The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-03-27
GARRETT COUNTY ENTERPRISE,
History of Oakland Coal and Coke
Company

OAKLAND, NJ d., Marcn "a. mere
has been no enterprise started III TINS |
community or near oakland within
the past ten years which has grown |
so rapidly or which has assumed such
large proportions in so short a time
a; the Oakland Coal and Coke Com.
pany. Certainly we have meyer seen
a better illustration of pluck and |
energy on the part of two or three
men than we have witnessed on the
part of those who inaugurated the
movement which afterwards led to
the organization of the Oakland Coal
and Coke Company. About three
years ago Robert l. Anderson, who
had for several years been the super
inlendent of the Hampshire Mining
Company on Georges Creek. started
out, in company with John Egan, of
Froslburg. to do little prospecting
on his own account. Among other
localities which they examined was
the outcrop along Snowy Creek,
about six miles west Of Oakland on
the B. & 0.
Here they discovered vein of
coal seven and a half feet thick,
which they decided to he of excellent
quality. They quietly secured a
lease from John NJ. Holmes of "a tract
of eleven hundred acres which he
owned at the very low royalty of six
cents ton. Having thus secured
this large tract the next thing was to
have the coal tested in order to a-cPr-
tain its quality for steam and cooking
purposes. This was no easy task
under the circumstances. The place
where they determined to open the
mine was about a half mile from the
railroad, and it would DO necessary
to haul their coal by wagon to the
station which was mile away.
This was difficult job, but our
plurkv ScOtchmpn with little capital
save their hands and determination
went earnestly to work and soon had
enough coal in New York and other
points for thorough test.
The result of the test WAS far be-
You'd their most sanguine expecta.
tions ard they realized that they hid
an abundance of coal of excellent
quality for steam purposes and which
was fully equal, If not superior to the
Connellsyile coal for coking. The
point WAS now reached when it be-
came absolutely necessary to have
more capital than these two gentle
men possessed and so Egan went to
Cumberland and told the late Andrew
Spipr what he had and Anderson
went to Baltimore and had talk
with Major Alexander Shaw. AT
that time there was young man IN
Major Shaw's office, e. D. Hoffman
by name. This young man thought
he saw something and took the first
lIdItl W tic w 'NS AN7N''
In the meantime Mr.. Spier had not
made L 5an AN offer aud he had
grown di-couragpd-so much so that
when Hoffman met him he at once
accepted hundred and twenty-five
| dollars for his interest in the find and
Hoffman returned to Baltimore an
equal owner with Anderson.
How often Z gan has kicked him
self for his stupidity since tHat time
could not guess. Anderson and
| Hoffman were now offered three
thousand dollars for 0ne-third in
terest, which they refused. They
finally took Mr.. Jacob ii. Taylor,
a gentleman of ample means. in as a
0ne-third owner. The next diff
Guilty was in getting railroad track
laid from the Biltimore.and Ohio to
the mine. distance of about half a
mile. The matter WrS laid before
Mr.. tmual Spencer, who was then
president of the Il tltimore aud Ohio,
and Notwithstanding the heavy cost,
an agreement was reached by which
Anders, II & Co. would grade the
road and the Baltimore and ohio
company would furnish the iron and
lay it. TheSA three gentlemen then
callel themselves the Oakland Coal
and Coke Company, aud worked
along in that way for year. They
started in with about thirty hands
aud during the year in which they
worked in this way they mined fr0ul
/. ninety to a hundred tons of coal PEI
day and buiit six coke ovens. Al
this juncture they determined tC
capitalize their property and organ
iza q stock company, which wa,
done. The capital Was fixed at fifty
thousand dollars.
=; Several capitalists of Baltimore
city became heavy purchasers of TIT
stock, and the cpmpany was organ
lied with jacob IL. Taylor, president
ThOdUre Hooper. ce-president