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/77

48 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES way was secured through the efforts of Capt. H.J. Conner and Silas McHenry. John Bush (Giovanni Bucci), of Bloomsburg, was the contractor. The road is twenty-nine miles lung, its route being through the beautiful and historic Fishingereek valley, where at many points are located the camps and cottages of the summer residents from Bloumsburg, Catawissa, Berwick and the adjoining towns in the county. There arc many highly productive farms along the line, which passes through Light Street, Orangeville, Forks, Stillwater. Benton, Coles Creek, Central and Jamison City. Connection is made at Bloomsburg with the Lackawanna and the Reading, and at Paper Mill with the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Berwick roads. The road operates six passenger trains each day, and several freights, although the trade has fallen off since the removal of the sawmills at Jamison City. An extension was projected northward to connect with the Lehigh Valley road, and a route was once surveyed, but nothing further has culminated.

The present officers of the road arc: Samuel Wigfall. president: H. T. Dcchcrt, vice president; V. C. Snyder, superintendent and treasurer; George A. Ritter, secretary and auditor; W. C. Fortune, supervisor. About fifty men arc employed by the company.

The Wilkes-Barre & Western railroad was commenced in 1885, ran the first train from Watsontown to Millville in 1887, and in 1891 was completed to Orangeville. Subsequently the management changed hands, the name was changed to the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Berwick Railroad Company, the line to Orangeville abandoned, the route made through Light Street and the line completed to Berwick in 1903. Over this road most of the cars manufactured by the American Car & Foundry Company, of Berwick, are forwarded to their owners.

The line traverses a picturesque region of hills and deep valleys, passing through Light Street, Paper Mill, Jerseytown, Eyer’s Grove and Mordansville, with a branch to Millville. The terminus of the road is at Watsontown, on the west branch of the Susquehanna. Samuel B. Haupt, president of the road, died in September, 1913, from injuries received when his private car was struck by a switch engine in the Berwick yards. Since his death the road has come into the control of the Pennsylvania system.

ELECTRIC RAILWAYS—LIGHTING

For the following concise and correct history of the development of gas and electricity in the counties of Columbia and Montour we are indebted to A. W. Duy, a prominent attorney of Bloomsburg, who is personally associated with these companies.

Gas Lighting

The first gas company to be incorporated and begin operations in Bloomsburg was the Bloomsburg Gas Company, which corporation received its charter from the court of Common Pleas of Columbia county on May 9, 1874. The authorized capitalization was $30,000 (Deed Book 27, page 433), and the promoters of this enterprise were as follows: H. J. Clark, John La Wall, Freas Brown, D. A. Beckley, Samuel Knorr, If. H. Grotz, K. K. Ikeler, Enos Jacoby, A.L. Turner, J. C. Brown, J. K. Grotz, A. C Smith, C. Bittenbender, C. F. Knapp, J. H. Maize, Ed. M. Warden, Jacob Schuyler, C. G. Barkley, D. J. Waller, William Peacock, J.J. Brower, I. W. Hartman, Robert F. Clark, John A. Funslon, C. W. Neal, Joshua Felierman, W. M. Reber, D. Lowenberg, M. C. Woodward, J. S. Sterner, E. H. Little, Louis Bernhard, Wm. B. Koons, Isaiah Hagenbueh, W. F. Sloan, H. L. Dieffenbach, C W. Miller. These gentlemen after receiving their charter purchased the tract of land at the intersection of Seventh and Market streets in the town of Bloomsburg, there constructed a gas plant and laid mains throughout the main portion of the town, and conducted a very prosperous business until Sept. 2, 1899, when the company leased its property, rights and franchises for a period of nine hundred and ninety-nine years (Misc. Book 6, page 454) to the American Gas Light Company of Bloomsburg, a corporation formed under the act of 1874. for the purpose of taking over the property, rights and franchises of the old Bloomsburg Gas Company. The American Gas Light Company of Bloomsburg received its charter Aug. 25, 1899 (Misc. Book 8. page 665). its authorized capitalization being $40,000, together with an issue of bonds of equal amount, and the incorporators of the company were: William D. Boyer, John B. Russel. Grant Pelton. George W. Reynolds. P. R. Bevan, all of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. It continued in business until Nov. 16, 1906, when by virtue of an agreement of merger and consolidation between it and the American Electric Light Company, the property, rights and franchises of the company became vested