The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-04-01
ARIO PARDEE DEAD.
THE CAUSE GIVEN AS HEART
DISEASE.

Saturday morning, by members of his
family. Death had come some time
during the night for the body was
already cold and stiff.
About four weeks ago Mr.. Pardee,
accompanied by three daughters and
DR.. Robinson, left Hazleton on a
Southern trip and repaired almost
directly to his Indian river cottage.
For a man almost So years of age Mr..
Pardee has had remarkable health. and
his various enterprises have made up
a series of burdens few men have cared
to carry. He retired as usual Friday
evening and the cause of death is
given as heart disease.
Ario Pardee was the pioneer and
foremost anthracite coal operator in
the upper Lehigh and lower Luzerne
region. He was born November IS,
1870, a. Nassau, n. Y, and began
with the late Asa Packer, with him
engaging in that series of developments
that have brought the Lehigh Valley
into the industrial prominence it oc-
cupies to-day.
Hazleton, in 1896, was a mere
crossroads staging point on the State
road from Wilkesbare to Easton and
there Mr.. Pardee took charge of the
mines he leased in 1880, working
them with Gillingham Fell. The
mine properties to-day comprise six
collier;es in and around Hazleton.
They make up in part also the Fell
estate. In addition Mr.. Pardee owned
outright the mines at Lattimer, Holly
wood and Mount Pleasant and leased
from the Roberts estate the mines at
Cranberry and Crystal Ridge. The
combined output is given at 100000
tons of coal year and $500 miners
and laborers are on the pay rolls of
Pardee & Co. and Pardee Bros & Co.
who operate them.
Mr.. Pardee's coal enterprises at
Hazleton, great as they are, represent
only part of his holdings and invest
ments. He owned the carshops and
planning mill at Watsontown. About
1000 acres of soft coal territory, IN
Clearfield and Jefferson conties, make
up very valuable realty just coming
into the market He held about 500
shares of Huntingdon and Broad Top
stock, and his Lehigh Valley railroad
stock is estimated at $1,000, 900 in
value. He also owned the Stanhope,
New Jersey, furnaces, and the town
of Hazleton, Ohio is late venture in
the camel coal fields of that state.
Mr.. Pardee some years since invested
heavily in North Carolina timber
property and also had mills at
Montoursville, this State.
No man Of wealth was ever more
unpretentious Like Asa Packer,
pioneer with him in the Lehigh valley,
Mr.. Pardee presented Lafayette
College at Easton, with the hall bear.
ing his name = building first erected
at cost Of $3.50, 900, and when des.
troyed by fire, rebuilt by Mr.. Pardee.
Throughout life Mr.. Pardee was
Presbyterian by religious views, al.
though not communicate member of
that denomination. He built the
Presbyterian Chnrch and parsonage in
Hazleton, and across the way, at
Broad and Church streets, in the midst
of park taking up full city block,
stands the old and spacious stone
mansion that has been his home for
fifty years. There his best leisure was
to enjoy library of almost priceless
value, or act as gardener on his we'll
kept grounds.
A man OF tlreless energy and never
ending industry, Mr.. Pardee has the
largest stores in Hazleton to-day. A
big -four mill represents another Of his
smaller investments and national
bank still another
Prosperity came very slow at first
a I'd Mr.. Pardee suffered such heavy
reverses in the panic of 1873 that two
years later, fnding it impossible to
realize on his investments, he was
compelled to borrow millions of doll
ars to tide over the situation. In
1864, it is stated, Mr.. Pardee under
oath that his income for the previous
year had been over $I,ooo,ooo. 1t
was in the year 1868 that Mr.. Pardee,
then almost mult-millionaire, en-
dowed the chair OF mathematics at
Lafayette College, and later sent his
check for $3.50, 900 towards the en-
dowment fund, Pardee Hall being the
fruits of this munihcent gift
Mr.. Pardee was twice married.
His first wife was Miss Bessie Jacobs,
of Butler Valley.
Mr.. Pardce's second wife was Miss
Annie Robinson, of Bloomsburg, and
her children are Israel Pardee, OF
Stanhope, n, J.; Barton Pardee, of
Lock Haven Frank Pardee, superln-
tendent of the Hazleton mines; Miss
Edith and Miss Gertrude Pardee, Of
Hazleton. who were with him in
Florida Mrs. Robert p. Allison, OF