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 20
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 20
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An old farmer came down to collect an amount due him for money loaned; he had written repeatedly, but the funds of the concern were in such a feeble condition that satisfactory answers could not be given. He was here himself now, and evidently on business. Mr. Scranton re- ceived him with that deportment which charac- terized him, a flattering complacency, and so engaged the farmer with pleasing conversation, that a dun could not be wedged in. He was in-
vited to dinner, after which he was shown all through the works, and each department ex- plained. The resources were commented upon ; the future growth of the corporation; its im- mense advantages to the country, locally and at large. It was all felt and appreciated, and before leaving, the confident agriculturist instead of in- quiring about that little balance, loaned all the money he had to the industry.
Another incident : A person of larger means had been lending to the company, and it had reached well into thousands. He called for the purpose of recalling it, as the rumors that were afloat were anything but creditable to the iron manufacturers. Mr. Scranton, initiated him also into all the secrets of the great expectations. He saw, and believed, and upon returning to the office stated, "I have a little money, Mr. Scranton, which I was about putting into the Dover bank. I would like to invest it some- where ; can you take it ?"
Mr. S. T. Scranton was himself again, and told him that they could use it, though they were not borrowing much.
" How much have you ?"
" About $5,000."
" Well, if its any accommodation to you we will take it on a long note, say six months."
The money was secured, and $5,000 in those days would reach to extreme ends.
These facts are mentioned more for the pur- pose of showing with what difficulty, and through what trying ordeals the pioneers were compelled to push through in order to save the falling credit of the company in its earlier days.
The reader will recall the fact of a nail factory being connected with the works.
Severe stories were extant in those days con- cerning this production, for they were so brittle, that farmers coming to the works with heavy lumber wagons, used to declare they carried sieves with them, for the jolting of the vehicle snapped the worthless ones, and the seive let the parts out. This was mortifying, indeed, but Mr. Selden Scranton was equal to the emer- gency. He practised on an old oaken block, until he could drive a nail-down every time with a stroke or two, and when the doubting yeomanry
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THE LACKAWANNA VALLEY.
came to purchase he tested the nails in their presence. It is said there was not another man in the valley who could drive those nails equal to Selden Scranton.
When the first attempt was made to put the furnace on Roaring Brook into practical opera- tion, in September, 1841, by Mr. Templin, and afterward by Mr. Clark, of Stanhope, N. J., nothing but aggravated discouragement ensued. Col. Scranton's energies were being wasted in the effort, and it is no wonder that " Jersey Humbug" was the cry throughout the valley. Selden T. realizing that the day of anthracite iron had just begun, determined to find a suita- ble person to demonstrate it, and accordingly he started off in pursuit, and returned with John Davis, the Welshman, who made the successful blast in December, 1841. The proprietors of the works at which Davis were engaged were vexed at such interference, but Mr. Scranton's powers of persuasion were stronger than their entreaties.
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The Oxford Works, with which he is at pre- sent engaged, are of magnitude themselves.
They are capable of turning out 175,000 kegs of nails a year, besides immense quantities of splice- bars (joints used on rails), nuts, bolts, spikes, amounting to several thousand tons. Employ- ment is usually given to one thousand hands.
His refined taste leads him to devote much of his time to the improvement of his vast estate, and to the bettering of those who surround him. As a man he still retains much of the vigor which characterize the Scrantons, and as a citizen he is regarded by the entire community and state in which he resides as a benefactor. We have given this extended notice of his career mainly because the heartiest efforts in the prime of his manhood were given to the upbuilding of the populous city in which we reside. The money from the Oxford Furnace gave birth to the mammoth industries on Roaring Brook, and all of his energies in connection with the enter- prise were whole-souled and unselfish. His locks are gray with the storms of years, but his name is still as fresh in the minds of Scranton residents as when he pushed his fortunes here as one of us.
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CHAPTER XXVII.
THE RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF THE LACKAWANNA IRON AND COAL COMPANY-J. C. PLATT ; WM. W. SCRANTON ; E. C. LYNDE; E. P. KINGSBURY ; WM. MANNESS; C. F. MATTES.
" Who, if he rise to station of command, Rises by open means ; and there will stand On honorable terms, or else retire, And in himself possess his own desire: Who comprehends his trust, and to the same Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim.'
-WORDSWORTH.
JOSEPH CURTIS PLATT.
It is but thirty-four years ago since a small band of hardy and determined. men plunged themselves into the uninviting wildernessess of Pennsylvania to thread their course on into a region where the earth promised to yield its riches of iron and coal-on the banks of Roar- ing Brook, and along the course of the Lacka- wanna.
Their deeds have flown into history, and one after another has passed away to slumber in eternal forgetfulness of the many weary marches made in life's arduous struggle. The remaining ones of the little band are now well " silvered o'er," and are the only animate monuments of the historic past. Of these is Joseph C. Platt, one of the pioneers of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, who came with the rest to help build the young city.
Mr. Platt came of New England origin which ante-dates several generations. His grand- fathers, it seems, were on the patriot side dur- ing the revolutionary war. His father was a lawyer, and both parents were Congregationalists.
The birth of Joseph C., is recorded as Sep- tember 17th, 1816, at Saybrook, Conn. His father dying when he was ten years old, he com- menced business life by clerking in a general country store at the age of cleven, and ever
since, with the exception of one summer which he spent at farming, has been intimately con- nected with merchandising.
At about twenty years of age he commenced business for himself, in Fairhaven, Conn., and while engaged at this place in mercantile pur- suits, married Miss Catherine S. Scranton, at Madison, Conn., a sister of J. HI. Scranton. His stay in Fairhaven, from 1831 to 1846, was terminated by his moving into the primitive Slocum Hollow, where he was to join his for- tunes with the Scrantons.
When the firm of Scrantons & Platt was organized he became a partner, and took charge of the merchandise of the firm, and in 1851, in addition, took upon himself the duties of con- ducting the real estate affairs of the concern. Mr. Platt, in conjunction with Joseph H. Scran- ton, purchased the interest of E. C. Scranton, and thereafter his interest became thoroughly and warmly identified with every scheme in the valley and its vicinity.
As he is the only one of the original members of the company who now resides in Scranton, and has been the only one definite member who has had charge of the real estate of the corpora- tion, it may be of interest to note a few instances in this direction. The first house he occupied stood where the blast furnace and engine house
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THE LACKAWANNA VALLEY.
now stands, and in front of it was a handsome grove of trees, and east of it stood the hotel formerly spoken of as Kressler's. More room being needed for Nos. 2 and 3 furnaces, he moved to the house which stands at the foot of the hill in front of his present residence on Ridge Row, and from there to the latter in July, 1857.
After the organization of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Co., June 10, 1853, when he was assigned the position of store-keeper and real estate agent, to August, 1872, when he was made Vice-President of the company, there could be no person than himself in the city wlio could do so much, and so closely mark the events and progress of the city, and none felt more pleasure at these marvels of growth, for the prime of his life was given to its inception.
The planning of the city, aided by the archi- tect, Joel Amsden, whom the company employed, belongs to Mr. Platt, and to him we are certain- ly, in a measure, indebted for our wide streets, a point which interests the tourist the moment he enters our thoroughfares. The plan of the city was laid out in 1850-51, and in the autumn of the latter year the first sale of lots was effected to the firm of Grant, Champin & Chase, for a consideration of $2,000, the two lots being on the north corner of Wyoming and Lacka- wanna avenues.
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As another evidence of the real estate enter- prise of this company, the Wyoming House was built and furnished by its funds, and sold to Mr. Burgess, the present owner, for $37,000, the cost only of the building and the furniture, thus sacrificing the land. ·
For charitable purposes the company has given to the Presbyterian Church, four lots, be- sides donating heavily toward the erection of its edifice. To the Episcopalians were given two lots ; to the German Presbyterians, one lot ; to the Welsh Methodists, two lots, and the Catho- lics, three.
The growth of the company's store facilities has done much for that part of the city. In the winter of 1644-5 a brick store, and an office 26 by 60 feet adjoining, was erected, into which the company moved. In 1848-9 the store was
doubled in size, and in 1867-8, the spacious and commodious block, at the corner of Jefferson and Lackawanna avenues, was erected, where the company at the present time locate the offices and stores.
He holds documents to show where men esti- mated at thousands in gold to-day, commenced with the company at a mere pittance per diem, and in the minute details of the history of every prominent man who has grown up with the valley, he is thoroughly conversant.
Before the day of churches and public lialls in Scranton, there stood upon an eminence, a solid rock, where Jefferson avenue is now located between the company's store and Mr. Platt's carriage gate, what was known as Odd Fellows Hall. In this quaint edifice were formed the many societies which claim an early existence in the city, and many and endearing are the asso- ciations which cluster around it. The Masons, Oda-Fellows, Sons of Temperance, the churches, many Sabbath-schools, the exhibitions, in fact everything ; it was the Faneuel Hall of the place -open to all without prejudice to sect or creed.
As a man, Mr. Platt stands unique in the annals of Scranton as a hearty and conscientious worker in everything which tends to elevate and ennoble those who surround him. A faithful ad- herent to the Presbyterian Church, he has al- ways been its aid in every need; a strict tem- perance practitioner himself, he has ever stood ready to assist in pushing the principle ; a pure and genuine branch of the great city tree which is spreading its branches over all who seek its shelter, he is always ready to enlist himself to further any cause wbich will materially enrich its growth and progress.
Naturally quiet and modest he is nevertheless a very hard worker, and seems to push forward yet with the vigor characteristic of a younger man.
The summons to join his youth's co-laborers will soon reach him, and then a summary of his life's virtues and triumphs will find a more fit- ting niche in the records of the day than can be transcribed on this ephemeral tablet.
£
129
RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF THE L. I. & ". CO.
WILLIAM W. SCRANTON.
William W. Scranton, was born in Augusta, Georgia, 184.4. When his father, Joseph 2. Scranton, located in the Lackawanna Valley, in .847, he brought his family with him, and W .. W7. Scranton Saving grown up with the city rom infancy may be considered as part and parcel of it by indenture, for of all the young nen of prominence in this city he is the most thoroughly identifed. His father's unprece- dented prosperity crabled him to obtain a liberal education, at the same time a complete insight into the vast enterprices with which the family was connected.
Ee graduated at Yale College in 1865, with honors; was a member of the Zale University crew that beat Karzard once in 1864, and twice in 1805.
Cz leaving college he went into the employ of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, with which he still continues, exhibiting an energy and mastery of business that bids fair to equal his father's gigantic efforts. He was superintendent of the new mill in 1867 ; superintendant of both mills in 1871; assistant-president of the Com- pany two years before Mr. J. H. Scranton's death, and in September, 1874, reached the position of general manager.
His powers of endurance, and iron constitu- tion, enables him to override difficulties, while his quick perception and prompt action stamp him as a model worker.
In the summer of 1874, he traveled over Europe to some extent, storing his mind with the knowledge of iron and steel manufacture of which this city will soon witness the evidence of how far the company intends to enlarge its use- fulness. In the intricate details of the immense business of which he is manager, he is thorough- ly familiar, and by his long experience, and con- stant familiarity with every branch of industry, he comprehends at a glance its full extent and scope.
EDWARD CLEVELAND LYNDE.
One of the most gifted of the gentlemen con-
nected with the control of the home management of the vast interests of this company in Scran- tan, is Edward Cleveland Lynde, the Secretary. He was born at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., July 22, 1831, and is a descendent of . oseph Lynde, of England, who settled 2t Boston, June 2, 1712.
His father John W. Lynde settled in the Wyoming Valley in the year 1830, and now resides with his son at Scranton at tir ripe age of eighty-six years. His mother died when he was siz years of age.
He enjoyed the advantages of the best of private schools afforded at that time, and finished his scholastic training at the old academy which then stood in the public square in the present city of Wilkes-Barre.
At sixteen years of age he left his home at Wilkes-Barre and went to the city of New York, and secured a position as junior clerk in an ex- tensive wholes?io dry-goods house, where he re- mained for several years. In 1852 he engaged with the Baltimore Coal Company at their works at Wilkes-Barre, as an accountant, where he re- mained until at the solicitation of Selden T. Scranton, Esq., the first president of the Lacka. wanna Iron and Coal Company, he came to Scranton, then known as Harrison, on the 25th of April, 1857, to assist in merging the accounts of Scrantons & Platt into the above- named company ; the latter having been organ- ized on June 10th, 1853.
In 1857 he was made assistant general ac- countant of the company, and in June, 1858, was given charge of the general books, which position was zo illed to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, and resident managers, that on the 29th of December, 1859, he was elected Secretary of the company, succeeding James H. Phinney, which position he holds to the present time.
Enjoying the fullest confidence of the Board of Directors, and of their late President, Mr. Joseph H. Scranton ; he has from time to time received substantial evidence of their apprecia- tion, and was given by the latter during his ab- sense in Europe, charge of the general business at Scranton, with results that were expressed as highly satisfactory. After the death of Mr. 12
-
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THE LACKAWANNA VALLEY.
Scranton in June, 1872, he was officially placed in charge of the offices and accounts at Scranton, the financial arrangements there, and the ship- .ments of the general products of the works.
EDWARD PAYSON KINGSBURY.
Edward Payson Kingsbury, now Assistant- Treasurer of the company, was born in Hones- dale, Pa., May 19th, 1834. His father came from Vermont, his mother from Connecticut, where her ancestry dates back to the Mayflower, direct to Samuel Fuller, who was one of the signers of that memorable compact in the cabin of that historical vessel.
His father, Hon. Ebenezer Kingsbury, jr., was Speaker of the Pennsylvania Senate in 1840, having been elected from the counties of Luzerne, Monroe, Wayne and Pike.
His death is announced as having taken place on the 16th of April, 1844, aged forty years.
At the age of twenty, he 'commenced the study of law with the Hon. Judge Jessup, of Montrose ; and after he had acquired his profes- sion, pursued it for four years in that town. He then removed first to Carbondale, and from thence to Honcsdale, where he continued to reside till death.
He was for four years a member of the Senate, and while in the capacity of Speaker discharged his duties with fidelity and honor.
From the year 1833 to 1840 he was the editor and proprietor of the Wayne County Herald.
While at Harrisburg, a member of the Senate, he acquired a powerful influence. It is to his services as Chairman of the Committee to inves- tigate the election frauds in 1838, which came near involving this State in a civil war, that the people of this Commonwealth owe a debt of gratitude they can never reply. The report of that committee settled the question, by making the frauds in the ballot box so obvious that they could not be denied, and the consequence was a yielding and coming over of enough of the party opposite, and thus the State was saved from anarchy.
Edward went to common schools until the age
of twelve, when the death of his father rendered it necessary for him to terminate his scholastic career, and thus early hc put himself afloat upon the great restless tide of life, by entering at that tender age, the tobacco store of H. E. & J. N. Conger, of Honesdale. He remained in their employment about a year, then engaged himself to the drug store of Dr. Dwight Reed, of the same place, remaining another year, after which he entered the hat store of John A. Brink, still confining himself to his native town, and on the 13th of February, 1860, came to ,Scranton and entered the grocery department of the store of Scrantons & Platt.
For four years he remained herein employed, when he was promoted to the dry goods depart- ment in which he served one year, when he was further elevated in the confidence of his employ- ers by being taken into the office. While here, he was appointed to a still more responsible posi- tion -- that of cash keeper.
Mr. Kingsbury was elected assistant treasurer of the company December 29, 1859, a position which he has ably filled until the present date.
Outside of these immediate duties, he was appointed Notary Public by Gov. Curtin, and since that time has continuously held the same position.
On many occasions has he presided at both city and county political conventions, displaying more than ordinary tact and ability as a parlia- mentarian.
WILLIAM MANNESS.
A long, well-tried and hearty co-laborer in the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, is the subject of this sketch, Mr. Wm. Manness.
He came from New Jersey, where his parents resided, to the Lackawanna Valley, in 1840. On the 10th of September he commenced a busy life by staking out the first furnace for the company, and to the present day his whole energies have been given to the corporation, unceasingly and faithfully.
He has figured more extensively in the lum- ber and building department. All of the build-
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RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF THE L. I. & C. CO.
ings ever put up by the Lackawanna Iron & Coil Company, were erected under his superin- tendence.
All of the depots on the Southern Division of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Rail- way. from Seranton to Stroudsburg were built by him, also the shanties of the northern divi- sion of the same line, as far north as Clark's Summit. He built for this company, the depot building at Scranton, and the machine shops were constructed by him in 1851 He furnished the lumber of the trestle work and bridges for the same company as far as Factoryville and Tunk- hannock. He is now engaged in putting up the vast steel works for the company.
In addition to all this, evidences of his mechanical skill aud handiwork are visible in every quarter of the city of Scranton. He built the residence. of Col. George W. Scranton, then a towering pride of the city. Later he super- intended the building of the palatial mansion of Joseph H. Seranton. The Wyoming House is a monument of his industry, the First National Bank, the Presbyterian Church, are others, while to these may be added St. Cecilia's Academy; the Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul ; the Trust Company's huge edifice ; the Seranton House, and many others.
He is an inveterate worker, and a man of en- larged conceptions. Careful, studious as to his plans, and conscientious in dealing with his fellow man, he exhibits much of the genuine sterling worth of a class of men, now passing away.
CHARLES F. MATTES.
In the general chapter entitled the Lacka- wanna Iron & Coal Company, mention was made of Mr. P. H. Mattes, who joined the pioneers of the corporation. His son, Charles
F. Mittes, is a survivor, and at present num- bered with the Company's men who have de- voted their lives to the upbuilding of the insti- tution.
He came to Roaring Brook in 1841, entering the store as a clerk. He was afterwards con- nected with the furnaces, and later was Superin- tendent of the Rolling Mill, and still later was made Superintendent of the furnaces and engines. For a long period he had a general supervision of the coal and iron mines at Scranton and in New Jersey.
At all times, he has been looked upon by the company as a general aide-de-camp, to be trusted in every position, for he has been in all of the departments outside of the office, and still acts in a general and extensive capacity, serving the company in any need that may require him.
Mr. Mattes is recognised by every one who has ever known him, as an exemplary citizen. Un- pretending, self-sacrificing, he has for his life- time served the company with unselfish motives to a remarkable degree
RICHARD O. OLMSTEAD.
Mr. Richard O. Olmstead, another of the faithful attaches of this company, came to Scranton in 1843, from Easton, and entered the service of the company as clerk. He has been connected with the merchandizing department continuously to the present date, and is regarded as a devoted and consistent Christian gentleman.
· In a future chapter a sketch of the President, Moses Taylor, will appear in connection with the history of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, accompanied by a correct portrait, from a photograph by Brady, of New York.
1
CHAPTER XXVIII.
DELAWARE AND HUDSON CANAL COMPANY.
" And in still groves Where mild enthusiasts tuned a pensive lay, Of thanks and expectation, in accord With their beliet, I sang Saturnian zule
Returned-a progeny of golden years
Permitted to descend, and bless mankind." -WORDSWORTE'S "EXCURSION."
This company, the pioneers in developing the coal interests of the Lackawanna Valley, from small beginnings, has risen to be one of the largest, wealthiest, and most respected institu- tions in the country, and throughout the entire section traversed by its improvements, it has the entire confidence of the people in an eminent degree, which its management has earned by an unbroken record of prompt, honorable deal- ing in all its transactions, public and private.
Its early history is an interesting one, more like a romantic rehearsal than a chronological record of events. Financial dangers of a for- midable character had threatened its existence ; legislative bodies were moved by the levers of personal jealousy and fancied rivalship to crush it in its infancy ; and this too, at the instiga- tion of men who, for their private fortunes, and social positions in life, were indebted solely to the very operations they were seeking to arrest. The hollow, absurd cry of monopoly was raised against it, and this also at a time when the shares originally costing $100 each, had been for six or seven years on the hands of the stock- holders without yielding a single dividend, and had, therefore, in effect cost about $140 per share, and could actually be bought in the market at that time, for from $60 to $70 per share, or half what it had already cost. Even further, at one time a crisis occurred in its his- tory when nearly an unanimous vote was ready
to declare in favor of surrendering the whole concern to the Legislature, because of the hea77 strain which was pressing it toward financial ruin.
The close of the war of 1812, left charcoal at ruinous prices ; this was occasioned by the in- terruption of commercial intercourse between Liverpool and Virginia, which cut off the sup- plies of fuel almost completely. Men familiar with the nature of anthracite coal attempted to relieve this embarrasment, if possible, by the introduction among manufacturers of this new kind of fuel. This hearty endeavor brought to the surface a young merchant of Philadelphia, . named William Murts, a self-reliant and deter- mined man, to whose genius more than any other man on record belongs the glory of first pushing into the wilderness along the Lacka- wanna river to secure coal, and for it, an outlet.
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