The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-05-24


high Valley. lie was not at first in the oor-
porale organization wlnch got the charter TO
build the road. What has since become so
greet a work was begun under the name OF
the Delaware, Lehlgh, Schuylkill and Sus-
luehanna Railroad Company - charter Tor
the purpose having been granted on April
2lst, lo46. Very little was done, however,
by the original coopeiators. On the 2nd OF
August, lSl7, five thousand and two shares
Of stock had been subscribed for and hve
dollars paid on each share, amounting in all
To- !wuntv-fve thousand aud ton dOliarscush.
Il was not until the last three months OF .
] $50 that the first survey of the road from
the mouth Of the Muhuung creek TO Easton |
was made in the spring OF 1851, to iuihl |
condition of'the charter, the work ul grading |
was commenced, upon a single mile OF the |
railway, in the neighburhood OF Allen |
town. This was about the only work except |
the survey, that was done until Judge Pack |
er took the road in hand, as will be seen
from report made October eth, 1851, when
the president reported that the entire expen-
diture in the construction" Of the railroad,
so tar amounted to seven hundred ana fifty
dollars.
Here ends the history Of the first organi
cation that attempted to build railroad
along the Lehigh Valley; aud here starts
the genesis Of the great work known as the
Lchigh Valley Railroad. on October 81 Of
that year, Asa Packer became the purchaser
of large amount of the stock Of the d. j.
5. ~ S. Company, which ultimately expand
ed into a majority OF the stock. On Nuvem.
Der u, S52 he submitted proposition for
constructing the railroad from Mauch
Chunk, where it would intersect the Beaver
Meadow Railroad to the river Delaware at
Easton, where it would intersect the Jersey
Central, and the Belvidere and Delaware
Railroad. The pay was to be in the stock
and bonds ofthe company. The proposition
was accepted, and the work was Immediate.
Is began by Judge Packer. On January Z,
1853, the name OF the company was changed
ly act OF the Assembly tO that of Lehigh
| Valley Railroad Company. The work
which Judge Packer thus began was prose-
cuted with great ygor and on September
| 24 sj5, he delivered the road to the com
/ panv, completed from Muuch Chunk to the
| Delaware river. lie had encountered great
| difficulties in the prosecution of the work
! for i'm the fall of 1854 the sale of stock and
| bonds had become very difficult and the
| price of provisions and Of labor risen very
| nigh. The finances of the work were in
this strait, when the friendship of Commo-
dOre Stockton, Stevens, Gat2mer and John
Taylor johnson for Judge Packer came
strongly to his aid. Since then the career
of the Lehigh Valley Railroad has been one
Of such great prosperity and is 50 well known
that we need not go into minute particular.
here. The road which came into Judge
Packers hands as a mere plan on paper IN
1852, with paid up capital Of twenty five
thousand dollars, is now, mainly through
his faith, foresight and energy, great sys
TEN Of railway transportation, reaching iror
the anthracite coal basin to tide water anc
the ocean, at Perth AmJoy on the one side
and along through the upper Lchigh Valley
and the valleys Of the Wyoming and Sus
\ quehanna, to the great upland plain Of New
York State, uniting with the New York sys
TEN of railways and canals; and througi
i G. controlled by the Lchigh Valley Com
pany having their northern tcrtnini on th
great lakes. The eight thousand tons o
coal carried to market in the year 1855, whel
the road opened, had augmented in the yea
1867 to four millions, eight hundred ant
eighty-fye thousand, five hundred and sew
euty.nine tons; and the total tonnage of al
! kinds moved in that year was SIX millions
, eight hundred and tnirty-eight thousand
seven hundred and one.
We have gone thus into detail in thi
) history, rs it may well be called the life
e work OF Judge Packer. lie hes devoted t
{ it almost his entire time and energies. Iii
faith in the future of the Lehigh valley re
mained constant through ali changes ; jus
D as his judgment was never thrown OFF il
; balance in flush times, his confidence Ie
| mained unshaken in the worst periods {
. depression.
One outgrowth of his interest in all tha
I concerned the true prosperity Of his Stat
e was the foundation Of Lehigh University
His purpose with respect to this institution
although it had been in his mind for som
+ years, took form at the time of his visit
}. Europe in 1865. At that period he made h
5 first will, aud in it he set apart tract
land and haIfa million Of dollars tor til
- purpose Of giving practical collegiate edu
5 cation to the youth OF the Lchigh valley, j
4 which he had himself so prospered. 1t W,
# his purpose to iurn sh complete practic,
| education. which should not only suDDl
Il the general wants of worthy and taleutc
Y Young men, but also fit them to take q
h immediate part in the practical affairs
- business and professional life. The pla
was to reject what had been proved usele,
in a course of technical educatiou und,
is other systcms, aud to substitute the impur
i, ant branches which had been more or le
II neglected in the collegiate traInmgof youu
II men destined for mining, engineering mal
II uiacturlng and mechanical pcrsuts.
II After his return from Europe Judge PIcl
T. er determined to anticipate the provision
!. his will. The land was turned over to Il
d possession Of the trustees appointed for II
is University, and the half million Of dola
N was advanced to them for the erection
;. the commodious and elegant Uuiversit
,r buildings in South Bethlehem, and as a
81 ulf,tt. I.4f ttr ha .
70 tion was opened, Judge Packer determine
n that the tuition at the University should
/. entirely free to the students, and then mac
l. "A further gift Of half million of dollars f
r. its maintenance. In carrying out his pa
~ he gave the Trustees and Faculty ca
g blanche, telling them that he would pay Il
=. bills, and in this way and in the erection
m additional buildings the aggregate of h
d gifts 10 the University have amounted
" about a million and half Of dollars
/. During Judge Packers long residence
l. the Lchigh Valley, aud resulting from Il
il active symplthcs with all the population
~ that region, he has been greatly sought f
ne as a candidate for public olcc, though urv
il. seeking anything ol that SOFT for himself.
,d lSil, and again in lSi2, he was elected
IN the Pennsylvania House of Reprcscutatiy
al for Northampton county his residence
II. N"u'H 'hNuh utiHE Nhtl VA ludl count
rs In 1913 he was appointed by Governor Pu
In ter an Associate Judge Of the County Cou
So and held the position for five years /
TO was elected to Congress from the old Mort
O. ampton District ia 1852 aud again in lsj
of serving from March 1, 1858, 10 March
OF 1851 IN 1865 he was the candidate of q
nj Democratic party for Governor Of the Sta
"a against John ". Gegry, aud p1llpd a We
heavy vote. And, although Governor Gea
r was returned as successful there WAS Wi
of spread belief on good grounds, that Jud
In Packer was elected and thrown out by
d. false count. lie served hjs State, howev,
1t m the highest capacity, that Of pub
Ms spirited citizen, doing as much as was ey
Mt done by any one man in the way of dcv,
To oplng the resources Of the commonwralI
he and his loss To the State, now, by his d
he cease is commensurate only with his Ga,
and VuluYl.1., g.r,rf.,