Evening star., 1898-12-12
Property Which Was at One Time
Quite Profitable.
FORMER OUTLET FOR ANTHRACITE COAL
Picturesque Gravity Railroad and
Delaware and Hudson Canal.
OVER THE MOOSIC RANGE
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


ELMIRA. n. Y, December 2, 1898.
1t is stated that property, including the
picturesque gravity railroad, costing fully
$l",@',o0o, which lately came under the
control of the Vanderbilts and other cap
italists allied with them, and over which
anthracite coal has been for seventy years
transported from the Delaware and Hudson
Company's mines in the Lackawanna val
ley to the Erie canal, whence it was car
ned to Hudson on the canal and to New
York harbor. will be abandoned at the close
of this month, because the new owners do
not believe it pays enough to Justify them
in longer continuing its operations.
The reported abandonment suggests the
passing of this great water route which,
until confronted by railroad competition,
was one of the best dividend corporations
in its day on this continent. 1t has a his
tory, 1t is said, that is not excelied in point
of interest by any other enterprise 1t was
the means of introducing to the seaboard
cities the black diamonds" of the Penn
sylVania coal fields for heat and steam pro-
ducing fuel; it developed the wilderness
region of Carbondale, Honesdale and the
valleys of the upper Delaware and Never
sink rivers; called into being many impor-
tant towns on the route. and brought into
prominence and wealth many a poor, strug-
Cling lad. 1t has been a power in the poll
tiCS VI llie states OF New Y Ork ana Penn
sylvania, from which 1t obtained its char
ter. and amassed fortunes for many of its
officers and stockholders. The projection
of the building of the Delaware and Hudson
canal originated with William Wurts
young merchant of Philadelphia, and his
brother Maurice.
Details of the Project.
At the time 5000 tons of anthracite in
single year glutted the markets of all the
seaboard cities in the United States Know
ing this fact, they proposed to send to the
city of New York annually 100000 tons, and
to carry out this scheme they preached the
project of scaling the Moosic mountains
with railroad and constructing canal los
miles from Honesdale, Wayne county, Pa,
through rugged and partly unexplored coun-
try, crossing two rivers to the Hudson at
RondOut. 1t was considered by many a
wild and visionary scheme. Benjamin
Wright, chief engineer of the Erie canal,
was engaged by Maurice and William
Wurt5 in May, 1893. to take measures to
have a proper survey from Underwater of
the Hudson river. at the mouth of the Wall
Kill, up the valley of the ROndout, and
thence up the same to the confluence of the
LackawaXen to a point as near to the coal
mines as possible, in order to ascertain the
practicabihty of constructing canal along
the route, and make an estimate OF the cost
of the work. Wright. who was considered
the best engineer in the country, appointed
John B. Jervis OF Rome. who had served
under Wright on the Erie canal from AK
man to section superintendent, as principal
assistant engineer to make the survey. Mr..
JerVis at once examined the route. report
ing against some of the former plans, which
embraced the idea of using the Delaware
river in part. His suggestions were adopted
and an independent canal decided on.
Report Submitted.
Mr.. Wright made his report in 1924. He
pronounced the improvement practicable,
and estimated the cost, 100000. The vast
ness of the sum made capitalists unwilling
to take hold of the enterprise. Public opin-
ion against it. but, nothing daunted the
projectors enlisted the influential press in
it's favor and public sentiment was
changed. The brothers matured their plans.
They proposed the forming of a company,
with capital of S1.50O,OOO. that the Moosic
mountains should be surnounted by the
way of Rix Gap. 500 feet in height, by
means of inclined planes; that their rail-
way should extend to the nearest point at
which a supply of water could be com
manded for canal navigation that the com
pany should embark in the business of bank
ing and purchasing land along the canal,
where il would rise in value Books of SUBJ
scriptiOn were opened in New York city
and every share of the capital stock taken.
At that time most of the inhabitants OF
New York burned wood. II was estimated
that with the construction of the canal coal
could be delivered in this city at s3e4 per
ton and il was calculated that 5s,ouO tons
would be sufficient for years supply me
Delaware and Hudson Canal Company W ts
chartered by the New York legislature
April -. 1873, but it was not fully organ
lied until two years later. Ground was
first broken for the canal on the summit
level, forty miles from RondOut, July Is,
49,. by the president, Philip Hone. who
delivered an appropriate address To large
assemblage. Benjamin Wright was en-
gagged as chief engineer in the cOnstruc-
ton and John Il. Jervis was assistant.
Wright resigned in 1927, and JerVis was
appointed to the position, which he re-
tanned until May 30, when he resigned to
become chief engineer of the Mohawk and
Hudson railway, and six years later ne was
chief engineer in the construction of the
Croton aqueduct Port Jervis was named
in honor of John B. Jervis, and the old
stone house in which Jervis made his home
stands near the canal. 1t was built in 1T93
on the foundation of fort which was
burned by the Indians under the Mohawk
chieftain Brant in l779. The canal was
out. on the Hudson distance of los miles,
October, 1928 and during that month The
first small boat made its way to the Hud-
son with a cargo of ten tons OF inferior
boats similarly laden passed over the canal
and was greeted by the inhabitants along
the line with demonstrations of joy.
Construction Commenced.
The railroad over the Moosfc range to
transport the anthracite from the mines at
Carbondale to Honesdale, where it passed
to the boats. was commenced in 1927 and
completed in the summer of 1s33 The first
car load of coal over 1t was shipped Octo-
Der ., 1920 The completion of the gravity
road first established Carbondaie in COM
municatiun with the outside world. The
operation Of the road was attended with
great difficulty, arising from the breaking
of chains used on the inclined plane. In
April, 1880, tarred ropes were substituted
for chains. Freight was similarly carried
In 1888.
ii was on this road the first locomotive
that ever turned wheel in America was
placed. Ii was called the Stourbridge Lion,
and was one of three locomotives made for
the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company
in England under direction of Horatio AL
len, civil engineer. 1t was brought to
New York, but was found too weak to ad-
nit of its use with safety, and horses took
its place on the levels. The expense of
building the canal was greater than had
been estimated. The 81, 800, 900 cash capital
of the company was not sufficient to COM
plete ii, and the state loaned its credit in
aid of the enterprise to the extent of $780,
U1D.