USA > Pennsylvania > The Register of Pennsylvania : devoted to the preservation of facts and documents and every other kind of useful information respecting the state of Pennsylvania, Vol. IX > Part 18
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The Masonry was begun on the eleventh day of July, and continued as vigorously as circumstances would ad- mit, until the severity of the season forbad further pro- gress, when the number of perches laid amounted to near 4000.
In the North block 44 large and 50 smaller cast iron door frames and cases are fixed and completed with the cast iron "shields in front of the openings for admission of warm air into the cells. 50 other door castings, and 100 sky light frames are fitted and prepared for placing in their respective situations as soon as they may be re- quired. 150 brackets of cast iron for the support of the gallery to be placed in front of the second tier of cells in the North Block are also prepared and . ready for use as soon as wanted. The whole number of Pieces of iron Castings consists of 334 door frames, 116 sky lights, 255 slides to cover warm air openings into the cells. 180 brackets for support of gallery in second story. 15 pieces, 8 inch pipe, 18 pieces iron steps for stair way.
The walls of the West and North West blocks are above ground, and those of the North, ready for arching as soon as the season will permit, for which purpose 150,000 bricks have been purchased and are now on the site. There is also a considerable quantity of lum- ber, a portion of which is intended for wooden doors and floors of the cells. The lime has been regularly delivered as required, by Daniel Davis who furnished through the season 3709 bushels.
The Committee hope to be prepared to commence again as soon as the approaching season for building will warrant; and, they trust with more confidence in obtain- ing the materials than they heretofore had.
JOHN BACON, 2 Building WM. H. HOOD. S Committee.
To the Board of Inspectors, &c.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY, To the Stockholders, January 9, 1832.
At the stated annual meeting of the Stockholders of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, January 9, 1832,
JAMES McALPIN, Chairman.
Information being communicated to the meeting, that
JOSIAH WHITE had resigned his office as Acting Mana- ger at Mauch Chunk, and removed his residence to Phil- adelphia-it was, on motion, unanimously,
Resolved, that the thanks ofthe Stockholders be pre- sented to him for his able and valuable services, during the long period of his arduous appointment.
From the minutes,
EDWIN WALTER, Secretary.
At an election held on the 9th January, 1832, the fol- lowing named persons were chosen officers of the Le- high Coal and Navigation Company, for the ensuing year : viz.
President. JOSEPH WATSON, EsQ.
Managers.
Josiah White,
John Cook,
Erskine IIazard,
George Peterson,
Timothy Abbott,
Jonathan K. lassinger,
Thomas Earp, Evans Rogers, John McAllister.
Ephraim Haines,
I reasurer.
Otis Ammidon.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS.
The Managers of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, in offering their annual communication to the Stockholders, have again to regret, that contrary to the anticipations of their last Report, they have been unable to derive any material benefit from either the Delaware or Morris canal, and have therefore been pre- vented from carrying their business" to the extent for which arrangements had been made.
The Morris Canal was not ready for use until within a few weeks of the close of the season; but a considera- ble number of boats laden chiefly with coal from Mauch Chunk, a portion of the contract for 50,000 tons men- tioned in our last Report, were passed throughout the whole line from the Delaware to Newark Bay. It is a highly gratifying circumstance that this canal is now com- pleted. and its successful operation during the short pe- riod referred to, furnishes an assurance that in the co- ming season it will enable us greatly to extend our busi- ness with the New York market, and with the exten- sive agricultural and manufacturing districts through which the canal passes.
Vigorous efforts under the direction of the Canal Commissioners have been made to perfect the naviga- tion of the Delaware canal ;- its lower section from New Hope to tide water at Bristol, has been, during the season, with very little interruption, in navigable order; but this bas been of no avail to the Company, as the chain of communication with the Lehigh was incomplete, in consequence of the upper section, from Easton to New Hope, being incapable of holding a sufficient depth of water. We are now assured from personal ex- amination, and from sources of undoubted information, that this work will be in navigable order throughout the line, at an early period of the approaching season. As, however, it may be satisfactory to the Stockholders to know the views of the State Commissioners, we sub- join extracts from their recent annual communication to the legislature ;- their remarks on the subject are thus introduced:
" At the last annual Report of the Canal Commission- ers, December 31, 1830, in speaking of this division they say, that, 'the filling of the canal for navigation in its whole course, commenced in October 1830;' and that, 'twenty five miles are navigable;' but they add, that, 'a part of the work first constructed has prov- ed defective and requires extensive repairs.' This last observation has been verified by the fact, that since that time, the two Supervisors on the Delaware division have expended $97,339 51 on repairs, and in introducing
61
LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.
1832.]
feeders, and the whole line is not yet ready for naviga- coming season. A contract has already hcen made for mining and delivering it on board the boats; and adver- tisements have been issued for proposals to perform other parts of the service of bringing coal to market. tion. The original plan and construction of large por- tions of this division have proved to be exceedingly de- fective; and, although every exertion has been made throughout the year, by the officers on the line, to fill Lehigh coal, both at home and abroad, has continued the whole canal with water, yet their efforts have here- to maintain its good name, and is deservedly deemed an tofore proved unsuccessful. article of superior quality.
The twenty-five miles of canal between New Hope and Bristol, was open for navigation on the 20th of last March; and has continued in good order, throughout the season, with but two or three weeks' interruption, caus- ed by the falling of the water in the river from which it was supplied: but for want of a connection with the up- per portion of the canal, this part of it has been almost useless. The water from the head of the canal at Eas- ton, has within a short period reached New Hope, and confident expectations are entertained that the whole line will yet be filled, ready for an active navigation next season.
The porous nature of the soilalong the Delaware, has demonstrated the fallacy of the original design, of feed- ing the entire 60 miles of canal from the Lehigh. Hence it has been found necessary to introduce other feeders; one for conveying into the canal, the waters of Durham creek, about ten miles below Easton; it is 1890 feet long, and 12 feet wide at the bottom; and another near Lumberville, by which the water of Milton creek is conveyed into the canal; it is 1509 feet long. Tempo- rary feeders have also been constructed on sections 54 and 61, which will not be required when the repairs of the canal are completed."
The ahove cxtracts show the causes which have so long delayed the completion of the Delaware canal.
During the last two years there have been freshets on the Lehigh, unusually great, and of a character hereto- fore almost unknown; by means of which, parts of our works sustained some damage, which have however been effectually repaired at no great expense. The re- sistance offered to these freshets strongly proves the correctness of the opinion, that our works have gener- ally been constructed in a manner, the most substantial and permanent.
The Lehigh canal throughout, is now in good order, and prepared for immediate business.
The rail-road to, the old Coal Mine, is in good working condition, and a large quantity of coal is there uncover- ed and ready for quarrying.
The new rail-road of about four and a half miles in length, connecting the Room Run mines, with the land- ing at Mauch Chunk, will be completed with a small additional expenditure during the spring; and will ena- ble the Company to supply any amount of coal which may be required.
The great and rapidly increasing consumption of an- thracite coal in the United States, which entirely ex- hausted all the stocks in market the past year, with the fact that there is still a deficiency of supply to the amount probably of from 30,000 to 50,000 tons, ren- der's it certain that a very extensive market is already open for the produce of the mines, and that, with the Delaware and Morris canals fairly in operation, the Com- pany will command a business more proportioncd to its immense resources than has yet been practicable.
Although from the causes detailed, the Managers are still unable to declare a dividend on the investments of the Stockholders, yet they are of the opinion, from the present situation and prospect of affairs, that the cur- rent year will terminate their disappointments, and ena- ble them at length to conduct a business which will greatly increase in amount and in profit, and yiekl, not only reasonable dividends, but also the means of reduc- ing the loans which the construction of their canal and of other permanent works have compelled them to contract.
The whole quantity brought from the mine, in the past year, including the sales at Mauch Chunk, was 44,500 tons; which, together with 10,500 tons on hand from 1830, has all been sold, making the total sales of the Company in 1831, 55,000 tons.
In consequence of the expectation held out by many persons, in the spring of last year, that a reduction would be made in the price of coal, orders were so long withheld, that all our yards became completely filled, and we were obliged to discontinue bringing it down in the month of August. Afterwards the scar- city of vessels, by raising the price of freight, so much reduced the shipments of coal, that it was supposed no more than the quantity on hand could be disposed of, and therefore the business of transporting coal from Mauch Chnuk was not resumed, nor did it appear proba- ble that there would be any scarcity, until the cold weather actually set in ;- notwithstanding, however, the tardiness of consumers, here and abroad, in furnishing their orders, and the consequent want of room in' the Company's yards, the Managers would have considered themselves justifiable in ordering a large additional quantity to be brought to market, if they could have had the use of the Delaware canal, by means of which they could have increased their stocks at a much reduc- ed cost.
The prospect of speedily realizing a handsome profit by the sale and improvement of water powers and town lots, is highly encouraging. There are probably no scites in the country offering advantages to enterprising individuals for the location of manufactories and other large establishments, equal to those which will be found on the Lehigh, arising from the easy access which the Delaware canal, and the Morris and Raritan canals, af- ford to the markets of Philadelphia and New York, and the concentration of a large amount of power in each location. All these advantages are more particularly evident at South Easton, a new town recently laid out by the Company. At this place the whole power of the river may be applied under a head of 23 feet. It is sit- uate at the junction of the Lehigh canal with the Dela- ware and Morris canals; opposite to the flourishing town of Easton, the seat of justice for the county, and con- taining about 4,000 inhabitants; in the midst of a rich agricultural country, surrounded by a healthy, industri- ous and numerous population, and in the immediate vi- cinity of inexhaustible bodies of iron, coal and limestone. All the articles of subsistence are cheap and abundant. This town is distant, by canal, about 80 miles from Phila- delphia, 96 miles from New York and 46 miles from Mauch Chunk, from whence to Berwick on the Susque- hanna, 32 miles, there is a good turnpike road. A por- tion of the water power and some of the town lots at this place are already disposed of. A number of town lots have also been sold at Nesquihoning, and the nume- rous inquiries made for them there, as well as at Mauch Chunk and South Easton, show that the public attention is directed towards these promising settlements.
The amount of tolls on the canal during the year 1831, wasabout $45,000; of which the chief part was for coal shipped by the Company.
For further information relative to many of the de- tails of the operations on the Lehigh, reference is made to the report of the Acting Manager, which is herewith submitted.
In conclusion, the Managers repeat the assurance, that their confidence in the successful issuc of the enter- prise of the Company, is unabated, fully believing that
It is expected that at least 100,000 tons of coal will be shipped from Mauch Chunk for the supply of the ; the Stockholders will ere long be amply compensated
62
LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.
[JANUARY
for their perseverance through several years of difficul- ty and discouragement.
By order of the Board of Managers. JOSEPH WATSON, PRESIDENT.
PHILADELPHIA, January 9th. 1832.
TRE ACTING MANAGER REPORTS,
That the stocks on hand, under his care at Mauch Chunk, &c. are the following :- viz.
3,355,567 feet of lumber for building boats, &c. &c. 2,056 tons of coal at Mauch Chunk,
300 tons of coal in boats, frozen up in the Le- high canal,
800 tons of coal at South Easton,
308 coal wagons for the rail-road to the old coal quarry,
21 mule wagons for do. do.
4.4. dirt wagons at old coal quarry,
9 wagons of various descriptions for rail-road, 115 mules,
33 horses,
9 oxen,
24 canal boats for boating coal,
6 do. for other work on canal,
28 coal wagons for Room Run rail-road, 13 dirt and truck wagons for do. do.
270,000 tons of coal uncovered at the old coal quarry.
At Room Run mines we have the following prepara- tions for quarrying and mining coal: viz.
6,000 tons uncovered and ready for quarrying at the 50 feet vein.
540 tons uncovered and ready for quarrying at the 26 feet vein, which is vertical.
4,500 tons uncovered and ready for quarrying at the 39 feet vein.
We have made an open cut to hard and merchanta- ' ble coal to one point in the 19 feet vein, and one point in the 12 feet vein, and to four points in the 28 feet vein -- and in each of these points we have run drifts or lanes into the coal veins; the sides of these lanes constitute the working breasts of the mine, and the lanes have a rail-road in each, corresponding with the main rail-road, so that the load will be put in the wagon in the mines, and not be changed until capsized from the wagons into the canal boat at Mauch Chunk landing.
The rail-road to the Room Run mines will be finished in the ensuing spring. It is divided into eight sections. The foot or end of the rail road at Rise. Length. Mauch Chunk is clevated above the dam, 14.23 ft.
Sect. No. 1, is from Mauch Chunk landing, to self-acting plane,
11.90 1,200 ft.
2, self-acting plane, 120.15 1,260
3, for horse power, 1 foot rise in 100 feet, 97.29 9,912
.€
4, for horse power, 10 inches rise in 100 feet, 96.51 11,347
5, self-acting plane at Room Run, 120.15 1,260
.6
6, self-acting plane inclu- ding the flat part at
head of sect. 5, up Room Run, 54.82 891
From the head of sect.
6 commence our coal workings.
7, for borse power, one
foot rise in 100 feet, 11.15 1,160
8, for horse power, 22.50
750
Total, 548.70 27,780
The whole of the lanes and drifts for working the coal up Room Run, lie on a level with, or above, sections 7 and 8.
for a double track throughout. Sections No. 3 and 4, will, however, for the present, have a single track; the remainder of the road. will have double tracks. Sec- tions No. 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8, will have wooden sills; and sections No. 3 and 4 have sills of stone blocks, and cast iron knees. The rails are five inches by seven inches thick, and mostly of oak. Sections No. 3 and 4 are about four miles in length, upon which horse power is intended to be used. The horses or mules will descend by gravity, as on our old road, and pull back the empty wagons. On these sections there are twenty slight curves, with a uniform radius of about 1600 feet to each, and between the curves the road is perfectly straight.
With regard to the extent of the Room Run mines, I refer to the description in my last annual Report, which is confirmed by the examinations of the past year.
The following freight was transported on the Lehigh canal in 1831:
Coal,
42,743 tons.
Grain,
400
Flour,
2,396
Salt, 2}
Salt fish, beef and pork, 27₺
Beer, porter, and cider,
Other provisions, 234
Whiskey,
182}
Hay and straw,
64+
Lumber,
2,430
Cord wood,
1,084
Brick, 73
Slate,
418
Lime, and limestone, 3,684
Other stone, and sand,
21
Iron,
315
Pitch, tar and rosin,
11
Other Merchandize,
63₺
Total, 53,868 tons.
The whole line of our canal bad five feet water in it during a portion of the past year, and the navigation was uninterrupted throughout the season, except a few weeks in the 10th month last, when some breaks were made by the highest freshet experienced on the Lehigh, since our settling in that country. Those breaches are repaired, and the banks raised and strengthened; but there yet remains to be done some walling and embank- ment to make it entirely secure, which, I estimate, will cost a further sum of sixteen hundred dollars.
The total quantity of coal brought from our coal quarries, the past year, was 44,683 tons. To transport this coal from Mauch Chunk, it required, besides 157 loads by canal boats, 616 box boats which took above 4,700,000 feet of lumber for their construction; the total length of box boats built during the year was 10 miles nearly.
The total amount of coal shipped by us from 1820, inclusive, to this time, is 247,244 tons, requiring above 36 millions of feet of lumber, and a total length of the temporary box boats exceeding 972 miles. These gen- eral totals are mentioned, to show the immensity of the line of boats built, and the lumber required to transport so small a quantity of coal, owing to our getting but one voyage out of each boat, before it is broken up; where- as, if we hadhad canals from the beginning, as wc now have, and all this lumber had been converted into canal boats, it would have transported on the canals, fifty loads of coal to each boat, making in the whole upwards of fourteen millions of tons. This comparison of the vast amount of labour bestowed to send so small a quantity of coal to market, by the channels of the river, with what the same amount of labour would effect, by the canals and improvements as they are now made, is very striking. It makes the coal we have heretofore sent away, appear as no more than mere samples, when we consider the capabilities of our natural resources.
The grade of this road is of the best inclination for The Delaware canal has disappointed our hopes of economy of transportation, and its width is calculated | business hitherto, owing to the upper part, for 34 miles,
63
LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.
1832.]
being fed exclusively from the Lehigh end, and that some of it was badly made, and the lower part could not be tried until the upper part was made sound. A feeder is now nearly ready to be introduced, 10 miles below Easton, and another, 26 to 27 miles below that place; so that the eanal in future will be well fed. This canal was largely repaired last year, but it was not till the 11th month, just before the setting in of the winter, that the upper part was made strong enough to hold water sufficient to supply the lower part; since then it held 4 to 4} feet for a considerable time, and so as to en- able us to send a boat with 25 tons of coal to within 4 miles of New Hope.
The line on the Delaware consists of,
88 inland sections of about half a mile each, which will never require much repair.
17 river sections, which are good, and will not re- quire more than ordinary repair.
13 river sections, made with sand on coarse stone base and sides, which will require the banks to be loaded with gravel.
Total, 118 sections, making about 60 miles; in which are 23 locks.
The 13 sections above mentioned, will have hands on them early in the spring to cover the banks with gravel, so as to prevent breaks, and thus keep a constant and uninterrupted navigation in the coming season, or as nearly so, 1 presume, as the best of new canals.
The Morris canal has also had its difficulties the past season. These difficulties were confined, however, to a few ordinary breaks in the canal, and mainly to about a mile of lime stone sinks; these sinks, as far as known, are conquered, and the method pursued with them, puts it in the power of the Superintendant to fill them up speedily. There has been nothing essentially wrong, to prevent the planes from working, when well supplied with water; and the lack of water was occasioned by the length of time necessary to fill a new canal; and not by any deficiency in the fountains or sources of supply. The planes all work well, and present no interruption- so far from it, that the first flour boat from near Easton, made a trip to Newark and back, a distance of 180 miles, in about seven days (exclusive of the time she re- mained at Newark. ) The navigation was open at the Delaware end, for two or three weeks only, before the close of the season; during which time 39 boats passed through the canal, and of course over the defeetive part. The whole of the work, when frost set in this winter, was in good navigable order.
Our business for the next season, will not, therefore, rest on works that are altogether untried; and had our prospects, last spring, been as well based, as they now are, in the secure use of the Delaware and the Morris ca- nals, we should have had such a stock of eoal on hand in market, as to have prevented all distress for want of fu- el on the sea board. For it will be seen that our Com- pany sent from the mines, the past year, only about 41,000 tons, while the supply from all our neighbors was 134,000 tons-whereas vur present means and facilities are much greater than theirs, and of course authorize the expectation of a much greater supply. And when we get fairly under way, if we don't do a greater coal busi- ness than all our neighbours put together, it will be be- cause we are less industrious, or manage worse than they do; nature having done so much more for, us. I don't inean by these remarks to say, that our neighbours are not well o!l', but only to say we are better off.
Although a series of circumstances has diverted the public feeling, hitherto, from effecting the continuous navigation from the Lehigh to the canal on the North branch of the Susquehanna, by the long contemplated Nescopeck route, yet, whenever the people pause and select the best ground or line, for the general good, they will undoubtedly point the publie finger to this line, as the one most to be desired. The use of planes, like those of the Morris canal, would so much reduce the de- tention or interruption from lockage, as to require, in
the whole distance from Mauel Chunk to Berwick, no more time than about thirty common lift locks.
It is now the twenty-second year since I commenced operations in the works of internal improvement, at the Falls of Schuylkill, in which time I have been absent from that kind of service very few days. It is also the fourteenth year since I began, with my colleague, E. HIazard, our labours at Mauch Chunk and on the Lehigh; and it may therefore be expected that I should have a tolerably matured idea of the works of a Company in whose history I have formed some prominent part. The Lehigh Company, which was incorporated in 1822, started in 1818, with a lease on certain coal lands which they have since purchased in fee, and with a grant of authority from the Legislature of Pennsylvania to im- prove the navigation of the Lehigh river, which grant reserved to the public the right of using the said im- proved navigation or canal, on payment of the tolls fix- ed by law. A temporary and cheap navigation was made in the river, by artificial freshets, to enable the Company to send their coal to Philadelphia, and try the experiment, whether it would sell. This temporary navigation, was completely successful, and five years elasped, viz: from 1820 to 1824 inclusive, before An- thracite eoal was brought regularly to the Philadelphia market from any other quarter than the Lehigh. The experience of those years encouraged the opinion, that the market would sustain the cost of a canal from Mauch Chunk to tide. To ensure then, an early completion of such a navigation, our Company felt the necessity of leading, or making their improvement ahead of the pub- lic, who eventually decided on making the Delaware ca- na]. The labour of pioncering, therefore, naturally fell on us. The whole work is now done. The line of na- vigation may now be considered as complete from Mauch Chunk to Philadelphia, by the Delaware eanal, and to New York, by the Morris canal. The latter canal passes through a thickly settled distriet of country, with an ac- tive and wealthy population, and promises a large mar- ket for coal along its banks. Our own canal is calcula- ted to pass up and down 400 tons each way per hour; and although this is probably beyond all demand, it is of mueh moment to know, that the lasting advantage to the Company from making so good a canal, is, that every ton of coal or other freight that passes on it, will be car- ried at the lowest possible cost.
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