, 1879-05-23
ASA PACKER.

ASA PACKER.
D.,ts ar N p,onsy,voni. Railroad. mnrnats
yynrtb from atV.opo. 900 to s2o. .ooo. 900,
Philadelphia 71mts. .pav is.
The Hon. Asa Packer, President OF the I4ehigh
Valley Railroad Company, and n man who did
more than any other single individual for tic
development Of tic coal and iron fields OF Penn-
s5!yMn!a, died at his city residence, No. IL
Spruce street, at 1920 last evening.
Asa Packer was born At Myatsc, conn., Dec.
aQ, 1905. Ills parcuta wcre poor. and his carly
education was connucd to what VIVA taught In
I'm m. of ~ ho .tar.c, mt to arck hin
."s,,,,,s 49, ~ r,rr,,n@ nvor III. .aanIor
1os1une: Ga'11"E o,cl 's m na'ouos -
small bundlo containing oil MIA worldly
poesesstous,-a few simple articles Vt
c,ntlivt,-thc n,uckv Ind wa,ked the ent,rc
.,..snee tm',., ~ s,. M-t.n,nrs - praok.
ols'Ance l.oa' va ~ t"p ,..s~ s.tt ~
lyn, susquchanha connsy' ID th's o.a1c' Aaef
| weeks Of weary rrlasehtng hc arrived In Hrook-
| 1vn. nt tho housc of bis cousin, Edward pprkcr
ria latter was houso.curpentcr. uuu with blu,
~ ,ss.o,a .,'a, ;r., s1d h,ca,,o nrs.-ro,n
asa lcasuea ,w ,''s ''aao , nna 'sa. ~.
| workman. When The t'mo OF MS apprentice
| sh3p was out ho went To Now York, where lsu
worked at bis trade for year. uo did not like
The city, however, antl returnea to susaurnanna
County ind settlcd IN sprMeV1l'e lo"nsn'p.
Thcro hc worked Mt his trade. and there, on tue
| Zu nj ;Jauuary. 1898, ho was married to moor
farmers daughter, Sarah Al. B'akslee, who
survives hlns' lNe Youneeouple spent tne he1e
four years IN farming. having rented a tofin
which Ind formerly been worked by Mrs.
rasNes iasaus S ,o.h"re, .n ~, "oh % ovcr"n,,,.
and so"ea, anu patnc9oa 'no eot ofet'"e".~
dlnt crops MRS. raekcr ta'Hsu '.c eo"s au ~
1ninIstescd THO household Affairs With chcertul-
|
nsau' ,.ors ,,or ma nors,s ,sfnnt. on5 nj fin
crops "eEe poo' ana ua.s u's'n"s, Nv. ~ NV
END OF Jour years 'neY "efo 70 ,,p p'os ~ "nea
they began. IL te winter o. 1s,a: hearing Lint
the LchtEh' Canal, Ms. fackcr httehca
hts ouc Horse to II Jumper and drove to A'auch
Chunk, where he made an engagement for the.
summer, and went hume to settle TN hts affairs.
In the spring liz returned to Alaueh Chunk,
walking ae far a. TunkhantlDck, wi1ero lie
boarded rift mud rode to berwick: lie finished
The rest Of his Journey 90 foot, md ut once be-
came the commander Of cnnal.boat. lso soon
afterwards contracted ior another boat, which le
plurcll In charge OF bis brothcr-tr!.lnw, James l.
blakslee. During the summer he moved his
family to Mauc.l Chunk, wlcrc Ills home bus
able to retire with some capital from active par
t!cipatun In tho boating business. but Intainel
an Interest therein. He bought sn'al store,
S1sns F aa n1fssa a bna e. q ES xss as u.s.
few years he placed IN hts store at ono time a
stock Of goods which cost hin, $4,000. which
was unprecedented in that reeion ln those days.
With viii G large proiis. MIR. Packer vas Tier,
counted rich man. 1n partnership with ns
brother, Robert, II tia following year, ha
took heavy contracts from Stockton d
Stevens, Of Now Jersey, for building bouts
at Fottsyil,o. to DO constructed ior thc
. direct shipment OF cDal To-. New York
Il to,K three years 10 complete thesu contracts.
Alr. Packer then engngetl In 1ntnsHg and ship
ping coal from tile NesQnvlloning and othci
ss sna tasnssforw15 s q9,n,sfrap'fd EEes
5chuylklll s; susg,,elonna lsailroaA Company
, | which afterwards beru1ns the LchIgh VALID,
!; I Railroad Company, WAS Incorporated by mn ac
OF Assembly }assud -tprtt II, 1910. Tlero was
. lure, aud caplsussts seemed 10 hare but ltlti'
faith In IT, for Il WIS nut Until Aug. 1917, tin
: euuugh subscriptions 10 its stork could be 10
= cured for beginning At that tEtne 50U3 share
hal bceu taken, letters patert had been isaued
4 tober t M following. During tho uoxt four years
, however, litiia waa soue except kotne survey
utll tic grazing OF about Que mile, iui,ncdtatel
below Allentown.
On Tho 3lst Of October. 1871, Asa Packs
,.st s9ss' 'sss ~ VIZ IT, s'Sfs s "s IT, @ ops nsp 1
struuiLon Of tbs ROAD, began To obtal.l altI
: I tmsl Subscriptions. ~ From, % that thu forwart
. thy history Of the Lehlgh Valley Rallroa.
( unl tAc history Of Asa Packer arc InsepaE
= uointcI clict cactneor Of tnu railroaa comEs
" . ~ n1,I hr comnintud tjlc suryey and locutlu
4 ~ thn line ia June 1859, On tho a7t
- ri Nnve,nher Of t!,at yraf nj, Packer toels Il.
a contTnst for bultunc tic railroad trotu Mauc
- Saw Jrrsry Central and Drly!dere Delawar
Il 1t.Ilrns>Js md tina Furnishing outlets 10 i,