1832.]

LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.

feeders, and the whole line is not yet ready for navigation. The original plan and construction of large portions of this division have proved to be exceedingly defective; and, although every exertion has been made throughout the year, by the officers on the line, to fill the whole canal with water, yet their efforts have heretofore proved unsuccessful.

The twenty-five miles of canal between New Hope and Bristol, was open for navigation on the 20th of last March; and has continued in good order, throughout the season, with but two or three weeks' interruption, caused by the falling of the water in the river from which it was supplied: but for want of a connection with the upper portion of the canal, this part of it has been almost useless. The water from the head of the canal at Easton, has within a short period reached New Hope, and confident expectations are entertained that the whole line will yet be filled, ready for an active navigation next

season.

61

A contract has already been made for coming season. mining and delivering it on board the boats; and adver tisements have been issued for proposals to perform other parts of the service of bringing coal to market. Lehigh coal, both at home and abroad, has continued to maintain its good name, and is deservedly deemed an article of superior quality.

་

The whole quantity brought from the mine, in the past year, including the sales at Mauch Chunk, was 44,500 tons; which, together with 10,500 tons on hand from 1830, has all been sold, making the total sales of the Company in 1831, 55,000 tons.

In consequence of the expectation held out by many persons, in the spring of last year, that a reduction would be made in the price of coal, orders were so long withheld, that all our yards became completely filled, and we were obliged to discontinue bringing it down in the month of August. Afterwards the scarcity of vessels, by raising the price of freight, so much The porous nature of the soil along the Delaware, has reduced the shipments of coal, that it was supposed no demonstrated the fallacy of the original design, of feed-more than the quantity on hand could be disposed of, ing the entire 60 miles of canal from the Lehigh. Hence it has been found necessary to introduce other feeders; one for conveying into the canal, the waters of Durham creek, about ten miles below Easton; it is 1890 feet long, and 12 feet wide at the bottom; and another near Lumberville, by which the water of Milton creek is conveyed into the canal; it is 1509 feet long. Temporary feeders have also been constructed on sections 54 and 61, which will not be required when the repairs of the canal are completed."

The above extracts show the causes which have so long delayed the completion of the Delaware canal.

During the last two years there have been freshets on the Lehigh, unusually great, and of a character heretofore almost unknown; by means of which, parts of our works sustained some damage, which have however been effectually repaired at no great expense. sistance offered to these freshets strongly proves the correctness of the opinion, that our works have generally been constructed in a manner, the most substantial and permanent.

The Lehigh canal throughout, is now in good order, and prepared for immediate business.

The rail-road to the old Coal Mine, is in good working condition, and a large quantity of coal is there uncovered and ready for quarrying.

and therefore the business of transporting coal from Mauch Chnuk was not resumed, nor did it appear probable that there would be any scarcity, until the cold weather actually set in;-notwithstanding, however, the tardiness of consumers, here and abroad, in furnishing their orders, and the consequent want of room in the Company's yards, the Managers would have considered themselves justifiable in ordering a large additional quantity to be brought to market, if they could have had the use of the Delaware canal, by means of which they could have increased their stocks at a much reduced cost.

It is sit

The prospect of speedily realizing a handsome profit by the sale and improvement of water powers and town lots, is highly encouraging. There are probably no scites in the country offering advantages to enterprising The re-individuals for the location of manufactories and other large establishments, equal to those which will be found on the Lehigh, arising from the easy access which the Delaware canal, and the Morris and Raritan canals, afford to the markets of Philadelphia and New York, and the concentration of a large amount of power in each location. All these advantages are more particularly evident at South Easton, a new town recently laid out by the Company. At this place the whole power of the river may be applied under a head of 23 feet. uate at the junction of the Lehigh canal with the Delaware and Morris canals; opposite to the flourishing town of Easton, the seat of justice for the county, and containing about 4,000 inhabitants; in the midst of a rich agricultural country, surrounded by a healthy, industrious and numerous population, and in the immediate vicinity of inexhaustible bodies of iron, coal and limestone. All the articles of subsistence are cheap and abundant. This town is distant, by canal, about 80 miles from Philadelphia, 96 miles from New York and 46 miles from Mauch Chunk, from whence to Berwick on the Susquehanna, 32 miles, there is a good turnpike road. A portion of the water power and some of the town lots at this place are already disposed of. A number of town lots have also been sold at Nesquihoning, and the numerous inquiries made for them there, as well as at Mauch Chunk and South Easton, show that the public attention is directed towards these promising settlements.

The new rail-road of about four and a half miles in length, connecting the Room Run mines, with the landing at Mauch Chunk, will be completed with a small additional expenditure during the spring; and will enable the Company to supply any amount of coal which may be required.

The great and rapidly increasing consumption of anthracite coal in the United States, which entirely exhausted all the stocks in market the past year, with the fact that there is still a deficiency of supply to the amount probably of from 30,000 to 50,000 tons, renders it certain that a very extensive market is already open for the produce of the mines, and that, with the Delaware and Morris canals fairly in operation, the Comwill command a business more proportioned to its immense resources than has yet been practicable.

pany

Although from the causes detailed, the Managers are

still unable to declare a dividend on the investments of the Stockholders, yet they are of the opinion, from the present situation and prospect of affairs, that the current year will terminate their disappointments, and enable them at length to conduct a business which will greatly increase in amount and in profit, and yield, not only reasonable dividends, but also the means of reducing the loans which the construction of their canal and of other permanent works have compelled them to contract.

It is expected that at least 100,000 tons of coal will be shipped from Mauch Chunk for the supply of the

The amount of tolls on the canal during the year 1831, was about $45,000; of which the chief part was for coal shipped by the Company.

For further information relative to many of the details of the operations on the Lehigh, reference is made to the report of the Acting Manager, which is herewith submitted.

In conclusion, the Managers repeat the assurance, that their confidence in the successful issue of the enterprise of the Company, is unabated, fully believing that the Stockholders will ere long be amply compensated

'for their perseverance through several years of difficul- for a double track throughout. Sections No. 3 and 4, ty and discouragement.

1832.]

LEHIGH COAL AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.

A

being fed exclusively from the Lehigh end, and that some of it was badly made, and the lower part could not be tried until the upper part was made sound. feeder is now nearly ready to be introduced, 10 miles below Easton, and another, 26 to 27 miles below that place; so that the canal in future will be well fed. This canal was largely repaired last year, but it was not till the 11th month, just before the setting in of the winter, that the upper part was made strong enough to hold water sufficient to supply the lower part; since then it held 4 to 4 feet for a considerable time, and so as to enable us to send a boat with 25 tons of coal to within 4 miles of New Hope.

The line on the Delaware consists of,

88 inland sections of about half a mile each, which will never require much repair.

17 river sections, which are good, and will not require more than ordinary repair.

13 river sections, made with sand on coarse stone base and sides, which will require the banks to be loaded with gravel. Total, 118 sections, making about 60 miles; in which are 23 locks.

63

the whole distance from Mauch Chunk to Berwick, no more time than about thirty common lift locks.

It is now the twenty-second year since I commenced operations in the works of internal improvement, at the Falls of Schuylkill, in which time I have been absent from that kind of service very few days. It is also the fourteenth year since I began, with my colleague, E. Hazard, our labours at Mauch Chunk and on the Lehigh; and it may therefore be expected that I should have a tolerably matured idea of the works of a Company in whose history I have formed some prominent part. The Lehigh Company, which was incorporated in 1822, started in 1818, with a lease on certain coal lands which they have since purchased in fee, and with a grant of authority from the Legislature of Pennsylvania to improve the navigation of the Lehigh river, which grant reserved to the public the right of using the said improved navigation or canal, on payment of the tolls fixA temporary and cheap navigation was ed by law. made in the river, by artificial freshets, to enable the Company to send their coal to Philadelphia, and try the This temporary experiment, whether it would sell. navigation, was completely successful, and five years elasped, viz: from 1820 to 1824 inclusive, before Anthracite coal was brought regularly to the Philadelphia market from any other quarter than the Lehigh. The experience of those years encouraged the opinion, that the market would sustain the cost of a canal from Mauch The Morris canal has also had its difficulties the past Chunk to tide. To ensure then, an early completion of season. These difficulties were confined, however, to a such a navigation, our Company felt the necessity of few ordinary breaks in the canal, and mainly to about a leading, or making their improvement ahead of the pubmile of lime stone sinks; these sinks, as far as known, lic, who eventually decided on making the Delaware caThe labour of pioneering, therefore, naturally fell are conquered, and the method pursued with them, puts nal. on us. The whole work is now done. The line of nait in the power of the Superintendant to fill them up speedily. There has been nothing essentially wrong, to vigation may now be considered as complete from Mauch prevent the planes from working, when well supplied Chunk to Philadelphia, by the Delaware canal, and to with water; and the lack of water was occasioned by the New York, by the Morris canal. The latter canal passes length of time necessary to fill a new canal; and not by through a thickly settled district of country, with an acany deficiency in the fountains or sources of supply. tive and wealthy population, and promises a large marThe planes all work well, and present no interruption-ket for coal along its banks. Our own canal is calculaso far from it, that the first flour boat from near Easton, ted to pass up and down 400 tons each way per hour; and made a trip to Newark and back, a distance of 180 although this is probably beyond all demand, it is of miles, in about seven days (exclusive of the time she re- much moment to know, that the lasting advantage to the mained at Newark.) The navigation was open at the Company from making so good a canal, is, that every Delaware end, for two or three weeks only, before the ton of coal or other freight that passes on it, will be carclose of the season; during which time 39 boats passed ried at the lowest possible cost. through the canal, and of course over the defective part. The whole of the work, when frost set in this winter, was in good navigable order.

The 13 sections above mentioned, will have hands on them early in the spring to cover the banks with gravel, so as to prevent breaks, and thus keep a constant and uninterrupted navigation in the coming season, or as nearly so, I presume, as the best of new canals,

Our business for the next season, will not, therefore, rest on works that are altogether untried; and had our prospects, last spring, been as well based, as they now are, in the secure use of the Delaware and the Morris canals, we should have had such a stock of coal on hand in market, as to have prevented all distress for want of fuel on the sea board. For it will be seen that our Company sent from the mines, the past year, only about 41,000 tons, while the supply from all our neighbors was 134,000 tons-whereas our present means and facilities are much greater than theirs, and of course authorize the expectation of a much greater supply. And when we get fairly under way, if we don't do a greater coal business than all our neighbours put together, it will be because we are less industrious, or manage worse than they do; nature having done so much more for us. I don't mean by these remarks to say, that our neighbours are not well off, but only to say we are better off.

Although a series of circumstances has diverted the public feeling, hitherto, from effecting the continuous navigation from the Lehigh to the canal on the North branch of the Susquehanna, by the long contemplated Nescopeck route, yet, whenever the people pause and select the best ground or line, for the general good, they will undoubtedly point the public finger to this line, as the one most to be desired. The use of planes, like those of the Morris canal, would so much reduce the detention or interruption from lockage, as to require, in

The improvements at Mauch Chunk, &c., are all made and adapted to a coal business of great magnitude. The finish of the rail-road to the Room Run mines, mentioned above, essentially closes all our outlays, for permanent improvements from our mines to our markets..

Our coal field is explored for a number of miles-and, however large the sum of all the veins in any other Anthracite region or section of coal field, may be, our section at Room Run alone, as far as now opened, exposes to view a body of coal much larger than has been discovered and made known, in this or any other country.

The coal here is not surpassed in quality, it being of our best kind, and it lies so as to drain itself; while the rail-road, which will rank with the best in any country,

descends from the mines, the whole distance to the place
of shipment at Mauch Chunk.

The old coal mines or quarries, from which we have
exclusively drawn our supplies heretofore, and which
we still continue to work, lie near the top of the moun-
tain, nine miles by rail-road from the landing at Mauch
Chunk. The fifty feet vein opened at Room Run, four
miles from the Lehigh, is evidently a continuation of
In case of any sudden and great demand,
these mines.
there is abundant space in the old mines themselves, by
extending the uncovering, to employ such a number of
workmen in getting out coal, as to meet any emergency.

Such then is the state of our property. It has just attained maturity, and in my opinion, is ready to produce results that will repay us for our perseverance in a great enterprise, involving large disbursements, on which the

stockholders have been deprived of an income for se-
veral years.
All which is respectfully submitted
JOSIAH WHITE, Acting Manager.
PHILADELPHIA, 1st mo. 7th, 1832.

PROCEEDINGS OF COUNCILS.

and to strike a dangerous blow at the welfare of the people of the Commonwealth at large.

It is known that the suggestion has been repeatedly made, that the passage of the bill in question will furnish to the people of Pennsylvania, whose produce reaches the state works near Columbia, a choice of markets. This argument, though at first it may seem specious, is yet without solidity. It might be enough to remark, that by avoiding improper legislation, Philadelphia will remain, what she now is, a market sufand that while this State is urging upon the councils of ficiently extensive for all the purposes of competition; the Union the propriety and necessity of the protecting system, to recognize and enforce the abandonment of the first principles of that system as they can be most directly, profitably, and fairly applied within her own borders, would present a case of glaring inconsistency. While generosity is acknowledged to be praiseworthy, it is submitted that it should not be indulged at the expense of justice, and of the highest interests of the age of this bill, goes the whole length of confounding Commonwealth. The generosity necessary to the passall the distinctions between the people of Pennsylva

The City Councils desire that the utmost practicable liberality should be extended to their fellow citi

A communication from

Saturday, January 21st, 1832. SELECT COUNCIL.-Mr. PETTIT offered the following preamble and resolution, which were agreed to. The select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia, having learned with deep regret, that a bill to incorporate the York and Maryland line Rail Road Company, has passed the House of Representatives and is pending in the Senate of Pennsylvania, deem it their solemn duty to express their sentiments and the sentiments of the people of Philadelphia upon this important subject. Aware, as they are, of the principles upon which the system of internal improvement in this commonwealth was established, and of the inducements of fered from time to time, by the legislature under the sanction and encouragement of the people, for its vigorous prosecution by the investment of capital and the employment of skill and labour,-the Councils are not will-nia, who support her government and pay for her pubing to believe that an act will be passed by the authori-lic works, and the people of another State who owe their ties of Pennsylvania, which shall permit and direct a de- those who make the suggestion, that by far the greater allegiance elsewhere. But it is entirely overlooked by parture from the original design of connecting the Western waters of the Commonwealth with the City of part of the trade which reaches the Susquehanna near Columbia and ought to go to Philadelphia, is from bePhiladelphia as the first and grand object of the system, yond the limits of this State, and that the persons most and which shall, before the successful and thoroughly concerned in that trade, utter no complaint and ask for tested accomplishment of that object, carry the chain of no further choice of markets. communication into another State, that contributed nothing to the work, but will thus realize immense advantages at the expense of Pennsylvania. The Councils cannot be so short-sighted as to admit that the bill has reference only to the trade of the county of York and the adjacent country, but regard it with those who have heretofore most strenuously urged its adoption, as intended to offer to Baltimore the great trade of Pennsylvania, and of the Western states and territories passing through Pennsylvania;-a trade which the public works of the State will bring to a point on the Susquehanna so near to the town of York, that the improvements now in progress between the Susquehanna and that town, and the contemplated works in Maryland, with the aid of the charter now asked of the legislature of Pennsylvania, will complete the communication from such point to the City of Baltimore. That this is the object in view has not been and could not have been concealed or disguised. The inevitable result of such a measure, independent of the question of the violation of the faith of the State which is believed to be virtually pledged, must be to divert a large portion of the trade of Pennsylvania and the Western states and territories passing to the Susquehanna, from its regular emporium, the City of Philadelphia, to another City out of the limits and beyond the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth;-to confer without the slightest equivalent, on that other city all the advantages of the sale and barter of the produce thus divested; to secure to such other city and consequently to the State to which she belongs, the return trade, of which Philadelphia, and with her, Pennsylvania, now has the immense benefit, and which would thus be lost to her; to strike deeply at the interests of a large part of the people of Pennsylvania engaged in carrying on that trade at Philadelphia; to lessen to a great degree the ability of Philadelphia and consequently her responsibility to furnish her accustomed portion of the revenue of the State, and in the same proportion to decrease that revenue; to lessen to a large amount the tolls of the produce and merchandize going to Philadelphia from the Susquehanna, and returning from Philadelphia to that river on the public works, and thus again seriously to affect the revenue of Pennsylvania; and in every aspect of the case to inflict a deep injury upon the Eastern part of the state in particular,

zens of York and the other southern counties of Penn-
effort to connect them with the line of canals and rail-
sylvania, and would gladly witness the success of every
roads through the State; and believe that the legisla
tion of the Commonwealth has not been deficient in a
York to Columbia, and thus to Philadelphia, has never
generous spirit towards them.
been denied; but, on the contrary, has been encou-
raged, and would give to the citizens of York every just
advantage of the State works, without depriving them of
any of the means they now possess of trading elsewhere.
rious points of which the subject is so fruitful; and in
With such views, and without enlarging upon the va-
the confident persuasion that a full investigation will be
made before a final decision, and in a firm reliance upon
the disposition of the Legislature of the State to dis-
cern and to protect the interests of the whole commu-
nity. It is

Resolved by the Select and Common Councils of the City of Philadelphia, that they view with profound regret the measures taken towards the passage of a law by the Legislature of Pennsylvania, to incorporate the York and Maryland line Rail Road Company, and that they do in the name and behalf of the people of the City of Philadelphia respectfully, but firmly and solemnly, remonstrate against the enactment of the said bill into a law.

Resolved, That the members of the Senate from the City of Philadelphia, be requested to use their most strenuous exertions to prevent the passage of the said bill through that body, and that the members of the House of Representatives from the city, be also requested, so far as it may yet be within the range of their duty, to use their utmost endeavours to prevent the final passage of said bill.

Resolved, That copies of the foregoing preamble and resolutions, signed by the Presidents and attested by the Clerks of the Councils, be forthwith transmitted to the Governor of the Commonwealth, and to the Speaker of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of the Representatives, to be respectfully submitted to both branches of the legislature.

HAZARD'S

REGISTER OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DEVOTED TO THE PRESERVATION OF EVERY KIND OF USEFUL INFORMATION RESPECTING THE STATE.

VOL. IX.-NO. 5.

EDITED BY SAMUEL HAZARD.

PHILADELPHIA, FEBRUARY 4, 1832. NO. 214.

From the Wellsborough Phenix.
SKETCH OF TIOGA COUNTY.

Tioga is one of the northern range of counties, bordering on the state line, bounded east by Bradford, (formerly Ontario,) south by Lycoming, and west by Potter county-its extent is 35 miles by 33, and contains about 700,000 acres of land, three-fourths of which may be said to be well adapted to agricultural purposes, and more especially to grasses, all of which yield abundant

crops.

sionally attached.

been completed in the branches, and a facility of getting to market, independent of freshets, will prevent such vast accumulations of lumber as have hitherto occurred

in the opening of the spring trade. Still, however, the bulk of lumber will ever be transported by rafts, in preference to using the canal, unless, and which seems very probable, the dams now erecting on the river, will force the descending trade to abandon it. tablishment on Pine creck, now has upwards 900,000 feet, sawed since the last spring.

One es

Wellsborough, the seat of Justice, is located in the The county was provisionally set off from Lycoming waters of Pine creek, and at the intersection of the east territorial centre of the county, 3 miles from the navigable by the Act of 26th March, 1804, and by Act of 21st and west state road leading through all the northern March, 1806, the seat of Justice was established at Wellsborough. In 1808, the county was organized so range of counties, and the north and south state road from far as to elect county commissioners, and in 1812, was Newberry to the 109 mile stone, on the state line. fully organized for judicial purposes, being one of the This village contains 40 or 50 indifferent dwelling hou counties that composed the 11th judicial district; and ses-a court-house and jail, of no very respectable apby Act of 25th February 1818, the counties of Susque-pearance - four stores-two taverns-two smith shops hanna, Bradford and Tioga were erected into a sepa- sued a weekly paper--two shoemaker shops-and for-two tan yards-one printing office, from which is israte district, and now compose the 13th judicial district, tunately but one distillery-an academy, endowed by to which the counties of Potter and M'Kean are provi- the legislature of Pennsylvania, and a school for small In 1810, the population wss 1687-in 1820, 4021-children-both of which are respectably supported. In and by the late census of 1830-9071, showing that in the former, all the usual branches of an academical each term of 10 years we have more than double, and course are successfully taught, and children from a disfrom present appearances, the next enumeration will tance can obtain boarding, in respectable private fami doubtless present a still more favourable result. lies, at very moderate rates. The principal and trustees pay strict regard to the moral deportment of the students. Parents in the adjoining counties, will find this institution well worthy attention. This place has not increased so rapidly, as from its favourable situation, and being in the heart of a large body of first rate beech and maple land, could have been expected, owing chiefly to an unfortunate dispute about the location of the seat of justice, which after many years of warm and ed settled, and those who are interested in its welfare, earnest endeavours to effect a removal, is now consider. may confidently look forward to early and valuable im

The settlement in this county was begun about 1797-8, chiefly by emigrants from Connecticut, claiming under that unfortunate title which has caused so much trouble and litigation to Northern Pennsylvania, and which is now fully settled and compromised: so that at this time, there are few counties in the state, where titles are so well established.

The principal timber is Beech, Maple, Oak, Elm, Hemlock, Hickory and Bass, or Linn: and the uplands, in the vicinity of the larger streams, are well covered with White Pines, of a superior quality-the Sugar Maple abounds in many places, and large quantities of sugar are obtained from this valuable tree.

The county is well situated with regard to navigable streams, having the Tioga, a south branch of the Chemung, on the east, which is navigable for arks and rafts about 30 miles above the state line-the Cawanesque on the north, navigable about the same distance from its confluence with the Tioga, and Pine creek, (and its branches) in the west, which is navigable from and beyond the Potter county line, so that it may be affirmed, that no part of the county is distant from a navigable stream, more than 10 miles. These streams all empty into the Susquehanna; the two former into the North Branch, the latter into the West Branch, near Jersey shore in Lycoming county.

A very extensive lumber business is done on these streams, particularly on Pine creek, whence upwards of five millions of sawed lumber will be sent next spring to the Susquehanna and Baltimore market. But little of our lumber has yet found its way to Philadelphia by the Union Canal, the entrance to which has hitherto been so completely blocked up, during the active season, that our lumber men have preferred their old markets, to an uncertain detention at Middletown. This will doubtless not be the case, when the canal shall have VOL. IX.

9

provements.

PROCEEDINGS OF COUNCILS.

Saturday, Jan. 21st, 1832. The following communication from the tenants of the late Stephen Girard's stores, was received and laid on the table.

To the Select and Common Councils.

The undersigned, occupiers of stores Nos. 20, 22, 24 and 26 North Front st. tenanted by us under the late Stephen Girard, which property by his will has passed to the corporation of the city of Philadelphia, respectfully represent that they are unwilling to continue tenants of said property at the rents which they have heretofore paid, and request that Councils may reduce the same to twelve hundred dollars.

At this rate we believe the store contiguous, which has remained unoccupied can be leased, and the whole block permanently tenanted.

GILL, FORD, & CO.
H. C. CORBIT.
J. G. HARKER, & CO.

Philadelphia, Jan. 21, 1832.