The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-31
ABANDONMENT OF
CANAL AND GRAVITY
tConcluded from Page 81

connect with the Erie and Wyoming
Valley. The latter company will also
have the privilege of shipping over
the new road at certain fixed rate.
1t was reported that the Erie and
Wyoming Valley would secure the Del
aware and Hudson canal between Haw-
ley and Rondout, but there is small
likelihood of any such purchase being
made. If 1t is IT will mean that the
proposed road will not be built. The
individual operators who organized
the new railroad company, would join
with the Pennsylvania Coal company
IN shipping over the Erie and Wyom-
ing railroad and the canal,if they could
get their coal to the market they de-
sire 20 reach, in that way by the ex-
penditure of less money than II would
cost them to ship over their own road
The possibility OF such plan being
adopted is so remote that II is scarce
worth discussing.
In an article dealing with the aban-
doninG OF the gravity road and canal
the Independent, of Honesdale, says:
"It is hardly possible that the road
between Honesdale and Carbondale
will be abandoned. The system may
he changed. The Erie may continue
its line from Honesdale to the Jeffer-
son branch hv tunnelinE the Moosic
mountain. The entire abandoning OF
the Gravity system and the coal works
here would mean a loss of at least
$4,000 month to this community, the
pay roll of the Delaware and Hudson
company amounting to fully this sum.
The Delaware and Hudson company,
it is understood, has made a contract
with the Erie and Erie and Wyoming
to carry the coal they mine to the
, sea6oHrd very much cheaper than via
the gravity.
The Delaware and Hudson canal is
To be abandoned west Of Ellenville,
| Between 500 and 6OC men will be
thrown out of employment, many of
whom are advanced in years, having
spent nearly all their lives in the SER
vice of the company. Temporarily it
may slightly affect the business inter"
csts of Honesdale but we do not be-
/ leve it will do so permanently. Some
thing will take the place of the to-be-
/ abandoned interests which may be
equally as valuable to the community
| if not more So"
BETTER CONTROL OF TRADE.
An effect OF the change will probably
! be to give the Morgan syndicate which
controls the Erie little frmer grip
on anthracite coal trade.
| The Carbondale Leader in it's story
about the abandonment of the grav-
ity road and canal says:
"A very decidedly depressed feeling
! existed among some of the business
men and larger property owners.
/ There is a silver lining to every cloud,
! however, ana the abandonment of the
gravity may not have so bad an effect
on Carbondale as Is expected. A live
! tOwr will recover in time from any
shock--and this Carbondale has proved
itself to be.
1T was claimed by some that the
city had received black eye." This
may in q measure be true but If we
allow our lamentations to develop into
a panic and to become broadcast we
will be giving ourselves a still greater
"black eye" The notice posted at the
Delaware and Hudson general office
seemed like a two months warning to
Without doubt, however, many will
capacities
| THE abandonment of the gravity
will have an effect on the Van Bergen
foundry which did q large amount OF
company work. The steam railroad
interests of the city cannot we'll be i'm
proved by the sending of coal east
from points below Carbondale as now
it is all brought here and this city
has been recognized as headquarters
for that division. Whether the cleric
al force here will be reduced is not
known"
The appended is from an interesting
story printed in the Archibald Citizen
Saturday:
AN ARCHIBALD VIEW.
THE process Of substituting the
steam road for the gravity has beer
quietly going on for several months
but it is receiving prominence now be-
cause of the recent changes made in
the manner of loading coal at the Del
aware and Hudson breakers here anC
at Jermyn.
when the new JSlondike breaker a.
Olyphant was built there was no pro-
vision made for the loading of gravit,
cars. and since the breaker began op
erations the coal prepared in it ha,
been sent to market in gondolas. A
other breakers where Improvement!
have been made. in every case tn,
wide has been substituted for the mar
row gauge.
"On Monday the work of changin!
the track at No. . breaker in Jermyl
was begun. On Tuesday Mr.. Rose
superintendent of the Delaware ant
Hudson mine department, and MI
Carter were here with corps of en-
: gineers and grade for the new tracl
, was established
"The abandonment OF this sectio,
of the railroad will very probably re
suit In the idleness OF about thre
, hundred men and BOYS In this tow
alone about fifty will be affected
These fifty include engineers. fremer
watchmen, headmen, footmen, brake
men. probably two section bosses, an
, their men. Peckvile will also surfe
. much in this respect, because next I
? Archibald, there are more men EN-
ployed on the gravity whose home
are there, than there are from an
other town in the valley. The elias
. of workmen affected is the same a
those thrown out of worl; here. BE
l sides, lot Of valuable property of tn
company such as head houses an
:, machinery will be rendered useless"