians were bound to respect.

In 1681, King Charles the Second of England, for a

consideration of £16,000, granted to William Penn by charter the title to what is now the State of Pennsyl- vania. It is recorded of the devil that he once proposed on certain conditions to grant a title to the kingdoms of the earth, when his right to do so was considered quite as questionable as was that of King Charles afterwards to sell this region. William Penn and his successors in their dealings with the natives treated the charter which he had received from the king of England as a grant of the right of pre-emption only, and by treaties and pur- chases at different times extinguished the Indian title to such portions of the province as were required for settle- ment by reason of the influx of immigrants.

In 1732, by a deed to John, Thomas and Richard Penn, the title was acquired to all the lands "lying on or near the river Schuylkill or any of the branches, streams, fountains, or springs thereof," between the " Lechaig hills " and the "Keekachtanemin hills " (Blue or Kittatinny mountains), and between the branches side; and in 1736 a deed was executed to the same pro- prietaries of the Susquehanna river and all lands on both sides of it "eastward as far as the heads of the branches or springs which run into the said Susquehanna, and all the lands lying on the west side of the said river to the setting of the sun, and to extend from the mouth of said river northward up the same to the hills or mountains called in the language of the said (Six) nations Tyan- nuntasacha or Endless hills, and by the Delaware Indians the Kekkachtananin hills."

These deeds included the territory between the afflu- ents of the Delaware and' the Susquehanna rivers below the Blue or Kittatinny mountains, which form the south- ern boundary of Schuylkill county. By a deed executed August 22nd, 1749, by representatives of the six nations and the Delaware, Shamokin and Shawnee Indians of Pennsylvania, the territory which includes Schuylkill county (excepting the northern part of Union township, which was included in the purchase of 1768) was con- veyed to the Pennsylvania proprietaries for £500 "law- ful money of Pennsylvania." The tract was thus de- cribed:

" Beginning at the hills or mountains called in the lan- guage of the five nation Indians the Tyannuntasachta or Endless Hills, and by the Delaware Indians the Keckachtany Hills, on the east side of the river Susque- hannah, being in the northwest line or boundary of the land formerly purchased by the said proprietaries from the said Indian nations by their deed of the eleventh day of October, Anno Dom. one thousand seven hundred and thirty-six; and from thence running up the said river by the several courses thereof to the first or nearest mountain to the north side of the mouth of the creek called in the language of the said five nation Indians Cantagny, and in the language of the Delaware Indians Maghonioy; and from thence extending by a direct or straight line to be run from the said mountain on the north side of the said creek to the main branch of Dela- ware river at the north side of the mouth of the creek Sechawchsin; and from thence to return across Sech- awachsin creek aforesaid, down the river Delaware by the several courses thereof to the Kekachtam hills afore-

LAND TITLES-FIRST SETTLERS IN THE COUNTY.

said; and from thence by the range of the said hills to the place of beginning."

In 1776 the people of the province of Pennsylvania threw off the proprietary government and adopted a state constitution; then, by a series of acts the last of which was passed January 28th, 1779, the estates of the pro- prietaries under the charter were vested in the common- wealth, and the feudal relation which the charter created was entirely sundered. This act was similar in its char- acter to the Declaration of Independence, and like that declaration its force depended on the success of the Revolution. It appears that manorial lands had been held and sold in this county prior to the Revolution, and that individuals had acquired titles to cther lands from the proprietaries; but the titles to most of the lands in the county were obtained from the State by procuring warrants directed to the surveyor general and by hin transmitted to the deputy surveyor of the district, authoriz. ing a survey of the lands described in the applications for the warrants. On the return of these warrants and compliance with all the prescribed conditions patents or letters patent (open letters) were granted, conveying the title in fee simple to the patentee. This has been the usual method of acquiring titles from the State. It is hardly necessary to speak of titles acquired by location, by settlement or by improvement. Warrants were not granted to one person at the same time for larger tracts than four hundred acres, but to evade this regulation, speculators often made applications for lands in different names and made the necessary transfers afterward, thus acquiring titles to large tracts.

Before the mineral wealth that lies beneath the surface here was known many lands were sold for arrears of taxes. Of these some that were purchased at two or three cents per acre have now a value per acre of $1,000 or more.

When the first settlers penetrated the region north from the Blue mountain, or who those settlers were, is not known. It has always been true that the pioneers of civilization have pushed forward in advance of treaties, and located at their own peril where advantages of soil, climate, or other circumstances served to invite. The region south from Blue mountain, now Berks county, had many settlers previous to the extinguishment of the Indian title in 1736, and that portion of Schuylkill be- tween Blue and Second mountains is known to have been settled by many whites before its purchase in 1749. Early in that year a grand council of the Six Nations at Onondaga had a deputation of chiefs from each of these nations go to Philadelphia and represent, among other things, that settlements had been made by the whites on this side of the Blue mountain. They said: "As our boundaries are so well known and so remarkably distin- guished by a high range of mountains we could not sup- pose this could be done by mistake; but either it must be done wickedly, by bad people, without the knowledge lists of them cannot now be obtained.

of the governor, or the new governor has brought some instructions from the king or the proprietaries relating to this affair whereby we are to be much hurt. The gov - ernor will be pleased to tell us whether he has brought any orders from the king or proprietaries for these people to settle our lands; and if not we earnestly desire that they be made to remove instantly, with all their effects, to prevent the sad consequences which will otherwise ensue."

North from Second mountain there was nothing then to invite settlement. The existence of coal was not known. No demand had arisen for the lumber which that region was capable of affording, and the surface was too rugged and mountainous for successful agriculture. Here and there might be found the solitary cabin of an adventurous hunter, whom the abundance of game had attracted hither, but nothing more.

Of the early settlers in that part of Schuylkill county south from Second mountain it is known that George Godfried Orwig and Glora, his wife, had come from Ger- many in 1747 and settled at Sculp Hill, a short distance south from Orwigsburg, which was founded by Peter Orwig, a son of this pioneer couple, in 1796. Some of the descendants of this family still reside in the region. Of other early settlers it is known that Thomas Reed came as early as 1750, a family named Yeager about 1762, and that Martin Dreibelbis had erected a saw-mill and grist-mill at what is now Schuylkill Haven just be- fore the Revolution.

But one dwelling house is known to have been erected in the last century in what are now the coal districts of the county. This was the log house of a Mr. Neiman, whose family was massacred by the Indians about the close of the Revolution. A saw-mill was erected at Pottsville prior to 1800, and another near St. Clair by George Orwig. This was operated without the estab- lishment of a residence there. Provisions for a week were taken to the mill by the workmen, who were thus enabled to manufacture all the lumber which the exigen- cies of the times required. Probably other mills were built and operated in the same way.

As before stated, the population north from Blue mountain was very sparse at the time of the Revolution- ary war, and no revolutionary history of the region is pre- served. There are traditions of a few Indian murders and massacres, which are noticed in the histories of the localities where they occurred; but aside from these the region which Schuylkill county includes was not the theatre of hostile operations. What was termed the "Tory path " traversed the county from southeast to northwest. Possibly it may have been an old Indian trail, but its name is suggestive of its use during the Revolution.

In the war of 1812 Schuylkill was represented in the armies of the country by many recruits, but accurate

HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.

CHAPTER VII.

ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY- OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES.

N act for erecting a part of the counties of Berks and Northampton into a separate county was approved March 18th, 1811, by Governor Simon Snyder. The preamble to this act recites that "the inhabitants of the northern part of Berks and Northampton coun- ties have, by their petitions, set forth to the General Assembly of this State the great hardships they labor under from being so remote from the present seat of justice and the public offices." The first section of the act reads: "Be it enacted * that all that part of Berks county lying and being within the limits of the following townships, to wit: the townships of Brunswick, Schuylkill, Manheim, Norwegian, Upper Mahantongo, Lower Mahantongo, and Pine Grove, in Berks county, and the townships of West Penn and Rush in Northamp- ton county, be, and the same are, according to their present lines, declared to be erected into a county, hence- forth to be called Schuylkill."

The townships of Brunswig, Manheim and Lower Mahantongo have been cut into other townships and boroughs, consequently their names do not now exist. The division lines and territories of North Manheim and Norwegian townships were changed and confirmed by the Court September 14th, 1861.

By an act passed March 3d, 1818, the territory bounded as follows was annexed to Schuylkill county as Union township: "All that part of Columbia and Luzerne counties lying within the following lines, viz .: beginning at a corner in the line dividing the County of Columbia from the County of Schuylkill; thence, extending through the township of Catawissa, north ten degrees east, four miles and a half, to a pine tree on the little mount; thence, extending through the townships of Catawissa and Mfflin, north forty-five degrees east, five miles, to a stone on Bucks mount and in a line dividing the County of Columbia from the County of Luzerne; thence, through the town- ship of Sugar Loaf, in the County of Luzerne, south sev- enty degrees east, eight miles, to the line between the County of Schuylkill and the County of Luzerne; thence along the said line and the line between the County of Columbia and the County of Schuylkill, to the place of beginning."

As thus constituted, the county has a length of about 30 miles, an average breadth of 2472, and an area of about 745 square miles.

judicial district, which consisted of Wayne, Schuylkill, Berks and Northampton counties, presided at this court, and George Rausch and Daniel Yost sat as associate jus- tices The constables in attendance were Christian Kaup, Brunswig; Jacob Emrich, Manheim; Isaac Reed, Nor- wegian; Christopher Barnhard, Pine Grove; Peter Rahrl, Upper Mahantongo; Joseph Keffer, Lower Mahantongo; George Olinger, Schuylkill. William Green, then high sheriff, returned the precept duly executed, and the fol- lowing persons were sworn as the first grand inquest: B. Kepner, George Body, Jacob Houser, A. Yost, P. Fegley, Tobias Wagner, Isaac Yarnell, P. Kaup, Con. Roeder, D. Fenstermacher, D. Bensinger, P. Albright, Joseph Hecke, Joseph Old, A. Hoffer, John Hoch, D. Graeff, George Hillegas, A. Gilbert, P. Siedel, and Conrad Yeager.

The following attorneys were admitted: George Wolf, Charles Evans, Fred. Smith, William Witman, James B. Hubley, John Spayd, John W. Collins, M. J. Biddle, Samuel Baird, and John Ewing.

It is remembered that Frederick Hesser, father of Henry Hesser of Schuylkill Haven, was the crier of the court, which continued to be held at this house till the erection of a court-house. He had been a drummer boy in the Revolutionary war, and he was accustomed to announce the assembling of the court by beating his drum under the window of the court room.

The act made Berks and Schuylkill a legislative dis- trict, and Berks, Chester, Lancaster and Schuylkill counties a Congressional district. It also provided for the appointment by the governor of three commissioners, not citizens of Berks or Northampton, to fix the location of the seat of justice. Governor Snyder appointed as such commissioners J. Andrew Shultz, Daniel Mont- gomery, and Mr. Clark.

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History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 16

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