6
RIVER COAL INDUSTRY OF HARRISBURG
ONE OF MOST UNIQUE IN UNITED STATES
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Careful housewife that you are.
does it not stir you ofttimes to ex
ceeding great wrath to have your
carefully cleaned window sills and
painstakingly dusted porch chairs ;
constantly coated with an almost im
perceptible layer of black dust? Of i
course it does yet. this very same coal i
dust, in larger form, is not exempt
from the statement that everything
in this world is of some use, whether
our finite minds be aware of that use
fulness or not. Otherwise the ap- 1
pr.rently useless things would have :
been relegated by evolution or cus- i
torn to the realm of "innocuous desue-j i
tude."
Tt is the purpose of this article top
delve into the history of one of the '
most unio.ue industries extant, an in-;
dustry that is peculiar to Central!
Pennsylvania territory and which, so j
far fs is known in tills section, is not'
duplicated elsewhere in the United;
St:.tP3.
(iradunl Unfolding of the Mower of |
a Unique Industry
The dredging of coal from the hot-'
toni of the Susquehanna river, which I
was first begun about fifteen or twen-'
ty years ago by pioneers still living in
this city and still plying their old
trade, has developed far beyond the
dreams of those who tlrst took ad
vantage of the thousands of dollars'
worth of coal that was gliding silently
ar.d undiscovered past this ctty and on
and on until it reached the bay and
ihen the ocean. The fact that there
are no hard coal mines located on
any other river in the country except
Ihe Susquehanna is authority for the
statement made by an expert in this
ci*y that the reclaiming of coal and
sand from the bottom of the river is
almost exclusively done in the river
vrlilch washes the "Front Steps of
Harrisburg." Little did the origlna-i
lore of the industry realize the vast
♦conomic value and the enormous
»osslbllities for profit that were wrap
led up In the simple task of taking
An individual line j
means "y° u an d
igplPPI operator
\ ' : Being snow-bound or iso- =
1 | lated by the quagmires of |
m : springtime is "just fun" to = \
m § the home with an Individual fx
M Bell Telephone Line. I
TO 1 Direct—straight there—to i sg
"emk. I the ever-ready operator, your 1
f own Bell Telephone line keeps \gs
\ fflrSi you in touch with the neigh- I==s?
|WV\ | borhood or nation! I
\ltfv\ \ Say "Individual" to the ;
A W \\w " * Business Office.
11\\\\"\ ; THE REM. TEI.EPHOXE CO. OK PA„ =™\
\JP •■S. IWwYur- S. B. WATTS, l,ocal iiaoMgor. = V
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The New Labor Law
The new Workmen's Compensation Act is now in ef
fect. If you are an employer of labor you should he
familiar with every phrase of this most important piece
of legislation. We arc prepared to supply this act in
pamphlet form with side headings for easy reference.
Single copies 25c with very special prices on larger quan
tities.
The Telegraph Printing Co.
PRINTING—BINDING—DESIGNING
PHOTO-ENGRAVING
HARRISBURG, PENNA.
I
'ENING, HARRISBURG TELEGRAPH JANUARY ?t> .
cool from the unlimited stretches of
water.
For years and years a good healthy
livelihood for a large number of men
and a great saving of expense for in
numerable manufacturers in this and
oilier cities located on the banks of
the Susquehanna as far north as Dan
ville and as far south as Columbia,
wore not realized in the thousands of
tons of coal which swept slowly or
rapidly, depending on the depth of
the stream and the consequent rapid
ity of the current, down the river and
away. "Acres of Diamonds." as the
famous Dr. Conwell puts it in his mil
lion-dollar lecture, were all about us,
| iind it was not until a decade and a
half ago that the figurative glitter of
these "diamonds" caught the eye of
the pioneer riverman.
James Stiner. manager of the St. i
James Hotel, this city, was among the
first to uermiteiy estabiisn a business
built around the scooping ot coat
from tue river depths. -Mr. Stiner was
not the tlrst to discover ine profitable
ness of the Industry, nor was hu the
!!r«l to employ machinery Hi obtain
ing ihe coal, out he lirsl puslieu the
Kama and increased Its proportions
to the output that lor years has re
mained at a consistent average, some
thing less than 100,000 ions a year.
Atlei the tlrst rush and the spas
modic diggings had gradually develop
ed into a well-established business,
competitors appeared in the field —a
wet field, to be sure fleets and
dredges sprang up full-grown over
night, ana Harrisburg was the proud
possessor of an industry all lis own. I
At other points above and below the
city, the same activities prevailed and
still prevail, but it is doubtful if there
is any locality more prolific with coal
than is the river right before us. What
is missed above is caught here, and
what filters through the dragnets of
the Harrisburg rivormen, is swept up
at various points below. The supply
iof river coal from the coal banks in
I the mining region is increased by the
| large pieces that drop from trains
crossing and recrossing the many
[ bridges.
Johnstown Flood n Possible Cause
B. F. Nead. well-known member of
the bar in this city, is of the opinion
j that the Johnstown flood, back in 'B9,
| was largely responsible for the orig
| inal founding of the new profitable
! coal beds. At that time, huge de
• posits rushed down the river and
'flooded the country at the time of the
disaster, t'or a long period menacing
i the city of Harrisburg and threatening
the health of its inhabitants, until at
'length the filter plant was installed on
I the island and the danger from infect
ed water averted. Other floods fol
lowed the big deluge and all sorts of
material came down the river, giving
credence to the belief that the origin
of the industry may be traced to that
great misery-producing flood.
At length competition became so
keen that the inevitable happened
and there was a combine of interests.
The Harrisburg River Coal, Sand and
Stone Company became an entity and
| it. F. Nead was made treasurer of
jtlie organization. The name of the
I company betrays the fact that coal
j was not the only commodity which
I the river gave and gives up. Pros
j parity was the guiding star of the new
company, which at one time was un
j der contract to deliver 100,000 tons to
! a Philadelphia concern, and an idea
of the magnitude of the business may
be had when one realizes that this
was not an extraordinary order.
Conl Companies Wake Up
For several years the company and
ils competitors did business unmolest
ed until the big coal strike about a
decade ago brought the mining inter
ests to a realization that they had
been very negligent in the matter of
this by-product which was proving
such a gold mine to concerns all along
the river; and so they began washing
their coal banks themselves, and the
source of supplies was cut down
noticeably. That was ten years ago,
and it was claimed then that the in
dustry would soon die out here from
lack of nourishment, but the coal is
still being taken out in enormous
quantities and there doesn't seem to
be any indication of a let-up. The
small tributaries of the Susquehanna
steadily pour their quota into the
main river, and the steam dredges
continue to ply their interesting trade
and the home manufacturers continue
to buy their coal from the river com
panies and the individuals who buy
the coal continue to keep their houses
warm. For this latter purpose we use
what is commonly* known as "buck
wheat" and "rice" coal, which is quite
extensively used in many houses not
only to bank fires at night, but even
to run the furnace entirely without
using any other kind.
This coal which is washed from
the coal banks of the mines and used
for the purposes mentioned above, is
unsurpassed in. quality, and in fact is
superior to many grades, because It
i 3 hard. It used to bring anywhere
from sl,lO to $1.50 a ton. There are
conditions, of course, that render the
industry somewhat too unstable to
suit the general run of persons who
wish to make their business pay day
in and day out. If the river lie high,
dredging is easy because navigation is
unimpeded, but when the river falls
the work becomes more difficult and
the industry is in anything but a
"booming" condition.
It is a matter of much conjecture
as to whether the installation of the
river dam a short time ago may pos
sibly have giveh to the city for the
future an unsuspected economic value
in that it may be a material aid in
blocking the deposits of coal that float
with the current and may Increase
vastly the field over which the river
dredges and flats now roam.
Some of llie River Veterans I
The Harrisburg River Coal, Sand
and Stone Company dealt largely with
the reclaiming of sand, with coal as
a side Issue. This company was one
of the few. perhaps the only com
pany in the country incorporated for
this unique purpose for years it
flourished and still does a large busi
ness. Among the men who were in
terested at the inception of the in
dustry are the names of W. G. Stewart
of West Falrview, who is now said to
hold controlling Interest in the above
company; Squire Hotter, also of
Fairview, and George Good, a Fourth
i street merchant. "Admiral' Brown,
now the leading "pathfinder" of the
I fleet owned by the Harrisburg Light
J and Power Company, and known to
| every man who was ever connected
! with the work on the river, is another
veteran of the "schooners." "The Ad
miral," be it understood, is a deeply
religious and thorough-going Chris
tian.
Sand for Building the Capitol Taken
From the River
An interesting sidelight is found in
the building of the State capitol dur
ing the first few years of the present
century. The George F. Payne Com-!
pany, Philadelphia contractors, whose
duty it was to obtain sand for use in
the erection of the capitol building,
were constrained by the relative
cheapness of obtaining material from
the river, to enter Into the "fleet"'
business themselves. In order to com
pete with private owners in this city
who had by their organization boosted
up the price, this Philadelphia con
cern who were doing the work for the
State under the supervision of the
Board of Public Grounds and Build
ings, bought them a fleet of steam,
pump and flat boats and did their own
dredging, afterwards selling the fleet
at a public sale. In this way all the
sand that was used In the construc
tion of the Slate building was ob-.
tained.
Coal is Sucked From the River
Imagine yourself, for purposes of
! elucidation, ill the position of a vis
itor on one of these riverboats, bent
on filling a flat or two with coal from
the river depths. You will have been
preceded by a "pathfinder" with a
loiik pole, who poles around the sec
tions which time and experience have
proven to be the most likely places
where the beds will lodge. He can
tell by the feel of the pole when he
has struck a bed. That he marks
and then the steam dredge brings its
load to the scene of action. A spe
cial make of boiler connects with a
centrifugal pump worked by two
wheels and attached to a suction
dredge that extends over the side of
th< flat. The coal from the bed is
sucked up and through a closed tun
inel across one boat and thrown against
a screen which separates the very
fine dust and water and drops it
through into the river again. On the
adjoining fiat stands a man with a
rake, which he uses to rake the coal
into huge heaps on the flat. And
that is all there is to it.
Wide Consumption of River Coal la
Harrisburg
Broad street and the landing at the
upper end of the city are the only
two places now where the fleets can
land on this side of the river. It is
claimed that the closing of Market
street with concrete steps nearly put
them out of business, because of the
increase in the cost of transportation
to the manufacturers that use the
coal. Several thousand tons of sand
are now taken out annually from the
river; good building sand at that, be
ing the source of practically all the
sand used in the city. In the old days
the fleets used to have as many as 50
or CO flats and 8 or 9 steam dredges,
but they are no longer that large.
Although there is not much body
to the coal, it may be used for con
sumption with blowers, and is em
ployed by many concerns exclusively,
including the Harrisburg Light and
Power Company, in their plant In
Ninth street, where its energy is con
verted into making steam and electric
current (and, by the way, it is said
that the cost Of steam and current in
this city is as low if not lower than
any other steam heat in the country,
due largely to the cheapness of fuel
obtained from the river); the United
Electric Light Company of Lcmoyne;
the Pennsylvania Steel Company, the
Railways, and the City Pumping sta
tion, located at Front and North
streets are but a few of the places
where this most indispensable article
finds a ready consumption.
Fackler s Annual February Sale
Will Surpass Any Sale We Ever Held. TKe Greatest
V alues Oftered By Any St ore
\ L , TL* r f TI7"E feci that we have convinced those with whom we have i
/\DOUt lIS ei VV j la{ j pi easure Q f trading, that our merchandise is of Iv6ITIOITIOCr
Clean-up Sale I sterling quality and every statement made about any of it is I
We trust we have vour the plain, unvarnished truth. So when we announce this great That this sale continues
confidence, and know that clean-up sale you are assured that it is our regular high quality throughout February,
this sale will strengthen it. Furniture always sold at a fair price and now to be offered J hat the earlv buyers have
Our stocks arc unusually at j lones t > genuine reductions. We will place before you the t ' lc g reatest variety of values
complete and offer the , , . ~ ~ , ... . to select from,
widest variety of choice. newest and most desirable display in great varieties and com- Thgt evefy artide is from
Every article has been re- plete stock at values you will admit are most unusual. our rcgu l ar stock and not
duced so low that all are re- By making a fair deposit all purchases will be stored until bought purposely for this
markable values. April Ist. ' sale
—J *- 1
Note the Splendid Reductions on pr #185.60
D« • T-\ C * 9-piece Jacobean Suite—slß2.so. February price,' $127.25
ining Koom Jjllltcs 9-piece Quartered Oak Suite 5115.00. February
price $82.00
8-piece Mahogany Suite, consisting of 54-inch Buffet, 48-
inch Table, 5 Side Chairs, 1 Arm Chair; Sheraton design; U
dark mahogany —$151.25. February price $113.00 > ca *VOOm OUlteS
8-piece Sheraton Mahogany Suite, same pieces as above The most complete stock of Bedroom Furniture we have
suite—slss.7s. February price, $113.00. These suites have ever shown at remarkable reductions.
Pedestal Tables. 3-piece Solid Quartered Oak Suite. Charles TI design—
9-piece Mahogany Suite, Colonial design—sl9s.oo. Febru- $77.00. February price, $61.00. Toilet Table to match
-ary price $1U6.."»0 $20.00. February price $16.00
7-piecc Circassian Walnut Suite, consisting of 54-inch Buffet; 3-piece American Walnut Suite, Colonial design—sßß.so.
48-inch Table; 4 Side Chairs; 1 Arm Chair—slß3.oo. Febru- February price, $66.00. Toilet Table to match—s24.oo. Feb
ary price SIOO.BO ruary price $1 7.00
8-piecc Jacobean Suite, Charles II design—sll9.so. Febru- Space does not permit going in detail at this time of great
ary price, $80.65. Serving Table to match—s2B.so. Febru- reductions in Living, Library and Parlor Furniture. Pay us
ary price $22.80 a visit and we are convinced you will be a purchaser.
FACKLERS 1312 d erry St., Harnskurg, Pa.
K'V It Started with
Then Grippe;
Then Pneumonia;
Then Death!
has been the sad story of thousands of deaths in the epidemic of
nd Pneumonia now taging. Often it all happens in a few days,
rly people hardly have a chance.
Jet This Remedy Free
ug stores will distribute Free, bottle of Goff's Bitters with each
le of Goff's Cough Syrup sold.
these well known remedies are of unfailing value for the prevention
r of all forms of Colds, Coughs and Influenza, or Grippe, and are
aids for quick recovery.
quickly. Don't take chance on getting Pneumonia. Fill in your '
address below, take this advertisement to your druggist or dealer
, and get this old and valuable remedy FREE.
S. B. Goff & Sons Co., Camden, N. J. BOX 26 Established 1872. i
||
WEST SHORE NEWS
JANUARY MEETING OF CIRCLE
New Cumberland. Pa., Jan. 29.—The
January meeting of the Queen Esther
Circle will be held to-morrow after
noon, January 30. in the Sunday school
room of the Methodist Church at 2.30
o'clock.
RECEPTION TO MEMBERS
New Cumberland, Pa., Jan. 29. —On
Sunday evening a reception to mem
bers will be held in Trinity United
Brethren Church. New Cumberland.
Evangelistic services are still in prog
ress.
ENTERTAINED 500 CLUB
New Cumberland, Pa.. Jan. 29.
Mrs. Edith Feight entertained the Five
Hundred Club, composed of ladies
from Harrisburg and Steelton, at her
home in Market Square on Thursday
afternoon.
Social and Personal News
of Towns Along West Shore
Miss Almeda Bair and sister Verna,
of New Cumberland, are visiting
friends at York.
Mrs. Grass, of Steelton, visited
friends at New Cumberland yesterday.
L. E. Palmer, of Marysville, spent
Thursday at York.
Mrs. W, W. Ruhl, of Baltimore,
spent part of the week with her aunt,
Mrs. Jennie Wox, at Marysville.
Mrs. "VV. H. Kocher, of Marysville,
has returned home after spending
some time at Williamsport.
Miss Mary Bower, of Baltimore, Is
visiting her sisters, Mrs. M. O. Slieaffer
and Mrs. Harry Brady, at Marysville.
Miss Clernmy Roberts, of Reading,
spent Thursday with her brother, W.
L. Roberts, at Marysville.
Mrs. Edward Foose, of Marysville,
spent part of the week with her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. David Lightner, at
Grier's Point.
Mrs. Linus Moore, of Millerstown,
spent several days with W. L. Roberts
and family at Marysville.
S. Arthur Kppley, a student of a
dental school of Baltimore, spent sev
eral days with his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. S. L. Epplay, at Marysville.
Alton W. Lick, a junior at Franklin
and Marshall College, spent the week
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Simon
Lick, at Marysville.
Dr. Charles Myers, of Baltimore,
spent some time with his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. George Myers, at Marysville.
Mrs. A. ft. White, of Marysville,
spent several days with her parents in
Duncannon.
L. C. Lightner. a sophomore at
Franklin and Marshall College, is visit
ing his mother, Mrs. Myrtle X.ightner,
of Marysville.
Timothy Hippie, of Marysville, spent
several days at Steelton.
Samuel Crossley, of Steelton, visited
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Cross
ley. at Marysville.
Miss May Gipe, of Hummelstown,
Is visiting her aunt, Mrs. George L.
Powers, at Marysville.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Melester, of
Marysville, spent Thursday at Wil
lis insport.
Miss Stella Deckard, of Marysville,
is visiting in Philadelphia.
MRS. ANNA >l. KREMER DIES
Special to the Telegraph
Meelianiesburg, Pa., Jan. 29.—Mrs.
Anna M. Kremer, wife of the Rev. Dr.
A. R. Kremer, died at her home in
Churchtown on Thursday night. after
being in ill health for some time. She
was aged 83 years and is survived by
her husband .a retired minister of the
Reformed Church, and two children,
Miss Gertrude, at home, and Dr. J. N.
Kremer, a dentist, of Meclianicsburg.
The funeral service will be held on
Monday afternoon in the Reformed
Church in Churchtown. Burial will be
made in Mount Zion Cemetery.
GIVE PROPERTY IN
PARENTS' MEMORY
Children Make Donation lo
Church of the Nativity at
Newport
Newport, Pa., Jan. 29. John A.
Bechtel, of Williamsburg, Va., and
Miss Nellie A. Bechtel, of Cincinnati,
children of the late Mr. and Mrs. H.
H. Bechtel. of Cincinnati, have donated
to the Church of the Nativity, In mem
ory of their parents, the property ad
joining the church grounds. Mr. and
Mrs. Bechtel, as residents of this place,
who left for Cincinnati about twenty
years ago, were active and prominenS
church workers.
BURIED AT MEOHANICSBI RG
Special to the Telegraph
Meclianicsburg, Pa., Jan. 29.—Mrs.
Martin Milleisen, of Bloomsburg. died
at her home in that place on Thurs
day and funeral services were held this
afternoon at 2 o'clock. Burial was
made in the Bloomsburg Cemetery.
Mrs. Milleisen was a former resident
of Meclianicsburg and had many
friends and relatives here. She was
aged about 48 years and is survived by
her husband and one daughter.
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE PARTY
Enola, Pa„ Jan. 29.—A birthday
surprise party was held at the home
of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. K. McGuire, of
State road, on Thursday evening, in
honor of the latter's brother, J. Cleve
land Beck. Music and games were the
features of the evening and a buffet
supper was served.