The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1892-05-07
THEDIscovERY OF COAL
m WAS YEARS, HOWEVER, BEFORE
IT'S VALUE WAS REALIZED.
The story Of How Anthracite coal Was
Discovered and the Development Of


the Same.
Ask almost anybody up in the Penn
sylvania coal regions who first discov-
cred the commodity, and the answer
will quickly come "Phil Ginter" Even
the grimy youngsters among the "del-
vers under the ground have the story
as pat as a royal flush It has been
made one Of their school studies from
time immemorial and it's dollars to
coal dust that they'll tell you that
Phil Ginter was their great -great-great-
grandfather or had some other connec-
tion with their family.
The story is an interesting one.
What Rip Van Wrinkle was TO our
grandfathers along the Hudson Phil
Ginter was to the hills forming the
French roof Of the Lehigh Valley. He
was a tramp of the Mauch Chunk re-
gion-a lazy old Dutchman-who would
rather loaf than work, and who was
fonder of his gun aud dog than of
cleanliness Of sobrietv.
One day, in the year 1891, Phil had
been out on one of his hunting expedi-
tions and was returning home. As
usual, most of his hunting had been
done under a tree, where he had gone
to sleep and endeayored TO dream of
choice coverts. He had lain there un-
til It began to rain, and, as the rain
awakened him, he rubbed his eyes,
swore at his i'll luck and meandered
homeward.
The rainstorm in the mountains that
woke the old Pennsylvania Dutchman
proved godsend TO him and to the
world at large AS he ambled home
ward the rain became more furious and
washed away large portions of earth.
Picking his way through the mud and
over fallen trees, Phil suddenly stun
bled on some roots, and as he did so he
displaced number of "plack stones"
that had become uncovered by the
washout.
Old Phil had heard the legends of
the existence of "black stones that
would burn" in the mountains, but he
had never seen any of them, and he
and the older mountaineers looked
upon it as fairy story. He was of an
inquisitive turn of mind, however, and
when he unearthed the stones he
searched for more. Beneath the root
of fallen tree he dug up many of
them, and he filed his pockets with
them and lugged them home.
Colonel Jacob Weiss was the oracle
of the bailiwicK at that time. He re-
sided at Fort Allen, now Weissport,
near by to Mauch Chunk. On the fol
lowing day Ginter took his find to the
colonel The colonel saw at a glance
that Ginter had made a valuable aud
wonderful discovery, but he obtained
Phil's permission to have the "black
stones" examined by somebody who
knew more about such matters than DE
did. Philadelphia then, as now, was
the home of learned scientists, miner
alogists and savants.
To them Colonel Weiss went, taking
with him several specimens of Ginter's
find. Among the savants was Charles
Cist, printer, who at once pronounced
it "stone COAL" and who told Colonel
Weiss that there was a fortune in it.
They at once determined to buy Gin
ter off upon his showing them the
place where he had found the speci-
mems.
But Ginter was coy. He reasoned
with himself that if the find was worth
the sum they offered him it was worth
more, and he held back. lie told them
in Pennsylvania Dutch that they might
hunt until doomsday and they'd never
find it, Then they agreed to Ginters
proposal that they give him title to a
tract of land in the locality upon
which he could, aud afterward did,
build a small mill. He had scarcely
built the mill, however, when he ascer-
tanned that it was owned by somebody
else and that his title was worthless.
In the following year, 1872, Weiss,
Cist aud man named Hillgate formed
themselves into the Lehigh Coal Mine
company. They had no charter or in
corporation, but they took up 5000
acres of land in the locality and began
to work the mine in rude way. They
sent small'quantities Of coal TO Phila-
delphia, but it proved next TO worth.
less, and ina number Of instances, in
stead of burning, put the fire out This
disheartened the company, and for
awhile nothing was done to develop
the mines.
1t was not until 1872 that Messrs.
White a Hazard, wire manufacturers
at Schuylllill Falls, attempted to work
them successfully, and also to work
the legislature scheme to improve the
Schuylkill river, offering as an induce.
ment the fact that the mountains were
full of coal. The legislature didn't bite,
\ however, and the scheme temporarily
fell through. A year later, in Decem-
Der, 1913, the company made lease to
Miner, Cist a Robinson, giving them
permission to develop the mines, the
only consideration being that the work
ers take out annually 10000 bushels of
coal for their benefit.
In December, 1917, the Lehigh Coal
Mine company executed another lease,
this TO White, Hank Il Hazard. The
lease was for twenty years, and inelud-
ed the whole territory of 5000 acres.
The lessees agreed that after a given
time for preparation they should de-
liver annually at least 10000 bushels in
Philadelphia and the surrounding dis
trlcts and should sell it for their own
benefit. For this privilege" they were
TO pay the annual rent Of one ear of
corn.
Having obtained the lease the les
sees applied to the legislature for per
mission TO make the Lehigh river
navigable and thus TO convey their
coal TO market. The learned legislators
laughed at them and told them plainly
that their scheme was chimerical, that
there was nothing in it, and that their
dodgasted stone coal would only put
out the fires instead of making them
burn brighter.
On March 20, 1918, however, the leg
islature gave the lessees an opportu-
nifty 10 ruin themselves" as they put
IT, and in the following August the
Lehigh Navigation company was form
ed, with capital Of $4,000. In Octo.
Der the Lehigh Coal company was