The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-07-22

! in the valley, and went over the great field
! lust opening for business. Daniel Packer
| was so struck with the magnitude Of the OPP
| portunity, that he declared that age alone
| deferred him from closing his business. and
/ selling all his property in Connecticut, and
/ coming to the Lehigh Valley he advised
| the brothers TO unite their means and engage
! in business at Mauck Chunk, Offering TO
! assist them with money and credit, and to
stand behind them in every emergency
! This advice exactly accorded with The views
! Of Asa Packer, and the two brothers imme-
/ diately engaged in business in general mer-
! chandise in Mauch Chunk, under the firm
/ name of A. Il r. w. Packer, with capital
! of five thousand dollars. The most of this
money had been saved by Asa Packer from
I the hard earnings of former years.
The new house entered. from the moment
! Of opening. upon an extended AMI profita ble
business. 1t soon became known by its
! large transactions both on the Lehigh and
/ Schnylkil rivers. Its operations on the Le-
| high during the fifteen years between 1885
| and 1850 embraced large mercantile busi-
ness at Mauch Chunk; contracts with the
! Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company,
/ which involved the binding of dams aud
/ locks on the upper navigation working coal
! mines leased from the company, aud alter
| ward Mr.. Packers own mines near HazletOn,
| and shipping coal to Philadelphia aud New
! York. a similar shipping business was also
! done by them on the. Schuykill. They
| were the first through transporters of coal to
! the New York market, and 1t is fitting re-
turn that the business should still continue
! to be the largest item in the income of Asa
! Packer, its protector. Through his coal
mining operations he was brought into close
relations with the late Commodore Stockton.
Il h.,t. thora
| friendship-a friendship which proved Of
great value to Mr. Packer nt trying mo:
ment when pushing forward 10 completion
the great enterprise of his life, the Lehigh
! Valley Railroad.
Up 20 the year 1850, the transportation CT
the coal of the Lehigh valley to market had
been altogether by water, but the business
had now reached such magnitude as, in
Mr.. Packers Judgment, to Justify the build
ing Of railroad along the banks of the Le-
high river. Accordingly be urged upon the
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company the
policy of building road as a part of their
system of transportation. But the project
was not favUrably regarded by the company.
| Experience, it was answered, had proved
! that coal and iron would only pay water
! freights The Reading Railroad, which
enjoys unusual facilities IN grades and water
! connections, was instanced TO clinch the
| argument. Asa Packers opinion, however,
was not affected by this adverse criticism of
! his proposition, and ne determined TO take
! the matter personally In hand.
| The ground for railroad in the Lehigh
valley was embraced ina charter for a road
/ Of much greater extent, projected by that
/ great Pennsylvania financier. Edward R.
! Biddle. It was embraced in the charter of
| the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Sus
Z P,SI tod
/ April 81. 1896. The hrst surrey was made
! in he fall of 1850. Not until the 4th of
| April, 1851. seventeen days before the char
! ter would have expired by its own limita-
! ton. did Asa Packer take his place in the
| board Of managers On the same day the
| board sanctioned the grading of mile of
railroad near Allentown, and thereby the
limitation was avoided. On the 30th of
! October. 1851, Mr.. Packer became owner of
a controlling portion Of the stock, and sub
seQuently submitted proposition to build
the road from Mauch Chunk to Easton, a
distance of forty-six miles. for a consid era
ton, to be paid in the stock and bonds of
the company, the name of which was now
changed to the Lehigh Valley Railroad
Company, to suit its extent and true field of
! work.
Mr. Packers proposition was accepted.
and he commenced work IN November, 1882.
Uuder nis personal supervision it was pushed
. with great vigOr. As he recei ved only stock
and bonds in payment he hazarded his whole
fortune in the enterprise. Ia its early COM
pletion and profitable wol king, he saw every
dollar of his investment quadrupled, and
every acre Of land in the Lehigh valley en-
HANGED in value. But it was heavy load.
and many times did it ernbarrass Mr. Packer
to carry it but his high character, and his
rsurItati0p bT,si-,aaa man pna hlsA him In
I command resources which would have been
at the service Of no other. Commodore
Stockton, .he New Jersey Central Railroad
Company, and other rich corporations to
whose business the Lehigh read would con
tribute, also came to Mr.. Packers assistance
and made large advances on its stock and
bonds.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was finished
and delivered TO the company on the oath Ol
September, 1855, and was put Immediately
in operation. It's coal freights, which IL
1857 amounted to 5000 tons, in the year
1866 exceeded 1000 900 tons, 635, 900 O
which were delivered along its route from
Mauch Chunk to Easton, to works which the
railroad itself had called into ex istence.-
The addition which it brought to Asa Pack
er's fortune can be stated only in millions.
Within three years after the opening O
the railroad from Mauch Chunk to Easton
with connections which made a railroad rout,
from the valley to Philadelphia as we'll a,
New York, MIR. Packer suggested the exten
sion of line of railroad into the valley o
the Susquehanna, and up that valley to the
great table lands of the State of New York
there to connect with the New York anC
Erie Railroad. This would bring the anthra
cite coal region within the system of roads
leading north AMI west to Lake Ontario anC
Lake Erie, and also afford direct route b,
connection with the Catawissa and Erie road
to the Great West.
Asa Packer has lived to see the whole o
this stupendous conception realized. 1t il
not possible to calculate the benefit which il
is destined to confer upon the whole country
1t will set the wheels of machinery in motion