The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-17
HISTORY OF
LONG FOUGHT
COAL WAR

WINGED that the new road was to be
built II steps were not taken to pre-
vent 1t, that they resolved upon and
proceeded forthwith, to carry out q
bold attack on the enemy's rear.
BY some sort OF representation, to
the effect that all the Individual oper-
| ators were to be bought out, the Simp-
son & Watkins firm was Induced to let
go of their holdings and have them
| transferred to the Temple Iron COM
pany, organized and capitalized by the
Morgan people.
This removed one of the mainstays Of
the independents. and 1t looked as IL
they were doomed to be forced to suc-
| cunb. after their years of valiant
! struggling. But such was not the case.
They were disappointed but not dis
heartened and all they wanted to in
duce them to keep up the fight was
someone to show them how they could
stand a fighting chance of winning.
1t was then T.. l.. Fuller came to the
rescue. He had been one of the most
aggressive in the fighting thus far, and
most Of the successful coups were the
result Of plans that were originated In
his fertile brain and carried out by his
indOmitable will and tireless energy.
When appealed to by the independents
to take up their cause and lead them in
their struggle. he agreed to be their
! Moses. provided he was allowed full
swing and that the others would back
him up, If he presented scheme that
insured victory. They told him to go
ahead and they would stand by him,
|, and he did.
MAPPED OUT PLANS.
Without taking a single operator in
| to his confidence, let alone consulting
| any Of them, Mr.. Fuller proceeded to
plan the Delaware Valley and Kings
| ton railroad.
After series of long conferences
he induced the Pennsylvania Coal
company to come into the scheme,
| had Coykendall, the big cement man
OF Rondout, buy for him the aban-
doned Delaware and Hudson canal.
for the ostensible purpose of giving
| Il water way to New York for Coyken-
dall's cement, and having accomplish
| ed this called together his fellow op-
| e.ators unfolded his plans and want
| ed them to accept IS per cent. for their
| coal
The Independent operators We're
There was no question about the
success of the plan. The road from
Scranton TO the canal bed--the Penn
sylvania company's Erie and Wyom-
| ing--need only to be extended ninety
| seven miles on an already graded
road bed as level as a deal board. and
| route to tidewater was at hand.
which, because of it's cheapness Of
oSt 1.f.t
ievolutionize the coal carrying busi-
ness.
Not only did the independents has
ten to sign the sixty-llve per cent
contracts with the proposed new road.
but many also bid for big blocks Of
the stock. The Pennsylvania Coal
company took the contracts, agreed
to execute them the day the road was
in operation, and then all energies
were bent on the construction of the
road.
WE'RE ASTOUNDED.
The big coal carriers were fairly as
founded at the independc nts' project.
and in their excited efforts tG halt ii,
performed Il lot of seemingly ridlcu-
ous things. such as the dumping Of
filling into the bed Of the canal at
the avowed purpose OF strengthening
it's overhead bridge, but for the real
purpose of preventing the water that
Was being let into the canal from
passing beyond that point. the letting
in of the water and the blocking
thereof being preliminary steps to the
litigation that it was expected would
follow on the question of whether or
hn of 0nl., wa,
Hudson's special charter permitting
it to transform the canal irto rail-
road could be transferred with the
sale of the bed of the abandoned
canal.
The Erie sixteen years ego leased
for twenty-five years from the Eric
and wyoming the section of the lat
ter's road extending from Hawley :"
Lacka waxen. The new read could not
wait nine years for the expiration OF
the lease, and so other means had to
he adopted tor connecting the Erie
and Wyoming's terminal at Hawley
with thu Delaware Valley and Kings
toms terminal ut LhckawaNen. The
Erie ard Wyoming proceeded to sup
ply this link by building line along
the canal under authority of its
branching powers.
The Erie fought it in the courts ON
the ground that this was not Il branch.
but a part of main line. and. ms it's
charter rights for a main line b"t"een
Hawley and Lackawaxen had been eN-
hausted, it should be estoDned from
further operations there.
RAISED IN TWO CASES.
The question was raised in two
cases, one of which, an injunrtlon case,
was tried before Judge Purdy, of
Wayne county, ana the other quo
warranto proceedings tried before
Judge Simonton at Harrisburs,. Judge
Purdy decided in favor of the Erie ana
Judge Simonton in favor or the Erie
and Wyoming. Both ca Ses were APP
pealed to the supreme court and both
cases are still pending, decision Being
expected next month.
While all this was going on in Penn
sylvania, another fa""elr fought legal
bu,tle was waging IN Naw fc,k. !;
is necessary to the h ;.ldlIG OF rail-
road in that state to secure the author
ization of the railroad commissioners.
The Erie and Ontario and Western,
backed by the other carrying roads,
tried to prevent the granting of the
certificate for the new road by show
ing that 1t was intended 10 parallel
other roads and was not necessary.
The commissioners thought otherwise
and granted the certificate, ana their
action was approved by the appellate
division of the supreme count at Al
bany by an unanimous vote. and, un-
der the rules, the unanimous vote for
bade a further appeal.
This laft the homes Of the ODDOsltiOu