The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1871-11-25

The first successful effort to make use
Of our anthracite for domestic or house
hold purposes, appers to have been
made BY Judge Jesse Fell. of the town
Of Wilkes Barre, in the Wyoming val
ley, 10 1903. lie made a"grate of
green hickory wood" with which to
experiment. With this be was 50 sue.
cessful, that be went Immediately to the
forge of his nephew, Edward Fell, and
with his own hands helped to fashion
the first "iron CRATE" 10 which our stone
was burned. He set up his CRATE with
brick, in the big, open fireplace where
the back logs formerly sent up their
ruddy glare.
In this he kindled brisk fire of dry
oak wood, on which the stone coal was
placed, and 10 short time had splcn-
did fire Of mineral fuel.
The days of back logs we're number
cd, and they were few and short with
the good people Of Wyoming, although
before Judge Fell tried his experiment,
but few believed in stcne coal. Now
they were delighted with it, and raptur-
Gus in its praises.
Though the anthracite region of Wyo-
ming was the first discovered and made
use Of, and is now the most extensively
developed and sent to distant markets,
yet the celebrated Lehigh coal is most
famous and best known. II was dis
covered in 1891 by poor hunter of
Msuch Chunk, or Bear Mountain,
whose name was Philip Ginter
He lived in a rude cabin on tie sun !.
Dy side Of the mountain, where he and
his wife cultivated n little patch of
land but he supported his family chiefly
BY trapping and hunting.
Poor Philip says: zone day, after a
bad hunting season, when my wife aud
little ones were on short allowance, |
had unusual bad luck with my trap and
guns, and was on my way home empty
handed and disheartened, tired aud wet
with rain, when | struck my foot
against singular stone. It was nearly
dusk, but light enough remained to
show me that the rock was black and
shiny
had heard of stone coal over 10
Wyoming, and had frequeotly peered
into the rock in hopes of finding it.
When | examined the black rock, |
knew it must be some kind of coal, and
on looking around | discovered black
dirt aud great many peices of stone
coal under the roots of tree that had
been blown down by the wind. took
a piece home with me, and the next
day carried it to Fort Allen and gave
it to Col. jacob Weiss"
The specimen was submitted to some
gentlemen of Philadelphia, who pro
nounced it, as suspected, stone coal.
Philip was rewarded with the tract OF
of land on which was a water power
that he desired for saw mill; but, un
fortunately, the land was aiterward
claimed under an older title, and the
hunter Of Mauch Chunk lost both his
land aud his labor, and died as he had
lived, poor man, though nis discovery
made thousands rich.
In the following year the Lehigh
Coal Niue company was formed, and
the celebrated Summit Mines, or "Great
Open Quarry" was commenced on the
spot where Philip Ginter first discover.
ed the coal. But it was ten years later
before the first coal reached the mark ct
from the wild mountainous regions
where it existed. Six ark loads Of coal
were then started on the rapid waters
OF the l4ehigh river, but only two reach
ed Philadelphia. The other four were
wrecked on the rocks Of that mad stream.
1t did not matter much, however, for
after all the trouble and expense of get
ting them to Philadelphia, the good
p -ople Of the Quaker City could not
make the black rocks burn. They we're
broken up to gravel the sidewalks much
to the disappointment aud loss Of the
coal mine company, who soon leased
their lands and mines to Messrs. White,
Hazzard a. Co., for period Of twenty
years, at an annual rental Of zone year Of
corn"
The lessees and their associates,
who formed the present Lehigh Coal
aud Navigation company, bought up the
stock of the original company, which
consisted offifty shares, at first, for $3.50
per share, but at last, wnen the mines
were in fourising condition, these
shares brought $1,000.
In the meantime, during 1912, Col.
Shoemaker, gentleman of Pottsyille,
took nine wagon loads Of coal to Phiia
delphia from the Schuylkill mines.
Most Of this lie disposed Of for a
mere trife to those who could be in
duced to give the stone coal t'fair
trial" But every effort, except one,
proved total failures, aud the colonel
was denounced as knase and scoun
drel, for selling rocks in the name Of
coal. A writ was obtained for his
arrest as an | -:postgr and swiudler, aud
he only saved himself from his indig-
nant customers BY beating hasty re-
treat, sadly disappointed at the result
OF his first coal speculation.
But part Of this coal had been sold
to Messrs. White q Hazard. (before
mentioned, } of the Fairmount Nail and
Wire works. Mr.. White was extreme.
ly anxious to make this coal burn, aud
spent half day with his workmen 10
trying to raise a heat in one Of the fur
naces. They rakcd and poked and stir
red il, but TO no purpose except bad
one. The coal would not burn then,
and il will not burn now, under such
treatment.
Butthe dinner hour having arrived, the
tired aud hungry men shut the furnace