UlBRAHY OF CONGRESS. ;
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;^ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. \
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RELIABLE CONNECTIONS
QUICK TIME
LAST HXPRLSS TRAINS,
NEW YORK,
PHILADKLlMllA,
BALTIMUKK,
AND
WASHINGTON,
DAILY (Suiidi
y» ox.,o,)U)cJ) for
Allcntown,
Auburn,
Maiich CliunU,
Rodu-St.T,
Glen Onoko, and tlu
Buffalo,
Switch-back,
Niagara Falls,
Catawissa,
The Canadas,
Sunbui^,
Dunkirk,
Wilkcs-Ban-e,
Erie, .
Pittston,
Oil Regions,
Hazleton,
Cleveland,
Danville,
Toledo,
Mahanoy City,
1 )etroit.
Watkins Cileii,
Kcadiny;,
Harrisburu',
Ithaca,
Pittsburs;,
Owego,
Chicago,
THE GREAT NORTH-WEST.
,nilLAl)ELPllI,\TOBUFF;\l,(),
15 I3:OX7E.S,
With but one change, arriving in Buffalo and Niagara
the same evening.
MERCHANTS AND TOURISTS
., but nflbrds lo the 'I'mvoler viows of tlu-
WYOMING VALLEY SCENERY
That arc proaounccd lo be uniiv.il,,!
This Uno offera tllc I'l-omivnn IiKhucimuK i„
TOURISTS AND TRAVELERS,
Lot Exwiiioii Faits. Qimk Time. Misiil/Uml Srriun
To Enjoy Sinmncr Tnwcl, Secmt Seals in llie
PALACE DRAWING-ROOM CAR.
niftn-cls of elegnncc; free from dust a
rd an uniiHemipted view of the scenery,
render tnwcUng thoroughly cnjoyivblc.
DOUBLE TRACK SHORT LINE,
RUNNING TO ANU FROM ALL POINTS IN TlIK
MAHAIOY,BEAyER MEADOW, HAZLETON & WYOMING
COAL FIELDS,
AND THROUGH THE
LEHIGH AND WYOMING VALLEYS,
AND UP THE NORTH BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA,
FORMINa
Direct Connections for all Points in CENTRAL and WESTERN NEW YORK, the CANADAS,
The West and North-West.
TO>JT;^T^f-|-^ /"V"riT1T/^ind 1^" Philadelphia, at 732 Chestnut St., Mann's Baggage and Express Office, 105 South Fifth St., N. W. cor.
; I V r J I ( I H r I J r jN ' Walnut .street, and at the Depot, corner Berks^and American Sts. In New York, at Depot C. R. R. N
'^^^^ •■ ^'A J- i-Vy-LJ^^:». I .^nd Morris & Esse.x R. R. Depots, foot of Barclay and Christopher Streets. North River.
Delaware Avenue and
J., foot of Liberty St.,
THROUGH TICKETS for Baltimore, Washington, and Points South, are sold from all Principal Stations.
FREIGHT.
Tlic facilities of the Lehigh Valley Double Track
Uailroad for the prompt dispatch of all kinds
iif Merchandise Krciglils are iHU'i|ualed.
Fast Frhigi IT Trains
WIN n.Ml.V liKTWKKN
New York,
Philadelphia,
Belhlohein,
.MIdUowii,
Mauch Clumk,
Hazleton,
Catawissa,
Danville,
.Sunbury,
Mahanoy City,
Wilkes-Marrc,
Pittslon,
I'iiiilra,
Ithaca,
Owego,
Auburn,
Rochester,
Buffalo,
,\Ni) Al.l, I'OIN-IS IN Till';
MAHANOY, BEAVER MEADOW, HAZLETON,
AND WYOMING
COAL FIELDS,
MAKIN(; DIHKCT CONNECTIONS KOK
THE WEST
RATES OF FREIGHT
A/wars as linv as li\i any "III"' roiilc.
IN NEW YORK,
C. R. R. of N. J., foot of Uwa.li Street, m
Morris and Essex R. R., foot of Babcuiv and
foot of Clarkson Sts., North River;
IN PIIILADKLPHIA.
Cor. Front and Willow Srs., North Henna. R.R,
's-aaiSAvai qnv sisraaoi
o, s,u,maonpui mniuiwd 'V ='»fl° «°!T ""X
t.tsi>
GUIDE-BOOK
OF THE
LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD
AND
ITS SEVERAL BRANCHES AND CONNECTIONS;
WITH AN ACCOUNT, DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL,
OF THE
PLACES ALONG THEIR ROUTE;
INCLUDING ALSO
A HISTORY OF THE COMPANY FROM ITS FIRST ORGANIZA-
TION. AND INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING THE
ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF THE COAL AND
IRON TRADE IN THE LEHIGH AND
WYOMING REGIONS.
HANDSOMELY ILLISTEATED FROM RECENT SKETCHES,
PREFIXED TO WHICH IS A MAP OF THE ROAD AND ITS
CONNECTIONS.
PHILADELPHIA: A
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1873.
ieSioh^auiyRai L IpflJ,
Peuim & KYJ iOTaU Kail Road
ScmIo of Miles
COMPILED BY G,A,ASCHBACH,CIVIt. ENG, 150 CANAL ST NEWYOF
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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1872, by
WILLIAM H. SAYRE,
In the OfBce of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by
WILLIAM H. SAYRE,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
OFFICERS
OF THS
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company,
JANUARY 21st, 1873.
President, Vice-President,
ASA PACKER, CHARLES HARTSHORNE,
MAUCH CHUNK. PHILADELPHIA.
Treasurer, Secretary,
LLOYD CHAMBERLAIN, JOHN R. FANSHAWE,
PHILADELPHIA. PHILADELPHIA.
General Superintendent and Chief Engineer,
ROBERT H. SAYRE,
BETHLEHEM.
D IRECTORS.
CHARLES HARTSHORNE, ASHBEL WELCH,
WILLIAM W. LONGSTRETH, ARIO PARDEE,
J. GILLINGHAM FELL, WILLIAM L. CONYNGHAM,
JOHN TAYLOR JOHNSTON, WILLIAM A. INGHAM,
WILLIAM H. GATZMER, JOSEPH WHARTON,
DAVID THOMAS, GEORGE B. MARKLE.
President's Assist and Gen. Agi., WM. H. SAYRE, Bethlehem.
Assistant General Superintendent, H. STANLEY Q,OOT>^l^. Bethlehem.
Supt. Beaver Meadow Divisioit., A. G. BRODHEAD, Mauch Chzttik.
" Mahajtoy " JAS. I. BLAKSLEE, Mauch Chunk.
" Wyomi7tg " A. MITCHELL, Wilkes-Barre.
Getteral Freight Agent, JOHN TAYl^OK, Mauch Ch747ik.
Cashier, WM. C. MORRIS; Jr., Mauch Chunk.
Purchasing Agent, L. CHAMBERLAIN, Philadelphia.
■JOHN I. KINSEY, ^«j/o«.
DAVID CLARK, Hazleton.
JOHN CAMPBELL, Delano.
(.PHILIP HOFECKER, Weatherly.
3
Master Mechanics,
OFFICERS
OF THE
PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW YORK CANAL
AND RAILROAD COMPANY.
President.
ROBERT H. SAYRE.
Treasurei\
CHARLES HARTSHORNE.
General Superintendent.
ROBERT A. PACKER,
Directors.
Asa Packer,
Wm. W, Longstreth,
Chas. Hartshorns,
Robert A. Packer,
Victor E. Piollet,
Garrett B. Linderman,
J. Henry Swoyer,
John J. Taylor,
Robert Lockhart,
Jno. W. Hollenback,
Wm. H. Sayre,
Joseph Wharton.
(4)
PREFACE.
This Guide-Book has been prepared with great care
and fidelity, as well from past historical documents as
from recent and reliable information. In doing so,
the writer has freely availed himself of the aid given
by other publications, while very much of the matter
is wholly original, and has been obtained directly from
the places and establishments described. He desires
to acknowledge gratefully his obligations to the officials
of the Company and other residents along its road for
the valuable help so kindly rendered him. He would
be still further thankful if those readers who may dis-
cover errors in what is here printed will inform him
of the same. Such communications may be addressed
to the President's Assistant at Bethlehem.
L. C.
June ist, 1873.
(5)
HISTORY
OF THE
LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD CO
FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO THE PRESENT DATE.
As preliminary to an account of the different towns
on the route of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and its
various branches, it may be interesting to give a brief
sketch of its history.
This railroad was originally incorporated under the
name of the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susque-
hanna Railroad Company, by an Act of Assembly passed
April 2ist, 1846. The bill was prepared at the sugges-
tion and through the agency of a few enterprising and
far-seeing citizens of Northampton and Lehigh Counties.
There was strong opposition to it, and it was carried
through the Legislature mainly by the exertions of Dr.
Jesse Samuel, a Representative from Lehigh County.
There seemed to be but little faith in the project on
the part of capitalists ; for, although the commissioners
named in the act promptly advertised for subscriptions
to the stock, it was not until the 2d of August, 1847,
that a sufficient amount for a commencement could be
secured. On that day 5002 shares had been taken, on
(7)
8 HIS TOR V.
each of which an installment of five dollars had been
paid. After considerable trouble, the letters patent were
issued, and on the 21st day of October, 1847, the first
election for officers was held, resulting as follows : Pres-
ident, James M. Porter; Managers, Dudley S. Gregory,
John S. Dorsey, John P. Jackson, Daniel Mclntyre, Ed-
ward R. Biddle, and John N. Hutchinson; Secretary,
John N. Hutchinson. These officers were re-elected for
the years 1847, 1848, 1849, ^^^ 1850. In the months
of October, November, and December, 1850,- the first
survey of the road was made, from the mouth of the
Mahoning Creek to Easton, by Roswell B. Mason, civil
engineer. Early in 185 1 the Canal Commissioners of
the State appointed Jacob Dillinger and Jesse Samuel,
engineers, to examine whether the proposed railroad
would not injure the canal of the Lehigh Coal and
Navigation Company or obstruct its works. They
reported that it would not, and the Board immediately
authorized Mr. Hutchinson to commence the construc-
tion of the railroad, the time limited by the charter for
its beginning having almost expired. Mr. Dillinger
was appointed Superintendent, and Dr. Samuel, Engi-
neer, and under their supervision the work was prose-
cuted, and during the spring and summer about one
mile was graded immediately below Allentown. The
landholders on that part of the route released all claims
for damages for a nominal consideration.
On the 31st of October, 1851, Asa Packer became
the purchaser of nearly all the stock which had been
subscribed, and commenced to obtain additional sub-
scriptions, with a view to the prompt construction of
the road.
HISTORY. p
In the spring of 1852, Mr. Robert H. Sayre, at that
time holding a responsible situation with the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company, was appointed Chief
Engineer of the railroad company, and on the nth of
May commenced the survey and location of the line,
completing it in the latter part of June. About the
I St of October he again engaged a corps, and started
upon the permanent location of the road, finishing it
during the fall and winter.
On the 27th of November, 1852, Judge Packer sub-
mitted a proposition (which was duly accepted) for
constructing the railroad from opposite Mauch Chunk,
where it would intersect the Beaver Meadow Railroad,
to Easton, where it would connect with the New Jersey
Central Railroad and the Belvidere Delaware Railroad,
and thus furnish outlets for its trade to the two great
cities. New York and Philadelphia. Judge Packer
agreed to receive as payment for this work the com-
pany's stock and bonds, and work was commenced
immediately at Mauch Chunk and Easton.
On the 7th of January, 1853, the name of the Com-
pany was changed by Act of Assembly to that of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and on the loth of
that month James M. Porter was re-elected President ;
John N. Hutchinson, Treasurer and Secretary ; William
Hackett, David Barnet, William H. Gatzmer, Henry
King, John T. Johnston, and John O. Stearns,
Managers.
Judge Packer prosecuted the work with unceasing
vigor, notwithstanding the formidable obstructions en-
countered in making the roadway at different points
through the rocky bluffs, in some places rising to- great
A*
lo HISTORY.
height. He had the work at Rockdale (the particulars
of which will be found under that head) and at some
other difficult points done by the day. At Easton also
the road was constructed at heavy expense through a
solid and extensive bed of limestone.
During the summer of 1853, the advance in the
prices of labor, materials, provisions, etc., and the
unusual amount of sickness then prevailing along the
whole line (it was at this time that cholera visited this
region), retarded the work very greatly.
A subsequent contract for connection with the Bel-
videre Delaware Railroad at Phillipsburg without
ascending grade involved an entire change of plan,
much delay, and a consequent increase in the cost of
bridge and adjoining improvements. The task imposed
was to connect with two roads on the east bank of the
Delaware River, running at right angles to each other,
and varying about twenty-two feet in elevation. This
required a style of bridge as yet wholly unknown, the
successful building of which was a theme of general in-
terest and congratulation. Much of the difficulty also
attending its construction arose from the frequent and
continued high water. To obviate this trouble, the
greater part of the structure was raised upon wire cables
stretched from pier to pier, — a novel undertaking, which
was satisfactorily accomplished.
In this early period of the history of the road, valued
aid was rendered by several gentlemen connected with
the Central Railroad of New Jersey in the purchase of
its stocks and bonds, and by the Camden and Amboy
Railroad Company, which loaned its securities to the
contractor; the community at large not having as yet
HISTORY. II
enough faith in the success of this new enterprise to
make its own securities sufficiently available.
The road was opened for the transportation of pas-
sengers from South Easton to Allentown, June nth,
1855, ^'^^ ^^0 trains ran daily to the latter place until
September 12th, when the road was opened for travel to
Mauch Chunk, — one train a day being run until the ist
of October. Up to this time, the road was operated
by Judge Packer with rolling stock hired from the Cen-
tral Railroad Company of New Jersey. The road was
accepted from the contractor from and after September
24th. Up to the 19th of November, the Central Rail-
road Company ran two passenger trains daily from Eas-
ton to Mauch Chunk, connecting with the Philadelphia
trains on the Belvidere Delaware Railroad. At this
date one of the passenger trains was withdrawn, a
freight train with passenger car being substituted. This
arrangement proving unsatisfactory, and a passenger
locomotive and four cars having been in the mean time
purchased, on the 24th of December the passenger
train connecting with the early and late trains from
New Vork and Philadelphia was run by the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company, the Central Company still
running the mid-day train. At the same time, a daily
freight train was put upon the road, leaving Easton in
the morning and returning in the evening.
The receipts from passengers during these three
months were larger than was anticipated. Those from
coal and miscellaneous freight were limited by want of
cars. The coal, iron, and ore were transported in
cars furnished by the Central Railroad Company, the
Beaver Meadow Railroad and Coal Company, and
12
HIS TOR Y.
Packer, Carter & Co. In the early part of October,
an arrangement was made with Howard & Co., of
Philadelphia, to do the freighting business of the road
(except coal, iron, and iron ore), they furnishing cars,
train-hands, etc., and paying a fixed rate per mile for
toll and transportation. An arrangement was also
effected with the Hope Express Company, of New
York, for carrying the express-matter at a given sum
per month.
The receipts and expenditures were as follows :
Coal.
Passengers.
Freight.
Total.
October
^91247
#6,812.93
#94-34
#7,819.74
November .
, 2,648.42
6,223.44
590.03
9,461.89
December .
1,792-43
5,67544
EXPENSES.
1,768.45
9,236.32
#26,517.95
October
.
.
#4,501.15
November
,
.
5,350.60
December
•
13,884.58
23,736.33
Net profit #2,781.62
In the beginning of the year 1856, it was thought
necessary to remove the main office of the Company to
Philadelphia. Judge Porter on this account declined
a re-election to the presidency, and, on February 5th,
Mr. Wm. W. Longstreth was chosen to fill the vacancy,
but resigned on the 13th of May following, when Mr.
J. Gillingham Fell was elected President.
In the year 1857, the North Pennsylvania Railroad
was completed to Bethlehem, and immediate connec-
tion was thus obtained with Philadelphia by the Lehigh
Valley Railroad.
HISTORY.
13
During the year 1857, the Catasauqua and Fogels-
ville Railroad (designed for the supply of iron ore to
the various furnaces along the Lehigh) was completed,
connecting with the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Cata-
sauqua.
In 1858, connection was formed between the Qua-
kake Railroad (now the Mahanoy Division) and the
Catawissa Railroad for Catawissa, Rupert, Danville,
Williamsport, Elmira, etc.
During the year 1859, the East Pennsylvania Road
was finished and put into operation, thus forming a
valuable junction with the connections between New
York and the West, to complete which seventeen miles
of the Lehigh Valley Road are used. During the same
year the Lehigh Luzerne Railroad, connecting the
Hazleton Road with the Black Creek Valley, was fin-
ished, by which another large and valuable field of coal
was opened to the market.
During the year i860, the large shops at Easton, for
the manufacture and repair of engines and cars, were
built. Li January, 1862, steel fire-boxes were first
used. In June of this year the disastrous freshet,
alluded to more fully under the head of White aven,
occurred, causing great damage to the road, and for
awhile seriously impairing its business. In this same
year Mr. Fell resigned the presidency of the Com-
pany, and Judge Packer was elected in his stead.
In 1863, steel tires were first introduced. During
this same year forty-seven acres of land were bought at
Burlington (now Packerton), for the more convenient
making-up of coal trains, and for the erection of car-
2
14
HISTOR Y.
and machine-shops, which were put at once under con-
struction.
In 1864, Judge Packer resigned the presidency of
the road, and Mr. Wm. W. Longstreth was elected to
fill the vacancy.
On the 8th of July, 1864, by the unanimous approval
of the stockholders of the respective companies, this
Company incorporated with itself the Beaver Meadow
Railroad and the Penn Haven and White Haven
Railroad. The former road, with double track, ex-
tended from East Mauch Chunk to Penn Haven, and
from thence to Beaver Meadow, and by its various
branches to the adjoining mines in Carbon and Schuyl-
kill Counties. By this union the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road Company became owners also of a considerable
body of coal land near the village of Beaver Meadow.
The second of the two roads thus merged extended
from Penn Haven Junction to White Haven, a distance
of seventeen miles. By the acquisition of these several
roads, and by their various important connections, the
Lehigh Valley Railroad added at once very largely to
its business of every description, and was put in a posi-
tion of still greater prosperity for the immediate future.
At the same time, by its subscription to the stock of
the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad Company, it was
aiding materially a near extension of its business in
other important directions.
During the year 1865 the second track between
Easton and Mauch Chunk was laid. During this same
year the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company an-
nounced their determination to build from Penn Haven
to White Haven. This made it necessary, in order to
insroR y
15
secure a portion of the Wilkes-Barre "trade, to put the
extension of the Lehigh Valley Railroad under con-
tract, which was promptly done. About this time also
the Morris and Essex Railroad was opened, connecting
with the Lehigh Valley at Phillipsburg, and reaching
to Hoboken, giving increased facility to trade in that
direction.
hi June, 1866, by the unanimous action of both com-
panies, the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad was merged
with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, thus adding $2, 145,850
to the capital of this latter company, and greatly increas-
ing its capacities and facilities. The length of the main
line thus added, from Black Creek to Mount Carmel, is
forty miles, of sidings and short branches twenty and
three-quarter miles more. In the early part of this same
year, Judge Packer purchased, on behalf of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company, a controlling interest in the
North Branch Canal, extending from Wilkes-Barre to the
New York State line, a distance of over one hundred
miles, with a charter from the Commonwealth authoriz-
ing the Company to change its corporate title to the
Pennsylvania and New York Canal and Railroad Com-
pany, and to build a railroad the entire length. The
canal was valued in this arrangement at $1,050,000, over
three-fourths of which are embraced in the purchase.
During this same year, subscriptions were received
for 24,462 additional shares of stock, amounting to
81,323,100, for the purpose of extending the railroad
from White Haven to the Wyoming Valley.
On May 29th, 1867, the extension of the road to
Wilkes-Barre was opened for business, amid the hearty
congratulations of all the residents of the Wyoming
1 6 HIS TOR Y.
Valley. The construction of the road thence to
VVaverly was prosecuted vigorously, portions from
Wilkes-Barre to Pittston, and from Towanda to the
State line, having been brought into active and profit-
able use.
On June ist, 1868, by a merger of the. stock of the
Hazleton Railroad Company, and soon thereafter by a
similar merger of the Lehigh Luzerne Railroad Com-
pany, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company came into
possession of said roads, rights, franchises, and property.
By these two mergers, and by purchase of rolling stock
and other property from the lessees, there inured to this
Company a total length of tracks of sixty-five miles, also
about eighteen hundred acres of valuable coal lands, a
large amount of town lots and other real estate, cars,
machinery, etc.
In August, this Company purchased the railroad of
the Spring Mountain Coal Company from Leviston to
Jeanesville, and about October ist grading was com-
menced for a short extension towards Yorktown and
towards the mines of the German Pennsylvania Coal
Company. On November 2d the road of tiie P. & N.
Y. C. & R. R. Co. was opened for business from the
Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Junction to Tunkhannock.
In June, connection was made at Towanda with the
Barclay Railroad. During this year also ground was
purchased and pockets erected sufficient for the transfer
of 100,000 tons of coal at Waverly.
In this year Judge Packer was again elected to the
presidency of the road, which office he has continued
to hold to the present time.
On September 20th, 1869, the road of the P. &
HISTORY.
17
N. Y. C. & R. R. Company was opened for business as
far as Waverly, its northern terminus, the whole length
from Wilkes-Barre being one hundred and five miles.
This important event was hailed with evident satisfaction
by the people of the northern portion of our own State,
and by the citizens of Southern and Western New
York, who have long looked with eager anxiety for the
completion of a railroad from the anthracite coal-field
of Wyoming to their homes by the route that nature
seems to have made the most feasible and generally
acceptable.
A fact of considerable interest may here be noted,
viz., that in the construction of railroads in this section
of country, the engineers' lines have generally been
those of the old Indian war-paths^ which would natu-
rally prove to be the best suited for this purpose.
During this same year, the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company continued the policy approved by the stock-
holders at their previous annual meeting, of securing a
proportion of the coal trade from each region by the
purchase of interests in other companies owning lands
on or near their several branches.
In October, a very disastrous flood occurred, doing
more or less damage along the whole line of the road,
and seriously impeding its business for a short period.
In this year the extensive car-, machine-, and repair-
shops at Weatherly were completed.
To guard the Company's interests at Buffalo, and to
provide facilities for transferring coal and other prod-
ucts to Lake vessels from the several roads entering
that city, this Company subscribed to thirty-four-
fortieths of the stock of the Buffalo Creek Railroad
1 8 HISTORY.
Company, and commenced this year the work of con-
struction, which was completed in June, 1870.
Arrangements were made in the latter part of 1870,
by laying a third rail on the Erie Railway, by which
trains now run through to Elmira over that road, and
also to Auburn over the Southern Central Railroad of
New York, with which latter road a connection is made
at Athens. Thus an opening was made for the im-
portant trade on both the Erie and New York Central
Railroads.
As a further protection to its coal trade, the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company this year secured a control-
ling interest in an additional quantity of coal lands.
During this year, the branch road, three and a half
miles in length, from Slatington to Slatedale, was com-
pleted, furnishing much-needed facilities for the trans-
portation of slate from the quarries. Several other
branch roads to various collieries were also graded and
laid ; in addition to which, surveys and locations of lines
were made for a prospective increase of coal tonnage in
the Wyoming Valley.
The manufacture of steel rails (some of which, made
abroad, had been laid down by the Company in 1864)
in the United States being now an assured fact, con-
tracts were made with several home companies for a
considerable number of tons, every year's experience
demonstrating the superiority of such rails over every
other kind, as also of this metal when used for tires
and fire-boxes.
The first year's business over the line of the Penn-
sylvania and New York Canal and Railroad Company
more than realized the anticipations formed concerning
HISTORY.
19
it, the total earnings being $926,265.60, or, on an
average, $8,673. 24 per mile. The receipts of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad the first year (1856) were $5,272.01
per mile. The receipts of the Canal were, in addition,
$23,420.16, considerably less than the expenses of
operating and repairs, which latter item was unusually
large on account of damage from freshets.
The Company's coal trade had suffered for a number
of years from the want of an independent outlet to
tide-water, and to remedy this deficiency in part, a
perpetual lease was made, early in 1871, of the prop-
erty of the Morris Canal and Banking Company. By
this arrangement, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company
came into the possession of a line of canal one hundred
and two miles long, extending from the terminus of the
road at Phillipsburg to Jersey City, with a basin of sixty
acres, having a frontage of fifteen hundred feet on the
North River, directly opposite New York City, and also
of much valuable property at other points. One of the
great advantages already resulting from this lease is the
increased capacity for tonnage over the main line with-
out material increase of rolling stock, in consequence
of the ability to discharge the coal into the boats and
return the cars at once to the mines.
In continuation of the policy alluded to above, a
charter was obtained in the winter of 1871-72 from the
Legislature of New Jersey for the Bound Brook and
Easton Railroad Company, with authority to build a
railroad from Easton to Bound Brook, which company,
by an act passed later in the same session, was con-
solidated with the Perth Amboy and Bound Brook
Railroad Company, under the name of the Easton and
20 HISTOR Y.
Amboy Railroad Company. The stock of this con-
solidated company was almost entirely taken by, and
its interests are now identical with those of, the Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company.
A careful survey of the whole line from Phillipsburg
to Perth Amboy has been made, and all the heavier
parts of the work put under contract. Satisfactory
progress is being made in its construction ; the road
may be in operation some time during the next
year. It is also in contemplation to construct, at
an early day, from some point on this same road, a
direct and independent line to New York, for passen-
gers and freight.
At Perth Amboy a large tract of valuable land has
been secured, with a view to the construction of exten-
sive wharves for the storage and shipping of the coal
received, as well from the trade in general as from the
mines already owned and controlled by the company.
Plans for them have been adopted, and the wharves
are already in course of erection.
During the year 1871 the Hazleton Branch, into the
Valley of the Black Creek, was opened for about nine
miles to a junction with the Danville, Hazleton and
Wilkes-Barre Railroad, thus making in connection with
that road an alternative route to Sunbury and intermedi-
ate points, and affording an eastern outlet for the busi-
ness of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad at Sunbury.
A large body of valuable coal lands, heretofore unde-
veloped, will find a market for their produce over this
extension.
In the latter part of 1870, Mr. John P. Cox, the
Superintendent of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Co.
HISTORY.
21
(an official of many years' service and highly esteemed
by a large circle of friends), died suddenly, and Mr.
R. A. Packer was elected to fill the vacancy. The
business of this road during the year was materially in-
creased by the opening of the Sullivan and Erie Rail-
road, the Southern Central Railroad, and the Ithaca
and Athens Railroad ; the former principally as a feeder,
and the two latter as outlets for coal. The completion
of the narrow-gauge railroad between Tunkhannock
and Montrose will also add very considerably to the
traffic of this division of the road.
During the session of the Legislature in 1872, the
Company was released from the obligation to maintain
the canal, except that portion of it between the Feeder
Dam on the Lackawanna River and Northampton
Street, Wilkes-Barre, while this may be required to feed
the canal between this latter place and Nanticoke Dam.
During the year 1872a considerable increase of capi-
tal became necessary for the building of the Easton and
Amboy Railroad and for the purchase of additional
coal lands. To meet this need, a resolution was
adopted authorizing a distribution of new stock to
the stockholders in proportion of one share for every
three shares then held, an opportunity which was
fully embraced by those interested.
The equipment of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com-
pany on the 30th of November, 1872, was as follows :
Engines of all classes . . . . . 181
Passenger Cars
Baggage and Express Cars
Gravel Cars
Wreck and Tool Cars
44
25
69
9
22
HISTORY,
^21,468,800 00
700,830 00
3,000 00
703,000 00
4,048,000 00
5,000,000 00
Four-wheel Platform Cars .... 13
Four-wheel Caboose Cars .... 2
Eight- wheel Caboose Cars . . . . 16
House Cars 200
Eight-wheel Platform and Gondola Cars . . 600
Six-wheel Platform Cars ..... 100
Lime Cars ....... 44
Coal Cars (rated as four-wheel) . . . 155696
At the close of the Company's last fiscal year, No-
vember 30th, 1872, its capital account was as follows:
Preferred and Common Stocks (429,376
shares) ....
Scrip for Instalments Received
Hazleton Coal Co. Bonds (over due)
Bonds due in 1873 ....
Six per cent. Bonds (Coupon and Regis-
tered), due in 1898
Seven per cent. Registered Bonds, due
in 1910
Floating Debt, less cash on hand, none.
Total ..... ^31,923,630 00
The equipment of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Com-
pany on the same date was as follows :
Locomotives . . . . . . . 18
Passenger Cars ...... 2
Flat and Gondola Cars ..... 207
Box Cars .- . . . . . . . 131
Stock Cars . . . . . . . 50
Four-wheel Coal Cars . . . . . 781
Gravel Cars ....... 31
Four-wheel Caboose Cars . . . . 18
Eight-wheel Derrick Cars .... 2
And a supply of hand cars and small trucks necessary for re-
pairs of road.
The road is well supplied with telegraphic commu-
nications, two wires running over the greater portion
thereof, and a through wire from Philadelphia to Wa-
verly. On November 30th, 1872, there were thirty-six
offices and forty-eight sets of instruments.
TONNAGE, RECEIPTS, ETC.
23
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TONNAGE AND DISTANCES. 25
Tonnage of the Pennsylvania and New York Canal and R. R. Co.
*i869
1870
1871
1S72
Anthracite Coal.
284,609
471,926
415^194
1671,484
Bituminous Coal.
165,679
238,399
302,262
336,555
Miscell's Freight.
11,151
90,926
177,621
215,124
* Road unfinished.
t Including 90,547 bj' Canal for a short distance.
DISTANCES
2
4
7
9
12
MAIN LINE.
NAMES OF STATIONS, AND MILES
FROM
Easton.
Glendon.
Chain Dam.
Redington.
Freeniansburg.
Bethlehem.
17 East Penn Junction.
17 Allentown.
18 Furnace.
19 Ferndale.
20 Catasauqua.
21 Hokendauqua.
22 Coplay.
23 Portland.
24 White Hall.
26 Laury.
29 Rockdale.
33 Slatington.
35 Lehigh Gap.
2,^ Kittatinny.
39 Bowman's.
40 Parryville.
42 Lehighton.
44 Packerton.
46 Mauch Chunk.
46 East Mauch Chunk.
48 Glen Onoko.
52 Bear Creek.
53 Penn Haven Junction.
WYOMING DIVISION.
NAMES OF stations, AND MILES
FROM easton.
57 Stony Creek.
B
59 Drake's Creek.
61 Rock Port.
64 Mud Run.
66 Hickoiy Run.
69 Tannery.
71 White Haven.
77 Moosehead.
85 Fairview.
92 Newport.
95 Warrior Run.
97 Sugar Notch.
100 South Wilkes-Barre.
loi Wilkes-Barre.
PENNSYLVANIA AND NEW
YORK CANAL AND
RAILROAD.
names of stations, and MILES
FROM EASTON.
106 Plainesville.
108 Port Blanchard.
no Pittston.
Ill L. & B. Junction.
116 Ransom,
122 Falls.
125 McKune.
128 La Grange.
133 Tunkhannock.
138 Vosburg.
145 Mehoopany.
148 Meshoppen.
153 Black Walnut.
155 Skinner's Eddy.
26
DISTANCES AND CONNECTIONS.
156 Laceyville.
166 Wyalusing.
172 Frenchtown.
176 Rummerfield.
179 Standing Stone.
183 Wysauking.
187 Towanda.
194 Ulster.
198 Milan.
202 Athens.
204 Sayre.
206 Waverly.
BEAVER MEADOW
BRANCH.
NAMES OF STATIONS, AND MILES
FROM EASTON.
54 Penn Haven.
60 Weatherly.
66 Beaver Meadow.
68 Leviston.
69 Jeanesville.
70 Audenried.
HAZLETON BRANCH.
NAMES OF STATIONS, AND MILES
FROM EASTON.
62 Hazle Creek Bridge.
63 Miller's.
65 Lumber Yard.
66 Tunnel.
68 Eckley.
67 Foundry.
69 Jeddo.
71 Ebervale.
68 Stockton.
70 Hazleton.
71 Cranberry.
74 Conyngliam.
78 Torahicken.
MAHANOY BRANCH.
MES
OF STATIONS, AND MILES
FROM EASTON.
59
Black Creek Junction. .
62
Hartz.
66
Gerhard.
71
Switch Back.
73
Quakake Junction.
77
Delano.
79
Meyersville.
81
Mahanoy City.
82
Yatesville.
84
Shenandoah.
89
Raven Run.
93
Centralia.
100
Mount Carmel.
CONNECTIONS.
At Easton with C. R. R. of N. J., for Nev/ York, Newark,
Elizabeth, Plainfield, Somerville, and intermediate points.
At Phillipsburg with Morris and Essex R. R,, for Schooley's
Mountain, Hackettstown, Dover, Morristown, Newark, New
York, and intermediate points.
With 'Belvidere Division of the Pennsylvania R. R., for Bel-
videre, Trenton, Philadelphia, and Stations on the New York
Division.
At Bethlehem with North Pennsylvania R. R,. for Philadelphia,
Baltimore, and Washington.
CONNECTIONS.
27
At East Penn Junction with Philadelphia and Reading R. R.,
for Reading, Pottsville, Lebanon, Harrisburg, Pittsburg, and the
West.
At Catasauqua with Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad.
At Penn Haven Junction with Mahanoy, Beaver Meadow, and
Hazleton Branches of the L. V. R. R.
At Quakake with Catawissa R. R., for Danville, Milton, Wil-
liamsport, Lock Haven, and Erie.
At Tonihicken with the Danville, Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre
R. R., for Catawissa, Danville, Sunbury, etc.
At L. & B. Junction for Scranton.
At Athens with Southern Central R. R., for Owego, Auburn,
also with Ithaca and Athens R. R., for Spencer, Vannettenville,
etc., for the Cayuga, Lake Ithaca and Geneva R. R., and all points
on the New York Central R. R.
At Elmira with Erie Railway, for Buffalo, Niagara, the Canadas,
the West and Northwest, and with the Northern Central Railway
fot Watkins.
SKETCHES,
DESCRIPTIVE AND HISTORICAL,
OF THE
CITIES AND TOWNS ON THE ROUTE
OF THE
LEHIGH VALLEY RAILROAD,
ITS CONNECTIONS AND BRANCHES.
PHILLIPSBURG.
This town, although in New Jersey, deserves a place
in this Guide, as being the present southern or eastern
terminus of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. It was
originally an Indian settlement, the site having been
mapped as early as the year 1654. Its name is derived,
as some would contend, from an old and influential
chief of that name who resided there. Others ascribe
its origin to a large landholder by the name of Phillips.
The building of the New Jersey Central Railroad in
1852, and of the Belvidere Delaware Railroad in 1854,
gave a decided impetus to the growth of the town,
large sales of land being effected, which led to the
organization of several extensive manufacturing estab-
lishments, for which it is advantageously located, sur-
3* ( 29 )
30 PHILLIPSBURG.
rounded as it is by a rich and fertile country, and pos-
sessed of ample railroad and canal facilities.
The railroad bridge connecting Phillipsburg with
Easton is a double-track wooden bridge, built in 1866.
Both tracks are on the same level. It connects at
Phillipsburg with the Morris and Essex R.R., the Cen-
tral R.R. of N. J., the works of the Morris Canal Co.,
and a branch of the Belvidere and Delaware R.R., the
grade of which descends to a point near the Andover
Iron Works, where it connects with the main line. The
chief manufactories are a sheet-iron rolling-mill, bar-
iron and carriage-axles rolling-mill, agricultural works,
stove works, iron furnaces (the particulars of which
are given below), the Warren Foundry and Machine
Works, celebrated for their excellent quality of gas-
and water-pipes (the capacity of which is twenty thou-
sand tons per year), the works of the Phillipsburg
Manufacturing Co. for the manufacture of iron bridges
(capacity four thousand tons per year), and the Vul-
canized Iron Works. Besides these, there are other in-
dustrial works, employing a great many hands.
It has a population of about 7000 people, and con-
tains I Episcopal, 2 Methodist, i Presbyterian, i Lu-
theran, and I Roman Catholic church. It also has
one national bank, with a capital of ^200,000, and one
savings bank ; one weekly and one daily newspaper.
The works of the Andover Iron Company (capital,
^750,000) consist of three stacks.
No. I, 55 feet high, 18 feet bosh.
No. 2, 55 " " " "
No. 3, 42 " " " "
Their combined capacity is 32,000 tons of pig-iron
EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA. 31
per annum. Including those employed in the ore mines,
400 men are in the service of the company.
Like its opposite neighbor, Easton (with which it is
connected by several bridges), Phillipsburg is on a high
elevation, and presents a commanding appearance.
EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.
This town is one of the oldest in the State, having
been laid out in 1750, and its early history is replete
with interesting details. It is situated at the junction
of the Delaware, Lehigh, and Bushkill Rivers, in part
upon the debris which their waters have washed down
and lodged here. Its name was given by Thomas Penn
from his friend Lord Pomfret's house. The name of
the new county (it having been formerly a part of
Bucks) was also the suggestion of Penn. Its records
reveal a steady growth and improvement in all essential
particulars. It was incorporated as a borough in 1789,
and received a second charter of incorporation in 1823.
Its streets are regularly laid out, and either paved or
macadamized, and are lighted with gas, supplied with
water, and kept very neat and clean. The public
green, called the '^Circle," from its form, is hand-
somely inclosed and shaded. Many houses, including
a number of fine residences, have been built upon the
neighboring hills, giving the town a romantic appear-
ance.
The court-house, built of limestone, rough-cast,
occupies a commanding position on a hill in the
western part of the town, and is an imposing structure,
erected at a cost of S6o,ooo. To the north are the
house and grounds of the Farmers' and Mechanics'
32 E ASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.
Institute (said to be the finest in the State), where the
county fairs are held annually. There are also several
public halls, and the following church buildings: 4
Lutheran, 2 Presbyterian, 2 German Reformed, and i
each of Baptist, Methodist Episcopal, German Meth-
odist, Protestant Episcopal, bethel Mission, Roman
Catholic, and a Jewish Synagogue. An Opera House
capable of seating fifteen hundred persons has been
erected during the past year.
There are two daily newspapers (one, the "Ex-
press," being the pioneer in this part of the country),
and four weekly.
The citizens take great pride in their public schools,
thinking them without any superiors in the State in
point of a well-graded system, buildings, and play-
grounds. Recently, there has been erected a very com-
plete and handsome new school-house, constructed of
red sandstone trimmed with Ohio sandstone, at a cost
of over ^100,000.
There are also six private schools for both sexes,
foremost among which is Lafayette College, for young
men, which is under the patronage of the Presbyterian
Church. This institution was chartered in 1826,
shortly after the visit of the Marquis de Lafayette to
America. After remaining for some time in a humble
building, the corner-stone of the main building of the
series now standing was laid in 1833. This series
comprises a number of handsome and substantial
structures used for educational purposes (including
Jenks Hall, a new observatory, — built at the expense
of Prof. Traill Green, — and a recent addition of a large
Jving to the main edifice), and as residences of the
E ASTON, PENNSYLVANIA. 33
Faculty. The grounds cover an area of forty acres, and
the value of the real estate (exclusive of apparatus,
worth $20,000, and extensive collections in mineralogy^
is estimated at $220,000. There is at interest as an
endowment fund nearly $300,000, including a munifi-
cent donation of $200,000 from A. Pardee, Esq., of
Hazleton, who has lately made another donation of
$200,000 for the erection of a building (now in pro-
gress) designed for the departments of Engineering,
Metallurgy, and Chemistry. Its curriculum of study
includes all the branches suited to a liberal, classical,
and scientific education, and, with its able Faculty, Very
few colleges offer greater inducements. There are rooms
in the college buildings provided for one hundred and
forty students, and additional private accommodations
can be secured at moderate prices. There were for the
year 1872 two hundred and forty-three students in
actual attendance, and a corps of twenty-six professor?
and tutors.
There is a well-maintained public library (founded
in 181 1), containing about 5000 volumes.
The Easton Cemetery is a lovely spot of thirty acres,
on the Bushkill, containing many beautiful and costly
monuments, including one to George Taylor, one
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence,
whose grave is unknown, but whose dwelling (a plain
two-story stone building) is still standing, opposite the
new public school- house.
While Easton proper can have but few large manu-
factories, owing to the peculiar situation of the town,
yet the water-power of the Bushkill has been exten-
sively used by saw-mills, foundries, tanneries, sash-
B*
34 E ASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.
factories, planing-mills, paint-works, forge for carriage-
axles, etc. There is also a steam rope-walk, iioo feet
long. The wholesale and retail stores do a very large
buiness, supplying the country for many miles round.
A sheet-iron rolling-mill has lately been erected, with
a capacity of about 15 tons per week.
There are two national banks, each having a capital
of $400,000, in addition to which there are two savings-
banks, with a combined capital of $145,000.
Several earnest attempts have been made at different
periods to navigate the Delaware as far as Easton, with
steamboats especially constructed for this purpose, but
always without any permanent success.
The town is situated in the midst of a rich mineral
region, and presents a large variety of interesting fields
for exploration. At the Phillipsburg Cut, on the
south, the limestone and granite (the only instance of
this latter mineral being found in this region) come
together, — an unusual occurrence. The scenery in the
neighborhood is very picturesque. From Mount Taylor
and Chestnut Hill, each about 800 feet high, very
fine views can be obtained. From the latter (about a
mile north of Easton) a bold isolated rock projects to
a height of 258 feet, containing a profile of an Indian
chief's head, hence called St. Anthony's Nose.
A fine covered bridge (a combination of the truss
and arch principle), 600 feet long, erected in 1805, at
a cost of over $60,000, for carriage and foot travel,
crosses the Delaware to Phillipsburg, and has been
remarkably preserved during the many severe freshets
common to this locality. An iron bridge across the
Lehigh connects Easton and South Easton, between
SOUTH E ASTON.
35
which towns a horse-car railroad runs. Over this, and
crossing diagonally, the Lehigh and Susquehanna Rail-
road Company have constructed a very long and sub-
stantial iron bridge to connect with the New Jersey
railroads.
Population, about ii,ooo.
SOUTH EASTON.
This town was founded by the Lehigh Coal and
Navigation Company in 1833, and incorporated as a
borough in 1840. Its water-powers are derived from
the canal of that Company, which debouches at this
place by outlet locks into the basin at the mouth of
the Lehigh. This power propels a grist-mill, a large
cotton-mill of nearly three hundred looms, employing
200 hands, and manufacturing tickings, osnaburgs, and
stripes; the Glendon Iron Company's Works (for an
account of which, see Glendon); and Stewart's Wire
and Rolling Mill, which latter establishment is one of
the oldest of its kind in the country, dating back to
1836. It employs 150 hands, its capacity is 20 tons
per day, and it makes nearly all varieties of bright and
annealed wire.
Here are located extensive shops belonging to the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, employing about
200 hands, and (besides repairs) manufacturing cars,
frogs, switches, and road-equipments generally. A
number of superior locomotives have also been turned
out hence within a few years past, which compare most
favorably with any that are in use through the Valley.
36
G LEND ON.
45 by 90 feet.
300 by 60
125 by 36
160 by 40
50 by 60
30 by 80
40 by 80
200 feet in diameter,
The dimensions of the various buildings are as fol
lows :
New boiler-shop
Machine-shop .
Car-shop ....
Blacksmith- and hammer-shop
Old boiler-shop .
Store-room . '„
Foundry ....
Round-house
with accommodations for 28 engines.
During the year 1872, the Foundry produced of —
Some cast iron 1,354, Sjolbs.
" cast brass 27,784 "
and consumed of —
Pig-iron 600 tons.
Merchant iron i75 "
Cast scrap iron ...... 40 "
Pig copper 15,000 lbs.
Amount of material used .... ^240,000
During the same period, sixty-four locomotives and
sixty-seven passenger and baggage cars were repaired
at these shops.
There are 3 churches, German Roman Catholic,
Methodist, and Lutheran, a public school-house, and a
town hall. Population, 3500.
G L E N D O N.
Here are the extensive works of the Glendon Iron
Company for the manufacture of pig-iron. Including
one (No. 4) at South Easton, there are five stacks in
all, with the following dimensions and capacity :
No. 1, 16 feet boshes, 50 feet high, 220 tons per week.
" 2, 14 " " 50 " " 195 "
" 3, 16 " " 50 " " 220 " " "
" 4. IS " " 47 " " 19s
" 5, 18 " " 72 " " 310 "
REDINGTON.
37
The company is a stock one, with a capital of
$1,000,000. Excluding 150 men engaged in the
mines, 400 men are employed in these works. The
haematite ore and limestone are obtained in the imme-
diate neighborhood, the magnetic ore from Morris and
Sussex Counties, New Jersey; and this holds true of
nearly all the furnaces along the Lehigh.
The amount of material consumed yearly by this com-
pany is as follows :
Iron ore ....... 100,000 tons.
Coal ........ 85,000 "
Limestone ....... 50,000 "
Producing from 55,000 to 57,000 tons of pig-iron.
Recently, the Easton Iron and Manufacturing Com-
pany have erected here a furnace with a stack 72 feet
high and bosh 18 feet wide, the capacity of which is
200 tons per week. The whole population of the town
is between 600 and 700, with two school-houses, but
no church.
Another furnace is about to be erected by the Key-
stone Iron Company at Chain Dam, about a mile above
Glendon.
REDINGTON.
Formerly called Lime Ridge, from the quantity of
limestone abounding in this locality. The scenery at
this point of the river is particularly beautiful. The
Coleraine Iron Company have recently erected here
two stacks 18 by 60 and 17 by 60 feet respectively,
with a capacity of 500 tons per week, and giving em-
ployment to nearly 200 men, some of whom afe en-
gaged in the foundry and machine-shop.
4
38 FREEMANSBURG.
FREEMANSBURG.
This pretty and thriving borough, named after Mr.
Jacob Freeman, was settled in 1830, was incorporated
in 1854, and contains three boat-yards (where in the
busiest seasons about 100 boats are made per annum),
saw- and grist-mills, and a soap and candle factory.
There are two churches, one Evangelical and one used
in common by the Lutherans and the German Re-
formed. The Northampton Iron Company (capital
^250,000) have lately erected here a furnace 65 feet
high and 16 feet bosh, having a capacity of 200 tons
per week. They employ about 100 hands. Pop-
ulation about 800. The Shinersville Grist Mill was
built in 1745, and is the oldest in Northampton
county.
It was at a short distance above Freemansburg that the
Indian path passed the Lehigh upon which the famous
walk was performed in 1737. In the summer of that
year the Indians agreed, in pursuance of a former un-
fulfilled contract with William Penn, to grant as much
land north of where Wrightstown, in Bucks County,
now stands as would be included in a walk of a day
and a half. The Proprietaries, Thomas and John
Penn, at once advertised for three expert walkers, one
of whom, Edward Marshall, accomplished a distance
of seventy-four miles within the given time, ending his
walk on a spur of the Second or Broad Mountain.
The Indians were very much dissatisfied and exas-
perated at the result of the walk, denouncing it as a
fraud^ in which view of the case many of the white
settlers coincided. Pamphlets were published by both
parties, criminating and recriminating each other
BETHLEHEM. 3(j
upon the subject. The Indians and the whites became
involved finally in a war, which lasted from 1755 to
1758, during which many cruel murders were com-
mitted, but the Indians were at length compelled to
yield the territory.
Just above the depot, the Saucon creek empties into
the Lehigh, after draining a very rich valley.
BETHLEHEM.
This name is commonly given to two separate bor-
oughs. Bethlehem proper is situated on the north side
of the Lehigh. The railroad station is in what is le-
gally South Bethlehem, situated on the south side of
the Lehigh, the terminus also of the North Pennsyl-
vania Railroad, leading to Philadelphia. We will, for
convenience' sake, consider them as one settlement.
A peculiar interest has always attached to the town,
from the fact of its having been the principal settlement
of the Moravians, or United Brethren, in the United
States. They came to the New World early in its his-
tory, to attempt the conversion of the Indians to Chris-
tianity. They first settled in Georgia; but in 1738
their settlement was broken up on account of the war
then raging between England and Spain, and their
attention was directed to Pennsylvania. For an entire
century they retained, here some of their distinctive
principles, viz., the separation of sexes, the "family-
house" arrangements, the exclusion of all persons who
were not members of their church, etc. Of late years,
these peculiar characteristics have more and more ceased
to be noticeable, and the influx of strangers has partially
removed the former quaint and foreign appearance of
the town.
40 BETHLEHEM.
Some additional historic interest attaches to this
place, from the fact that Washington, in his retreat
across the Delaware, was compelled to remove his hos-
pital and supplies to Bethlehem, — the Moravians giving
him the use of their buildings, which at one time were
filled by British prisoners. Thus the town came to be
honored by the presence of Washington, Adams, La-
fayette, Pulaski, Gates, Hancock, and Franklin.
Washington, we are told, supplied himself with do-
mestic goods from the Sisters' House, selecting "blue
stripes" for his wife, and stout woolen hose for himself.
It was in the spring of 1778, when detachments of the
American army passed through Bethlehem, and some
of the choir-houses were converted into barracks, hos-
pitals, and places of safe-keeping for English prisoners,
that Count Pulaski was complimented for his gallantry
by the presentation of a banner, embroidered by the
single Sisters, as a token of gratitude for the protection
he had afforded them. The banner was received by
him gratefully, and borne in his regiment through the
campaign, until he fell in the attack upon Savannah, in
the autumn of 1779. It is now carefully preserved in
the hall of the Maryland Historical Society, at Balti-
more. Longfellow has made this incident the subject
of a highly-wrought poem.
The name of the town took its origin at the time of
the first Christmas-eve service, which was held in the
year 1 741, partly in a stable in the rear of the Eagle
Hotel. At first the name was Beth-Lecha, meaning the
house by the river Lecha. Afterwards, on account of
the service, it was changed, it is said at the suggestion
of Count Zinzendorf, to that which now prevails. The
BETHLEHEM.
41
old buildings, for the most part, still remain, and are
objects of curious interest to the many tourists who fre-
quent the town. The principal ones stand upon Churcli
Street. Among them may be mentioned the church, a
large and chaste-looking edifice, kept, as are all their
buildings, in excellent repair; the old chapel, built in
1 75 1, and still used for religious services; the Congre-
gation's House, where was the original chapel and resi-
dence of the clergy ; the Sisters' and Widows' Houses,
wherein infirm and aged women find a comfortable
home, and which still preserve their primitive interior
arrangement, such as broad oaken staircases, flagged
pavements, small windows, and low ceilings. The
graveyard is also kept as heretofore, one of its peculi-
arities consisting in the uniform plain slab covering the
remains of poor and rich alike, bearing only the imipar-
tial records of their life. Nisky Hill, where new and
beautiful cemetery-grounds have been laid out, forms
one of the pleasantest walks that the town affords. The
island in the Lehigh is much resorted to in the proper
season for picnics and excursions.
Besides the 3 Moravian church buildings, there are
churches belonging to the following denominations :
2 Reformed, 2 Episcopal, 3 Methodist, 2 Roman Cath-
olic, and 3 Lutheran. The Hall of the Young Men's
Christian Association and Citizen's Hall are neat and
substantial buildings, much used for concerts and lec-
tures, — the people of Bethlehem being justly celebrated
for their high appreciation of, and skill in, music, and
the fine arts generally.
In addition to the public schools, the Moravians
have an extensive day-school in a commodious building,
4*
42
BETHLEHEM.
intended chiefly for their own children. The board-
ing-school for girls — for scholars of any denomination
— was first opened on the 5th of January, 1749, and has
since grown to such dimensions as to require for its
accommodation a suite of large buildings, to which
additions are constantly made. The average number
of pupils in attendance there is about 200, represent-
ing nearly all the States in the Union. Its graduates
number over 5000, the Moravians having always been
peculiarly successful in educating those intrusted to
their charge.
The largest manufacturing establishment here is that
of the Bethlehem Iron Company, including within its
operations, which began in January, 1863, furnaces,
rolling-mills, machine-shop, and foundry. Its capital
stock is $1,000,000. The measurement of the three
stacks is as follows: No. i, 15 by d-T^ feet; No. 2, 15
by 45 feet; No. 3, 14 by 50 feet. Their combined
capacity is about 30,000 tons per annum, the largest
part of which is used in the adjoining rolling-mill,
whose capacity is 20,000 tons per annum. Its con-
sumption of raw materials is 70,000 tons of Pennsyl-
vania hsematite and New Jersey magnetic ore, and from
70,000 to 75,000 tons of coal. The total number of
men employed at the works proper is about 700. The
new building now erecting for the manufacture of iron
and steel will be, it is said, the largest in this country,
and one of the largest in existence anywhere. It will
be 105 feet wide, spanned by an iron and slate roof
without supporters. It is 30 feet high to the eaves, and
is in the shape of a double cross, of which the long
arm (or main building) is 931 feet, and the short arms
BETHLEHEM.
43
140^ feet each, making the area covered 1493 feet by
105 feet. This is only surpassed by the mill at Creuzot,
in France, which consists of three buildings 60 by
1400 feet each.
The steel-works will start with a capacity of about
600 tons rails per week, planned and arranged for a
threefold increase of the same.
There will be three trains of rolls, say 24, 26, and
30 inch diameters, driven by two condensing-engines
of 48 and 56 inches diameter cylinders, of 46 and 48
inches stroke.
The mill will be remarkable not only for its enormous
size and capacity, but for the many new labor-saving
conveniences introduced.
The iron-work for the building, as well as the ma-
chinery, was all made at the company's shops and
foundry.
The works of the Lehigh Zinc Company are also on
a very large scale, employing as they do 700 men,
including those in the mines, which are located at Frie-
densville, four miles south. The first discovery of zinc
on the property now owned and worked by this com-
pany was made by Prof Roepper in 1845. Now about
20,000 tons of both blende and earthy ore are mined
in a year. The company was organized in 1849, ^^^
has now a capital of $1,000,000. It is engaged in the
manufacture of spelter or metallic zinc, for which it has
twenty-four Belgian furnaces yielding 700 pounds each in
every twenty-four hours. A portion of this is converted
into sheet zinc. The works for the manufacture of
white oxide are 1390 square feet of grate surface, and
yield about 3500 tons per annum. Here was the be-
44 BETHLEHEM.
ginning of the manufacture of these articles in America,
and it is thought that its products are very near in
quality to the best imported. Its annual consumption
of coal is about 30,000 tons. A brief description of
the process of manufacture may be interesting.
The ore after being crushed fine is mixed with fine
coal in the proportion of 50 pounds of coal to 100
pounds of ore, and in this condition is put into open
furnaces, where the zinc is liberated in a gaseous form.
The oxide of zinc, which is used for paint, is formed
by forcing cold air through the mass of coal and ore in
the furnace, which drives the gaseous zinc through
various arrangements until it falls into long muslin bags,
in the shape of a pure white powder. After again pass-
ing through bolting-cloths, it is ready for market. The
metallic zinc is made by excluding the air when it is in
a gaseous state. Such of the spelter as is to be rolled
into sheet zinc is remelted and run into ingots of the
proper size, and, at a moderate heat, passed through
the rolls. The process of rolling into sheets is very
similar to that employed in rolling sheet iron, except
that it takes rather longer and is a more delicate opera-
tion.
One of the great difficulties which the company has
had to encounter in working its mines, is the large
amount of water which must be kept under control.
To obviate it, various expedients have been resorted to,
drains, pumps, engines, etc., until, the resources and
endurance of the company being wellnigh exhausted,
its engineer, Mr. John West, matured a plan of raising
15,000 gallons of water per minute from 300 feet depth,
and late in 187 1 the new engine, pumps, and shaft
BETHLEHEM.
45
needed for this purpose were put into successful opera-
tion. The engine was made by Messrs. Merrick, of
Philadelphia, the pumps, boilers, and mountings by
Messrs. I. P. Morris & Co., of the same city. The
timber for shaft and pump-rods was contracted for in
Georgia.
The engine (which was three years in building) has
a pumping capacity of 15,000 gallons per minute, and
may be run to 17,000 in case of emergency, raising
water from a depth of 300 feet. It weighs 657 tons,
and, including the pumps and boilers, the total weight
of the machinery is 1000 tons. Size of cylinder, iioj^
inches in diameter ; length of stroke, 10 feet ; estimated
at 3000 horse -power. The bob wall of solid masonry,
9 feet thick, was commenced on a plat of solid rock,
114 feet below the surface; the foundation for the
engine is 32 feet deep below the bed-plate. The heavi-
est pieces of iron in the engine are the sections of
beams, and weigh 24 tons. There are two pieces of
wrought-iron weighing 16 tons each. The fly-wheels
weigh 75 tons each; crank-pins i ton each. The piston-
rod is 14 inches in diameter. The crosshead weighs 8
tons. The connecting-rods have 9-inch necks, and are
15 inches in the middle, 41 feet 2^ inches long, and
weigh II tons each. There are two air-pumps, 50
inches in diameter each.
The work of " The President " (so far as known, the
most powerful stationary engine in the world) is at
present to drive two plunger pumps, each 30 inches in
diameter by 10 feet stroke. They will throw 735 gal-
lons per stroke. The engine can work comfortably at
12 strokes per minute, and the power is more than
46 BETHLEHEM.
adequate, and the dimensions of the shaft (30^ by
21^^ feet in the clear) ample for doubling this num-
ber of pumps, and carrying all to a depth of 300 feet,
or 178 feet below the present bottom of the mines,
with power still in reserve for what may be required
btlow.
In addition to its other works, the company has a
cooper-shop run by the water-power of the canal, with
a capacity of 20,000 casks per year.
Besides these establishments, there are brass-works
(manufacturing valves, cocks, whistles, cups, lubrica-
tors, etc.), flour-mills, shovel-factory, barrel-factory,
carriage-factories, etc. There are published here three
weekly and two daily newspapers.
By the Lehigh and Lackawanna Railroad, direct com-
munication has been opened with the extensive slate
quarries at Bath and Chapman's. There are two na-
tional banks, with a combined capital of ^800,000, be-
sides which there are two savings banks with a cornbined
capital of ^36,000. Both boroughs are well supplied
with water and gas, and are growing rapidly in popula-
tion, which now numbers nearly 10,000. Many hand-
some residences have been erected on both sides of the
river, and the continuous importance and prosperity of
the towns as a business and educational centre seem now
to be well assured. It has been for a number of years a
favorite place of resort for travelers, and the points of in-
terest hitherto attracting them are largely on the increase.
South Bethlehem is the seat of the Lehigh University,
which was formally opened on September ist, 1866.
It was founded by the Hon. Asa Packer, of Mauch
Chunk, President of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, who
BETHLEHEM. 47
appropriated to this object the sum of $500,000 and a
very eligible tract of land containing fifty-six acres, in
addition to which he has subsequently made liberal dona-
tions at various times. The system adopted here, while
it does not ignore the classics, proposes to give particu-
lar attention to those branches of a liberal or poly-
technic education which tend to develop the vast re-
sources of the country, such as Engineering, Chemistry,
Metallurgy, Architecture, and Construction. Its situa-
tion among the many industrial works surrounding
Bethlehem is especially adapted for securing to the
student such a practical education. Through the gen-
erosity of the founder, and by a resolution of the
Trustees, passed in July, 1871, tuition was declared to
be hereafter free in all branches and classes. The
personal expenses of the student need not exceed two
hundred and fifty dollars per year.
For the year 1872-3 there were 13 professors and
instructors, and 120 students. While the University is
under the auspices of the Episcopal Church, no undue
influence is brought to bear upon the students contrary
to their own religious predilections or the express
wishes of their parents. Packer Hall, the principal
University building, is of stone, 213 feet long, and is
one of the handsomest and completest college edifices
in the country. It is built on a gentle declivity of the
Lehigh Mountain range, in the midst of a park of
forest-trees, and commands a beautiful and unobstructed
view for twenty miles. Near it are erected the obser-
vatory, houses for the President and professors, and
Christmas Hall, a commodious brick building contain-
ing rooms for boarders, etc.
48 EAST PENN JUNCTION.— ALLENTOWN,
The Episcopalians have also, admirably situated a
short distance from the depot, a promising girls' board-
ing-school, called Bishopthorpe, where a thorough edu-
cation is given.
The offices of the Superintendent and Assistant
General Superintendent of the Company, and of the
President's Assistant, are located in this borough, in
commodious buildings adjoining the depot.
EAST PENN JUNCTION.
The station here is the junction of the East Penn
Railroad, extending to Reading, Harrisburg, Pittsburg,
and thence to the Great West, the shortest and most
favorable route thither from New York.
Near by are the blast-furnaces of the Lehigh Iron
Company, with a capital of ^500,000, and employing
over 250 men at their works, mines, and quarries.
They consume annually about 35,000 tons of coal,
49jOoo tons of ore, and 26,000 tons of limestone.
Their disbursements for labor and materials amount to
about ^720,000 per annum. Their motive power con-
sists of two large condensing steam engines with a
combined capacity of over 1000 horse-power. The
works produce per annum about 22,000 tons of foundry
and forge pig-iron. The office of the company is at
Allentown, and is connected with the furnaces by their
own telegraph wire.
ALLENTOWN.
This city is situated at the junction of the Lehigh
River with the Little Lehigh and Jordan Creek. The
Jordan runs through the northern part of the town.
The eminence upon which the town is built commands
ALLENTO IVN.
49
an unusually beautiful prospect, sloping gradually to
the river on the east, and to the creek on the north. It
derives its name, some say, from James Allen, who
laid it out in 1762. Others say it derives its name from
William Allen, the father of James, who was a particu-
lar friend of the Penn family, from whom he inherited
larg^ tracts of land. He was one of the most distin-
guished citizens of Philadelphia, having been for a
number of years Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of Pennsylvania. The Greenleaf family at one time
owned nearly the whole of the ground now comprised
within the city limits. During the war of the Revolu-
tion, among many valuable articles from Philadelphia
which were concealed here, was the chime belonging to
Christ Church of that city. Originally the town was
known as Northampton, as is stated in the assessment list
from 1762 to 1800, where its present name is first found.
In 1826 it was incorporated with its former name, and it
was not until 1838 that it reassumed the name of Allen-
town. Tt was chartered as a city in 1867. The town
for many years did not progress very rapidly, owing
mainly, perhaps, to the difficulty (because of its eleva-
tion) of procuring the necessary supply of water for
domestic purposes. A great fire in 1848 gave a tem-
porary shock to its prosperity, but was eventually the
means of infusing new life into the town, a much finer
set of buildings taking the place of those destroyed.
The completion of the Lehigh Valley and East Penn
Railroads gave great impetus to its growth.
It now presents a beautiful and substantial appear-
ance. The streets are laid out at right angles, and are
broad and clean, adorned with shade-trees, and well
c 5
so
ALLENTOWN.
lighted with gas. The main street, Hamilton, is built
up for a mile and a half. In the heart of the town is a
large square, which is the centre of a very extensive
business. Within a few years, there have been erected
a number of handsome private residences, many of
which are surrounded with large and beautiful gardens.
A street railway runs from the depot to the principal
parts of the city. The scenery and natural curiosities
of the city and neighborhood are well worth seeing.
The view from the Big or Bauer's Rock, near by
(about looo feet high), is very extensive and pictu-
resque, embracing as it does a rich variety of landscape
and industry in both the Saucon and Lehigh Valleys.
There are several romantic springs in the neighborhood,
much resorted to by strangers. One of these supplies
the city with water, and another — four miles distant —
turns a saw-mill and grist-mill immediately at the place
at which it issues from the ground. It also forms Cedar
Creek, upon which there are a large number of mills,
to accommodate whose business an extension of the
railroad is contemplated. A number of trout are raised
upon this stream. A very substantial and tasteful
iron bridge has lately been erected over the Lehigh,
while the stone one crossing the Jordan Creek and
leading into the main street is perhaps the largest
structure of the kind in Pennsylvania. It consists of
19 arches, is about 1800 feet long, and 50 feet high,
and cost originally $20,000.
AUentown has many advantages as a manufacturing
town. Its situation in the midst of a rich agricultural
district; its nearness to valuable beds of iron ore, zinc,
limestone, cement, etc.; its railroad and canal accom-
ALLENTOWN.
51
modations, and the peculiarly favorable sites for manu-
factories, all point it out as the seat of one of the largest
cities in Pennsylvania. The population is over 15,000.
Its chief industrial establishments are those of the
Allentown RoUing-Mill Company, a stock company
with a capital of $2,000,000 ($1,000,000 paid up) and
employing nearly 1000 men. It has in the various de-
partments of manufacture five trains of three high rolls,
and three of two high rolls. It uses almost exclusively
the pig-iron made in its own furnaces, and has a capa-
city of 20,000 tons per annum. In the year 1871, it
used of pig-iron 17,000 tons, of old rails 5500 tons,
and of coal 27,000 tons. The company is now erect-
ing additional rolling-mills, to manufacture 30,000 tons
rails, 4000 tons bar-iron, 400 tons bolts, nuts, etc. In
the new mill, now nearly completed, steel head-rails
for mines will be made. It also manufactures en-
gines and other machinery. The company has lately
bought out the Roberts Iron Company, having two
stacks, measuring respectively 15 hy 6ij4 feet and 15
by 67 feet, with a capacity of 17,000 tons of pig-
iron per annum. It has also purchased the machine-
shops of Thayer, Erdman, Wilson & Co., and the
Lehigh Rolling Mill.
The Allentown Iron Works, — a stock company.
Capital, $800,000. This company has five furnaces,
with size and capacity as follows :
No. I, 16 feet boshes,
60 feet high,
200 tons
per week.
" 2, 16 "
II
60 " "
200 "
II II
" 3.16 "
"
60 " "
200 "
"
" 4.14 "
11
60 " "
200 "
"
" 5.17 "
"
60 " "
250 "
" "
52 ALLENTOWN.
The company employs 600 men. It obtains its ore
from Berks and Lehigh Counties, and from New Jersey.
Fire-Brick Works. Employ about 50 men, and pro-
duce about 1,800,000 bricks per annum, used chiefly by
the works in the neighborhood. The clay comes from
South Amboy, New Jersey.
Cole, Heilman & Brown's Boiler Shops. Employ 60
men in making stacks, boilers, tanks, etc.
There are also several other rolling-mills (the Glen,
Hope, Jordan, etc.), foundries, and machine-shops^
steam-forge, spike-works, brass-works, woolen-mills,
planing-mills, carriage- and wagon-factories, mowing-
machine-works, sash-factories, and other branches of
manufactures. In addition to which, there is a very
large wholesale and retail business done at the various
stores.
There are three national banks, with an aggregate
capital of $1,050,000, beside several savings-banks
(with an authorized capital of $710,000) and private
banking-houses.
The new county jail is one of the handsomest and
most complete structures of the kind in the State. It
is built mostly of Potsdam sandstone, and cost nearly
$250,000. The court-house, erected several years ago
at a cost of $60,000, is also in good keeping with the
other public buildings. The Academy of Natural
Sciences has lately been formed, and possesses a con-
siderable library and cabinet.
Allen town has long been justly celebrated for the
interest taken in educational matters by its citizens.
This has been manifested in the establishment of
numerous public schools of the highest order, which
ALLENTOWN. 53
have been supported in the most liberal manner.
Recently there have been erected two beautiful school-
houses, constructed of sandstone, and arranged and
furnished after the most approved models, one costing
$70,000 and the other $60,000. A third new one, of
brick, and complete in all its parts and appointments,
lately built, cost $52,000. In the city, which is a sep-
arate school district, there are 56 teachers and 3150
scholars.
Among the private educational establishments, the
foremost is Muhlenburg College, first founded in 1848,
but re-established under new and favorable auspices in
1867. Two-thirds of the trustees are elected by the
stockholders, and one-third by the Evangelic Lutheran
Synod. The buildings of the institution (in which the
accommodations are of the most approved character)
are eligibly situated in the southeastern part of the
city, surrounded by about five acres of ground, devoted
to its exclusive use. They present a front of 120 feet,
with a centre building of 50 feet, and two wings each
of 35 feet. In front there is a fine lawn adorned with
shade-trees, and in the rear a large campus supplied
witli a gymnasium. Pupils are admitted as they are
found qualified into their proper departments of study,
which embrace all those branches which are deemed
essential to a thorough education. During the year
ending June, 1873, there were in attendance 135 stu-
dents, and the Faculty and instructors numbered 9.
The Allentown Female College occupies a beautiful
and healthful site in the northeastern portion of the
city, with ample buildings well ordered in all their
apartments. The course of instruction is divided into
5*
^4 ALLENTOWiX
Primary, Academic, and Collegiate, and is meant to
include all the principal branches of a liberal educa-
tion. During the past year, there were 82 scholars in
attendance, and a board of 9 instructors.
There are 3 Lutheran, 3 German Evangelical, 2 Epis-
copal, 2 Reformed, and 2 Roman Catholic churches,
and I belonging to each of the following denomina-
tions : 2 Baptist, 2 Methodist, Presbyterian, and 2
United Brethren.
The Fair Grounds contain twelve acres. The Floral
Hall is built in four wings from a centre ; each wing is
one hundred feet long and two stories high. The
lower part is for vegetable and floral display ; the upper
part is for domestic manufactures. The race-track is
one-third of a mile around. There are stalls for one
hundred head of horses and cattle. Average number
of exhibitors, 1000; average entries, 4000; average
annual attendance, 40,000; average receipts, $7000;
average premium list, $3500. Water-pipes are laid
through the grounds and buildings. The number of
life-members is about 800. The fairs held here, which
were the first established in the Lehigh Valley, dating
back to 1852, are, as may be judged from these statistics,
among the most successful in any part of the country.
The Opera House is a very fine building, 60 feet
wide and 120 feet deep, three stories high; besides
which there are other public buildings, Odd-Fellows'
and Masonic halls, etc.
There are nine or ten papers published here, in both
the German and English languages (among them two
dailies and several religious magazines), with a large
and increasing circulation.
CATASAUQUA. 55
CATASAUQUA.
This town takes its name from the creek which here
empties into the river, and whose signification is
parched land. In 1839 there were but two houses,
one at each extreme end of the town plot. During
that year, a company of gentlemen, mostly of Phila-
delphia, proposed the erection here (because of the
proximity of the iron and limestone beds) of an iron
furnace for the purpose of making iron with anthracite
coal, which had been successfully accomplished in
Wales a few years before by Mr. George Crane. The
services of Mr. David Thomas, who was engaged there
with Mr. Crane, were secured, and in 1840 the first
furnace was completed under his direction and super-
intendence. Since then, the town has steadily pro-
gressed, until now it bids fair to become one of the
most important in the Valley. It is located in the
midst of a rich iron-ore and limestone region, and
possesses unusual railroad and canal facilities, thus
marking it out as a peculiarly favorable opening for
manufacturing establishments. It was incorporated as
a borough in 1853, and contains a population of 6000.
The town is well supplied with gas and water, and few
places can boast of so perfect a drainage. It has twelve
public schools, contained in four buildings, and com-
prising about 700 pupils. Its high-school will com-
pare favorably with any in the State. It has a fine
town-hall, erected at a cost of ^15,000. On the
western bank of the river, opposite the borough, there
56
CATASAUQUA.
is a beautiful cemetery, called " Fair- View," command-
ing a magnificent view of the town and surrounding
country. In it there has been erected a very handsome
marble monument to the memory of the soldiers who
fell in the late civil war, costing $6000.
In enumerating the industrial works coming properly
under the head of Catasauqua, we include not only
those actually located in the borough, but all, whether
on one side of the river or the other, stretching from
Allentown Furnace to this station.
The Crane Iron Company is a stock company, with a
capital of $1,200,000, and has six furnaces. The size
and capacity of each are as follows :
No. I, II feet boshes,
47 feet
high,
140 tons
per week
" 2, 13 "
47 "
"
150 "
" 3. IS "
47 "
' '
175 "
" 4, 18 "
55 "
"
250 "
" 5. 18 " "
55 "
"
250 "
•' 6, i6i "
60 •'
"
230 "
The haematite ore is obtained from Northampton,
Lehigh, and Berks Counties, the magnetic from Lehigh
Mountain, Pa., and Sussex and Morris Counties, New
Jersey, and the limestone from the neighborhood. For
the year 1872 this establishment consumed 108,274
tons of coal, 138,392 tons of iron ore, and 82,401
tons of limestone. Iron made during the year 54,037
tons. In connection with and for the use of the fur-
naces, there are car-shops, foundry and machine-shops,
employing a large number of hands. Exclusive of
miners, this company gives employment to about 1000
men.
CATASAUQUA. 57
The Catasauqua Manufacturing Company has a capi-
tal of $300,000. Its rolling-mill is engaged in manu-
facturing bar-iron, sheet-iron, and railroad-axles. It
has a capacity of 13,000 tons per annum, and employs
350 men, using exclusively the pig-iron made in the
Lehigh Valley. This company fes recently bought out
the Lehigh Manufacturing Company. In this branch
of their works they employ 150 men, and make mer-
chant bar-iron of various sizes. The ore for fettling
the puddling furnaces is obtained from Port Henry,
Lake Champlain, N.Y.
The amount of wages paid by the various manu-
facturing establishments in the borough averages
$32,000 per month.
In the Catasauqua Car Works (Frederick & Co.) are
made all kinds of cars, except passenger cars (coal,
ore, freight, flats, etc.). They employ 130 men, and
construct the whole of the car, except wheels and
axles, having a foundry of their own, where castings
of different descriptions are made. For the body of
the cars, white oak exclusively is used, the lining being
of white and yellow pine. In the foundry, nineteen
tons of pig-iron are used per week, and twelve tons of
forged iron. The capacity of the establishment is one
hundred and fifty coal cars per month.
The Lehigh Car-Wheel and Axle Works employ
85 men, and consume from twenty to twenty-five tons
of charcoal pig-iron a day. The capacity is 25,000
car-wheels per annum. Their iron comes mostly from
Salisbury, Connecticut.
The Lehigh Fire-Brick Factory, owned by David
Thomas (burnt in 1872, rebuilt same year), employs 40
58 CATASAUQUA.
men and boys, and has a capacity of 2,000,000 bricks
per annum, which are used in the Valley. The clay
comes from New Jersey, and the sand from the neigh-
borhood.
In addition, there are other smaller foundries and
machine-shops, in which all manner of castings, steam-
engines, etc. are made; also, a shovel-factory, where
thirty-five different shovels, spades, and hoes are made ;
a factory of circular, cross-cut, and other kinds of
saws; a saw- mill, with which is connected a planing-
mill, sash and door factory, etc. Very large limestone
quarries abound in this neighborhood, and are being
extensively worked.
Of churches, there are 2 Presbyterian, 2 Roman
Catholic (English and German), i Lutheran, i Method-
ist, I Evangelical, i Reformed. The Episcopalians,
Free Methodist, and Welsh Baptists each have a mission
here. There are two weekly papers published in the
town. There is a national bank, with a capital of
^500,000.
The Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad connects at
Catasauqua with the Lehigh Valley Railroad. This
road was built in 1856, and opened in 1857; it is
twenty miles long, and has several branches. It cost
$500,000, and was built by the Lehigh Crane Iron
Company and the Thomas Iron Company, for the pur-
pose of reaching the great iron-ore beds owned by
these companies, the ore being now brought from the
mines direct to the mouth of the furnaces. About four
miles from Catasauqua, this road crosses the Jordan
Creek on a splendid iron bridge, said to be one of
the largest and handsomest in the country. It is iioo
HO K END A UQUA. 59
feet in length, with 11 arches. Each truss is 16 feet
nigh. The cost of the bridge was about $78,000.
Near the junction of the Catasauqua Creek and the
Lehigh River, just above Catasauqua, stands an old and
crumbling stone house, which is rendered of interesting
importance by having once been the residence of
George Taylor, one of the signers of the Declaration
of Independence. The walls of the building are nearly
two hundred years old, and when laid were very thick
and strong. The house was frequently used as a place
of refuge and defense against attacks of Indians.
HOKENDAUQUA.
This town is named from a small creek which empties
into the Lehigh about half a mile north of it. It is an
Indian name, and signifies searching for lajid, and was
probably used by the aborigines in speaking to the
surveyors or first settlers. It was laid out in 1855,
and contains a population of 1200. The Thomas
Iron Works are located here, consisting now of four fur-
naces, which are said to be the largest and to have the
most powerful blast machinery in the United States,
in which also their product of pig-iron is unexcelled.
Two more furnaces are now building, and will soon be
completed and in full operation. They are considered
to be model furnaces, having all the valuable and recent
improvements added to them. Their dimensions and
capacity are as follows :
No. I, 18 feet boshes, 60 feet high, 265 tons per week.
" 2, 18 " " 60 " " 265 '
" 3. 18 " " 55 " " 250 '
" 4. 18 " " 55 " " 250
Co CO PL A V.
There are five blast-engines, three of looo horse-power
each, and two of 700 horse-power each. They are un-
usually beautiful specimens of workmanship. The fly-
wheels are twenty-seven feet in diameter. They are also
used for supplying the works and the town with water.
The amount of coal consumed in the works is some-
thing over 100,000 tons per annum. The capital of
the company is $1,750,000. In connection with the
furnaces, there are here machine-shops, repair-shops,
and car-shops. Altoge-ther, 400 men are employed.
The only church building here is one belonging to the
Presbyterians. There are two furnaces at Alburtis,
twenty-five miles west, on the Catasauqua and Fogels-
ville Railroad, which are owned and operated by the
same company.
COPLAY.
This town (formerly Schreiber's) is named from a
creek emptying into the Lehigh near Catasauqua, mean-
ing, in the original Indian spelling (Copeechan), aji/ie
7'unning streain. It has been settled within a few years,
and is the site of the Lehigh Valley Iron Works, which
consist of three stacks of the following dimensions :
No. I,
14 by 45 feet,
" 2,
16 by 53 "
" 3.
16 by 55 "
Their aggregate capacity is about 300 tons per week,
and the number of men directly employed in them is
100. The extensive and valuable limestone quarries
immediately adjoining seem almost inexhaustible. The
capital of the company is $600,000.
WHITE HALL. 6 1
The Coplay Cement Company, organized and char-
tered in 1866, capital $100,000. The mill is driven with
steam-power, and contains one cracker and three sets
of four-feet Esopus stone. There are in use four per-
petual or draw kilns, thirty feet high and nine feet in
diameter. The capacity of the works is 60,000 barrels
per annum. In connection with the mill is an exten-
sive cooper-shop. The number of men employed alto-
gether is 50. The quarries are near the kilns, and
contain a solid body of cement-stone, the thickness
of whose stratum is as yet unknown. Its quality is
thought by many to be superior to any in the market,
recommendations to this effect having been frequently
given.
WHITE HALL.
An outlet for business transacted by the railroad
with the surrounding country. The name of White
Hall Township was derived from the white-painted
country-house of Lynford Lardner, Esq., of Philadel-
phia, which was a favorite resort of himself and friends,
especially in the season when grouse abounded. The
township, in 1763, was the scene of murderous attacks
by the savage Indians. In this same township is the
famous Egypt Church, the records of which date back
as far as 1733. The first church was erected in 1742,
being a small log building, with loose planks laid on
logs for seats. The second church was built in 1785,
and the third in 1851.
62 / LAUR Y.—R O CKDA L E.
LAURY.
There are extensive slate quarries near by, and an
old-established grist-mill. Large quantities of iron
ore are also mined in the neighborhood for the furnaces
along the river. The soil in this vicinity is very fertile,
and the country unusually picturesque.
ROCKDALE.
This village is beautifully situated at the head of a
pool of water, caused by the canal dam erected about
a mile below, from which large quantities of excellent
ice are annually shipped to Philadelphia. At this place
great difficulty was experienced in the original con-
struction of the road, owing to the barrier of slate-
rock which abounded in such profusion. So steep
and rugged were the hills that the engineers could not
locate the road until the workmen had first gone
through and cut paths with their picks and shovels.
Even then they were obliged to be let down at points
by means of ropes, at imminent risk to their lives.
Parts of the cuts were at the height of no feet above
the road-bed, and the cost of making the road in this
section exceeded the rate of $100,000 per mile.
SLATINGTON.
SLATINGTON.
63
This borough was laid out by the Lehigh Slate Com-
pany in 185 1, although some quarrying had been done
previous to this date. It has grown very rapidly in
interest and importance, and is now the centre of a
very extensive business in its specialty. The borough
is divided by Trout Creek, which supplies fine water-
power to the various establishments located on its
banks. The population of the two settlements is about
2500, exclusive of Williamstown, distant about half of
a mile. There is a Presbyterian church, and one used
in common by the German Reformed and Lutheran
congregations, also a Methodist Episcopal, and a Welsh
Calvinistic Methodist. The Independent (Welsh)
Evangelical congregation worship in the town-hall,
and occasional services are held by the Episcopalians.
One weekly paper is published, and there is a Dime
Savings Fund for deposit and discount.
The Lehigh Slate Company have extensive quarries,
employing about 100 men, and having a capital of
^100,000. They furnish school and mantel slate,
having large factories in connection with their quar-
ries.
The Franklin Quarries are about one mile from the
borough, and employ about 80 men in getting out roof-
ing slate.
The Girard Company manufacture roofing slate, and
employ 80 men.
The Blue Mountain Slate Quarry is at Williamstown,
and employs 60 men.
64 SLA TING TON.
David Williams's Factory employs 50 men in the
manufacture of school and roofing slates.
Besides these, there are the River-side Slate Co., the
Blue Vein Company, the Star Slate Company, and
other smaller establishments; having altogether, it is
calculated, an aggregate capital of $500,000, and em-
ploying in all about 600 men.
It is the most extensive slate region in the country,
and, it is thought, furnishes the finest quality of any,
being of pure clay. The Capitol at Washington has
been roofed with slates from these quarries, made ex-
pressly half an inch in thickness, and a number of ship-
ments have been made to the regions of the Rocky
Mountains.
During the year 1872, there were shipped by the
different operators —
Of roofing slate 61,248 squares.
" school slate ..... 11,047 cases.
" mantels and blackboards . . 3,747 "
In addition to which, there were sold at the quarries,
and not shipped by railroad, 5754 squares, and of
flagging 20,000 feet.
Some of the quarries may be seen on the left of the
track, as we go north from the station.
From Slatington, a branch of the Lehigh Valley
Railroad runs three and a half miles to Slatedale, where
there are very extensive quarries and factories, employ-
ing 100 men, with a capital of $200,000.
In addition to the slate-factories at Slatington there
is a foundry and machine-shop, where are made steam-
THE LEHIGH GAP.
■It-fX"
Page 65 .
LEHIGH GAP. 65
engines, pumps, slate-sawing-machines, etc. ; there are
also a planing- and saw-mill, flour-mill, etc.
It is in contemplation to build a railroad to intersect
the branch at Slatedale and run to Hamburg, Berks
County, passing through an unusually rich farming
country. Surveys have also been made and work com-
menced for an extension to this point of the Wilming-
ton and Reading Railroad, which will form a direct
southern outlet for coal, slate, and other products.
LEHIGH GAP.
Here the river Lehigh forces its way through the
Kittatinny or Blue Mountains, which form the dividing
line between Carbon County and Northampton and
Lehigh Counties. The scenery at this point, but more
especially as it is neared on either side, is sublime. It
will well repay the traveler to stop off for a day and
obtain the many picturesque views with which the
neighborhood abounds. The craggy cliffs tower to a
great height, and after scaling the mountains the tourist
is amply compensated by the diversified and extensive
prospect which the eye then commands, combining
woodlands, and valleys, and mountains, and fields, in
rare variety and beauty. On the western side is a lofty
ridge, near the summit of which appears, emerging from
the surrounding woods, a lonely pile of rocks, called
''The Devil's Pulpit," upon which grow a few blasted
pines. The shattered rocks thrown together in wild
confusion, and the strata of rounded stones found here-
abouts, have led some persons to suppose that the Lehigh,
6*
66 KITTA TINNY.— PARR YVILLE.
obstructed by the mountains, was formerly dammed up
into a lake, which at length burst through what is now
known as the Gap.
A factory is located here for the manufacture of
mineral paint, the ore for which is found in the imme-
diate neighborhood and is considered to be of excellent
quality. The capacity of the works is about 500 tons
per month.
KITTATINNY.
A brick-yard is situated here, having a capacity of
3,000,000 bricks per year.
PARRYVILLE.
This busy village is situated on the eastern bank of
the Lehigh River, near its junction with the Poho Poco
Creek, and is five miles south of Mauch Chunk, where
much of the capital by which its business is conducted
belongs. It was settled about the year 1786, and con-
tains now 800 inhabitants. It contains 2 churches,
Methodist Episcopal, and Evangelical.
The works of the Carbon Iron Company give to the
place its business. The amount of its capital stock is
$600,000, and there are three furnaces, employing 150
men. Their dimensions are as follows :
No. I, 12 feet bosh, 52 feet high.
" 2, 15 " " 52 "
" 3, 18 " " 65 "
Their estimated capacity is 600 tons per week. The
LEHIGHTON AND WEISSPORT. 67
haematite ore used in the furnaces is mined partly in
the neighborhood and partly in Lehigh and Berks
Counties. The magnetic ore is brought from near
Dover, New Jersey, and the limestone from Northamp-
ton County.
A short distance below the village, on the west bank
of the river, is a tract of fifteen or twenty acres, con-
taining rocks of regular proportions and of blackest
hue, for some time known as "The Devil's Garden,"
about which there are told some queer and quaint
stories.
LEHIGHTON AND WEISSPORT.
These two boroughs are situated, the first on the
western and the second on the eastern bank of the
river, and are connected by a substantial wooden
bridge, just above the junction of the Mahoning Creek
with the Lehigh.
Lehighton was laid out some sixty years ago, by
Col. Jacob Weiss and William Henry, the elevated
piece of land upon which it is located giving an un-
usually favorable locality for a settlement. It contains
about 1500 inhabitants, and, besides the usual number
of hotels, stores, school-houses, etc., has two extensive
tanneries, grist-mills, wagon- and carriage-, and furni-
ture-factories, etc. The chief industrial establishment
is the Stove Works, situated a short distance above the
depot, employing on an average about 40 men.
Although but recently put into operation, they have
already built up a large and growing business. They
68 LEHIGHTON AND WEISS PORT.
make cooking-stoves chiefly, although other descrip-
tions have also been successfully manufactured, all
of them from their own designs and patterns, for some
of which a good reputation seems acquired. In addi-
tion to their regular business, this company are also
turning out considerable castings for sewing-machines,
and a large amount of car-boxes.
The town contains a Methodist Episcopal church.
Services are also held by the Presbyterians, Lutherans,
and the Reformed Church.
Near the town is situated a mineral spring, the waters
of which have proved very beneficial in several cases
of disease and debility. It was discovered more than
a century ago, and known then as " The Spring of the
Healing Waters." As early as 1748 a petition was pre-
sented to the justices of Bucks County (of which this
region was then a part) asking that a good wagon-road
might be constructed from the King's road, near Beth-
lehem, to the Mahoning Creek, that persons might
have easy access to this spring.
The grounds of the Carbon County Agricultural
Society are located a short distance beyond, and are
well supplied with the usual arrangements and accom-
modations for the annual fairs, the first of which was
held in the fall of 1858. We would recommend to the
traveler a drive through the Mahoning Valley near by,
extending for fourteen miles, to Tamaqua. The scenery
on either side of the mountains is of the most pictu-
resque description, and sufficiently diversified to main-
tain one's interest throughout.
The history of this section of the county is pecu-
liarly interesting. Here was situated the tract of land
known among the fugitives from Wyoming as ''The
LEHIGHTON AND WEISSPORT. 69
Great Swamp," or '' Shades of Death," afterwards
called Towamensing, which is an Indian word, signi-
fying wilderness ; the only inhabitant of which at
one time was a celebrated recluse, generally entitled
'' The Hermit of the Shades of Death," or '' The Blue
Mountain Hermit," the hero of at least one entertain-
ing story.
The first settlement in the county was made by the
Moravian missionaries, in the year 1746, at Gnaden-
hiitten, near Lehighton, which became a most encour-
aging field, the Indian congregation alone numbering
five hundred persons, the ministers being obliged to
preach out-of-doors. The Rev. David Brainerd and
the Rev. David Zeisberger were among those who
labored here. Finally the settlement was removed to
the north side of the river, and called New Gnaden-
hlitten, the site of the present Weissport.
After Braddock's defeat, in 1755, the whole frontier
was open to the inroads of the savage foe, and all the
inhabitants lived in a state of constant terror. On the
night of November 24th, 1755, the mission-house at
Mahoning was attacked and burnt by a party of French
Indians, and eleven of the settlers cruelly murdered.
After the enemy had retired, the remains of the mar-
tyrs were gathered and interred. A plain slab in the
old graveyard (within a short distance of the depot at
Lehighton) marks the place, and bears a suitable in-
scription. A few years ago a small white marble monu-
ment was also erected to their memory by a citizen of
Bethlehem.
As late as 1780, the Gilbert family, living in this
neighborhood, were carried off into a bitterly painful
yo LEHIGHTON AND WEISSPORT.
captivity by a party of Indians, who took them to
Canada and there separated them. At the time of its
occurrence, this event caused intense excitement
throughout the State, and several full and interesting
accounts of it were written and published.
The Fort Allen Hotel in Weissport occupies the spot
upon which the log fort was built by Benjamin Frank-
lin, who was charged by the governor with the defense
of the northwestern frontier. The well constructed by
this famous printer, statesman, and warrior is still in
a good state of preservation.
An extract from one of his letters to the governor
reveals a curious state of morals then existing :
*'We had for our chaplain a zealous Presbyterian
minister, Mr. Beatty, who complained to me that the
men did not generally attend his prayers and exhorta-
tions. When they enlisted, they were promised, be-
sides their pay and provisions, a gill of rum a day,
which was punctually served out to them, half in the
morning and half in the evening. I said to Mr. Beatty,
' It is, perhaps, below the dignity of your profession to
act as steward of the rum ; but if you were to distribute
only just after prayers, you would have them all about
you.' He liked the thought, undertook the task, with
the help of a few hands, to deal out the liquor, exe-
cuted it to satisfaction, and never were prayers more
generally or punctually attended. So I think this
method preferable to the punishment inflicted by some
military laws for non-attendance on divine service."
At Weissport, a rolling-mill is now again in active
PACKERTON. 71
operation, containing two heating furnaces and three
double puddling furnaces, witli a full complement of
rolls and other machinery necessary to turn out thirty-
live tons per day of merchant bar-iron, scrolls, band-
iron, etc. The number of men employed is about 100.
It is intended shortly to increase the capacity of the
works, and to add punching- and spike-machines.
PACKERTON.
This busy town (formerly called Burlington) is named
in honor of Judge Packer, the President of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad. It is the forwarding office of the
immense coal trade of the road, the numerous tracks
laid here being used for making up the trains for their
several destinations. The coal is also weighed here,
for which purpose there are being constructed new and
improved scales, 122^ feet in length, with a capacity of
weighing 102 tons 16 cwt. in a single draught. Seven cars
are usually weighed at a time, and while in rapid motion.
Here are located the most extensive shops of the
Company (completed in 1863), whose chief work is
that of building and repairing coal and freight cars.
They are well supplied with the most improved modern
machinery (to which additions are being made con-
stantly), and are held in high repute. In their several
departments there are employed about 560 men, re-
quiring, on an average, $23,800 per month to pay their
wages.
The dimensions of the principal buildings are as
follows :
72
MAUCH CHUNK.
The main shop (a handsome structure of sandstone) i68 by 254 feet.
The machine-shop . . . . . . . 85 by 41 "
The smith-shop ....... 278 by 41 "
The iron-house . . . . . . . 43 by 25 "
The oii-house . . . . . . . . 29 by 50 "
The paint-house . . . . . . . 20 by 24 "
The store-room . . . . . . . 16 by 20 "
During the year 1872, there were used of materials —
Cast-iron
Wrought-iron
Cast-brass .
Lumber
Coal .
2,953,600 pounds.
2,817,000 "
112,104 "
2,928,500 feet.
1,560 tons.
Near by is the extensive park (of which seventy-five
acres are inclosed) belonging to the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company. Through its entire length there
runs a beautiful stream, in which, as in several ponds at
the eastern end, there are large quantities of brook-
trout. It is also stocked with deer, elk, antelopes, etc.
At a distance of a mile and a half are situated the
famous fish-ponds belonging to Lafayette Lentz, Esq.,
of Mauch Chunk, who is here largely engaged in the
breeding of brook-trout, of which he has at times
over 200,000. The arrangements for their propagation
and cultivation are very complete, and the establish-
ment has become an object of much interest to the
many travelers in this neighborhood.
MAUCH CHUNK.
Mauch Chunk (Indian for Bear Mountain, and pro-
nounced generally as though it were spelled Mauk or
MAUCH CHUNK AND iMOUNI PISGAH.
Page 72.
MAUCn CHUNK. y^
Mawk Chunk), the seat of justice of Carbon County,
was first settled about the year 1815. It was then a
perfect wilderness, covered with forest-trees and under-
growth, and so completely hemmed in by high and
steep mountains that it was as unlikely a spot as could
be selected for a town, while any outlet by means of a
wagon-road seemed wellnigh impossible.
As this wonderful town has been for so many years
the centre of coal operations for the Lehigh region, it
may not be inappropriate to condense a few of the
leading facts concerning the first mining of coal in
this valley. It was originally discovered by accident
on the summit of Sharp Mountain (now the site of the
town of Summit Hill), nine miles northwest of Mauch
Chunk, in 1 791, by a hunter named Philip Ginter, and
is referred to in a communication to the State His-
torical Society, written by Dr. J. C. James, who
traveled in this region in 1804. Having made known
his discovery to Col. Jacob Weiss, residing at what is
now known as Weissport, the latter took a specimen
of it to Philadelphia and submitted it to the inspection
of Messrs. John Nicholson, Michael Hillegas, and
Charles Cist, who were so well satisfied as to its merits
that, in 1792, they, with some others, formed them-
selves into what was called the Lehigh Coal Mine
Company. Without charter or incorporation, they
took up 8000 or 10,000 acres of unlocated land, in-
cluding the Sharp Mountain. The company proceeded
to open the mines, and made an appropriation of ten
pounds ($26.67) to construct a road to the landing, a
distance of nine miles. The mines were not worked
to any extent, owing to the poor encouragement they
D 7
74
MAUCH CHUNK.
received, until after the commencement of the war of
i8t2. They afterwards gave leases of their mines to
different individuals in succession, the last of which
was owned by Messrs. Cist, Miner, and Robinson,
who started several arks of coal to Philadelphia, only
three of which reached the city. They abandoned
the business, disheartened by the public incredulity,
in 1 815.
The same discouraging results followed the attempted
introduction of this fuel by the enterprising citizens of
Luzerne County, where it is claimed to have been dis-
covered by the Indians, and to have been known by
the whites as early as 1768. People would neither
purchase it (or, when they did, would afterwards com-
plain of being imposed upon) nor take it as a gift.
At the solicitation of Col. Weiss, an attempt was made,
by permission of the Philadelphia city authorities, to
burn it under the boilers at the Water- Works ; but it
was declared that it only served to put the fire out, and
the remainder was therefore broken up and scattered
on the sidewalks in place of gravel.
In the light of its present universal use, it is most
amusing to recall the persistent discredit with which
the public looked upon it in the beginning. Hand-
bills were printed in English and German, stating the
method of burning it, and including certificates from
blacksmiths and others who had successfully used it.
Sometimes journeymen were bribed to try the experi-
ment fairly, so averse were they to any innovation of
this kind. Luckily, charcoal became scarce and costly,
and thus at length some were the more easily induced
to test the new commodity ; but it was many years
MAUCH CHUNK.
75
before capitalists were led to put much faith in it as a
profitable investment.
The expenses of hauling from the mines and of trans-
portation to the city were very great, so that in the
early experiments coal cost the shippers about fourteen
dollars a ton when ready for sale in Philadelphia.
In July, 1818, the Lehigh Navigation Company,
and in October of the same year the Lehigh Coal
Company, were formed, which together were the
foundation of the present Lehigh Coal and Naviga-
tion Company. The improvement of the Lehigh was
commenced in August, 181 8, and, under the skillful
and energetic management of Messrs. Josiah White,
Erskine Hazard, and George F. A. Hauto, the almost
insuperable obstacles in the way of the river's naviga-
tion and the transportation of coal were at length
overcome, and the success of the settlement assured.
The celebrity of the Lehigh coal is very extensive, from
the fact that it is the hardest known anthracite in the
world. The bed upon the top of Mauch Chunk Moun-
tain is fifty-three feet in thickness, exceeding in this
respect any layer or vein as yet discovered. In 1820,
385 tons completely stocked the market. Now, the
shipments of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Com-
pany alone reach sometimes as much as 18,000 tons
per week.
With such constantly augmenting wealth, seeking
shipment and general management at this point,
Mauch Chunk, despite the natural difficulties in the
way, has continued to grow and improve with remark-
able rapidity. The town itself is built at the conflu-
ence of a creek with the same name and the Lehigh,
76 MAUCri CHUNK.
and can now only enlarge itself by excavating sites
from the precipitous rocks with which the narrow
gorge abounds. About 200 feet above there is a level
of several hundred acres, whereon stands a portion of
the town called Upper Mauch Chunk. Back of this
rises the majestic Mount Pisgah. This is the starting-
point of the famous Switch-Back or Gravity Railway,
which has been traveled with such rare gratification
by tens of thousands. Until 1827 the coal was brought
from the mines to the river in wagons. Mr. Josiah
White (to whom this region must ever remain largely
indebted for its development and prosperity) suggested
and built this railroad. By means of stationary en-
gines at the different planes, the empty cars are hauled
up and returned to the mines, and the loaded ones
brought as far as Summit Hill, whence they proceed by
gravity to the shutes at Mauch Chunk. The grade
varies from 50 to 90- feet per mile, except in the de-
scent from Summit Hill to Panther Creek Valley, where
it is 220 feet. The same unusual style of locomotion
is also adopted for passenger cars, and affords a remark-
able degree of amusement and enjoyment to the many
visitors daily carried over this route. Recently a tunnel
has been driven for about a mile through the Nesque-
honing Mountain from the Panther Creek Valley; and
it is the purpose of the company to ship its coal here-
after to Mauch Chunk by this route, retaining the
Switch-Back road for passenger travel exclusively.
From the foot of Mount Pisgah a double track has
been constructed with unusual care and strength to its
summit, a distance of 2322 feet, with an elevation of
about 900 feet above the river, at an angle of twenty
MAUCH CHUNK. 77
degrees. The scene from the top of the plane is really
sublime. The view of Mauch Chunk, Upper Mauch
Chunk, East Mauch Chunk, nestling beneath the
shadows of the mountains, with the Lehigh River
winding its way at its base, and alive on either side
with the steam-cars and canal-boats ; the succession of
mountain ridges, rising range after range; the distant
view of the Lehigh Water Gap, with occasional glimpses
of intervening fields and hamlets, and the much more
distant view of Schooley's Mountains (sixty-four miles
by rail) ; this and much more that cannot be described
combine to make this panorama one of almost match-
less beauty and grandeur ; while the whole trip, with
its novel and rapid method of transportation, the evi-
dences of skillful engineering and mechanism, and the
constant succession of charming landscapes, is fasci-
nating and interesting in the extreme. It is thoroughly
tmique, and no one who has the opportunity of taking
it should allow it to go by unimproved.
The railroad was finally put into operation in the
year 1827 (May). At that time the only other rail-
roads were those built from Baltimore to Ellicott's
Mills, for which ground was broken July 4th, 1826,
and at Quincy (Mass.), the latter being about three
miles in length, and made in the fall of the same year.
There had previously been a short wooden railroad (not
plated with iron) at Leiper's stone quarry, about three-
quarters of a mile in length; but this was worn out and
not in use. Seven miles of this road to Summit Hill
were laid out in the fall of i8i8and finished in 1819;
and it is believed to have been the first road ever laid
out by an instrument on the principle of dividing the
7*
78 MAUCH CHUNK.
whole descent into the whole distance, as regularly as
the ground would permit, and to have no undulation.
On the east side of the river lies East Mauch Chunk,
which, from the superior facilities for building, is grow-
ing more rapidly than either of the other two settle-
ments. While it is a separate borough from Mauch
Chunk proper and Upper Mauch Chunk, we have, for
the sake of convenience, grouped the three under one
head.
The town is very much resorted to during the sum-
mer and autumn months by lovers of pleasure and
comfort. In every direction the scenery is most pic-
turesque and entertaining, giving deservedly to the
place the name of ''The Switzerland of America."
It is well supplied with gas, while few places enjoy so
great and constant a supply of pure spring-water. It
has two extensive iron-foundries and machine-shops
for the manufacture of stationary engines, pumps,
boilers, furnace, rolling-mill, mining machinery, etc.
They employ about 150 men. There are also a steam
flour- and grist-mill, car-repair-shops, several boat-
yards, shoe-factories, sash- and blind-factory, etc.
There is also a mill for the making of wire-rope, using
annually about 500 tons of iron. The machinery
for this branch of manufactures was first invented in
Mauch Chunk. But for the limited room, many other
establishments would long since have been founded.
The shipping of the coal from the mines at Summit
Hill, and the maintenance of the general offices of the
two railroad companies, and of several collieries and
other concerns, make it, notwithstanding, a place of
great business and industry. There are two national
MAUCH CHUNK. 79
banks, with an aggregate capital of $550,000, and one
savings-bank. The population is about 6500.
A large addition has recently been made to the
Mansion House, and it is now one of the most extensive
and complete hotels in the state. It has rooms for 450
guests, and adining-hall which will seat nearly 500 per-
sons. It is fitted up with all the modern conveniences
and comforts, and has already become a favorite re-
sort for tourists and travellers. Its capacity is likely to
be fully tested during the present year. Besides this
house, there are several other large and well-kept
hotels in the town.
There are three weekly newspapers published here,
and churches belonging to the Episcopalians (a very
beautiful stone building, recently erected at a cost of
$70,000 upon a prominent and commanding site), Pres-
byterians, Methodists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans,
and Evangelical Methodists ; besides which there are
Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Episcopal churches
in East Mauch Chunk. In addition to the well-regu-
lated free schools, there is a flourishing academy under
the auspices of the Episcopal Church.
Mauch Chunk is the home of the Hon. Asa Packer,
the President of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. His
handsome residence, abounding with beautiful walks
and terraces and gardens, made from a rugged and
unpromising mountain-side, is an object that at once
attracts the admiration of the stranger.
A handsome stone jail has lately been erected, upon
a very complete model, at a cost of over $125,000.
There is a public library of over 11 00 volumes, to
which additions are being constantly made.
8o MAUCH CHUNK.
It is claimed that the first railroad-track ever laid
down in the United States was in the street fronting
the foundry of J. H. Salkeld & Co., for testing coal-
car brakes.
It is believed that the first furnace in the country at
which any considerable success was attained in the
smelting of iron with anthracite coal (bituminous coal
and coke having been hitherto used) was an old one
at Mauch Chunk, temporarily fitted up for that pur-
pose, in the fall and winter of the year 1837, by Messrs.
Joseph Baughman, Julius Guiteau, and Henry High, of
Reading.
An earlier attempt, however, was made in the use
of anthracite for fuel in iron-manufacture, at Mauch
Chunk also, in 1823 or 1824, in a furnace built espe-
cially for this purpose by some members of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company. It was several years
after this date that similar experiments were tried at
Kingston, Mass., and at Vizelle, on the borders of
France and Switzerland.
Recently, various journals have had this whole matter
under discussion, a number of articles and letters from
parties engaged in this manufacture having been already
published. As it is a subject of general interest, ex-
tracts from these documents are printed herewith in
Appendix B, in which will also be found other impor-
tant particulars concerning the iron trade.
At the Turnhole, a short distance above the town, for-
merly stood a famous bridge with a single span of 200
feet, the abutmeni on its north side being in this region
an unexampled piece of substantial masonry. In 1857,
GLEN ONOKO.
(Tekkace Falls.)
See Appe7uiix D.
Page 8i.
AIAUCH CHUNK. 8i
it was abandoned to avoid two very heavy curves (the
hardest ones on the road), and a new iron double
track bridge, with a very costly rock-cut at its north
end, was completed, having two spans of 140 feet each.
GLEN ONOKO.
Fo7' full description of this bemi-tifiil glen, with addi-
tional illustrations ., see Appendix D.
From Mauch Chunk to White Haven the scenery
along the river is magnificently wild and picturesque.
The dark waters of the Lehigh, dyed almost to a black
by the sap of the hemlock pervading them, every-
where inclosed by mountains from 300 to 700 feet in
height, and confined to a channel scarcely 300 feet
wide, rush noisily and rapidly through a most circuit-
ous route, perhaps the most irregular and rugged moun-
tain region in the State. The curves are so constant
and so abrupt, that there is a continual change of views,
and some of the bends in the road describe nearly
complete circles. In looking ahead, at times it seems
almost impossible for the river to find its outlet.
Hardly a spot of arable ground is to be seen, the
hills sinking sheer to the water's edge, interspersed
with cloves and gorges and tributary streams, and now
and then with beautiful waterfalls, and spotted at in-
tervals with tall, gaunt, and leafless trunks of withered
pines. The geologist and botanist would feel himself
amply repaid by a leisurely examination of the many
forms of rocks and plants found here in luxurious
abundance. Everywhere traces are to be seen of the
devastating freshet of 1862, in the ruins of locks and
D*
82 PENN HA VEN JUNCTION.— DRAKE' S CREEK.
dams and banks, comprising at one time the upper
division of the canal of the Lehigh Coal and Naviga-
tion Company, but which has never been rebuilt north
of Mauch Chunk.
BEAR CREEK.
The name of a wild torrent, upon which a saw-mill is
located, and in whose waters the fisherman may be seen
occasionally angling for trout.
PENN HAVEN JUNCTION.
At this point the Mahanoy, Beaver Meadow, and
Hazleton Branches diverge from the main road, which,
a short distance above, crosses to the east bank of the
Lehigh. Passengers destined for places on any one of
these several branches should be very careful to change
cars at this station.
For description of the Beaver Meadow, Hazleton,
AND Mahanoy Divisions, see pp. 125, 132, and 141.
STONY CREEK.
This is one of the most beautiful and romantic
streams in the state, abounding throughout its whole
length in scenery of the wildest grandeur, making a
favorite locality for picnics. It is also much resorted
to in the season by lovers of trout, large numbers of
which are annually caught in its waters. The various
saw-mills situated on the stream turn out a considerable
quantity of lumber for shipment from this station.
DRAKE'S CREEK.
A shipping-place for lumber. A saw-mill is situated
on the wild-brook that here enters the river through a
deep rift in the hills. Near by, we pass through some
A VIEW ON STONY CREEK.
Page 82
R O CKPOR T.— TA NNER Y. Z^,
abrupt cuts in the solid rock, so directly under the
shadow of the mountains that we seem shut in from
the rest of the world, amid ever-changing landscapes of
charming scenery.
ROCKPORT.
This town is situated on the opposite side of the
river from the station, in a very picturesque ravine.
Before the freshet of 1862, it was the shipping-point of
the Buck Mountain Coal Company, whose extensive
mines are situated four miles distant. It was at that
time considerably frequented during the summer season ;
but since the destruction of the canal, and the conse-
quent removal of the Company's business, the place has
assumed rather a desolate appearance.
MUD RUN AND HICKORY RUN.
These places are depots for the lumber trade of the
two streams, which also furnish good sport to the
fishermen. A few scattered houses contain the whole
population, who find their employment in the saw-mills
situated here.
TANNERY.
This thriving settlement was first made in 1855,
about which time an extensive tannery (the second
largest in the State) was established, the main build-
ing of which is 700 feet in length. Its capacity is over
84. WHITE HAVEN.
50,000 hides a year, and it employs 70 men. Besides
this establishment of I. M. Holcomb & Co., Shortz,
Lewis & Co. and Dodge & Co. each have here large
steam saw-mills, with a combined capacity of nearly
9,000,000 feet per annmii. Albert Lewis's mill, on the
opposite side of the river, has a capacity of 3,000,000
feet. There is no church building here, but services
are maintained in the school-house and elsewhere by the
Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Popu-
lation, 600.
WHITE HAVEN.
This town was first settled in 1835, and named after
Josiah White, the Superintendent of the Lehigh Coal
and Navigation Company. It was incorporated as a
borough in 1842. Until the freshet of 1862 entirely
destroyed the canal, it was the head of slack-water
navigation, and, as such, was a shipping-point of great
activity. Soon after the completion of the canal, a
packet-boat was run from White Haven to Mauch
Chunk, and another from the latter place to iLaston,
which mode of traveling continued for several years,
and, amid such scenery as then abounded along the
whole route in even wilder grandeur than now exists,
could not but have been greatly enjoyed.
Its principal business now is that connected with the
lumber trade, of which it is the chief depot on the
Lehigh. Immense quantities of logs and rafts may be
seen at almost any time floating upon the surface of
the ponds formed by two large dams across the river.
On an average, in the spring, there are from twenty-
WHITE HAVEN.
8S
five to thirty millions of feet of timber in the pool
above the town.
The following list gives the names and production of
the various saw-mills here, and of those at Bridgeport,
about a mile below the town, also of two others in the
immediate vicinity :
W. D. & E. F. Brown . . ^
40 men.
5,000,000 feet per
annum
C. L. & A. S. Keck .
30 "
4,000,000 " '
Brown, Stoddard & Co.
10 "
2,500,000 " '
Werts, Stryker & Co. .
10 "
2,500,000 " '
A. F. Peters
18 "
4,000,000 " •
Lehigh Grain and Lumber Co.
10 "
2,000,000 " '
Davis, McMurtrie & Co.
30 "
4,000,000 " '
Keck, Childs & Co. .
15 "
3,000,000 " '
Jacob Stouffer
10 "
2,000,000 " '
Edwin Shortz
16 "
3,500,000 " '
Brown & Brader .
20 "
3,000,000 " '
In addition to these establishments, Wallace &
Breisch have a foundry and machine-shop, employing
about 40 men in the manufacture of castings and saw-
mill machinery. There are also three large ice-houses
(one situated a short distance above the town), with a
combined capacity of 30,000 tons.
The manner in which the town has recuperated
under its several misfortunes is highly creditable to the
pluck and real ability of its business men.
There are in the town churches belonging to the
Methodists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, and Free Methodists. There is a savings-
bank, with a capital of $25,000. Population, 1500.
Passengers in going north dine, and in going south
take supper, at the hotel immediately adjoining the
depot, and may always be sure of a good meal.
8
S6 WHITE HAVEN.
The memorable flood of 1862, having obtained its
first great impetus by the breaking of Dam No. 4, near
White Haven, may properly be described under this
heading. A heavy and continuous rain commenced on
the afternoon of June 3d, 1862, and fell, with more or
less intensity, until about one o'clock on the morning
of the 5th. The Lehigh, swollen with its many trib-
utary streams, and re-enforced by the giving way of
dam after dam, with their vast accumulation of lumber
and debris, soon became irresistible ; and from White
Haven to Easton its banks were the scene of total de-
vastation. The water rose, it is computed, thirty feet
above low-water mark, and with immense rapidity,
— in some places as quickly as nine feet in five minutes.
Every bridge across the river, as far as the Delaware
(along whose shores also, for some distance below
Easton, the effects of the freshet were disastrous), was
totally carried away, except those at the Lehigh Gap,
Bethlehem, and Easton.
Dwelling-houses and other buildings were swept off
bodily, with all their inmates and contents, until they
were safely grounded, or wrecked. The despairing
cries of such as were thus, and in the canal-boats, hur-
ried on to an inevitable death were most heart-rending.
Very many were saved from destruction by the most
wonderful escapes. The storminess and darkness of
the night added immeasurably to the general alarm
and gloom.
It has been estimated that there were at least one
hundred and fifty lives lost, in addition to more than
thirty million feet of lumber, one hundred and fifty
canal-boats, etc. The loss in dollars and cents has
MO OSlL HEAD. - FAIR VIE W.
87
been set down at $2,500,000. The destruction between
Mauch Chunk and Allentown was so great that it in-
volved the labor of between two and three thousand
men and five hundred horses and mules for nearly four
months before navigation was resumed. The railroads
commenced running much sooner, although they sus-
tained immense damage.
In Philadelphia and elsewhere, prompt and liberal
subscriptions were made for the relief of the surviving
sufferers, the funds being judiciously distributed by a
committee selected from among gentlemen residing
along the Lehigh.
MOOSEHEAD.
This station, formerly called Nescopec, is the loca-
tion of the Moosehead Ochre Manufacturing Company.
The raw material is found in the immediate neighbor
hood, and when prepared is used chiefly in the manu-
facture of oil-cloths. A short distance beyond White
Haven, before reaching this station, we cross what is
known as Cranberry Marsh, where the embankment
originally made, soon after its completion, sunk sixty-
five feet, pressing up the clay on either side. It is now
substantially filled in, and no further difficulty has been
encountered.
FAIRVIEW.
Here we are at the summit of the mountain, and
cross the track of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Divi-
S8 NEWPORT.
sion of the New Jersey Central Railroad. A superb
view stretches far southward, among mountains cov-
ered with oak and pine, uninhabited save by a few
woodmen, and forming a vast wilderness.
NEWPORT.
From Fairview to Wilkes-Barre the distance, in a
straight line, is a little less than five miles ; but we are
obliged, in overcoming the mountain, to travel sixteen
miles to reach the city, and at a grade of ninety feet to
the mile. The view at this station is magnificent
beyond description. The famous Wyoming (from
Maughwauwame, the Indian name, signifying large
plain) Valley, in all its romantic beauty, is here
spread out in a broad panorama, containing in all
about 40,000 acres. It lies along the banks of the
Susquehanna (Indian for broad, shallow river), between
two parallel ranges of mountains, extending from the
northeast to the southwest and varying in height from
500 to 1900 feet. Some geologists have favored the
theory that at one time this whole region was a vast
lake, the Kittatinny Mountains, now serrated with
gaps, forming a dam for the reception of the waters of
the Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, and Susquehanna.
While within these ranges all the land is underlaid with
a greater or less number of coal-veins, outside of them
none has as yet been discovered.
The geological structure of Wyoming affords to the
scientific student a field of interesting investigation.
The richness of the coal formation would arrest his
THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE WYOMING VALLEY.
Page
NEWPORT.
89
attention particularly. On the top of the southern
range of mountains the red shale, lined by the pebbly
conglomerate (the bed on which the lower stratum of
anthracite rests), with other accompanying rocks, is com-
monly observed. On the opposite mountain the same
rocks appear, though less distinctly marked. Within
the Valley nearly twenty strata of coal have been dis-
covered, their thickness varying from four to twenty-
eight feet. The quality of this mineral for purity is
highly esteemed, several veins in an especial manner
being excellent for the fusion of ores and the working
of iron. During the war of the Revolution, several
boat-loads were taken down the Susquehanna, it is
supposed, by Captain Daniel Gore, for the use of the
armory forges at Carlisle.
For twenty miles the silvery river may be seen
meandering among the green meadows and fertile
fields, entering the mountain-ridge which forms the
north wall of this lovely valley through the Lacka-
wannock Gap, a little north of Pittston, and leaving
it again at the Nanticoke Gap, near Shickshinny.
These mountains are very irregular in their formation,
and are in general as wild as when discovered, being
clothed with pines, dwarf oaks, and laurels, interspersed
with other woods, deciduous and evergreen. The
whole area is dotted here and there with towns, vil-
lages, and collieries, alive with the evidences of indus-
try. To the south is Nanticoke. In front is Avondale,
the scene of the terrible disaster in August, 1869, by
which the lives of one hundred men and boys were
lost and scores of families were made desolate, casting
a heavy gloom over the entire country. A little north
90
NEWPORT,
of this is the now largely-extended city of Wilkes-
Barre. From its changed position, it is hard to be-
lieve that it is still the point which we are now aiming
to reach ; and yet the engineering skill by which the
mountain is crossed is the theme of common admira-
tion.
The history of the Valley abounds with narratives of
adventure, excitement, and contest. In the earliest
times, before its settlement by the white men, the In-
dians had fought many bloody battles for its possession.
Like the Lackawanna, this valley early attracted emi-
grants from Connecticut, who believed it to be within
the limits of the charter granted by the British crown
to that colony. They endeavored to fortify their
position still further by concluding a purchase of the
territory from the Six Nations, who also claimed its
ownership. There arose at once, owing in part to the
imperfect knowledge of geography and surveying, a
dispute between them and the people of Pennsylvania,
who also claimed the territory as belonging to their
original charter, which culminated in those fierce bat-
tles known as the Pennamite and Yankee wars, in which
citizens on both sides, as well in their private capacity
as through legislative action, were constantly embroiled.
The dispute, after varying success, each party stoutly
maintaining its rights, was finally referred to Congress,
who appointed a committee to decide the question.
This was done at Trenton, December 30th, 1782, giving
to Pennsylvania the right of jurisdiction and pre-emp-
tion to the territory thus doubly claimed.
But this decree was differently interpreted, Pennsyl-
vania holding that the Connecticut settlers could only
NEWPORT. 91
obtain through her any legal title to the land which
they claimed, while the Susquehanna Company of Con-
necticut, granting that jurisdiction was given to Penn-
sylvania, asserted that this did not affect the title by
which they held the land. The animosity between the
two parties was still at times very bitter, resulting in
great embarrassments to the settlers, and not infre-
quently in personal and family feuds, the prejudices
arising from which possessed the minds of subsequent
generations. It was not until the passage of what was
known as the Compromising Act of 1799 that this
unhappy controversy was brought to an end. By this
law it was provided that in seventeen townships, ac-
cording to the survey of the Susquehanna Company,
titles granted by that company, and occupied previous
to the Trenton decree, should be considered valid on
the occupant paying a small fee to the State, while the
Pennsylvania claimant was to receive a certain com-
pensation in case he released his claim to the Common-
wealth. Commissioners were appointed under this
act, who worked diligently for five years, until 1808,
endeavoring to confirm the titles to the settlers and
restore harmony between the contestants. The war of
the Revolution put an end to their relentless strife for
a time at least, since they saw the necessity of uniting
against their common enemy.
The British, in 1778, had determined to make use
of the Indians in this struggle, and accordingly in-
duced a body of Iroquois to join a band of Tories
under Colonel John Butler. Advancing to Wyoming,
they easily captured Fort Wintermoot. The awe-
stricken people now gathered from the surrounding
92
NEWPORT.
country to a fort near the present site of Wilkes-Barre,
called "Forty Fort" (after the forty New Englanders
who built it), while three hundred and fifty men
and boys, under Colonel Zebulon Butler, gallantly
marched, on the 3d of July, to meet the enemy. The
Americans fought bravely, and even gained ground,
till Colonel Denison, wishing to take a more favorable
position in the rear, bade his men fall back. This was
mistaken for an order to retreat, and, amid uncon-
trollable confusion, they at last were compelled to
yield before superior numbers. A general flight en-
sued, during which many were shot and tomahawked,
while a few escaped to the fort. The prisoners were
tortured with unheard-of cruelties, base treachery
oftentimes luring them on to be most heartlessly mur-
dered. Some twenty of them are said to have been
ranged near a stone on the river-bank and held by
savages, while Queen Esther, an old Seneca half-breed,
walked round them in a circle singing their death-
song and clubbing them until they died. (This sone
is a conglomerate boulder, about eighteen inches high,
and is still called Queen Esther's Rock.) It is com-
puted that at least one hundred and twenty of the Con-
necticut people and from forty to eighty of the enemy
lost their lives in this bloody engagement, while a
still larger number are to be reckoned among the
*' missing."
The next day the fort was surrendered to the British
leader on fair terms, with a distinct promise to protect
its defenseless occupants ; but no sooner were the sav-
ages admitted than they glutted their thirst for blood
by putting to the most horrible deaths all they could
NEWPORT.
93
secure. The rest sought safety in flight, but of these
many died from exposure and fatigue, and a week later
their dwellings were reduced to ashes. The fair fields
of Wyoming presented a melancholy spectacle on the
morning of the 4th ; and from that time to the very end
of the war there was hardly an hour's security for its
inhabitants, who seemed to be the object of inextin-
guishable hatred on the part of their Indian and British
assailants. In the course of this harassing warfare, there
were many severe skirmishes, several heroic risings of
prisoners upon their savage captors, and many hair-
breadth escapes, some of which are minutely detailed
in the records of those trying diys.
It may amuse the reader to see a few lines descrip-
tive of one of these es :apes, written by a poet of the
Revolutionary period :
" And many of the savage Indian crew
Did to the river's margin him pursue, —
But he before their frightful vengeance hied,
And plunged himself beneath the liquid tide,
And diving on his way, as he did flee,
Thereby to shun the savage enmity.
But while the buzzing bullets dashed around,
In his left shoulder he received a wound,
Which weakened him so much he thought it best.
When he approached the shore, awhile to rest.
When he had rested, he, with all his force,
Leap 'd from the water and kept on his course ;
When round the place a leaden shower did light
Which made the liquid billows foam with white :
Yet, jiotwithstandlng these obstructions, he
Sprang up the bank, and got behind a tree.
When he his breath had gained, and was revived.
He urged his way, and at the fort arrived ;
And there united with his friends again,
And thus escaped the brutal savage train."
94
NEWPORT.
To commemorate the sad events, more particularly
the battle of July 3d (the harrowing details of which
are well preserved in a number of histories), a monu-
ment was erected, in 1832, within the township of
Wyoming, near the site where it was fought. It is a
granite obelisk sixty-two and a half feet high, having
upon marble slabs in front and on two sides appropriate
inscriptions, recording the events of the massacre, and
the names of the fallen, under the line of Horace :
*' Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."
It may be interesting to note here that it is thought
that the famous Moravian nobleman. Count Zinzendorf,
was the first white man that ever visited the Indian
town of Wyoming, which he did on a religious mission.
Among the many points from which extensive views
are had of the surrounding scenery, may be mentioned
Bald Mountain, in Newton Township, about nine miles
from Wilkes-Barre, which is 1750 feet high; Lee's
Mountain, extending in a southeast direction, includ-
ing Pulpit Rock, in Hollenback Township, and Honey
Pot, its northeastern terminus, 865 feet high ; Prospect
Rock, 750 feet above the river, two miles from Wilkes-
Barre; and Dial or Campbell's Rock, at the south-
western point of Capouse Mountain, and near Pittston.
This rock, lying directly north and south, was the
noon-mark of the first inhabitants of Wyoming, and
hence it was called Dial Rock. Its other name is
probably derived from the poet, Thomas Campbell,
whose "Gertrude of Wyoming" has of itself so largely
contributed to render this territory famous. All of these
points, and a number more, are much resorted to by
WARRIOR RUN.— SUGAR NOTCH.
95
tourists and artists. The views to be obtained from
them are of such rare beauty that, once seen, they can
never be forgotten. So varied and extended is the
prospect that one is truly lost in admiration of the mag-
nificent panorama, and is instinctively led to adore the
Almighty Creator.
WARRIOR RUN.
This station derives its name from a small creek run-
ning into the Susquehanna. Through the gap at this
point it is said that the Gilbert family were taken to
Canada after their capture by the Indians near
Lehighton.
SUGAR NOTCH.
So called from the collieries formerly owned by
Parrish and Thomas, which, with uniformly-painted
breakers and dwellings, and the neat character of the
latter, present altogether a much better appearance
than the generality of such improvements.
These works now belong to the Wilkes-Barre Co 1
and Iron Company, and comprise two breakers, one
slope, one shaft, and a tunnel 1500 feet in length, the
longest in the Wyoming Valley. The combined capa-
city of the breakers is 1500 tons per day. When the
new breaker, now in course of erection, is running,
1000 men and boys will find employment here. There
is quite a succession of other collieries from this point
to Wilkes-Barre, the particulars of which will be given
in the description of that city.
96 SOUTH WILKES-BARRE.— WILKES-BARRE.
SOUTH WILKES-BARRE.
This settlement having been incorporated within the
city limits of Wilkes-Barre, its statistics will be included
under that head.
WILKES-BARRE.
This is the oldest town in Luzerne County, having
been laid out by Colonel John Durkee in 1772, at
which time it embraced two hundred acres. It was in-
corporated as a borough in 1806. It derives its name
from John Wilkes and Colonel Barre, distinguished
advocates for liberty and the rights of the colonies.
In 1772 there were but five white women in the town,
and in 1784 the whole number of buildings was twenty-
six, of which twenty-three were burnt by the Penn-
amites. The population for many years continued to
grow steadily, but slowly. Within a few years past, it
has increased more rapidly, until now, under the recent
act, passed in 1871, whereby it was incorporated a city,
with enlarged boundaries, it contains about 23,000
inhabitants. Its beautiful situation on the banks of the
Susquehanna, and the excellent society abounding here,
have always made it an attractive place to visitors.
Its early history is largely, and indeed mainly, con-
nected with the wars between the Yankees and Penna-
mites, and between the colonists and the British and
Indians, to which reference has already been fully made
under the head of Newport. It was within the town-
ship limits that most of the struggles for the possession
IVILKES-BARRE.
97
of the Valley took place. Fort Wyoming is said to
have stood on the river-bank, near Wyoming Street.
Very few cities in America have records so full of in-
terest and importance.
Its chief business is that connected with the mining
and shipping of coal, of which there is great abundance
in the immediate neighborhood.
The knowledge of the use of coal seems to have been
communicated by the Indians to the whites, who, how-
ever, remained a long time incredulous concerning its
value. In 1768, Charles Stewart surveyed the Manor
of Sunbury, opposite Wilkes-Barre, and on the original
draft is noted '* stone-coal" as appearing in what is
now called Ross Hill. In the year following, Obadiah
Gore and his brother came from Connecticut with a
body of settlers, and used anthracite coal in his black-
smith-shop. In 1766, Mr. Durham's boats were sent
from below to Wyoming for coal, which was purchased
from Mr. R. Geer, and mined from the opening re-
cently the property of Mr. John W. Hollenback, above
Mill Creek. We have already detailed the results fol-
lowing its discovery by Philip Gintherj under the head-
ing of Mauch Chunk.
The use of anthracite for domestic purposes was
discovered by the late Jesse Fell^ for many years an
associate judge of the county courts. We will give his
own account of it, as recorded in one of the fly-leaves
of his " Free Mason's Monitor."
"February nth, of Masonry 5808. Made the ex-
periment of burning the common stone-coal of the
Valley, in a grate, in a common fireplace in my house,
E 9
gS WILKES-BARRE.
and find it will answer the purpose of fuel, making a
clearer and better fire, at less expense, than burning
wood in the common way. Jesse Fell.
"February ii, 1808."
News of this successful experiment soon spread
through the town and country, and the old tavern of
Judge Fell (corner of Washington and Northampton
Streets) was visited constantly by persons anxious to
witness the curious sight. Similar grates were soon
constructed, and came into general use throughout the
Valley.
From that time on, various efforts were made by dif-
ferent individuals to inaugurate in this region the coal
trade, with what success the present wonderful pros-
perity and growth of this city and neighborhood plainly
testify. In this connection, it may be interesting to
republish the following letter, originally printed in The
Record of the Times :
*' Sir, — Having seen so much in various papers
claiming the first mining of anthracite coal in Schuyl-
kill County, in 1820, I beg leave to present the follow-
ing facts, which date somewhat prior to the time
claimed for our Schuylkill County neighbors.
'^ My father, Abijah Smith, came from Bridgeport,
Connecticut, in 1806, and settled in the township of
Plymouth. In 1807 he opened the Red Ash Coal Mine
in said Plymouth. In 1808 he bought an ark of John
P. Arndt, of Wilkes-Barre, ninety feet long and six feet
wide, for thirty-five dollars.- On November 9th of the
same year (1808) he loaded it with coal twenty-four
WILKES-BARRE.
99
inches deep in the middle, and twenty-two in each end,
making sixty tons of coal, gross weight, and ran it down
the Susquehanna River to Columbia. He there had a
blacksmith make a grate suitable for burning coal, and
had it put in Gosler's Hotel. After having kindled
his coal fire (which astonished the people), numbers
came from miles away to see it, some coming from
Philadelphia. From that time my father ran coal every
season until his death, which occurred in 1826. In
1811-12, Abijah Smith & Co. sent coal to Havre de
Grace, and there shipped it in schooners for New York
City, consigned to Messrs. Prince & Waterbury, to sell
on commission. In 181 2 they sold about one hundred
and fifty chaldrons (three hundred tons) at twenty-two
dollars a chaldron (a chaldron contains about two tons).
According to Messrs. Prince & Waterbury' s account,
rendered in 181 2, they received $3692.20. Of this
sum my father received only $762.12, after paying all
expenses for getting the coal to New York. I presume
he lost money by the operation.
'' The above facts will, I think, correct the erroneous
statement that the first coal was mined in 1820, in
Schuylkill County. Yours truly,
''John B. Smith.
" Plymouth, March 8, 1871."
According to Professor Rogers, the northern coal
field extends in length fifty miles, — from Beach's mine,
one mile below Shickshinny, to a point some distance
above Carbondale, — and contains one hundred and
seventy-seven square miles. The veins of coal vary in
number from two to eight, according to location, and
100 WILKES-BARRE.
in thickness from one to twenty-eight feet. Taking
the most reliable data we can obtain, it is estimated
that this entire field contains about 2,285,600,000 tons
of good merchantable coal, to which we may properly
add 128,000,000 tons, the amount computed to belong
to that portion of the eastern middle coal field lying
in Luzerne County.
Wilkes-Barre being the centre of so much of the im-
mense coal trade of the State, a few statistics of the
companies having their headquarters here will prove
interesting. Their works are situated in or near the
city.
The Wilkes- Barre Coal and Iron Company (capital,
$3,400,000) own thirteen breakers, one of which is
abandoned for the present^ a second is being enlarged,
and two others will be at work in the course of a few
weeks. The combined capacity of thirteen of them is
estimated to be 1,608,000 tons per annum. The num-
ber of men and boys employed is 5000.
The Luzer7ie Coal and Iron Cojnpany are not yet
fully at work, extensive and valuable improvements to
the property being in progress. They have six col-
lieries and shafts, and within two years expect to have
them all in operation, when their combined annual
capacity will be about 800,000 tons, and employment
will be afforded to 2400 men and boys.
The Susquehanna Coal Company have, within seven
miles of Wilkes-Barre, three breakers, with a combined
annual capacity of 660,000 tons, the number of men
and boys employed being 2300.
The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company mine
WILKES-BARRE. loi
within two miles of the city about 2200 tons per day,
and employ 1600 men and boys, working four breakers.
The Hillside Coal afid Iron Co?fipa?ty own four break-
ers, employing about 900 men and boys, and having a
combined capacity of 2600 tons per day.
The Wilkes-Barre and Seneca Lake Colliery, one mile
above the city, has one breaker, with a capacity of 400
tons per day, and employs 300 men and boys.
The Warrior Run Coal Company mine at one breaker
250 lonsper day, and employ about 200 men and boys.
Hillman <5r* Son employ about 140 men and boys,
and mine about 200 Ions per day.
Besides these coal operations, there are the establish-
ments of the Vulcan Iron Works, for the manufacture of
stationary engines, mine-cars, and other colliery work,
employing about 100 men ; the Dickson Manufacturing
Company, employing 75 men, and the Wyoming Val-
ley Manufacturing Company, employing about 35 men,
both being engaged in the same work as above specified.
A large wire-rope-mill of the Hazard Manufacturing
Company has recently gone into operation with a capac-
ity of 1000 tons per annum. There are also saw- and plan-
ing-mills, carriage-factories, boat-yards, grist-mills, etc.
At different intervals between the years 1825 and
1 85 1, several attempts were made to establish steam-
boat navigation on the Susquehanna. No less than
six steamers, some of them of considerable size, were
constructed at various places, and seemed for awhile
to bid fair to become valuable additions to the trading
and traveling facilities ; but they were all compelled to
be abandoned, the character of the river forbidding
any hope of permanent success in this direction.
102 WILKES-BARRE.
It was also imagined at an early day that large vessels
could be built on its banks, and floated down, at
the time of high water, to the seaboard. To test the
matter, J. P. Arndt & Philip launched in 1803 a sloop of
twelve tons' burden, named the ''John Franklin," after
that intrepid adherent of Yankee rights. She reached
tide-water in safety, and high anticipations were imme-
diately entertained of future success in this branch of
business. A stock company was at once formed, town
lots and timber lands advanced in price, and, amid the
most sanguine expectations, the ''Luzerne," a ship of
between fifty and sixty tons, was launched in April,
181 2. On her downward passage to the ocean she was
dashed to pieces on the rocks at Conawaga Falls, near
Middletown. With this catastrophe ended all attempts
here at ship-building.
A short distance above the depot, the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company own a valuable tract of land four
hundred feet wide and half a mile long, upon which a sub-
stantial brick round-house has been built, after the latest
and best plans, with an iron truss-roof, having accommo-
dations for thirteen engines. Extensive machine-shops,
for general repairs mostly, are also in course of erection
here, and will be fitted up with the most approved ma-
chinery. /
The new county prison, erected recently at a cost of
$200,000, is a very handsome and complete building,
arranged with separate cells, after the manner of State
prisons. The outside stone is from the vicinity of
Campbell's Ledge, the inside stone from Meshoppen.
The new court-house, erected about fifteen years ago,
is an imposing edifice in the Romanesque style of archi-
tecture, costing about $85,000.
WILKES BARRE.
T03
Among other public buildings may be mentioned
Music Hall (a fine structure, accommodating thirteen
hundred persons), Landmeser's Hall, and Liberty Hall,
each holding five hundred. There is also a very neat
and convenient market-house, owned by a stock com-
pany.
Among the many handsome private residences, the
most costly and impressive are those situated on the
river-side, which give to the already beautiful banks
additional variety and attractiveness, and reflect great
credit upon the taste and liberality of their builders.
There are the following churches : 3 Methodist, 4
Presbyterian, 3 Episcopal, 2 Roman Catholic, i Lu-
theran, I Welsh Presbyterian, i Baptist, i Reformed, i
Welsh Congregational, i Jewish synagogue.
A commendable pride has always been felt by the
citizens of Wilkes- Barre in their public schools, which
are thought to be equal to any in the interior of the
State. Several of the school-houses are constructed in
the most approved manner, and will compare favorably
with the best elsewhere. Altogether they will seat
nearly two thousand pupils.
There is a Historical and Geological Society, with a
valuable cabinet of curiosities, relics, and specimens.
There is also a public library, with about one thousand
volumes.
The Hollenback Cemetery is an old-established and
beautiful cemetery. Ground near it has lately been
purchased for a new cemetery for public use, to take
the place of the former one, recently sold.
There are three national banks, with a combined
capital of $850,000, in addition to which there are
I04
PLAINESVILLE.-^PORT BLANCHARD.
three savings-banks, with an authorized capital com-
bined of $250,000. A large amount of capital is also
in the hands of private bankers.
There are three street railways, running from the
court-house to Ashley, Kingston, and South Wilkes-
Barre.
Below the depot there has lately been erected a neat
and substantial wire suspension bridge of seven spans,
658 feet in length. The cost of it was $32,000, sub-
scribed by different parties to afford a safe crossing
over the railroads and to aid in settling that part of
the city.
By the Lehigh and Susquehanna Division of the
Central Railroad of New Jersey, and by the Lacka-
wanna and Bloomsburg Railroad passing through
Kingston on the opposite side of the river, there is direct
communication with Scranton on the east and North-
umberland on the west, where connections are made
with the great through-lines in various directions.
PLAINESVILLE.
Here is located the Enterprise Colliery, having one
slope 950 feet, average of 20 degrees, one shaft, 145 feet,
and one tunnel. The breaker has a capacity of 750 tons
per day, and employment is given to about 250 men
and boys.
PORT BLANCHARD.
Formerly the headquarters of raftsmen, who stopped
here because of the good eddy. It is named after a
family long residing here, and is opposite the town of
PITTS TON.
105
Wyoming, near '^ Queen Esther's Rock," of which
mention has been made under the head of Newport.
It is the neighborhood of some of the operations of
the Pennsylvania Coal Company, whose works are
more fully described under the head of Pittston.
PITTSTON.
This busy town is situated at the point where the
Susquehanna River and the North Branch Canal enter
the great Wyoming Valley, and is well connected with
railroads running in all directions. On the west rises
the beautiful Lackawannock range of mountains.
It was formed in 1790, but prior to 1838 it contained
only eight or ten dwellings. At this time Messrs. But-
ler & Mallery commenced operating in coal, since
which period the town has rapidly advanced in pros-
perity. It was incorporated in 1853, and in the
following year its boundaries were enlarged.
Within a radius of two and a half miles there is a
population of 17,000, most of whom are more or less
directly interested in the coal trade. The most exten-
sive collieries are owned by the Pennsylvania Coal
Company, whose total productionfor 1872 was 1,042,916
tons. The following statistics of their capacity, etc.
may prove interesting :
There are in all twelve shafts producing coal, cost-
ing on an average $50,000 each. The average horse-
power of each shaft-engine is 40 j the average number
of men and boys employed, 153. The average length
of the gangways and breasts is two and a half miles.
Io6 PITTSTON.
There are 230 breasts in shafts working, the aver-
age length of which is 200 feet. The number of
slopes outside is 4, of slopes inside, 4 ; of men em-
ployed at the outside ones, 100. The average horse-
power of engine at each outside slope is 30, at each
inside slope, 20. The number of breasts working in
slopes is 62, the average length of which is 200
feet.
In addition, there are on the east side of the river
many other collieries (more or less extensive), belong-
ing to various parties, with a combined capital of
something like a million and a quarter of dollars, and
a capacity of 3500 tons per day.
Among the numerous mechanical and manufacturing
establishments located here, may be mentioned steam
grist-mills, breweries, wagon-factories, stove -works, ex-
tensive planing-mills, paper-mill, pottery, terra-cotta-
works, tannery, car-repair-shops, steam bakery, etc.,
with the usual quota of tradesmen and storekeepers; the
aggregate capital represented in these establishments,
etc. being computed at $1,500,000.
There is one national bank, with a capital of
^500,000, and two savings-banks, with a capital of
^50,000 each. There are two weekly newspapers.
There are churches belonging to the German Luther-
ans, German Reformed, Welsh Baptists, Episcopa-
lians, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Roman Catholics.
In addition to six public schools, there are several
private seminaries.
West Pittsto?i has a population of 1700. The town
is beautifully situated on the west side of the Susque-
hanna, at the head of the valley, and, with its quiet and
LA CKA WANNA &- BLO OMSB UR G JUNCTION, i o 7
shady streets and picturesque views, furnishes a very
attractive place of residence. A private seminary is
situated here, and enjoys a moderate patronage. There
are also two large public schools. An extensive foundry
and machine-shop is located here, for the manufacture
chiefly of stationary steam-engines and mine and mill-
machinery. There is also the West Pittston Colliery,
with a capital of ^500,000, employing 150 men and
boys, and with a capacity of 400 tons per day. On
the 27th of April, 1871, a disastrous fire occurred in
these works, whereby twenty miners lost their lives,
leaving twelve widows and thirty-six orphans. The
company is making a second opening, which will
greatly increase their capacity. Davis and Park have
also one breaker, with a capacity of 100 tons per day.
The Methodists have a church-building here.
LACKAWANNA AND BLOOMSBURG
JUNCTION.
The junction of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Company
with the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad for
Scranton in the north, and Shickshinny, Berwick,
Bloomsburg, Catawissa, Danville, and Northumberland
in the south and west.
A short distance above, the Pleasant Valley Branch
of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Company connects the
main line with a number of valuable collieries.
COXTON.
One mile above the L. & B. Junction, and opposite
Campbell's Ledge, — from which, as already noted, a
superb view may be had of the Wyoming Valley.
Many travelers pronounce it the finest of all, it having
1 o8 RANSOM.— McKUNE' S.
this advantage, that the two mountain-ranges which
inclose the valley are both seen at once, and the whole
valley is given in greater completeness than from any
other point. Here are located the weigh-scales and
forwarding offices of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Com-
pany, an engine-house, turn-table, side tracks for the
making up of trains, etc., answering in this upper
section of the road to Packerton below.
It is named in honor of Mr. John P. Cox, who at
the time of his decease was the Superintendent of the
P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Co. Near by is a beautiful
water-fall known as the Falling Spring.
RANSOM.
A depot for Ransom and Exeter Townships, the latter
of which is on the opposite side of the river, where
there is a large flouring-mill.
FALLS.
So called from a handsome cascade on Buttermilk
Creek within sight of the railroad. Depot for Falls
Township, accommodating also quite a portion of Sus-
quehanna County. It contains flouring- and saw-mills,
keg-factories, etc.
McKUNE'S.
Depot for Keelersville (on the opposite side of the
river) and other portions of Wyoming County.
T.AGRANGE.— TUNKHANNOCK. 109
LA GRANGE.
Contains flour- and saw-mills, and is the home of
the Osterhaus family, for many years residents of this
section.
TUNKHANNOCK.
An Indian name for the smaller of two contiguous
streams (Bowman's Creek and Tunkhannock), now,
however, applied only to the one. It is the county town
of Wyoming, and since the completion of the railroad
it has become an important business centre. It was
settled in the early part of the century, and now
has a population of about 1200. It contains a large
tannery, saw- and grist-mills, iron-foundry, furniture-
and sash-factories, planing-mills, etc., also Presby-
terian, Methodist, and Baptist churches. An Epis-
copal church is about to be erected. There is also a
Masonic hall. A national bank is located here, with a
capital of $100,000, besides which there is a private
'banking-house. The town (which is very picturesquely
situated, and altogether very prepossessing in its ap-
pearance) is supplied with fine water from the moun-
tain springs. There is in construction from this point a
narrow-gauge (three feet) railroad to Montrose, twenty-
seven miles distant (the county town of Susquehanna),
passing through Springville also, a former residence of
the Hon. Asa Packer. It is now finished as far as Hun-
ter's, and the whole road is expected to be open for
traffic by the end of the present year.
1 I o VOSB UR G.— ME HO PA NY.—MESHOPPEN.
VOSBURG.
The depot for Washington Township, The ride
hence to Mehoopany reminds one of the famous Ox-
bow on the Lehigh. From one town to the other", it
is one mile in a straight line; by rail it is seven miles.
The scenery along the road on either side of the river
is most beautiful, abounding in the richest variety.
MEHOOPANY.
The town, which is upon the opposite side of the
river, derives its name from the creek near by. It
contains Baptist and Methodist churches, plaster-, flour-,
and saw-mills, and is quite a depot for lumber. A
large tannery is also in course of erection. On the
sources of this creek is found the first bituminous coal
after leaving the Wyoming Valley. Iron ore is also to
be had here. As early as 1832, quite an excitement
was created by reported discoveries of deposits of cop-
per on the creek, from which, however, no advantage
has been known to follow.
MESHOPPEN.
So named from the creek upon which it is situated,
and which rises in the neighborhood of Montrose. It
was settled about 1820, and contains a population of
several hundred. Besides Methodist, Presbyterian, and
Universalist churches, the town contains a tannery,
BLACK IVALNUT.—LACEYVILLE. m
grist-, saw-, and plaster-mills, marble-yards, etc. Its
chief business, and one becoming quite extensive now,
is in the quarrying of a valuable limestone, found
hereabouts in abundance, used for curbs, flagging,
steps, etc., and very much admired wherever put down.
BLACK WALNUT.
Depot for Brintrim Township. There are large quar-
ries here of the same blue-stone as is found at Meshop-
pen below, which are being rapidly developed.
SKINNER' S EDDY.
Situated upon the two Tuscaroras. Formerly one of
the finest and most important harbors and landings on
the river. Frequently, when the descending navigation
of the Susquehanna was the only way of reaching the
market, there have been here over-night hundreds of
rafts and arks. It contains a Methodist church. Still
another quarry of blue-stone is being worked here to
advantage.
LACEYVILLE.
So called from an old resident named Lacey. Settled
about 1830. Population, about 300. It contains a
Baptist church, grist- and saw-mills, and an iron-foun-
dry, where agricultural implements, etc. are made.
The stone quarries here are of excellent quality for
pavements, sills, lintels, platforms, etc. One stone
was taken out lately that measured sixteen feet square.
112 WYALUSING.
WYALUSING.
This town, which derives its name from the creek
emptying here into the Susquehanna (although it was
called by the natives M'chwihilusing, meaning beauti-
ful hunting-ground, or, as others say, the home of the
great patiHarch^, has a remarkably interesting history.
The creek meets the river here in one of those fine in-
tervales which characterize the scenery of the Susque-
hanna, and at the junction of the two valleys there is a
considerable scope of slightly rolling land, spoken of
by the early travelers as the "Plains of Wyalusing."
It is believed that the Lenni-Lenape or Delaware In-
dians for many years occupied the valley as far as
Tioga, the south door of the Iroquois or confederated
Five Nations, from which they were expelled by the
latter after a long series of bloody battles. The great
war-path leading southward extended as far as Shamokin,
the present site of Sunbury, which for many years con-
tinued to be a place of general rendezvous for the war
and hunting-parties of the Iroquois and their allies.
Wyalusing, being about a day's journey on this high-
way from Tioga, afforded a convenient halting-place.
After the white people began to purchase territory of
the Iroquois and their confederates, the Susquehanna
Valley, below Tioga, was reserved as a general asylum
for the Indians who became dispossessed of their lands.
Which of the several clans located hereabouts occu-
pied the village of Wyalusing when it was first visited
by the Moravian missionaries, cannot be definitely set-
tled ; but most likely it was the Delawares. Among
WYALUSING. 113
them, in the middle of the last century, a remarkable
desire for the gospel was awakened. In 1762, Pa-
punhank, a false prophet, who had obtained some
knowledge of Christianity, preached to them a sort of
heathen morality. In this, however, they soon lost
faith, and, desiring some better religious teachers, David
Zeisberger, the great Moravian apostle to the Indians,
and a Delaware convert named Anthony, responded to
the call. He was subsequently appointed resident
missionary by the Brethren at Bethlehem. His labors
were unusually successful. He baptized Papunhank,
and there were good hopes of converting the whole
clan, but Pontiac's war breaking out at this time, the
mission was held in abeyance for three years. At the
conclusion of peace, Zeisberger led the remnants of
Christian Indians from Philadelphia back to the Sus-
quehanna, and began to found a Christian town near
the site of the heathen village, giving to it the name of
Friedenshiitten, or tents of peace. In 1767 a large and
convenient church was erected, with a cupola and bell,
the first that ever sounded over the waters of the North
Susquehanna.
For fear of becoming involved in the impending
strife, and to remove themselves from the demoralizing
influences of traders and other bad men, the Christian
Indians, in June, 1772, emigrated to Ohio to the number
of over two hundred persons.
To commemorate these missionary labors, and mark
the site of the village, members of the Moravian His-
torical Society, at Bethlehem, erected in June, 1871,
with appropriate and impressive ceremonies and ser-
vices, a handsome stone monument engraved with suit-
10*
114
FRENCH TO WN.
able inscriptions, which may be seen just before reach-
ing the depot from the south.
The town contains a wagon-factory, flouring- and
planing-mills, and churches belonging to the Presby-
terians, Methodists, and Baptists. Population, 500.
Upon the creek there are several mills and factories,
giving employment to a considerable number of hands.
FRENCHTOWN.
This is the depot for the township of Asylum, so
called from the settlement here of French refugees
who fled from Paris at the time of the Revolution at
the close of the last century. Among them were Vis-
count de Noailles, Omar Talon, and others who were
connected with the royal household, and w^ho, upon
landing in Philadelphia, met with Robert Morris and
John Nicholson. These gentlemen owned large tracts
of uncultivated land in Pennsylvania, and with them
the refugees formed an association known as the Asylum
and Holland Land Company, and increased their
estates to a million of acres. Although with a liberal
expenditure of money and industry the wilderness was
soon converted into an attractive settlement, yet the
colony lasted for only a few years, they gladly accept-
ing the offer of returning to France in peace. They
left most of their improvements in the possession of
two or three reQiaining families, whose descendants
are among the best farmers of this region.
Louis Philippe (at that time Duke of Orleans), it is
said, spent a winter here with his faithful adherents. It
RUMMERFIELD.— WYSA UKING.
115
was believed that arrangements were in progress to have
the king and queen make their escape from France and
hide themselves in this asylum. Certain it is that a
house was built far back in the woods, and called the
Queen's House.
The town contains flouring- and saw-mills.
RUMMERFIELD.
Depot for the inhabitants living upon the creek from
which the station derives its name.
STANDING STONE.
So called by the Indians because of a stone standing
in the river opposite the village, which no doubt has
fallen from the hills, although it differs somewhat in
formation from those that skirt the river. It is erect
and stationary, measuring forty feet in and out of the
water. Rumor has it that one corner of it was shot
off by General Sullivan in his tour through this country.
WYSAUKING.
So called from the creek near by, whose Indian name
s\gm^QS the place of grapes. It was settled in the last
century, and is an important depot for the adjoining
villages and townships. It is the residence of Colonel
Victor E. Piollet, whose estate, consisting of over
Ti6 TO WANDA.
twelve hundred acres, is celebrated as one of the model
farms of the State.
TOWANDA.
This thriving town (the capital of Bradford County)
is beautifully situated on the west bank of the Susque-
hanna, and surrounded with scenery of a very picturesque
description. It was settled in 1812, and incorporated
in 1828. It was laid out by Mr. Means, after whom
it was at first called Meansville, and subsequently Wil-
liamston. At length it obtained its present name from
the creek emptying southeast of the town, the original
form of the Indian word being Tawandee, or Awandee,
meaning, at the burial-place. It has been thought by
some to be the same name as Gowanda, meaning a
town among the hills by the water-side. The Nanticoks
are supposed to have buried the bones of their dead
there.
The Penns)dvania and New York Canal and Railroad
Company's road intersects here the Barclay Railroad
and the Sullivan and Erie Railroad, which are used
chiefly for the transportation of the bituminous coal
found in the neighborhood. It has also under its
control the North Branch Canal. Towanda has thus
become a point of considerable importance in the ship-
ment of coal. In 1872 the Towanda Coal Company
mined 257,766 tons of bituminous coal, the Fall Creek
Company 100,013 tons, and the Sullivan Anthracite
Coal Company 54,966 tons.
Among the mechanical and industrial establishments
may be mentioned the following : the shops of the To-
TO WANDA.
117
wanda Coal Company, for making and repairing coal
cars, steam planing-mills, sash- and blind-factories,
house-furniture manufactory, the Towanda Agricultural
Works, a steam grist-mill, wagon- and carriage-factories,
machine-shops for steam-engines, grist- and saw-mill
irons, castings, etc., boot- and shoe-factories (one of
which employs nearly 100 hands), the Towanda Iron
Manufacturing Co.'s rolling-mill (capital, ^55,000) for
cut spikes and nails, the Towanda Eureka Mower Com-
pany, with a capital of $100,000, etc.
In addition to these branches of business, there is a
very large trade done in country produce (a rich agri-
cultural section being in the rear), dry-goods, etc.
Immense quantities of poultry and butter are annually
shipped to many and distant places. One store, em-
ploying sixteen clerks, has sold as much as $350,000
worth of dry-goods and provisions in the course of a
year. The Schraeder Mining and Manufacturing Com-
pany, lately organized, with a capital of $300,000, have
already commenced operations, and expect to have their
railroad connections made in time to ship 50,000 tons
of coal during the present year.
There is one national bank, with a capital of $125,-
000, and there are also several private banking-houses.
There are three weekly newspapers, and churches be-
longing to the Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Epis-
copalians, Methodists, Baptists, and African Methodists.
Besides the public schools, there is the Susquehanna
Collegiate Institute, designed for both sexes. It is
under the auspices of the Presbytery of Lackawanna, is
eligibly situated, and commands a large patronage.
The number of pupils for the year 1871-72 was 229,
about evenly divided, of whom about 30 were boarders.
1 1 8 ULSTER.— MILA N.
The town has a population of 4000. In addition to
the court-house, there are halls belonging to the Free
Masons, Odd - Fellows, and other parties, and also
Mercur's Hall, capable of seating 500.
The bridge of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, crossing
at the upper part of the town, is a fine structure of
wood and iron, consisting of nine spans, resting upon
two abutments and eight stone piers, the total length
being nearly 1500 feet.
ULSTER.
Depot for Sheshequin (a name given to the greater
part of this immediate valley) and Smithfield Town-
ships. Contains planing-, grist-, and saw-mills; also a
Methodist church. The original name of the town
itself was Sheshequin, the name now given to the set-
tlement on the opposite side of the river. It was for a
number of years a mission station of the Moravians.
MILAN.
A small settlement, containing a saw^-mill and stores,
with ordinary country trade.
In the immediate neighborhood, extending north
and south for several miles, are situated what have for
years been known as "Queen Esther's Flats," called
after the famous Indian queen of this name. Her
history is one of remarkable interest. Some have
thought her to be the same as Catharine Montour, who
is said to have been a half-breed daughter of one of the
French governors of Canada, where she received her
ATHENS. 119
education. Others have made her to be a sister of
Catharine Montour. Her village, said to have con-
tained about seventy houses of rude form, was located
about a mile below Athens. Near by stood her
^'castle," where she held stately court. She married
Tom Hill, an Indian as forbidding as herself, and,
after she left Tioga, went to Onondaga to reside.
ATHENS.
This interesting town is situated in a beautiful por-
tion of country, at the confluence of the Susquehanna
and Chemung (meaning big horn) Rivers. This spot
was known during the Revolution, and in the early
part of this century, as Tioga Point. Tioga (meaning
the 7Jieeting of the watei^s) is still the legal name of the
river, legally known in New York as the Chemung.
Prior to the Revolution, and as far back as 1737, when
Conrad Weiser, a celebrated interpreter and Indian
agent for the government, made his first visit to the
Six Nations, it was the site of the Indian town
Diahoga, the most extensive Indian settlement within
the jm-isdiction of Pennsylvania, -north of Shamokin,
it being on the main trail of the Six Nations from the
Wyoming Valley to the Lakes. It was the " south
door" of the ''Long House" of the Six Nations, and
was guarded by the Senecas. After the Six Nations
conquered the Delawares, they brought them up to
Diahoga to live, and this, until the year 1758, was the
principal seat of that tribe. The chief man then among
them was Tee-dy-us-cung, who styled himself '' King
120 A THENS.
of the Delawares," and who, nearly every year, went
down to Philadelphia with a large retinue of warriors,
women, and children, and held treaties with the gov-
ernor, returning to the seat of his jkingdom laden with
presents. During the French and Indian wars, Tee-
dyuscung and his nation were disposed to be friendly to
the English, and in 1758 they removed to Wyoming,
in order to be under the protection of the government,
where the governor caused houses to be erected for
them. After the departure of the Delawares, Diahoga
was, for some years, occupied or inhabited only as a
summer residence or hunting-ground by the Six Na-
tions.
It was at this place, then becoming known as
*' Tioga" and "Tioga Point," that Butler, and per-
haps Brant, with their English and Indians, rendez-
voused and prepared for their descent on Wyoming,
and hither they returned after the battle.
In September, 1778, Colonel Hartley, with a force of
400 men, ascended the river as far as this place, and
burned Tioga, with Queen Esther's palace and town.
In the following year, during his expedition against
the Indians, General Sullivan made Tioga the base of
his operations. He arrived here from Wyoming with
3500 men on the nth of August, and erected a stock-
ade, extending across the peninsula from river to river,
called Fort Sullivan. General Clinton pushed across
the country, from Albany to Otsego Lake, with 1800
men, and floated down the river, uniting his forces with
Sullivan August 2 2d. The whole army lay here until
the 27th, when it went on its march of devastation,
leaving Tioga a military station, under command of
ATHENS. 121
Colonel Shrieve, whence Sullivan derived his supplies,
and to which he sent his wounded. The expedition
returned here victorious, and on the 4th of October the
fort was demolished, and the army w^ent down the river
to Wyoming. About 1783, white adventurers and
pioneers first crept up the river as far as Tioga Point.
The first of whom there is any positive information was
a man named Patterson, who squatted on the east side
of the Susquehanna, as did shortly after one Miller and
one Moore. About 1783, a Dutchman named Budd
erected a cabin on the Point, and in the next year
Jacob Snell settled west of the Tioga, where, on the
5th of July, 1784, was born the first white native, — the
late Major Abraham Snell.
In 1784, or early in 1785, Matthias Hollenback
opened here a trading-house : among his early clerks
was John Shepard, then a young man, who remained
here, and afterwards became quite an extensive land-
holder. In May, 1786, the Connecticut Susquehanna
Company issued a grant for a township, to be called
Athens, and in May and June of that year it was sur-
veyed and laid out by Colonel John Jenkins, Colonel
John Franklin, and Colonel Elisha Satterlee. Colonel
Satterlee and his brother-in-law. Major Elisha Mathew-
son, came up from Wyoming and made improvements
in 1787 ; the next year they settled here permanently.
Colonel Franklin built a house here in 1787, and was
intending to settle here the same year, but was arrested
for high treason against the State of Pennsylvania, and
confined in irons in Philadelphia. It was alleged that
the Connecticut settlers, of whom he was the recog-
nized leader, were about to erect a new State in North-
F II
122 ATHENS.
ern Pennsylvania, with Franklin as governor. He was
detained in prison nearly two years, and immediately
after his release, in 1789, settled in Athens. Frank-
lin, Satterlee, and Mathewson were the most prominent
of the early settlers ; they had all served in the war,
were in Wyoming during the troubles, and had been
here with General Sullivan.
To the northwest of the town is Spanish Hill, one
of the curiosities of this section. It is a bluff, rising
from the centre of the valley to a height of about 175
feet, and commanding a charming view for many miles
around. Remains of ancient fortifications around the
summit of the hill have been seen by many of the pres-
ent generation. Some of the early settlers have been
heard to say that the Indians called it Spanish Hill,
implying that the Spaniards had been there. Hence
also the rumors that Spanish coins had been found
there. The Indians seldom went on the hill, from
some superstitious dread, it having the name of being
a particularly fatal place to their nation.
Athens was incorporated in 1831 as a borough, and
has a population of about 1000. It contains Baptist,
Methodist, Universalist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and
Roman Catholic churches, and supports two weekly
newspapers. There is a national bank situated here,
with a capital of $100,000. The principal business
establishments are the Steam Agricultural Iron Works
of Blood & Co., employing about 40 men; Under-
hill's Tannery, employing about the same number of
hands, and with a capacity of 25,000 hides per annum;
and Kellogg' s Bridge Shop, whose work is now extend-
ing into various distant regions. A large and increas-
WAVERLY. 123
ing trade is done in butter, hay, and grain. Besides
the graded public schools, there is one private academy.
SAYRE.
For particulars of this important new station, see
Appendix E.
WAVERLY.
This important and flourishing town is properly the
northern terminus of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which
here makes direct connection with the Erie Railway
for Elmira, Watkins' Glen, Rochester, Buffalo, Niagara
Falls, Detroit, and all points west and northwest. It is
very eligibly situated on a commanding and serviceable
tract of land, with the Chemung River on the west, the
Susquehanna on the east, and the Cayuta Creek (with
large water privileges) running in the centre. It is em-
braced within a purchase of a thousand acres (at five
dollars each), made in 1796 by Mr. John Shepard, of
General Thomas, of Westchester County, New York.
The tract at this time was a perfect wilderness, and the
improvements were very gradual until 1848, when the
Erie Railway reached this point. From that time its
growth has been rapid and substantial.
It was incorporated as a borough in 1854. In June,
1 87 1, a very disastrous fire occurred, causing a loss
amounting to $100,000; and yet, as in many other
towns, what seemed a great calamity was converted
into a public benefit, a much better class of buildings
taking the places of those destroyed. In addition to
the railroad connections already named, and a short
124 WAl'EliLY.
distance below, with the Ithaca and Athens and South-
ern Central Railroads, the Pennsylvania and Sodus
Bay Railroad to Lake Ontario is also now building to
this point. It is one of the largest butter and grain
depots on the Erie Railway, whose freight receipts
here (largely on account of transfers) are in excess of
those of several other considerable towns on the road
combined. Among the numerous manufacturing estab-
lishments may be mentioned a paper-mill (employing
20 hands), woolen-factory (20 hands), tanneries, grist-
and planing-mills, sash- and blind-factories, foundry
(for agricultural implements chiefly), carriage-factory,
etc. Gas-works are to be put into operation by the ist
of October, and a large and handsome hotel, to cost
^60,000, is nearly finished. The opera-house, one of
the finest edifices of the kind in the State, was opened
in February, 1871, and destroyed by fire in February,
1873-
The public schools are well graded, and furnish an
excellent education to the pupils attending them. There
are churches belonging to the Roman Catholics, Bap-
tists, Episcopalians, and Methodists. Services are also
maintained by the Universalists. Two weekly papers
are published here. There are two national banks,
with a combined capital of ^156,100.
Population, 5000, including Factoryville and Mill-
town, which lie immediately contiguous. A short dis-
tance below the town, the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R.
Company have erected pockets for transhipping coal to
the Erie Railway, where about 2000 tons can be handled
per day.
The improvements now being made on ^'The
PENN HA VEN. 1 2 5
Plains" — a valuable addition to the town — are fully
described under the head of Sayre. This whole neigh-
borhood is fast becoming a busy railroad and manufac-
turing centre.
BEAVER MEADOW DIVISION.
PENN HAVEN.
This streetless village was first commenced in 1838,
when it was selected by the Hazleton Coal Company
(now merged with the Lehigh Valley Railroad) as
their shipping-point, from which a large business was
done, although it was seriously interrupted by the de-
structive freshet of 1841. From 1838 to 1852, the
company used the Beaver Meadow Railroad, and after
the freshet of 1850, they located and built the present
branch road from Hazle Creek Bridge to the top of
the mountain at Penn Haven, whence, by means of self-
acting inclined planes (430 feet high and 1200 feet
long), the coal is now shipped directly to market.
BLACK CREEK JUNCTION.
The point at which the Beaver Meadow and Hazle-
ton Divisions meet the Mahanoy Division.
II*
126 WEATHERLY,
WEATHERLY.
This town (originally called Black Creek) derives
its present name from David Weatherly, a clockmaker
of Philadelphia, one of the original directors of the
Beaver Meadow Railroad and Mining Company.
In the place of the shops formerly owned by the
Beaver Meadow Railroad Company, and which (to-
gether with nearly one-half of the superstructure and
a large portion of the permanent roadway towards
Penn Haven) were destroyed in the great freshet of
1849-50, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company have
erected here large and substantial works. They afford
employment directly to about 170 men, and give to the
town quite a busy aspect. The entire establishment
forms a hollow square, and was commenced in the
spring of 1867, and completed in January, 1869, and
is well supplied with the most approved machinery.
The following are the dimensions of the principal
buildings :
Machine-shop 150 by 112 feet.
Carpenter-shop . . . . 85 by 42 "
Moulding-room .... 150 by 52 "
Smith-shop . . . . . 85 by 42 "
The round-house has accommodations for sixteen engines.
• During the year 1872, the manufactures in the foun-
dry were as follows :
Iron castings, 2,874,822 lbs.; brass, 209,980 lbs..
Babbitt's metal, 1493 ^t>s., and spelter for telegraph
batteries, ()%t^. 716 tons of pig-iron were consumed,
besides 1,156,170 lbs. of scrap iron; 37,895 lbs. of
HAZLE CREEK BRID GE .—BE A VER MEAD OW. 12^
brass; 6835 ^^s. of copper; 111,542 lbs. of scrap brass;
and 9270 lbs. of tin. Some of the finest locomotives on
the road have been constructed here, in addition to
which coal cars are made and repaired, and iron-work
for bridges, brass and iron castings, etc. Nearly all the
castings used at the Packerton and Delano shops, and on
the Mahanoy, Beaver Meadow, and Wyoming Divisions,
are made here. During the year 1872, three new loco-
motives (the most powerful now employed in coal trans-
portation) were built, and thirty-eight old ones*repaired.
There are churches owned by the Presbyterians and
Methodists, and a public hall used by various societies.
The population of the town is about 1500.
Immediately above Weatherly, the road is built for
a distance of nearly two miles at the remarkable grade
of 145 feet per mile, and 135 feet per mile for some
4000 feet farther.
HAZLE CREEK BRIDGE.
The junction of the Beaver Meadow and Hazleton
Divisions and of the Buck Mountain Branch. The
works of the Buck Mountain Coal Company are situ-
ated three miles to the north, and consist of two slopes
and one breaker, with a capacity of 3600 tons per week,
employing 300 men and boys.
BEAVER MEADOW.
This town (pleasantly situated on elevated ground,
1600 feet above tide-water) was first settled about 1833,
128 BEAVER MEADOW.
although at that time the original house, built in 1804,
was still standing. It derives its name from Beaver
Creek (running near by), upon which a dam is said to
have existed, built by the beavers.
In 1806, the Susquehanna and Lehigh Turnpike,
running from the Nesquehoning Creek and above to
the Susquehanna, was completed and opened to the
public.
Coal was taken away from Beaver Meadow as early
as 181 2, being conveyed to Berwick and Bloomsburg,
where it was used in blacksmithing. Subsequently to
1826, it was also hauled to the Landing Tavern (just
above Mauch Chunk), and sent thence by arks to
Philadelphia, and sold at eight dollars per ton.
The Beaver Meadow Railroad and Mining Company
was incorporated in 1830, and built the first road from
its mines to Parryville (where the coal was tran-
shipped to the canal-boats) about forty years ago, the
first extensive opening of the mine being in 1831.
The first President of the company was Mr. Samuel
D. Ingham, Secretary of the Treasury under General
Jackson. The trains in those /r/z/z/Z/V^ days consisted
of fifteen cars of small tonnage, and were drawn south-
ward by small engines, carrying on the down trip sev-
eral mules to aid in the return. The business of the
road gradually increased from year to year, until from
being the means of transporting a small quantity of coal
for the company's own mines at this point, in 1837,
amounting to 33,617 tons, it became the outlet for
numerous operations in the neighborhood, carrying
nearly 750,000 tons of coal in 1859.
Since the removal to Weatherly of the machine- and
LE VISTON.—JEANES VILLE. 129
car- repair-shops, formerly located here, the business of
the place is almost exclusively that connected with the
mining of coal in the neighborhood. At these shops
there were built, under the superintendence of Hopkin
Thomas and Aaron H. Van Cleve, some of the first
four-wheeled and six-wheeled locomotives ever con-
structed in the State. It may be interesting to note in
this connection that Mr. Thomas was the first to intro-
duce the burning of anthracite coal in locomotives.
There are churches belonging to the Presbyterians and
Methodists. The population is 600.
. LEVISTON.
This town derives its name from Hosea J. Levis, one
of the original directors of the Beaver Meadow Com-
pany.
It has two breakers, owned by W. T. Carter & Co.,
with a capacity of 180,000 tons per annum, employing
325 men and boys ; also one belonging to Ely, Martin
& Co., which has a capacity of 40,000 tons per annum,
and gives employment to 70 men and boys.
JEANESVILLE.
Coal was first discovered in the Jeanesville tract by
James D. Gallup, an old pioneer explorer in these parts.
The property was once held in whole or in part by
Joseph H. Newbold, and was bought for about $20,000
by Joseph Jeanes, of Philadelphia, and several others,
130 JEANESVILLE.
who, in order to utilize their purchase, let it to William
Milnes, at a rental of twenty-five cents for every ton
of coal shipped. Mr. Milnes went to work energetically,
and soon had the colliery in operation; and in 1855
the owners were receiving of him for rent about $40,000
per annum. His lease lasted for twenty years ; and,
as nearly as can be estimated, not less than one and
a half million of tons were shipped by Milnes from
it, since which the property has passed into the hands
of the Spring Mountain Coal Company, by whom
probably not less than one million tons of coal have
been shipped from the same property, and there seems
to be no cessation or diminution of the supply. A
town of 1500 inhabitants has grown up on the property,
all of whom able to work, both men and boys, are em-
ployed by the company, to the number of from 450
to 500. There are three breakers, whose united capa-
city is 250,000 tons per annum.
The village is supplied with water by water-works
erected at the expense of the company. A machine-
shop and foundry is carried on in connection with the
works, employing about 40 men, and turning out an
amount of finished work of probably ;^ 100,000 per
annum, — that is, in work and material. This shop
consumes say 1000 tons of coal per annum, and about
400 tons of pig-iron, besides other material, and is in
the occupancy of S. Cornelison & Co.
There are Methodist and Congregational churches
here, besides a spacious public hall. One mile to the
west, the Beaver Brook Company have two slopes and
two breakers, with a capacity of about 2500 tons per
week.
AUDENRIED.— MILLER' S. i-i
AUDENRIED.
The works of the Honey Brook Coal Company are
located here. They consist of three slopes and three
breakers (which latter are said to be the largest and
best-constructed in the Beaver Meadow Region) having
a capacity of 3000 tons per day, and giving employ-
ment to about 750 men and boys.
There are churches belonging to the Welsh Congre-
gationalists and Baptists, the Presbyterians, and the
Methodists, as also a large public hall. Population,
1500. About three-quarters of a mile to the east, at
Tresckow, the South Spring Mountain Company have
two slopes and one breaker, with a capacity of 500 tons
per day, and employing 500 men and boys.
At Yorktown, immediately adjoining Audenried, the
Spring Brook Coal Company have two slopes and two
breakers, with a capacity of 800 tons per day, and em-
ploying 420 men and boys.
HAZLETON DIVISION.
For Penn Haven, Black Creek Junction, Weath-
ERLY, and Hazle Creek Bridge, see Beaver Meadow
Division.
MILLER'S.
Near by are several saw-mills in operation, and some
abandoned powder-mills.
132 L UMBER- YARD.— TUNNEL.— E CKLE Y.
LUMBER-YARD.
The point at which this division diverges to Jeddo
and Eckley.
TUNNEL.
So named from the tunnel (1017 feet long) con-
structed at this point through Council Ridge, which
divides the Hazleton and Black Creek Coal Basins.
Formerly the ridge was crossed by a zigzag track over
its summit.
ECKLEY.
The site of this village (formerly called Fillmore)
was, in 1854, a perfect wilderness. At that time
Sharpe, Leisenring & Co. commenced explorations
on the tract to ascertain the thickness and extent
of the coal-veins. They were soon well satisfied of
their value, and, as the first step towards making a
settlement, built a saw-mill, for the conversion of the
forests into dwellings. Since then the town has
steadily grown and improved, until now it has a popu-
lation of about I2CO. The Episcopalians, Presbyte-
rians, and Roman Catholics each have a neat church
building.
The general arrangement of the place is noteworthy.
No mining town in the State has anything more com-
plete. The houses are located in four graded sections,
the cottages of the proprietors being in one, those of
ECKLEY. 133
the boss laborers and contractors in another, those of
the miners in a third, those of the laborers and slate-
pickers in a fourth. The houses are neat-looking and
comfortable, and have ample garden-room in their rear.
A short distance out of town, water-works have been
erected to supply the village and feed the boilers. A
saw-mill also is still in operation. The collieries here,
belonging to Sharpe, Weiss & Co., and operated by
them upon a lease now about expiring, are known by
the name of Council Ridge, so called from a moun-
tain near by, whereon was held the Indian council of
war which immediately preceded the massacre in the
Wyoming Valley, an account of which will be found
on pp. 91-3. The locating of the openings was done
principally under the direction of Mr. Asa L. Foster,
one of the most honored pioneers of this region (now
deceased), whose judgment in such matters was always
greatly valued. The works consist of three slopes and
two breakers, the combined capacity of which is about
150,000 tons per annum. The number of hands em-
ployed is about 200 men and boys. The population
of the town is 900.
Eckley is situated at one of the highest points in
Northern Pennsylvania, on the dividing line for the
waters flowing on the east to the Lehigh and on the
west to the Susquehanna. Some of the views in the
neighborhood are especially extensive and picturesque.
To the northwest of the town, on the summit of Buck
Mountain, the Conyngham and Butler Valleys lie
stretched out before the eye in landscapes of rich
variety. Of a clear day the Susquehanna Valley is
easily seen through the opening made by the Nescopec
12
1 34 FO UNDR Y.—JEDD O.
Notch. To the northeast a beautiful view is had of
the upper portion of the Lehigh Valley and the Pocono
Mountain, with the end of Buck and Green Mountains
in the vicinity of White Haven.
FOUNDRY.
There is located here a foundry, whose principal
work is connected with repairs to the mines in the
vicinity.
JED DO.
This town derives its name from the interest taken at
the time in Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan.
In 1850 Coffin & Yost erected a saw-mill and manu-
factured a large quantity of white pine lumber.
In the winter of 1858 a charter was obtained for the
Union Improvement Company, covering the whole of
the original tract now owned chiefly by A. S. and E.
Roberts. Wm. Lilly and G. B. Markle leased the
land in 1859 (A. Pardee & Co. being interested with
them), and immediately commenced the mining of
coal, shipping during the first year 50,000 tons. Since
then, their operations have been largely increased, there
being now three slopes and three breakers, with a com-
bined capacity of 1000 tons per day, employing about
350 men and boys. The veins worked here are the
Mammoth and the Buck Mountain. A steam saw-
mill is also located here. Population, 750.
Jeddo is the passenger station for several important
EBER VALE.
135
towns in the neighborhood, to which the raih-oad is
extended by branches for the transportation of coal.
Among these may be mentioned —
Drifton, where there are three drifts, in which the
coal is still worked above the water-level. Here there
is a large and very complete breaker, with a capacity
of 150,000 tons per annum. This, with several other
collieries in the neighborhood, is owned by Judge Chas.
S. Coxe, of Philadelphia.
Woodside, where there is one breaker, with a capacity
of 50,000 tons per annum, employing 50 men and boys.
Highland, where there is, in addition to a steam
saw-mill, one slope, .with a capacity of 75,000 tons per
annum, employing about 100 men and boys.
On the Lehigh Luzerne Branch there are, besides
Ebervale, —
Harleigh, where there are two breakers, with a ca-
pacity of 150,000 tons per annum, employing 150 men
and boys ;
Lattimer, where there are two breakers, with a
capacity of 200,000 tons per annum, employing 250
men and boys ; and
Milnesville, where there is one breaker, with a
capacity of 75,000 tons, employing 100 men and boys.
EBERVALE.
In addition to a saw-mill located here, there is a
colliery with three slopes and two breakers, having a
capacity of 250,000 tons per annum, and employing
250 men and boys.
136
STOCKTON.— HAZLETON.
STOCKTON.
This town is named in honor of Commodore Robert
F. Stockton, whose liberal aid in the development of
this region has already been mentioned. The East
Sugarloaf Coal Mines situated here (owned now by
Linderman, Skeer & Co.) were opened in 1850, and
are worked by four slopes. Their united capacity is
about 350,000 tons per annum, and they employ 500
hands. The improvements in the village are upon
an unusually extensive scale, evidenced in the perma-
nency and- adaptability of-^the machinery and fixtures
connected with the establishment.
In December, 1870, through a falling in of an aban-
doned working, two blocks of houses, with their in-
mates, were wholly engulfed. Seven lives were lost by
this catastrophe. Five of the bodies still remain buried
there, all efforts to recover them proving ineffectual.
Population, iioo. The only church in the town is
that which belongs to the Methodists.
HAZLETON.
This is one of the handsomest and most enterprising
towns in the coal region. It is situated on what is
known as the dividing ridge of the Lehigh and Susque-
hanna Rivers, the waters in the western part of the town
running into the Susquehanna, while those in the eastern
part flow into the Lehigh. Its name is derived from
Hazle Creek, at the head of which it is located, and
HAZLETON.
^37
which is doubtless so called from a kind of hazel-
bush which grows abundantly along its banks. It is
situated eighteen hundred feet above tide-water, and
about twelve hundred feet above the Susquehanna at
Berwick, and is one of the highest inhabited portions
of Northern Pennsylvania. It was settled in 1836,
and incorporated in 1857. Its growth has been steady
and rapid, the number of inhabitants being at present
about 5000, in addition to which there is a large popula-
tion in the numerous other towns lying in close prox-
imity. The principal street is one hundred feet in
width and a mile in length, lined on either side with
good and substantial buildings. The handsome resi-
dence and grounds of Ario Pardee (to whom this
whole region is so largely indebted for its present state
of wonderful prosperity) occupy a prominent position.
Hazleton has become quite a place of summer resort,
the healthfulness of the locality and the delightful
coolness of the atmosphere attracting many of the
inhabitants of our seaboard cities. The town is well
supplied, from works owned by the railroad company,
with pure spring-water from an adjoining hill. A gas
company has recently been organized, and has com-
menced operations.
There are church buildings owned by the Roman
Catholics, the Presbyterians, the Episcopalians, the
Methodists, the Albright Methodists, the Lutherans, the
Dutch Reformed, and the German Reformed. There
are published here one daily and two weekly news-
papers. The town-hall is a large and imposing build-
ing, with fine store-rooms underneath and lodge-rooms
above. Besides the extensive shops belonging to the
12*
138 HAZLETON.
railroad company, there are planing-mills, chair-factory,
foundry and machine-shop, carriage-factory, etc. There
are two savings-banks, having discounting privileges,
with a combined capital of $250,000.
The following are the dimensions of the railroad
company's shops:
■ *
Machine-shop . . . 450 by 50 feet.
Foundry .... 104 by 56 "
Car-wheel-shop. . . 80 by 36 " with a wing 36 ft. square.
Boiler-shop . . . 102 by 52 "
Forge or steam-hammer-shop 50 by 50 "
Blacksmith-shop . . 80 by 40 " with awing 75 by 35 feet.
Car-shop . . . . 95 by 50 " with a wing 95 by 63 feet.
The round-house is a semicircle, having twenty-one
stables and a fifty-two feet turn-table. Besides the gen-
eral work of manufacture and repair for the Company,
these shops are largely engaged in making stationary
engines, pumps, breakers, etc. for the surrounding
collieries. All the locomotives running on this division
of the road were also made here, and bear ample testi-
mony to the excellent workmanship employed in their
construction.
At these works there were used during the year 1872, of —
Pig-iron ....... 2001 tons.
Bar-iron ...... 344,722 pounds.
Boiler-iron ...... 191,009 "
Russia sheet-iron S276 "
Pig-lead ...... 6952 "
Pig-tin 3123
Ingot-copper . . . . . . 17,675 "
Nails and spikes ..... 16,900 "
Rivets ....... 21,170 "
Screen-iron 163,896 "
Tank-iron 25,707 "
Steel-plate 21,295 "
HAZLETON. 139
Sheet-brass . • 910 pounds.
Coa'i ....... 2,690 tons.
Lard-oil 1,410 gallons.
Machine-oil ...... 3,330 "
The total value of material used was 1235,441.68,
and the amount of wages paid was ^172,916. In addi-
tion to that done for the Company, work was also done
here for other parties to the amount of ^122,000. The
number of men employed was 272. During the year
seven locomotives were built and twenty-six repaired.
In and immediately around Hazleton there are seven
collieries, operated by A. Pardee & Co., numbering
eight slopes and seven breakers, the united capacity of
which is 16,000 tons per week. In them there are
employed 1200 men and boys. Near the Company's
shops is said to be the deepest mine in the United
States. It is 970 feet perpendicular, and 600 yards on
the slope.
Three miles and a half to the west of the borough is
the Mount Pleasant Colliery, consisting of one slope
and one breaker, the capacity of which is 1600 tons
per week, employing 100 men and boys.
A mile farther is the Humboldt Colliery, consisting
of one slope and one breaker, with a capacity of 2000
tons per week, and employing 120 men and boys.
The first shipment of coal from this neighborhood
was in 1838, by the Hazleton and Laurel Hill Com-
panies, Now the weekly shipment by the Hazleton
Division proper amounts to 60,000 tons per week. The
veins mostly worked are the Big (white ash) and the
Buck Mountain (red ash), with other smaller veins
intervening. The Big Vein is about thirty-three feet
1 40 CRANBERR Y.—CONYNGHAM.— TOMHICKEN.
between the rocks, and the Buck Mountain about fifteen
feet.
By the recent construction of the Danville, Hazleton,
and WiJkes-Barre Railroad, direct communication is had
with Danville, Sunbury, and intermediate points.
CRANBERRY.
The location of one of the collieries operated by A.
Pardee & Co., included in the statement of their capa-
city, etc., under the head of Hazleton.
CONYNGH AM.
Situated at the top of the mountain overlooking the
Conyngham Valley, which is one of the most beautiful
valleys in the State.
TOMHICKEN.
The junction of the Hazleton Division with the
Danville, Hazleton, and Wilkes-Barre Railroad.
HARIT S.— SWITCH BACK.' 141
MAHANOY DIVISION.
HARTZ'S.
A former stopping-place (named after Col. Jacob
Hartz, an old and prominent settler of this region) on
the turnpike from Wilkes-Barre to Mauch Chunk. It
contains a foundry for mine-pipes, a grist-mill, and
saw-mill. Considerable prop-timber is obtained here.
GERHARD'S.
There are located here a saw-mill and grist-mills. It
is also a shipping-place for lumber.
. STEWART'S.
A stopping-place on the wagon-road from Tamaqua
to Beaver Meadow. Depot for timber and farmers'
supplies.
SWITCH BACK.
So called from a plane which formerly existed here
a short distance up the gorge, connecting with the
Catawissa Railroad, extending by a switch-back from
the foot of the plane to what is now Quakake Junc-
tion. At this point the railroad crosses the Little
Schuylkill with an embankment, handsomely arched,
142 QUAKAKE JUNCTION.—DELANO.
eighty-five feet high, the masonry of which is especially
fine. Several powder-mills are situated in the imme-
diate neighborhood.
QUAKAKE JUNCTION.
At this point the Mahanoy Division of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad connects with the Catawissa and Wil-
liamsport Division of the Philadelphia and Reading
Railroad, and passengers going north change cars for
Catawissa, Rupert, Bloomsburg, Danville, Muncy, Wil-
liamsport, etc. The ascent over the mountain (a spur
of the Broad Mountain) is on a grade of seventy-six
feet, and affords to the lover of beautiful scenery a
landscape rarely equaled in Pennsylvania. It is only
less extensive than that furnished near Wilkes-Barre, of
the Wyoming Valley, with which, in its several charm-
ing outlines, it is often compared. The rapid transit
of the cars gives us too short a glimpse of a panorama
which will well repay a more careful study, whereby its
many points of interest can be more leisurely enjoyed.
DELANO.
Here are located extensive and substantial shops be-
longing to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and
residences of firemen, brakesmen, and others employed
in their service. The town was settled in 1864, and
was named after Warren Delano, the President of the
New Boston Coal Company, whose mines are in the
neighborhood.
DELANO.
143
The dimensions of the several shops are as follows :
Machine-shop
Smith-shop
Boiler-shop
Carpenter-shop
Tin-shop
Tool-shop
100 by 140 feet.
54 by 80 "
35 by 70 "
25 by 130 "
24 by 30 "
20 by 20 "
The number of men employed in these various de-
partments is 130. During the year 1872, there were
used of material as follows :
Cast-iron
Wrought-iron
Sheet-iron
Spring steel .
Copper .
Babbitt-metal
280,000
pounds.
80,000
75,000
20,000
3,000
1,000
The chief item of work done here is the building,
rebuilding, and repairing of locomotives. During the
past year two engines were rebuilt, and sixty-seven old
ones repaired. They are fully equal to any employed
on the road. Total cost of material used, ^30,000;
total cost of labor, ^65,000. Total mileage, 1,568,864.
Number of gallons of oil used, 10,000; of pounds of
waste, 25,000.
The engine-house is 64 by 250 feet, and has accom-
modations for sixteen engines.
About a mile to the west of the town is situated the
Pine Creek Colliery, employing 40 men and boys, and
having a capacity of 150 tons per day.
144
MAHANOY CITY.
MAHANOY CITY.
The records of the spot upon which the town is
situated can be traced as far back as January 31st, 1789,
at which time Christian Barrenstein made an applica-
tion for fifty acres of land, upon which a warrant was
issued from John Lukens, Surveyor- General, the terri-
tory being at that time comprised within Berks County.
Then followed the Kunkle survey in 1792, that of the
Delano Land Company in 1793, and that of the Kear
and Patterson estate in 1794. Others followed imme-
diately after, so that but little land was left in the hands
of the Commonwealth in this vicinity at the beginning
of the present century.
The first settlement was made between the years
1800 and 1810, and consisted in part of a saw-mill and
dam, of which traces were visible east of Fifth Street in
the early days of the town. In 1810, Peter Knalb
erected a tavern near the site of the present hay-scales,
which appears to be the first house of which anything
positive is remembered. Between 1810 and 1820 sev-
eral dwellings were erected on the McNeal tract, and
afterwards on the North Mahanoy. For a number of
years the principal business was that of lumbering and
shingle-making, which was carried on to a considerable
extent. In 1858 the town was first laid out (its Indian
name being derived from the creek running through it),
there being at that time but one house within its pro-
posed limits. It was incorporated in 1864. Its growth
until 1861 was steady but slow; but from 1862 to 1866
the progress was remarkably rapid, buildings arising as
MAHANOY CITY.
145
if by magic. Since then the town has continued to
grow and improve, and the spirit of enterprise bids
fair to outlast many older settlements. Its present
population is about 6000, in addition to which there
are several thousands of inhabitants living in the
numerous smaller towns in the neighborhood. The
discovery and development of the coal-fields imme-
diately surrounding the town have, of course, been the
chief means of accelerating its prosperity. At the
present time there are within its limits, and near by,
twenty collieries, each having on an average a capacity
of 250 tons per day, and employing 200 men and boys.
The capital invested in them will amount to at least
$1,500,000.
Among the manufacturing establishments in the
borough are an iron-foundry, a pottery, a screen fac-
tory, a boiler-factory, and a steam-flouring mill. There
is a national bank, with a capital of ^100,000, and a
savings-bank, with an authorized capital of ^150,000.
Two weekly newspapers are published here. The town
is well supplied ^ ith v ater, and steps have lately been
taken to improve the streets and light them. The main
street is a fine avenue, eighty feet wide and a mile in
length. There are church buildings belonging to the
following denominations : Presbyterian, Reformed,
Methodist Episcopal, Primitive Methodist, Evangelical
Methodist, Protestant Episcopal, Welsh Congrega-
tional, Roman Catholic (Irish and German), Baptist
(Welsh and English), and Lutheran (German and
English).
G 13
146 MYERSVILLE,— SHENANDOAH,
MYERSVILLE.
Junction of the branch road from Mahanoy City.
The Hoffman Colliery is situated here, having one
breaker, with a capacity of 200 tons per day.
YATESVILLE.
Contains the McNeal Coal Company's Collieries,
comprising two breakers with a combined capacity
of 1200 tons per day, employing 450 men and boys,
with a capital of ^500,000. The Knickerbocker An-
thracite Coal Company also has a breaker here, with a
capacity of 500 tons per day, giving employment to
-220 men and boys. Population, including Barry's,
1000.
SHENANDOAH.
This flourishing borough is a fair example of the
rapidity with which many of the towns in this region
have grown. In 1863, the spot which it at present
occupies was a comparative wilderness, the only sign
of civilization being a solitary old house, with an acre
or two of cleared ground. It was incorporated in
1866, and its population now is nearly 5000. It de-
rives its name from the Shenandoah Creek, which
passes through it. The trade of the Catawissa Valley,
a fine agricultural district, mainly centres here, and is
of growing importance. The main support of the
SHE N AND OAH. 147
place, however, is the coal trade, and in that interest
its prospects are thought to be second to no other town
in Schuylkill County, some of the finest veins ever
worked being found here. The Shenandoah coal-basin
is about four miles in length by one mile in width, and
the number of active operations within its limits is
about twelve, several of which are of very recent date.
The following is a summary of the number of tons
shipped during the year 1872, showing a large increase
over that of former years.
Colorado Colliery ...... 127,250
Plank Ridge Colliery ...... 133,103
Shenandoah Colliery 44.5 n
Keely Run Colliery 106,919
Shenandoah City Colliery , . . . . 73,718
William Penn Colliery ..... 89,300
Indian Ridge Colliery ...... 81,915
Turkey Run Colliery 77.469
West Shenandoah Colliery ..... 8,726
Kohinoor Colliery ...... 104,743
Girardville (2d col.) 103,760
Lehigh Colliery ....... S5.5oo
Total 1,006,914
Besides the usual number of stores and hotels, there
are two banks, with a combined capital of ^150,000,
a weekly newspaper, a foundry, and a machine-shop.
Of churches, there are the Roman Catholic (Irish
and German), Methodist, Presbyterian, German Lu-
theran, Welsh Congregational, Welsh Presbyterian,
and Welsh Baptist. The Episcopalians and the
Primitive and German (Albright) Methodists also
hold service on stated occasions, but are as yet
without buildings of their own. A handsome and
1 48 /^A VEN R UN,~ CENTRA LI A.
commodious public school-house is under contract, and
will cost, it is thought, from $15,000 to $20,000. Per-
mission has been obtained from the Legislature to bor-
row $25,000 for improvement of the streets, etc., and
the authorities expect shortly to put the work through.
RAVEN RUN.
Here are situated the Girard Mammoth Colliery,
with a capacity of 600 tons per day, and employing
210 men and boys, and the Cuyler Colliery, employing
160 men and boys, with a capacity of 400 tons per day.
Both were started in October, 1866.
From this point a branch road runs to Montana (a
thriving town on the turnpike to Pottsville), where the
Reno Colliery is located, which has a capacity of 700
tons per day.
Raven Run is also the outlet chosen for the New
York and Middle Coal Field Railroad Company, whose
road, partially built in the most costly and approved
manner about twenty years ago, was subsequently aban-
doned. A fine view may be obtained here of Mount
Carmel and the vicinity. Population, about 600.
CENTRALIA.
This town was settled about 1853, and incorporated
in 1866, and contains a population of over 2000.
The Presbyterians, the Roman Catholics, the Meth-
odists, and the Episcopalians, each have a church
MOUNT CARMEL. 149
building of their own, and a Welsh service is also held.
The collieries of Messrs. Robert Gorrelle & Co., Nor-
ton, Audenried & Co., and Ryan & Co., situated here,
have a combined capacity of about 400,000 tons per
annum.
MOUNT CARMEL.
This is the terminus of the Mahanoy Branch of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad, which connects at this point
with the Shamokin Branch of the Northern Central
Railway.
It was settled in 1853, incorporated in 1862, and
contains about 2000 inhabitants. There are in the
neighborhood six collieries, whose united capacity is
about 600,000 tons per annum. There are also located
here a machine-shop, foundry, and shovel-factory.
There are church buildings owned by the Lutherans,
Methodists, and Roman Catholics. Services are also
held by the Episcopalians, Baptists, and United Breth-
ren of Christ.
13*
APPENDIX A.
COAL.
A FEW Statistics of the anthracite coal trade are sub-
joined, as giving the reader a general idea of the
enormous proportions to which it has grown. The)^
are copied from the Miners' 'yournal Register iox 1873.
The following gives the number of collieries, etc. in
the different regions :
No. of
No. of
No. of
No. of
Collieries.
Shafts.
Slopes.
Drifts, etc
Schuylkill County . .
. 164
13
141
102
Northumberland County
33
18
52
Columbia County . .
8
7
4
Dauphin County . .
4
4
Luzerne East . . .
. 80
46
21
68
Luzerne West . . .
. 102
31
43
42
Lehigh Region . . .
. 46
I
59
12
437
91
293
280
The following is the quantity mined in 1872 :
Sent to Market. Home Consumption. Total
Official.
Estimated.
Production.
Schuylkill and Columbia
Counties ....
4.455.813
900,000
S.355.813
Northumberland County
1,221,327
170,000
1,391,327
Lehigh Region . .
3,610,374
500,000
4,110,374
Wyoming Region . .
9,191,171
1,500,000
10,691,171
Lyken's Valley . . .
450.328
18,929,013
40,000
490,328
3,110,000
22,039,013
(151)
152
APPENDIX.
The quantity of coal mined in Great Britain during
1872 was 120,000,000 tons, of which there were ex-
ported 13,211,961 tons.
The casualties in 1872 were as follows:
Killed.
Injured
Schuylkill County
65
216
Northumberland County
10
26
Columbia County
7
10
Dauphin County
8
13
Lehigh Region .
25
38
Wyoming Region
107
308
222
611
APPENDIX B.
IRON.
It is not positively known when or where iron was
first made in the United States, but the attention of the
first settlers of the British Colonies was very early
directed (no doubt by the previous knowledge of the
Indians) to the iron ore with which the country
abounds, and in various sections furnaces wer& soon
erected for its conversion into metal. Perhaps the
first production from native ore in Pennsylvania was at
the Coventry Forge, in Chester County, in 1720.
It was not until after the discovery of the use of
anthracite coal in furnaces, that the foundations of the
immense establishments were laid which have given to
this trade its present importance. Prior to this time
the ore was converted into metal by the use of bitu-
IRON.
153
minous coal, charcoal, and coke. This process was far
less economical than was desirable, and therefore when
the value of anthracite for ordinary purposes of fuel
was fairly tested, its adaptation to smelting uses was
tried, and, after a series of reverses and a period of
general incredulity, gladly hailed as a great saving in
both metal and fuel. This success added largely not
only to the prosperity of the iron trade, but of the
coal trade also.
Up to about 1833 the cold blast was exclusively era-
ployed in the furnaces. At that time the Rev. Frederic
W. Geisenhainer, of Schuylkill County, after various
experiments in the treatment of anthracite with the hot
blast, obtained a patent for the same, and in 1835 he
made iron by this process in a small stack near Potts-
ville.
The Lehigh Valley has now become the largest pro-
ducing region in the country, having at the present
time more than forty furnaces in operation, with an
annual capacity of over 400,000 tons. Quite a con-
trast to this is afforded in the list of articles transported
by the Lehigh Canal in 1836, when there were carried
of iron only 1197 tons, while of whisky there were
641 tons ! The quantity of pig-metal manufactured in
the United States during 1872 is estimated as follows:
Anthracite 1,137,010 tons.
Raw coal and coke 742,500 "
Charcoal 498.50° "
2,378,010
In 1810 it is computed that there were 30,000 tons
produced.
G
*
154
APPENDIX.
The product of the English furnaces during the year
1872 is estimated to have been 7,000,000 tons.
Touching the question of who first used anthracite
coal in the manufacture of iron, the following docu-
ments are submitted. Reference has already been
made to this subject under the head of Mauch Chunk,
where it is stated upon good authority that an attempt
in this direction prior to the dates below mentioned
was made at Mauch Chunk by members of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company.
The first letter, originally published in the American
Manufacturer, is as follows :
" Catasauqua, Pa., Feb. 23d, 1872.
^'B. F. H. Lynn, Esq.:
^ ''Dear Sir, — The question of who was the first per-
son to use anthracite coal for smelting iron, is difficult
to answer ; but I will give you a few facts, from which
you can draw your own conclusions.
*'In the year 1825, while manager of the Yniscedwin
Works, South Wales (where I was from 181 7 to 1839),
I built a blast furnace of 9 feet bosh and 30 feet
high to make experiments with anthracite coal, which
abounded in that neighboroood, while we brought coke
14 miles by canal to smelt ore with. This furnace was
blown in with coke in 1826, and the anthracite intro-
duced first one-sixteenth part of the fuel and gradually
advanced to one-half, when we had to stop and blow
out. It was a failure.
''In 1832, the same furnace was altered to 45 feet high
and II feet bosh, and the same experiment tried, with
the same result.
IRON. ,55
"In 1836, hot-blast ovens were built to this furnace,
according to Mr. Neilson's patent for hot blast, of
Glasgow, Scotland, and on the 5th of February, 1837,
anthracite iron was made, and quite successfully, and
in that I claim to have been the first person to obtain
successful results, — at least as far as I know or ever
heard of.
''By an agreement in writing, made with the Lehigh
Coal & Navigation Company (which agreement I still
have in my possession), I came to this country in the
spring of 1839, at which time I found a small furnace
at South Easton, worked by a Mr. Van Buren, who was
endeavoring to make iron with anthracite coal. It was
run some ten days or two weeks, when it chilled, and
proved a failure, both financially and as a furnace.
There was another at Mauch Chunk, owned by three
or four men, — a Mr. Bauhm, a Mr. Gitto, and a Mr.
Lathrop (the latter I think still being at Trenton,
N. J.). This furnace was chilled up in about one week
after bio wing-in.
"At the same time there was another building at
Pottsville, by Mr. Lyman. I received a communica-
tion from this gentleman by the hand of the President
of the Lehigh Crane Iron Company, for whom I was
building the first furnace at this place. This letter
urged me to come to Pottsville. I visited him in Au-
gust, 1839, and furnished him with plans of in-wall,
bosh, hearth, etc., and continued to visit him about
once a month until the furnace was completed, which
was in January, 1840. Then I was so engaged here that
I could not remain with him long enough to put it in
blast. He accordingly obtained the services of Mr. B.
156 APPENDIX.
Perry, who blew it in, as founder. Tliey made iron
for some weeks, — I am not able to say how many, — but,
the machinery not being strong, they broke down, and
I believe the furnace chilled up, though I will not be
positive on this point, as it might have been blown out.
" On the 4th of July, 1840, I made the first iron on
this plan in our first furnace here, and kept it running
month after month and year after year. In 1841, I
built the second, in 1846, the third, in 1849, ^^"^^ fourth
and fifth, and in i860, the sixth, and there are now
in this Valley 46 anthracite furnaces, producing over
400,000 tons of pig-iron annually.
^' I am sorry I have to write this so long, but could not
well make it intelligible if shorter. When next I see
you I will take pleasure in telling you of scores of ex-
periments made with anthracite coal. I have been in
the blast-furnace business sixty years the 12th of April
next, and forty-five to fifty of these years I have been
experimenting with anthracite. I care very little about
the glory, — who was, or who is the successful candidate,
— as men's praises are like shadows.
"You may use this, as I fear no contradiction. I have
written nothing but plain facts, but not one-tenth of
what might be said did necessity call for it.
"I should be glad to hear from you.
"Yours very truly,
_ "David Thomas.
"P.S. — Mr. Richards did not buy the Mauch Chunk
Furnace until 1842 or 1843, ^^^ ^^^ used charcoal in it."
We give below a letter from Mr. James Pott, of Har-
risburg, to the editor of the Coal and Iron Record :
IRON,
^57
*'In No. I of vol. i. of your journal, you give a
sketch of David Thomas, in the course of which you
say, ' He was the first man to demonstrate the prac-
ticability of using anthracite in smelting iron ores.
.... And of all this magnificent industry, the fur-
nace started by Mr. Thomas, at Pottsville, less than
thirty years ago, has been the pioneer.'
*' My object in addressing you ds, not to detract from
the credit due Mr. Thomas for the perfection to which
he has carried this business, but to correct what 1 be-
lieve to be an error. My father, John Pott, used an-
thracite coal to smelt iron ore in his furnace (Manheim
Iron Works), on the West Branch of the Schuylkill, as
early as 1836-7: first in connection with charcoal,
then with wood cut short, like stove-wood, and finally,
by making some change in the interior of the furnace,
with anthracite alone, — a hot blast having already been
attached.
''These experiments, running through several years,
demonstrated to his entire satisfaction the practica-
bility of using anthracite in reducing iron ore ; but
about 1838-39 the works stood idle for a year or more,
when, in the year 1840, he made preparation to en-
large the furnace and to construct it on different prin-
ciples, which its former size would not admit of. In
the early spring of 1841, and before the work was com-
pleted, came a terrible ice-freshet, which swept away
everything, tearing up the very foundations of forge
and furnace ; and this was the end of the ' Manheim
Iron Works.' A few years later my father sold the
property, and in 1844 removed to Bedford (now Ful-
ton) County, Pa., where, for several years, he con-
14
158 APPENDIX.
ducted the 'Hanover Iron Works.' The paralyzation
of this industry, following the adoption of the tariff
of 1846, compelled him to abandon the business in
1847, '^i^d thenceforth he devoted himself to agricul-
ture and milling until he died, in November, 1856.
''From early life, my father had been engaged in
the manufacture of iron, and so also was his father
(John Pott), who, in 1807, built ' Greenwood Furnace'
on the 'Island,' where Atkins' extensive furnaces, at
Pottsville, now are.
" Mr. Thomas is a public benefactor, and deserves
great credit for his energy and enterprise in carrying
forward this business to such perfection and success;
but I feel that it is but just to correct what I believe to
be an error, and to claim for John Pott the credit of
having first successfully demonstrated the ' practica-
bility of using anthracite in smelting iron ores,' and
for little ' Manheim Furnace ' the distinction of having
been the ' pioneer ' in what has since grown into such
wondrous proportions under the skill and tact of Mr.
Thomas.
"I remember well hearing my father often remark
that he was the first to use and demonstrate the adapt-
ability of anthracite to blast-furnaces, and that others
— the name of Mr. Thomas being mentioned in his
observations — had carried it forward to perfect success.
"At the time of the destruction of the works, the
supply of anthracite for the reconstructed furnace had
been contracted for, and a large quantity had already
been delivered on the furnace 'bank,' — a pile so large
as to seem to my youthful eyes like a mountain of coal.
"You will not blame me, sir, for being a little sensi-
IRON. 159
tive on this subject. I have not at hand my father's
books, from which to obtain data, and am writing from
memory, making the 'Hard-Cider' campaign in 1840
and the great freshet in 1841 the points from which I
calculate. If I am in error, I am willing to be cor-
rected."
The following was published in the Mauch Chunk
Democrat :
" Trenton, N. J., March 26th, 1872.
" Mr. Editor, — Some unknown person (a friend, I
suppose) has sent me an article of about half a column
in length, clipped from some newspaper, upon the
margin of which I find written in pencil the question :
* How about this ?'
*'The article begins thus: 'For some time past
there has been a discussion going on in regard to the
credit of making the first a^ithracite iron in the United
States, — Mr. David Thomas, of the Thomas Iron
Works, Mr. John Richards, deceased, once of the old
Mauch Chunk Furnace, and Mr. Lyman, of Pottsville,
each having their friends to advocate their separate
claims to the honor.'
" Next follows a letter from Mr. David Thomas, re-
lating his experience and knowledge of the matter in
question, in the course of which he makes the follow-
ing statement : ' There was another [furnace] at Mauch
Chunk, owned by three or four men, — a Mr. Bauhm,
a Mr. Gitto. and a Mr. Lathrop (the latter, I think, is
still living at Trenton, N. J.). This furnace was
chilled up in about one week after blowing-in.'
*'Mr. Thomas's memory must certainly have failed
him, or he was misinformed in regard to the Mauch
l6o APPENDIX.
Chunk Furnace, as will appear evident from the follow-
ing extracts from —
'" Notes on the Use of Anthracite in the Manufacture
of Iron; with some Remarks on its Evaporative Power.
By Walter R. Johnson, A.M., Boston, 1841.'
'^'The furnace at Mauch Chunk, which stands at
the head of the preceding table, is believed to have
been the first in this country at which any considerable
success was attained in the smelting of iron with an-
thracite.* Their ore produced was of various, but mostly
inferior, qualities, owing probably to deficiency of blast.
The blowing cylinders were of wood (single acting), and
at the speed employed did not furnish over 700 cubic
feet of air per minute.
*' 'Their apparatus for hot blast was at first defective,
and was afterwards placed at the tunnel-head, where it
could be seen as well regulated as though managed in
separate ovens, with an independent fire. Hence, even
of the limited supply of air taken into the bellows, a
considerable portion must have been lost by leakage,
and by escapes at the open tuyeres there applied.'
" ' Beaver Meadow, Pa., November 9th, 1840.
" ' Sir, — x'Vgreeably to a request of Col. Henry High,
of Reading, I send you the following hastily-written
statement of the experiments made by Baughman,
Guiteau & Co., in the smelting of iron ore with an-
thracite coal as a fuel.
" ' During the fall and winter of the year 1837, Messrs.
Joseph Baughman, Julius Guiteau, and Henry High, of
"'■■'Beaver Meadow (Pa.) coal.
IROmW. i6i
Reading, made their first experiment in smelting iron ore
with anthracite coal, in an old furnace at Mauch Chunk,
temporarily fitted up for the purpose.
"'They used about 80 per cent, of anthracite, and
the result was such as to surprise those who witnessed
it (for it was considered an impossibility even by iron-
masters), and to encourage the persons engaged in it
to go on. In order, therefore, to test the matter more
thoroughly, they built a furnace on a small scale near
Mauch Chunk Weigh Lock, which was completed during
the month of July, 1838. Dimensions: Stack 21}^
feet high, 22 feet square at base, boshes 5^ feet across,
hearth 14 to 16 inches square, and 4 feet 9 inches from
the dam-stone to the back. The blowing apparatus
consisted of two cylinders, each 6 feet diameter ; a re-
ceiver, same diameter, and about 2^ feet deep; stroke
II inches. Each piston making from 12 to 15 strokes
per minute. An overshot water-wheel, diameter 14
feet, length of buckets 3^ feet ; number of buckets,
36; revolutions per minute, from 12 to 15.
" ^The blast was applied August 27th, and the furnace
kept in blast until September loth, when they were
obliged to stop in consequence of the apparatus for heat-
ing the blast proving to be too temporary. Several
tons of iron were produced of Nos. 2 and 3 quality.
I do not recollect the proportion of anthracite coal
used. Temperature of the blast did not exceed 200°
Fahrenheit.
" 'A new and good apparatus for heating the blast
was next procured (it was at this time I became a part-
ner in the firm of B. G. & Co.), consisting of 200 feet
in length of cast-iron pipes i^ inches; it was placed
14*
1 62 APPENDIX.
in a brick chamber, at the tunnel-head, and heated by
a flame issuing thence. The blast was again applied
about the last of November, 1838, and the furnace worked
remarkably well for five weeks, exclusively with anthra-
cite coal ; we were obliged, however, for want of ore,
to blow out on the 12th of January, 1839. During
this experiment, our doors were open to the public, and
we were watched very closely both day and night, for
men could hardly believe what they saw with their own
eyes, so incredulous was the public in regard to the
matter at this time; some iron-masters expressed them-
selves astonished that a furnace would work, whilst
using unburnt^ icnw ashed , frozen ore, such as was put
into our furnace.
'' ' The amount of iron produced was about i}^ tons
per day, when working best, of Nos. i, 2, and 3 qual-
ity. The average temperature of the blast was 400°
Fahrenheit.
" ' The following season we enlarged the hearth to 19
by 20 inches, and 5 feet 3 inches from the dam-stone
to the back of the hearth, and on July 26th the fur-
nace was again put in blast, and continued in blast
until November 2d, 1839, ^ ^^^ <^^ys after the dissolution
of our firm, when it was blown out in good order.
'' ' For about three months we used no other fuel than
anthracite, and produced about 100 tons of iron of
good Nos. I, 2, and 3 quality. When working best, the
furnace produced two tons a day.
" ^Temperature of the blast 400° to 600° Fahrenheit.
The following ores were used by us, viz.: " Pipe ore,"
from Miller's mines, a few miles from Allentown ;
"brown haematite," commonly called ^^ top mine,^^ or
IRON.
163
surface ore; '* rock ore" from Dickerson mine in New
Jersey ; and " Williams ToAvnship ore" in Northampton
County. The last-mentioned ore produced a very
strong iron and most beautiful cinder.
*' 'The above experiments were prosecuted under the
most discouraging circumstances, and if we gain any-
thing by it, it can only be the credit of acting the part
of pioneers in a praiseworthy undertaking.
'' 'Most respectfully, sir,
" 'Your obedient servant,
"'F. C. LOWTHROP.
"'Prof. Walter R. Johnson, Philadelphia.' "
" 'Correct copy from the book :
" 'John Wise,
"'Librarian Franklin Institute,
'"Philadelphia, Pa.'
"As an evidence of the reliability of the work from
which the above extracts were taken, I would remind
your readers that its author, in 1844, published, by
order of Congress, a ' Report on the Different Varie-
ties of Coal' in order to determine their evaporative
powers.
"Respectfully yoiirs,
" F. C. LOWTHROP."
Subsequently the following appeared in the Bethle-
hem Times :
"The following documents have been placed in our
hands for publication, and we hope that any persons
who may have facts or evidence of facts which will
throw light on the subject will forward them to us, that
1 64 APPENDIX
we may lay them before our readers. Some time since,
we published the following paragraph :
*' ' The first successful use of anthracite coal for the
smelting of iron was in 1839, at the Pioneer Furnace,
at Pottsville, Pa. It had been tried on the Lehigh in
1826, but was unsuccessful.'
*'To some extent to corroborate this statement, which
was called in question in private conversation by some
gentlemen, a friend handed us the following letter and
petition to the Legislature, with the request to publish
them, as throwing light on the subject. We are unable
to give the presentation of the petition to the Legisla-
ture. Does any one know when it was circulated or
signed ? There may have been debate in the Assembly
on the reference of the petition when presented, which
might contain interesting facts.
'•'■ ''To the Senate aiid House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania : The petition of the
subscribers respectfully sheweth. That the State of
Pennsylvania has been greatly benefited by the results
of the experiments lately so successfully made to manu-
facture iron with anthracite coal. They conceive that
these results are mainly to be attributed to the exertion
of William Lyman, of Schuylkill County, who, at his
own risk and expense, put into successful operation in
this country the first anthracite blast-furnace (on a
practical scale), the origin, therefore, of all others since
built and now projecting ; and they, therefore, pray
your honorable bodies that an act may be passed con-
ferring on him such privileges as in your wisdom may
be deemed expedient ; thereby encouraging useful en-
terprises in future, and affording some compensation
IRON. 165
i
for the heavy outlays always necessarily incident to the
commencement of every such undertaking.'
" ' POTTSVILLE, Oct. 14th, 1840.
''*This is to certify to all whom it may concern,
that all contracts or bargains for ore which may be
made by the bearer, Mr. Lance, will be confirmed by
Messrs. Marshall & Kellogg, proprietors of the anthra-
cite furnace at this place; and all ore purchased by
Mr. Lance will be paid for by city acceptance, as shall
be agreed on between the parties. — For Marshall &
Kello2f2f. Wm. Lyman.' "
'Ot>"
The following article is from the Pottsville Miners'
Journal :
"This subject has again been broached in a letter
wnich we published a few days ago from James Pott, in
which he stated that his father, John Pott, was the first
to make anthracite iron at his furnace in 1837-38,
located in the West Branch Valley. This we know is
correct as far as it goes ; but in the use of anthracite
coal alone he failed in making it in a merchantable
quantity, and ceased working until the trial was made at
the Pioneer Furnace on the Island in 1839. After the
success at the Pioneer Furnace, he did intend to re-
model his furnace to use anthracite coal exclusively;
but a freshet came and swept away his works, and he
moved to Bedford — now Fulton — County. Mr. Geisen-
heimer made a small quantity of anthracite iron at the
Valley Furnace, and took out a patent, but afterwards
abandoned it. Small quantities were made on the
Lehigh ; and we believe that the late Mr. Ridgway
t66 appendix.
succeeded in making a small quantity at the old Pott
Furnace near the Island. But, as they were all char-
coal furnaces, of course no quantity could be made.
Anthracite iron was also made in Wales. But these
experiments satisfied Burd Patterson, and other par-
ties deeply interested in coal and iron interests, that
iron could be made with anthracite coal ; and then
he and other parties commenced building the Pioneer
Furnace on the Island after the model of the furnace
in Wales, which Mr. David Thomas had seen, and
who superintended the building of this furnace. They
ran out of funds, and the late Nicholas Biddle and
others made up a fund of $5000 as a premium, which
they offered to any person who would make anthracite
iron for commercial use, and rmi the furnace for a
period of six months. Mr. William Lyman then took
the furnace, and completed it after the model of the
Wales furnace, which Mr. Thomas furnished. When
finished, the furnace was blown in by Mr. Benjamin
Perry ; and it was a success, and the furnace was kept
running for the period of six months. The premium,
after full investigation, was awarded to Mr. Lyman, at
the Mount Carbon House, in 1840, where a supper
was given, and it was at this supper that Nicholas
Biddle gave the following toast :
" ' Old Pennsylvania — her sons like her soil — rough
outside, but solid stuffed within ; plenty of coal to warm
her friends, and plenty of iron to cool her enemies.' -
*'The iron trade at that time was so much depressed
under the compromise tariff of 1833, reducing the du-
ties down to 20 per cent, in 1840, and the opposition
to the use of anthracite iron by the charcoal interests,
IRON.
167
that Mr. Lyman failed a short time after ; then Mr.
Marshall, now ol Shamokin, ran it afterwards, and he
met with the same fate. The furnace was afterwards
rim by other parties who had but little capital, and
they too failed, when it finally fell into the hands of
the Atkins Brothers, who took charge of it in 1857 or
1858, and they too became to some extent involved,
owing to the dull state of the iron trade under the free-
trade system; andif it had not been for the Rebellion
occurring in 1861-62, which put up the price of iron,
they might have met the same fate ; but they succeeded,
and added another furnace to the old Pioneer ; then
tore down and remodeled the Pioneer, and are now
erecting a third furnace on the Island on a larger scale
than the others. Of the three brothers, our citizen,
Mr. Chas. Atkins, is the only survivor. After the suc-
cess at the Pioneer, other parties, avoiding the defects
of the old Pioneer, erected other furnaces on the Le-
high and elsewhere, and anthracite iron was soon made
in large quantities, and in 1871, out of 1,914,000 tons
of iron produced in the United States, 957,608 tons, a
little more than one-half of the supply, was made with
anthracite coal. In 1861 the product was 409,229
tons, having more than doubled in ten years.
"These are the facts connected with the first manu-
facture of anthracite iron for commerce in the United
States ; and Mr. Lyman, who undertook the furnace,
Mr. David Thomas, who superintended its erection,
Mr. Benjamin Perry, who blew it in successfully, and
the gentlemen who offered the premium of $5000 for
its production in commercial quantities, are really en-
titled to the credit of establishing this branch of busi-
1 68 APPENDIX.
ness in this country; while the other gentlemen, who
had previously made small quantities before it was
made in England, are entitled to the credit of demon-
strating that it could be made with suitable fixtures;
but they all failed in making it in quantities for use."
The concluding letter was published in the Mauch
Chunk Democrat :
" Trenton, N. J., May 4th, 1872.
*'Mr. Editor:
'^Dear Sir, — In \.\\q Journal of March 30th last, you
published for me a communication containing some ex-
tracts from a work issued during the year 1841 by Prof.
Walter R. Johnson, of Philadelphia, entitled 'Notes
on the Use of Anthracite in the Manufacture of Iron ;
with some Remarks on its Evaporative Power.'
"My object in sending you that article was simply
to defend my former partners and myself from the
detractive remarks made in a letter written by David
Thomas, Esq., of Catasauqua, Fa.; he having stated
that our furnace at Mauch Chunk chilled up in about one
week after hlowing-in, whereas it, in fact, was not al-
lowed to chill up at any time.
" Since my communication was written, I have read
two or three articles from different papers asserting that
I was detracting from the credit due Mr. Thomas.
"I have no wish to claim any 'glory' rightfully
belonging to Mr. Thomas, or to others. I merely, in
defending the firm of B., G. & Co. from Mr. T.'s
unjust remark, quoted authentic history published more
than thirty years ago, and which has never been con-
tradicted.
"Some of the parties who have been writing in
IK ox.
169
behalf of Mr. Thomas, but who evidently know little
about the smelting of iron ore, speak rather contempt-
uously of us because we operated with a small furnace.
^' In a matter which at that time was looked upon,
even by iron-masters, with much uncertainty as to its
ultimate success, it would have been very unwise to go
to the expense of building a large furnace at a cost of
many thousands of dollars, when it was known that if
the thing could be accomplished with a small furnace,
it could be done much more easily, and far more profit-
ably, with a large one.
^' We did not enlarge our furnace, as one writer has
stated, but simply the hearth, and we blew it out be-
cause it was too small to work at profit; and, not having
funds with which to construct large works, we returned
the property on which the furnace was built to the
L. C. & N. Co., from whom it was leased, which was
the last we had to do with it.
'* A few years afterward I was introduced to a gentle-
man from Pottsville, who, upon being informed by our
friend that I had been connected with the Mauch Chunk
furnace, asked if I recollected a committee of the citi-
zens of Pottsville visiting us one night. I answered in
the affirmative, and asked him what conclusion they
arrived at. He replied, ' We watched you all night
long, and returned home with the full conclusion that
it was a perfect success.'
" Within the past week or two I have seen one or
two articles from the pen of Mr. James Pott, of Harris-
burg, who claims for his father, Mr. John Pott, the
credit of having been the first in this country to smelt
iron ore with anthracite. He dates his first success so
H 15
1 70 APPENDIX.
far back as 1836 and '37. A more unpresuming and
candid letter than that of Mr. Pott I have never read ;
and if we are to look outside of published history for the
one who was first successful, I should say that without a
doubt (so far as I can learn) Mr. John Pott, of the
Manheim furnace, was the man.
"Very respectfully yours,
"F. C. LOWTHROP."
We add an article from the Mauch Chunk Coal
Gazette of May 25th, 1872 :
"Mr. James Cornelison, formerly a blacksmith
residing here, was in town on Monday last, and was
'■ interviewed ' concerning his knowledge of the first
experiments in the manufacture of anthracite iron.
He was employed in the establishment of the Lehigh
Coal and Navigation Company, whose works were
upon the site of the present foundry of J. H. Salkeld
& Co., and distinctly remembers the building about
the year 1823 or 1824 of a stack some 15 or 20 feet
high, for the purpose of smelting the iron ore with
anthracite coal. This experiment was, at the time, so
far successful, that Mr. Cornelison states several 'pigs'
were actually made with cold-air blast. Messrs. Josiah
White and Erskine Hazard were concerned in the
building of the stack, in whose operations much in-
terest was taken. This statement, coming from a
gentleman in every way reliable, makes good the asser-
tion in Johnson's 'Notes on Anthracite Iron,' that
the first known experiment in this important direction
was made in Mauch Chunk."
IROiV, 171
APPENDIX C.
In this age of railroads, it seems almost incredible
that there should have been much difficulty in persuad-
ing the community of their feasibility and superiority;
and we are very apt to overlook the signal benefits con-
ferred upon mankind by those who had the faith and
courage to advocate them amid such general opposi-
tion. Among such benefactors in America, no one
deserves a higher rank than Colonel John Stevens, of
Hoboken, New Jersey, the father of two sons, Robert
L. and Edwin A., whose achievements in mechanics
and science were of a like eminent character.
In 181 2, Colonel Stevens published a pamphlet
(very rare now, even in its reprint of 1852), entitled,
" Documents tending to prove the Superior Advantages
of Railways and Steam Carriages over Canal Naviga-
tion." At that time, not a locomotive existed in the
world, and the only railroads were the few and short
tramways in use mostly at the coal mines in England. A
plan had been suggested of bringing the waters of Lake
Erie by a canal, on an inclhied plane of three hundred
miles in length, to communicate with the Hudson
River. This proposition, in those early days, was
looked upon as being very bold and grand. But
Stevens, in a communication addressed to the Com-
missioners appointed by the Legislature to explore the
route for this projected inland navigation, submitted a
scheme of what he deemed a better way of accomplish-
ing this same object.
**Let a railway of timber be formed," he writes,
J ^2 APPENDIX.
''by the nearest practicable route between Lake Erie
and Albany. The angle of elevation in no part to ex-
ceed one degree, or such an elevation, whatever it may
be, as will admit of wheel-carriages to remain station-
ary when no power is exerted to impel them forward.
This railway, throughout its course, to be supported on
pillars raised from three to five or six feet from the
surface of the ground. The carriage-wheels of cast-
iron, the rims flat, with projecting flanges to fit on the
surface of the railways. The moving-power to be a
steam-engine, nearly similar in construction to that on
board the Juliana, a ferry-boat plying between this city
and Hoboken."*
He proceeds to mention the advantages to result
from adopting his plan, arguing in its favor because of
its cheapness ; its saving of time in construction ; its
freedom from decay, from interruption in storms, and
from casualties ; its economy in the expense of trans-
portation. As to the speed that might be attained, he
estimates, "after every possible reduction for exagger-
ation," that it might reach foiLr miles an hour.
From the general incredulity at first manifested in the
likelihood of propelling boats by steam, he is prepared
for tardiness in accepting his theories concerning the
propulsion by steam of cars, although he urged that
there was no more difficulty in the one case than in the
other. After going into minute and scientific calcula-
* The y-uliana was built by Colonel Stevens in 1811, her engine
being of the model patented by himself. The steam was used expan-
sively, — cut off in the main valves. She was the first boat to navigate
the Sound, as his Phcenix was the first, in 1808, to navigate the ocean
betv een Sandv Hook and the Delaware.
COL. JOHN STEVENS. 173
tions to substantiate his theories, he adds, '^ Should
these railways be so subject to wear as that the frequency
of their renewal becomes inconvenient and expensive,
resource could be had at any time to cast or plated iron
railways, which, without any further expense or trouble,
could be fastened on the top of the wooden railways."
In the following extract from a letter of Chancellor
Robert R. Livingston, we have a sample of the objections
urged to this scheme even by learned and thoughtful
men :
^' I have read your very ingenious propositions as to
the railway communication. I fear, however, on mature
reflection, that they will be liable to serious objections,
and ultimately more expensive than a canal. They
must be double, so as to prevent the danger of two
such heavy bodies meeting. The walls on which they
are placed must be at least four feet below the surface,
and three above, and must be clamped with iron; and
even then would hardly sustain so heavy a weight as you-
propose moving at the rate of four 7niles an hoitr 07i wheels.
As to wood, it would not last a week ; they must be
covered with iron, and that, too, very thick and strong.
The means of stoppifig these heavy carriages without a
great shock, and of preventing them from running upon
each other, would be very difficult. In case of accidental
stops, or the necessary stops to take wood and water, etc. ,
many accidents would happen. The carriage of conden-
sing-water would be veiy troublesojne. Upon the whole,
I fear the expense would be much greater than that of
canals, without being so convejiient. ' ' *
* Similar views seem to have been entertained by the Managers of
the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, who, in their report for the
15*
^^4 APPENDIX.
To this letter of his distinguished brother-in-law,
Colonel Stevens replies at length, detailing the com-
parative cost of constructing railroad and canal, and
showing how much would be saved in building the
former. So, too, he shows how much more convenient
it would be than the latter. And in communications
to Gouverneur Morris and De Witt Clinton, he still
further argues his cause, with a sagacity simply sur-
prising in days so remote from the employment of
railways. He modestly asks for the sum of three
thousand dollars, with which to make experiments,
predicting that the practical benefits to be derived
from them by the country at large would far outweigh
the value of this sum.
His communications were referred to a committee,
who, through Gouverneur Morris, reported adversely to
the project. Their answer is evidently prepared with
great care, and is mainly based upon supposed scien-
tific principles. They give the preference, in drawing
a weight, to horses, because of their having a more
sufficient hold upon the earth. The rims of the engine-
wheels, it was thought, would by their friction impede
the progressive motion. Great danger was appre-
hended from the warping of logs by change of weather.
Similar difficulty was anticipated from the wheel-rims
and railway not fitting exactly. After an elaborate
argument, they conclude that it is not probable that a
way could be made of sufficient strength to warrant
year 1841, say of the railroad they were then building to connect their
canal with the North Branch Canal, that " it has already excited much
attention, and will unquestionably form a feeder of great vahte to our
canal."
COL. JOHN STEVENS. 175
such speed as the rate of four miles per hour, ''which,"
say the committee, ^^ is nearly two yards in a second.''^
In answer to this report, Colonel Stevens writes, that
the objections therein urged "have only served to es-
tablish more firmly in my mind the very favorable
sentiments I entertain respecting the practical utility
of the proposed railways." Want of space forbids our
giving here the various arguments by which he com-
bated these objections. Suffice it to say, that they do
him great credit even in this period of advanced knowl-
edge upon the whole subject, and almost startle us with
the accuracy of their predictions. In alluding to the
question of velocity, he says, — be it remembered, in
181 2, — that, while it may not in practice be convenient
to exceed twenty or thirty miles per hour, he would not
be surprised at seeing steam-carriages propelled at the
rate of forty or fifty miles, and he thinks of nothing to
hinder them from moving at the rate of one hundred
miles per hour.
It is a matter of congratulation that he had the satis-
faction of living to see his predictions verified, and of
himself riding upon a railway (the Camden and Am-
boy), constructed under the supervision of his son, at
the rate of fifty miles an hour.
176 APPENDIX.
APPENDIX D.
GLEN ONOKO.
This beautiful glen is situated two miles above Mauch
Chunk, and has lately been made so convenient of ac-
cess that it is now deservedly attracting large numbers
of visitors throughout the year.
It is a striking freak of nature, and reveals pictures
of grandeur and magnificence not often excelled. Its
course is westerly, and the total ascent over 900 feet.
It forms the channel for a pure and limpid stream which
follows its eccentric course over innumerable cascades
and rapids, and through grottoes and ravines, until it
empties, near what is known as the Turnhole Bridge,
into the Lehigh, the river at this point making, perhaps,
the sharpest turn visible along its entire length.
At the outset, we come upon the
Entrance Cascade and Pool,
which, with their bright ripples and foam, and with the
huge banks of rhododendron (when in bloom present-
ing a gorgeous appearance) surrounding them, give us
at once a most favorable impression of the treasures
embraced within the gorge.
For some distance the railroad company have laid
wooden pipes for the supply of the water-tank near the
depot.
Proceeding a few feet, we arrive at a neat rustic bridge,
from which we have a full view of
CHAMELEON FALLS.
(50 FEET HIGH.)
Page 176.
GLEN ONOKO. 177
Crystal Cascade,
whose transparent waters, gurgling over the rocks and
glistening in the sunlight, establish their just claim to
the name by which they are distinguished. Looking
to our back, down the rocky and leafy arcade, we obtain
a very pretty sketch of the river and the bridges cross-
ing the Lehigh, including the covered entrance into the
tunnel of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Division of the
N. J. Central Railroad.
Just above, on our left, we come to the cleft
Pulpit Rocks,
some twenty feet high, standing as stately ushers into
the romantic scenery awaiting us. They are covered
with delicate moss and ferns, and from their top may
be had a most artistic view of the
Mossy Cascade,
which comes dashing over the moss-covered rocks into
the pellucid pools below, singing a cheerful welcome to
the weary traveler, who, in this sylvan retreat, cannot
but be invigorated by the healthy and refreshing air
with which he is constantly surrounded.
We next reach ^e
Laurel Cascade,
flowing swiftlyby immense growths of laurel, interspersed
here and there with the graceful branches of the bright
yew tree. Through the majestic hemlocks we are de-
lighted with a distant glimpse of Chameleon Falls.
We have now arrived at what has been termed
17S APPENDIX.
- The Heart of the Glen,
from the dark and impenetrable masses of foliage on
every side, and from the lively character of the scenes
around us. Whichever way we look, we are greeted
with wild and weird prospects well calculated to elicit
our wonderment and awe.
Here are situated the
Stairway Cascades,
a series of minor rapids, overleaping one another along
a continuous distance of at least 200 feet, shining re-
splendently amid the different hues and tints of the
disordered and water-carved rocks over which they flow
so musically.
At this point there has been thrown across the stream
an artistic bridge leading up by an ingeniously contrived
stairway (made from a gigantic hemlock) to a slight
eminence, whence we obtain what is deemed by many
to be
The Finest View in the Glen.
It includes not only the Chameleon Falls, immediately
in front of us, but also the Onoko Falls, some distance
beyond, and this double vista is rich with a diversity of
beauty not easy to describe. The cliffs about us rising
to a towering height, the rhododendron encircling us,
the clouds rolling along over the hill-tops, the shadows
chasing each other through the trees and over the rocks,
the veils of mist floating in the distance, and the steady
flow of the silvery waterfalls, — all enchant us, and we
pronounce the trip already a grand success.
A look down the glen also from this same point is
ONOKO FALLS.
(90 FEET HIGH.)
Page 179.
GLEN ONOKO. 179
sure to elicit enthusiastic admiration of its manifold
features of sublimity.
A "short walk on either side of the stream brings us
in full view of the
Chameleon Falls.
They are so called from the variety of colors so often
noticeable in the spray and foam. They are about 50
feet high, and with a full stream present a most beau-
tiful appearance. The water falls into a half-square
basin, with a log leaning picturesquely against it. On
either side, the dense and variegated foliage makes a
charming contrast to the sombre walls of native rock
rising so majestically.
By an attractive route we are next conducted to
Onoko Falls,
which are the highest in the glen, and by many esteemed
the handsomest. Their height is 90 feet, and they will
certainly receive the encomium of all lovers of natural
beauty. The shelving, overhanging rocks on either side
rise above us most grandly, and covered as they are with
moss and fern, a tree now and then jutting from out
their apparently sterile embrace, they form a fitting
embellishment to the dashing and sparkling waters which
have been for centuries seeking through their fissures an
outlet from their mountain source.
If we go behind the falls, we can obtain a sight of
them which will (especially when the sun is shining)
amply r^pay us for the slight moistening which we may
thereby run the risk of receiving.
To any one suffering from the summer's heat a so-
l8o APPENDIX.
journ in the vicinity of these falls may be confidently
recommended. The atmosphere is always most cool
and refreshing. Snow has been found here as late as
the 2oth of May. Nor is it only attractive in the sum
mer season, but a visit to them
In the Winter
is most interesting. The appearance of the falls and
of the adjoining rocks for 300 feet in circumference, all
encased in snow, with all manner of icy stalactites and
stalagmites depending and ascending everywhere, is
truly magnificent.
After descending the height already noted, the water
falls over a ledge of rocks immediately under it, and
forms the
Rainbow Cascade,
so called from the fact of rainbows being often visible
here in all their gorgeous hues, giving a completeness
to the scenery which makes it one of the most delightful
spots in the glen.
A few winters ago, as a gentleman from Mauch Chunk
was making the tour of the glen, he discovered at the
foot of these falls the dead body of a deer which had, no
doubt, leaped from their summit to escape the hunter's
hounds.
On ascending the path leading from this point we
soon come to what has been aptly styled
The Fat Man's Misery,
being a narrow passage through two erect birch trees
which will be found rather uncomfortable for any one
given to corpulency.
GLEN ONOKO. l8l
A little farther on there runs the old
Warrior Path,
being the war-trail used, it may be for centuries, by the
Indians in passing from the Susquehanna to the Dela-
ware. It was also traversed by General Sullivan and
his brave army after the bloody Wyoming massacre in
the year 1778, and subsequently by the lumberman in
plying his trade, whence it was known as the Rafts-
man's Path.
We are soon at the head of Onoko Falls, which we
must cross to gain the magnificent view from Sunrise
Point. It is said that a former resident of this valley
(now deceased) once made here a narrow escape from
death. He had been belated in the woods, and in fol-
lowing the bed of the stream on his way out he came
of a sudden to the summit of the falls. He was pro-
ceeding cautiously and was stopped on the edge of the
precipice by the dim sight of the trees below. Another
step would have landed him inanimate where the poor
deer was found.
The student of geology will find much to interest
him in the study of the various formations of rock seen
along our route, and will be amused, while he rests him-
self on the conveniently-located seats, at some grotesque
appearances which are thus oftentimes presented. In
one place near the Onoko Falls there is an almost per-
fect representation of a camel crouching beneath a heavy
burden, and the imagination can easily discern other
animals and figures.
Having crossed the head of Onoko Falls to the left,
we are brought to
1 82 APPENDIX.
Sunrise Point,
from which, looking eastward, there is spread out before
the eye a panorama of rare and enchanting beauty. In
quick succession we see the Lehigh River, East Mauch
Chunk, and Mount Pisgah, and then, stretching still
farther southward, the Lehigh Water Gap, all laid out
most picturesquely, forming a landscape upon which
we willingly pause to feast ourselves. We begin now
to realize how high we have traveled, and how full of
interest is every turn in our route, furnishing ample
material for the artist's pencil or the poet's pen.
We next climb the
Rustic Stairway,
and find ourselves rather abruptly at the
Terrace Falls,
the water descending impetuously over a ledge of rocks
which almost seem as though they had been terraced
with the precision and skill of the artisan.
Another short walk brings us to the
Cave Falls.
These derive their name from the cave in their immediate
rear, into which quite a large party can enter. Looking
from behind the falls, the perspective is singularly hand-
some and romantic. Around us we will find the rem-
nants of lists of visitors' names who have ventured here
to enjoy the novel scene, while upon the rocks may be
seen the more enduring record of such tourists as have
come provided with paint and brush.
For several hundred feet we are now conducted by a
GLEN ONOKO. 183.
wild and fantastic path along beds of the sweet trailing
arbutus, and by the side of a ceaseless round of cascades
and torrents, to the summit of the mountain, and to
The Hunter's Rock- Cabin,
built many years ago, and much frequented over-night
by sportsmen, who, sheltered by hemlock boughs and
warmed by their wood-fires, slept soundly enough, dis-
turbed only by their vivid dreams of the exciting scenes
of their day's chase and travel.
This will be a convenient spot for us to rest a while
and eat our lunch, which in every instance will need to
be generously provided. Here, too, we will entertain
each other by our enthusiastic admiration of the grand
and beautiful sights which our entire passage through
the glen has afforded us, and lift at least a silent tribute
of praise to the Divine Architect of the universe. Whose
handiwork is everywhere so manifest. After resting
and lunching, the traveler should on no account fail to
cross the stream here and proceed by the path recently
made, over what has been called ' ' The Lava Beds, ' ' to
Packer's Point,
named in honor of Hon. Asa Packer, President of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. It is less than a
quarter of a mile, perhaps, from the cabin, and were
it much farther even, we all should feel more than re-
warded for our walk by the really superb view which
may be here so thoroughly enjoyed. From the lookout
erected on the rocks we can see for miles up and down
the Lehigh, to the bottom of the giddy heights, along
the sharp curves, over bridges and less lofty hills, with
1 84 APPENDIX.
a full view of East Mauch Chunk, and through the
Lehigh Gap of the mountains beyond.
Around us nature is undisturbed. Beneath us, in the
railroads and canals, we see how she has been overcome
and made subservient to man's wants and pleasures.
Beyond we are confronted with his settlements, and on
the very tops of the distant mountains we recognize the
results of his toil in the green and fertile fields adorn-
ing them. The eye thus takes in at a glance a diminu-
tive picture of the world at large, and conveys to the
soul fresh inspiration for the stern realities of our every-
day life. No one can dwell upon such scenery as is
here afforded without receiving a stimulus of the most
wholesome character, and again we urge the tourist not
to return from the glen without enjoying it.
THE SAND-SPRINGS AND JAMES RUN.
Between one and two miles from the summit of the
mountain the tourist may have an additional treat which
will abundantly compensate him for any fatigue which
he may undergo. We refer first to
The Sand-Springs.
These, natural curiosities (at the head of James Run)
consist of several large and small springs of various
depths, which are continually boiling and bubbling,
throwing the water and sand to a height of a foot or
more, sometimes beneath the surface of the water and
sometimes above it. They are well deserving a visit,
and an experienced angler may return with a mess of
speckled trout, with which he may regale himself as he
recalls the pleasures of his trip.
THE SAND-SPRINGS AND JAMES RUN. £85
A short distance below the springs we reach
James Run,
which is one of the most romantic streams to be found
in the State. It contains a large body of water, which
flows most charmingly through deep ravines and over
huge masses of handsome rocks, forming an endless series
of very lovely waterfalls and cascades, some of which are
of considerable height and length. The whole course
of the stream is one of real grandeur and beauty, dis-
playing at every turn something fresh to admire, and
furnishing many most attractive pictures, over which
one may delight himself for hours. To one fond of
trouting this stream offers an incentive which will make
him only too anxious to repeat his trip.
APPENDIX E«
SAYRE.
At this station (named in honor of Mr. Robert H.
Sayre, President of the P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Com-
pany) connection is made with the Soudiern Central
R. R. for Auburn and Syracuse on the N. Y. Central
R. R., and Fair Haven and Oswego on Lake Ontario,
and with the Ithaca & Athens R. R. for Ithaca, the
seat of Cornell University, at the head of Cayuga
Lake. The P. & N. Y. C. & R. R. Co. have about
60 acres of land at this point, and have built a hand-
some brick round-house with stalls for 15 engines.
Space has also been reserved for the erection of ma-
1 86 APPENDIX.
chine-shops and other buildings when required. Car-
shops will probably be put up during the present year.
A planing-mill has just been erected near the depot,
and a short distance above, the Cayuta Wheel Foundry
Company have built substantial works for the manufac-
ture of car-wheels, with a present capacity of about 50
pairs per day. The land in the vicinity of the depot
has been laid out in building lots, streets have been
opened, several houses have been erected, and other
improvements are in contemplation which will afford a
nucleus for a thriving settlement
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