OF THE
LEHIGH VALLEY
RAILROAD
AND
ITS SEVERAL BRANCHES
AND CONNECTIONS;
WITH AN ACCOUNT, DESCRIPTIVE AND
HISTORICAL
OF THE
PLACES ALONG THEIR
ROUTE;
INCLUDING ALSO
A HISTORY OF THE COMPANY FROM ITS
FIRST ORGANIZATION AND INTERESTING FACTS CONCERNING THE ORIGIN AND GROWTH OF
THE COAL AND IRON TRADE IN THE LEHIGH AND WYOMING REGION.
HANDSOMELY ILLUSTRATED FROM RECENT
SKETCHES.
PREFIXED TO WHICH IS
A MAP OF THE ROAD AND ITS CONNECTIONS.
PHILADELPHIA:
J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO.
1873
CATASAUQUA.
This
town takes its name from the creek which here empties into the river, and whose
signification is, parched land.
In 1839 there were but two houses, one at each extreme end of the town plot.
During that year, a company of gentlemen, mostly of Philadelphia, proposed the
erection here (because of the proximity of the iron and limestone beds) of an
iron furnace for the purpose of making iron with anthracite coal, which had
been successfully accomplished in Wales a few years before by Mr. George Crane.
The services of Mr. David Thomas, who was engaged there with Mr. Crane, were
secured, and in 184o the first furnace was completed under his direction and
superintendence. Since then, the town has steadily progressed, until now it
bids fair to become one of the most important in the Valley. It is lowed in the
midst of a rich iron-ore and limestone region, and possesses unusual railroad
and canal facilities, thus marking it out as a peculiarly favorable opening for
manufacturing establishments. It was incorporated as a borough in 1853, and
contains a population of 6ooo. The town is well supplied with gas and water,
and few places can boast of so perfect a drainage. It has twelve public
schools, contained in four buildings, and comprising about 700 pupils. Its
high-school will compare favorably with any in the State. It has a fine
town-hall, erected at a cost of $15,000. On the western bank of the river,
opposite the borough, there is a beautiful cemetery, called ÒFair-View,"
commanding a magnificent view of the town and surrounding country. In it there
has been erected a very handsome marble monument to the memory of the soldiers
who fell in the late civil war, costing $6000.
In
enumerating the industrial works coming properly under the head of Catasauqua,
we include not only those actually located in the borough, but all, whether on
one side of the river or the other, stretching from Allentown Furnace to this
station.
The
Crane Iron Company is a stock company, with a capital of $1,200,000, and has
six furnaces. The size and capacity of each are as follows:
|
No. 1, 11 feet boshes |
47 feet high |
140 tons per week |
|
No. 2, 11 feet boshes |
47 feet high |
150 tons per week |
|
No. 3, 11 feet boshes |
47 feet high |
175 tons per week |
|
No. 4, 11 feet boshes |
55 feet high |
250 tons per week |
|
No. 5, 11 feet boshes |
55 feet high |
250 tons per week |
|
No. 6, 11 feet boshes |
60 feet high |
250 tons per week |
The
hematite ore is obtained from Northampton, Lehigh, and Berks Counties, the
magnetic from Lehigh Mountain, Pa., and Sussex and Morris Counties, New Jersey,
and the limestone from the neighborhood. For the year 1872 this establishment
consumed 108,274 tons of coal, 138,392 tons of iron Ore,, and 82,401 tons of
limestone. Iron made during the year 54,037 tons. In connection with and for
the use of the furnaces, there are car-shops, foundry and machine-shops,
employing a large number of hands. Exclusive of miners, this company gives
employment to about 1000 men.
The
Catasauqua Manufacturing Company has a capital of $300,000. Its rolling-mill is
engaged in manufacturing bar-iron, sheet-iron, and railroad-axles. It has a
capacity of 13,000 tons per annum, and employs 350 men, using exclusively the
pig-iron made in the Lehigh Valley. This company has recently bought out the
Lehigh Manufacturing Company. In this branch of their works they employ 150
men, and make merchant bar-iron of various sizes. The ore for fettling the
puddling furnaces is obtained from Port Henry, Lake Champlain, N.Y.
The
amount of wages paid by the various manufacturing establishments in the borough
averages $32,000 per month.
In
the Catasauqua Car Works (Frederick & Co.) are made all kinds of cars,
except passenger cars (coal, ore, freight, flats, etc.). They employ 130 men,
and construct the whole of the car, except wheels and axles, having a foundry
of their own, where castings of different descriptions are made. For the body
of the cars, white oak exclusively is used, the lining being of white and
yellow pine. In the foundry, nineteen tons of pig-iron are used per week, and
twelve tons of forged iron. The capacity of the establishment is one hundred
and fifty coal cars per month.
The
Lehigh Car-Wheel and Axle Works employ 85 men, and consume from twenty to
twenty-five tons of charcoal pig-iron a day. The capacity is 25,000 car-wheels
per annum. Their iron comes mostly from Salisbury, Connecticut.
The
Lehigh Fire-Brick Factory, owned by David Thomas (burnt in 1872, rebuilt same
year), employs 40 men and boys, and has a capacity of 2000,000 bricks per
annum, which are used in the Valley. The clay comes from New Jersey, and the
sand from the neighborhood.
In
addition, there are other smaller foundries and machine-shops, in which all
manner of castings, steam engines, etc. are made; also, a shovel-factory, where
thirty-five different shovels, spades, and hoes are made; a factory of
circular, cross-cut, and other kinds of saws; a saw-mill, with which is
connected a planing mill, sash and door factory, etc. Very large limestone
quarries abound in this neighborhood, and are being extensively worked.
Of
churches, there are 2 Presbyterian, 2 Rornan Catholic (English and German), 1
Lutheran, 1 Methodist, 1 Evangelical, 1 Reformed. The Episcopalians, Free
Methodist, and Welsh Baptists each have a mission here. There are two weekly
papers published in the town. There is a national bank, with a capital of
$500,000.
The
Catasauqua and Fogelsville Railroad connects at Catasauqua with the Lehigh
Valley Railroad. This road was built in 1856, and opened in 1857; it is twenty
miles long, and has several branches. It cost $500,000, and was built by the
Lehigh Crane Iron Company and the Thomas Iron Company, for the purpose of
reaching the great iron-ore beds owned by these companies, the ore being now
brought from the mines direct to the mouth of the furnaces. About four miles
from Catasauqua, this road crosses the Jordan Creek on a splendid iron bridge,
said to be one of the largest and handsomest in the country. It is 1100 feet in
length, with 11 arches. Each truss is 16 feet nigh. The cost of the bridge was
about $78,000
Near
the junction of the Catasauqua. Creek and the Lehigh River, just above
Catasauqua, stands an old and crumbling stone house, which is rendered of
interesting importance by having once been the residence of George Taylor, one
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The walls of the building
are nearly two hundred years old, and when laid were very thick and strong. The
house was frequently used as a place of refuge and defense against attack of
Indians.
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Rev. February 2010