USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > The Wyoming Valley, upper waters of the Susquehanna, and the Lackawanna coal-region : including views of the natural scenery of northern Pennsylvania : from the Indian occupancy to the year 1875 > Part 11
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Susquehanna > The Wyoming Valley, upper waters of the Susquehanna, and the Lackawanna coal-region : including views of the natural scenery of northern Pennsylvania : from the Indian occupancy to the year 1875 > Part 11
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PIONEER ENTERPRISE-HISTORICAL INCIDENTS-THE SHIP-BUILDING ERA.
Great lords, wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss, But cheerly seek how to redress their harms. What though the mast be now thrown overboard, The cable broke, the holding anchor lost, And half our sailors swallow'd in the flood ; Yet lives our pilot still.
-Henry VI .- Act V. Sec. 5.
The tide of emigration down the Susquehanna was remarkably slow during the first few years succeeding the reign of peace. Up to the year 1800, there had been no perceptible change in the condition of the country, or the character of its population. Indeed, the melancholy stories which were woven together in its history, had hung over the country like a magic pall, and the effect was anything but inviting to the spirit of emigration farther east.
The old settlers, however, were pushing on- ward with their characteristic determination. The rude manners of early forest life soon began to give way to a more refined method of con- ducting social affairs.
Perhaps it may add to the already arristocratic air which pervades the atmosphere of part of the Wyoming Valley, to note here, that in 1790, eleven slaves were owned by the more wealthy and in 1800 the number had increased to eight- een. In the records of Luzerne county may be found the following:
"To Lord Butler, Clerk of the Peace, &c.
"June 19th, 1796, I, John Hollenback, of the township of Wilkes-Barre, county of Luzerne (Miller), do certify that I have a negro female child, by the name of Maria, born of a negro . woman, which is my property. The child was born the 19th day of February last, and is four months old to-day. This negro child I desire you to record, agreeably to a law of the state, passed March 20th, 1788."
A statute which had gone into effect, having for its ultimate result the abolition of slavery, re- quired the recording of this notice.
In the earlier town meetings in Wyoming Valley, proceedings werc had which make up some interesting history for the enlightened read- er of to-day.
Hon. H. B. Wright, author of "Historical Sketches of Plymouth," gives the following :
"But there was one thing always done at these annual mectings which did not very much re- dound to the credit or humanity of our early settlers ; that was the selling of the town poor to the lowest bidder, to be boarded for the year. Along from 1812 to 1820, Jerre Allen, a de- ranged man, would be brought to the place of holding the town meeting, in chains, and thus put up for sale. Speedy Nash," a poor, simple, foolish creature, also. The bidding on the pau- pers, for the year's keep, would generally begin at a hundred dollars, and go 'down to fifty or forty-five, and would be generally struck off to some mountaineer, living in a log hut, and the town contribution would sustain pauper and pur- chaser."
Agriculture pure and primitive, was the occu- pation of the pioneers of the northeastern section of the commonwealth. The principle crop was wheat, and this product was the representation of individual and collective wealth. Corn, to- bacco, and other articles were raised, and used for barter and exchange, but wheat was the
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standard by which everything was secured to meet human wants.
The nearest bank was that of Easton, and at this point the traffic in large quantities was usual- conducted during the months of sledding when the yield could more easily be conveyed sixty miles, which was the distance by the Wilkes- Barre and Easton turnpike.
Hon. H. B. Wright, the historian of Plymouth, before referred to, and who nominated James K. Polk, in convention, for the Presidency, in writing of these trips which usual- ly took three days, adds :- "It was an exciting and pleasant excursion in early days, this Easton journey. I have hauled many a load, and I have counted on Pocono a hundred sleds in line. The jingling of bells, the mirth and laughter, and sometimes the sound of music, gave it a charm that made it very agreeable. Besides this, every tavern upon the roadside had its fiddler, and we generally had a dance for half the night, and then off in the morning, our horses steaming in the snow flakes, and the merry songs and shouts made the summits of Pocono and the Blue Moun- tain ring with their echoes."
The same writer refers to one of these trips as the occasion when he put his first segar in his mouth, being eighteen years old, and adds with much honesty, "I am told that young gen- tlemen commence smoking now, at eight or ten years of age."
Banishment or whipping were the two penal- ties for crimes in those days, and the exact local- ity of an ancient whipping post is pointed ont to the traveler as one of the remarkable landmarks of earlier times.
Shad was plenty in the Susquehanna before the construction of canals, and constituted one of the staple products of the region. Up to 1825, the period when shad fishery ceased, the crop was relied npon as one of the utmost importance. The highest price did not reach over eight or ten cents apicce, while the more usual rate was but two cents. Bass was common in the rivers, and game along the shores was bountifully abundant
The country merchant was driving a heavy business when his books could show a trade
amounting to two thousand a year. But little currency was needed, and this came entirely from the bank at Easton as business was conducted by barter sale and exchange. So little was paper money understood that each note was registered, giving the name of the bank issuing it, from whom received, and its date and number.
The lines of transportation were by "Durham boats" on the river, and Conestoga wagons on the turnpike. The latter drawn by four horses, . is described as follows by a writer who cau recall in his own day the scene :- "A wagon would carry three, four, and sometimes five? tons. The bodies were long, projecting over front and rear, ribbed with oak, covered with canvass, and gen- erally painted blue. There were several persons, residents of the valley, who made it their only occupation to carry goods for the early mer- chants,"
The early school advantages were indeed not flattering. Pennsylvania as a state, was far be- hind many of the sister governments in the edu- cational movement, and Northern Pennsylvania was but in unison with the grand march. The first steps toward a thorough system of education were put into operation in 1809, and improved in 1824.
In the year 1812, the first real artistically built church of northern Pennsylvania was erect- ed in Wilkes-Barre, which was known in recent years as the "Old Church."
The bell was manufactured in Philadelphia August 6, 1811, and inscribed on it, as was the fashion of primitive day, were the Latin words "Gloria in Excelsis Deo Fili Dei Miserere," and the English sentence, "I will sound and resound unto thy people, O Lord, to call them to thy word." The old bell tolled the knell of parting day up to 1845, following the custom established by William the Conqueror, who required the town bell to answer the purpose of tups or tatoo to the inhabitants, which compelled them to cover their fires, hence the meaning of curfew. The borough of Wilkes-Barre was incorporated in 1806, and this custom was established in 1812.
The edifice, which was constructed by funds contributed by many, had an experience not al-
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
together in keeping with the divine injunction, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." A dispute arose between the Presbyterians and the Metho- dist Episcopalians, as to the right of occupancy, and as the former had possession of the keys they effectually elosed the entrance against the latter.
Mr. Stewart Pearee, author of the "Annals of Luzerne," describes what ensued in this wise :- "At length the followers of Wesley assembled in the court-house, and resolved to enter the ehureh at all hazards. They accordingly, with the ap- proval of their pastor, the Rev. Morgan Sherman, appointed Joseph Sloeum, Abraham Thomas, Daniel Collings, and others, a committee to storm the Lord's house. Mr. Sloeum foreed the windows with a crowbar, and Mr. Thomas, like Sampson at Gaza, lifted the door from its hinges. The people entered the building, and, by direc- tion of James McClintoek, esq., attorney for, the Methodists, broke the loeks from the pulpit and pew doors, Mr. Slocum then approached the sa- cred desk and recommenced religious worship by giving out the hymn commeneing :
"Equip me for the war, And teach my hands to fight,"
In 1857 the old structure was taken down and removed.
The first church built in the Lackawanna re- gion was erected at Carbondale, and the second at the point now known as Hyde Park, but of these and many others that 'may be ranked among the old ehureh curiosities we shall speak hereafter in the chapter pertaining to the subject of churches in general.
Hollister, in commenting upon the habits of the early inhabitants, says :- " 'Bundling,' that easy but wicked habit of our grandfathers, ap- pears to have been wonderfully pr valent at an early period along the valley, as well as in many other portions of the country, and w. 3 not un- frequently attended with consequences that might naturally have been looked for. Besides this, there is every reason to believe that the current morals of the day had the greatest liberty of standard, and that one prominent and almost universal characteristic of the people was, the real love of whiskey."
Maple sugar formed a valuable produet of the country, and at five eents a pound was considered profitable. In this branch of industry all the adult members of families were annually engaged. The females were not at all reluctant to join in the "bush," and "sugaring off" with its many at- tendant episodes marked an era of history which the present generation can but feebly appreciate.
Flax and wool, from which "home made" elothing was manufactured, gave to the blooming young women of the settlement an opportunity to display their ambition, which compares strangely with the taste of the present generation.
It was the boast of many a family, that a daughter had a record for so mueh a day at the spinning-wheel. The house which did not con- tain a loom, a spinning-wheel and a dye pot, was an exception.
Pearee's Annals of Luzerne give instances of the ability of a few of the noble minded women, who manufactured while the men tilled the ground.
"Miss Mary Smith of Pittston frequently spun 120 knots in a day. In 1828, Miss Rachel Jen- kins spun and reeled 135 knots in twelve hours, and Miss Selinda Jenkins spun 136 knots of fill- ing in the same time."
It may appear strange to this generation and age to mention such a matter as navigating the Susquehanna, but among the pioneer enterprises of the Upper Waters of the Susquehanna, this branch of industry received some attention. The river was declared by the Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania, in 1771, to be a publie highway, and a certain appropriation was made to render the channel navigable. The gravel bars were cleared away, and the necessary work speedily accomplished.
The first boat ever used upon the river for transportation, was in 1750 at a town called Durham, a few miles below Easton, whence the name, "Durham Boat" before alluded to. These boats are described as "sixty feet in length, eight feet in width, and two feet in depth, and when laden with fifteen tons' weight drew twenty inches of water. The stern and bow were sharp, on which were erected small decks, while a run-
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THE SHIP-BUILDING ERA.
ning board extended the whole length of the boat . twenty, left the boat, and walked along the on each side. They carried a mast with two sails, and were manned by a crew of five men, one at the stern with a long oar for steering, and two on each side with setting-poles for pushing them forward.
The Susquehanna boats were of similar con- struction, but larger, and manned by a more nu- mcrous crew. With one end of their long poles set in the water, and the other against their mus- cular shoulders, these hardy boatmen toiled the livelong day, forcing their way against a rapid current, at the rate of from one to two miles an hour."-Stewart Pearce's Annals of Luzerne.
A boat of curious construction was built by Isaac A. Chapman, esq., at Nescopeck, named the "Experiment," which sa:led on July 4th 1824, from the former place to Wilkes-Barre, where a multitude of citizens including a militia force, on the banks hailed its appearance with cheers. It was what is known as a "team pow- cr" boat, i. e. the boat was propelled by poles, which werc set in motion by horse power.
The following year, three steamboats were built for the purpose of transportation on the Susquehanna. One of them, the "Codorous," with a ten-horse power enginc, managed to move up the current, from York Haven where it was built, at the rate of four miles an hour, until it reached Wilkes-Barre on the 12th day of July, 1826. It continued its trip to Binghamton, and returned, reaching its native docks in safety ; but. the test had proven to the satisfaction of the captain that steam navigation would prove im- practicable, and he so reported it to the company which constructed the boat.
The next boat, the "Susquehanna," was built at Baltimore by a company of gentlemen who desired to control the trade of the Susquehanna river. She had an e ginc of thirty-horse power, and was too heavily b. ilt for the shallow current. However, the boat re ched Nescopeck Falls, May 3d, 1826. The termination of her career here is best described by Pearce :- "The ascent of these rapids was looked upon as the most dif- ficult part of the undertaking. The three com- missioners and all the passengers, except about
shore. A quantity of rich pine wood had been procured for the occasion, and with a full head of steam, the dangerous passage was commenced. The banks of the river were crowded with spec- tators from the villages of Berwick, Nescopeck, and from the surrounding country. The angry waters seemed to dash with redoubled fury against the rocks and against the devoted boat, as if aware of the strife. Trembling from stem to stern, the noble craft slowly advanced, cheered by a thousand voices, until she reached the mid- dle and most difficult point of ascent. Here her headway ceased. The multitude stood silent on the shores, watching with intense anxiety the boat and her passengers. In a few moments she turned slightly towards the shore, and struck a rock. Her boiler immediately burst with an explosion, that sent the dreadful intelligence of her fate many miles throughout the surrounding country. Shattered, broken, and on fire, all that remained of the "Susquehanna" was carried down the conquering tide. The mangled bodies of her passengers and crew, dead and dying, lay upon decks or had been blown into the river."
A third test was made on the West Branch of the Susquehanna which failed, and all attempts were for a time abandoned.
The spirit of enterprise in the pioneers was not yet quenched, and the consideration of naviga- tion took another turn-that of canal construc- tion ..
It was the all absorbing topic of the day,- "How shall the accumulated products of the country reach the seaboard ?" The General As- sembly of Pennsylvania, in February 1826, ap- propriated for this purpose a considerable amount of money, and work was commenced forthwith. The North Branch Canal was commenced in 1828, and in 1834 was completed to the Lacka- wanna.
The shipping of coal aroused the thinking men of the day, and another attempt at steamboat navigation resulted in the building of the "Sus- quehanna," at Owego, at a cost of 813,000. Shc made her first trip to Wilkes-Barre, August 7th 1835, in eight hours, completing a distance of
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THE WYOMING VALLEY.
one hundred miles. She returned laden with ' that called up carly and interesting recollections. coal, and upon her second trip for another load was disabled at Nanticoke Dam, whither she had steamed for an excursion, and where she finally sunk.
The "Wyoming," another steamer, was put afloat in 1849, and during the years 1849, 1850, and 1851, she was employed in carrying coal from Wilkes-Barre to Athens and other places, but she too was finally abandoned, the enter- prise proving unprofitable.
The last trial of the question belonged to the citizens of Bainbridge, N. Y., where the "Enter- prise" was built with a stern-wheel of 14 feet, put in motion by a powerful ergine. The first trip was made in 1851, and in three months time is said to have earned three thousand dollars, but when the rains had ceased, and the river had fallen, the "Enterprise" "lay high and dry." The sun opened her seams, and her machinery through rust became worthless. Thus ended the steamboat navigation era.
Ship-building next engaged the attention of the more venturesome speculators, and the sub- ject received much consideration at an early day.
Messrs. J. P. Arndt & Phillip established a ship-yard in Wilkes-Barre in 1823, and launched a sloop of 12 tons burden, named "John Frank- lin." It reached the sea safely, the tidings of - which occasioned the formation of a stock com- pany at Wilkes-Barre, in 1811, when ship-build- ing really commenced in earnest by placing the first vessel on the stocks. Wilkes-Barre was henceforth to become a wonderful town, and town lots in consequence took a magnificent leap in price. The ship was completed in April, 1812, and the "Gleaner," a newspaper of the place, gives the following description of its launch :- "Last Friday was the day on which the launch of the vessel on the stocks in this port was announced. A scene so extraordinary, 200 miles from the tide-waters of the river, raised the curiosity of every one. The old sailor, and the inhabitants of the sea-board, whom the vicissi- tudes of fortune had settled in this sylvan retreat, and to whom such scenes had once been familiar, felt all the interest so naturally excited by events
The novelty to those who had never witnesscd such a view, excited curiosity to the highest de- gree. The importance of the experiment too did not fail to augment the general solicitude, for on its success depended the important consideration whether the timber of our mountains could be profitably employed in ship-building, and our country be beautified by the increase of business which such a pursuit would naturally produce.
"On the Sunday preceding the interesting day a beautiful new pair of colors was displayed from the stern, according to universal usage, as a to- ken that in the course of the week she would be launched. From Monday till Friday all was bustle and activity. Early on Friday people be- gan to gather from all parts of the country. The cannon on the bank at noon gave notice that everything was in preparation. A little after two, repeated discharges announced that all was ready. The bank of the river, far above and far below the vessel, was lined with persons of both sexes, and it was not among the least gratifica- tions of the day to observe the smile of pleasure mingled with anxiety for the success of the launch, which was evident in every countenance. A little after three the increased bustle and noise around the vessel, and the sound of sledges and axes, gave the interesting notice that they were knocking away the block. The vessel was built on the bank of the river 100 feet from the water, and 15 feet perpendicular height above it, so that she had a considerable [ distance to move. She measures between 50 and 60 tons. Her colors were flying from the stern, and nearly thirty persons were on board. The after block was knocked away-all was anxiety-but she did not move.
"The news of the embargo had just come to town, and she seemed aware that there was no business for her on the ocean, and she might as well lie on dry dock. The men on board all gathered near her bow, and then ran in a body to her stern. She started, moving for half a mo- ment slowly. The velocity increased, and she slid most gracefully into her destined element, amid the shouts of thousands. As she met the
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THE SHIP-BUILDING ERA.
water, Captain Chapman 'christened her, in the usual style, 'The Luzerne of Wilkes-Barre.' Nothing could be more beautiful, and every spec- tator was amply gratified. * * * * *
"We hope her voyage down the crooked and rocky Susquehanna may be safe, though our
hopes are not without some fcars for her safety, as she draws, without ballast, four fect of water."
This hopeful ship was dashed to pieces on the rocks at Conawago Falls, near Middletown. Wilkes-Barre had invested heavily in her, and all was lost, including the decline in town lots and values in timber lands.
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CHAPTER XV.
THE LUMBER TRADE ARKS-RAFTS-SUSQUEHANNA RIVER COMMERCE.
And so by many winding nooks he strays, With willing sport, to the wild ocean.
-Two Gentlemen of Verona. Act II. Se. 10.
And all the way their merry pipes they sound, That all the woods and doubled echoes ring. -Spenser's Faery Queen.
The ship building era with its many failures and lessons of merit, was succecded by the more primitive art of descending the stream on rafts and arks. The lumber trade was about awaken- ing an interest in the commercial world, and aside from this, much timber had been floated to Baltimore and other seaports, where it had been converted into masts and spars of ships.
The first ark that ever sailed down the Susque- hanna was in 1800, although prior to that the more rude rafts had become quite a common af- fair. In 1796 thirty of the latter passed down the river past Wilkes-Barre.
Sawed lumber did not come into demand until an interchange of commercial relations by means of these rude pioneer vessels had brought the matter to notice. Thus the building of saw-mills followed the market opened by rafts. In 1804 22,000,000 feet of lumber were floated down the river.
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Stewart Pearce, in mentioning this era, thus graphically runs up an exhibit of the water com- merce :- "In the same year, 84 arks and 19 Dur- ham boats laden with wheat, furs, and fat cattle destined for Baltimore, and valued at $190,400, passed down the river. In speaking of this flect of arks and boats, with their valuable cargoes, the editor of the Federalist, published in Wilkes- Barre at that time, expressed regret that the Easton and Wilkes-Barre Turnpike was not com- pleted, so as to induce a transhipment of the pro- duce at Wilkes-Barre, and secure its transporta-
tion over the road to Philadelphia. In 1827, during a single freshet, from March 1st to April 5th, 1830 rafts and arks, many of them laden with agricultural productions, passed Wilkes- Barre on their way to tide-water, and to Balti- more.
Baltimore was long the natural, and only'mar- ket for the Upper Susquehanna trade. But after the construction of the Columbia and Philadel- phia Railroad, and the state Canals, the trade became divided between Baltimore, Philadelphia, and other populous places. The demand in- creased from year to year, and lumbering became an established business. With many it became the primary, while agriculture was a secondary pursuit. From 1827 to 1849, the increase of the lumber trade was rapid and enormous. From March 22d to April 17th, in the last-named year,. 2243 rafts and 268 arks passed Wilkes-Barre, on the swollen waters of the river. They contained about 100,000,000 of feet, and were valued at $600,000. Since 1849 the number of rafts and arks has gradually diminished, owing to the searcity of timber, and to the diversion of trade by the construction of the New York and Erie, and of other railroads, in Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York."
It may prove interesting to the residents who may recall the earlier faces of Northeastern. Pennsylvania, to examine the following list of. the first saw mills of Luzerne county :
1774. A saw and grist mill were built at pub-
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lic expense, at the Falls on the Lackawanna riv- er, in the present boundaries of Lackawanna township, then Pittston. The saw mill passed into the possession of Solomon Strong the year following, and was destroyed by a flood.
1776. Upon a small stream four miles above the Wyoming battle ground, in the township of Exeter, James Sutton put up a saw and grist mill. They were destroyed by the invasion at the time of the battle of 1778. The mill-irons were carried away excepting the cramp, which is now in the collection of the Wyoming Historical Society.
1778. In Kingston township, on Toby's creek, James Sutton erected a saw-mill in the spring of the year.
1779. Mr. Keys put up a saw-mill on Keiser's creek, Lackawanna township. It was at this mill that the lumber was manufactured for Lord But- ler's honsc, in the village of Wilkes-Barre.
1780. Solomon Finn and E. L. Stevens built the first saw-mill in the township of Pittston, on the Lackawanna ...
1782. The first saw-mill on Mill creek, near the present site of Wilkes-Barre, was by Samuel Miller.
1788. The first mills in Sugarloaf Valley, But- ler township, were erected by Samuel Woodring on the Nescopeck creek.
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