DESCRIPTION OF MAUCH CHUNK AND ITS COAL MINES--JOURNEY THROUGH THE
LEHIGH VALLEY TO BETHLEHEM, AND LAST RESIDENCE IN THAT TOWN, FROM
AUGUST 31ST TO SEPTEMBER 16TH
Mauch Chunk--The Coal Mines--Lehighton--Mahoning Creek and
Valley--Gnadenhuetten, a destroyed Colony of the Moravian
Brethren--Weissport--Lehigh Gap--The Devil's
Pulpit--Berlin--Crytersville--Howard Town--Schoner's Town--Last
Residence in Bethlehem.
Mauch Chunk is a village of about 200 houses, in the deep and narrow
Lehigh Valley. The houses form almost one row only, and a small street
in the lateral valley of the Mauch Chunk stream. This place has sprung
up since the discovery of the very rich coal mines in the vicinity.
The Lehigh Company employs from 800 to 1000 workmen, and supplies the
whole surrounding country with the very fine coals obtained here.
Several iron railroads, leading to the works, have already been made,
canals dug to export the coals in numerous barges, great works
erected, a large and capital inn established in the valley of the
Lehigh, and mills of various kinds built; and travellers ought by no
means to neglect this highly interesting spot. This deep and wild
valley, which is enclosed on every side by wooded mountains from 800
to 1000 feet high, has become, within a few years, a scene of action
and profitable industry, which will soon render this spot one of the
most remarkable in Pennsylvania. The principal work, to which an iron
railroad has been made, lies on a considerable eminence, nine miles
from Mauch Chunk. On the 31st of August, we visited this interesting
spot.
As the railroad runs up along the declivity, it has been necessary to
cut it obliquely; it is, therefore, narrow, with only one line; and
places, at certain intervals, to allow two carriages to pass. For the
convenience of travellers who wish to see the works, a stage-coach has
been established, which is drawn up by two horses. Our company
assembled at the inn, and ascended, by a steep path, from the town, to
the iron railroad, which runs a little above the village. The [pg. 49]
railroad stages are light carriages, with four low wheels, and seats
for eight persons; they are covered at top, and open at the sides. The
wheels are of iron, and have a groove, which fits into the rail, and
runs upon it. The driver sits in front, and has a long tin horn, which
he blows, to announce his approach to such as may be coming in the
opposite direction; in the other hand he holds, in the descent, the
machine with which the carriage is stopped when necessary. This
contrivance consists of a pole, at the lower end of which there is a
stuffed leather cushion, which, by moving the pole, is brought close
to the wheels, and by its friction checks the rapidity of the motion.
As a train of coal-wagons was expected, we slackened our pace. The two
stages were fastened together, and though both were quite full of
passengers, a couple of horses drew them up with great ease. We had
not proceeded far, when we heard the rolling of a train of
coal-wagons. It was interesting to see the black train advance, and
dart by us with the rapidity of an arrow. These are built of strong
beams and planks; each contains two tons of coals, and forty-five
wagons go at the same time, which carry 90 tons; they run five times a
day, thus 450 tons, or 25,200 bushels, are brought down to Mauch Chunk
daily. Every fifteen wagons are fastened together by strong iron
bands, and in the middle of this train is a man who holds a chain in
his hand, by means of which he can check the rapidity of the motion,
or even stop it entirely. Four or five hundred paces behind the first
column comes the second, and then, at an equal distance, the third,
and after these, seven wagons, in each of which there are four mules,
with provender, and a bridge for them to get in and out. Their heads
are turned to the front, and they eat quietly, as they descend. These
mules are to draw up the empty coal wagons.
It was interesting to see the thundering column approach us, and then
hasten by. As soon as it had passed, our horses trotted up the
mountain, which could not be attempted, except on an iron railroad.
The road runs along the rocky wall, always through a forest, where
single settlers have here and there built their little wooden
dwellings. Cattle were feeding in the neighbourhood, whose bells we
heard in the woods. The valley at our left hand was very wild and
romantic. Both the high mountain and the valley below, in which the
Mauch Chunk flows, are clothed with a forest of fir and other timber,
and wild vines twine about the bushes by the road-side. The number of
miles is marked on white boards nailed to the trees. When we reached
the top we came to an inn, which had a small park with Virginian deer.
The fawns of these deer were still spotted a little at the end of
August.
As soon as our company had rested a little, and taken some
refreshment, as it was very hot, we got again into our carriage, and
proceeded, this time without horses, to the coal mines, about ten
minutes from our inn, to which the railroad declines a little. You
reach these interesting works by a deep section of the upper stratum
of sandstone, and then enter the pits, which may be 300 paces long,
150 wide, and 30 feet deep; quite open at top, having been gradually
sunk to that depth. 112 men were at work in and about these mines, and
130 mules were employed [pg. 50] in conveying the coals, which stand
out, shining, and with a beautiful play of colours; in some places
they are of better quality than in others. They are detached partly
with iron crows, partly by gunpowder, broken into pieces with
pickaxes, and loaded in the wagons. From one part of the mine to
another there are little railroads, on which boxes with four wheels
run like what is called the dog (_hund_), in our German mines, in
which refuse and rubbish are removed. In this manner high heaps of
rubbish have arisen about the pits, which extend further and further
into the valley. In some parts of the works there are impressions of
antediluvian plants, of which we found some interesting specimens. The
labour of seeking, in a stooping attitude, was particularly
disagreeable on this day, which was hotter than any that preceded it.
When we returned from the works to our inn, the thermometer, at twelve
o'clock, and in the house, was at 96 deg.; to which we must add that the
mine is 1,460 feet above the level of the sea. There was not a breath
of air stirring, and everybody found the heat extremely oppressive.
To return to Mauch Chunk we again got into our carriage, but had now
no need of horses; the driver shoved the carriage a few steps, leaped
into his seat, and we immediately proceeded faster than a horse could
gallop. We had travelled the greater part of the way in seventeen
minutes, when we were obliged to halt, in order to let a train of
wagons, returning, pass us, which detained us about twenty minutes; we
then proceeded with the rapidity of an arrow, and travelled the whole
distance of eight miles in thirty-two minutes. When we had reached the
bottom we hastened to see the place where the wagons are unloaded.
At the end of the iron railroad is a building on the eminence, in
which there is a large windlass, with an endless rope, which with one
part lowers a loaded coal wagon, on an obliquely inclined iron
railroad, down the mountain, while the other part draws up an empty
wagon from below. The distance from the windlass to the place on the
iron railway, where the wagons deposit the coals in a large shed, is
above 700 feet.[49] The mechanism of all these works is well worth
seeing, and the whole establishment extremely interesting. Mr. White,
one of the principal members of the Lehigh Company, is a man of much
and varied knowledge, and particularly well acquainted with
machinery.[50] He has erected a saw-mill on the Lehigh, the
construction of which is very ingenious. A single workman is able to
saw 4,000 square feet of deal in twelve hours. The Company requires
six such saw-mills in the Mauch Chunk, to saw the wood that it wants,
because the coal barges are sent down the canal and the Delaware, and
sold at Philadelphia as planks.
The road from Mauch Chunk through the Lehigh Valley, which we took, on
the 31st of August, in the evening, is agreeable and diversified. A
violent thunder-storm had passed over the valley, and had poured down
torrents of rain, the traces of which were everywhere visible. We
proceeded along the right bank of the river, in a rather sandy road,
shaded by old trees. On [pg. 51] our right hand we had at first the
steep wooded mountain, where _Rubus odoratus_ and other beautiful
plants grew amongst rude rocks. The mountains then recede, and fields,
meadows, and detached dwellings, succeed.
We came to Lehighton, where the sign of the inn was conspicuous afar
off.[51] Lehighton is situated at no great distance from the opening
of the Mahoning Valley, from which the Mahoning stream flows. This
valley is wooded, has many settlements, and is well known from the
destruction of Gnadenhuetten, a small establishment, founded there by
the Moravian Brethren. Some Delaware Indians, instigated, it is said,
by neighbouring colonists, who were hostile to the Brethren, attacked
the settlement, which they burnt, and killed eleven persons. Only four
of the fifteen who composed the little colony escaped.[52] Mr. Bodmer,
who followed us from Wilkesbarre, visited the spot. He found among the
bushes the tomb-stone which covers the remains of the victims, and
made a drawing of it. The following is the inscription:--
TO THE MEMORY
OF
GOTTLIEB AND CHRISTINA ANDERS,
WITH THEIR CHILD JOHANNA;
MARTIN AND SUSANNAH NITSCHMANN;
ANN CATHARINE SENSEMANN;
LEONHARD GATTERMEYER;
CHRISTIAN FABRICIUS, CLERK;
GEORGE SCHWEIGERT;
JOHN FREDERIC LESLY; AND
MARTIN PRESSER;
WHO LIVED HERE AT GNADENHUETTEN, UNTO THE LORD,
AND LOST THEIR LIVES IN A SURPRISE FROM
INDIAN WARRIORS,
NOVEMBER 24TH, 1755.
"_Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints._"
PSALM CXVI. 15.
1788, AND. W. BOVER, PHILADELPHIA.
On the lands at Gnadenhuetten, which still belong to the Brethren,
several farmers reside, among whom there is a singular female of no
ordinary education, and, as it is said, of high rank, [pg. 52] whose
real name is not known. She is said to have come from Germany, it is
supposed from the principality of Lippe. Her sole employment is
agriculture; she performs all manual labour herself, milks her cows,
to which she has given names, and which she has tamed. She has rented
a piece of land from the Brethren, which Mr. Von Schweinitz, as
director of the council, let to her.
Near the issue of the Mahoning, or Mahony Valley, a wooden bridge has
been built, in a picturesque situation, over the Lehigh. It is
surrounded on all sides by fine lofty trees, and on the right hand the
wooded eminences of the Mahony Valley overlook it. From this place we
came to a level, open part of the valley, where a few scattered
dwellings bear the name of Weissport.[53] A man named Weiss proposed
to build a town here, and had collected the names of many subscribers,
but the town consists, at present, of only four detached houses.
Night set in, and the moon showed us, in the Blue Mountains before us,
a deep cleft, called the Lehigh, or Lecha Gap, where that river passes
through the mountain chain. At the Gap we halted at an isolated, but
very good inn, kept by a man named Craig, son of the General of that
name. He spoke both English and German, and we were very well
accommodated in his house.
On the 1st of September we visited the Lehigh Gap, the mountains on
the north side of which are low, rocky, and wooded. A projecting
portion is called the Devil's Rock. Near the buildings there are great
heaps of limestone thrown up, which is obtained from a mountain in the
Mahony Valley. The lime is of bad quality, but serves very well for
mortar. It contains a number of small bivalve shells. About eight
o'clock we left the Lehigh Gap, and took the road to Bethlehem, where
we arrived at noon, having passed through Berlin, Cryterville, Howard
Town, and Schoner's Town.
Our baggage, which we had so long expected from Boston, arrived at
length on the 4th of September, and as Mr. Bodmer rejoined us on the
10th, I should have thought of proceeding on our journey, did not the
traveller often depend on accidents, which render it impossible to fix
anything for certain. Mr. Bodmer, desiring to finish a drawing that he
had begun, undertook a second visit to the Delaware Gap, and on this
occasion was severely wounded by the bursting of his fowling-piece,
which compelled us again to defer our departure. On our hunting
excursions, we now saw the country in its autumnal dress. Night frosts
had already set in, and the mornings were foggy, till the sun had
risen pretty high, when a hot day followed. Most of the birds of
passage were gone; no swallows were to be seen, and the wild pigeons
passed by in large flocks. On a walk to Allentown,[54] the capital of
Lehigh County, which has 1,700 inhabitants, three churches, and a
court-house, six miles from Bethlehem, we found, in the Lehigh Valley,
several flocks of birds ready to depart. The blue birds (_Sylvia
sialis_) were assembled, twenty together. The yellow woodpecker and
the nuthatch were hovering about the gardens and fields, where [pg. 53]
numbers were collected together. The plants that were in blossom in
the fields and hedges were chiefly of the class _Syngenesia_.
The accounts of the progress of the cholera, which we daily received,
were not favourable. In New York and Philadelphia, and more especially
at Baltimore, the disorder was extremely dangerous; it had also spread
in the country about the great lakes, and on Hudson's River, and had
extended from Detroit to the Mississippi and Ohio. It seemed
impossible to avoid it; I therefore chose the route down the Ohio,
intending to make the Mississippi, in the following spring, the basis
of our excursions into the Western wilds or the Indian country. We
took leave of our friends at Bethlehem, and set out in the first
instance for Pittsburg.
FOOTNOTES:
[49] See Plate 5, in accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[50] Josiah White, early interested in mechanics, purchased an estate
on the Schuylkill, five miles above Philadelphia, constructed a dam
across the river, and erected there a wire mill. Later, he sought a
contract for furnishing Philadelphia with water by means of power
generated at this dam. After long negotiations the city purchased the
plant, belonging to White and Gillingham, his partner, and constructed
the Fairmount water works. White, together with Erskine Hazard, then
directed his activities to the Lehigh coal fields, and became the
active promoter of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. White
resided at Mauch Chunk from 1818 to 1831, and then moved to
Philadelphia where he died (1850) at the age of seventy. His name is
inseparably connected with the canal system of Pennsylvania; see
_History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon_ (Philadelphia, 1884),
p. 670.--ED.
[51] Lehighton--a corruption of the Delaware, Lechauwekink, "where
there are forks"--is a post borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, on
the west bank of the Lehigh, twenty-five miles above Allentown. It was
laid out in 1794 on the lands of Jacob Weiss and William Henry, and
the population in 1900 is reported as 4,269.--ED.
[52] Loskiel, in his history of the Indian Missions (pp. 415 and 416),
gives the following account of this affair. "On the 24th of November,
1755, the house of the Indian Missionaries in Gnadenhuetten, on the
Mahony, was attacked in the evening by hostile Indians, and burnt.
Eleven persons perished: _viz._, nine in the flames, one of the
brethren was shot, and another cruelly butchered, and then scalped.
Three brethren, and one sister (the wife of one of them), and a boy,
escaped by flight; the woman and the boy, by a fortunate leap from the
burning roof. One of those who escaped, the Missionary Sensemann, who,
at the beginning of the attack, had gone out of the back door to see
what might be the cause of the violent barking of the dogs, and who of
course was not able to return to those whom he had left in the house,
had the affliction to see his wife perish in the flames."--MAXIMILIAN.
_Comment by Ed._ Gnadenhuetten was a mission established (1746) by the
Moravians for their converts among the Delaware Indians; it was placed
under the charge of Martin Mack.
[53] Weissport is today a village of more than six hundred
inhabitants, four miles southeast of Mauch Chunk. It was laid out by
Colonel Jacob Weiss and his brother Francis.--ED.
[54] Allentown, the seat of Lehigh County, sixteen miles southwest of
Easton, was laid out (1752) by William Allen, chief justice of
Pennsylvania. In 1811 it was incorporated with the borough of
Northampton, but in 1838 reverted to its old name. Allentown is today
one of the chief seats of furniture-making in the United States, and
second only to Paterson in production of American silk. Its population
in 1900 was 35,416.--ED.