Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 16

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036

USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Altoona > Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 16

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The funeral arrangements will not be per- fected until this morning, when the return of Mrs. Bell from Indianapolis, is expected. It was a request of Judge Bell that Rev. Rutledge T. Whitbank, formerly of Holli- daysburg, but now pastor of the Olivet Baptist church, Minneapolis, Minn., speak at his funeral. The interment will be made in the Presbyterian cemetery. A meeting of the bar association will be held this morn- ing at 10 o'clock, in the court house, to take proper action relative to the funeral.

THE APPOINTMENT OF JUDGE BALDRIGE. (From Altoona Tribune, Jan. 13, 1910.)

Harrisburg, January 12 .- Governor Stuart today announced the appointment of Thomas J. Baldrige, of Hollidaysburg, as president judge of the courts of Blair county to succeed the late Martin Bell.

Mr. Baldrige is a native of Hollidaysburg and has been practicing at the bar of Blair

county for years. He was endorsed for the place by a number of prominent Blair coun- tians. The selection was made from three names submitted to the governor by delega- tions from that county.

The new judge will hold office until the first Monday of January, 1912. He is well known to a number of residents of this city as he was prominently mentioned for the position of as- sistant deputy attorney general.

The news of the appointment of Mr. Bald- rige as president judge of the courts of this county was received soon after its announce- ment in Harrisburg and was promptly bulle- tined by the Tribune. It occasioned no sur- prise as it was agreed on all hands that, viewed from all sides, it was the logical outcome of the contest, as Mr. Baldrige represented no faction but stood simply upon his record as a lawyer, a record which none of his fellow members of the bar could say aught against.

Last evening, and during the afternoon, a number of the leading residents of the city on being asked relative to their opinion on the appointment expressed their belief that no better choice could have been made.

Judge Baldrige held an impromptu levee and reception at his law offices in Hollidaysburg yesterday afternoon, as soon as the people of the county became aware of the fact that Gov- ernor Stuart had appointed a new head of the courts.

Congratulations came from all parts of the county and state, and the continual buzzing of the telephones and the arrivals of telegrams led the appointee to the realization of the fact that a great public responsibility had descended upon him. Judge Baldrige will assume the reins of judicial authority on next Monday morning, when he will preside at a motion and petition court.

He made this statement to the press:

"I am deeply gratified upon receiving the appointment to the vacancy on the bench of Blair county. I want to thank my friends for the very cordial endorsement they gave me. I will go on the bench without any hard feel- ings toward any person and will endeavor to

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the best of my ability to discharge the duties of the high office. I have no personal feeling against those who felt that some one else should have been chosen."

The cause of Mr. Baldrige was championed before Governor Stuart on Tuesday by a com- mittee of citizens consisting of Postmaster Frank J. Over, Thomas H. Suckling, John G. McGraw, and Ard G. Steel, Mr. Over as the spokesman of the party made a compre- hensive and convincing statement of Mr. Baldrige's claims for preferment, in the course of which, he argued, "The only objections of- fered against Mr. Baldrige are on the grounds of his youth, but he will overcome that, in time. " Governor Stuart remarked that he was well acquainted with Mr. Baldrige and possessed a high regard for him, both as a man and as a lawyer.

Thomas Jackson Baldrige, who will serve as the president judge of the Blair county courts, by virtue of the appointment of Gov- ernor Edwin S. Stuart, until January 1, 1912, is the descendant of a family that has been closely connected with the legal affairs of the county for more than a half century of time.

His grandfather, Joseph Baldrige, was the prothonotary and clerk of the several courts of the county, from 1855 until 1861. Mr. Baldrige was elected county treasurer in 1870, and subsequently served twenty years as chief clerk to the board of county commissioners. He was a living encyclopedia of public and legal information and in his day filled the same sphere of usefulness as did Deputy Prothono- tary Cornelius D. Bowers, in a later time. The father of Judge Baldrige was Howard Malcolm Baldrige, who was a prominent prac- tioner and ornament of the Blair county bar for forty years. He was mentioned as a proper successor to Judge John Dean, when the latter was elevated to the supreme bench, but he de- clined to campaign against his intimate friend, Judge Augustus S. Landis, for the office. He died in 1894.

The subject of this sketch was a son of Howard Malcolm Baldrige and Laura Mattern Baldrige, and was born at Hollidaysburg, on

April 5, 1872, being now in his thirty-eighth year. He received his preliminary education in the Hollidaysburg public schools, and under the tuition of Professor James A. Stewart, at the Hollidaysburg academy. After pursuing a course of study at the Andover academy, Massachusetts, he finished his education at Bucknell university and the University of Pennsylvania. He read law in the office of his late father at Hollidaysburg, and was ad- mitted to the bar, on March II, 1895. Prior to his admission to the bar, he was on the government topographical survey along the headwaters of the Missouri river in Montana.

Judge Baldrige possesses a large and im- portant clientage. He enjoys the largest or- phans' court practice of any lawyer in the county, and many valuable estates have been entrusted to him, for settlement. He has been the treasurer of the Bar association for fifteen years, and has been a director of the Citizens' National bank, of Hollidaysburg, ever since the organization of that financial institution. He has been an office bearer and treasurer of the First Baptist church, of Hollidaysburg, for several years.

In politics, he has always been a staunch republican. He has never been associated with any clique or faction of the party, and has never hitherto sought political preferment. A few years ago, he was offered the county chair- manship, but he declined the honor.

He is affiliated with no secret society nor fraternity, and goes upon the bench unhamp- ered by any entangling alliance, that might sway his better judgment.

The county's new judge is a lover of out- door sports and pastimes. He played shortstop on the lawyers' baseball team at Hollidays- burg, and has also figured in the golf and ten- nis tournaments on the Altoona Cricket club grounds. He has twice visited Europe, has toured the west, and sailed to the isles of the Caribbean sea.

Judge Baldrige is not only one of the youngest, if not the youngest judge, in the commonwealth, but he is also one of the few

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bachelors on the bench. His friends give as- surances that he is not confirmed in the latter condition. He resides with his sister, Miss Edith Baldrige, in a fine mansion home, at the corner of Allegheny and Clarke streets, Hollidaysburg, within two squares of the homes of the former judges of the county -- Dean, Landis and Bell.

He will bring youth and strength to the bench, to conquer the avalanche of untried and

undecided cases, that now cumber the court dockets. He is a man of temperate habits, and frequently represented the remonstrants at the sessions of license court. Those who know him best say, that while no reputable landlord who honestly tries to serve the traveling public, need fear him, yet the proprietors of the dog- gery, the groggery, and the house of ill fame masquerading as a hotel must go down, during his judicial administration.

CHAPTER V.

TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.

Primitive Roads-Turnpikes and Toll Roads-Plank Roads-Taverns-The Stage Coach -Road Tax Levies-Road Construction in the Various Townships with Cost-The Canal, Portage Railroad, and Reservoir-The Pennsylvania Canal-The Columbia Railroad-The Pennsylvania Railroad-The Railroad in War Times-The Telegraph Corps in the Civil War-Martinsburg Branch-Tyrone Division-Petersburg Branch-Bedford & Hollidays- burg Railroad-Altoona & Beech Creek Railroad.

The construction of roadways through the primeval forests is naturally the advance step in the improvement of the wilderness country. At first these are mere trails through the forests for footmen, and later on such obstacles as rocks and fallen timber are removed to make the way practical for pack horses. In the early days of the county, vehicles as a means of conveyance were unknown. The trails or war paths of the Indian, and the water courses were the first highways. Only a few of the red men's paths are definitely known. One led from Frankstown via Holli- daysburg, Fetter's Fort, Eldorado and Kittan- ning Point across the Allegheny mountains, and another from Frankstown via. McKee's Gap to Morrison's Cove. A party of pioneers from the east, bound for Morrison's Cove, were wending their way along the Juniata river by way of Frankstown. When they ar- rived at the Dry Gap, near where Kladder Station now is, they halted and consulted as to which route to pursue. They suspected the presence of Indians and, in dread of an en- counter, they preferred not to meet them. They finally decided to leave the main trail along the river and proceed up through the Dry Gap. There was no path to follow, which made the advance tedious and laborious. They therefore decided to leave some of their more

cumbersome effects behind. They accordingly secreted them in the forests among the rocks. Their decision as to route proved to be most fortunate, as the Indians were at the precise time returning from one of their bloody raids in the Cove and were coming down along the river. Had the new arrivals taken that course a clash would have been inevitable. This in- teresting circumstance is given traditionally and dates are not available. The late Captain Francis Cassidy of Newry, when a young man, assisting his father, Peter Cassidy, in surveying in the vicinity many years after- wards, found some of the irons that were used in the construction of plows used in those days. So it would seem that the hidden treas- ures were not wholly recovered by the original owners.

There were doubtless a number of roads opened from one valley to another where set- tlements were formed and of which no record was kept. The most important of these was doubtless the one from Frankstown up the river to McKee's Gap, and then through East Freedom and across the Alleghenies to Johns- town. In the construction of the roads in those days no attempt was made at either ditching or filling. It was simply removing obstructions. Rude as they were, they an- swered the purpose for travel and transporta-

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tion on horseback. The only vehicles for con- veying purposes were sleds rudely constructed which were used both in summer and winter.

It does not appear that any of the roads of Blair county were opened solely for military operation. The revolutionary war interrupted the building of roads and the larger streams were declared public highways. In 1787 the legislature authorized the construction of a road across the Alleghenies, to begin on the Frankstown branch of the Juniata river, to a branch of the Conemaugh river, a distance of fifty-four miles. An appropriation of 150 pounds was made and the contract was awarded to John Galbraith. It passed by way of Bell's Gap, Creson and then on westward to Pitts- burg. At first it was simply a clay road, suffi- ciently opened and bridged so that wagons and horses could pass and repass. Although the streams were not bridged the road served the purpose of the early settlers for about twenty- five years. At this time the idea of a stone pike along the same line with bridges over the streams was entertained and soon found public- spirited citizens who urged and assisted in its construction. By 1820 it was completed and became a toll road with John Blair, a resident of the county, as its first president. It was then called the Huntingdon, Cambria and Indiana Turnpike Road Company. The proj- ect of constructing a stone road lengthwise across the state was considered at the time to be a stupendous undertaking. In fact the ex- citement and comment caused by it, was greater than that which attended the construction of the canal and railroad in later years.

The friends of the improvement persevered, however, and ultimately succeeded in opening a road reaching all the way from Huntingdon to Blairsville, a distance of seventy-seven miles. A considerable length of the line passed through a ragged and sparsely settled region,

unable to contribute any substantial aid; many of the subscribers to the enterprise were tardy in paying installments on their subscriptions, and the managers felt compelled to resort to the issue of "scrip" to meet accruing debts for work performed. A large number of these "shinplasters" were put out.

Numerous other companies were from time to time authorized to be incorporated for the purpose of constructing transverse roads. Those within or traversing Blair county were :

Turnpikes. - Bedford and Frankstown, April 6, 1830; Duncansville, Newry and Lea- mersville, April 21, 1858; Hollidaysburg and Bedford, April 10, 1835; Morrison's Cove, April II, 1848, and Tyrone and Spruce Creek, . April 4, 1868.

Plank Roads .- Altoona and Clearfield, April II, 1853. Bell's Mills and Fallen Timber, May 6, 1857; Freedom and Sarah Furnace, April 15, 1853; Hollidaysburg and Altoona, April 5, 1852; Hollidaysburg and Bedford, April 26, 1850.

The roads were all constructed and some of them remained in the hands of the original companies until quite recently.

The various industries that were springing into existence in the development of the country's resources very rapidly filled the marts of trade with articles for transportation which called forth trains of wagons which were con- stantly coming and going. The products of the farm, as well as all manufactured articles, were transported to the ports of trade by four and six-horse teams. For their accommoda- tion in lodging at night public houses were very numerous. Rude taverns spring into being every few miles, with gaudily painted signs denoting entertainment for man and beast, and, in short, everywhere along the roads the scenes were lively and unceasing. Very few of them are yet standing to tell to the present generation the story of other days.

For the accommodation of the tourists a more rapid means of transit was furnished in the stage coach. These cumbersome vehicles, which disappeared long ago, were marvelous things in their day and were "fearfully and

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wonderfully made." Many were decorated and richly painted, the linings being often of silk plush. They had three or four seats in- side and from eight to a dozen passengers could be comfortably accommodated. Some were long, unsightly affairs, without springs or braces, while others were mounted on rocking springs. Nor were the old stages the only vehicles that rattled over the roads first built through the county. There were greater ones called "freighters." These were broad treads, with four-inch tires, and some of the loads they carried were little short of marvelous. As to speed over the new roads, ten miles an hour was considered ordinary. They were drawn by four bony horses, and as they dashed into town and drew rein in front of the public house, the excitement produced and the im- portance they inspired brought to the weary traveler a pleasure not equaled now as the modern express train dashes into the depot.

Slow and fatiguing as was the means of traveling it had its advantages in sociability, fun and pleasure. Doubtless many amusing things occurred that were never recorded that would make interesting reading to us who find our pleasure in other ways.

But the stage coach day with its attendant hardships and pleasures has passed and few of its representatives are left to tell its story, while little of its history has been preserved.

Aside from the construction of stone pikes where toll was charged the making of roads in Blair county was carried on by levying a tax for the purpose. This tax could be paid either in money or work. It served the purpose of keeping the roads in repair but made no im- provement. The peculiar geographical loca- tion and undulating surface gives the county more streams of water and makes more roads necessary than perhaps any other county in the state. The bridging of these streams became very burdensome to the various townships, and agreeable to acts of assembly the commis- sioners from time to time erected bridges over the larger streams. These were at first wooden structures, but later on iron and steel were

used, and still later on they were constructed entirely of solid concrete. The exact number of bridges erected by the county was never tabulated and the exact cost is not known, but a conservative estimate places it above one- half million dollars. The concrete bridges are now taking the lead as they seem to be literally indestructible except through some convulsion of nature. There are at present twelve in service.

A state highway department was created by act of assembly April 15, 1903, and modified by amendments May 1, 1905. These acts authorize the department to co-operate with the several counties and townships, and with boroughs in certain instances, in the improve- ment of the public highways, and the main- tenance of improved highways and provides for the application to the department by coun- ties and townships for state aid in highway improvement and maintenance, and also pro- vides for the payment of the cost of highway improvement by an appropriation of over $6,000,000, to carry out the provisions of the act during the six years ending May 21, 1909. Further amendments were made and an ad- ditional appropriation of $1,000,000 for two years was made by the legislature in 1907.

The townships of Blair county were rather slow in taking advantage of the provisions of these acts, because considerable local expendi- ture was entailed. However, the following list gives the aggregate distance applied for by the various townships :

Antis, 47,343 feet; Allegheny, 4,600; Blair, 24,020 ; Taylor, 52,960 ; Tyrone, 79,200; Free- dom, five miles; Frankstown, 93,040; Green- field, 22,200; Roaring Spring, 7,646; Snyder, 32,676; Hollidaysburg, 2,000; Logan, 39,588; Woodbury, 26,400.

Of the amounts applied for the following was constructed: Allegheny township, 3,100 feet, cost, $7,619; Blair, 1,600 feet, cost, $3,495; Logan, 13,088 feet, cost, $27,425; Snyder, 2,600 feet, cost, $3,395: Greenfield, 22,200 feet, cost, $46,968.

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THE CANAL.

The opening up of the pike gave a power- ful stimulus to the development of the won- derful resources of the county and caused a rapid increase in its population. It be- came quite evident to the enterprising and public-spirited mind that better facilities for transportation purposes would have to be provided. The waterways were the first to enlist attention. The project for a canal between Philadelphia and Pittsburg was, after much discussion, entered upon. There were many obstacles to overcome. It would be detrimental to the pike; the diffi- culty if not impossibility of construction so as to make it secure against floods; the tre- mendous cost, and the risk of it being a "failure."

As the cost was too great for an individ- ual enterprise it was undertaken by the state. In 1826 the legislature provided for the expenses, and so rapidly did the work progress that in 1831 the canal was in suc- cessful operation at a cost of over $35,000,- 000. It is a fitting tribute to the memory of John Blair, the first president of the turn- pike, that notwithstanding he would, in his business, have almost an exterminating rival in the canal, so public-spirited was he that he strongly encouraged and supported its building, believing it to be for the public good, and through his indefatigable efforts the route was secured through Hollidays- burg. The plans for the construction of the canal between Huntingdon and Hollidays- burg embraced fourteen dams, forty-three locks, seven guard locks and seventy-three section. A letting of the work was made at Williamsburg on June 1, 1831. It is given as a fact that over 4,000 bids were handed in for the work. The successful contractor pushed the work so rapidly that in a little over one year the Frankstown division from Huntingdon to Hollidaysburg was com- pleted.

The Allegheny mountain at first seemed to be an insurmountable barrier in the way

of a canal. Hollidaysburg was the terminus on the eastern slope and Johnstown on the western. This left an intervening distance of about forty miles over rugged slopes where waterways were impracticable. Here again the ingenuity of the pioneer was dem- onstrated. Without a precedent to guide them they launched on an enterprise that was new and untried and decided to build a road with incline planes to convey pass engines and freight to and from one ter- minal to the other. They secured the serv- ices of a competent engineer from England. The distance was about thirty-seven miles and consisted of five incline planes on each side of the mountain, making ten planes and eleven levels. At the head of each plane there was stationed two thirty-five horse- power engines, which, by means of ropes, assisted in drawing the trains up. On the levels they were drawn by road engines. In the construction of the road it was divided into thirty-five sections and the contracts awarded at Ebensburg, May 25, 1831, and on May 18, 1834, it was completed and opened to the public.

The junction of the railroad and a canal was a matter of considerable importance to the place that was fortunate enough to se- cure it. The honor and benefit of this in Blair county was first offered to Franks- town, then the metropolis of the county. But the refusal of Jacob Wertz, one of its citizens, to sell land for the basin, led to the abandoment of the place and drove the enterprise to the hamlet of Hollidaysburg. This was an opportunity for rivalry and just how much or how bitterly it was waged the early historians do not say. It is, however, certain that through the influence of John Blair, Hollidaysburg became the fortunate place. The reservoir was located about a mile distant on the farm of Patrick McClos- key, and when filled with water, spread over lands of Peter Shoenberger and others. Thus the future of Hollidaysburg was as- sured from decline as long as there was no rival in a thoroughfare across the Alle-

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gheny. This building of the canal paved the way for the formation of Blair county.

The completion of the canal was the great event of the day, and the enthusiasm of the people could scarcely be kept within bounds when the ponderous boats began plowing the ditch. This will be readily believed by anyone who will read the papers published at that time. From a paper published at Lewistown in Nov. 5, 1829, we learn that a packet boat arrived at that place from Mif- flin on the Thursday previous, and departed again the next day, having on board a num- ber of members of the legislature as well as citizens and strangers. The editor, in speak- ing of their departure, enthusiastically says : "The boat was drawn by two white horses, when she set off in fine style, with the star spangled banner flying at her head, and amid the roar of cannon, the shouts of the populace and the cheering music of the band which was on board."

The climax of joy, however, was reached by the editor of the Huntingdon Gazette, on the 15th day of July, 1831, when he became jubilant over the launching of a canal boat, and gave vent to the following outburst : "What! A canal boat launched in the vi- cinity of Huntingdon! Had anyone pre- dicted an event of this kind some years back, he, in all probability, would have been yelept a wizard of be set down as beside himself."

The first packet boat that passed over the Frankstown line was honored by an ovation at all the towns along the route. The canal now became the great public highway, and as its trade increased that of the pike de- creased. One boat with two mules attached to the end of a long rope as motive power could with safety convey the freight of many teams. The crew consisted of cap- tain, steersman, driver and several stewards. The responsibility rested chiefly upon the captain. As the movement of the boat was slow, accidents were of rare occurrence. At the terminals the freight was transferred to the cars, except where the boats were built

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Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 16

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Number of Pages: 1036

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036