The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11
D. AND H. CANAL ROMANCES
n CHANCE MEETING IN THE Woods
THAT Nc TO FORTUNE.

When i ren0 the van BECK romance OF OH
oanalline days in THE Sun the other day" sale
. resident Of Wayne county. Pa. who was al
employee Of the Delaware and Hudson Cana
Company sixty years ago. 81 was reminded
that the early days of that now abandoned ca
nal were attended by a great many romanti,
Incidents. In fact, it was due to one that the
company Itself came into existence. This ro'
nance began in the township OF South Canaan
Wayne county. Pa. near the border OF the un,
broken wilderness that covered all the Lacka-
wanna Valley then above the little settlement
where the city OF Scranton now is. David Mobiles
q woodsman OF that township, had got into
debt to q man named Goodrich to the amount
ofS15. Mobiles held title to a tract OF wild land
in the Lackawanna Valley. That land is now
part OF the site Of the city OF Carbondale. The
debtor refused to accept n deed OF the tract in
payment OF tho $I5. and got judgment against
Mobiles, who fed to the wilderness to escape
imprisonment for debt. This was in 1914.
Since 1912 the two Wurts brothers. Philadel-
phlans. who were among tho earliest believers
in the future OF anthracite coal. had been PROS
pectinR all over that wilderness for signs that
would warrant them in getting possession OF
land everything coal deposits. their idea being to
locate mines near the tributaries OF the Della
as the highway to transport the product to
Philadelphia.
Although confident that coal existed in that
part Of the Lackawanna Valley. they made no
discovery that promised a realization of their
hopes, and they at last determined to abandon
that field and continue their quest for coal in
the southern part Of the L~.ackawanna Valley.
William Wurts had actually left the valley and
returned to Philadelphia. and his brother
Maurice had turned his face southwark.
after making a final search for coal. near
&ho prneon alto ~ CnrbopInIa ubap ha m M
suddenly upon a man in the garb of a
hunter. who was making efforts to conceal
himself in a thicket. Wurts. supposing the
man was some mountain hermit. addressed
him. soon auieted his fears. and engaged him
in conversation. The hunter proved to be the
fugitive Dave Mobiles. who told Wurts why he
t Tas th pssb hI6inF fbi IN w Sns T15aern Sfsbt Thh a2e sf
some time seen anthracite coal in his wander
ings; Wurts questioned him or, the subject.
where there were curious black stones. and II
they were coal he knew where there was abun.
right there and then and asked Mobiles what
he would sell It for.
" him; so that I can go home once more. re-
piled Mobiles, I'll give you a deed for the lot
merit against nsiH Nobles. and the land b, e Obtained
for that outlay is known as the Grassy Island
tract, where the first coal mine in the Lacka-
the canal and railroad that transported
lssln ape s Ss,d bay mi e. d DEBT pr q SD NoS e ao ese
to escape imprisonmScnt, there wouldn't have
been any Delaware and Hudson Canal Com
pany, with its millions upon millions OF prop.
to-day might be working for a living. heard
John W9rts. another brother of Maurice, say
pany, in response to a remark made by some
one that the Wurtses were the founders of the
NO. said he. Providence-and Dave
Mobiles. They were the founders
great thing for Dave Mobiles. though. He got a
Job at $50 a month TO guide his patron around
through r & Tn that region and buy up coal lands for
thing, The. willy Quaker kept in the back
ground until all the land he wanted, was So
After that Dave Mobiles was allowed to work ali
wages. clearing out the channel of Jones's
Creek; the water nearest the Delaware River,
the first cargo Of coal to market.
This creek was nine miles long, and emp
miles above the point Where that stream1
emptied into the L~ackawaxen River. which had
sixteen; mile flow thence to the Delaware.
Creek Mobiles built a raft and on it the Wurtses
loaded two sledloads OF coal from an opening
The raft was made of dry pine trees. Mobiles
StIot e " Wi n. this pioneer cargo 9 2Eb ant maaSi ct to
IllDJ IL 10 lnb NdlicHptuphCk. Inc water WAS
high and the stream crooked and swift. The
Tatt did not get more than a mile on its voyage
!rRe cargo rspn WENT to the 81 bottom %t I mr eSd pa Ea ( So p4fk;
saved from drowning by one Alpheus HOLSTER.
where tie raft was Wrecked. With this adW Wear
ture Dave Mobiles severed his connection with
the Wurtses. and SO his name does not appear
in any Of the chronicles as one OF the founders
OF the canal company.
The Wurtses did at last succeed in getting
q raftlOal of coal down tho WallnnDaupack.
tho L~ackawaxe and the Delaware TO Phiiadel-
s RaiH; ia aath SSgfRs fr T%Gef fss r Pen ms Ran}}Scff; es 29-
lature to improve the channel OF the rough and
turbulent Lackawaxen River, so that it might
haul the coal in sleds during the winter to the
bank OF that stream, thirty miles through the
pleted the LehiGh and Schuylkill coal regions
were opened. and competition with them by
abandoned the idea Of PHILADELPHIA S as a ma iikett
and turned to New York the result Of which
tidewater on the Hudson River. at Rondout.
4s6sRss sGaft Goa Ssr York s5a tEEass p sqst q p s ne
sex. county. New Jersey. adjacent, must have
poticed how many citizens o. that legality have
country was Coe Finch. He was a man Of
@seHS' lie HtsS was uprirb atn and ff Ii5era a2r and pt his fhh in-
fpence dominated the affairs of that region.
the first son was born to any family in that
farming coHmmppntty to have him named
Proper thing to do, The tradition Of It
youpgsters named Coo +, this and Coe F. that.
In Coe ,Finch's day a well-to-do and, much-re-
farmer named Young lived Just over |
the Sussex county line. Following custom and
inclination. Farmer Young named his first son
Coe r Sixty years or so ago this son was a lad
bright, but his bent was mischieyous, He was
to idleness and restlessness. He
for Initiating the songs Of birds and
Of animals. and for yentriloquism. |
These gifts and his uniform good nature made
age, especially with the good housewives and
the, young people, It was not in him to work.
and the hard headed old farmers did not look
with approval on his visits, which he made FREE
quently about the district, because. as they de-
clared. the boys wasn't worth a cent ON the
farm TheS ne was around. hs carried EN- away
liked to visit at Farmer Durland's at Minisink,
but Farmer Durland did not think his presence
was good for the boys and the farm hands, 80
farmer told him plumply that he couldn't stay;
that he must go back home until after haying
and harvest were over. This grisyed the farm |
er's wife greatly. for the hoy was a great favor
ita nj hare and lha didn't Yrant Mr., - - "a |