Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I, Part 22

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 650

USA > Pennsylvania > Jefferson County > Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I > Part 22

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

OTHER COAL ROADS

Paralleling the Buffalo, Rochester & Pitts- burgh railway through Brockwayville is the Ridgway & Clearfield road. It is part of the · Pennsylvania system and was completed about October. 1884.

The New York, Lake Erie & Western (branch) was extended into Jefferson county, via Crenshaw, about 1882. The coal freight- age is and has been large over this road.

The Reynoldsville & Falls Creek road, seven miles long, was finished by Bell. Lewis & Yates in September, 1885.

The Pennsylvania & Northwestern railroad was completed to Punxsutawney in 1886, and regular service inaugurated Dec. 1. 1887. when John R. Fee took charge of the station in the East End. The Berwind-White Coal Mining Company had opened extensive coal mines at Horatio, and it was to reach this coal that the road was built.

PITTSBURGH, SUMMERVILLE & CLARION RAIL .- ROAD COMPANY-LAKE ERIE, FRANKLIN & CLARION RAILROAD COMPANY

For thirty years or more a railroad from Summerville. Jefferson Co., Pa., to Clarion, Clarion Co., Pa., had been agitated and con- templated. A survey with this in view was made about 1895, and a few years later the Allegheny Valley Railroad Company made an examination along the route with the view of building a road. In 1900 Pittsburgh, Beaver

Falls and Clarion gentlemen secured a charter and organized under the name of the Clarion, Summerville & Pittsburgh Railroad Company. This company made a permanent survey. adopted a route, secured considerable right of way, and had graded a little on the line, when the president of the company died. Internal dissensions followed the death of the presi- dent, which resulted in the abandonment of the project. In the fall of 1902 Charles F. Heidrick, a young business man of Brookville. Pa., conceived the idea of pushing this aban- doned project to completion. In September, 1903, he purchased from the Clarion, Summer- ville & Pittsburgh Railroad Company their survey, rights of way and other assets, and in October, 1903. he let the contract for the con- struction of the road from Summerville to Clarion to Col. James A. Bennett. of Greens- burg, Pa. The road was completed and opened for traffic Aug. 27, 1904.

The main line of the road is about sixteen miles long ; one mile south of Corsica, and two and a half miles north of Greenville to Strat- tonville, and thence to Clarion borough. A branch from the main line extends from Strat- tonville up along the Clarion river to the mouth of Mill creek. The road along its entire line taps a large field of undeveloped coal. This coal is now being gradually opened up. The road was a paying proposition from the start.

On Dec. 31, 1910, the road was leased to the Pennsylvania Southern Railroad Com- pany, the latter then being controlled by Gen. Charles Miller, of Franklin, Pa., and G. W. Megeath, of Omaha, Nebr., and extended from lleidrick on the P. S. & C. railroad to near Sutton on the Lake Shore, about a half mile.

In September, 1912, the P. S. & C. Company was reorganized as the Pittsburgh, Franklin & Clarion Railroad Company, at which time General Miller became principal owner, and of the Pennsylvania Southern, as well.

Between the above dates the Pennsylvania Northern Railroad Company was incorporated by General Miller and his associates to take over the private railroad up Mill creek, ex- tending from a point on the Clarion river at the mouth of Mill creek, where connection was made with the P. S. & C. road. The Penn- sylvania Northern also took over the survey of line up Clarion river from last mentioned point, to or near Hallton, Pa., on the line of the Shawmut railroad. The latter line has not been built.

The P. S. & C. ( P. C. & F.), the Pennsyl- vania Southern and Pennsylvania Northern

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roads, were consolidated under the name of the Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion railroad, and the consolidated companies have been so operated since Jan. 1, 1914.

Gen. Charles Miller purchased from Charles F. Ileidrick his equity in the Pittsburgh, Sum- merville & Clarion railroad, and became sole owner of that road, twenty-two and a half miles, and reorganized under the name of the Pittsburgh, Clarion & Franklin Railroad Com- pany.

General Miller also purchased the Mill Creek railway from A. Cook Sons Company. ten and a half miles, and on Nov. Io, 1913, consolidated the Pittsburgh, Clarion & Franklin, the Pennsylvania Southern, and the Pennsylvania Northern, under the name of the Lake Erie, Franklin & Clarion Railroad Company. The officers of the consolidated road are: Gen. Charles Miller, president ; J. T. Odell, vice president ; G. F. Proudfoot, as- sistant to president and purchasing agent ; Theo. L. Wilson, secretary ; H. H. Hughes, treasurer ; 11. M. Phillips, auditor.

The I. E. F. & C. railroad has been reha- bilitated by relaying the entire line with eighty- pound rail and putting the property in first- class shape. New shops of reinforced con- crete construction were built, and one and a half miles of new line was constructed west from the main line to what is known as the Harvey Mine. Several new locomotives have been purchased, and one hundred new steel fifty-ton gondola cars to take care of the com- pany's rapidly increasing coal tonnage.

COAL MINING

It is thought that coal, though not mentioned by the Romans, was, nevertheless, used by the ancient Britons. Henry IH is said to have granted a license to dig coal near Newcastle, on the Tyne, in 1234 or 1239. In 1273 the new fuel was prohibited in and near London as prejudicial to health, and even the smiths were obliged to use wood. In 1306 the gentry of England petitioned against its use. In 1381 the traffic in coal was established between Newcastle and London, and notwithstanding many complaints against it, as a public nuisance, it was generally burned in London in 1400. It was not in common use in England until the reign of Charles I, 1625.

The first bituminous coal mining on record was done at Newcastle, England. This coal was on the market in 1281.

Anthracite is bituminous coal coked and condensed by nature.

Stone coal was first discovered in America by Father Hennepin, in what is now Illinois, on the Illinois river, in 1679. In 1684 William Penn granted the privilege to mine the coal at Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1728 coal was discov- ered in Virginia.

Stone coal was first mined and used in western Pennsylvania near where Pittsburgh now is, by Col. James Burd, in 1759. It was dug from the hills of Monongahela. In 1807 stone coal was mined in central Pennsylvania and sold as a fertilizer. I quote the following notice from the Bedford Gasette of June, 1807 :

"Huntington, June 4.

"STONE COAL .- Such of the farmers as wish to make experiment with stone coal as a substitute for plaster, in manuring their Indian corn, may be supplied with coal gratis upon application to Peter Hughes, at Mr. Riddle's mines, on the Raystown Branch. The proprietor of the mines offers not only to refund the carriage, but to pay the expenses of applying the coal, if upon a fair experiment it is found to be inferior to plaster. which now sells at two dollars per bushel."

The pioneers to dig coal in Northwestern Pennsylvania were mostly blacksmiths. Pre- vious to the discovery of coal in this wilder- ness, the blacksmiths burned their own char- coal, and used it for fuel; but it appears they early searched the runs with bags for coal, and picked up loose pieces, and. occasionally stripped the earth and dug bags full of what they called "stone coal." They burned this in their fires, either alone or with charcoal.

In 1784, the year in which Pittsburgh was surveyed into building lots, the privilege of mining coal in the 'great seam' opposite that town was sold by the Penns at the rate of thirty pounds for each mining lot, extending back to the center of the hill. This event may be regarded as forming the beginning of the coal trade of Pittsburgh. The supply of the towns and cities on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers with Pittsburgh coal became an estab- lished business at an early day in the last century. about 1800. Pittsburgh coal was known long before the town became noted as an iron center.

Down to 1845 all the coal shipped westward from Pittsburgh was floated down the Ohio in flat-bottomed boats in the spring and fall freshets, each boat holding about fifteen thou- sand bushels of coal. The boats were usually lashed in pairs, and were sold and broken up when their destination was reached. In 1845 steam towboats were introduced, which took

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coal barges down the river and brought them back empty.

The first carload of bituminous coal hauled east of the Alleghenies came from the West- moreland Company's "Shade Grove" mine, or what was later called the Northside colliery in Irwin. The mine was opened in 1852 by Cole- man, Hillman & Co. The coal was taken out of the mine, hauled to the platform of the freight station and loaded into an eighteen- thousand-pound box car, the standard of those days. It was sent forward as one of about twelve cars of like capacity, hauled by a wood- burning locomotive, at about six miles an hour. with Philadelphia as its destination.

PIONEER MINING IN COUNTY

Coal is found all through Jefferson county.

The first person to mine coal in the county for manufacturing purposes was John Fuller. He was the first person to mine coal in what is now Winslow township, and, probably, in Jefferson county. He mined for his own use a few bagfuls occasionally from the bed of the creek near to and above the bridge on the pike, in what is now Reynoldsville. He hauled his first coal in a pung to his shop with an ox and a cow. In what year Mr. Fuller first picked from the bed of the creek his little load of what was then and in my boyhood days called stone coal is not precisely known, but of course it was shortly after his settlement. probably in 1825.

The first person to mine coal in the county for general use was a colored man named Charles Anderson. He lived in Brookville, and was called "Yellow Charley." He was the first to operate, lease, mine, transport and sell coal. He opened his pioneer mine about 1832. on the Joseph Clements farm. north of and close to Brookville. The vein he ex- posed was about two feet thick. He stripped the earth from the top of the vein, dug the coal fine and transported it to Brookville in. a little rickety one-horse wagon, retailing the stone coal at family doors in quantities of a peck, half-bushel, and bushel. The price per bushel was twelve and a half cents, or "eleven- penny-bit," and a "fippenny-bit" for half a bushel, and three cents a peck. It was burned in grates. I had a free pass on this coal line, and rode on it a great deal. To me it was a line of "speed, safety, and comfort." Ander- son was a "Soft Coal King." a baron, a robber. a close corporationist. a capitalist, and a mon- opolist. He managed his works generally so as to avoid strikes, etc. Yet he had to assume

the role of a Pinkerton or a coal policeman at one time, for there was some litigation over the ownership of this coal bank, and Charley took his old flintlock musket one day and swore he would just as soon die in the coal bank as any other place. He held the fort, too.

Charley was a greatly abused man. Every theft and nearly all outlawry were blamed on him. Publie sentiment and public clamor were against him. He tried at times to be good. attend church, etc., but it availed him nothing, for he would be so coldly received as to force him into his former condition. As the town grew, and other parties became engaged in mining coal, Charley changed his business to that of water carrier, and hauled in his one- horse wagon washing and cooking water in barrels for the women of the town. He con- tinued in this business until his death, which occurred in 1874. In the early days he lived on the lot now owned by Dr. Wayne L. Snyder. He died in his own home near the new ceme- tery.

John Dixon, who was living in Polk town- ship in 1903 at the advanced age of ninety- five years, was one of the pioneer miners, and was born in the county. He mined on the late Rose township poor farm from 1840 to 1847. The pioneers to open and operate banks in Young township were Obed Morris and John Hutchison. Their first operations took place about 1834 or 1835. The sales were light, the coal being used principally for blacksmithing purposes and by a few families who had grates. Coal was sold at the bank for ten cents a bushel, and every bushel was measured in a "bushel box." The mining was done by the families. The census of 1840 reports but two points in the county as min- ing and using coal, Brookville and Rose town- ship. The amount used in Rose township a year was five hundred bushels, in Brookville, two thousand bushels. Jefferson county coal is now shipped to and used from Aretic ice to tropic sun.

Woodward Reynolds commenced to mine coal for his own general use the fall of 1838, and for about ten years he, John Fuller, and their neighbors would mine what they wanted for their own use, paying no royalty for the coal whatever. \ coal miner then received ninety cents for a twelve-hour day.

In the year 1849, about the time Woodward and Thomas Reynolds commenced to mine coal in what is now Winslow township, the whole output of bituminous coal (in that year ) in the United States was only four mil-

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lion tons; in 1870 it was 36,806,560 tons; in 1880 it was 71.481.569 tons; in 1890 it was 157,770,963 tons.

About the latter part of the year 1863. or the beginning of 1864. Hon. Joseph Hender- son, Dr. W. J. MeKnight, G. W. Andrews, Esq., I. C. Fuller, P. W. Jenks, and James A. Cathers, and possibly one or two others, or- ganized themselves into a company for the pur- pose of taking some measure toward bringing the coal lands and other resources of the county to the notice of capitalists who were seeking investments for their money. During the year 1864 geological surveys of the Brock- wayville, Reynoldsville and Punxsutawney regions were made by J. P. Leslie, who has since made the geological survey of the State. and the chemical analysis of the minerals was made by Dr. Guenth, the famous chemist of Philadelphia, after which an exhaustive report was submitted setting forth the advantages of the district. The expenses of this work. amounting to over three thousand dollars. were paid by the above-named gentlemen, who never realized anything from it. They, how- ever, purchased some land during their trans- actions, and this was afterward disposed of at a profit, lessening their net outlay of money.

In 1865 a number of English capitalists visited this country, and the above-mentioned report was laid before them through the offi- cers of the Catawissa Railroad Company, as will be noticed in the following letter, quoted from the Brookville Jeffersonian, and it had its influence in securing the building of a rail- road through this section. The road spoken of in this letter was never built, but the Penn- sylvania Railroad Company, in order to head it off, was compelled to force the building of the Low Grade division of the Allegheny Valley road. The movement of the above gentlemen was, we believe, the first organized effort to bring this county into prominent notice as one of the richest parts of the State in mineral and humber, and resulted in bring- ing about the development of the resources of the county which have followed. We therefore record this as a matter of history. to be handed down to future generations :

Office Catawissa Railroad Company,

424 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, December 16, 1865. MESSRS. W. J. MCKNIGHT, JOSI PH HENDERSON. G. W. ANDREWS, I. C. FULLER :

GENTS,-1 return you herewith the copy of Leslie's geological report, kindly loaned me for presentation before the English capitalists on their visit to this country. I feel that it had its influence among other things in deciding the question of building the new

route through the counties lying between Milton and Franklin.

Several corps of engineers are already making surveys to ascertain the most practical route, and it will be pushed forward with energy and despatch, the capital necessary for the same having all been promised. This measure, of course, meets with the utmost hostility from the Pennsylvania Railroad, as it is opposed to monopoly, and it is to be worked upon the principle that raitroads are built for the accommodation of the community-trade and travel to be allowed to go and come as the parties may wish. We feel that this portion of the State will not allow their interests to be crushed out by it.

P. M. HUTCHINSON, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

It was not until April, 1874, that coal min- ing for a foreign market began in Jefferson county. In that year the Diamond mine was opened just north of Reynoldsville. The pioneer to ship coal by rail from that mine was H. S. Belnap. He hauled his coal in wagons to the Reynoldsville depot and there from a platform shoveled the coal into the cars, and it was shipped to Buffalo, N. Y. John Coax, Jr., Thomas Jenkins, and others were his team drivers. The second drift opened in Winslow township was the Pan- coast. The third was the Washington mine. located near Pancoast flag station. The fourth was the Hamilton mine, and the fifth the Soldier Run mine. Following these, the Sprague mine was opened at Rathmel, and the Pleasant Valley mine was opened east of Rey- noldsville. The Hamilton and Pleasant Valley mines were owned by the Hamilton Coal Com- pany, and the Soldier Run and Sprague mines were owned by Powers, Brown & Co.

Northwestern Mining & Exchange Co., Clarion Mines, Snyder Township

November 20. 1886, was the date of the first shipment of coal from the East Clarion mine. The first shipment from West Clarion was made March 16, 1808. This mine was opened on the James Kearney farm. The total output of the Clarion mine at one time was nearly two thousand tons per day, but it has greatly fallen off at present, by reason of exhausted territory. The Rattlesnake mine commenced shipping coal June 1, 1900. D). Robertson was the pioneer superintendent. Joseph Bailey succeeded Mr. Robertson as superintendent September 1. 1895.

On June 25. 1800. Alfred Bell, George H. Lewis and Arthur G. Yates, known as the firm of Bell, Lewis & Yates, bought out the interest of all these companies with considerable ad-

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joining territory. Arthur G. Yates was the last survivor of this firm, and he was president of the great coal road of this region, the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh. Mr. Yates was an active, progressive man. His was the pioneer railroad to enter Jefferson county for the transportation of coal. Before the advent in 1883 of Bell. Lewis & Yates, the shipment of coal from this county only amounted to a few thousand tons a year, but by September I. 1883. the Hamilton mine employed one hundred and twenty-four men; the Sprague mine, eighty-five men : Powers, Brown & Co .. one hundred and thirty men; Pancoast mine, thirty-six men ; Rochester mines, four hundred and fifty men; Falls Creek mine, seventy men ; Hildrup, eighty-two: Beechtree, one hundred and eighty-five ; and Walston. fifty-five.

I copy here from the Pittsburgh Times of May 24. 1890, and as I was well acquainted with the Bells and these events. I have taken the liberty to correct what I quote.

"AAlfred Bell came to Jefferson county about 1856 from Nunda, N. Y. He was a dignified and stately man, precise in his methods, care- ful in his operations, and with Calvin Rogers he operated a large tract of timber land which they had bought east of Brookville. The Bell holdings extended for miles from Bell's mills. up and around what is now Falls Creek and Du Bois.

"Frederick Bell came to Jefferson county about 1856, with his father, and the young man had his headquarters in Brookville. . 1 great deal of his leisure was spent in Me- Knight & Bro.'s drug store. As the lumber business developed, he perceived the possibili- ties in the coal that underlay their vast acreage of land. When, in 1873, the Allegheny Valley railroad pushed up the Red Bank valley. Fred- erick A. Bell interested with him two congen- ial spirits, and not long after the firm of Bell. Lewis & Yates was formed, and it speedily be- came the foremost power in soft coal circles in the Buffalo & Rochester country. Lewis was a Canadian who married Bell's sister. while Yates was a practical coal merchant of Rochester. The firm commenced to mine and ship the splendid soft coal of Clearfield county in March, 1877, making its opening on the Young tract of seven hundred and forty acres. or what is called the Rochester mine at DuBois, for which they paid a royalty of ten cents per ton. The firm marketed its coal at that date by the Allegheny Valley and the Buffalo, New York and Pennsylvania roads.

"Putting good coal in the 'market gave Bell, Lewis & Yates the easy control, and presently

the firm had the largest docks on the lakes. and had created an export trade in soft coal. sending fully a third of its product to the international bridge at Black Rock for the Canadian trade.

"Mr. Yates sold the coal, and put the New York Central, the Grand Trunk, and other important concerns on his list, and came home from his selling trip sometimes with single contracts for half a million tons. The firm grew and prospered and opened new mines and bought mines opened by others. But it was hampered by the lack of facilities for getting coal to market. By May, 1883. when the Rochester & Pittsburgh road reached DuBois, the company was ready to and did give it business, and later on when the Penn- sylvania road, Ridgway & Clearfield, reached Falls Creek. Bell, Lewis & Yates afforded the roads an enormous traffic. New works were established, additional territory was secured, and one day Bell, Lewis & Yates commenced a tunnel and shaft at Sykesville, seven miles from DuBois.'

The coal output of the Rochester & Pitts- burgh Coal & Iron Company and their asso- ciate companies for the year 1915 was in round numbers ten million tons.

The officers of the Rochester & Pittsburgh Coal & Iron Company for 1915 were Lucius W. Robinson, Punxsutawney, Pa., president ; George L. Eaton, Rochester, N. Y., vice president : Lewis Iselin, New York, secretary : George Il. Clune, Rochester, N. Y., treasurer ; B. M. Clark, solicitor.

In 1916 the total production in the Fourth district-comprising Jefferson, Clearfield, Elk, Clarion, Clinton and Cameron counties, with a total of sixty-nine mines in operation-was 4.784,817 tons, of which 4,260,239 tons were shipped to market, 2,081,496 tons being pro- duced in Jefferson county and 1,115,477 tons in Clearfield county. Although the year has been a busy one for the miner, yet it has been a fortunate one as regards the loss of life and serious personal injury by accidents inside the mine, for in 1916 there were only six fatal acci- dents. \ greater tonnage of coal was mined per life lost for the year than for any other period in the history of the district. There were no fatal accidents outside of the mines during the year.

The Shawmut Mining Company was the big- gest producer of the year, mining 854. 013 tons of coal. This company's mines are located in Elk and Jefferson counties. The Buffalo & Susquehanna Coal Company was second in

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production, mining 665,352 tons, and the Northwestern Mining & Exchange Company 516,933 tons.

Jefferson Coal Co. 147,298

Stewart Coal Co. 128,560

AtcKnight Coal Co. 107,016

AlcConnell Coal Co. 100,562

Toby Coal Mining Co. 68,45 1

Falls Creek Coal Co. 52,398

Knox Dale Coal & Coke Co.

48,692

Harvey Coal Co.

38,532

Samuel Wallwork 6,500

Pawnee Coal Co.

21,297

COAL BEDS

For the mining towns of Jefferson county, the reader will please consult the Jefferson county map of 1908 in this volume.

The mining of coal is the greatest industry of Jefferson county, and as such has taken the place of the lumber trade. Ever since coal has been discovered, enough to supply the home trade has been mined.

The upper Freeport coal bed is not a reliable seam for mining purposes throughout this county.

The lower Freeport bed is the most valuable one in the Reynoldsville basin and also throughout the county. This bed is one of the most uncertain beds of the lower series. but is workable everywhere in Jefferson county. The thickest part of the bed is found in the Reynoldsville basin; this also includes the Punxsutawney region.

The Kittanning upper bed does not exceed three feet in thickness and very seldom more than one half of that.

The middle Kittanning bed is quite promi- nent in Knox and MeCalmont townships: it is best known in Union township.

The lower Kittanning bed is a regular feature throughout the county.

The Clarion bed is the least important of any in the county, because it sometimes proves to be nothing but a dark streak in the rocks.

The Brookville bed is nearly always impure. but of workable dimensions. It is developed to the greatest extent in Beaver township, at the Conifer mines.

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Jefferson County, Pennsylvania : her pioneers and people, 1800-1915, Volume I, Part 22

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918 Publication date: 1917 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers Number of Pages: 650

Author: McKnight, W. J. (William James), 1836-1918
Publication date: 1917
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers
Number of Pages: 650