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 19
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 19
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119
COL. GEORGE W. SCRANTON.
Mr. Campbell said :
I cannot permit this occasion to pass without bearing my humble tribute to the merits of our deceased friend, who to me. his immediate com- panion and colleague, was more than brother. I had the honor, sir, to become acquainted with George W. Seranton in the fall of 1858, when we met as members of the 36th Congress, and I found him, as has been said here to-night, by the eloquent gentlemen who have preceded me, one who bore the strong imprint of manhood upon him. He was a high-toned, genial, liberal, Christian gentleman. I never met a truer man. Every step in his progress of life was marked by some good or great act towards his fellow-citizens.
It is a part of his history that when he went into what was then almost the wilder- ness of the waters of the Lackawanna, he saw at once that a city might be founded there, and that that wilderness might be made to resound with the hum of busy life. Indeed, Scranton sprang from the brain of George W. Scranton, as Minerva sprang from the brain of Jove. Scarcely ten years ago the hunter roved over the woods and streams of that region, and now it is one of the most thriving evidences of Pennsyl- vania industry. To his enterprise, to his in- domitable courage, and to his resolute purpose do we owe the fact that Scranton is to-day what it is, with all its surroundings.
In the legislation of the country he was governed by one line of policy, and that policy the true interest of our people. With him a jealous care of the interests of the industrial classes of Pennsylvania was the predominant idea. Long, laboriously, by day and by night did he serve them, when our tariff, in which we all took so much interest, was in jeopardy, George W. Scranton never failed, by his devotedness of pur- pose and activity of brain, to carry his point, and challenge general admiration. Pennsylvania never had a better son, and we have lost in him more than the loss of thousands who possessed not his qualifications. I had the pleasure on one occasion, of spending a day or two under his hospitable roof. At home he was beloved with an intensified affection, and he was the idol of his neighbors and friends everywhere. He was a genial gentleman, a true father, a noble friend, and an excellent citizen. I am glad that I lived to know him, for he has added to my faith in man.
Col. Forney introduced the following resolu- tions, prefacing them by a glowing and appro- priate speech :
Resolved, That in the death of the Hon Geo. W. Scranton, Representative in Congress from Pennsylvania, we deplore the loss of a faithful
servant of the people of his district and state, a true-hearted Pennsylvanian, and a patriotic friend of the Union ; one who during his single term in the public service secured the regard alike of political friend and foe, and discharged all his duties with signal fidelity and integrity.
Resolved, That, in the absence of the Con- gress of which he was a distinguished ornament, we feel it incumbent upon ourselves, citizens of Pennsylvania here assembled, to pay this heart- felt tribute to his character and his memory.
· Resolved, That the Secretary of this meeting be requested to transmit a copy of these resolu- tions to the family of the lamented deceased, with our sincere condolence in their bereavement.
The procession which was organized and moved to the cemetery, was as follows :
Gen. A. N. Meylert. Chief Marshal. Staff Officers.
Lieut. Col. P. Burschel, Maj. Edward Kingsbury, Capt. Joseph Mowery.
Major General Dana and Staff. Col. Conyngham, Maj. Reichart, Maj. Nicholson. FIRST DIVISION.
Col. Joseph Phillips, Marshal. Wilkes-Barre Cornet Band. Capt. Emley's Company of Rifles, Capt. Cohn, Wyoming Yeagers and Band, Capt. Bertle's Company of Infantry. Capt. Brisbane's Troop of Cavalry, Wilkes-Barre, Burger's Cornet Band. Capt. Robinson's Lackawanna Yeagers,
Capt. Fitzgerald's Montgomery Guards, Rauff's Cornet Band, Capt. Fasold's Schutzen Guards, of Scranton. SECOND DIVISION. Capt. Richard Stillwell, Marshal. Chief Engineer and Assistants, Pittston Hose Company, Franklin Engine Company, Hyde Park, Neptune Engine Company, Washington Engine Company, Lady Washington Engine Compary. THIRD DIVISION. Thomas Dickson, Marshal. I. O. of O. F. Capouse Lodge, No. 170, Lackawanna Lodge, No. 291, Residenz Lodge, No. 513, Alliance Lodge, No. 640. Dunmore Lodge, No. 492. FOURTH DIVISION. Richard A. Oakford. Marshal. Hibernia Benevolent Society, of Hyde Park, M. M. Ketner, President, St. Patrick's Benevolent Society, of Scranton,
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THE LACKAWANNA VALLEY.
Patrick Blewitt, President, Carriage with Clergymen. Carriage with officiating Clergymen and Physician. The Hearse, Supported by the Nay Aug Hose Company. Mourners :
Committee of Arrangements, Friends of the Deceased from Abroad.
FIFTH DIVISION : D. H. Conklin, Marshal, Citizens on Foot, Citizens in Carriages.
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CHAPTER XXV.
JOSEPH H. SCRANTON. 1
" Yet dare to trust for honest fame, The jury Time empanels, And leave to truth each noble name Which glorifies your annals." -WHITTIER.
The name of Joseph H. Scranton will be long remembered among those who bore a chief part in developing the industries of this valley, and bringing it from the condition of a sterile and isolated mountain ravine to that of the seat of one of the most prosperous and opulent cities of the commonwealth. Mr. Scranton came to the valley in 1846. At that time the city which now bears his name, consisted of a small cluster of rustic cabins, in no way differing from the hundreds of rude unregarded hamlets which still, unchanged from generation to generation, slumber at the cross roads of the Pennsylvania mountains, or mark the intersection of its woodland streams. When he died in 1872, it had become in popu- lation and wealth, the third city in Pennsylvania and one of the most important industrial and pro- ductive centers of the continent. In the work
which wrought this magical change, Mr. Seran- ton bore an eminent part. The story of his life for a quarter of a century, is the story of the building up from its foundation of the city of Scranton. It was the boast of Severus that he found Rome of brick and left it of marble. Those on whom it devolves to make record of Mr. Scranton's life may truly say of him that where in his early manhood he found a wilderness and morass, he left, when, hardly beyond middle age he was summoned from his labors, a busy and populous city. Not only was he largely instru- mental in diverting thither the immense and constantly augmenting tide of capital, without which such rapid growth and development would have been impossible, but he bore an active and ardent share in every enterprise which promised to contribute to the welfare and prosperity of the
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JOSEPH H SCRANTON.
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JOSEPHI H. SCRANTON.
growing city. No community ever possessed a more public spirited citizen, and to few men at any age has it been given within the compass of a lifetime to accomplish so much.
Mr. Scranton was born in Madison, New Ha- ven Co., Connecticut, June 28, 1813. He came of good old Puritan stock, the earliest ancestor of the name having settled in Connecticut, in 1638. The Scrantons from father to son through many generations were a stout resolute race, til- lers of the soil, builders of mills, builders and masters of ships, builders of wharves and light- houses and break-waters, prominent in the church, captains in the old Indian, French and Revolutionary wars, prone to all works of enter- prise, and much accustomed to succeed in what- ever they took in hand. These ancestral quali- ties were' conspicuous in their descendant, and were illustrated during his entire life. He served a brief apprenticeship in mercantile pursuits in New Haven, after which his fortunes led him southward. Within a few years, while still hard- ly more than a youth, he took his place at the head of a commercial house, in the city of Au- gusta, Ga. Success attended him from the out- set. Within a decade, he had amassed, what in those days was regarded as an ample fortune. It was during this interval that he made his first investment, in what were then, the infant enter- prises of the Lackawanna Valley. They were of moderate amounts compared with the princely sums which he was instrumental in determining thither, but they had the effect of making known to him the unrivaled resources of this region, and from that time his place and work in life seemed to be providently marked out. He took up his residence here in 1847. The practicabil- ity of smelting iron with anthracite coal had been demonstrated. Iron could be made, and its factors, coal and ore, lay beneath the neighboring hillsides in inexhaustable abundance. Riches, exceeding these, of Ophir or Potosi, were here if one possessed but the sorcery to call them forth. Everything except the rude material was wanting, furnaces, mills, a working population, and a more formidable want of all, a market, and a way to get to it. The valley was completely isolated, having no communication with the outer
world except that which was afforded by its rough mountian roads. Even when the iron was made it scemed a problem what to do with it, as the expenses of its transportation bade fair so greatly to enhance its cost. But all these obstacles and difficulties vanished before the intelligent and resolute effort of Mr. Scranton and his little group of co-laborers. The valley soon began to smoke and glare with furnace fires. Mills were built, mines were opened, and workmen of all rank and in constantly increasing numbers began to flock thither. The first important product of the mill was hauled over the mountain roads by teams gathered from near and far among the farmers of the neighboring counties. It con- sisted of rails for the Erie railroad, the building of which was then just begun. Twelve thousand tons were rapidly produced by extemporized fur- naces and rolling mills, and thus laboriously transported to their destination. It was the opening strain in that epic of labor and produc- tion with which the valley has since resounded, and whose accents are not likely to be silenced for a thousand years.
From 1847 to 1853, Mr. Scranton was a mem- ber successively of the firm of Scrantons & Grant, and Scrantons & Platt. In the latter year was organized the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, of which Mr. Scranton was from its inception the superintendent and general manager, and from 1858 till his death, the Presi- dert. To this work he brought practical finan- cial and managerial abilities which have not been exceeded in this generation. At his death he left the company in the condition of one of the most extensive and prosperous iron produ- cing industries in the world.
Nearly all the enterprises which grew up in the Valley, or were allied with its industries, had in Mr. Scranton an active and efficient coun- selor and supporter. He was a resident dircc- tor of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad; President, at one time, of the Lacka- wanna and Bloomsburg road ; first and, till his death, only President of the First National Bank of Scranton, and of the Scranton Gas and Water Company ; Director of the Sussex Railroad of New Jersey ; of the Mount Hope Mineral Rail-
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THE LACKAWANNA VALLEY.
road Company; of the Mount Hope Mining Com- pany; the Franklin Iron Company; the Scranton Trust Company and Savings Bank; the Dickson Manufacturing Co .; the Moosic Powder Com- pany; and the Oxford Iron Company. He was also largely interested in various western rail- roads, and in some of them as a director. In 1861 he was appointed by Congress one of the first Commissioners of the Union Pacific Rail- road.
In January, 1872, Mr. Scranton, accompanied by his wife and one of his daughters, sailed for Europe. His health had been for some time im- paired, but neither his family nor his friends were fully aware of the inroads which time and his great labors had wrought in his originally powerful and enduring constitution. It was con- fidently expected that a brief sojourn abroad would restore to him his wonted vigor. But it was not to be. He was destined never again to look upon the beautiful city he had helped to rear. He died in Baden Baden, on the 6th of June, 1872, and his remains were consigned to the earth in Dunmore Cemetery, in the City of Scranton, on the 13th of July succeeding. The news of his death was received with profound emotion, not only in Scranton-where his name was a household word-but throughout the State of which he was so conspicuous and honored a citizen. The press of the entire country accom- panied the announcement of his death with ex- pressions of sorrow and eulogy. On the day of his burial, business was suspended in the city of his home, the flags were displayed at half-mast, and there were everywhere solemn and visible tokens that the heart of the entire community amid which he had lived and labored was bowed with a common sorrow. In an eloquent memorial sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. Cattell, President of Lafayette College, Easton, oecur the following remarks which could not be appropriately omitted in this brief rehearsal of his life :
" He was a man whose success in- all the things that men most desire and for which they strive and toil, was conspicuous. I need not dwell upon the events of his busy life. The honorable record is known of all. Scarcely had the ocean cable throbbed with the sad mes-
sage of his death, when the public journals hastened to pay well-deserved tributes to his memory ; and to-day, this entire city-hushed in all its busy activities-no less by the spon- taneous impulse of the citizens than by the pro- clamation of the Mayor -- this silent city is filled with the thronging multitudes that follow him to the grave; and men speak to each other of the purity of his private life on which there is no stain ; of his integrity that knew no dishonor ; of his devotion to the trusts committed to him that never faltered ; of the public spirit and enterprise that placed him in the front rank of all the great movements which have given to this region its unprecedented prosperity ; of the rare business sagacity and executive ability which amassed a fortune ; of all these things do men speak to-day. and of the great loss which has fallen upon the whole city in the death of such a man, while they are not unmindful of that more sacred sorrow, which mourns a devoted husband and father and brother.
But, my hearers, if this were all, dark and cheerless would be the grave to which we bear him. We may indeed seek for ourselves honor- able remembrance. and may teach our children to be emulous of such an example-but not this alone. Better than all to-day is the record of his Christian life. The remembrance of his activity and zeal in this church and elsewhere in many instances of usefulness. In all his busy life he found time for such duties. I know not of how many companies he was president, or manager, or director; with what great public interest he was the animating and guiding spirit. but I know he was for many years the super- intendent of the Sabbath-school in this church ; I know that in yon home of refinement and wealth there was the daily sacrifice of prayer and praise, and that with all his intense devo- tion to business he loved his God, and that he ever lived as seeing Him who is invisible. Among his last utterances upon earth was the expression of a joyous and confident hope in the merits of Christ, which alone was his trust of acceptance with God."
The minutes of the various companies with which Mr. Seranton was associated bear eloquent witness of the sorrow with which his friends and co-workers received the news of his death, and of the honor and veneration in which they held his memory. At a special meeting of the direc- tors of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, called for the purpose of taking suitable action upon the report of the death of their President, the following, among other resolutions, were adopted :
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JOSEPH H. SCRANTON.
That while testifying to the great gifts which made his co-operation so valuable to public en- terprises, the managers, as individuals, desire to express their admiration and affection for Mr. Scranton as a consistent christian gentleman and friend.
Resolved, that better than words, his achieve- ments are his praise, and in the success of the numerous christian and benevolent interests and the varied public and private trusts identified with the growth and prosperity of the city of Scranton, and in many kindred associations in which he was a leading mind, is his best eulogy.
The directors of the Dickson Manufacturing Company, with which Mr. Scranton was long allied, assembled upon receiving the news of his death, and passed the following resolutions:
That the loss which has been sustained by this board in the death of Mr. Scranton has impress ed the hearts of its members with sentiments of profound regret, and they desire to put upon record their tribute of respect among its trans- actions, there to remain as a testimony to the esteem and high regard in which he was held by them.
Resolved, that which his genius contrived, and his name is connected with many of the most important enterprises of this vicinity, to his comprehensive knowledge of business and emi- nent executive ability is due in a great measure their success.
Resolved, that his generous nature, public spirit, and tireless energy fitted him for a leader in all great enterprises which his kindness of heart, benevolence, and strong unchanging friendship endeared him to all with whom he was associated.
Resolved, that we shall keep in enduring memory the many virtues of our deceased friend and associate, sincerely mourning his death, and we most respectfully tender to the bereaved family and relatives, our condolence under this afflicting dispensation of Divine Providence.
Resolved, that as a token of respect to his memory our general office be draped in mourn- ing, the works closed on the day of the funeral, that these resolutions be entered on the minutes, a certified copy transmitted to the family, and that they be published in the daily papers of the city.
mostly given over to the unchallenged dominion of the wolf and the bear. It is now one of the noblest territories on the globe. The wealth which the mines of California and Nevada have bestowed upon the world is but trivial in com- parison with that ever augmenting tide of wealth which over a hundred iron ways rolls down the slopes and through the passes of the Pennsyl- vania mountains. The rails from its rolling mills have woven an iron network over the con- tinent ; the anthracite from its mines glows on a million hearths. The workers who have wrought these results seem to have come to us out of the heroic age. Cities and marts seem to have arisen at their bidding, as of old they were fabled to have arisen to the sound of Amphion's lute, or as to an older and louder clangor " Ilion like a mist rose into towers." Once, when Frederick the Great stood amid the coffins of his ancestors in the vaults at Potsdam, he point- ed to that in which reposed the ashes of William the Great Elector, and said to his attendants, " This one did a great work." It may with equal truth be said beside that quict grave in Dunmore Cemetery in which the mortal part of Joseph HI. Scranton rests from its labors. It was a great work indced which he wrought, and one which will long be honored among men. Nor will it be forgotten that he was foremost in in all good works, that uprightness and integrity walked with him through the world, that his hand was ever open as the day to melting charity, nor that he was a Christian without blemish or reproach, preferring the duties of his life " as even in his great task-master's eye." The memory of his life and virtues is a peculiar legacy to his family and bears its wholesome significance to all men. A more extended re- hearsal of the events and achievements of his busy life, than such a volume as the present one permits, is due to the eminence of his career and the magnitude of his labors. We have set them forth but briefly and inadequately, but our work would indeed have been ill performed if we had failed to assign to him a conspicuous place among the greatest and most honored of
Mr. Scranton will long be remembered as a commanding figure amid that stalwart and powerful group of men who within the present generation have built up the colossal industries of interior Pennsylvania. Thirty years ago that extended region was a savage wilderness with , the men who have wrought in building up the only a stray habitation here and there, and industries of Pennsylvania.
CHAPTER XXVI.
SELDEN T. SCRANTON,
" The stones and tower Seem'd fading fast away, From human thoughts and purposes, To yield to some transforming power ; And blend with the surrounding trees." -BOWLES.
One of the three Scrantons, who have made the Lackawanna Valley famous for its enter- prises of magnitude, Mr. Selden T. Scranton, is yet living. He was the first president of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, and he alone of the resolute trio remains to tell of the mighty efforts put forth by his kinsmen, in the upbuilding of the populous city which preserves their name to all time.
He was born at Madison, Connecticut, in the year 1814, three years after the birth of his brother, Col. George W. Scranton, and like him was educated at Lee's Academy. He removed to Belvidere, New Jersey, in the autumn of 1834, and, in the spring following, entered the employ of Henry Jordan & Co., succeeding Mr. J. J. Albright as superintendent of the Oxford Furnace.
In 1837, he purchased the store of the firm, and with his brother George, bought the whole manufactory in 1838. The year following he married a daughter of William Henry, and the next year being the famous period in the Lacka- wanna enterprise, the reader may recall the events in detail by reference to that chapter.
During the first year of the adventurers along Roaring Brook, he was busily engaged in sup- plying the sinews of war to the infant concern at Scranton, and in 1844 removed to the Lacka- wanna Valley where he assumed the manage-" ment of the industry just budding into favor,
thus exchanging places with Col. Scranton, as previously explained.
Hc retained the position of president until the company was successfully established, when he resigned, in order to carry out a long con- templated scheme of developing the property at Oxford Furnace, belonging to himself and his brother George. This property, twelve square miles in area, embracing twenty-five hundred acres of rich farming lands, on which Selden T. Scranton & Co., now have three hundred head of fine imported cattle, several hundred head of herded sheep of the choicest grades, and which considering its large area, fertility, mineral re- sources, and situation, is undoubtedly the finest private estate in New Jersey. It is located in Warren county, and the traveler, as he whirls through the busy section, is forcibly struck with the beauty of the scenery, and the undisputed taste of the proprietors.
At the death of Col. Scranton, this estate was held by the two brothers in common ; it is now held in the same manner, the heirs of the Colonel, W. H., and James Scranton, two sons, and Mrs. G. A. Fuller, of Scranton, a daughter, taking the interest of their father. This pro- perty is also one of the oldest estates in New Jersey, and the Oxford Furnace ranks as the carliest, its institution dating 1743. It formerly comprised a property of about twenty-five thousand acres. At the time of Mr. Scranton's
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SELDEN T. SCRANTON.
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intention of developing it, there were eight thousand acres of land, with mineral rights on twelve thousand more. It was purchased from the Robeson family, and the house in which Secretary Robeson was born has been occupied until quite recently by Mr. Scranton's family, when he removed into a new and palatial edifiee erected by himself. The Robeson's purchased the estate of the Shippen family, of which Dr. Wm. Shippen, of Philadelphia fame, was a member.
His relations with the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company exhibited a sterling worth. He bought and selected all the lands of the Com- pany ; he was the financier of the enterprise through all its trying times, and with his brother George secured all the subscriptions to the stock. Financial embarrasments, while they serve to depress many, but seemed to bolster him up, and bring out the genius of his manhood.
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Many amusing incidents are related of him during the dark days of the young institution. At one time, the men were clamorous for their wages; constant delays and repeated excuses had almost exhausted the patience of the work- men, and bold as well as defiant they demanded their money in no unmeaning terms. Felden T. was at the desk. He smelt the battle from afar and prepared to meet the onslaught. Gathering all the money available (and it is reported of him that he secured bills of small denomination to make a display) he laid it in heaps along the counter, and in his usual quiet, cool manner, in- formed the men that the company had decided to reduce the force to prevent further indebted- ness, but if there were any who wished their pay it was ready for them. The force looked at the heaps before them and resumed their work.
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