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/80

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES 51 track laid. The company was then reorganized as the Bloomsburg, Millville & Northern Railway Company and preparations were made to equip the line with storage battery cars but nothing definite was accomplished. The officials and promoters of this road in 1913 were: D.O. Coughlin, president, Wilkes-Barre; Waller Hughes, treasurer, West Berwick; W. P. Zehner, secretary, Bloomsburg; directors, William Masters and Ellis Eves, Millville; Walter Hughes, C W. Miller, J. C Brown, James Magee, W. P. Zehner, Bloomsburg; J. B.Kester, Mainville; L. E. Waller, Wilkes- Barre.

In passing it seems well to observe that in all of the foregoing enterprises, which have contributed so much to the development of Columbia county, Mr C. W. Miller, a member of the Columbia county bar, was the pioneer, and to his indefatigable energy and farsightedness the community is largely indebted for the progress which it has made, not only in the development of public service corporations, but many manufacturing industries as well.

In the fall of 1908, at a time when the development of the electrical industry in the nation was beginning to assume that position in the economic scheme which it is one day destined to attain; and when science had demonstrated the fact that electrical energy might be profitably transmitted for long distances, certain gentlemen affiliated with the Pardee coal interests, at Hazleton, conceived the idea of establishing a gigantic electric power plant adjacent to the vast culm banks at the Harwood Mines, and a corporation was formed known as the Harwood Electric Company, who there erected a modern electric plant at a cost of over a million dollars, with capacity to furnish electric energy and distribute it for hundreds of miles.

Recognizing the possibilities which this enterprise offered, Mr. A. W. Duy, of Bloomsburg. at that time counsel for the electric railway company and the gas and electric companies, together with Mr. E. R. Sponsler. of Harrisburg, Pa., the president of the Columbia and Montour Electric Railway Company, conceived the idea of amalgamating all of the electric light, gas and electric railway companies in Columbia and Montour counties, and a corporation was formerly by them under the laws of Delaware, known as the Columbia Power, Light and Railways Company, with on authorized capitalization of $850,000, and an authorized bond issue of like amount. The incorporators of this company were E. R. Sponsler, Harrisburg: A. W. Duy. Bloomsburg; F. Lowry, Berwick; Myron I. Low, Lime Ridge; C. M. Creveling, Almedia; K, H. Koch, Pottsville; W. C Billman, Reading; P. K. Bevan, Wilkes-Barre; M. E. U. Scanlon, St. Davids; B. F. Meyers, Harrisburg; W. M. Pyle, Wilmuigton, Del.; R. Scott Ammerman, Danville, Pennsylvania.

This company acquired by purchase a con¬ trolling interest and in some instances all of (he capital stock, a majority of the bonds, and in some cases all of the bonds, of the following companies: Berwick Electric Light Company of Berwick; West Berwick Electric Light, Heat and Power Company, of West Berwick; United Gas and Electric Company of Bloomsburg; Irondale Electric Light, Heat and Power Company of Bloomsburg; Standard Gas Light Company of Danville; Danville Electric Light Company of Danville; Nescopeck Light, Heat and Power Company of Nescopeck; Columbia and Montour Electric Railway, and Danville and Bloomsburg Street Railway Companies.

In order that the territory of operation of the company might be legally organized and the light, heat and power furnished by any one of the subsidiary or operated companies managed by the company and as required by the statutes of the Commonwealth, the company procured to be organized and purchased all of the capital stock of the following named light, heat and power companies: Briar Creek Electric Company, Catawissa Electric Company, Centre Township Electric Company, Cooper Electric Company, Gearhart Electric Company, Hemlock Electric Company, Mahoning Electric Company. Mifflin Township Electric Company. Montour Electric Company, Riverside Electric Company. Salem Electric Company, Scott Township Electric Company, Shickshinny Electric Company. Valley Township Electric Company, West Hemlock Electric Company-$5,000 each, the total being $75,000.

It was the ultimate purpose of the company, as the sole or principal stockholder of the respective subsidiary or operated companies, to cause the merger of the railway companies into one company and all of the light, heat and power companies into one company, so that the subsidiary or operated companies should consist of one transportation company and one light, heal and power company. This was accomplished by agreements of merger and consolidation dated Feb. 7. 1911. forming the Columbia and Montour Electric Railway Company and the Columbia Gas and Electric Company, and all the territory operated by the company through its subsidiary companies in