USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 9
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Your very humble servants,
"CONRAD WEISER. "EMANUEL CARPENTER. "ADAM SIMON KUHN.
"P. S .- I cannot forbear to acquaint your Honour of a certain Circumstance of the late unhappy Affair :- One - Kobel, with his wife and eight children, the eldest about fourteen Years and the youngest fourteen Days, was flying before the Enemy, he was carry- ing one, and his wife and Boy another of the Children, when they were fired upon by two Indians very nigh, but hit only the Man upon his Breast, though not Dangerously. They, the Indians, then came with their Tomhacks, knocked the woman down but not dead. They intended to kill the Man, but his Gun (though out of order so that he could not fire) kept them off. The Woman recovered so farr, and seated herself upon a Stump, with her Babe in her Arms, and gave it Suck, and the Indians driving the children together, and spoke to them in High Dutch, 'be still we wont hurt you.' Then they struck a Hatchet into the Woman's Head, and she fell upon her face with her Babe under her, and the Indian trod on her neck and tore off her scalp. The Children then run, four of them were scalped, among which was a girl of Eleven Years of Age, who related the whole Story; of the Scalped, two are alive and like to do well. The Rest of the Children ran into the Bushes and the Indians after them, but our People coming near to them, and hallowed and made a noise:
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The Indians Ran, and the Rest of the Children were saved. They ran within a Yard by a Woman that lay behind an Old log, with two Children, there was Seven or Eight of the Enemy.
"I am, Honoured Sir, your obedient,
"C. WEISER." Colonel Weiser added another "P. S." in which he stated:
"I intend to send a wagon down to Philadelphia for blankets and other Necessaries for the People, on their Guard under the mountain, and I hope it will be then in your Honours Power to supply us."
In the volume above quoted, and on page 551, it is stated "that the governor was fully aroused by these horrible atrocities and en- deavored to perform his whole duty."
INDIAN PATHS.
The establishment of forts and other means of protecting the early settlers from Indian depredations was governed almost entirely by the direction and number of the Indian trails. Some of these are so vividly marked by the record of merciless murders and destruction that their location has come down to us from the sufferers or par- ticipants in those early struggles as indelibly established; but the location and trend of many others will never be known. The existence of the "path" through Sharp and Second mountains, just south of Pottsville, is a well-established historical fact. In the early days this was known as Tuscarora gap, now better known as Schuylkill gap. Captain Jacob Morgan speaks of the "gap through which the Schuylkill flows" as the point to which the Indians retreat back to their own country with their prisoners; and Ensign Harry, of Colonel Weiser's command at Fort Northkill, speaks of "surrounding an Indian camp and lying all night in the Indian path," evidently mean- ing the same as referred to by Captain Morgan. This path led down the Schuylkill beyond Port Clinton and thence to Philadelphia. It is probable that its northward course intersected with another coming from a westerly direction, and which led through the Swatara valley to Shamokin at the head of the Williams valley in the western end of this county. Thomas J. Baird, an early surveyor and an eminent authority, made a map drawn from surveys made in 1837 or earlier, which locates "an Indian path northward from the Swatara valley, up along the Swatara through the Talihao gap in the Blue mountains, thence to a small stream over which the high bridge of the Schuylkill & Susquehanna railroad is erected, thence up this stream to a point near Elwood Station, thence crossing the Second mountain at Elwood and across the narrow valley to a gap in Sharp
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mountain, thence northwardly along the western edge of DeHass swamp, thence across Stone mountain still northwardly about a half-mile east of Kalmia colliery into Williams valley, at a point near the farm of Thomas Evans, Esq; here the path is intersected by another from the eastwardly, and running parallel with the valley, westwardly towards the Susquehanna river to Shamokin, now Sunbury. This is the path through which Andrew Lycan, his son John Lycan, John Revolt, Ludwig Shut and a negro man retreated after having been attacked on Lycan's improvement in Lykens valley on March 7th, 1756, by sixteen or more Indians and killing three or more of them. The Lykens party were all wounded but all escaped. They were the first settlers in that valley."
The same map from which the preceding description was written, locates another path which was formerly designated as "the old Sun- bury road along the old Indian path." This path led from Reading through Tulpehocken, thence across the Blue mountains and crossed the Swatara at Pine Grove, thence northward through the gap in Sharp mountain passing a little east of the Keffer tavern on Broad mountain, thence down its northern slope into Pine valley through what is now the town of Hegins, thence down the valley to a point where it crossed the Mahantongo mountain and valley to Shamokin (now Sunbury). This path led near the site of Fort Henry at the southern base of Blue mountain, and it was one of the causes which led to the building of the fort at that point. There was an Indian path still nearer the Susquehanna that led from the Lebanon valley across the Blue mountains at Cold Spring on the Schuylkill & Susquehanna railroad, thence across Sharp and Stony mountains to what is known as the Sand Spring in Clark's valley and thence north by west across Peter's mountain and Berry's mountain to near the early im- provement of Andrew Lycan, previously mentioned. The trail passed out of the county by way of the present site of Uniontown in Stone valley, thence to Shamokin (Sunbury). Tradition fixes this as the route traveled by Bishop Spangenberg in 1742 on his mission to the Indians at Shamokin (Sunbury) and in the West Branch valley. It was this distinguished divine who gave names to the territory known in the days of old as St. Anthony's Wilderness and the Great Pine Swamp, local designations which meant more to him, alone in Nature's solitude, than to any who read of his self-sacrifices for the welfare of humanity.
A serious legal controversy arose in this county in 1795 over a confusion of ideas relative to the location of the "Tory path," that being designated in a survey of a certain piece of land as one of the
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initial points. It was found, however, that the point intended to be defined in the application for the survey was at the Indian Yoh or Yow's path, distant some miles from the then recognized Tory path. But it would seem from the report of the surveyor, Thomas J. Baird, previously mentioned, that there were several of these paths bearing the complimentary title of "Tory path," and that the "Yoh path" was also thus designated. The legal investigation grew out of the fact that the clerk in making out the preliminary papers sub- stituted the word "Tory" for "Yoh," thus changing the location to a different part of the county. His zeal in correcting what he believed to be an error precipitated a lawsuit over large bodies of valuable coal lands, which terminated in the highest tribunal of the state. The Tory path entered the southern part of Schuylkill county, and passed up through the coal fields to the neighborhood of Catawissa. The Yoh passed the head waters of the Swatara and Shafer's creeks, crossing the Sharp mountain and the valley between the Sharp and Second mountains at the summit between the Indian run and Black creek.
A TYPICAL PIONEER MINISTER.
Rev. John Elder: As being typical of the true pioneer minister, the name of this distinguished divine is here presented because of his close relations with the thrilling events of the early days. Mr. Elder was the first clergyman settler west of the Conewago hills. He served with untiring energy in the double role of spiritual and temporal guardian. He had a colonel's commission in the provincial army, and, with Colonel Weiser, had joint command of the defenses from the Susquehanna to the Lehigh. He was as brave and fearless in the discharge of his military duties, as he was zealous and earnest in disseminating the doctrines of true religion. He organized Derry church, twelve miles west of Lebanon, and served as pastor of the congregation for many years. In the troublous times his male parish- ioners would bring their rifles to church and sit in readiness for instant action, while the minister would have his gun beside him in the pulpit. It was related by an escaped prisoner that on one occasion the Indians contemplated an attack upon the church, and sent one of their number to count the rifles. Finding more guns than they expected, they prudently deferred the attack until a more favorable opportunity. At another time during Mr. Elder's ministry, the church was sur- rounded by Indians and several people were killed. Derry church was the nearest religious organization to the Tulpehocken settlement, if the Moravian Mission be excepted. It was located near Fort
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Manada, one of the chain of Blue mountain defenses. Rev. Elder served fifty-six years as pastor of the Paxton church near Harrisburg, where he died on his farm in 1796, at the age of eighty-six years. He was a native of Scotland. The recital of the events of which the foregoing is a condensation, ends very eloquently in the following beautiful language: "There's the church, the parson, the congrega- tion and the savage Indian foe, and there is present all that which proves and illustrates courage and sacrifice, a burning religious faith and a devotion to the cause of salvation, and to the country that would furnish a text for all the enlightened and God-fearing world, and every word of it history."
"POINT OF ROCKS."
"Point of Rocks" was a favorite Indian resort in the days of their activity throughout this section of Pennsylvania. This, one of Nature's rarest formations, is situated four miles north of the Cascades in the Swatara (which in themselves are wonderful and beautiful) and on the summit of Sharp mountain, and consists of a ledge of rupic projections very strikingly resembling, at a distance, a group of houses. From the top of this curious formation one may see the Susquehanna in the distance and the Swatara gap in the opposite direction. The Indian trails led near the base of Point of Rocks, and that elevated situation was used by them as a signal-station from which, by means of fires, they were enabled to communicate with their fellows in distant localities. This position was utilized by the savages as a point of observation and council, since their view was unobstructed for many miles. They could overlook the gaps through the Blue mountains, as well as the valleys beyond and between and thus direct concerted attacks along the line of defenses, for a distance of fifty miles. Their signal fires conveyed intelligence of safety or danger, near or remote; called to council, or assembled the "braves" to revel over victories won or explain losses and defeats. In the early days people would travel many miles to visit Point of Rocks, not alone because of the inspiring view afforded and the natural beauty of the scene, but also because of the traditional history surrounding the locality.
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CHAPTER VII.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE COAL INDUSTRY AND TRADE IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.
It is not a question of serious importance as to the name of the in- dividual who first discovered anthracite coal; but it is one of vital im- portance to the world, and Schuylkill county in particular, that it was dis- covered, and its practical value fully demonstrated. In opposition to the well-established theories on this subject, it is hefe asserted that the colonists knew of the existence of this now staple commodity as early as 1766, and sent a sample to England. For a verification of this state- ment the reader is referred to a paper by W. J. Buck, read before the Pennsylvania Historical society, January 4th, 1875, wherein the above statement is quoted from the Penn manuscripts. But the practical tests which proved the worth of this mineral did not occur for many years after the discovery, even if Necho Allen is entitled to the honor of starting a fire with it in 1790. But its existence was known in the Wyoming valley in 1768, and its presence was suspected on the head waters of the Schuylkill as early as 1770, Scull's map of that year so indicating.
Anthracite was first burned in a smith shop in 1795, and from that date until 1820 its use was in the experimental stage. In 1808 Judge Fell burned it in a grate, with evident satisfaction. In 1812 Col. George Shoemaker, of Pottsville, took nine wagon loads of "black rocks" to Philadelphia, two loads of which he sold for the cost of transporting them, and the remaining seven he was obliged to give away, and also to bear the stigma of being denounced as an impostor who was trying to sell black stones for coal. Finally, after many dis- couragements, he induced the firm of Mellon & Bishop to try the "black rocks" in their Delaware county rolling-mill, and this test fully established all the claims which had been made for it, though at first pro- nounced worthless by the foreman of the mill. Colonel Shoemaker personally superintended the making of the fire in one of the furnaces and, after repeated cautionings that the firemen must not use the poker, himself and Mr. Mellon retired to breakfast. On their return they found the furnace in a glow of white heat, and the iron heated in
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much less than the usual time, while it passed through the rolls with unusual ease. This practical test, brought an apology from the fore- man and won the approval of the proprietors to the extent that they advocated the use and value of hard coal through the Philadelphia newspapers, and thereby assisted greatly in its general introduction. To Colonel Shoemaker is accorded the honor of demonstrating the practical usefulness of this commodity, of incalculable importance to the world, and it only remained to introduce it into general use as a household necessity. This was accomplished very gradually, owing to the abundance and cheapness of wood, and the deep grounded prej- udice of the people. The introduction of anthracite as a household fuel also necessitated a radical change in the heating appliances for which the people were but poorly prepared, and this additional expense tended to delay the general introduction.
At the time of Colonel Shoemaker's successful adventure in proving the value of "black rocks" as the best fuel and heat-producer then known to the world, the coal-producing region of Schuylkill county was practically unknown. The hardy pioneers were engaged in lum- bering, in clearing their lands, and in establishing homes in the wilder- ness. Though naturally interested in the enhancement of the value of their possessions, each waited for the other to demonstrate the truth of the claim, and thus they kept to the work which assured them of tangible returns. During this period of uncertainty, the Schuylkill navigation was established, as shown in another chapter, and this means of transporting their products of forest and field greatly stimu- lated their exertions. In the year 1812, when it was sought to secure the passage of an act of incorporation to improve the navigation of the Schuylkill river, the senator from this county made the assertion in the state senate that there was no coal in Schuylkill county .; that there was a kind of black stone that was called coal, but it would not burn! This delayed the act of incorporation for the time, but in 1815 the act was passed, and in 1822 the first shipment of coal was "poled" down the canal by human power, the tow-path being not then con- sidered as a source of motive power. During that year 1,480 tons were sent to market in this way, and the prediction was made, a little earlier than the date last written, that the day would come when "ten thousand tons would be shipped to market on the canal!" Such was the idea of the most sagacious capitalists of that day as to the future magnitude of the coal trade.
Cadwalader Evans, president of the Schuylkill Navigation company, in his report for 1821, said: "There have been completed on the upper
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section of the river since the report of last year the tunnel and the canals and locks at that time commenced, so that the navigation is now completed from John Pott's, at the coal mines, to within half a mile of Reading. Boats carrying eighteen tons, traversed this part of the canal during the fall, and transported produce of the upper country, and large quantities of coal to the neighborhood of Hamburg, where it is deposited, and the coal sold to the country people at and near that place. No toll was charged during the fall, as the company wished to encourage experiments in this novel kind of navigation." Another interesting feature apparent in this report is the evident fact that "John Pott's, at the coal mines" was as close a designation for Pottsville as that prominent official chose to use.
The opening of the canal having provided a means of marketing the anthracite coal, and the value of that article having been fully estab- lished, public attention was at once directed to the southern coal field, and an area of speculative investment at once inaugurated. The apathy, incredulity and prejudice which had so long dominated the minds of capitalists and consumers, were gradually removed, and soon there was a rush of capitalists, adventurers and fortune-hunters which rivaled that of the rush to the oil fields in later years. Pottsville was the center of the movement, and was overflowing with strangers for whose accommodation the embryo city was but poorly prepared. Half a bed was a luxury, and a place to rest on the floor was not despised. Some of the more thoughtful and provident travelers carried their bedding on top of the stage coach, being thus provided for any emer- gency. This assemblage of solid men from almost every quarter of the globe presented a curious intermingling of humanity, but the accumu- lation of wealth was the predominating purpose, though the methods were as different as the characters of the motley crowds. Having no knowledge of the geology of the coal formation, the mountains were punctured with trial shafts and pits trusting to the element of chance for profitable developments. It may be added that many dug the graves of buoyant hopes and the capital invested in the effort. This speculative era stimulated the value of coal lands to enormous figures. Previous to the development of coal and the proof of its utility, some of the most valuable coal lands had been sold for the taxes against it, and much more possessed but a nominal value, which increased a thousand fold within a few months. The intense excitement stimu- lated the growth of towns and villages, even beyond the capacity of local builders, and houses were frequently framed in Philadelphia and sent up to the field on the canal boats. The speculative period con-
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tinued, with varying activity, for three years, culminating in 1829, when nearly $5,000,000 had been invested in the coal lands of Schuyl- kill county. The opportunities for profitable land speculation were abundant, and many shrewd capitalists acquired fortunes through this means. Property holders were ignorant of the actual value of their possessions, and many accepted prices which seemed to them to be fabulous, while they did not represent one-tenth of the money received for the same property within a few months. But the advantage was not always with the speculators. Some were financially ruined in the first revulsion in the coal trade which came in 1831. Having paid the comparatively high prices of the speculative period, they designed to turn their investment quickly, but being disappointed in this, they were obliged to sell at a sacrifice.
The operation of the early mine was conducted in the most primitive manner, involving the hardest of labor, and producing comparatively little return. The leases embraced a run on the outcrop of the veins of from fifty to one hundred yards,. with an allowance of sufficient space on the surface to handle the product. Pits were sunk on an elevated position from which the coal was hoisted in buckets by means of a common windlass, operated by hand. Usually at a depth of thirty or forty feet the water became beyond control by means of this crude appliance, and the pit was abandoned and another one sunk, this pro- cess being repeated whenever the water seriously interfered with oper- ations. The yield under this system of operation was necessarily very trifling and unsatisfactory. A little later, the gin, operated by horse power, was introduced as a means of hoisting, and this greatly in- creased the output, as the pits could be worked to a greater depth by reason of the better facilities for getting rid of the water, as well as for hoisting the coal. But the pit or shaft was soon abandoned in favor of the drift from the foot of the hills, thus securing gravity drain- age, as well as the application of that principle in bringing out the coal. For some time the wheel-barrow was the means of conveyance from the mines, and this laborious and slow process was superceded by the horse-power railroad, small mules being used in the shallow veins. The pick, the hammer, the shovel, riddle and wheel-barrow were all the implements used about the coal mines during the early days. At the beginning of the coal trade the surface handling was equally as crude as the appliances used under ground, and all the preparation the coal received was the removal of the clay and slate, when it was ready for market. The transportation to the wharves or landing on the canal was made by means of the ordinary wagons of the day, a most labori-
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ous and expensive process. This hauling averaged about twenty-five cents a ton for each mile from the mine to the shipping point. In 1829 the output of the mines in this locality equaled 79,973 tons, nearly all . of which was hauled in wagons over the common roads of the country. During the week commencing June 19th, 1829, one thousand eight hundred and thirty one tons of coal were hauled through the streets of Pottsville, then but little better than the country roads.
The introduction of the crude railroads of the period was a great stimulus to the coal trade. The first construction of this kind in the state of Pensylvania is accredited to Abraham Pott, a pioneer coal operator of Pottsville. He built a railroad half a mile in length, ex- tending from the junction of Mill creek and the Schuylkill river, to a point in the Black valley, two years prior to the building of the Mill Creek railroad, which was the first opened for general use. The Mill Creek railroad was completed in 1829, and extended from Port Car- bon four miles up the Mill Creek valley, and had about three miles of intersecting branches. The Schuylkill Valley railroad also commenced at Port Carbon, which was the head of navigation, and terminated at Tuscarora, a distance of ten miles, with fifteen intersecting railroads connecting as many different mines with the main line. The Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven railroad operated between Schuylkill Haven and Broad mountain, and, including the west branch and about five miles of lateral branches, it was twenty miles in length. The Mount Carbon railroad extended up the east and west branches of Norwegian creek a distance of seven miles, connecting the mines in that locality with the head of navigation. This road was completed in the spring of 1831.
The Little Schuylkill railroad was completed in the autumn of 1831, and its opening was made the occasion of a grand jubilee at Tamaqua on the 18th of November of that year. These roads were all con- structed with wooden rails and a piece of strap-iron spiked to the top to prevent wear by the friction of the car-wheels. The ties were notched in such a manner that wooden keys could be driven in at the side of the rails, thus preventing the rails from spreading, and at the same time maintaining the proper "gauge." The cars were con- structed to carry from one to two tons of coal, according to the grade of the mine, or the fancy of the designer. The motive power was the horse, and thirteen cars loaded with coal constituted an average load for one horse. These primitive railroads penetrated the mines in all directions, connecting with the outside lines, which were not always owned by the mine operators. They were the connecting link between
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