Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-19

theran congregation. which he or
ganized at the same place. all of which
gave rise to the celebration of the
beautiful poetic ceremony. now known
nually observed by the same church
on the second Sunday in June Of each
year; YEA IN eommemoration of his dis
vision in the conveyance, stipulating,
that an annual rental of one red rose
ef o9onid Jnde be a paid each year in the month
w was suhe; CIV when legally demanded. This
stiegefs lifetime. but utanaet aboat t%entYs enHs
mHe years ago the ceremony was re-
wheu thhen ana is now celebrated each year,
scendants oNs VI mo Uo
ro mhe story of stiegers career and the
bis biinidHee 1ifcs that attaches to this phase of
enis ea event has been observed, but his
service as participant in the great
engaaaS sEis IN IN tShI Which the Colonies were
serves from British tyranny has never
peen told. although mute evidences Of
the the tSSK GsKorW which he performed to aid
the Ar1 anS his tSat seryHe r to
laiin, nnnin,, mark his career in that trying
pnnaTs pnrroE as one worthy of place in the
was a,s = or, ot the eountry's history. His
worthy of undying praise and the
grateful remembrance of all patriotic
Amerioan Mr.m citizens;
r.
IIorced I TO retire with his army into New
Jersey, after the reverses in the Vi
mirbEt n1firtE orer.n or New York in order that he
ing against Philadelphia, and after
ward crossed the Delaware into Penn
s,Elvania, the Continental Army was in
rfioTessed triote @ condition. Many of the pa
ground. 1t was a time of deep de- de-
spGShdency spS inf,ny and many people of wealth
The situation became desperate. and
When on Christmas night. in 1776, in a
11Trlving 1T storm of sleet and drifting ice
feii inihrngron nnen H. crossed the Delaware and
captured one thousand prisoners, there
was great joy. The fires of patriotism
were rekindled and the British became
IT was during this trying period, when
the British commanders, incensed by
IheIr dee1at, continued to press the war
,u nurs,,it itis%ro4sly 90 th i and started in hot
that the Continental Congress began to
make make urgent demands for more sup
piss prieis ana th .ammunition. It was in this
ATTY ana contributed his share to the
success of the patriots cause. Some
al am eriean ene cannon and ball used by the
Stiegel from his furnace and forges At
EllZabeth, and these were being oper-
mnnitioo n,un 10 their capacity. But more
reauisiton ths was Mere made needed ee s1,o, and
crease mis- output. This he expressed
Wllllng TO do, but sent word to Con-
sveSs sr wbinh tnat owing to the lack of labor
power with which his furnace and
1orge We're operated, he would be un-
ape al her TO comply with the request. unless
1anoters nmm'h were sent to him in sufficient
NUMBER TO carry out his plans
Stiegel possessed skill as an enpi-
hhee[, ana, anticipating these demands,
ne ne mad nad already devised plans whereby
ms furnace and forges, when he re-
celVed word that at least one hundred
fness,an ine1nn prisoners rise captured by Wash
ihstoH at the Battle of Trenton would
be sent to him to be used as laborers
to complete his work.
me young ironmaster was quick to
ng ase adrantage mile of this help and start
along the eastern slope of the south
mountains, where, through a deem RAJ
vine vine tlows the segloch Run, he be-
to carry the water from this little
stream, as 1t flowed to the southern
Wope SIope tn ot Fhen the Black Oak Ridge, west
supplv Wn 10 was srnaee a6tsiR Run from which his
gantic task, as the ruins of the rsce
show, but .Stiegel set the Hessians to
Se %orh baS snd formed IN remarkably short time,
stream at his furnace, which gave hin,
an abundance of water and srabled
mr. nm TO re,. increase the output and supply
patriot i'ifS army Tbis ef ammunition to the
great achievement at that time and his
efforts in thus aiding the Revolution
ccntinental c auSe were coeeress commended by the
Thenceforth, until the close ne tho
war. Elizabeth furnace ''osI with OF me ne
1opges dea 81 fne stdna mansion and the score or or
mountain side, became an iteo imnortanee ane
Industrial center. 1t was a .busv nIaca
Teams ea nanMSs crossed the South mountains naGe
e9GnCeyed the .mS ore from the mines
hills, resounded with the clatter Of thse
as they felled the trees !
ana aeer6T 6dragged be, the timber to the ovens
war war were started on the way to the
army around Philadelphia. The Has
sians Ibeir mad had ser served good purpose and
of the men against whom t5ev aa
had been engaged to fight. '"es
Aithough nearly a century and
ha daYs EizabatS passed since these
ed there still remain evidences of its
Importance as center of Industry in
naf eSareoa1 sbcd period The org
and few of the stone huts in whfch
some OF the Hessian prisoners were
housed, eH hors stiil re remain. The stone stor-
nearby, are practically unchanged. save
that the latter has been slightly al
-ered ana the interior remodeled' The
mansion is owned by the Coleman
leirs and one room which was used bv
ne nrst robert Coleman. still contains
me original furniture. This room was II
used by General Washington in iii |,
when he visited the furnace. The an,
mex In the, rear was then used as a Il
lining hall, and farther back is the
one-story stone building, which was
used to stable the horses and mules
md which, in later years, was con
verted into a distillery. It's present
use is mostly for storage purposes.
Ruins OF a portion of the race are
visible near the charcoal shed. and the
small stone house is one of the origi-
1al nuts. 1t stands on the south side
of the Segloch Race and. while this ,
Ire, length, 1t has long since been COW
cred with growth of bush and trees.
That its construction was a difficult
piece Of work may be seen at some ,
places along its route, where excaya- :
ions were hewn out of solid rock and ,
hese spots remain unchanged Con- :
'idering the disadvantages which had
20 be overcome and the lack of ma /
'hinery and tools. the ruins of the race !
show that the work was skillfully
planned and constructed ,
Elizabeth furnace was in operation :
rs late as 1856, about which time II :
vas abandoned and torn down. Little
las since been done in clearing away :
he debris. so that its exact site NAV
be easily determined #by the heaps OF
iron and stones that lie there.
StiegeTs control of this plant did
lot continue throughout the war, and
n the crises that followed in the pro-
sress of that great conflict, the fur $
sod IL. l.