The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-07-09
WHOLE NO. 1888.
The Early Coal Days! !
The JACKSON Coal TESTED BY A Rail-
WAY COMPANY AND PRONOUNCED
A FAILURE!

In the early days of Railroading in
this County, when we had nothing
but the Portsmouth Branch, or, as it
was then called, the Scioto and Hook
ing Valley Railroad, the engines, as
we have before remarked, used wood
in making steam. The track then
was wider than now, and was called
broad gauge" At certain stations
along the road were piles Of wood,
corded up. and when the train would
stop to take on wood, the male pas
sengers would generally turn out and
engage in the healthy exercise of
pitching the sticks of wood into the
tender of the locomotive. No one In
that day ever dreamed Of making a
practical use Of coal in engines.
As time went on, however, the idea
of coal was suggested, and the Rail-
road Company concluded to give the
jackson Coal test as an engine coal.
That from the mine of Mr.. Isaac
StevisOn was selected as being of the
very best quality, and therefore fur
nlshing the best test
Accordingly supply of this fine
coal was put upon the engines be-
tween Jackson and Hamden. The
engineers and firemen watched it care
fully, gave it thorough test, and
pronounced it a failure 1t was
therefore put off of the road as total
ly untitled for generating steam.
This gives some idea of the progress
that has been made. One objection,
perhaps the principal one, was that it
made too hot q fire, and would burn
out the grate-bars of the engines.
That is, in a work where a hot fire was
needed, the Jackson Coal maid it too
hot, and was therefore failure. The
trouble was, the engines were con-
structed with a view to using wood,
and were therefore to some extent
untitled as coal-burning machines.
Mr.. Stevison now enjoys hearty
laugh at the folly Of the Railroad au-
thorities, for the Jackson Coal is now
regarded, and justly so, as among the
very best coal to be found anywhere,
and scarcely Railway wheel moves
in this section that does not receive
its motive power through Jackson
Coal. What sensation the little
old engine "Bloomfeld," /" or the Jack
son." would make, wheeling along
now in front of load, with the fire.
man heaving in chunks of wood,
while the old-fashioned, bell-shaped
smoke-stack rolled out clouds of Gin
ders and sparks.
Alex. Criswell lived close by the
depot, about the time that Mr.. Steyi-
son shipped the first load of coal.
Mr.. Criswell was then as now a
mechanic, and for time kept a store,
we believe, at his home He conclud-
ed to speculate little in Jackson
Coal, and made arrangements to have
Coal delivered, buying some of Lewis
L Stevlson, and some of other parties.
But he soon ran against circum-
stance for which he was unprepared.
By careful management he was en-
abIed to secure car, but was required
to have it filled in twenty-four hours.
After succeeding time or two, he
discovered that be could not get coal
in promptly enough to get the cars
filled in one day, but when permission
to hold the car over till next day was
asked, he was informed by the Rail-
road Company that by the payment
of five dollars per day for the car, he
could hold the car over until he could
fill it. In view of this, Criswell went
out of the shipping business. Mr..
Stevison continued his shipping for
a long time after his first venture,
selling his coal to man named Ro-
bert Simms, in Portsmouth, for seq
en- gears, without ever seeing the gen.
tleman. The first load of coal weigh
ed on the public scales of Jackson
was Mr.. Stevison's Coal.
The first discovery of the Shaft
Coal, we believe, in these later years
it was doubtless known to the salt
boilers-was made by ]. L. Rice while
digging well at the lanyard This
aroused an enthusiasm in the mind of
Mr.. Linn, and he bored for and found
it at the mill Here comes in anoth-
er amusing feature Of the business,
showing how people are carried away
| by the enthusiasm of an important
discovery. When this shaft coal was
first brought to light every body want
ed to use it, at once, and for time it
became the coal Of the town. The
Standard at the time praised it as
! the grandeSt of GOALS for CRATE and
stove purposes The fact of the mat
ter is that it cannot compare with
the hill coal for the purpose men
toned. Who knows but our people
may yet be as enthusiastic over the
tapping of vein of natural gas ?
The gas is certainly here. 1t is a
question now of getting at it.