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.pdf/374

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

fercut and changing ownerships. T he foun­ dry and machine shop of this company were built in but did not con>e into their pos­ session until 1852. The .Montour Iron Company gradually ac­ quired the ownership o f all these operations. Different parties at times operated them, but always through negotiations with the company. From 1844 to 1847 Murdock. I^eaviit & Co. operated the plant. T his lirm was composcerated the works. .About 1850 John Peter Grove and John Grove obtained the management o f this plant and contintieil to operate the same until •857111 1855 the Montour Iron Company issued a m o ri^ p c, with coupon lionds. for six hunilred thousand dollars. John .shcnhurst, Edwin M. I^ w is and Isaac R. Davis were the trustees under the mortfjaRC. On June 7, 185K, the pLnnt was sold at sheriff's sale for $ 10 3, subject to the mortgaRc o f $^ioo.ooo. and was purchased by Michael Grove, Henry M. Fuller, E. H. Haldy and Philip Niles. On Jan. 7, 18 6 1, the plant w as sold by the trustees under the mortRaRe and purchased by I.saac S. Waterman, Thomas Beaver, E lias G. Cope, V. n. RidRley and G c o r ^ I. Waterman. T he Pennsylvania Iron Company w as incorjKiratcd Oct. 12, itVo. with Isaac*S. W ater­ man as president, the slock being owned as fo l­ lows : I saac S. W atem un, 7,200 sh ares; T h on u s Beaver, 2.500 shares; Elias G. Cope, 100 shares: W. H. kitlRlcy, 100 shares; G e o ^ c I. Waterman, 100 shares. On Jan. 9, i8 6 i, the purchasers of the plant sold the same to the Pennsylvania Iron Com­ pany. T h is coni))any kejit this important induMry. furnace and mills, in operation duriiiR most of the years of the C ivil war. Thomas Beaver was the resident stockholder and over­ seer of the whole plant; and the whole e<)uipmcnt was busily employed in the manufacture o f railroad iron W alcrnun & Beaver conducted the com­ pany store during this period, and with mills and furnaces, mines and store workinR at their full cafucity, Danville experienced its most siKvessful business period. In 1868 consider­ able of the stock in the Pennsylvania Iron C o m iK in y ch a n R e d h a n d s. C a d w a la d e r G. Mulligan came from Philadelphia and assumed management o f a large fiart of the work. George K. Geisingcr, who had fo r many years

been chief bookkeeper, Daniel Edw ards, who had been superintendent of the mines, and Dan Morgan, who had directed the work at the fu r ­ naces, all became stockholders and entered into the management of the business. About this time a number of the stockhold­ ers of the com funy became interested in the Kingston Coal Company, which in later years proved a source o f great revenue to its .stock­ holders. In 1876 Thomas Beaver disposed o f his stock in the Pennsylvania Iron Company, re* serving, by purchase, to himself, the hand­ some iiunsion on the hill in which he had so long resided. On March 30, 1880, the Penn­ sylvania Iron Company sold the entire plant to the Montour Iron & Steel Company, a cor}>oration formed under the laws of i'cnnsylvania with W. K. C. Coxc, president, Frank V, Howe, general manager, and S. W. Ingcrsoll, treasurer. T his company for a numlier o f years %ery successfully operated the plant. They conducted the store in connection with the works, and once more the plant filled the town with the busy hum o f industry. I). II. H. Brower, in his history, sa y s: “ M r. Howe is managing the works widi general sat­ isfaction and great success. The chief oper­ ators in the various departments are Dan Mor* gan, superintendent of the blast furnaces, who has occupied that position for many years (he is more particularly noted in another portion o f this b ^ k ); M. S. R id p vay, m anager; P . J . Adams, who has been in the machine shop about as long as any other—and in an estate lishmcnt like this long years o f employment is a proof o f industry and sk ill; George L o v ­ ett, suiKrintcndent o f labor and timekeeper, a position of responsibility requiring activity and constant watchfulness; William Cruik­ shank, the inolder (a position form erly occu­ pied by the genial Henry* G e a rh a rt); Captain Gaskins, oanipying his old place at the weigh scales; joscph Bryant, at (he stock sa le s; and many others liUing important positions whom it would be a pleasure to name. A. W. M cCoy is chief clerk in the office. C. M. Mock also holds a res|)onsilil€ clerkship In the principal office. Samuel S. Gulick keeps a record in a minor office near the machine shops. J . Boyd (icarhart, M. G. Gearhart, John Wallite and many engineers, heaters and workers, whose names are unknown to the writer but whose brains and muscles keep the works in motion, dcscrx'c at least a passing note. T h e extent of the Montour Iron and Steel Wortcs can be imagined by the fact that in the rolling milb. furnaces, mines and machine slic^is there are