Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.djvu/76

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES 47 From Lofty to Tamanend the descending grade was 66 feet to the mile.

The Catawissa railroad had seven wooden trestle bridges (the largest being that at Dark Run. which was 546 feet high and 574 feet long and about as many tunnels. The bridge at Mainville was 115 feel high and 727 feet long. It was the only one in Columbia county. A fine steel bridge now occupies its place, the old piers of the first one still remaining. All the others have been replaced by steel.

The Catawissa shops were built in 1864, the repair work before that time being done at Tamaqua. The first master mechanic was George H. Prescott, Gand his brother, "Andy" Prescott, was foreman.

The Catawissa railroad was extended from Milton to Williamsport in 1871, under George Webb, superintendent and chief engineer, with W. G. Yetter as assistant engineer. In 1882 W. G. Yetter, resident engineer, laid out and built the extension from Williamsport to Newberry. The extension from Milton to Williamsport cost $1,200,000. the estimate having been $1,000,000.

The Catawissa, Williamsport & Erie had a strenuous time and in 1860 gave up the ghost. The property was purchased at public sale by the Catawissa Railroad Company, a corporation formed for that purpose. In 1872 the road was taken over by the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company under a tease, under which the latter company still holds control and operates the road.

The officers of the road have been: Presidents—William D. I.ewi5, T. H. Dupcy, M. P. Hutchinson and Franklin B. Gowen (after the Reading took charge in 1872); superintendents-Thomas M. McKissock; Henry Fondy; Stanley H. Goodwin, who resigned in May. 1863; followed by George Webb, who resigned in 1872; succeeded by Daniel Reinhard until March 17, 1887, when W. G. Yetter was appointed until June, 1893, when the Catawissa railroad was consolidated with the Shamokin Branch of the P. & R. under Mr. Bertolet as superintendent, until he was succeeded by A. T. Dice, who was followed by J. E. Turk, the present superintendent.

The second railroad built through this section of the county was the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg road, projected by citizens of Wilkes-Barre, who had no means of reaching Philadelphia but the circuitous route through Scranton and New York City. This road was completed in 1857 to Rupert, connecting there with the Catawissa road, and the first train passed Bloomsburg on Jan. i, 1858. Two years later the road was extended to Northumberland. At first but two trains, one passenger and one freight, were in service, but additions of two trains were made every ten years until 1881, when it came into the control of the famous Lackawanna, "The Road of Anthracite," which now operates the line. At present four passenger trains are run daily each way, and an equal number of freights. The line is equipped with automatic block signals and is one of the finest in the State.

The North & West Branch railroad was conceived in the mind of Kev. D. J. Waller, of Bloomsburg, who reasoned that the logical route for a railroad was along the southern bank of the Susquehanna. This route had previously been the one selected by Simon P. Kase as the one for his telegraph line, but was abandoned in favor of the Hazleton route. Mr. Waller wrote the charter for the new road, and Hon. C. K. Buckalew had it passed by the Legislature in 1871. It was ten years, however, before the road was completed to Wilkes- Barre from Catawissa. J. C. Brown was chief engineer, and Samuel Neyhard, assistant. The charter of the company provided that a bridge be built over the Susquehanna, with a wagon way beside the tracks, the county to pay two- fifths of the cost. That bridge was never built, but the road was constructed under the name of North & West Branch Railroad Company, with almost unlimited powers to construct branches, etc. It came into the control of the Pennsylvania system in 1886. At the present time the road is in a prosperous condition.

Six passenger trains and numerous freights are run daily through Catawissa. In 1870 the Danville, Hazleton & Wilkes- Barre road was built by the efforts of Simon P. Kase, of Danville. It, also, is now in the control of the Pennsylvania. It follows the east bank of the Catawissa creek, passing through Main and Beaver townships, connecting Catawissa with Hazleton and the hard coal region.

The Bloomsburg & Sullivan Railroad Company received its original charter from the Stale in 1883. and was completed in 1888. The first ground was broken at the bridge a short distance north of Orangeville, in August. 1886, the road was completed and operated to Benton the following year, and to Jamison City in 1888. The promoters of the road were: Hon. C. R. Buckalew and Col. John Jamison, of Bloomsburg. and the constructing engineer was John A. Wilson, of Philadelphia. James C. Brown, a former postmaster of Bloomsburg. was the surveyor of the line. The entire right of