Clearfield County PA Archives - Area History: DuBois - A History, 1874 - 1938

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This page was last updated:
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DUBOIS
A HISTORY

1874 - 1938

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THE PENNSYLVANIA
STATE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARIES

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MEMORY SKETCHES OF
DUBOIS
PENNSYLVANIA
1874-1938
A HISTORY
By MAJOR I. MCCREIGHT
Reprinted From
THE DUBOIS COURIER AND DAILY EXPRESS
By THE GRAY PRINTING COMPANY
DuBois, PENNSYLVANIA

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CHAPTER  CONTENTS 	              PAGE
I     Early History                 3
II    A City Is Built              11
III   The Big Fire                 15
IV    DuBois Rebuilds              21
V     New Coal Fields Opened       25
VI    George C. Kirk               30
VII   Reverses and Development     34
VIII  The Turning of a New Century 41
IX    Coal Reigns Supreme          44
X     Expansion in Building        49
XI    Conservation of Forests      51
XII   From 1907 to 1914            53
XIII  War and Its Effects          59
XIV   Road Building                66
XV    Modern DuBois                76
      Afterword                    80

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Page 3

Early History
Chapter 1

     Six miles east is the backbone that divides the waters of the Mississippi
from the waters of the Susquehanna. On this western slope of the Continental
divide are the sources of numerous streams that go to make up the headwaters of
the Rivierre La Bell, which for two hundred years, was a choice trapping region
of New France.

     Like threads of a giant spider-web this vast forest region was
crisscrossed with wild animal trails and trap-line paths, trod by the
moccasined feet of the Iroquois and the light-hearted coureurs du Bois for the
collection of daily tolls from their cruel steel-jawed snares. Pelts from the
beaver, otter, mink, fox and winter weasel, were back-packed on trail and
portage and paddled in canoes to Montreal for shipment to France for warmth and
decoration of the royal families at Versailles.

     Came then, the youthful Washington to another tributary flowing from the
north: to notify the French that Charles the Second, had granted William Penn,
Sylvania, and they must leave. They did not leave and for a generation there
was English, French and Indian warfare, for possession, which for burning,
killing, scalping, torture, and destruction there is no parallel in colonial
history.

     It was a singular coincidence that a man of French descent and named
DuBois—the woods, should become possessed of a great area of the now British
domain called Sylvania—the woods,—over which the two nations had a long and
bloody contest. Stranger still, is the coincidence that he chose to center his
commercial activities on the foundation of a giant but abandoned town built by
the beavers whose sknis had been the cause of so much controversy.

     In the late sixties and early seventies, John DuBois had secured vast
acreage of pine lands that were tributary to the beaver dam, where in 1874 he
erected the 'Big Mill' which was to serve for the period necessary to
manufacture his great forests into lumber. Along with the giant sawmill came
the 'little mill' and the box-factory, sash-and-door factory, and later a huge
tannery, for all these were industries, and necessary to saving the by-products
from the big mill.

     As transportation was the prime need, the beginning:, of lumber
operations was timed to meet the completion of the Low Gradedivision of the
Allegheny Valley Railroad in 1874.

     The little village of Rumbarger at Booth and Main streets, was soon
outdistanced by the rapid building on the opposite hill, adjacent

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Page 4  DuBois HISTORY

to the mills, and the name DuBois was thereafter recognized for the lumber
town, first called Swamp Siding.

     The railroad depot, located on the east side, where the shipping
connections were, together with workmen's dwellings and farm buildings, and
office work was conducted soon called for hotel accommodations. The DuBois
House, a modern brick hotel was erected just south of the main line railroad
and opposite to the so-called mansion.

     Meantime many lumber camps operated in the forests where crews cut and
stocked logs splash-dams aided in creating temporary flood stages in the
streams for floating the logs to the millsite where they were rapidly converted
into huge piles of sawed boards and bill-stuff, box-shooks, ship-spars and
shingles, constantly being sent to markets by rail.

     To get over the near half-mile of low lying beaver dam, to the homes now
being built on higher ground on either side of it, slabs from the mill were
used to lay a kind of corduroy, or mud-bridge later to be called the 'plank
road',—now the tree-lined 'boulevard.'

     Very soon after the mill began to operate, it was found that coal veins
of 5 ft. to 6 ft. thickness lay in the strata west of town, of easy access to
the railroad. Development began by erection of tipple and siding, and within
three years a considerable trade was added to that of the lumber, and DuBois
became a live and growing town, so that with the year 1880 a bank and a
newspaper were established. Hotels and boarding houses sprang up on Long and
Courtney streets. A Methodist church was built on Booth street, a Catholic
church on State street ,a grist-mill on Long and a schoolhouse where the City
Hall now stands. While the postoffice was on. Long street side of the town, the
Main street section developed toward the coal mines so that for many years
there was a dual town known as the East or DuBois side, to distinguish it from
the older or `Rumbarger' side. Rivalry existed for a long time between the two
sections ,coal miners and their families for Rumbarger, and mill-men and
woodsmen for the DuBois side. Both sides were about equally noted for
pugilistic capacity and the frequent encounters in bar-rooms and picnics and on
the streets later resulted in fixing to the Rumbarger section, the appella-
tion of 'Bloody First' ward. Donegal Hill, as another title to that section,
held for many years.

     Stumps were gradually dug out of the streets and a few sidewalks were
built in front of more pretentious properties; the big pines were cut from the
Scribner section to make room for more houses. Where the new street called
Long, crossed the old public road a double frame store building was erected by
Long & Brady and P. S. Weber, the corner being occupied by the hardware store
of the first mentioned parties. John Rumbarger, James E. Long, L. A. Brady,
Sidney Fuller, P. S. Weber, aside from John DuBois himself, were the principal
"boomers" of the new town at its beginning and early growth.

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[image]
Rumbarger House

image may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/rumbarger-house.jpg

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 5

     The Central Hotel, Sat. Mead, Prop., stood on north side Long, well up on
the hill; The City Hotel, Nicholson House and Terpe House, on Courtney; and
then toward the creek bank was built the old opera house and Alpine House, all
seemingly needed, and each attracting liberal patronage. Luthersburg was no
longer the metro: polls.

     During the latter seventies, and while the town was taking form, the
newspaper was The Reynolds Herald and DuBois City Star published in
Reynoldsville; the DuBois News was incorporated in the last column of the last
page of the then excellent weekly. Mostly the items were such as covered the
prices of new goods received at the store of P. S. Weber, or those at Frank
Rumbarger's, and sometimes there was mention of the activities of the Mollie
Maguires, or the progress of the strike at the mines, and of course, every week
a list of the barroom; fights and street brawls.

     Payrolls for the mill hands had to be secured at the bank at Luthersburg
or at Reynoldsville. Sometimes if extra large a trip had to be made to
Clearfield for extra sums; and this meant an all day drive with a horse and
buggy over the mountain. Yet strange to now think of, it was not unusual for a
lone man to make the long journey and bring back the currency and coin safely
CO locked in a carpet bag, protected by a sack of feed on or under the driver's
seat.

     The coming of the A,. V. railroad was the great civilizer of the sparse
population between the Ohio and Susquehanna rivers. The most of the people in
that region were to see their first steam locomotive, and when the train was
due from east or west, crowds gathered at the "dee-po" to witness the rush of
arriving and departing of the wonderful 'passenger' trains that maintained a
schedule, if convenient, of 30 to 35 miles an hour. The writer, when nine years
of age or less, while riding a construction train to see the great Sabula
tunnel, then under construction, poked his head out of the box car door to
learn why the train had stopped while crossing a gully opposite to where the
DuBois House was afterwards built.

     A rushing workman getting off disturbed the balance of a brand-new cap
jauntily resting on the boy's head; the cap rolled down to the bottom of that
ravine just in time to be buried under a cart load of earth dumped by a paddy
who had backed his big white horse with its load to the edge of the 'fill' some
twenty feet above. Evergreen was the first station west, but later some one
referred to it as Falls Creek and the name stuck.

     Oil, which had been discovered a few years before, at Titusville, was now
being transported in tank cars, and until the discovery of pipe line methods, a
large part of the product passed over the 'Low Grade' in long trains to the
eastern refineries. This oil, together with the lumber from DuBois mill and
coal from the Sandy Lick and Pan-coast mines, made up the principal freight of
the railroad for some

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Page 6  DUBIOS HISTORY

time. However, from the first, there was a lively passenger travel for many
years.

     Lumber operations both large and small spread rapidly along the new
railroad its total length of one hundred and ten miles, and other mining
operations, though less important, came into being at several points west.

     Jimmie Roscoe was clerk at the DuBois House, and in due course got a
water lines laid which he controlled along Long street. George Schwem built a
mansion on the hill-ground at the point where Hotel DuBois was later built in
1900. Jim Hines had the Opera House, Hiram Raught erected a boarding house
opposite the City Hall, while Doc. Pettigrew had the corner drug store, a frame
building painted green and white, all this came in during the late seventies
and early eighties. M. Loeb came early to establish the main clothing store,
and soon L. E. Weber located on Long street in similar trade. Down along
Courtney were the frame structures, City Hotel on the right, with E. Kuntz,
proprietor and beyond came Grier Bros., with a hardware store; Max
Klineordlinger was opposite with a liquor store, and next came the National
Hotel of Mrs. Quigley and Bill, then Joe Taylor's office and house and Will
Rainey's grocery and the Nicol-son House, with Lowry in charge.

     Julius Terpe had a big rambling boarding house, devoted largely to mill-
hands and the wood-hicks who wore heavy shoes with spikes in the soles
requiring renewal of the floors in the barroom every few months; and between
the Terpe house and schoolhouse was the livery stable and stage terminal. With
the exception of the opera house and the Alpine, frame houses took up about all
the space to the bridge and plank road.

     Frame houses of very modest style spread up along east Scribner and Long,
and in due time others were built on Washington and Weber and Jared.

     Main street, however, was layed out first, and being of extra width, got
several houses and a few stores as well as the Rumbarger House, at near the
Booth street corner, before the mill-section got fairly started.

     Colonel Jackson, with his friends, Chambers and Bovard, of Leechburg,
formed a partnership and rented the Taylor office for starting the first bank,
with Bovard and his daughter, Lizzie, as managers; they called it DuBois
Deposit Bank and it opened for business in 1880. To that date and indeed for
some time, what business requiring bank service at all, was carried on at
Luthersburg, by the DuBois people, or at the bank of F. K. Arnold, at
Reynoldsville, after Arnold had removed his office to the latter place from
Luthersburg.

     Bovard's bank was an accommodation to the local grocers and other
merchants in a small way, but was not of sufficient size to render much service
to Mr. DuBois' undertakings, and so by 1883 the

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 7

First National Bank of DuBois City, was incorporated by leading citizens, with
a capital of fifty thousand dollars. Not, however with aid of nor for the
benefit of Mr. DuBois, for by this time, he was his own banker, and interested
himself not at all in such ventures. Principal stockholders were James E. Long,
L. A. Brady, John M. Troxell, with scattered local people and the farmers from
the Beechwoods and Brady Township sections, J. E. Long, president, and M. W.
Wise, cashier. Later Mr. Arnold became interested and was active in the
management, traveling back and forth from his home at Reynoldsville by train.

     This bank built a two story brick next the Long-Brady corner building,
with brick vault inside of which was installed a safe on which was a time-lock,
advertised to be fire-and-burglar-proof, but which, in these modern days of
half a century later, would yield to both fire and burglary in a few hours, if
not minutes.

     Dear old 'Billy' Bovard did not look upon this invasion as his rightful
inheritance, but said nothing and went on in his sober dignified manner with
splitting used envelopes to serve as deposit tickets, and for figuring interest
with a stub of lead pencil, to hold down expenses.

     DuBois was becoming noted for its payrolls and now and again the circus
came to town, when Tom Mix's mother led him in to witness the bareback rider
jump through the fire hoop from the big white horse while at full gallop around
the ring. And after the arrival of the 1 o'clock train Johnny J. Jones could be
heard yelling at the top of his voice, "Pittsburgh Gazette; all about the big
fire" and John G. McCrory, quiet and seemingly unconcerned, might be noticed
making mental and pencil notes of the profits to be made from selling 5 and 10c
merchandise to crowds, like tickets to side-shows, and for similar
psychological reasons. DuBois was conceived in a big idea, by a man able to
carry out a big idea. Already it was breeding big ideas in the minds of her
youth, who went forth and demonstrated that teaching. While John DuBois put the
town on the map, Johnny J. Jones, Tom Mix and John G. McCrory are names that
helped to keep it there. From Florida to the wilds of Saskatchewan Johnny
Jones' Carnival Show, for many years, advertised DuBois as the 'Capitol of the
world,' and when his great aggregation came in his own special train to visit
DuBois, Johnny held it his first duty to lead 'his famous brass band to his
mother's grave in Rumbarger cemetery, and there after heaping her tomb with
(beautiful flowers, played the funeral dirge with such harmony and perfection
as to bring tears to the thousands gathered there to see and hear.

     It is sad to think of and humiliating to record, that Johnny Jones, who
did so much to advertise DuBois, lies buried in an unmarked grave, in the City
of Orlando; it is one more evidence of the truth that public memory is short,
fickle and unappreciative toward those to whom they owe the most.

     Bell and Lewis, of Rochester, acquired the hill lands between

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Page 8  DUBOIS HISTORY

Rumbarger and the Falls Creek at Evergreen. They opened new coal mines west of
town and south of Sandy creek and called it Rochester Mine; soon there was
controversy about excessive freight on shipment to Buffalo and Rochester, and
in 1883 a new railroad, with the cooperation of A. G. Yates, was designed and
built to the mining district as the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh. Bell,
Lewis & Yates, the coal operating subsidary expanded and enlarged the coal
production; the Iselins took on a large body of coal land at Helvetia. A large
"Company Store'' was established at corner of State and Booth; J. E. Merris
came as a clerk, and L. W. Robinson and S. B. Elliott as superin tendent and
engineer in the coal development branch. The "Bloody First" expanded rapidly.
DuBois became not only a lumber camp but a real combination Lumber & Coal Town;
with the coming of the B., R, & P. it grew rapidly. Meantime John DuBois'
developments grew apace; a giant opera house was built opposite the Low Grade
railroad station, and a mammoth general store established on the street level
floors. Here the big and growing list of employes at mills, tanneries, lumber
camps, farms, foundry, and stocking crews, were paid in DuBois Scrip, which was
good at par at the DuBois store in trade, and in due time, it was recognized
and passed as current money everywhere in the district.

     This was necessary, for the very good reason that banking facilities were
not sufficient to provide currency and credit for such a large establishment,
which, under present laws and regulations, would have been wrecked early in its
history. Sad commentary on the intelligence of the American people that in this
modern time a John DuBois would be prevented from doing now the very thing that
turned a blank spot into a thriving metropolis.

     Nor would it now be possible to wreck a nation that took a century and a
half to build by men of the John DuBois and James J. Hill kind. When William
Penn founded the Keystone state, he soon found himself in the same predicament
that John DuBois did when building his forest empire around the old beaver-dam;
there was not sufficient cash to carry on the trade. Did Penn sit down and
quit? Indeed no! He did just what Mr. DuBois did. When there was not enough
silver dollars or "current" coin to keep the business going, he provided a
substitute so that business might be kept alive and active amongst his people.
From the minutes:

     "At a Council held at Philadelphia. The 2d of ye 2d month 1684.
Present:
   Wm. Penn, Prop'or and Gov'r.
   Wm. Welch, Jno Symcock, Thos. Janney, Tho. Holmes, Wm. Wood, Wm. Clayton,
Jam. Harrison, Jno. Canon, Tho. Lloyd, Wm. Clarke, Luke Watson, Chr. Taylor.
   A Bill Concerning Lands, Come Beef, Pork, Tabacco, Hides, &c. to goe for
Currant pay; past Nemine 'Contradicente."

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 9

     Instead of seeking legislation for making "currant pay" out of land,
corn, beef, pork, tobacco, and hides—or lumber—Mr. DuBois had currency printed
in denominations of $1, $2, $5, and up—all duly numbered, signed and
registered,—with his own engraved portrait on each. This currency or so-called
"scrip" served every need of the community for many years, and was promptly and
fully redeemed after it had served its purpose; with it, the town prospered and
grew, as without it, there never could have been either prosperity, or the
substantial city -which it became thereby. Because of lack of intelligence or
perhaps, lack of faith in themselves to be so circumscribed by complex banking
laws, the people tolerate the financial ruin of themselves and their country
for lack of something to use as "currant" pay in doing business. The so-called
"Depression" in effect since 1929,—already seven years,—in which debts have
doubled and trebled, while property values have shrunk to fractions of real
values, shows what happens when circulating medium is not available to the
people for their daily trading needs.

     Barter, yes, better barter than unemployment and dole! Barter and trade
built DuBois—and so barter and trade would rebuild the United States from its
present wreckage if legal bans were lifted from private control of the issue of
money and regulation of credit of the people.

     When the F. K. Arnold bank was succeeded by Seeley Alexander & Co., at
Reynoldsville and Arnold was giving his time to the new bank at DuBois, the
writer was a clerk in the G. W. Fuller & Bro. general store in the same
building with the Seeley-Alexander bank.

     Giving service evenings and nights in the latter bank — for he was a
graduate from a noted business college—he was soon regularly employed there.
During the winter of '84 Cashier Wise, of the First National Bank at DuBois,
married the daughter of Mr. Long, and was to be absent for several weeks on the
honeymoon. The waiter was called on to serve in his place at the First National
Bank during his absence on the wedding trip. A room at the rear of the vault
served as director's room, and bedroom for the cashier who had to occupy it as
night-watchman, and guard against burglary.

     Of the customers at the bank those recalled at the moment, are Sid
Fuller, Andy Pentz, Andy Liddle, R. H. Moore, the Schwem's, the Webers, Loebs,
Cannon & Hollister, Meads, the Daleys, Jim Dennison, Joe Morrison, an
occasional call from 'John DuBois, Andy Baum, Kirschbaum & Guthmiller, Jared
Evans, the McCulloughs, the Smiths, Ditchburns, McClellands, Stevenson & Slack,
W. T. Ross, Charles Scalen, Fred Tinthoff, C. E. Bostwick, the Van Tassels and
Scullys, the Roscoe boys, Jeff Boyer, Los Hibner, Warren Dale, Plum Holland,
Doc Marsh, Rev. Bell, W. C. Pentz, George Hamor, were among the struggling
youths, busy making a place in business and the professions.

     The best shows of Broadway came to the new DuBois opera

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Page 10  DUBOIS HISTORY

House; among those now recalled were Francis Wilson, Erminie, Little Tycoon,
and others of the same class. Joseph Jefferson, in Rip Van Winkle drew capacity
crowds, and the crowds were dressed in evening clothes, white gloves, and wore
high hats, for men, and the ladies, either for good looks or fine clothes,
compared with the best of the 400 of Manhattan.

     Those were days of the Lecturer,—and the best in the land came, such as
Ingersoll, Sanford, Henry Watterson, Robert J. Burdette, and others equally
noted, always drew full houses,--and then the big circuses seldom missed the
town,—often there were several in one season. Barnum's, the Hagenbacks, the
John Robinson, Ringlings, and, if not mistaken in memory, the Adam Forepaugh
show was on the local grounds once. Then there was the skating rink, and the
camp-meetings far out Main street. Frank Guinzburg's shooting gallery helped in
entertainment, but the real sportsmen were the young fellows who possessed a
high bicycle and could ride it on the sidewalk a block, without a crash,—or had
sufficient income to "hire" a horse and buggy at Levy's Livery or at Spark's on
Long street, and take his girl out for a ride across the plank road and back,
or even on occasion, to Luthersburg or Reynoldsville. Excursions on the
railroad to Pittsburgh to attend the Exposition, was the annual event, and
furnished something to talk about for the year; for there they had electric
street lights and street cars,--and the big 7th Avenue hotel. However, the Home
hotel and the St. Charles and the Monongahela House got the money if there was
any left after a suit was paid for at Gusky's Clothing store.

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Page 11

A City Is Built
Chapter II

It is enough to say here, that in 1879 the leaders got together and organized
the lumber camp into a borough,—so that police such as Fred Tracey could watch
after the peace and quietness of the Sundays, and 'Squire Prothero could issue
warrants for the arrest of the bolsterous. Truman Ames, the burgess, guided the
affairs of the `city' for a time. Pig-pens, cow-stables, and coal house, pump
and onion-bed took up the space to the picket paling fences. Water system,
sewers, inside toilets and baths, were things to worry about if the creek ever
went dry at Jo Hand's dam, and sputtering carbon street lights were only for
great cities. Oil lamps and candles illuminated the home-parlor, but when the
sun went down, the lantern was necessary for a shopping expedition, or a visit
to neighbors a few blocks away.

     Sunrise saw the place a hive of industry; mills, lumberyard, foundry,
pattern shop, tannery, big and little stores, Railroad sidings, farms and mines
boomed with bustling activity, — even Mike Hanlon worked There were no
unemployed, no dole office with an army of clerks occupying a vacant factory
palace, surrounded by dozens of latest model automobiles parted to await the
semi-monthly Hopkins hand-out. And there were no municipal debts and very
trifling taxes; when the laborer opened his pay envelope, his wages were all
there; there had been no secret hand of Federal, State and City agent who
dipped out half of it before it reached him. Nor was he told by some high-
salaried political office holder that his job depended on whether he voted as
ordered. And DuBois prospered!

     Filled with plain, hard-working, neighborly, self-reliant men and women
DuBois went forward in a steady and substantial way to her destiny as the
commercial center of a constantly widening area.

     Partner Seeley of the bank had disposed of his Colorado ranch and devoted
time to the business of the bank temporarily, where there was work for but one
man at routine, and now three must spend most of the time in idleness. It was
irksome, and besides, the wages at $20 a month was no longer attractive to a
youth of 20 who possessed a diploma, and the 'western fever' was abroad in the
land just then; friends and acquaintances were leaving for the frontier,
weekly, monthly, and for periods almost daily. Glowing reports came back; the
pull was strong; a resignation was exchanged for a letter of recommendation at
the bank, and soon the youngster was enroute to the 'rail-end' in the buffalo-
and-Indian country. For two years this history of DuBois is a blank—blank,
except for an occasional letter telling of HER visits to friends living there;
and that they did not venture out on the streets after night.

     It was during that absence that John DuBois died (1886), and to succeed
him his nephew John E. DuBois came, to carry on the great institution the
original founder had created and pushed to its great magnitude. John E. had
been a frequent visitor and knew much of the uncle's plans and policies, and
there were no interruptions to the steady progress of the giant operations.

     While home on a short vacation, the writer was approached by the former
Reynoldsville banker. F. K. Arnold, now president of the First National Bank of
DuBois City, to buy part of his stock and take position as Assistant Cashier
and Director, by way of Relieving him from duty on account of advancing years.
Vacation leave from his important position in the west required time

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Page 12  DUBOIS HISTORY
and correspondence for breaking in a successor to his job there before
deciding. These adjustments were finally effected and by the winter of '86
DuBois had its youngest bank officers and director—and as this is written, a
half century has passed, and he is no longer the youngest, but the oldest
director—in service, if not in years.

     Whether for good or evil, changes in the guiding of her economic
affairs—both comercial and financial, by the pasisng of DuBois and Arnold —the
year '87 was the opening of a new era for DuBois.

     Looking back on her succeeding fifty years, 1886-1936—is to see a totally
different DuBois; a different county, state and nation—a wholly different—but
not a better—world. within the little more than ten years of her founding and
development, DuBois had reached a point in her progress and population that her
future required a half century to double the population; and her
progress,—well, progress is a relative term, and can be best understood by a
comparison of the two periods.
     
THEN
     A happy and busy people; no suffering, no idleness, little tax to worry
about; everyone making money; nearly all owning their own homes; unlimited
resources to draw upon, and a boundless future in prospect—and politicians and
office-holders servants, and not dictators. Graft was yet to be learned about.

NOW
     A glorious system of paved roads and street; electric lights, gas and
private baths in almost every home; good sewerage and water system; airplanes,
a public out-door swimming pool, many churches and schools, moving picture
theaters —three of them; one closed, and instead of livery stables, dozens of
garages, public and private; all filled.

     And: no natural resources to draw upon; timber gone; former great coal
operations but surface scars; mills and factories but piles of brick-bats;
natural scenic beauty marred by billboards on every street and highway; forty
or more chain-stores with absentee ownership and management, and four on five
locally owned and managed; electric light and power, and natural gas furnished
at exorbitant charges because of exclusive franchises held by and manipulated
for the benefit of High Finance; taxes that have already bankrupted most of
those who built and formerly owned the town; no substantial payrolls and
thousands of her people drawing 'relief' from state and government dole;
foreign capital is in control of, and dictates practically every activity of
every citizen; holds the hope and fate of every boy and girl in the town—and of
those still unborn.

     Because DuBois is a town of the `woods' does not mean that she was wholly
surrounded by forests, for Luthersburg on the 'pike' six miles away was the
thrifty pioneer farmer settlement, and nearby were the Shatters, the Wayne
farm, the Heberling and Senior farms, and two miles south was the Pentz place,
while a like distance east was the Andy Lidle, Reasinger, Jesse Lines and other
neighbor farms, John Hand had a farm adjoining the Thomas Wayne place,—and pax:
of the now second ward of the city occupied land partly cleared; the farmhouse
for which is still standing at corner of Long and Stockdale. Morningside
Cemetery now occupies the farm that was first cleared, long before John DuBois
came.

     And this farming section was prosperous and profitable—a condition never
attained since. Then the people of the town took the produce, as often their
meat supply as well as flour and feed and potatoes; the livery stable took
their hay, straw and Gann. Every farm had its herd of milk cows, its flock of
sheep; and always raised their own meats and canned goods, made their own soap,
apple-butter, bread and butter — including sauer kraut, pickles vinegar; and
their chickens and eggs, with occasional trout and venison, relieved them from
the monotony of salt pork and corned beef in winter. Many of them made their
own supplies of sugar and the delicious maple syrup, imitation of
     
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DuBois HISTORY	Page 13

which, now comes from other states. Log-rollings, barn-raisings,
shootingmatches, quiltings, corn-huskings, apple-parings—still were held in the
country heedless of the rough-and-ready mill and mine town then growing up
close by. Local grist mills ground the farmer's wheat, rye, corn and buckwheat,
on the 'toll' basis; flour and corn meal for the family use; chop, middlings
and bran, for the farm-animals.

     But neither farms nor mills nor town were prosperous except from the
industry of the people who made them so. Daylight saw them busy at work, and
twilight, and often darkness, saw them still so engaged; the eight hour day had
not been thought of. On mill and woods, pay days, the writer for many years,
had to run the vault combination locks by lamplight and prepare and deliver the
payrolls at the break of day. Mills started sawing as soon as light enough to
see, and the logging crews, with their ox-and-horse teams had to be in the
cutting by daylight; stable work was usually done by lantern light, as also
were the morning and evening meals, so served, in the bunk-house.

     And so, as work built DuBois, it was like industry that built every town
and made them prosperous. Together, they made the United States into the
greatest nation in the world!

     DuBois, the younger, was fond of horses! His tannery partner, A. R. Van
Tassel, likewise was a horse fancier. With Mr. DuBois' liberal backing, a race
track and Fair grounds, was established, and soon it was famous for its fine
racing contests, and the gigantic crowds that came to them and to the annual
fairs—ten to fifteen thousand—was not an unusual attendance, filling the
immense grand-stand, exhibition building, dance-pavilion and summer theater, as
well as the central area within the race-track, and in the open park section of
the ground. Money was paid for the best talent to be found in the
country—balloon ascensions, dirigible. minstrels, acrobats, fireworks—whatever
was popular and entertaining, whatever the cost. DuBois progressed.

     To make it possible to carry the traffic that had cut them deep with dust
in dry, and mud in wet weather, Courtney and Long, from the bridge to Booth,
were paved with 2x8 hemlock laid on edge over stringers; thus came the first
paved streets.

     With the retiring of F. K. Arnold from active duty at the First National
Bank, the remaining active heads led by Long, Brady, Wise and Weber. planned
the liquidation of the national bank and establishing of the private Bank of
DuBois; the guiding thought being that they could not only thus escape
government regulation, but make much more money, with very much less capital,
besides reducing overhead. Suggestions were made to the writer that if Mr.
Bayard, who then was 'up in years' would consider selling his bank, it might be
wise to buy it. Negotiations resulted in a deal and on June 4, 1888, the writer
took charge, with office in the one story Commercial hotel corner. The assets
turned over to the new institution consisted of the 'good will' and name of the
Bovard bank, and on that day a deposit by Frank Hutton at the opening hour
started the business of the present Deposit National Bank, now well over its
forty-eight years of service as the leading bank.

     In those days personal credit counted, in some cases, more than capital,
and it was the purpose of Mr. Long and his associates, to operate privately as
many other banks then did on individual responsibility, and the Bank of DuBois
carried advertisements showing their list of stockholders as "Individually
Liable." Many of the larger shareholders of the First National were not invited
to join in the successor Bank of DuBois, and they, in due time, transferred
their subscriptions to the former assistant cashier's new DuBois Deposit Bank,
of which he now was the cashier, and R. H. Moore was president.

     Meantime D. L. Corbett had come to town with a dry-goods store, located
first on Long, near the European hotel, but now at the brick lately built by
Henry Knarr on Courtney. Below was A. T. Sprankle and the

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14	DuBois HISTORY

postoffice; and Gus Coons, the Goldsmiths and L. E. Weber were now on that
street. The Courier was making a name for itself under the proprietorship of E.
S. and E. W. Gray.  A fine eight-room brick school had been erected on Williams
street, and adjoining it the first Presbyterian church.	

     "Farmer Fuller" operated the Bois farm; Dave McIntosh had charge of the
stocking crews in the Clear Run district; John Horner had come to be foreman of
mill operating —and before their marriage Mrs. Horner went in horse and buggy
alone to Reynoldsville over the lonely forest-lined road, and brought the
payroll money of several thousand dollars for the employes of the first	
Mr. DuBois;—and for the office force, there was T. G. Gormley, L. M. Truxal,
E. B. Nettleton; Jimmie Harris was estimator, Frank Hatfield yard foreman,—and
there was a host of others in various departments of the great DuBois
organization. Ed Mix, the father of Tom, had charge of the barn-full of blooded
horses and fine carriages. Meantime, the coal business was growing; Soldier Run
mine was furnishing large tonnage; acreage was being acquired on Mix Run where
Big Soldier mines was to add immensely to the Bell, Lewis & Yates
developments—and the big "company" store at corner of Booth and State,
flourished. Diagonally across the street was the Prothero lumber yard,
adjoining which was the home of the writer where he had settled with his bride
in July '87. Frame buildings lined both sides of Booth to Franklin, north and
west of which stood the Baker House and the small station of the Buffalo,
Rochester & Pittsburgh railroad. Others occupied the ground opposite the
station to the Ross grist mill, and along the "flat" to Sid Fuller's saw-mill.

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The Big Fire - June 18, 1888
Chapter III

     On the afternoon, at 1:30, June 18, 1888, a fire alarm was called out and
Smoke was seen rising from the Baker House. It was a hot day and wind was
blowing. The usual crowds collected, but there was no effective means of
fighting it, and soon adjoining structures were ablaze. The heat was oppressive
and the winds scattered the roaring fire in every direction; it leaped across
the streets and railroad track and soon both sides of Long, toward the hill
section, was a sweeping flame. A brisk and increasing wind sent it faster and
faster up the hill, while less rapidly, it spread west crossing Main street
north and south along it, and then west on Booth where the office of 'Squire
Prothero, and the Gleason building opposite was aflame; next stood the writer's
home, from which an hour before had been removed the furniture—hauled by team
and wagon impressed from a passing farmer—to a vacant corner of the lot near
the First ward school. Nearby residents had carried their household goods into
the large lot of the writer, thinking it would be safe, but now the fire was
alongside. On the mattresses there hastily dumped, and on the grass, were six
or eight men who sank for a little rest, wholly exhausted from their contest
with the flames that then seemed to be hopeless to longer fight. The writer,
coming to have a last look through the house, came out the cellar door with a
jug of blackberry wine left there by Mrs. Hetrick a few days before. At the
pump was a tin-cup into which the wine was poured for the men as they came
forward for a chance to restore a little life and vigor. With their renewed
strength, they quickly formed a bucket brigade, placed a ladder to the roof at
the side of the Gleason building up the front of which the flames were making
rapid headway. Here was the only chance to break the westward spread of the
fire, for if it took the two houses and got into the big lumber yard but a few
feet from the writer's house, there would be no stopping it reaching the
McNulty house, the Company store, and then all of Donegall Hill would be swept
away. It was a desperate chance but willing hands were there to try it, and up
the ladder went the writer, with a bucket,—on up to the comb of the roof,
walking astride of it to the front—a square top store-front--he succeeded in
pouring it down over the flames; empty buckets were exchanged for full ones
passed up and along the roof by the others, until the pump gave out just as the
flames on the burning front gave out—and the fight was won.

     Meanwhile the fire was going up Long, and when the cashier went to look
after his bank, it was beyond the George Schwem residence and rapidly licking
up the business section be tween High street and Courtney. On the agreed
assumption that the fire would not cross Courtney or Brady, efforts were
directed to saving what might be taken out of the houses and stores still
remaining on Long; but soon it was given up as hopeless. The First National
Bank building stood next the Long-Brady building on the corner. Seeing that it
could not be saved hurried conferences decided to remove the contents of the
vault with the money and other valuables, over to the vault of the Denosit bank
in the Commercial corner room, with the hope that the terrible holocaust might
be stayed at the corner cross-streets. Baskets, boxes and bags of money and
securities were hastily packed and carried to the writer who piled them, along
with the books, into the vault there. Just as he was about to close the vault
door, a clothes-basket full of legal papers from the office of W. C. Pentz, was
handed the cashier to be put in; and

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Page 16 DUBOIS HISTORY
grabbing and mounting a chair, the two men aided him in elevating the heavy
load to be shoved in at the top of the already crammed vault.  

     The fire was now raging in the large storerooms near the corner and it
was becoming momentarily apparent that it would wipe out both East Long and
Courtney streets business 	houses and homes, as the wind was in that direction.
The Grier store being a large and important one the writer hurried to it and
packed up the books and records, taking them to the rear of Doc Sweeney's home
where he dug a hole in the garden at the rear, and buried them; then back to
the Corbett store helping to remove drygoods to vacant ground at the rear, —
including a big square glass ribbon case. Next he gave assistance to Joe Taylor
to save the mail, postoffice records and carry out the sections of metal-glass
and wood-framed postoffice boxes to the lot in the rear; all of which was waste
energy for the fire was then roaring down on both sides of Courtney to sweep
everything to Scribner avenue.
	
	The old farmstead home at corner of Long and Stockdale was saved, but the
fire spread on up to the opposite side, and back to Summit 	street. (now
Washington Ave., E.)—and all over the intervening stretch to Main street. By
nightfall the wind ceased and the fire died for lack of breeze to blow it on.
Brick chimneys and a few brick walls met the view next morning through the haze
of smoking ruins. Jim Whitehill was bartender at the Central hotel. Seeing that
the fire would take the premises, Jim rolled out six barrels of whiskey to the
sidewalk and hired some men to roll it up the hill to High street; but with no
chance to get room for its protection there, they kept on rolling it until they
reached the open ground at the Hines Opera 	house. There it was guarded for a
time, but there were so many tired and exhausted men there pleading for it that
one of the barrels was induced to leak liberally and the men were being
stimulated for meeting the enemy flames then coming down Courtney. Soon there
were more men fighting exhaustion than were contending with the fire.

     Then John E. DuBois happened along; he secured a pole axe and knocked in
the heads of every barrel, then asked who the whiskey belonged to, told the
guards to have the owner send him the bill; he paid it.  In this case, however,
the fire ended there not because of stimulated fire-fighters but in spite of
them, Darkness found the vacant lots piled high with all sorts of goods,
guarded in some cases by the owners or their families; vacant ground everywhere
was littered with whatever was carried out by the desperate populace in their
last efforts to save something from the terrifying flames. All night crying
children, sobbing wives and mothers and begrimed men walked bare-headed on the
hunt of someone or something, guided perhaps by a lantern and the reflection of
lingering blazes. Looting began at dark and lasted through the night; police
were non-existant; others too tired to care. 
     
     The state rushed military tents; neighbor towns came with food and
sympathy; cities sent contributions in cash and supplies: farmers came in from
the country with their teams and well-filled baskets and bags; Mr. DuBois
opened his big store and cared liberally for the sufferers; credit was advanced
to the stricken at the Company store temporarily.  The DuBois that was, was now
a great encampment of bedraggled and homeless citizens, comparable to a beaten
war-party of Indians after a bloody conflict with the enemy.  Barns, carriage
houses, schoolhouses, churches, fairgrounds — every shelter not destroyed, was
occupied and made habitable for the moment, a day, week or month; a tented city
of state militia equipment went up in a day; no one went hungry for long and
being June no one suffered from cold—and little from disease or epidemic so
often resulting from a great catastrophe; the old DuBois was a blanket of
cinder-hot ashes, the residue of hot air for a day.
	
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DUBOIS HISTORY Page 17

Editor's Note
     M. I. McCreight in his account of the early history of DuBois described
in his last two articles the disastrous fire of 1888 which practically wiped
out the lumber town.

     Before proceeding with the series, the Courier-Express inserts at this
point additional information on the big fire, prepared by James Whitehill, now
of Summerville, who served as first fire chief of the community. At the time of
the fire however, the city was without an organized firefighting force, the
first company, the Volunteers being organized immediately after the town had
been levelted by flames. Wray Ross, who has many details on the early history
of the city at his command, checked the facts and assisted in writing the
following account.

By JAMES WHITEHILL
(First Fire Chief of DuBois)
     At the time of the big fire the business section was protected by a water
line put in several years previously and extending along Booth steet, Long
avenue and Courtney (now Brady) street. A year or so before, the pump which had
been located in the grist mill operated by W. T. Ross where the St. James Hotel
now stands, was taken over by James P. Roscoe and installed on Sandy Creek,
some distance above the Brady street bridge. It pumped water to a small
reservoir on top of East Long avenue.

     The big fire started in John Baker's Hotel, a large two-story frame
structure on the ground where the B. and 0. freight house now stands. It was
discovered about 1 o'clock in the afternoon of an extremely hot day. The fire
fighting apparatus consisted of one hose cart, and when water was turned on
only a trickle came from the nozzle. The line was broken somewhere. The wind
was blowing toward Main street and everything was consumed in its path almost
to State, and south as fax as Weber. At about 3 o'clock the wind changed and
the blaze jumped the railroad tracks and raced up Long avenue. We thought it
could be stopped at a brick building that stood west of where the Forte Worth
Hotel now is. It was a brick building called the Windsor Hotel and conducted by
the late Dick Evans. The fire merely took it in stride. The fire was spreading
in all directions. We tried dynamiting the buildings at Schrecongost's Store
but the dynamiters waited until the structures were on fire and the scatterment
just helped the blaze scatter faster.

     The flames rolled on up Long to Stockdale and on Brady street from Weber
to Scribner, where it was held by better organized effort and the arrival of a
Pennsylvania Railroad pumper from Renovo, which heartened the fighters.

     When I saw the fire was creeping up Long avenue past Jared street, I went
to the Central Hotel where I was employed, and which stood on the lot now
occupied by the Central Jewelry Company, got some help and rolled out six
barrels of whiskey, tooling them up to the corner where the Methodist Church
now stands. As the flames kept coming we rolled them to the corner now occupied
by the Reitz Hotel and when that point commenced getting hot, on down to the
Jim Hines lot near the old Central Opera House at the corner of what is now
Brady avenue and Park. Then I went back to the job of fighting fire. Shortly
thereafter Some one stopped me and asked where my barrels were. When I told him
he remarked that John E. DuBois with several other men had broken in the heads
of the barrels and wasted the whiskey. Later on I went to ask John E. about it
and he said: "Yes, I did; there were so many that would get drunk and do
damage. Send me your bill and I will pay for it." The bill was paid. The
whiskey belonged to Satterfield Mead.

     Sat. Mead right after the fire bought the Terpe house, where the
Schaffner building now is and I tended bar there. After that Dick Evans bought
it and then Fred Krach got it.

     I recall one of the fires on Long evenue in the early days when the Mc-

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Page 18 DUBOIS HISTORY

Mann sisters' millinery store burned.  It was a two-story house, next Charley
Barrett's office and stood apart.  There was no water but plenty of snow and
hundreds of men and boys turned in and snowballed the fire out, saving most of
the building.	

     Before the fire in the early eighties there were forty houses of ill fame
and two hundred gambling places in the town. One dance hall on the flat at one
time had sixty girls and the drinks were 25 cents for a dance and two drinks.
One day three girls rode up to a bar and ordered drinks for the crowd. They
paid $10 to the bartender and rode out.	

     On the log drives the "Hicks" came in crowds of 300 to 400 to get on a
spree. Some had $100 and others as much as $500 and what the girls and whiskey
didn't get, the gamblers did.  Miles Davis, Ben Ten Eyck, Dennis O'Connell, Jim
Keelan, and Jim Beyers were some of the gamblers. Degnan & McDonald, Hoover,
Baker and 	Putnam were the big lumber operators and generally followed their
men in; told the bartenders to hurry and get the woodsmen's money and send them
back to camp.	

     Jim Burke ran the St. Cloud Hotel. Some of the girls who managed the
"swift" places were, as I recall them, Fan Breath, Crooked Mouth Jennie,
Mollie, Blackeyed Moll, Flo Keelan and Nettie Bishop with Pannie Norwood later
in the big house, owned by Madame Stoddard who had a chain of places in
Johnsonburg, Bradford, Buffalo, etc.	

     One day I was given $150 by the late A. L. Cole just as he was leaving on
the stage for Clearfield with instructions to deposit in the bank.  I went to
Miller's gaming place and lost the whole $150. Then I went to Banker Mal. Wise
and borrowed the amount and made good.	

     The fire burned south to Weber avenue and while it was cooling, wagon
loads of goods that had been saved were stolen and hauled away.	

     John E. DuBois called in all the cooks from his woods crews and had
breakfast ready for fifteen hundred people at the fair grounds next morning.
Several hundred families made their temporary home in the buildings and stables
at the fair grounds. Neighboring towns as far away as Lock Haven sent in
carloads of food and clothing.

     I was elected fire chief by the borough council right after the big fire
of '88. Our organization was the Volunteer Hose Company.
     
     A new era—a new DuBois—was conceived June 19, 1888, and by two days more
it was being executed, for it took that time for the ashes to cool; anyway it
was quite important to learn how the money and securities of the two banks
fared, before definite work at rebuilding could begin. Money of the Deposit
Bank was contained in a large safe which had stood outside of the vault, and
when the floor burned out, it fell face down into the cellar, and the brick
wall of the Long street side of the building, toppled in on top of it. As
before noted, the funds and securities of the other bank, was within the
Deposit Bank vault, a mediocre affair built in for hotel service, and of very
doubtful fireproof material. Neither vault or safe could be approached while
the fiery furnace of jumbled timbers and debris in the basement, burned itself
out.
     
     While there would be a good deal of insurance money coming in, there was
an anxious people many of whose future plans depended on the fate of the money
of the two banks whose deposits amounted to perhaps two hundred thousand
dollars. For two days and nights it was being toasted and, so far as any one
knew, it might be, like the town, a mere pile of ashes. A safe-expert was
brought from Pittsburg; timbers, rope chain and blocks were rigged; the hot
safe was raised out of its bed in the basement, to a platform above and its
doors sledged open.
     
     Currency reserve was intact, but so badly roasted and faded out as to
require careful handling, but fortunately it was all redeemed at the U.S.
Treasury later. The gold and silver coin was found glued to the inner safe door
and had to be re-

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DUBOIS HISTORY Page 19
moved with a cold-chisel. The bags containing gold had been so charred that
the contents spilled, and became mixed with the silver, and the melting of
leather note cases, paint and glue from the drawers and shelves, united the
whole mass, requiring time and patience to recover it for service again. The
notes and securities as well as books and records were saved.

     While the contents of the burned safe was being thus recovered, the
expert was employed at breaking open the vault in which the other bank's funds
were stored; the door was warped and had to be forced with bars and sledges,
but it had not suffered the severe heat that the safe had endured. With the
erection of scaffolding and temporary plank cat-walk from the street, the
writer was able to get to the vault the moment the door was opened. The heat
inside was intense and only for a second or two was it possible to get to grab
the things from it and turn back. First to be dragged forth was the clothes-
basket of legal papers from W. C. Pentz' office; on top of the papers was a box
of matches, partly open; the papers were brown from the baking process, and the
matches were exuding pitch as if ready to break into flame; with air admitted
to them with the prying open of the door, if the matches had ignited, there
would have been a vastly different story, for the valuables there stored were
greatly in excess of that in the safe. Fortune was with the unfortunate folks
in this incident! Armed guards formed a line, and the wealth of the town as
represented in the assets of the two banks, was carried in bags, baskets, and
boxes, to the vault of the First National Bank, which had stood the fire-test
better than the one chosen for safest. Men with Winchesters were stationed
around the vault to protect its two-bank contents, and a frame structure was
soon erected around and over it for further safety. Armed guards were kept on
duty for months around it.

     It will be remembered by the reader that the fire stopped before it
reached the opera house near the foot of Courtney street. It had a rather large
seating capacity and a balcony at the front over the entrance. A check-room and
a ticket office occupied either side of the entrance hall and underneath the
balcony.

     To get the banks into operation as quickly as possible, the ticket office
and check room were rented from Hines. The First National taking the ticket
office and the writer occupying the check room with the Deposit Bank; the room
was a big bare cob-webby place with two ordinary dusty windows facing the
street, without furniture except a couple of broken chairs; the balcony was
taken by Corbett's dry goods store, and the main floor and stage, by the Long-
Brady Hardware Store with D. E. Hibner in charge.

     For the Deposit Bank, an old carpenter's work bench was secured for a
counter; an old table for bookkeeping desk and correspondence, was borrowed.
Every morning the two cashiers met at the guarded vault of the First National,
loaded the daily record books and cash in large clothes baskets, and with a
revolver in each unoccupied hand and with armed guard in front and rear,
carried the two banks to the opera house offices and there in that manner
carried on the banking business of the town that was, for nearly six months,
and until new buildings could be erected. The old opera house became a general
emporium for business while a new DuBois was coming into being!

     The First National building was rebuilt on its old location but the
Deposit Bank decided it best to seek a new location and erect its own building,
and in late fall moved into its own quarters, a two-story brick next the old
National Hotel lot; it included a storeroom to be occupied by P. S. Weber's dry
goods business; the second floor was occupied by the cashier. A good vault was
built in the new banking room and a so-called burglar-proof safe with time
lock, was installed inisde; a counter built by Walter Hatten had a wire

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Page 20 DUBOIS HISTORY

screen with two hand-holes for receiving deposits and paying out money, and a
standing desk against the wall for the bookkeeper; the new building and
equipment of the other bank was of much superior type.	

     With the establishing of banking in the old opera house, the town sprang
into life like magic; owners hunted up their lot lines cleared away the ashes
and debris and went to work to rebuild a larger and better building; fire zones
were fixed requiring brick and stone construction; ordinances were passed for
better walks; insurance money came in; building materials were available	
in way of lumber at Mr. DuBois' mills; and Jack Foster made brick, and George
Betts laid them; George Kirk cleared up the surveys and started the new town on
a less confused basis of engineering than formerly. A water system was talked
of, and sewers; winter found a goodly number of substantial business places
occupied by their proprietors, and many new residences had been built; the town
was looking up, and the people were full of faith for the future.

     However, building did not stop because of winter; all through the cold
weather, there were structures going up over the burned area in all directions.
Grover Cleveland was president, but Benj Harrison was elected to begin his term
in March, '89; a world war was not thought of, and business went on apace, for
the United States was still developing and minding its own business; it had not
yet become a world power.
     
     Spring opened with a building boom and kept going through the year; the
Scalen, Knarr, Moore & Schwem, Griers, Daley, National Hotel, Long & Brady,
Rainey, Solomon, Windsor, Wayne, and other substantial business places took
form. It was the year of the terrible Johnstown flood, and DuBois suffered from
the excessive floods over the meadow and low grounds, but the lumber and coal
trade was increasing likewise the payrolls, and everybody was busy; the future
was still bright.

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[image]
DEPOSIT NATIONAL BANK


[image]
DUBOIS HIGH SCHOOL

images may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/bank-highschool.jpg

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DuBois Rebuilds
Chapter IV

First Decade
Oldest Bank in Western Clearfield County Established 1880.
R. H. Moore, President, Daniel North, Vice Pres, E. G. Clark, 2d Vice Pres.,
J. A. Holland, Assistant Cashier.
DUBOIS DEPOSIT BANK,
DuBois, Pa.
Capital   $ 50,000
Avearge Resources   150,000
Yearly Volume of Business   7,500,000
Security to Depositors   500,000

Individual Liability.
Barnes Safe & Lock Co. Burglar Proof Safe with Yale Time Lock.

     This bank respectfully calls attention of all the marvelous growth of its
business in the past year and asks the business patronage of the community in
general. Solicits the accounts of merchants and business people in the
surrounding country. Out-of-town business handled with care, promptness and
liberality. M. I. McCreight, Cashier. Courtney Street Deposit Bank Building.

     Banking hours 9 to 12; 1 to 3 p. The cashier has his residence over the
bank,—any important business will be attended to after hours.

     The above, while it cannot be accurately timed for it has no date, was
probably issued in the fall of '89 or in the early 1890. It is perhaps the
first printed folder issued by the bank, as the fire got it just two weeks
after possession—and for the next four or five months there was little reason
for, nor was there time to prepare, advertising matter. However, the old faded
folder shows that there was spirit and 'marvelous' growth behind it—and
evidence of unlimited confidence in the future.

     It is most impressive for us who live in this year of deficits of ten
billions and debts of thirty-four billions, to read from the annual message of
President Harrison in December 1890: "The (government) revenues, amounting to
above $450,000,000. have been collected and disbused without revealing, so far
as I can ascertain, a single case of defalcation or embezzlement — the Treasury-
-receipts rrom all sources, $406,000,000. total expenditures $334,000,000.,
leaving a surplus of $52,000,000." And,—"General trade and industrial
condition—have shown a marked improvement."

     The great fire, and later the floods, made the people think of a
waterworks as a guard against repetition. Natural gas was in its early stages
of production for a convenient cooking fuel and for gas engines; electric light
for homes and for power was also becoming popular, and its use spreading to
inland towns. Always progressive, DuBois got them all, and they all came at
once.

     Shuttleworth got a franchise for a water line—and with his associates,
from Bay City, Michigan, shipped in and laid wood pipe on most of the important
streets. Michigan was a lumber state and a patent wood water pipe was one of
its commercial products; logs bored, wound with strap iron and treated with
tar,—claimed to outlast other kinds. A reservoir was constructed in upper Clear
Run, and behold DuBois had a water system by 1890-1. The Crawfords of Emlenton,
successful oil producers, had also developed a large natural gas supply,
incorporated it the Ohio Fuel Supply Co., and secured a franchise for the town
of DuBois with exclusive rights and privileges. Promptly, a gas line was built
from the Clarion river section; streets dug up and pipes connected to the homes
and business places, and behold DuBois had gas lights and cooking fuel,—for all
those not afraid to install it. New buildings

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Page 22 DUBOIS HISTORY

going up, were piped for gas lights thereafter, as well as connections to the
cooking and heating stoves. And then, too, on Rose alley, alongside of
Bostwich's shoe factory there arose a power station for the DuBois Electric
Light & Power Co., with its dynamos and generator. A franchise for the lighting
of the streets, also exclusive, was granted by Council, and soon poles were
carrying wires to all sections; the writer was the first to have his residence
over the Deposit Bank, illuminated with the new-fangled incandescent lamps.

     With water, gas and electricity, arc street lights, the town took on city
airs with the opening of the nineties, and there began really serious talk of a
street railway. The Griers, Bostwick, Jimmy Lane, with the aid of the Bailey
brothers of Ford City, who came to look over the prospects for an electric car
line from the DuBois House, east side, to Electric Park, end of South Main
street. That venture was of magnitude and took time and a good lot of capital.
Meantime John Bierly came to take hold of the Commercial hotel corner lot, and
the new three-story brick hotel was to replace the one-story red brick
structure in which the banks had burned out. E. Kuntz had built the brick home
at the rear of Commercial building; Griers and Henry Knorr rebuilt in brick,
the latter three rooms, two stories high; the postoffice now occupied the new
brick next to the Deposit bank building toward Scribner; the LeGrande Hotel was
a new brick north side Booth; Henry Knorr had his new brick house at corner
Long and Stockdale; St. Paul's church went up next Bilger's livery on Scribner;
the Methodists got a new location and built a brick church at corner of Long
and High; the new Central hotel went up in brick at corner Long and Evans.

     But for a long time counted in months, there were many blank spaces on
all streets, but the town was steadily making progress in building as well as
in business. The First National bank was liquidated, and succeeded by the
private Bank of DuBois; life was becoming less boisterous; more serious and
settled and steadily moving ahead to bigger and better things. Big pine forests
still covered VanTassel addition; the Clear Run section; the Luthersburg and
Labord Branch sections and much of the Narrows Creek and Sabula regions.

The 1891 Survey
     Scribner shows a blacksmith shop at corner of Stockdale, with frame
dwellings and water line to Church; thence to Goat street two frame houses on
each side. Three frame houses stood on the north side of Long between Church
and Goat street and three on the opposite side; three houses occupied the south
side of Long above the alley and three below to Stockdale. Summit Avenue from
Stockdale east had 15 dwellings on the north side to Goat, and 11 on the south
side—all of smaller size While five stood on the north side of Weber and nine
of the small frame houses on the south side to Stockdale. Only one house of
brick was in that section of the town—the Henry Knorr home corner Long and
Stockdale. Water line was on Stockdale as far as Summit and east to Church
street.

     On the south side of Scribner between Courtney and Stockdale the St. Paul
church in brick with three small dwellings in frame and the livery, also frame,
next the alley, while on the block adjoining Courtney four frame stores faced
Courtney, a restaurant, barber, harness shop, Chinese laundry and a fruit-candy
store. In the Knorr building west of the above frame structures fronting
Courtney, were a clothing, a dry-goods and boot-shoe stores, and next the new
Grier hardware store; the next room was the cigar, tobacco and billiard room in
the Commercial block, with the bar and lobby filling the space to the corner of
Lang. A large vacant space lay between the Knorr building and the frame
restaurant; and another at the corner of Scribner. A twelve inch water main lay
on the east side of Courtney to Long.

     Beginning with Stockdale down Long to Courtney, there was one

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DUBOIS HISTORY Page 23

brick, the Evangelical Church, a frame house at corner Stockdale, and two
indifferent frame dwellings between the church and the alley. Then followed a
blank to Hanson's furniture room, with a shoe-shop, a barber shop and a tailor
shop at corner Long and Courtney.

     Facing Brady south of the alley were a harness shop, the gas shop.
Sprankle's double room frame grocery and feed store with a large frame ware
house at the corner of Summit; on Summit above the alley were a small house, a
wagon shop, a frame house and at the corner of Stockdale, a brick house; eight
small frame houses on south side of Summit took up the space from Stockdale to
Brady. Three small frame dwellings stood east side Brady to Weber, while seven
stood on the west side of Brady between Court and Weber, and only two between
Court (now Washington) and the alley, while farther back in the alley were the
hardware ware-room, a feed ware-room and the brick power house of the electric
company and the Bostick-Gallagher shoe factory, with two small sheds, to High
street.

     Beginning with the corner Scribner to Long the west side Courtney was
vacant to Rainey's grocery, a brick; next was the brick occupied by a furniture
store and the post office, then the Deposit Bank building and National Hotel, a
vacant lot and a drug store, a jewelry store and a meat market, then the
Vosburg building on the corner—all being of brick construction. Turning on Long
west was the gas company's office, Griffin's paper store, a candy and fruit
next and a plumbing shop with a tea store following next to the DuBois Courier
which adjoined the Scalen building. A small harness shop came next with blank
all the way to High street.

     From Scribner corner west on Williams street, was the small brick office
building; the large double frame house, a large boarding house; the Central
school of eight rooms in brick, with the Presbyterian church of frame, and the
frame parsonage at the corner of High.

     Beginning at High street down Long to the west, a brick tailor shop on
the corner southside, the Methodist church on the north side, next the church
on the north was a fire-engine house, then blank space to the three-room brick,
and again blank to the corner of Evans street.

     Opposite on Long from High to Jared, were next the tailor shop at High,
was a blank then a frame mil-finery and adjoining it a brick store room,—a long
blank to a small frame store, another blank then a brick store room next the
alley; west of the alley was a brick two-room store; another long blank, then a
double brick store, next a brick bake-shop, and again blank to the corner of
Jared.

     On down Long west to Pentz Run wood bridge where Booth street began, was
the new Daly House (Central Hotel) of brick, then vacancy to a 2-room brick at
the bridge; then three frame store-rooms, with blank to next corner. From Jared
west on Long a vacant corner; two frame stores, a blank then the brick store
rooms of Schrecongost and the Ginter and Moulthrop hardware to the alley; then
came two frame stores of dry-goods and grocery, the rest of the front to
Franklin being all brick, five stores and the Windsor Hotel building at the
corner. Frame houses lined Jared street to Weber and a few beyond. Five frame
dwellings faced Franklin street to Weber. From Franklin to Booth to Main three
double stores of brick on the south side and the big brick Hotel le Grande next
the alley on the north side; then a frame grocery store on the north side with
blank spaces on either side to the corner; one new building a double store on
the south side next the alley an doll blank to corner of Main. First block on
west side North Main had one small frame house on corner at the alley; three
frames stood on the next block west, while on the east side were two small
frame dwellings and the old Rumbarger House; the next block west were the two
frame houses still standing, that were saved at the big fire, because of a
forgotten jug of wine, and the big lumber yard had been

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Page 24 DUBOIS HISTORY

removed and tenement houses built instead.

     From Scribner north on Courtney on west side was the Terpe House, one
small brick millinery and one dwelling of frame and a feed store; opposite side
four frame dwellings, the American hotel, opera house, a candy store, the
Alpine House, Lesher's cigar factory, one restaurant.

     West of the plank road was the immense lumber yards of Mr. DuBois; strung
along the west side were a few frame houses, and at Beaver Run stood the Hibner
home. Beyond was the frame pattern shop on the east side, and west was the
foundry and machine shops to the railroad; opposite the depot and freight
house, was a barber shop, drug store and then the big new Opera House and
offices and store, then at the end of the street was the big DuBois House, at
this time closed,—both of brick construction. A steam-heating pipe ran from the
foundry for heating both, and a fire gong was also connected with the foundry,
the big store took up the first floor; the general offices were on the second
floor and the opera was third and fourth floors with stage at the rear; it was
lighted with electricity. Several good residence properties, together with the
DuBois Mansion, the farm buildings, stables, and homes of the tannery
officials, mill foremen and railroad men formed what was called the Third ward,
or East Side; the East Side was looked upon as the high-toned section; at least
that was the part of town that represented the wealth of the town,—yet no one
thought of them as high-toned for indeed they really were not; they were all
the same and always the same good wholesome, neighborly, kindly folks that
DuBois people always were, then.

     With the opening of 1892, the new banking room was becoming too small, or
was it that the business was becoming too large for the room? Anyway it was
decided to secure larger quarters; the vacant lot on the opposite side of the
National hotel building, was bought and plans solicited for a new bank building
but study of the architect's drawings showed that the lot was too small to
warrant building of the width the ground permitted. While waiting determination
of the question by associates, the cashier contracted for the corner lot at
Long and Brady for $9,000, sold the Courtney street lot, and called A. S.
Wagner for consultation about plans for a new building on it.

**********************************************************

New Coal Fields Opened
Chapter V

     With 1892 came a new era for DuBois. To that time, there had been
undisturbed monopoly in the coal business of the Bell, Lewis & Yates and Iselin
interests. The Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburgh railroad was in complete control
of the production and transportation of coal and coke from the DuBois region.
Big Soldier and Helvetia dominated the Reynoldsville field, while Eleanora,
Walston, Anita and Wishaw occupied the western outcrop and dictated the
conditions and drew the profits, in the Punxsutawney field, thus, in a few
years that independent railroad had captured and substntially controlled the
natural resource, as well as the fortunes and future of the people of a great
area of the richest coal field in western Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Valley
railroad, pioneer in the Reynoldsvile and DuBois region, was completely
outgeneraled by the astute and wealthy Iselin.

     But the big basin had not been wholly secured. Around DuBois between the
eastern and western crop lines at Rochester Mines and Luthersburg, the coal lay
deep,—indeed it was not known that there was coal at all there—and suddenly the
BerwindWhite Coal Mining Co., of New York, —already in possession of
considerable acreage at Horatio and Valier,— came in to the DuBois section,
drilled over the field to the south and east of the town, found it to be of
superior quality, and bought up several thousand acres under options taken by
J. H. Pent& This purchase brought great sums to the farmer-owners who came to
DuBois for investments, much of which went into building business blocks and
homes, for this was the day before banks had come into control of finances; big
businesses had not yet been born; stocks and bonds were taboo with the local
folks, and they trusted only real estate, and first mortgages. Coal and timber
were the only wealth producing things for big capital then; few ever thought of
Wall street and fewer yet who dealt in the stock exchange.

     The Bank of DuBois was in operation, and as successor to the First
National, had the public funds. At the town election it had secured the aid of
L. W. Robinson of the Bell Lewis & Yates coal interests, to support its
candidate for treasurer, with the condition that the public funds be not
removed. The writer's bank had not taken any part in the campaign, nor in any
manner sought the business since there was the common understanding that
neither bank should solicit the business of the other; there was work enough
for both.

     But the newly elected official, being friendly to both, came to the
writer and unfolded a secret preelection compact by which he was to get the
powerful support of the coal company's official on condition that he would
continue to do the public banking all at the Bank of DuBois. To this he owed
his election, and as a matter of course, could not violate his promise, for
which he was "very sorry", he said.

     The Bank of DuBois officers, and Robinson himself, were the best of
friends and associates of the writer, and it was a most unexpected and
unfriendly behaviour revealed to him by their confederate in the conspiracy. If
the coal company is going to meddle in the banking business, it cannot complain
if the banker meddles in the coal business, was the writer's mental answer to
it all. South of Big Soldier mine and between that and Helvetia, lay a
considerable block of unpurchased coal land. While it had never been drilled,
enough boreholes had been sunk to permit the coal company to spread the word
that it was con-

**********************************************************

Page 26 DUBOIS HISTORY

demned territory; this was a common practice by most operators. It was a means
of saving invested capital and taxes, and to discourage others from buying; and
the farmer could often be induced to take any offer for his coal, if he could
be told that such and such a bore-hole was a blank.

     Many farmers had been victims of this sort of procedure, and they waited
only a chance to have some one come to their rescue who would let them see the
result of the borings.

     A few days to think it over, and the young inexperienced politician who
had just had his first lesson in that racketeering profession, saddled his
riding horse and rode into his old-home district with a bundle of coal leases
in his wallet; the key farms were secured in an afternoon's work, but absence
from his duty at the bank required help to obtain adjoining lands at the east
and west, and J. H. Pentz lent his experience and aid, and soon the large field
was under option.

     Senator Peale was at the time, promoting the Beech Creek branch of the
New York Central railroad into the Clearfield region. That great system was
seeking its own fuel supply, and was anxious to get into the famous Soldier Run
field for high quality coal. The Senator at once organized a syndicate of his
New York Central officials and other friends and put up the funds to prospect
the writer's option holdings by diamond drill. Six-foot coal cores, then six
and a half, and some of greater thickness of vein, were found, and the owners
were shown the results. It was a large territory and took time; some options
were :arming short for time to do the testing. Suddenly it was found that
opposition interests were in the region trying to induce the farmers to re rime
extension of time, with the promise that their coal would be bought just as
soon as the options would expire; other inducements were heard of, and it
required the utmost care and constant personal attention of the writer to hold
the property intact until the drilling could be completed, but the farm folks
were loyal. Purchases began and were rushed thru to cover the main acreage;
every contract had been made good with the farmers; a corporation was formed to
take title; job No. 1 was done.

     But before the title papers had passed, General Manager Elliott called at
the bank for a talk; showing him to the director's room at the rear of the
vault (Courtney street building) the genial gentleman friend of the cashier,
told his errand —it was his purpose to buy up all the lands just explored, and
pay whatever price might be set for them. "We are very anxious about this
property and are willing to pay a very liberal price for it, just name the
price." "No, Mr. Elliott, you nor your company could lay down enough money to
buy this land; it was not a question of making a profit out of it that I bought
it; it is not for sale to your company at any price. I am sorry to disappoint
you, but your offer cannot be considered, however great the inducement." And
the kindly gentleman, for whom the highest regard was always held, was
disappointed, despairingly disappointed; he had never met up with a situation
that could not be cured with money; it was the first instance in his company's
experience wherein money could not 'talk.' But it did not effect the continued
friendship that lasted to his death, and it was with his loyal support and
cooperation over many later years, that COOK Forest State Park was finally
secured to the use and enjoyment of all the people for all time.

     The buying of the DuBois field by the Berwinds, and the buying of the Big
Soldier-Helvetia open territory, west of Sykes, brought in new and powerful
influences, that later saved the already often questioned future of the town,
for her timber was being rapidly consumed, and Rochester mines had but a
limited future. 'Ninety-two was an eventful year; business was booming and
optimism reigned, notwithstanding the DuBois trees were falling fast.

     Coal money was coming in; the

**********************************************************

DUBOIS HISTORY Page 27

bank was growing by leaps. Architect Wagner's plan for a new building on the
corner won approval and the contract was let for its construction at once. The
banking room was much larger than the business required, but confidence that
the town would continue to grow to need the the space counted in the decision
to build. A large store-room with fronts on Long and on Brady; offices on the
second, with a large lodge room in third and fourth floors of the bank section
of the building, were in the plan.

     A new institution came—the Acorn Club—an association of the business men,
with no purpose other than a general meeting place to discuss the things of the
town; one room in the Long-Brady building then another room was added; a
refrigerator was installed and never used; a few magazines, a paper,—and it was
a long time before there was a billiard table or cards. But there was constant
conference about things needed in the town, and a conference about starting a
dairy and cheese factory, shirt factory, an automobile factory, or a glass
factory, resulted in one being started forthwith; Joe Taylor layed out a town
at Falls Creek, and soon the big tannery was going and the Fitzpatricks came
from New York	 and built a three hundred thousand dollar window glass plant,
and boomed the place; the Grays came and installed a ribbed glass factory; a
sand plant and brick works followed; Gill & Gocella developed a big stone
quarry business and Joe built himself a brick-stone mansion where he
entertained his friends lavishly. The Berwinds began work at the sinking of
their deep coal mining shaft at Shaffer Siding; the DuBois mills were running
full and so were the mines, tanneries, foundry and other factories and the town
was growing steadily. Ninety-two was a live and prosperous year for DuBois, as
it was equally so for all the country.	

     And then one day Mr. Robinson called: It was the first "talk" since the
election episode; said he,—"Well Mac you've got your coal deal through, I hope
you are satisfied; now let's see if we can't get along without any more
differences." The cashier, smiling, replied: "All right, I got what I went
after; guess we're even now; hereafter you keep your place and I'll keep mine."

     The bank was growing; growing faster than ever and soon the new building
was occupied. The cashier was frequently criticised for the oversize banking
room and giant building,—seemingly far beyond the need.  True, it was beyond
the then real need of the business of the bank, and the building was not then
necessary to house the offices and stores of the town,—but time proved the
venture to be both wise and profitable for the bank. (Later it was greatly
enlarged). Altogether it was an eventful year.
     
     The fall elections showed the success of Grover Cleveland and for a
second term, to take office March 4, 1893. There was a growing fear about the
gold standard for money; the use of the old double standard of gold and silver
as a currency basis brought on a banker - manipulation which was affecting the
government credit and bond prices; business became hesitant; the treasury had
difficulty in maintaining its gold reserve. But the great World's Fair was in
Chicago; the magnificence of its setting and the wonders of its exhibits took
the attention of the people from the money question, and the international
bankers had a free hand to carry on the draining of gold from the public
treasury. Suddenly money became "tight" and bank credits were cut off; loans
were called; fear increased; banks began to fail and business failures spread;
industries had to shut down and unemployment was abroad in the land. The new
year and new administration approached one of the worst panics in history.
     
     It had been twenty years since the former panic had struck and the new
generation seemed more interested in the World's Fair—than in money
questions,—and so the crowds went on every train to see the marvels there. As
spring grew to summer, fear and failures increased; the an-

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28	DUBOIS HISTORY
nual meeting of the American Bank-	
ers was called for Chicago. This was	
sufficient excuse; the cashier belong-	
ed, and would be a loyal supporter	
of the organization,—besides there	
were big animals to see in this world-	
circus,—and so—	
The bankers met in the new art	
gallery hall; there were to be noted	
speakers, including Lyman J. Gage,	
Secretary of the Treasury, but the	
audience was very slim. A large bul-	
letin board was placed at the side of	
the speaker's desk on the stage;	
hourly, the list of bank failures was	
recorded on it; as every new list ap-	
peared there would be one or several	
of the audience grab up his hat and	
retire—his own bank's name likely
was on the blackboard,—and he left
on the next train home.
	Midsummer and fall saw the finan-	
	ces of the country go into almost	
	complete wreckage, and the business	
	of the whole country was paralyzed;	
	however, DuBois suffered less than	
	other sections, but her industries and	
	her business places and banks were	
	quiet and inactive for a time. But	
	DuBois was not used to this, and her	
	lumber, leather and coal were things	
	the rest of the country could not live	
without; gradually she worked out of
	the calm and got her stride onward.	
	And here it is to be remembered that	
	the DuBois Scrip money system once	
more saved the day.	
The year had two other far-reach-
	ing happenings; the silver purchase	
act, which was blamed for causing
	the panic, was repealed and at 12	
	o'clock, Central Time on Saturday,	
	the 16th of September, the Indian	
	Territory was opened for settlement,	
	and a new state was born. At this	
	time the population of the United	
	States was estimated to be 67,426,000.	
	Lumber for building at $6. per	
	thousand feet, prompted the cashier	
to buy the burnt-house lot on Long
	street and build a home, which was	
	occupied in the fall after living in	
	a small rough shanty,—afterwards	
	the stable—at the rear of the lot.	
	The new bank location no longer re-	
quired his residence to be over the
	old Courtney street banking room	
now rented and later sold.	

     In his message to Congress March, 1894, President Cleveland said:
     "The financial disturbance which swept over the country during the last
year was unparalleled in its severity and disastrous consequences-we had—fallen
so low in the depths of depression and timidity and apprehension had so
completely gained control in financial circles that our rapid recuperation
could not reasonably be expected. Our recovery has nevertheless, steadily
progressed and though less than five months have elapsed since the repeal of
the mischievous silver purchase requirement a wholesome improvement is
unmistakably apparent."
     
     Other large lumber operations had come,—Medix, Dents, Laurel,—at
Caledonia and Winterburn and other points along the Low Grade,—all making new
business for DuBois; tanneries added to the pay-rolls, and trade for the
merchants and banks increased steadily; public improvements and more and better
residences were the order of the day.  Coal land buying had quieted down;
mining went on smoothly; mine officials and bank officials spoke as they passed.
     
     To illustrate how the town progressed, here is reproduced the statements
of the Deposit Bank for 1890, 1891 and 1893, the latter year indicating the
slump of the panic period:
     
For June 7, 1893
                        1890          1891
Furn & Fix          $ 2,350.77      $2,666.81
Real Estate           9,092.24      11,049.46
Phemium-
(Goodwill)              750.00         750.00
Cash on hand         23,163.73      43,165.09
Due from banks       19,715.47      69,485.41
Exp. & Taxes          1,362.16       1,125.71
Loans & Dice         76,907.88      98,926.89
                   $133,342.25    $227,169.37

Capital pd in      $ 37,000.00     $37,000.00
Undivided Prof        2,367.30       3,050.50
Deposits             93,974.95     187,100.13
Due to Banks                            18.74
                   $133,342.25    $227,169.37

For June 7, 1893—

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DUBOIS HISTORY Page 29

Resources:	
Cash on hand                 $ 34,623.53	
Cash Items                      1,183.68	
Due from banks                 17,604.79	
Loans and Discounts           124,209.04	
Investment Securities          12,321.80
Real Estate and Fixtures
	(including new building)   41,807.52
Overdrafts                      2,222.15
Expense & Taxes Paid            2,732.50	
Total                        $236,705.01

Liabilities:
Capital Paid In              $ 75,000.00
Undivided Profit                6,550.49
Deposits Sub. to Check        116,990.09
Demand Certif.                  5,884.00
Time Certif.                   31,728.01
Cashier's Checks                  250.00
Due to Banks                      302.42	
Total                        $236,705.01

	A statement of the volume of business for these years shows:	
	
	Total Depos.       No.      Daily Av.    Av. Sum	
6 Months—'91—
	$1,242,470.79     4141     $6,184.22     $280.00	
6 Months—'93—	
	$1,360,394.94     5309     $8,891.47     $256.25	
6 Months—'95—
	$1,881,188.98     8816    $12,541.25     $231.75
6 Months-1900—
	$4,414,691.50    12170    $29.044.02     $362.75
	
	The five years from '95 to 1900 show steady climb, but are omitted and the
one year 1900 inserted here merely to indicate the growth of trade of the town
to that date as shown by one bank only. Bank of DuBois figures are not
available.	
	
	With the occupation of the new building in 1892, the DuBois Deposit Bank was
incorporated under state law, capital $75,000. At this time D. L. Corbett,
whose store was now in the new bank building, became a stockholder and was
elected vice-president,	

	It was shortly after removing to the new banking room, that a daylight holdup
was met with. At noon while the streets were deserted and no customers were
inside, a burly fellow stepped to the paying window, shoved a slip under the
wicket and demanded of the teller: "Hand me ten thousand dollars and do it
quick."

     The typist was the only other person behind the counter, and she was not
in view from the teller's window; the writer was in the private office at the
front window, some ten feet to one side of the paying window.  The office was
enclosed from the lobby proper, by a partition with opaque glass door and
screen eight feet high. On hearing the bandit's loud voice and oath making his
demands, the cashier, rose and stepped into the lobby; the closing door clicked
and the bandit turned suddenly to see what had caused the noise, as he supposed
he was alone with the teller; on discovering that he had another man but a few
feet from him to contend with, he reached for his hip pocket to pull his gun,
but before he could draw, the writer was on him in a rage; caught his arm and
grabbed him by the throat; instantly they were on the floor in a desperate
struggle; over and over they rolled on the dusty floor in a death-grip.  In the
contest it happened that they had come near to the front door, and the bandit
made a terrific effort to gain his feet as if to get out; they arose from the
floor and the cash ier succeeded in getting his right arm free as they faced
each other at the doorway; with a hard smash on the jaw from the cashier's
right, the bandit fell backward down three steps to the walk, where he managed
to again get to his feet just in time to meet the second smashing knock-out
blow from the enraged bank officer; this time he tumbled into the ditch off the
wood sidewalk; there the cashier saw him get up again and stagger across the
street and disappear around the Commercial hotel corner; and then, covered with
dirt and blood, and exhausted from the fight he staggered back to the wash-room
and cleaned up. A severe painful burn between the fingers, and a few scratches
and strains, took some days to cure. It was in the days before electric alarms
and police were nowhere to be reached.

     It was a case of not knowing what to do in an emergency; it also proved
that one does not know just what he would do; this was luck.

**********************************************************

George C. Kirk
Chapter VI

     Last week in blustery snow the body of George Kirk was laid away in
presence of old time friends and neighbors; his tomb on the summit of a hill
but a stone's throw from the Eastern Continental Divide, and a little way from
the old Indian path, the Natives' portage between the Susquehanna and
Allegheny; here was laid to rest on November 24th, 1936, one who was born,
lacking but four months, a hundred years of age,—a man who saw and understood
the Century of Progress of the human race.

     A month before Kirk was born Andrew Jackson sent his farewell address to
the Congress, and when he saw the light in April, Martin Van Buren was
president of the United States,—from 1837-1841,—and then came "Tippecanoe and
Tyler too" for one month, when President Harrison died and was succeeded by
John Tyler who served out the term from April 4, '41, to March 4, 1845,
followed by James K. Polk.

     John Adams, Thos. Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe had died but,
a short time ago, and John Quincy Adams was still alive and might have shaken
hands with Kirk, when he was eleven, and half way through school. These were
the days of Calhoun, Clay, Benton and Webster,—and long before the time of
Lincoln as President.

     The world as we know it was not more than half discovered; it was the day
of Alamo, and the United States was little known west of the Mississippi;
Indians and buffalo occupied the plains country, and he might have seen Black
Hawk and Osceola, while Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and Chief Joseph were nearly
his own age and he could have known Sam Houston and Daniel Boone. While he did
not, he could have ridden in the Pony Express, and he was old enough to have
been with the men who dug the ditch at Sutter's Fort and found the first gold
in California, or as a very small boy he could have gone with Capt. John C.
Fremont on his discovery expedition long before the Oregon Trail was located
and made the highway of the Covered Wagon.

     President Jackson had won his battle with the bankers whom he

[image]
George C. Kirk.
image may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/kirk-george.jpg

charged were operating the finances of the country for their own benefit
through manipulating a giant political control over the credits of the people.
The then powerful second United States bank which had grown up through its use
of public funds, was regarded as a threat to the future welfare of the country,
and was refused a charter of extension. Con

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 31

trol of money and credits by the few resulted in Jackson actually driving the
"Money changers from the Tempe" just as Roosevelt tried and failed to drive
them out in 1933-36,—and for similar reasons. It was a case of the common
people vs. giant Finance, and the same results came from the battle that came
in the recent co-called depression a century later. Hard times, unemployment
and terrible suffering. The money question then, as it has ever since continued
to be, kept the nation in periodic turmoil and panic; and the question is still
unsettled.

     When Kirk was born there had been a few canals built, and railroads were
beginning to operate in a crude way and for short distances. Iron came largely
from blast furnaces in central and western Pennsylvania, the raw metals carried
by barges from Clarion and other counties to Pittsburgh for fabrication.
Freight, passengers and mail, was conveyed in the Conestoga wagons, Concord
stages and horseback, over the turnpikes which were maintained by tollgate
fees. Kirk lived in sight of the Susquehanna & Waterford "pike" which for many
years, was one of the greatest cattle trails in history, and ever which passed
a continuous cavalcade of cattle, horses, sheep and hogs from the west to the
meat and wool markets of the east.

     Steamboats operated on the rivers and lakes; steamships with sailing
equipment, were in use on the ocean, but such a thing as one of our modern
steamers was not dreamed of.

     It was in the boyhood days of Kirk that the electric telegraph was
invented, and the people were just beginning to discover the use of coal for
heating and for power and smelting iron.

     Joseph Ritner was governor; a poor boy with but six months of
schooling,—he was the anti-masonic candidate, and is credited with putting into
operation, the common school law in the state. At the beginning of his term of
office, the indebtedness of the state amounted to $24,255,303.32, mostly for
internal improvements like railroads and canals.

     Much of his list of state papers comprised proclamations issued for the
apprehension of murderers, and in discussion of the slave question, public
schools and the money question. The state then owned six hundred miles of
canals and one hundred and twenty miles of railroad; and only the main line
canal and railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh paid,—the rest being
detached or short sections which hardly paid for their lock-keepers. Nine of
the central and western counties depended mostly on turnpikes for reaching
markets,—and besides the state's own railroads, there were 196 miles of
completed railroad constructed by private individuals and corporations. In his
message to Assembly, the governor refers to a survey authorized by the previous
legislature for the construction of a canal to connect the waters of the
Susquehanna, with the Allegheny, which probably followed the route after wards
used in building the Low Grade railroad which tunneled the divide at Sabula.

     Governor Ritter, in January, 1837, submitted a report from the Canal
Commissioners proposing the substitution of steam in lieu of horsepower on the
"level" of the Philadelphia railroad between the city and the foot of the
Schuylkill inclined plane. Then in May the banks suspended specie payment, and
the panic came. submitting to his Assembly, the new State Consttution.

     Had George Kirk drawn a map of the United States when he first saw the
light he could not have crossed the Mississippi river except to show the states
of Louisiana and Missouri. All that vast region west to the Rockies was
unorganized, and west of the Rocky Mountain range, was Mexican Territory and
that great disputed so-called Oregon. Not much more than a third of the present
United States was then known as civilized and populated country; he has
therefore seen the map of his country expanded from Chicago north and west and
south to more titan double its former size; and then its size again doubled by
the adding of Alaska and a lot of islands AFTER

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Page 32 DUBOIS HISTORY

he was a grown man.

     Kirk might have known Bryant, Irving, Cooper, Emerson, Hawthorne, Poe,
Prescott and Bancroft, in literature, as well as the inventors of most of the
mechanical devices that made for the advancement of human welfare, such as the
mower, reaper, threshing machine, cotton gin, textile and shoe machinery. He
was an old man when the telephone came, and electric light and gas engines,
dynamos and generators opened the way to a new world. Not quite old enough to
vote for Buchanan in 1856, he was more than of age when Lincoln was a candidate
in '60,—and he saw the birth and witnessed the years of agitation and climax of
the Slave question,—ended only after the bloodiest civil war in history of the
country.

     When Kirk was born there were fourteen million inhabitants. He saw them
increase to one hundred and twenty-eight millions, and the population of his
own state increase from one million to ten millions. He has seen the travel
time between New York and San Francisco cut from three months to one day,—ox-
team covered wagon to airplane.

     At the age of three, if Kirk's parents were traveling from Philadelphia
to Pittsburgh with him, they would leave Broadstreet station and run through
the suburbs along the Schuylkill to Peter's Island and cross the viaduct 1045
feet long to the foot of the inclined plane which was operated by steam engines
which pulled the cars up 187 feet to where a new start was made for the
west,—six hours to Columbia,—running at 15 to 20 miles per hour, through
Lancaster whose population was 9,000, and where rifles were made, and from
which a few miles landed them at the 1800 ft. plane to the bridge over the
Susquehanna, 82 miles from the start. Here they had to transfer to the canal
boat for the next big change of scene and mode of travel. Coming to Harrisburg
with its 4000 population and "grand" capitol building, in which the Speaker of
the House sat in the chair used by John Hancock in the Continental Con grass;
thence to Duncan Island where, on a great viaduct or towing-path bridge, the
west side is reached at the mouth of the Juniata where a big basin and giant
locks formed the starting place for the crossing of the mountains toward
Pittsburgh and the far west. Through the towns that now are served by the
railroad, the canal passed, with its frequent locks and stone viaduct
crossings, to Hollidaysburg with its large canal-basin and ware-houses, a
distance of 171 miles from Columbia where the railroad was left. They passed
through 111 locks making a lift of 747 ft. and over 33 acqueducts; the canal
was 40 feet wide at top, 28 feet at the bottom and 4 feet deep.

     At Hollidaysburg another change in mode of transportation was met for now
they leave the canal-boat and board the cars for the trip up the incline plane
1398 feet to the summit which is 2491 above tide level, —and thence down the
western slope by incline plane 1172 feet, to connect again with the canal
boats, leading through Johnstown, Blairsville, Salts-burgh, crossing the
Allegheny river on a giant stone viaduct, to Freeport, thence down the west
side and "passing through a tunnel at Grant's hill" to the Monongahela,-104
miles from Johnstown, and 395 from Philadelphia.

     The canal from Johnstown to Pittsburgh had 64 locks, 10 dams, 2 tunnels,
16 acqueducts, 64 culverts, 39 waste weirs and 152 bridges. The through fare
was $10, and the travel was heavy; receipts for the year 1836, were, for
passengers and freight $860,000. And so, after a week or ten days the Kirks
might, barring accidents; complete their great adventure.

     By the time Kirk was a full-grown young man, he could make the trip from
Philadelphia co Pittsburgh in much less time by taking the railroad cars to
Cumberland, thence by stage over the mountains by the National road to
Brownsville, and thence by steamer via Monongahela river to Pittsburgh, or, if
he perhaps was working in the forests of Potter county, he would take a steamer
at

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[image]
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

[image]
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

images may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/luth-presby-church.jpg

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 33

Port Allegheny or Portville, and make the voyage all the way to Pittsburgh on
a steamboat. If he were to go to that city from his home at Luthersburg, at
that period, he likely would have to walk or go horseback as far as Blairsville
and catch the canal boat, provided he had money to pay fare and hotel bill and
the board of his horse at the livery while he was making the two-or-three-day
round trip on the luxuriously - furnished and finished packet boat.

     From Pittsburgh the 18-year-old Kirk could proceed to the far west; he
would board a steamboat for St. Louis; there he would change for St. Anthony's
Falls, 702 miles, time two weeks and fare $7. Or, he could take a steamer west
to St. Joe, 514 miles, for $5 where he could join an overland freight outfit,
774 miles to Santa Fe, or if brave enough, he could try the 2171 mile covered-
wagon trip from there to Oregon, or by turning south at Ft. Hall, he might get
through to California's gold diggings. But when his next neighbor, Fred Kohler,
decided to dig California gold in '49 he went there on a ship and avoided the
overland hardships by going around Cape Horn, 15,348 miles, —five or six times
farther, but, he thought, much safer. Kirk decided that he would likely live
longer if he stayed home and drove oxen in a Pennsylvania "clearing" where food
and water could be had,—a wise choice no doubt for otherwise his scalp would
probably have been hung to the belt of a Sioux or Pawnee warrior, before he
reached the summit of the Rockies.

     Annually the neighborhood shoemaker came to the house to make the family
boots; clothing was made at home; coffee, sugar and salt were traded for at
Luthersburg or Oldtown, but not until he was a mature man of forty, could he
come to DuBois for supplies; there was no DuBois.

     Of the total story of the United States, George Kirk saw and had a part
in one hundred of the hundred and fifty years of it; it was not only the
Century of Progress of the United States, but of the whole human race!

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Reverses and Development
Chapter VII

     In his message of December '94 President Cleveland wrote:
     "Receipts of the government from all sources of revenue during the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1894, amounted to $372,802,498.29 and its expenditures to
$442,605,758.87, leaving a deficit of $69,803,200. There was a decrease of
$15,952,674.66 in the ordinary expenses of the government as compared with the
fiscal year 1893."

     It would not be proper to pass the mention of opening of the new railroad
to Clearfield on June 6, 1893, when a great celebration was held at the court
house with appropriate speeches; it was the end of the daily stage route over
the mountain. Begun in '92 the line was constructed, partly in compromise with
the New York Central's Beech Creek road then projected into the DuBois-
Reynoldsville coal field.

     And reverses came along with the big developments; a sensation came with
default in the First National Bank at Clearfield which was forced into closing
and liquidation.

Statement of Borough for 1893
Assets:
Deficit            $ 7,706.76
Cash & Due from
Collectors           5,715.65
Current debts &
Orders $4,022.41
Bonds   9,400.00    13,422.41

And it is interesting, too to know what the public schools cost to operate
then. Here is the statement of the school directors for June 5, 1893:
Receipts:
State appropriation           $ 4,417.45
Balance from last settlement   11,653.41
From collector of tax          11,851.75
From Loans                     19,600.00
From sale of property           3,811.89
Total Income                  $51,334.50 

Expenditures:
Purc'e of grounds             $ 1,300.00
Bldg. & Furn                   29,880.98
Rent & Repairs                  1,112.67
Teachers Wages                  9,560.47
Fuel, etc.                      1,412.61
Treas. Fees                       912.38
Sal. Secretary                    121.25
Interest Paid                   1,787.50
Insurance Prem                    386.12
Janitor                           557.60 $47,028.58

Bal. on Hand                              $4,305.92

Total                                    $51,334.50
MORRIS SMITH, Pres. D. C. SHARP, Secy.
G. A. LUKEHART,
O. T. DAVENPORT,
L. M. TRUXAL,
Auditors.

     The November statement of the Mutual Building & Loan Association, of
which the writer was treasurer, showed loans on mortgages of $266,000. Hugh
McCullough was its president and W. B. McCullough, the secretary.

     The panic of '93 had checked the town's activity somewhat and the
following year, while progress continued slowly, there was not the supreme
optimism that had formerly ruled; money was not plentiful; insurance and coal
money had been largely invested in real estate and mortgages; credit at the
banks was not easily obtained, and '94 closed with business all a little
bumpy,—nor did it improve over the winter, when in March the town was shocked
by the failure of the Bank of DuBois.

     With the Clearfield bank failure, and the closing of the Bank of DuBois,
following the severe panic of '93 when so many banks throughout the country had
failed, there was "hard times" ahead for everybody, everywhere. There was still
great anxiety over the double standard of gold and

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 35

silver. Fifty national banks were organized in '94 and 79 went into voluntary
liquidation, while twenty-one were placed in the hands of receivers; hundreds
of other banks had failed and caused countless business failures throughout the
country. For a time immediately after the bank closing, DuBois was crippled;
the bank's customers' trade relations were interrupted; many checks and drafts
were dishonored; court records were smeared with judgments, injunctions and
executions, but the Deposit Bank stood the test and the failed bank's patrons
opened accounts and made such adjustments as put them on the way to their usual
current of trade; soon the business of the town was moving ahead; things took
on a more cheerful tone,—and for the following five years, the Deposit bank
served the banking needs of the town as well as with the service of the former
two.

     Bank failures did not destroy the optimism of the people about the future
of DuBois, nor were bank failures without an amusing side. From a local paper:
          The Italian says I tenk
           I puta de mun in benk;
            Da benk he tak a run
             I loosa all my mun,
              Now I gotta no use f'r a benk.

     There could be much written about the bank failure, but altogether it was
a depressing affair and a thing best to be forgot.

     The Masonic Lodge consisted of ninety-four members, occupying the 3d-4th
floor hall, Bank building.

     For DuBois 1896 was another epocal year. In March, M. D. Wayman, D. L.
Corbett, D. E. Hibner and the writer, a committee representing the Board of
Trade, went to Rochester to see Mr. Yates, president of the Buffalo, Rochester
& Pittsburgh railroad in the effort to influence him to locate car shops in
DuBois. The panic and bank failures had been checking the pace of her progress
and she needed something to renew her pep. Mr. Yates dictated a letter stating
his tentative plan for building shops somewhere on the line, for repair of
cars, showing the amount of ground needed, and the approximate cost of the
first unit of buildings; he was reluctant to sign and deliver the letter, but
with assurance that it would not be published or used in a way to stir up
agitation in other towns on the road, he consented and handed it to the writer,
secretary of the Board of Trade, with the admonition that it might be withdrawn
if not promptly acted upon.

     A statement in the files shows that $13,247.50 was placed in bank subject
to check of the Railroad Co., from which $2,100 was paid for the site, and on
October 26 a telegram tendering the use of the erecting shop building for a
meeting of the Board of Trade; thus within six months the shops were a reality.
The same file contains a special embossed invitation to attend the Railroad's
First Annual Picnic by special train to Fails Creek.
     
* * *
     On March 23, at 9 A. M., a terrific explosion in the Berwind shaft at
Shaffer Siding, killing thirteen men, was a calamity that affected many
families of the community and left a tone of sadness which lasted for a long
time.
* * *

     W. J. Bryan made his famous speech, "The Cross of Gold", and was
nominated and carried on his notable campaign for 16 to 1 silver coinage and
the year was largely devoted to discussing politics everywhere by everybody.
Bryan was defeated by McKinley whose campaign was made on the single gold
standard basis. Arnold was elected to Congress on the sound money platform.

     With all the depression that the town had been through, the year '96
business was making headway. Besides the car shops the Mahler Glass Company
came to build and put in operation a hand-blown window glass factory. Frank
Hahne, Mike Winter and Jac Weil had been looking over the town with a view of
establishing a brewery; a meeting of the Board of Trade had listened to their
proposals, but there was a divided opinion amongst the business men of town;
however, several of the

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Page 36DUBOIS HISTORY

local men subscribed $100 shares each to encourage them; the writer being the
secretary of the Board of Trade was handed checks by Weil and Winter as
evidence of their good faith; and delegated by them to see "what could be
done." Intensive work resulted in securing but an indifferent total of
subscriptions, and in a short time a letter was received from Hahne advising
that they had decided to locate elsewhere, and called their negotiations off.

     A pressing request by the secretary to Hahne for the party to come and
have another look, brought them to DuBois again; this time they were convinced
that DuBois was likely to grow, and its geographical position as central in a
large area would be basis for developing a large trade; they decided to reverse
their recall order and go ahead at DuBois; plans were submitted, land bought
from Jim Daly, and the writer made treasurer in the incorporation of DuBois
Brewing Co., and shortly he was given the job of spading the first ground for
the foundation.

     And the DuBois Traction Street Railway Co., had cut the plank streets a
width sufficient to lay ties and rails from the East Side to the Rumbarger
cemetery on South Main. With street cars and electric lights,—and all these new
industries, DuBois looked ahead with confidence and courage.

     And then we had telephones, the graphophone,—and the dog with his
Master's voice, the angelus and bicycles built for two.

     Linen dusters and better buggy whips, with embroidered lap robes, and
rubber tires, came in style, along with spit-curls and shirt-waists; women had
been so long enslaved by mere man, that somebody invented the typewriter and
freed her,—anyway about this time, set her on the way to her present-day
supremacy. (She is already in the cabinet, and soon the country may have a
candidate for presidentress.)

     Mr. DuBois had built the Green Glen Drive—a forest fairyland for the
horse-back rider, bike-rider and the phaeton; and the fancy four-in-hand in
Lundy's flaming red tally-ho, —including Burgundy basket and the brass bugle.
Buffalo Bill was a regular visitor, and with his great Wild West staging three
hundred horses and three hundred and fifty actors, including one hundred and
fifty Indians,—drew crowds of ten and twelve thcusand patrons each performance.

     History writers of the present day, refer to "The Gay Nineties'—and we
think that slogan might have originated in DuBois.

     The year '96 was referred to as epochal for DuBois. It was likewise
epochal for the United States, for election of McKinley was the settlement of
the double standard of gold and silver for money and credit control. It was the
beginning of the foundation for Big Business, and the centralization of banking
power, which later resulted in establishing the Federal Reserve System, which
in turn was responsible for taking us into the World War and the subsequent
loss of fifteen billions in foreign loans, and the wreck of the nation's
economic machinery in 1929.

     DuBois continued to progress; its new industries added materially to the
payrolls; building continued; mines operated in constantly larger volume; the
DuBois mills and tannery continued steadily; the bank increased its capital to
$100,000, and changed from a state to a national institution.

     The statement for Dec. 17, 1896 showed:
Assets:
Loans                  $196,621.15
Bonds, Real Estate       60,672.21
U. S. Bonds              29,800.00
Redemption Fund & due
banks                    49,116,27
Cash                     56,653.99
                       $392,662.35
                       
Liabilities:
Capital & Surplus     $104,687.20
Circulation             22,500.00
Dividends unpaid           141.00
Deposits               265,334.15
                      $392,662.35

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DUBOIS HISTORY Page 37

     The water bill for the Long avenue house of 8 rooms was made up as follows:
DuBois Water Works Co.,
House, 8 rooms May to Nov     $4.00
Bathing tub                    1.50
Water closet                   1.50
Basin                           .25
Washer                         2.50
                              $9.75
Received payment,
GEO. B. CAMPBELL, Supt.
* *

     A judgment note dated 30 July, 1897, for $9,405 to order of Geo. J. Weber
and signed by F. W. Hetfield, B. B. McCreight, L. W. Robinson, John E. DuBois,
Wm. Osburn, W. C. Pentz and J. H. McEwen, turns up in the file while on the
search for record of things of public interest, that happened in 1897:

     It is the reminder that on that date these gentlemen came to the rescue
of the town; they took over the street railroad and electric lighting plant;
neither of the properties had been profitable under their old organizations,
and it would not do to let the town suffer failure to have the benefits of
these necessary conveniences. It was a large undertaking, and required much
time and attention, as well as much additional capital for new and better
machinery and equipment, and several years passed before it was modernized and
placed on an earning basis, —but it was done.

     From the diary: Mar. 7, '97: "The long litigation DuBois Borough vs.
DuBois Water Co., was finaly settled yesterday by the transfer of the property
to the borough, and the payment therefore of $61,500." Where the money came
from to pay for the water works is told in another page of the same diary but a
month before; Feb. 7, '97--"Spent the greater pare of the week in Philadelphia
negotiating $46,300. DuBois Borough Water Works bond-4 1/2 pct.—to E. C. Jones
and Lamprecht Bros., Cleveland."

     And so we are able to fix the date and circumstance of the one wise and
profitable early-day business deal of the town Council; instead of granting
exclusive franchises to private corporations, as had been the practice, the
town went into the water business on its own account; after forty years, the
city budget shows the water works to be its one and only real asset,—at least
the only one that pays its own way.

     Li Hung Chang, the great Chinese statesman, and the Spanish General
Weyler, were two outstanding world characters and had front page items all of
this year. Bishop Fowler came to town to lecture on Abraham Lincoln; he was
banqueted by the Masons in their hall in the bank building; he told a story
which he credited to Lincoln, of a young lady who had been delegated to prepare
an essay on anatomy for school commencement, —she said: "There are three great
cavities in the human anatomy, the first is the head to carry brains in, if you
have any; the next is the thorax,—it is for heart, lungs, kidneys and giblets;
the next is divided into five equal parts, and are called 'bowels'—they are A,
E, 0, U, and sometimes W and Y."

     There were a good many burglaries and bank - robberies, and, it being the
time when night-burglars could blow safes with nitro-glycerine in an hour's
time, these raids were becoming more and more frequent and often, the writer
went scouting to and around the outside of the bank, at 2 o'clock A. M., armed
with his .32 Winchester.

     The insurrection in Cuba created a great deal of newspaper agitation,
with the opening of the new year. A party of DuBois business men went to
Bermuda on a vacation. John Wanamaker was a visitor on the 20 March, and made
an address in the Opera House,—then the converted First Baptist church; the
writer had the honor to represent the meeting as secretary. Mr. Wanamaker drew
a large crowd—stayed over night; in discussing the political problems, he
desired the writer's opinion on the appointment of Chas. Emory Smith as
Postmaster-General, made that day by President McKinley,—and of course it was
approved. Next day he was accompanied—in carriages—to Curwensville and
Clearfield, where leave was taken, with pressing invi-

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Page 38 DUBOIS HISTORY

tation to call on him. (This incident is noted, only to illustrate that the
greatest merchant, perhaps in the world, was a DuBois visitor).

     And that week saw the outbreak of war with Spain; a blockade was
established on April 22 of the Cuban ports; the firing of the first gun, chant
ship, Buena Ventura, by our gun-boat Nashville; next day one of and the capture
of the Spanish merour merchant ships, loaded with grain was captured by the
Spaniards, and so the excitement began,—and continued. Same day the President
called for 125,000 volunteers to serve for two years. Burgess Knarr issued
printed posters calling for enlistments; a meeting in the opera house
folowed,—standing room only.

     May 1st Dewey captured Manila When the news came, Mr. Moore, president of
the bank, came in to say to the writer: "Now, if Dewey will just know enough to
sail away from there, everything will be all right." But Dewey did just the
opposite. If he had done as Mr. Moore hoped he would. the subsequent history of
the U. S. A. would have been very different,—and likely very much better.

     DuBois, as always, did her duty in the Spanish-American War by sending
her full share of volunteers. Camp Alger, just outside of Washington, was one
of the main training stations, visited in June by the writer by way of seeing
some of our local boys 'off to the war.'

     And, in August, to New York to witness the grand spectacle of the home-
coming of the great war fleet, after the destruction of Cevera's warships on
the Cuban coast. The war with Spain was over, but the United States, in winning
it, became a world power; and the slogan "Remember the Maine" lasted for some
time—until the sunken battleship was raised and the bodies of her sailors
brought to Arlington, and the ship's mast planted over their grave, as a
monument to their martyrdom.
     
     During this period, there was but one bank in the town, and to show the
onerous duties carried by its executive officer, a list of the various offices
he was obliged to fill are enumerated here:
Deposit National Bank—Cashier & Director.
DuBois Brewing Co. — Treasurer, Sec'y. & Director.
DuBois Electric Co. — Treasurer, Sec'y & Director.
DuBois Traction Co. — Treasurer, Sec'y & Director.
Mutual B. & L. Ass'n.—Treasurer and Director.
Citizens B & L. Ass'n.—Treasurer. Mutual Home & Savings Ass'n.Treasurer.
DuBois Boro (practical Treas.) Garfield Lodge—Worshipful Master.
Acorn Club—President.
School Board—President.
Coal Properties (3)—Rep. Agent. Board of Trade — Treasurer and Director
Keystone B. & L. Ass'n. (Pgh).— Local Treasurer.

     All these at one time, besides other activities, accounts for the
strenuous life one was required to live through the period of post-panic and
war-times in DuBois of the later nineties.

     From the diary:—"and the wonderful business activity and apparent
prosperity that has followed war only makes it more quickly forgotten." While
the Spanish war had fundamental and revolutionary effects on the future
fortunes of the world, there was a renewal of a little war at home that had
equally revolutionary effect on the future and fortunes of DuBois.

     Since the truce in '92 there had been peace in the coal,—and banking
business; the cashier had rendered every influence and aid in securing right-of-
way for the C. & M. division, and for the revision of the main line south of
town. While on this duty Mr. Yates came along in his special one day, and
invited the writer to join for an inspection of the section where revisions
were being made.

     Passing Stanley station the subject of coal induced the writer to remark
to Mr. Yates that his company should buy up the McClure

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[image]
ST. PAULS LUTHERAN CHURCH

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 39

and Hand-Heberling lands; he replied that he had long urged Mr. Robinson to
pay these owners for their coal and would insist upon it being done at once.
Here was being carried on the same policy of condemning open coal lands, to
save invested capital, that happened in the Soldier-Helvetia region six years
before. The word that reached the writer after Mr. Yates' interview with
Robinson suggesting the purchase of these lands, was: "Tell McCreight to mind
his own business." And then, a short time after, a mutual friend came to say,
that he had heard a discussion in which similar remarks were made to another
coal man: "McCreight got his coal, but he hasn't a chance to get it out; we
have the railroad." Robinson was all-powerful in the coal business —and it
seemed then, that he was equally powerful in the railroad, and might succeed in
bottling up the only competitive coal property on the line, now controlled by
the Peales and New York Central interests; and it was well to look out for
another railroad, or at least another coal company to save a complete monopoly
in coal production in the DuBois regipn. The '92 contest did not seem to have
solved the question fully—and so in July the writer rigged his saddle-horse
after banking hours, and went to West Liberty. As he had done once before in
the Soldier-Helvetia field, he bought the key farms in the afternoon's work,
and set out to secure the larger acreage comprising the McClure 700 acre lot to
the south, and the still larger acreage owned by Prescott on the north. This
was shortly accomplished, and at once the Erie Railroad came to the rescue and
joined in the purchase of the McClure lot and leased the remainder on royalty,
comprising about 1800 acres of the choicest quality coal. While these
negotiatipns were under way, the Erie Railroad listened with favor to acquiring
another larger field on which the writer had secured options from John McLeavy
and J. H. Pentz in the Cramer section a few miles south—and some three thousand
additional acreage was purchased there. This battle number two, took a goodly
portion of the unmined coal lying between DuBois and Big Run. The Erie was in
position to force its way to and from it own mines, and haul its coal on its
own trains. Eriton was opened, and for many years furnished large and lucrative
pay-rolls from which DuBois benefitted greatly; Cramer Mine is, after forty
years, still one of DuBois' income producers.

     Meantime, the Berwind-White shaft was in operation by the Berwinds and
contributed steady and large payrolls, prior to the opening of Eriton by the
Erie, so that DuBois prospered.

     But the late coal deal was a serious blow to the B., R. & P. coal
interests; while the writer was not criticized by the officials of the
railroad, he was bitterly condemned by Robinson, and who sent word through
mutual friends, that he would get even. In another year, he had inspired and
taken interest in, the establishing of the Union Banking & Trust Co.; the
Iselins were large subscribers, and the business of the railroad centered there.

     Instead of the writer's bank being injured by this competition it
steadily increased, and the town benefitted from two institutions. Thus
competition in the banking, as it proved in the coal business, was all to the
good for the town of DuBois, —and it took on new life and grew faster than
ever. Meantime, to recover losses of its big acreage of coal reserves, in the
local district; the limited future of coal reserves in the Punxsutawney field,
spurred the B., R. & P. interests to invade the Indiana county section, where
great holdings were acquired and the railroad advanced to that district,
through which vast sums of new money came into the territory,—and Indiana
boomed along with DuBois Battle No. 2 was over and peace reigned again,—for a
time. While waiting for the Erie's developments to take form, there was a
period of quiet in railroad questions, and in the effort to assure tonnage
outlet, the writer discussed the situation with A. J. Cassatt, then president of

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Page 40 DUBOIS HISTORY

the Pennsylvania railroad; he devoted several hours to the interview and
called his chief engineer into the office, and directed him to return with the
writer and look over the ground, with a view to building a line into the Stump
Creek section; the chief passed favorably on the matter and in a few days,
placed a corps of engineers at work to locate such a branch; after several
weeks, the completed plans were delivered to President Cassatt as he passed
through over the Low Grade in his special train. Before work was started, the
celebrated "dinner" of railroad presidents was held in New York, when the noted
"Gentleman's Agreement" was made, zoning rail-territory and cessation of
further building.

     In October '99 the Trust Co. advertised for its charter with capital of
$125,000. and in due time opened for business.

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The Turning of a New Century
Chapter VIII

     Great demonstrations were made for the opening of the new "Twentieth
Century" for now the United States was a new world power and left no chance
slip by for letting the rest of the world know it.

     The writer had joined to form the Pennsylvania Bankers' Association at
Philadelphia and attended the annual meetings of the American Bankers'
Association regularly. The McKinley Administration had been elected on the
bankers' platform of the single gold standard, and the bankers were cooperating
in a way never before known. Mark Hanna, representing the big bankers, was
given credit for winning the election of McKinley. It was the beginning of
bankers' appreciation of their power in politics, and that power began to be
exercised, and has been exercised more and more ever since, as subsequent
events in U. S. history, plainly shows.

     In the scrap book is the engraved invitation to a reception at the White
House given by President McKinley to the visiting members of the Mystic Shrine
in May 1900, which gave the writer the pleasure of shaking hands with the chief
executive, whom he had so much admired and worked so hard to help elect.

     For DuBois, this year went by with growing confidence in the future of
both country and the town, and prosperity continued unabated.

     January, 1901, local paper contained double column front page article pn
cutting the "last remnant of virgin forests"—the already famed Green Glen Drive
giant pines, now falling before the axe; the "Juniata" railroad was being
constructed to haul the logs to the mill. This was the last "stand" of white
pine monarchs, and to wake up to a realization that the end of the vast DuBois
lumber operations, was in sight,—for the local mills,' it caused serious
thinking for DuBois' population, now more than nine thousand.

     McKinley had been re-elected. In Buffalo, there was being prepared for
opening, the great Pan-American Exposition,—and, like the Chicago World's Fair
of eight years ago, was getting the attention of everyone in the DuBois
section, for it was near by. People had not yet quite come to realize that not
only the DuBois vast holdings of timber, but about all the rest of the
commercial forests had been exhausted in Pennsylvania Fire and flood were
playing havoc with what was left in the cut-over regions; the Hopkins area at
Falls Creek, and the Caledonia, Medix Run, Craig-Blanchard forests had been
denuded; the Patton lot, and the Prescott tract had likewise been stripped of
virgin pine and hemlock, —all near DuBois. DuBois was no longer a lumber
town,—but her future depended almost wholly on her coal developments, and her
industrial payrolls.

     While attending the exposition at Buffalo, President McKinley was shot,
and Theodore Roosevelt became his successor. The days of the President's
funeral, DuBois held public services of the most solemn kind; all churches
participated with patriotic lodges and societies in a mammoth parade on Long,
Brady and the boulevard; bands played apness in the faces of everyone, while
many shed silent tears of sorrow. propriate dirges, and there was sad-

     With 1901 another page in the history of DuBois was begun; and it was a
vital one. DuBois had reached the end of her timber resources; her future now
rested with coal and the industries; her coal was being mined fapidly, and big
business was now reaching out its velvet hand to seek control of manufacturers
and merchandising in every inland town of moment; the B., R. & P. railroad was
moving into Indiana county and developing immense mining proper-

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Page 42  DUBOIS HISTORY

ties; the Erie railroad had not vet begun her local production of coal lands
bought in '98, and DuBois began to feel the effects of slackening progress. The
Berwind-White Co. was having bad luck with the terrible gas explosion and
excessive water in the shaft at Shaffer Siding; the Bell, Lewis & Yates mines
were nearing their end; new processes were interfering with hand-blown window
glass plants at Falls Creek and DuBois; cement was taking the place of the
former prosperous stone-quarries; chemistry had found other processes for
tanning leather; steel was taking the place of lumber in building trades; more
and more it became apparent that the future of DuBois depended on what was left
of her natural resources, in coal and clay, and her railroads and car shops.

     The railroad shops had been greatly enlarged, and the added traffic
caused by Indiana"s coal tonnage, decided the question of a locomotive shop to
be established some where on the line. As in the case of repair shops, the
DuBois people got busy and cooperated in securing a site and grants in way of
taxes and water supply, with the result that the locomotive works was built.
This, with the always liberal cooperation of the railway officials, was to
supply in great measure, the losses suffered, and to be suffered, by the
diminishing returns from lumber and leather and glass industries.

     It is not to be presumed, however, that this change was sudden or that it
was widely appreciated by the public as something to quit business about; but
to late hours, these economic changes were discussed by certain forward looking
members, in the reading room at the Acorn Club, for these were still the horse-
and-buggy days, and the Acorn Club was in fact the real Chamber of Commerce,
and not the whist club that it later developed into. More and more it became
apparent to these business leaders that coal was the main payroll maker for the
future.

     And here, it is elightening to know how the old bank was progressing
after its four years of meeting competition of the new bank: Apl. 26, 1900.
Resources
Loans & discounts                  $304,903.86
U. S. Bonds                          31,750.00
Other bonds                          19,200.00
Bank Bldg, Store & Fixt              46,300.00
Other Real Estate                    11,761.09
Redemp. Fund U.S. Treas                 375.00
Due from Reserve Agents
(banks)                             188,828.66
Due from other Nat. Bks.             10,081.89
Cash on hand                        119,967.91
Total                              $733,168.41

Liabilities
Capital Stock                       100,000,00
Surplus                              40,000.00
Undivided profits                       647.92
Circulation                          20,500.00
Due to other banks                    4,723 99
Deposits                            567,296.50
Total                              $733,168.41

And four years later—Feb. 23, 1904:
Loans & Discounts                   653,110.20
U. S. & other bonds                 172,836.25
Real Est., Furn. & Fix.              63,041 12
U. S. Treasury                        2,450.00
Due from banks         280,054.00
Cash on hand           135,432.84   415,486.84
Total                            $1,306,924 41

Liabilities
Capital Stock, Surplus &
Undivided Profits                   218,029.02
Circulation                          95,150.00
Due other banks                         436.18
Dividends unpaid                         48.00
Deposits                            993,261.21
Total                            $1,306,924.41

     But here, from 1904 figures, we must retrace to the dates formerly under
treatment and show some vital influences that were at work from that time
forward, to permit the competition of four years, and, during that period, to
double the business of the Deposit bank. The reader may be assured that to
double the size of the bank in the face of powerful opposition, in four years,
was not "child's play" nor did it happen because of the natural growth of
trade, for trade then was not making its usual former natural "growth" in
DuBois; things had sagged a little. If the town was to continue its

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 43

old pace, something must be done to safeguard and add to her payrolls.

     This was the time when Henry Ford was experimenting with an engine that
would run with exploding gas instead of requiring a big boiler and a big fire
for generating steam to make it go. And the electric, rubber-tired, high-
wheeled brougham was seen on rare occasion, driven by the ultra-rich, where a
street could be found that was paved with brick. and was not too steep, but a
macadam or concrete highway—not yet. But better water works came, and the
plumbing business was good, which forced sewerage systems and sanitation.

     In the early nineties, the writer had been elected to the school board; a
green-horn in politics, he introduced a resolution to stop the old practice of
members deriving personal profit from furnishing supplies, building materials,
insurance, or trading votes 'to keep members of their families and relatives on
the teaching force. This created an uproar; it threatened disruption of school
affairs; partisanship interfered with board meetings; the public was excluded
from the meetings; the cry of "secret-session" school board was loud; a rival
board was proposed, and the case taken to the courts; the "secret session"
board was upheld, and with the clearing of the atmosphere, the schools improved
rapidly; a high school was established, and new buildings were erected in the
separate wards and the administrative affairs modernised for progress.

     The writer was re-elected successively for some fifteen years of which
about twelve was served as president of the school board.

     Under the ownership and management of local men, the light and railway
service was being constantly improved and extended in the borough, for earnings
went for improvements, not for dividends.

     In these times, the Acorn Club held its famous annual banquets at the
first of the year; and the DuBois fair drew crowds to the agricultural
exhibits, and the races each fall season. Livery stables, aside from the
railroads and street cars, provided for the local travel needs, and it was
still an all-day absence if one had business at the county seat—usually the
morning train over and the evening train back.

     To review again the conditions in 1901 that the reader may understand
them better, he is reminded that the big coal land purchases of the Erie
railroad were still lying dormant; Rochester mines were ending operations;
Helvetia doing little, and Indiana county fields were taking main attention of
the B., R. & P. interests as to coal developments; the mine payrolls were
slowly but surely receding from DuBois.

     Again there were rumors of remarks from friend Robinson which indicated
that former diplomatic relations were being strained once more; his activities
and the use of his influence with the Deposit banks customers to change banks
were frequently reported to the writer. With his wide ramifications in both
coal operations and the railroad, this mfluence could be exercised in countless
ways, and with the severe beating he had suffered in the two former conflicts,
he no doubt felt it a duty to seek retaliation in every way possible.

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Coal Reigns Supreme
Chapter IX

     It was about this time, and under these circumstances, that battle No.
three came to an opening. F. H. & C. W. Goodyear were the lumber kings of
Buffalo; they had gained great wealth from stripping Potter county of its vast
stand of pine and hemlock forests. They had reached the closing days of
lumbering there, and during the long years of operations, had become possessed
of considerable mileage of substantial railroad with connections at
Sinnemahoning with the Pennsylvania and at Wellsville with the Erie; this road
would have little to do when the mills at Gale-ton, Austin and other points
quit business; but they still owned a large body of timber on the mountain at
head of Medix Run.

    The Goodyears wanted to get into the coal business; it was their desire to
extend their railroad into the Susquehanna river region, thence up stream
through the Cambria coal fields and finally into West Virginia coal sections.
It was a big scheme, but the Goodyears were big men, and the plans were
tentative. For the time being, they had planned the line from Sinnemahoning
along Wykoff Run to the summit of the mountains where their big stand of timber
would be taken; thence down the east slopes to the Susquehanna and Clearfield.
They had already purchased the small operation at Tyler from the Coryells, but
were without definite ideas of what to do with it beyond a possibility of
securing fuel from it for their road.

     Word came to the writer that F. H. Goodyear would like to have him come
to Buffalo for an interview. Spreading the large rail-and-land maps on the
table between them, Mr. Goodyear went into details of the project, as set forth
above roughly. He said that he had been informed that the writer was familiar
with coal bodies and operations, and wished an expression about the proposed
layout. For reply neither approval or disapproval was given, but instead, the
writer said: "Let me have a few days to think it over and I will submit my
answer.'

     Within a week, a small map was prepared of the coal lands yet undeveloped
in the DuBois region; it included the Berwind holdings, the DuBois lands, the
West Liberty, Big Soldier-Helvetia, purchases of 92, the Cramer purchase, and
lands beyond Big Run, and the remaining acreage at Troutville. It held enormous
tonnage, provided it could be acquired, and would it justify the extension of
the Goodyear railroad to it. When the map was completed an inscription was
placed at the bottom: "This is what it looks like to me. M. I McCreight", and
it was enclosed without further explanation or even a letter, to F. H. Goodyear.

     A few days later—a week or ten days—Mr. Goodyear came to the bank; seated
in the director's room in private, he drew from his coat pocket the little map,
spread it on the table and remarked "have you ever seen this before?" and
asked: "Can this be done?" "Yes, if you have enough money to pay the bill", was
the cashier's prompt reply. "Can you do it if I pay the bills " was his next
question. "If it can be done at all I can do it", the cashier answered. "Let's
do it, you do the work and I'll pay the bills", he said, and got up and without
further ado said: "Now go ahead and when you want money draw on the Buffalo
office", and with a hand-clasp, he left.

     To buy the Berwind-White holdings at DuBois, and the Peale-N. Y. Central
holdings at Sykes, secure the Erie's' tonnage at Liberty and Cramer, and take
all the Troutville and Big Run field, was a formidable job to do all at once,
but it meant a new

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page  45

railroad for DuBois, and it meant new and big operations in the DuBois region;
it meant taking DuBois out of the doldrums and making of her the metropolis of
the coal region of western Pennsylvania, and the young man went to work.
Invading the office of the great magnate, E. J. Berwind, the writer said: "Mr.
Berwind, I want to buy your DuBois property." "The d---- you do, what will you
give me for it?"

     "I'll pay you $375,000 for it," was the reply. "You can't' have it I
won't take a cent less than $400,000." "Alright, I'll take it for that, and I
want ten days in which to make a survey. I want all the maps, drill records,
and title papers now and will be here again in ten days to close it up, if the
reports all check." "Don't' you want a contract drawn up?" "No", was the reply,
"Your word is good." And the young man came away with the papers, put engineers
in the mine, attorneys on the records, and in ten days was back to receive a
cussing from Berwind. He said, "Young man, I could have sold that property the
other day for $500,000." "Well, but I had your word, and your word was good,
and I'm here to give you the $400,000, so please give me the deed." "You know I
can't give you the deed on a minute's notice", he roared. "Of course you cant
give it to me today, and so I'll give you $50,000 of it today, and the rest as
soon as you get the deed ready."

     With a few dark remarks about a country boy putting it over on him, he
laughed loud and long; then grabbed a hat and said: "Let's go down and have
lunch together; I want to learn how to buy coal lands cheap." A few days later
the deed was ready and while handing over the final payment for it, Berwind was
asked to send a wire to the local superintendent advising of the transfer and
to account to the new purchaser thereafter, which he did at once. Then he said:
"Now young man, I have some more land I might sell you over in Indiana county."
"An right, sir", was the reply, "I may want it some day, don't forget what you
said."

     Meanwhile the Troutville and Big Run lands were being bored, and having
been proved, they were both purchased. So far, the program was carried out as
planned; vast tonnage was secured, and the railroad assured, whether the DuBois
estate and the Erie's coal was shipped it or not. The railroad was surveyed,
located and under construction,—projected then, to the most southern coal
property purchased, at and below Big Run, —but under construction contracts as
far only as Sykes. DuBois boomed; a new bank came, to share in the great sums
being distributed for coal lands and for right-of-way for the railroad; and
that the railroad was paying out,—all the way from Sinnemahoning to Sykes for
construction of line, building of bridges and three tunnels; and the costly
washery—and coking—plant at Tyler,—including a whole new town there. Other
millions were coming in, for Berwind shaft developments and additions; the
opening of a new shaft (No. 2) on the property and building of miners' homes
there; for the railroad connection, immense power plant, deep shaft workings,
coking plant and town at Sykes. And all this was to bring the development of
Erie Railroad properties, by investment of millions more at Eriton and at
Cramer. Along with the establishing of the new operations at DuBois, thereafter
to be known as No. 2 Shaft, the Buffalo & Susquehanna expended another million
for opening the Big Run property and building the town Onondaga.

     With the location of the new railroad along Bennett's valley many
obstacles were encountered in order to maintain the required grade and
curvature. There was a difficult piece of engineering to cross the continental
divide at Sabula summit, where it was necessary to tunnel the mountain over the
existing tunnel of the Pennsylvania railroad; this tunnel furnished not only a
way over the divide but a crossing over the tracks of the Pennsylvania line,
most essential for reaching the coal properties that lay to the south of that
company's road.

     While awaiting the completion of

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Page 46  DUBOIS HISTORY

the tunnel, work of grading proceeded beyond to and through DuBois. Here
unlooked-for interruptions and exasperating delays were met with; one caused by
a misunderstanding with regard to right of-way, reported by Attorney Watrous to
cost one dollar, and when settled for, actually cost twenty-five thousands
dollars. Another turned up when the bridge over Maple avenue came to be built;
the contractor was stopped by a delayed ordinance held up by the Town Council
for no apparent reason. A special meeting was called to act on it. Two of the
members of Council called to tell the writer, that they would be needed to make
up a quorum, but could not afford to attend as the lay-off from their jobs to
do so, would be a loss of a day's wages; they explained that if the railroad
company would make up their loss of wages, they would attend the meeting and
assure the quorum and let the work proceed. Knowing both to be sincere and
honest, the writer told them he would be responsible, and see that their wages
were assured them for their loss of time, amounting to some four or five
dollars.

     Next day reports spread that the members of Council had been bribed;
newspapers carried warnings that court action was to be started against the
briber and bribed for thus corrupting the sacred prerogatives of the high and
mighty political body then acting as the borough Council. Whether it was
because the `bribe' was not big enough to go around or was not placed
diplomatically, never was known, but after it was thoroughly discussed by
everybody in town, the ridiculous "scandal" was laughed to death, and the work
at the bridge went ahead.

     There were other troubles, too, for almost every mile through and beyond
DuBois developed opposition for right-of-way; the Highland street tunnel; and
at the later known B. & S. crossing, where the writer was obliged to buy an
estate owned by thirteen heirs outright in order to save court proceedings and
long delays. Instead of greeting a new railroad and the development of new and
large industries with a spirit of welcome and appreciation, it seemed that
every hand was out to grab for what it might strip from the promoters. But the
work was carried through, and when the Onondaga plant was completed and in
operation, a "Bankers' Special" came for an inspection.

     At DuBois the writer was taken aboard for the run to Punxsutawney where
the train was placed on a siding for the night. After dinner was served, the
several bankers and expert engineers, numbering twelve or fifteen capitalists
and bond-house managers, with experts on coal and railroad operations, gathered
to examine reports of progress and to discuss at first hand the things that
were being done.

     The program, so far as carried out, was fully endorsed, -and the writer
was put on the witness stand to be interrogated about going still farther to
the south. He told them of a large body of coal at the Whiteoak Flats and along
Plum Creek; that a railroad could be built to it by tunneling the Covode hill,
and that a road into that section would command a big area of undeveloped coal
beyond; maps were submitted to show it, as before the little map had inspired
the building of the line to the DuBois - Punxsutawney district.

     Peale, like Berwind, had given his word, to hold the Sykes lands at
$450,000. (The 1892 purchase). And like Berwind, his word was good, despite of
the fact that he had opportunity to sell it, meantime, for much more, and that
property came to the writer's plans in a second purchase. It happened that
Peale needed the land belonging to Berwind for his Dixonville operations, and
likewise, the New York Central interest's needed it very much for their plans
in the same field; both regarded it out of reach in Berwind's  hands. Learning
of this situation, and in appreciation of the good faith displayed by Peale and
Berwind, the writer did both a great favor; he broke into the royal presence of
the coal baron Berwind, without a date or announcement saying: "You promised me
you would sell me your Indiana coal, I want it now."

     "What are you going to pay me

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 47

for it?" he asked, after swearing a little for the abrupt intrusion. "Well,
since you paid only $12.50 an acre for it, I think $50 would be right". and
then waiting for a response, it came with: "You are a d-- good coal buyer, but
you can't get that coal from me for less than a hundred an acre." "All right,
it's' mine; give me the records for a check-up and when completed, you'll get a
check for it", and so that little deal was closed for Peale, in a few moments,
and more than a hundred and a quarter thousand additional dollars went to swell
the magnate's bank account.

     The party was so pleased with these prospects, that tentative plans for
such extension was agreed on; and the writer was authorized to secure options
and drill the Flats and Plumville territory, and, if favorably proven, to buy a
large acreage at once. And so the winter found the writer, in a well-robed
sleigh taking contracts from farmers and preparing for extensive explorations
in that region.

     Meantime the banks,—now three of them—were steadily gaining; the Deposit
bank, however, far in the lead. It was about this time that Harry Moore of the
City of Erie, called at the writer's office to offer him the cashiership of the
Marine National bank of that city; it was a flattering proposal and a very
attractive position; a trip to look the situation over and meet the men back of
the institution, added to the desire of both parties to carry out the suggested
connection; they would hold the offer open to permit adjustments; months for a
decision. self from the moral obligations due the bank and the Goodyears in the
railroad extension and the purchase Of the coal properties, the more impossible
it was. There were no legal barriers; no agreements or contracts to prevent,
but to desert the big project for which he was sponsor when only half done,
just could not be done with a clear conscience,—and so the chance to head a big
city bank was rejected.

     Purchase of the Plum Creek field was a formidable work; for engineering
and exploration spread over twenty thousand acres, for which every option,
purchase contract and deed covering many farms, were drawn, money paid and
titles taken and recorded by and to the writer; and he had the same opposition
from the same powerful influences, that were contended with in all previous
contests for lands. Included in this work was acquiring right-of-way for the
railroad; surface lands for operating plants and a town site. For more than
three years, the writer's time was devoted almost exclusively to the buying of
the new field, totalling over eleven thousand acres of coal and the estimated
cost to the company of six-tenths of a cent per ton. The operation designed and
built for mining the coal, was located at a point midway of the main field, and
by C. W. Goodyear, Christened Sagamore, from the fact that it lay on the old
Indian path, and was the CHIEF or largest mine on the line, and when completed,
it was said to be the largest single coal mining plant in bituminous production
in the United States.

     In the years of carrying out the B. & S. project there was no written
contract or restriction of any kind placed on the writer, and when his
expenditure of many millions, was audited, there was not a criticism; the
original F. H. Goodyear compact sealed with a hand-shake: "You do the work, and
I'll pay the bills" held through to the end.

     Much of the preceding would have been omitted, but is incorporated as a
sequence to proper understanding the great influence this work had upon the
prosperity and upbuilding of DuBois,—for it was DuBois that got the benefit of
it; the headquarters of all the immense development work of both Erie Railroad
and the building of the Buffalo and Susquehanna railroad, and the development
of its collateral interests, were at DuBois; their vast payrolls were made up
and paid from DuBois, and the
great majority of those pay-rolls came back to and was used in the trade
activities at DuBois. And these payrolls lasted in magnitude for

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Page 48  DUBOIS HISTORY
many years,—some of them even to this day. This third and last contest for
control of coal, ended after 15 years, with DuBois triumphant; she was now the
undisputed metropolis in the western Pennsylvania bituminous coal fields.
Notwithstanding the writer's bank had to meet the competition of two strong
banks throughout the period of his five-year campaign to win and hold the
Erie's and B. & S. trade benefits for DuBois, requiring grilling labor and
continued absence from his office,—and in spite of the fact that the two
competing institutions were were headed by former partners and heads of the
town's leading industries, viz; A. R. VanTassel, president Union Banking &
Trust Co., and John E. DuBois, president of the new DuBois National Bank,—the
Deposit National still held the lead.

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Expansion in Building
Chapter X

     Theodore Roosevelt had succeeded McKinley; he was swinging the Big Stick
relentlessly for it was the era of the building of the Trusts; Big Business was
defiant; relations with Labor were being strained; rumblings of war between
Capital and Labor were in the offing. Mark Hanna, with his $ sign had won the
election, and J. P. Morgan hatched the first billion dollar corporation; Big
Business was gathering in and consolidating the railroads into vast
transcontinental systems; grabbing up forests and mines everywhere.

     During this period-1901-1905—the L. E. Weber building, corner Brady-
Scribner, the Hotel DuBois and the 1st, 3rd and 4th ward new buildings and
additions were made, the Deposit Bank building was enlarged—and many other
substantial improvements came in the town. The new 2d ward high school (now
Central) building was erected in place of the old red brick; the lot was
enlarged by purchase of adjoining ground,—and while the structure cost the
contractor more than his agreement called for, and caused his failure, there
was complaint on the part of the public. The writer was president of the School
Board, and was victim of considerable of the loss through the contractor's
failure, from having enforced the full compliance with the specifications, he
was, by some of the regular fault-finding folks, blamed for building such a
mammoth and expensive structure. It was merely another instance of `clubbing a
tree that bears good fruit'—and what always a public benefactor has to contend
with.

     New power station and new equipment had been installed at the boulevard
plant for the light and railroad systems; a branch was built to Falls Creek,
and the line extended to B. & S. crossing in Sandy. DuBois was taking on new
life in a bigger way than ever before,—thinking of itself in larger terms. But
the Miner's Union was growing stronger with the expansion of the industry and
the prosperity that came into the district from it.

     Henry Ford was driving his gasoline - propelled buggy around the streets
of Detroit; John E. DuBois brought to town his steam-automobile from New
England; Tom Stockdale followed with a similar machine, —and then the local men
subscribed with Joe Keefer and his associates to the DuBois Automobile Co., and
set to work to manufacture motor cars. One car was produced, and was induced to
run for a distance of one block.

     The Driving Park took on new energy; the Summer Theater was erected; and
a big dance pavilion put in operation there; a branch street railway laid to
it; trees planted in the vacant ground. The stockade fences were renewed,
stables repaired and the grand-stand made substantial; old times were coming
again.

     But the principal backer, Mr. DuBois, was closing out his stable of fine
horses; the new horseless carriage was taking his attention, and soon the same
effect was working amongst the other horse-lovers, and the racing sport was
dying out. And it was at this time that DuBois suffered another great loss; the
big DuBois Opera House took fire and was totally destroyed one midnight before
the local engines could be brought to save it.

     To take the place of his lumber operations, Mr. DuBois backed Jim McEwen
for the erection of the big Iron Works plant, and gas engines were manufactured
and general foundry and machine-building and repair work carried on. The big
DuBois-Van Tassel tannery was closed; a new one built by Van Tassel. DuBois was
no longer a lumber town; it was a mining town, and its future was thenceforth,
largely dependent

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Page 50  DUBOIS HISTORY

on the Buffalo & Susquehanna, and Erie Railroad coal operations, and the B.,
R. & P. Railway Company's repair shops, iron furnace and locomotive works, for
its payrolls.

     Big Capital and Big Labor were determining factors in the town's future.
New York parties bought out the local owners in the Electric and Street Railway
companies; Big Business was reaching out its tentacles for control of all
municipal services, and for all manufacture and all transportation in all
inland towns. Coal mining was in substantial control of Big Capital, and coal
production was in control of a giant labor organization through the United Mine
Workers of America,—headed now by W. B. Wilson.

     The 1906 strike came; there was paralysis of mining in the region, and
business likewise was paralyzed; both sides were defiant; Pat Gilday was
president of the local unions of the district; Barney Rice was still active in
the miner's councils; the operators were adamant, led by Robinson, —and the
town stood still.

     The writer represented officials of the Erie's company and of the Buffalo
& Susquehanna operations, both in coal and railroad affairs, and he sent for
Mr. Wilson to come to DuBois for an interview; he came, and a call for Mr. Rice
brought the three together to talk out just what might be done. Three days and
nights were devoted to the discussions, and it was a claim not only for higher
mining rates, but concessions in other matters long in dispute, that the men
claimed.—and most vital of all, was the "check-off" of union dues which had
long been a bone of contention with the B., R. & P. While not a legal nor
official representative of either the Erie or B. & S. companies, the writer
listened long and closely to the claims made by Wilson for a concession
covering these points; his arguments were convincing; the claims were fair and
just. It was near four o'clock in the morning when they parted at the last
discussion; at seven the writer was at his desk in the quiet of the director's
room of the bank hard at work writing a new agreement covering the operations
of the Erie and B. & S. companies with their men; in it was incorporated most
of the conditions claimed by Wilson, and providing for the check-off, and
arbitration of all future disputes. When finished, he sent for Mr. Wilson at
his hotel; when he appeared, a fountain pen was handed to him with a request to
sign; he did sign the Paper, and then asked who was to sign for the companies;
the writer took the pen and signed both companies' names to it,—and both
companies at once approved.

     But there was a condition; the adoption of the new scale was to be held
confidential; the Union did not wish to have it applicable to the B., R. & P.
coal companies or to other operators in the district. The return to work by the
men of these two large operating companies, without any announcement that a
general scale had been agreed upon, was like the explosion of a bomb, in mining
circles; competing companies were busy with telegrams and telephone calls
trying to get the terms so that they might open their mines; but as always,
there was a Judas, and soon it was known what the new scale was, and all men
were put to work, and the big strike was over. Though neither the men nor the
public knew just how it had been settled, the new scale was effective for
years, and so far as the writer knows, is still effective in principal if not
in detail.

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Conservation of Forests
Chapter XI

     DuBois was on her feet again and business went on steadily until - - -
until the panic of 1907. But—DuBois was now a mining town in a cut-over and
burnt-over timber country; the country from coast to coast was awakening to a
realization that her vast forests had already yielded up her commercial wealth-
making timber, and that fire was fast making its reproduction impossible.

     But, her leaders in politics, were trying to answer this calamitous
condition at home, by headlining the newspapers with the slogan; "Business
folows the Flag"—and we were now a world power; we were building the Panama
Canal; our navy was sent around the world. What mattered the exhaustion of our
natural resources?—for now the whole world was ours for exploitation.

     Experience on the frontier had proved to the writer the value of trees;
and it had burned into his mind the terrible penalty imposed for the reckless
destruction of forests and wild game and fish and other natural resources.

     He had been the buffalo-bone buyer; he had been the arbitrator in
threatened outbreaks when settlers raided Indian lands for firewood; he had
seen the prairie lake-country turned from an Indian Paradise to a white man's
dust-bowl; he had witnessed the starvation and slow death of a former happy and
prosperous race, caused by the ruthless destruction of God-given natural wealth.

     And he saw the great forests of western Pennsylvania, richest and most
varied and valuable in all the land. stripped of their commercial products and
left a wilderness of ruin,—therefore the reader need not wonder that he felt
keenly and wrote vigorously on the subject to President Roosevelt urging him to
take a hand and swing the big stick in conserving our natural resources. 

          The President'& letter is quoted in full:
"Oyster Bay, N. Y., September 28, 1906. "The White House,
"Washington.
"My Dear Mr. McCreight:
     "I really do not know what additional statement I can make about forests.
You have probably seen my repeated communications about them, both to Congress
and to the irrigation and forestry meetings. I shall send your letter to Mr.
Pinchot.
"Sincerely yours,
"THEODORE ROOSEVELT. 
"Mr. M. I. McCreight,
"Deposit National Bank,
"DuBois, Pa.

     On reaching the forester's office the letter was formally acknowledged by
Wm. L. Hall, acting Forester, under date of Oct. 6. Boiled down, his letter
admitted great waste, but nothing could be done about it. So far the
correspondence was meaningless, —at least futile. A few days passed; another
and more vigorously-toned letter went to the Forestry office insisting that the
President "talk directly to the people upon the one subject of most vital
concern to them, and to those to come,—`the conservation of their woods and
waters.' "

     Again Mr. Hall was the one to acknowledge this letter, and make reply.
Under date of October 16 he wrote: "The President has several times spoken to
the public most emphatically on the necessity of handling our forests in a
rational manner. He has discussed the subject in his messages to Congress and
elsewhere Twice he has made this the subject of an entire address: Once before
the Society of American Foresters, March 26, 1903; and once before the American
Forest Congress in January, 1905. I take pleasure in sending copies of these
two addresses. It seem to me the President could not speak more plainly or put
more em-

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Page 52  DUBOIS HISTORY

phasis upon the subject than he did before the Forest Congress, and his
address at that congress formed the central feature of one of the most
important industrial gatherings ever held in America.

     I am certain the President would not hesitate to speak again to the
people on this subject if he were convinced that by doing so he could more
fully show them the necessity of better methods. May I ask you to write me
again, saying specifically in just what way you would advise a further
expression from the President."

     It must be quite clear to the reader, that the President felt that he had
already done his full duty in making the two speeches above referred to. It is
equally clear from the letter of Mr. Hall, quoted above, that the Forestry
Office felt the same way, and, of course, considered the matter closed, as
obviously, after this quest and retort, Mr. Hall considered the case ended. But
the case had not yet been opened; the writer accepted the invitation to say
"specifically" the way for further expression from the President.

     The letter was dated November 6 and was seven pages long. Because of its
length it is not incorporated here in full, but it covered three separate and
distinct divisions of a Program which the writer proposed for the President to
carry out; these were:

     1st. Call a meeting of the representatives of the people to discuss the
subject.

     2d. Withdraw immediately from sale all timbered public lands.

     3rd. Start a campaign of Education by making a speech before DuBois High
School.

     In reply a letter dated Nov. 13 signed by Gifford Pinchot was received:
     "I have read with the greatest interest your letter of November 6 to Mr.
Hall, and I am going to take up with the President, as soon as he returns, the
matter of making a talk on forestry to the school children. That he would be
able to come to DuBois for that purpose I greatly doubt, but I think it might
be possible to get him to make a vigorous expression in Washington. At any rate
I am very greatly obliged to you for your letter and I shall certainly try."

     A short time later a letter from Pinchot asked consent to the issue of a
general proclamation by the President to all the school children of America, in
lieu of coming to DuBois to make an address before but one school. This change
in the program which the writer had submitted, was approved, and accordingly
the proclamation was issued. Proclamations for withdrawal of timbered lands
were issued as rapidly as they could be passed on and published. A meeting of
all the 'stockholders' of the nation was next called. The notable 'Meeting of
the Governors' was held at Washington. By this time it was apparent that the
file of letters had been 'lost, strayed or stolen' for thenceforth,—and
thereafter, Gifford Pinchot not only took credit for,—but was GIVEN credit as
the originator of the famous Roosevelt Conservation Policy, by Roosevelt
himself, and, as a natural consequence, by the PUBLIC.

     What has all this to do with the history of DuBois? Like the many other
events mentioned in this story the Conservation subject is mentioned in some
detail because it has a bearing on the future of DuBois and the adjoining
district; and it may have still more in the distant future. On return from the
St. Paul Conservation Congress, the writer's associate there, the Hon A. B.
Farquhar, a delegate, and one of the outstanding men of his time, proposed the
formation of the Pennsylvania Conservation Association and asked the writer to
be its treasurer; this organization with Farquhar as its president was effected
and one of the first things it undertook,, at the suggestion of the writer, was
the making of the famous Cook Forest a State Park for the use of all the people
for all time. That was finally accomplished, and hundreds of thousands visit it
every season; they come from every state in the Union. That largest of the
eastern parks—in the Keystone state—will continue to benefit the
region,—including DuBois,—for all time.

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[image]
DUBOIS HOSPITAL

image may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/dubois-hospital.jpg

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From 1907 to 1914
Chapter XII

     Referring again to local doings, the United Traction Street Railway was
incorporated, with the writer as its Secretary and Treasurer, and a line built
to Sykesville. Eriton was built; the big shaft and cokeing plant was in
operation at Sykesville, and there were no automobiles in common use, and no
improved roads; to hold the leadership of the region and to serve the officials
of the companies and especially their employees, the street car line was
provided,—and by local capital costing two hundred thousand dollars. The years
1903 to 1906 were busy ones; the town was moving on and upward steadily.

     Then suddenly came the panic of 1907. It was a money panic; all at once
there was clamor for cash; hoarding went on in every corner of the land;
business was paralyzed.

     Big Business had over-reached; industries closed,—and many banks closed.
The trouble started in New York among the big banks; spread to the little
ones,—all blamed on the money system.

     At that period, there had not yet been discovered, the giant harvesting
machines, and the big wheat ranches required armies of men to take care of the
crops; these thousands of laborers assembled in spring with the harvests in
Texas, and they advanced with the season northward as the grain ripened until
late fall found them in the wheat belt of the northwest. The work demanded vast
sums of currency for payrolls throughout the summer; this money must be
furnished by the reserve cities of the east, and, by 1907, the eastern banks
were pressed to the limit for money to carry the fast growing industrial
sections that lay east of the farm-belt. There was not enough money in the
country to keep this vast payroll going and to carry the vast stores of grain
in elevators until it was marketed, mostly in Europe, and the funds returned
for use again in the industrial east,—and so the banking system snapped,—and
the crash was loud, but fortunately, not long.

     The economic foundation was sound; the country was prosperous; the
trouble came from a lack of circulating medium to carry the fast increasing
volume of trade. Like William Penn had done in starting Pennsylvania, and like
John DuBois had done in building DuBois, the whole country resorted to scrip,
clearinghouse certificates and other emergency substitutes for cash. Unlike the
later so-called "depressions' of 1929, the people refused to acknowledge
defeat. During the worst of the difficulties DuBois suffered severely from
shortage of actual cash for meeting the heavy payrolls of shops, mills and
mines, to keep them in operation, but as these payrolls rested largely on the
Deposit Bank, the premium demanded by the large New York banks for currency was
paid, and disastrous shut-downs avoided,—and thus DuBois came through her third
severe banking trials with flying colors.

     But the big banks of Wall Street did not fare so well; they had
underwritten Big Business to an extent that required drastic re-organizations,
in banks themselves, in public utilities, in railroads. The B. & S. had over-
reached by building a line from Wellsville to Buffalo; built great iron plants
at the lake front there, and secured iron mines in Michigan with steamships to
transport ore. The New York Central had designed a trunk line from Chicago to
New York, through DuBois, and had the construction completed as far as Rose
Siding, below Brookville, when the crash came. Both these projects failed, and
there were many others of like nature throughout the country. General progress
was interrupt-

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Page 54  DUBOIS HISTORY

ed; something had to be done to get a better banking system; Congress was
flirting with the Aldrich proposition for a central bank through which the
banks could re-discount commercial paper and for which proceeds, emergency
currency could be issued to them with which to meet any future crisis. But when
the people became aware that the country was moving on and business was being
conducted as usual with the substitute currency, hoarding ceased and hidden
cash was soon back in circulation; clearing-house certificates disappeared, and
the panic was over. But times were hard for a while.

     With the opening of No. 2 Shaft on the Berwind property, together with
the big plant of the Erie at Eriton, and the Cascade shaft and coke-ovens at
Sykesville, Onondaga operations at Big Run and the Sagamore giant mines near
Plumville, the payrolls were large and steady for many years,—and DuBois held
its place as the coal metropolis,—and Roosevelt was devoting much of his time
to the great Conservation work for the rest of his term.

     Meantime because of the many accidents in the surrounding mining region
DuBois saw the need of hospitals, and as always, she provided them,—two of the
best and most modern in the state.

     Through the years "07-8-9-10 things in DuBois did not boom but her
progress was steady and on conservative lines; the Loeb Brothers opened the
Loeb Addition and secured a factory for the section's development. Jim McEwen
had built the brick stores at corner Scribner; Luther Lowe erected his stone
corner building at High; the Y.M.C.A. building, the Hatten block and other
substantial buildings came; the Avenue theater and the Callahan and McMinn; the
Seyler, Moulthrop. Schrecongost and Ft. Worth properties, all proved the faith
of her citizens in the future of DuBois; however, there were few new industries
coming and more and more it was apparent that coal and the railroads were the
basis for future growth,

     The statement of the Deposit National Bank for 1911 was:
     
Resources:
Loans & Discounts              $ 977,292.68
U. S. & other bonds              299,184.37
Fife per cent fund                 5,000.00
Cash & due from banks            366,584.88
Total resources               $1,648,061.93

Liabilities:
Capital Stock                  $ 100,000.00
Surplus & Profits                211,980.22
Circulation                      998,000.00
Deposits                       1,237,281.71
Total                         $1,648,061.93

     After meeting one bank failure two severe panics, and the competition of
two equally large capitalized and excellently managed local banks, the writer's
institution was still in the lead,—and DuBois was being noticed in the banking
world.

     By 1910-11 the Fitzpatrick Glass Co., had failed and their three hundred
thousand dollar plant was sold on judgments to A. L. Cole, for $32,000.
Meantime there had been a good deal of investigation of the local clays, and
experimenters proved that excellent clay-products could be manufactured at
Falls Creek, and ovens were constructed for that business there. Local men of
DuBois, contributed goodly sums to carry on the experiments, but the venture
was unsuccessful after several years' trial, when there came a promoter of a
continuous-process-oven, and the company put up a lot more money and enlarged
the buildings; but after a short time, that proved a failure. So much had been
expended that still another reorganization was undertaken, and the old-style
kilns constructed for business on a much larger scale, and the manufacture of
real chinaware begun. While it has not made dividends, it has been developed to
an important industry, now known as Jackson China. Co., occupying a part of the
former Fitzpatrick plant at Falls Creek.

     Heroic efforts were made to reestablish the glass business in the
Fitzpatrick giant plant for several years after its sale to Cole. Hand-blown
glass was fast being super-ceded by machine-made glass the


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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 55

process and patents for which, were in the control of Big Business. Blowing
machines were procured, and the plant started up again, but it soon proved that
local talent and local capital could not compete, and again the venture was
dropped, with heavy losses. The once big pay-roll industry, like the tannery,
the quarries, and all other home-built factories, were driven out by the
concentration of capital and credit-control in the new banking system known as
the Federal Reserve System, when Big Business centered manufacturing into great
cities, and left the inland towns to find their way out the best they could, or
die a natural death.

     Came then a demand for bottles, and one more attempt was made to operate
the big Falls Creek plant. Another large investment went for repairs,
remodeling, new tanks, and new kinds of machines for the making of milk
bottles. For a year or two, a sizeable trade was carried on, but it soon became
clear that big capital also controlled that line and made it unprofitable for
the local plant to operate; and finally after several more years of tax-and-
interest accumulations the building was sold, and now is a pile of junk.

     These misfortunes are mentioned to show the transition that was coming on
the country from the scientific discoveries and introduction of new prosesses,
affecting almost all human activities. It was the beginning of practical
automobiles and improvement of highways on which to operate them.

     In 1907 DuBois got its first 'improved' roads, the one from the borough
line to Brady line toward C & M junction; the other from No. 1 Shaft toward
Sabula, stone base with lime-tar top.

     It was during the Roosevelt administration that the country was given the
Pure Food law, the meat inspection law, and the many restrictions on the
trusts; the president was leader in the building of the Panama Canal, and he
was successful in settling the big Russo-Japanese war. Taft was nominated by
the party politicians while Roosevelt ran as a Progressive and was defeated,
when the old line Republicans, jubilant enemy, went too far. They forced over
their success in defeating their through Congress the Payne-Aldrich tariff law,
which was so unpopular with the masses, that in the 1912 campaign the election
was won by the Democrats with Woodrow Wilson.

     Mention was made heretofore, that the bankers of the country were
advocating a law proposed by Aldrich, for the establishing of a central bank
for the issue of emergency currency in times of stress as a prevention of
repetition of panics such as overtook the business world in 1893 and 1907.

     Immediately after Wilson took office, the party leaders began a campaign
to work out the banking program, but on a totally different basis. Carter
Glass, a newspaper publisher and R. L. Owen, a lawyer, took charge of the
question, and together they devised a plan for establishing twelve central
banks with wide powers, and to be operated by boards of directors overseen by a
central board at Washington. When the bill was before Congress, there was
widespread disapproval of the banks throughout the country because of its
extraordinary powers and the wide ramifications of its proposed activities,
both in national and international affairs. To enter protest against the
passage of the bill in its existing form, three hundred bank officials were
chosen as a 'committee' to show the president the unwisdom of such a move.
Several of the adjoining counties had united with Clearfield in organizing the
Central Pennsylvania Bankers' Association, of which the writer was then
president. He was elected as representative on the nation-wide Bankers'
Committee of Three Hundred, meeting of which was held at Chicago. There the
delegates gathered to discuss the many objectionable features of the measure
then being considered in Congress. So many and so plain were these objections,
that it was considered that a single interview with the President, would assure
the bill's defeat, or at least the revision of it to such a degree as to make
it more workable and practicable. A special

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Page 56  DUBOIS HISTORY

committee of seven bankers was then chosen to carry the result to President
Wilson, but to the amazement of every banker in the country, the next day's
newspapers carried headline articles saying that the President would refuse to
meet the committee of bankers thus appointed at Chicago. And so the Federal
Reserve Act was passed (in 1913) and promptly put in force. At once there was
circulated a great avalanche of propaganda that the country was saved from any
further panics; there would be no more bank-failures; prosperity was assured
for all time; the Democrats had saved the country from all future financial or
economic troubles!

     Thus began the centralization of control of all the country's money and
credits into the hands of the few! Thus it continued and it still continues!
Federal Reserve Banks are owned by the banks of the country, and not by the
government, as many people suppose. This reference is made, not because it is
Du Bois history, but to fix in the mind of the reader that not only DuBois but
all the country was entering a new era, that affected its future as well as the
future of the whole world. However, the local affairs of the town moved along
through 1910-11-12 with its usual normal progress if allowance is made for the
recessions felt in loss of the leather, lumber and glass industries,—made up
largely by increased coal and railroad activities, now furnishing large and
steady payrolls.

     During these years the automobie was becoming popular, There were a dozen
or more cars in DuBois by 1909, and properly and promptly they organized the
DuBois Automobile Club, and tours were made by all joining together for a day
in the country.

     Bill Hines, with his Haynes, Plum Holland with his Pullman and McCreight
with his Rambler, Harvey Landis with his Ford, Mac Marlin with his one-cylinder
Cadillac, Stockdale with his steamer,—all with a different make and model,
would start on scratch, for Brookville, or Clearfield, over dirt roads deep
with dust or mud. If they made the round trip in a day without mishap, it meant
winning the pennant. But so far as memory now serves there were no pennants won
by anyone.

     Buffalo Bill and Chief Iron Tail were guests of the writer for a ride in
his new five-passenger car one day. Later a full car-load of Indians made a
tour of the town in it, dressed in their native regalia of feather-head-dress
and war-paint and singing war songs with great glee.

     It was on one of these visits that the writer had Buffalo Bill, Chief
Iron Tail and Monroe McCanles at the house for lunch to discuss the Wild Bill
affair. It was the killing of Monroe McCanles' father by Wild Bill Hickok, that
gave the desperado his great reputation as a bad man and 'killer' in the old
days. Col. Cody had never met McCanles before and did not know the truth of
this widely publicised and wholly misrepresented affair of early Kansas and
Nebraska history until he heard it from the son and eye-witness then. From the
facts related here by McCanles, the writer secured the cooperation Of the State
Historical Society of Nebraska, through an article he had published in a New
York magazine,—to investigate the court records and collect testimony covering
all details Of the tragedy. The result of that organization's investigation
substantiated McCanles' account in every count, and the discoveries made
furnished the material for a special number of the State History Magazine
devoted wholly to the clearing up of that sixty-seven year-old fake in frontier
history. Boiled down to facts, it was a cold-blooded, cowardly murder by a
coward hidden behind a curtain, through which Hickok shot McCanles who stood in
the door of the cabin, wholly unsuspecting and unarmed. Hickok got the same
kind of a death at the hands of McCall in a Deadwood dive long after wards and
is buried near the grave of Calamity Jane there.

     This is not DuBois history, but shows that it was in DuBois that some
other erroneous history was corrected,—by history making pioneers.

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 57

     It was during these times that Captain Jack Crawford, the Poet Scout made
frequent visits to DuBois. Both Captain Jack and Buffalo Bill were world's-
famous Indian fighters and scouts during the Sioux war. Both were friends and
periodic visitors at the home of the writer. Strange as it may seem, these
historic characters were not admirers of each other; Jack did not have the best
regard for the showman, but Col. Cody returned his compliments. Not that this
was generally displayed in public, but in the quiet talks in the Wigwam over
old times of the frontier happenings, it was clear that their feeling toward
each other was not one of admiration. Both these famous scouts were with
General Crook's army at the Slim Buttes affair when Old Chief American Horse
was killed, along with some Indian women and children. It was a most
deplorable, and altogether uncalled-for slaughter of innocent people while
taking refuge in a cave,—anything but heroic. In the effort to discover from
them,—at different times, during these personal reviews of old times,—the
actual facts about that regretful incident, neither of them would care to go
into the details, but as it was dragged out by questioning, both exhibited the
same feeling of remorse and the wish not to be obliged to talk of it.

     It is rather a strange coincidence, that the other noted scout who was
likewise present at that disgraceful so-called 'fight,' also was a visitor on
more than one occasion, at the Wigwam,—Col. Robert E. Strahom, pioneer war-
correspondent and railroad builder. He held the same feeling about the Slim
Buttes affair as was evidenced by Cody and Captain Jack. History of that
campaign, written of course from the standpoint of the army, makes that battle
one of importance, and its results highly favorable to the Federal forces, and
a defeat for Crazy Horse's band. Merely another case of 'history' being written
from one side only.

     It was on one of these visits of Col. Cody and Chief Iron Tail (Head on
the Buffalo nickel) when he said to the writer, that Iron Tail was the finest
man he knew, bar none; and he had the old Chief illustrate in pantomime how he
played and won a game of poker with U. S. army officials during a Treaty
Council in the old days; going through all the forms of the game from dealing
to antes and betting and drawing a last card during which no word was uttered
and his countenance like a statue, he suddenly swept the table clean into his
blanket and rose from the table and strutted away. It was a piece of superb
acting, and exceedingly funny.

     With the presentation of his autographed "The Pony Express' the Colonel
related his own experience as a rider on that Indian-infested section through
the Rocky mountains west of the Sweetwater where he made the round-trip ride of
322 miles without rest, which was the record trip in history. It was Pony Bob,
the next most famed pony express rider, who carried the message of Lincoln's
election, riding 120 miles in 8 hours and 10 minutes,—a record for speed. It is
one thing to read of this amazing period in early history, but quite another to
hear it related by its leading participant, had it not been for these heroic
characters maintaing a news service that time there would be now la very
different United States history; it was this fast communication (?) that saved
the west from seceding and forming an independent government at and before the
outbreak of the Civil war. Civil War.

     The report to the Stockholders at the annual meeting of the bank in
January, 1912, tells better than could be described otherwise, the condition of
the town at that period. From it are take a few excerpts:
     
     "—while the profits have increased to some extent, along with increase in
the volume of business, there are other and growing dangers and difficulties
that justify careful analysis—and whether the same rate of growth can be
maintained that has marked the past history of the Deposit National. The panic
of 1901 was the result of unprecedented expansion; its results left a train of
desolation throughout the land; its

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Page 58  DUBOIS HISTORY

scars are perhaps less in DuBois than in any other community of equal size.
Few banks anywhere have less evils of the late unpleasantness to work out than
has the Deposit; yet we have not escaped wholly."

     "It is, perhaps, an element of strength that no single interest has
dominated the bank; yet it is becoming a matter of concern to me whether I
shall continue to take the heavy responsibilities that rest upon me and devote
the time and money I have expended in the interests of this bank for the past
and best years of my life—it pays me less than I spend for it."

     The writer was urged by many bankers to be a candidate for director in
the new Federal Reserve bank in District No. 3, but past experience in politics
left no enthusiasm for office, nor was he ambitious to get in with the kind of
finance that seemed to be in the making with the organization of the new scheme
of banking which it was to undertake.

     Business was in a slump in the reconstruction period after the last panic
and along with reorganization of some of the commercial interests in the
community, there was much of reorganization to be effected in policies of banks
in the district, and no campaign was made for election on the Federal Reserve
bank board.

     Big bank failures and big corporation failures in 1907 left dregs of
trouble that reached out into every corner of the country which years could not
overcome; bond lists sagged and caused loss to ewery bank; government bonds
were the cause of many losses; and while the new Federal Reserve law promised
much, there still was dull heavy trading throughout the years of 1913 and 1914.

     Then in August word came of the invasion of Belgium,—and it seemed that
the whole world would come to an end,—banks along with the rest Of the business
institutions. For a few days there was fear and trembling amongst the bankers;
terror was in the face of every man who carried responsibility. Then news was
spread that the war would not affect the U.S.A., and that it would be over in
three months,—because the nations involved, did not have the money to fight
longer. In a few weeks the people cooled down somewhat; much talk went the
rounds amongst the bankers, that the new Federal Reserve system would hold
finances steady,—and that this country would not be injured, but instead, would
be sure to make a big profit.

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[image]
MAPLE AVENUE HOSPITAL

image may be viewed at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/dubois-history/maple-hospital.jpg

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War and Its Effects
Chapter XIII

     WAR! This was something DuBois was not used to. The Civil war was over
before she was born, and the Spanish - American war was over before she
realized that it had fairly begun,—but this rape of Belgium by the so-called
Hun; this sudden rush into wholesale murder by the Russian bear, the British
Lion and the French tiger, with fire and sword; airplane, tank and poison gas,
was something altogether different. And the whole nation shuddered!

     America was full of spies; great fear in the war-office was demonstrated
by its hasty plans for strengthening the military arm of government; troops
were equipped and stationed at navy yards, and shipbuilding plants; at ports
and rail terminals. Guards were placed at all railroad tunnels; a company made
headquarters at Shawnee Cabin for a time. But soon it became apparent that the
big German population in the U.S.A. was not to be feared as enemies, but
instead, the great majority of them were loyal to their adopted country.

     The war nations appealed to America for money; for war materials; for
ships, and soon the munition factories were busy turning out shells for them;
the new Federal Reserve banks manufactured credit for Big Business to build big
guns, battleships and bombs. High Finance was born; Big Business boomed;
multimillionaires multiplied on profits made from murder! While millions upon
millions sank in the shambles of western Europe from the murderous missiles
manufactured for making multi-millionaires, the masses of Americans sang songs
of patriotism, and prayed that Wilson would 'keep us out of war.'

     Because DuBois was a coal town, and coal was a much-needed war material,
local business kept apace through the years that Central Europe bled. Then the
national elections came in 1916, with America becoming more and more involved.
Wilson was elected because he had kept the country out of war,—and then
promptly after election, plunged us into it.

     Elbert Hubbard, a neighbor, and frequent visitor at DuBois, was one of
the noted victims of the sinking of the Lusitania by German submarines,—and
there were many other similar outrages to work up the American people to war
spirit, so that on April 6, 1917, Congress declared war on Germany and Austria;
joined with England and her allies to make the world safe for democracy.

     The writer was first to be drafted in the town. An army had to be raised
quickly, and he with Sheriff Dale, of Clearfield, and Dr. Free were
commissioned by the President, to form a local war board, with power to 'draft'
and send suitable young men to military training camps for training. It was a
formidable task; a terribly expensive one for the writer, and a wholly
unappreciated and thankless one. Perhaps the only Local Board in the country
that neither asked for nor received compensation for its two years of
crucifying military service, it had the one satisfaction of a tribute from the
War Department of having the best record.

     All the World War records of four thousand Local Boards comprising eight
thousand tons of material, equal to 160 freight cars,—was collected and stored
in 14 large war-rooms in Washington; included in this vast store of documentary
evidence, was the compilation of the historic and file data of each local
board, from which the history of the World War was to have been published.
During the post-war confusion, these records were allowed to

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Page 60  DUBOIS HISTORY

be totally ruined from leaky roofs, mould and rats, so that, after twenty
years, the carbon copies of the writer, furnish perhaps, the one war-record of
a local board of the whole United States. From this aid file, the War History
of DuBois has been written in a separate volume, covering the activities of not
only DuBois, but all the district, involving registrants numbering more than
seven thousand. Months of strenuous work was required for its preparation but
the cost of publication is more than the author is justified in assuming.

     The grilling life of the Secretary of the Local Board during the war
period, together with the extraordinary responsibilities of bank management in
these disturbed times, was all that a good physical constitution could stand.
The resignation of Dale from the chairmanship of the Board immediately when
organized was filled by S. M. Free, and E. C. Shields was elected to serve as
the third board member No other board had more of difficult cases to dispose
of, and none whose files were filled with so remarkable and interesting
incidents

     Because of the large foreign element in the district, mostly employed in
mining and in railroad work, both of which local industries were of utmost
importance in war needs, it was a most delicate matter for the Local Board to
keep adjustments in balance and prevent disturbance of DuBois industry. By the
military law foreign registrants were in most cases exempt from service. Native
boys were compelled to enter the war service and give up their lucrative jobs,
which the foreigner seeking his right to exemption, stood ready to grab and
benefit by.

     With the close cooperation of the local mine operators, and the railroad
officials, serious disturbances were avoided, and while the Local Board sent
many foreigners to the front, whom the law might have permitted to escape, it
was necessary in some cases, in order to save trouble. It is proper here to
say, that these foreign soldiers often proved to be the best kind of loyal
fighters, and many of them honored their town by rendering out standing
service. And they thus honored themselves and their country.

     The terrible war years—four long, years—are remembered as a hideous night-
mare,--a rendezvous with death, destruction and desolation! But all through the
long vigil DuBois played her part with grace and loyalty; her war record is one
to be proud of,—but is too long to include here. It merits a special volume.

     To give the reader an understanding of conditions that existed in DuBois
at the close of the war here is the annual message of the writer president of
the bank, to its stockholders in January, 1919:

     "The annual election comes this year, with, perhaps, the most uncertain
outlook that ever confronted the world; we enter the new year with half the
world in a state of starvation, without semblance of government, and much of it
in the hands of savage mobs; with finances expanded to a degree that in normal
times would be said to be impossible; with commerce utterly demoralized, —and
with the lives of more than twenty-four million men taken by death or ruined by
irreparable wounds and disease.

     "When we contemplate that the energies Of a billion and a half of people,
backed by their accumulated wealth of two thousand years, was needed and used
to the utmost, every hour of the day, to keep the world organized and in
healthful operation, and all its human beings supplied with food, clothing and
the common needs of life:—when we consider all this, and then reflect that
suddenly the whole orderly procedure of this vast family stops and devotes four
years to disorganization and destruction;—when the billion and a half of people
stop their daily duties of providing food, the accumulation of wealth, the
education and training of youth; untie all the lines of trade, commerce and
finance that united every nook and corner of the earth in daily intercourse;
suddenly deranging all that had been centuries in developing,—and then to
organize that whole family in one four-year campaign of destruction;
devastating states and nations; wreck-

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 61

ing half the governments oaf the world, annihilating millions of men, women
and children, in one mad sweep of fire and sword;—when one contemplates the
utter waste of billions of dollars worth of food, manufactures, supplies and
machinery; and the loss of coin that filled the safes of ships that lie in the
bottom of the sea;—when one sees the wealth of a thousand years of the nations
of Europe blotted out; when one sees the population of the Central Empires,
which but a little while ago. was the envy of the world in industry, finance,
music and art,—now a seething mass of anarchy, a mob of hungry, naked, homeless
men, manning machine guns in every street and highway, while women and children
crouch in cellars, starving, in the awful reign of terror that exists in war-
torn Europe today.

     "And we in America stand alone in all the world, the one people upon whom
the burden of reconstruction must bear the hardest; the red hand of anarchy
rises up to take from this country the spoils of war—take back from us the
wealth that fell to us through their own mistakes and misfortunes. We must not
forget that we cannot stand alone in prosperity, when all the rest of the world
is bankrupt! We are one spoke in the wheel of commerce, when all the rest are
broken; the broken spokes must be renewed before the cart of commerce can
proceed with its now extra-heavy load.

     "I attended a meeting of coal operators in Philadelphia; the discussion
was mostly Of the declining prices and the demand for higher wage scale on
April 1. The operators look for a shut down with probable strikes over the
summer; all were pessimistic.

     "The main question that all talked about, was the spread of bolshivism;
in the white-collar class, professors and clerks. Of these, great armies of
them see and handle the big contracts and know the profiteering that went on
under their eyes, while they themselves are denied the necessities of life, in
the name of patriotism.

     "I called on Milton E. Ailes, head of the largest bank in Washington. He
said his bank's salary list had increased from 77 to 134, and that they were
nearly crazy from inefficiency and extra work. Asked him what advice he might
be willing to extend to his country correspondent in these disturbed times;
promptly he replied, "there is'nt any, dent try, do business one day at a time."

     "In the past month I have got, as near as can be, to the bottom of going
conditions in Finance, trade, transportation and mining; also in War, Navy, and
politics in and out of both White House and Congress; always the same answer to
questions of present and future policy; 'there is'nt any', not even the
government knows and, like the leaders there all say, it just drifts.

     "Great anxiety is everywhere noticeable about the vast stores of
manufactured goods, machinery, tools and war-equipment that the government
owns, and cannot dispose of, much of which is perishable. It is a great threat
to business of all kinds, and will be a source of serious disturbance in
business for a long time.

     "In discussing this troublesome outlook with the one in charge, Mr. C. W.
Hare, I suggested that much of the materials might be turned out to those
wishing to establish new industries, in exchange for bonds on their plants at
reasonable rates of interest by way of encouraging them, and in this manner
lessen the strain on finances as well as to save heavy losses to the
government; this plan he was greatly interested in and promised to give it
careful consideration.

     "The one big question before the government is that of taking care of the
returning soldiers from Europe. To meet it Secretary Lane had a bill before
Congress for providing a fund of a hundred million dollars for the purchase of
lands and providing plots for gardens, with neat homes, to be sold them on long
term payments. Already he had selected large acreage for the Purpose in western
and southern states. I called on Mr. Lane to learn about his program, and after
a general talk, he introduced me to

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Page 62	 DUBOIS HISTORY

his Reclamation Chief in charge of that division.

     Mr. Davis spent the greater part of the afternoon showing me his plans
and explaining the details. 1 asked him why such a program might not be better
worked out in the east and told him that we could furnish plenty of excellent
land, at and near DUBOIS, where the market existed, for the output, and where
the soldiers would succeed perhaps much better than in the sands of Arizona and
Florida. Before leaving, Mr. Davis agreed to come to DuBois and work out a
project. Before his date for the visit came, the bill was killed in Congress,
and he had to abandon the whole scheme.

     "With the work of mobilizing the army I have been in almost constant
service for a year and a half without pay; as the working member of the local
board, much of the detail at the bank was necessarily neglected.

     As to profits, it is a matter of whose yard-stick is used in measuring;
if we take the stock market we could hardly claim to have made a profit; the
slump in the stocks has made a big cut in earnings since the war. We have
already charged down a large sum over the past four years, and will have to
meet more loss. The rising cost of living has forced the rise in salaries of
the clerical force; burdensome government reports has forced increase of
clerks; Liberty Loans have made it necessary to have an extra clerk full time,
and added much to the work of the regular force. I feel that our loans should
be confined to commercial paper rather than to invest further in long term
bonds, from which much of our troubles and loss comes

     The terrible strain of furnishing an army and supporting it in foreign
countries was far more than the wildest estimates ever made. Only because the
Federal Reserve banking system had been put in operation was it possible to
enter the World War; and its costs ran so far beyond possible computations,
that when war ceased in November, there was chaos in finance and economics, but
with common sense and a little goad patience the country would have worked out
of its troubles in due time.

     But that was not to be; instead, the Federal Reserve Board began the
criminal deflation program before the people had time to get a breathing spell
and adjust themselves to the new situation. The next big panic was on! Big
Finance was responsible for the wreckage that came with this cruel course of a
few bankers and others who had the power, secretly exerted. Without notice or a
chance for clients to protect themselves, the banks were ordered to call
commercial loans, and from Maine to California, the small business men, the
farmers and stockmen were 'crucified on the Cross of Gold'; banks closed by
hundreds; stock ranches were stripped of their herds by sheriff's sales all
over the west; farms foreclosed by thousands. The ruthless course pursued by
the new banking system, was the cause of more suffering than the war had been.
It was the substantial ruin of the agricultural industry of the country, and
its effect is the one great unsettled national 'farm question' of the present
day.

     The writer, in order to get a correct view of the terrible impairment of
economic and financial affairs of the country, took a trip (1920) across the
continent, visiting on the way, the country and city bankers, the ranchers and
grain producers, going west on the northern routes and back over the central
section. It was one vast blanket of desolation; farmers and cattlemen being
sold out; most of the banks closed or in desperate circumstances; merchants
complaining everywhere; Oregon and Wash. ington lumbermen idle or in despair
trying to keep their big plants operating. At Kansas City the stockyards were
filled with mortgage foreclosed stock; their cattle and sheep ranges stripped;
the bankers from the frontier towns crowding the city banks begging loans to
save their institutions scattered away in the prairies. Sitting in with the
president of the largest bank there, the

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 63

writer witnessed the conferences with its country-bank correspondents who
appealed for help; saw them go away without it,—one delegation after
another,—and all choking with indignation at the wicked and uncalled for ruin
that faced them at home.

     Immediately on return home, a trip to New York was made, in an effort to
show Wall Street bankers the wreck they had made and that unless their policy
was reversed, they would bring down upon themselves, and the nation, its utter
ruin. The heads of the giant New York banks, with one exception, admitted the
seriousness of the movement, but were unwilling to do anything about it. Two of
them had the audacity to say: "These farmers and stockmen had no business to
get into debt." They had already forgot that it was these same farmers and
stockmen that themselves and the government had forced into debt to raise more
food, more and more food, that was sorely needed to `win the war.' One medium
sized bank, however, did realize their obligation, and loaned a half million to
try to stay the tide. Their belated effort was of little aid in a wreck of
billions!

     Agriculture had won the war, but now that it was over, the Big Business
and insider-Federal-Bank-crowd wanted to have the benefit of the new bank
system, and promptly closed the valves against agriculture, and opened them
wide to Industry, where they could still reap big profits. Then began the
campaign of industrial promotions, which ended in the 1929 crash,--the climax
of mismanaged money.

     And DuBois had her share of these troubles; the coal trade was slipping;
no longer the war prices. And Prohibition was becoming the law of the land; the
League of Nations was born; the warring peoples of Europe warred with words at
Versailles, drank wine and ate high-grade cheese at the Trianon for a year
while the heartsick world looked on; while we kept them fed and clothed, and
rebuilt their homes and set them up in business again. First for eleven
billions, and then later for another thirteen billions,-besides the twenty-five
billion it cost us to help them fight THEIR quarrels. Poor old be-whiskered,
good-natured Uncle Sam wasn't smart enough to hold his own with foreign
bankers, in money matters.

     Prohibition forced the closing of one of DuBois' biggest local
industries, one of her best payroll and income producers, the DuBois Brewing
Co. Hotels dried up for lack of trade, and all real estate sagged in price; the
re-construction period was on, and there was hesitation in all lines of
business.

     But Harding promised co-operation with Big Business and with the Federal
Reserve Bank system at its command, the industrial promotions went on in a big
way; for a time it seemed that all the returned soldiers were hired as bond-
salesmen; in lieu of payroll rooms in the banks, coupon booths were installed
and nearly every bank opened a bond-selling division and stock-exchange branch.

     In August '21 the DuBois Kiwanis club was organized, and soon reached a
membership of nearly three times its present size; the Du-Bets Rotary Club was
active, but neither of the clubs accomplished much in a substantial way, for
both were born of the passing of a progressive day—a sort of a swan song of
prosperity that was, and might not come again.

     The Harding administration found itself involved in a swarm of grafting
politicians; High Finance was getting its slimy tentacles around all
commercial, productive and financial activities of the people; it was the day
of bald exploitaton of not only the people, but of the public resources. Poor
Harding! He was a fine fellow and wanted to be a good president, but was
crucified on a cross of crooked politics; they brought his body home from San
Francisco in a special train, heavily draped in black, and the nation mourned,
unaware of what had killed him.

     Sproul was governor; he had been the author of the new state road

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Page 64  DUBOIS HISTORY

system of county-seat towns connected by state-built highways, Sproul had been
a consistent supporter of the writer's Cook Forest project from its inception
in 1911, and now when governor, he renewed his interest, with the expressed
promise that he would see it finally consumated. On terms dictated by himself,
the Cooks presented the option for the property in his name, but he referred
the papers to Pinchot, his Chief of Forestry, who opposed it, and succeeded in
influencing the governor to not only break his word, but failed to keep his own
word to support the bill. After his own elevation to the governorship, the Cook
Forst promoters abandoned further efforts, and waited the next administration.
With the incoming of Fisher as governor, they got a square deal and Cook Forest
Park was a reality.

     Coal prices fall, and there was constant agitation, lock-outs, and
strikes; DuBois was drifting.

     B. & S. Shaft No. 2 shut down after many years of steady production and
pays, burying a million tons of of coal; Eriton had trouble with their men and
was idle much of the time; American - French - Belgian Window Glass Co., was
finding it a losing proposition to keep open their Sandy Township plant, and
after a long, hard struggle, with J. W. Allison, of St. Louis, as manager, it
finally succumbed to the inevitable; the Iron Furnace, operated spasmodically,--
and all this time, the Federal Reserve banks were pouring vast sums into the
Big Business Wallets for building up centralized manufacture. Consolidation was
the word in business everywhere,—in banks, in merchandising, in railroads, and
particularly in public utilities; chain stores and department stores came, and
also wholesales; DuBois was being recognized as a trading center, and with fast
building paved roads, trucking began to supersede the horse.

     The Federal Reserve expansion of credits to industry was having its
effect; for a time it seemed that it would forestall the sad results of the
1920 campaign of deflation,—but the farm market had been almost completely
wiped out and its buying power for support of the industrial expansion was
sorely needed now. To supplant that want, the big bank system with the
cooperation of big Politics turned to war-torn Europe to find its market for
its mass-manufactures,—and found it. The market was there, but there was no
money with which to pay for American goods; and so propaganda went forth
showing the need for the dear American citizens to cooperate for the common
good; they must buy German, and other European bonds. And so High Finance
crowds drained the pockets of the people, at a big profit, sent the money by
billions to foreigners; then sold them goods at a bigger profit, and got the
money back for themselves to manufacture more goods to sell at big profit to
the foreigners. This lasted until the bubble burst,—and it was the people that
held the bag,—of worthless bonds.

     With the billions of money borrowed from the Americans, Germany bought
liberally, and so France and Italy and England,—and for a time business in the
U.S.A. was recovering, and it grew into what seemed real prosperity. It lasted
just so long as the big bankers could get the little bankers and their
depositors to buy European and South American bonds, but soon it became
apparent to the big bankers that this process could not last, for they already
had sapped the savings of the people. The foreigners were willing to buy goods
from America so long as American money was available to pay for them, but as
the bottom of the baby's dime bank was reached, and the farmer and the shopmen,
and the butcher and baker and country bankers quit subscribing, High Finances
stopped loaning to foreigners; then the foreigners, now re-constructed with
American money, began to send their manufactures to America by way of paying
back their borowings; they could not pay with money because they had spent it
to rebuild,—but the U. S.A. passed a tariff wall so high that no foreign goods
could come

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 65

in,— and so the foreigners were blocked from settling,—and they never did
settle. Meantime, the big American bankers had accumulated about all the money
of both America and the European; High Finance was cock-of-the-walk of the
whole world. What to do —there was no more freign trade! There was no home
market for the overbuilt industry; the farm buying power had been ruined;
little business and little banks had bean drained of their cash resources to
pay for the foreign bonds, and so there was nothing for High Finance to do with
its vast horde of liquid funds. What to do? It organized the greatest campaign
of speculation that the world ever knew; it stirred the American people to a
riot of gambling in stocks,—and in Florida real estate,—and big city real
estate. It was the day of grand court-houses, union stations, school-houses,
skyscrapers and apartments; it was the day of high-priced cars, prohibition and
night clubs.

     As the times grew worse in the deflation period, there was an awakening
to a realization that something had to be got to develop local industries
again; but the vast surplus of manufactured goods left from the war left little
encouragement for making things to sell. There was better prospect for
agriculture; and a scarcity of livestock resulting from the farm deflation,
seemed to justify a more liberal attitude of bankers and business men toward
the local fanning. The banks organized the Stockgrowers' Association in the
county and began a series of loans for the purchases of pure-bred cattle,
hoping thus to build up a better farming practice and develop dairying. While
president of that organization for several years, it was the writer's privilege
to distribute con- siderable of bank funds to farm boys' and girls' clubs
throughout the county, to be used in the purchase of high-grade breeding stock,
and certified seed for farm crops, the result of which several prize-winning
herds were established. From the potato clubs thus financed, the district
became noted as an excellent potato region. And no better strawberries are
produced anywhere. As further encouragement to farmers, the local banks joined
liberally in the establishing of DuBois Dairy Co., for convenience in marketing
local dairy products.

     Strikes, shut-downs, resulting from the drastic economic changes
following the World War, together with the rapid development of the motor car
travel and traffic, brought emphatic demand for better roads.

     To this time there had been sporadic effort to meet that demand, and
short stretches of macadam and concrete were built through towns and for the
short stretches beyond; but for practical use these were largely experiments,
and merely served to increase the clamor for better roads.

     Just as in Colonial time, the call was for canals, railroads and highways
toward the west, the State led off with improving main roads east and west. The
Lincoln Highway and the old National Pike being first to receive attention and
large appropriations for their reconstruction. Both these trunk lines were
military establishments; originally Indian-trader pack-paths, they were hacked
out through the forests by Brad-dock's and Forbes' armies for passage of heavy
wagon trains of fighting equipment and commissary supplies, forage, tents and
cannon,—all for the purpose of driving the French from the Ohio-Allegheny
country.

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Page 66

Road Building
Chapter XIV

     The World War brought to military authorities the great need for
improving the old turnpike to the northwest. War with Indians required this old
Indian trail to be widened for wagon traffic, but as no army was available at
the time, the State contracted with civilians to make it passable to reach the
western forts and for settlers to open the farm and grazng lands in the
northwestern section of the state, and the Northwest Territory. Therefore
during, and following, the World War, plans were carried out for making the old
turnpike the modern Lakes-to-Sea trunk line highway. The Lakes-toSea Highway
Association was organized by DuBois, Brookville, Clarion and Clearfield men,
and with the excellent work of its leaders a few years saw, its completion. As
the Lakes to Sea Highway is Pennsylvania's most historic, as well as one of her
most important through trunk lines, a detail record of its origin, growth and
development is incorporated herein:

LAKES-TO-SEA HIGHWAY

     In the effort to find homes free from religious persecution, the
Pennsylvania Pioneer considered the question in terms of East, Central, or
West, according to the period he came.

     King Charles II was indebted to the elder Penn for services in the wars
against the Dutch. To cancel it he granted to the son William, a plot of land
between the river Delaware and a line 5 degrees of longitude west and from a
point 12 miles from New Castle to the 43rd degree north latitude. It was to
include the islands therein, and the width from south to north depended upon
whether the Delaware extended that far north. King Charles reserved 20 per cent
of all the gold and silver and two beaver skins to be delivered at Windsor
Castle on "January 1st every year." The King thought in terms of gold and
silver and fur. Had he made provision for his compensation by reserving a
royalty of oil and gas and coal instead of gold, one can only surmise what the
royal income might amount to now.

     William Penn opened office on the banks of the Delaware "ye 10th of ye
1st month" 1683. The first meeting of his Council shows that 16 members beside
himself, were present Penn occupied the chair and designated himself
"Proprietery & Governor," and the first edict issued was "that one speak at a
time, standing up with his face to the chair."

     Early in the proceedings for colonizing his vast estate. Penn effected
the celebrated Treaty with Tamanen and his braves, and purchased large areas of
land from them along the Delaware and the Schuylkill rivers.

     The first deed dated "23rd ye 4th month, called June in ye year,
according to English account, 1683", included the lands lying "betwixt
Pemmapeeka and Nessaminehe Creeks and all along Nessaminehas Creek" for the
consideration of "so much wampum, so many guns, shoes, stockings, looking
glasses, blankets and other goods as ye said William Penn shall please to give
unto me." The deed is signed: "Tammanens X mark" and witnessed by Laasse Cock,
John Blunston, Joe Curties, Shockhuppo and Mesamegrian.

     In one of the early meetings of the Council, reference is made to a
highway but not such as we now understand in modem science: It was a "petition
of the inhabitants of Duck Creek about the cutting of the way through the marsh
for vessels to pass." However, there was yet very little use for highways since
Penn possessed the Only horse vehicle and it seldom left the district covered
by Market street to the Schuylkill.

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 67

     In his frame of Government, Penn provided that "The Governor and
Provisional Council shall appoint all necessary roads and highways in the
Province." In his instructions to Governor Markham in 1683, Penn said: "That
care be taken of ye roads and highways in ye country that they may be straight
and commodious ffor Travellers ffor I understand they are turned about by ye
planters, which tis a mischief yt must not be endured."

     By 1750, settlements had spread to the Cumberland and Lebanon Valleys
where tolerable roads were in use. Trails were already in use by the Indians
along the Susquehanna, Juniata and across country in many directions. The
famous Kittanning Path was the travel route west to the Ohioghany at
Kittanning; it lead from Carlisle over Tuscarora mountain to Augswick, Standing
Stone, (Huntington), Frankstown, Kittanning Point, (Horse Shoe Curve) thence
across Indiana county to the river where one of their principal towns was
located, now Kittanning.

     The first mention of a road to the west was made by Governor Robert H.
Morris, dated 28 February, 1755, who wrote: "There is an open waggon road from
this town (Philadelphia) to the mouth of the Connegochege, which I am told is a
very good one, but there is no waggon road from Carlisle west through the
mountains, but only a Horse Path by which Indian Traders used to carry their
goods and skins to and from the Ohio, while the trade remained open. I
herewith, send a map of that Path from Carlisle to Shannopin's town where the
French fort now stands, by which you will see the great difficulty that will
attend the making of a waggon road that way. You must be sensible of the
Difficulties I labor under in this premice, having no money at ray command.
However, I will try and prevail upon them (the assembly) to enable me to send a
surveyor to reconnoiter the country from Carlisle Westward beyond the Allegheny
Mountains. I think with you, that the French will oppose our march to Ohio;
they have numbers of Indians in their interest: they will, with their aid,
endeavor to harass our Troops on their way through the woods."

     On March 12 following, the governor issued a commission to George
Croghan, John Armstrong, James Bird, William Buchanan and Adam Hoopes,—"to
cause a road and communication to be opened from Present Roads and settled
Parts of this province to a branch of Monongahela called Yohiogain and to camp
at the mouth of Wills Creek as well for the march of Troops as for the carriage
of Provisions, each and every of you to explore and view the country west and
north of Kittochtinny or Blue Hills and when you shall have carefully and
diligently examined all the marshes, Swamps, Rivers, Creeks and Waters together
with the passes in the several ranges of Hills with which that country abounds
You are carefully and as secretly as may be to survey and lay out such Roads as
you shall judge most direct and commodious to answer the Purpose aforesaid and
with all possible Expedition to report to me your Proceedings in the Premises
with fair Draughts of the Courses and Distances of such Roads and your
observation where it may be necessary to throw up or make Causeways and bridges
if any be wanted with an account of your charges and a fair estimate of the
Expense and Charge for opening and clearing of such Roads and making such
bridges and causways.”

     While the Commission was busy with organization and the making of these
surveys, big things were happening elsewhere in the province. Penn had
purchased from the Indians at Albany the whole of the Susquehanna country for
$2000, while the French were making more secure their hold upon the natives and
their lands on the Ohio.

     To get at the French for the purpose of driving them out by force of arms
it was necessary to have passable roads over the mountain barriers that lay
between. It is clear from the Givernor's letters of instructions that the
Commission faced a formidable undertaking to locate and construct such a
highway and before the desired result was

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reached we must refer to another epoch-making incident that took pace a year
or more previously and which had a decided bearing upon the plan for building
this proposed highway.

     George Washington left Williamsburg in October 1753 with a letter from
Governor Dinwiddie to the commandant of the French fort at LeBoeuf (Waterford)
announcing his sovereignty over that region and directing the surrender and
abandonment of all French activities and influences throughout the northwest to
Lake Erie. The polite Monsieur St. Pierre treated the youthful ambassador to
good things to eat and drink but treated the message as a good joke and sent
George away with a discouraging answer for the choleric Dinwiddie. This adverse
report from young Washington brought the realization that prompted Governor
Morris to provide a means for transporting an army and supplies to drive out
the French but the slow process of civil procedure could not be tolerated, and
when the Braddock army landed at Alexandria the red coats were put to work with
axe and spade to hew and dig and burn a way through the tangles of the virgin
forests. It was a slow and exasperating job for the soldiers new to the country
and utterly untrained for such arduous duties, and it gave the French time to
prepare for their reception; it gave them the victory at Yohiogany' junction
that ended the life and effectiveness of Braddock and his army but laid the
foundation for the young lieutenant to later become the 'Father of his Country.'

     The lack of a proper transportation route cost the, English colonies the
loss of its noted British army besides uncounted expenditures of money, and it
delayed the settlement of the Ohio country for man., years; It brought on the
bloody French-Indian atrocities that caused ruin and desolation lasting for
nearly half a century. One passable wagon road available for the British troops
in 1755 might have saved this period of bloody border warfare and turned the
tide of American history — but with the dogged determination of the English,
they promptly organied another army and sent it against the French fort at the
forks of the Ohio. General Forbes selected a route north cf the old Braddock
trail and his troops were hardened veterans of the frontier who knew better how
to build and blast the needed roadway; they out and burned the forest growth
and maintain-. ed their base of operations as they progressed — from Carlisle
to Bedford thence to Ligonier and Hannastown and Bushy Run where the battle was
fought that decided supremacy for the English.

     Even after the British cature of the post at the forks of Ohio, the
French still dominated much in the fur trade in the upper country which had
been in their control for centuries, for the Indians favored them as long
established friends. From the seat of government at Philadelphia, owing to the
long distance of the settled portion of the Penn Colony largely in the east and
southern sections, it was very necessary to establish better intercommunication
with the northwest. There had existed for ages past, only Indian trails or foot
paths through the dense forest but these were wholly inadequate for the
settlers to transport their farm and house hold equipment and seed and live
stock.

     In his report to Governor Dinwiddie, George Washington made reference to
a beautiful rolling country, suitable for settlement, that he had found along
the waters of French Creek. With the relaxation of the recent reign of Terror,
the year nu found the brothers John and David Mead ready to investigate the
truth of the Washington story. These young men lived at Sunbury (Ft. Augusta)
where they outfitted with pack hoses to explore the country to the far west.
Following the old Indian trail they arrived at Chingleclamoose, on the west
branch of Susquehanna (Clearfield). From that point, the Chingleclamoose Path
led along the southern bank of the river crossing at the "hogback" to the north
side, thence

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 69

to the mouth of Anderson Creek (Curwensville) following it some distance to
Little Anderson Creek, where it crossed the divide at Coal Hill and there
divided, one branch leading down the valley of Stump Creek and East Branch to
Mahoning at Pukesheno (Punxsutawney). The north or main trail led over the
foothills northwestwardly through West Liberty, crossing the Lakes-toSea
Highway about 800 feet east of the Jefferson and Clearfield county line at
Thunderbird Spring. From that point, the route led to main Sandy Creek at Sandy
Valley Station, north of Reynoldsville, thence through the Horme Settlement and
slightly north of Emerickville to Brookville; north of Clarion, to Franklin and
along French Creek to LeBoeuf and Presqu Isle at Lake Erie.

     A branch for travel from the west and from the south and east, known as
the Venango Path, ran from the Kittanning Path near Smicksburg„ in Indiana
couny to a connection with the Chingleclamoose Path not far from Shippensville
in Clarion county.

     Over this trail the Mead brothers made their way to the good lands
reported by Washington and they were not disappointed. The following year they
returned, bringing along with them their father and some neighbors and the
necessary supplies and a limited equipment for settlement. They took up the
best of the lands, thus founding the prosperous and beautiful city of Meadville.

     Some of the romance of this Indian Path includes its use in the campaign
of the French against the British when in 1757-8 they passed over it with
several hundred French and Indian troops in the effort to destroy Fort Augusta,
the main stronghold of the English at the junction of the East and West
branches of the Susquehanna, the old Indian town of Shamokin,—now Sunbury.

     From the old archives one is able to glean a mental picture of the two
hundred Frenchmen followed by several hundred brawny braves with breech clout
and moccasin for rainment and bows and arrows and scalping knives for their
arms offensive and defensive, as they silently tread the forest in single file
over the same hills and through the same valleys that the luxurious palace
motor buses now daily carry the travelers in ease and comfort at the speed of
the winds.

     This picturesque army evidently was gathered from the French posts at
Duquesne, Kittanning, Venango and LeBoeuf and assembled at the mouth of
Anderson's Creek where rude boats, rafts and batteaux were constructed for the
passage down the river for the proposed attack from the mountain opposite the
fort. They dragged along with them two small brass cannon but after two days of
reconnoitering found the distance to great for the guns to shoot; the defense
was strong enough to resist attack by storming or by siege,—and the attack was
abandoned.

     On the way back the cannon became so burdensome to drag that it was
decided to abandon them and accordingly they were deposited in an eddy or deep
sink in the river which place has since been known as the cannon hole'.

     Had this unique military expedition been provided with a good road over
which effective artillery could have been taken it might readily have captured
the principal outpost of the English and thereby turned the whole history of
the colony into other chantels. The loss of Augusta at this time would most
likely have interrupted the progress of Forbes in his campaign against
Duquesne; thus Bushy Run and the evacuation of the Ohio fort might not have
happened at all.

     It was a question of roads. The British built them and succeeded; the
French trusted to Indian trails and guerilla warfare and failed.

     The Braddock road has since become the great National Pike known to
motorists as Old Trails Route No. to motorists as Old Trails Route and the
Forbes Army route is now Route No. 30, the famous Lincoln cided changes in
grades and alignment since the days of the motor car and motor bus.

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     Another of the romances of the Lakes-to-Sea when it was yet the original
Chingleclamoose Path is the story of Marie Le Roy and Barbara Lininger. In the
morning of October 16th, 1755, the Indians attacked the LeRoy home, some twelve
miles from Sunbury, and killed LeRoy with tomahawk, took Marie and her brother
prisoners, plundered the house and set it on fire. Into the fire they laid the
body of LeRoy feet foremost until it was half consumed, the upper portion with
the tomahawk still sticking in the head was left as warning to other settlers.
They went on to the Lininger house, shot the father, tomahawked the son and
took Barbara and her sister Regina with them. That evening their red associates
came in with six fresh bloody scalps saying they had a good hunt that day.

     In writing of their experiences after their escape, the girls relate:.
"Next day the whole troop was divided into two bands one marching in the
direction of the Ohio, the other in which we were with Galasko to Jenkiklamuhs
(Chingleclamoose) a Delaware town on the West Branch of the Susquehanna
(Clearfield).

     "There we stayed ten days and then proceded to Puncksotonay or
Eschentown. Marie LeRoy's brother was forced to remain at Jenkiklemuhs, After
resting five days at Puncksotonay we took our way to Kittany; there we remained
until the month of September, 1756."

     The girls were there captives when Colonel Armstrong attacked and burned
the town. They described the torture of two other captives who tried to escape
and were recaptured, —one an English woman: "First they scalped her; next they
laid burning splinters of wood here and there upon her body; then they cut off
her ears and fingers forcing them into her mouth so that she had to swallow
them. Amidst such torments this woman lived from nine o'clock in the morning
until toward sunset when a French officer took compassion on her and put her
out of misery. An English soldier who escaped from Lancaster prison and joined
the French had a piece of flesh cut from the body and ate it. When she was dead
the Indians chopped her in two through the middle and let her lie until the
dogs came and devoured her."

     Three days later an Englishman was brought in who had attempted to escape
with Col. Armstrong's troops,—"he was burned alive; his torments continued only
about three hours but his screams were frightful to listen to. It rained that
day very hard so that the Indians could not keep up a fire, hence they began to
discharge gunpowder at his body. At last midst his worst pains when the poor
man called for a drink of water, they brought him melted lead and poured it
down his throat,—he died on the instant."

     Marie LeRoy and Barbara Lininger have the distinction of being the first
white persons to travel over the Clearfield - DuBois division of the Lakes-to-
Sea,—now more than a hundred and eighty years ago. For about ten years
following the pack-trail expedition of the young men from Augusta in 1788 the
old Indian path was called the Mead Trail. The settlement on French Creek
forced increasing need for its improvement and after the adoption of the
Constitution of 1790-1 agitation was insistent for the State to make the same
passable for wagon traffic.

     On April 10th, 1790, the Assembly passed an act authorizing the governor
to contract for a road from Bald Eagle's Nest to LeBoeuf but it was not until
July 3rd, 1799 that Thomas Mifflin contracted with Samuel Miles and Roger Alden
for the building of it. The consideration was five thousand dollars to be paid
"out of the first monies arising from the sale of reserved lands and lots at
the towns of Erie, Franklin, Warren and Waterford. The specifications provided
that the road must be 'at least ten feet wide to admit of two wagons to pass
each other'. The road to be opened was about two hundred miles in length,
therefore, one can imagine the enormous undertaking it must have been to clear
out this long passage over the "mountains, hills, rocks and morasses," as set
out in the contract.

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 71

     On December 10th, 1801, John Fleming, Inspector, repored on the completed
work to a point west of Sandy Creek, and some time later his inspection was
finished for the section to LeBoeuf.

     Little grading was done and no bridges of importance were included in the
price, but it served in a crude way for wagon use.

     We have seen the enormous difficulties and the terrible suffering
attending the making of the two military routes over the mountains—first the
Braddock army route and then the Forbes Army road later to become the National
Pike and the Lincoln Highway, respectively. Now a half century later the
American Revolution being over and Independence established American citizens
started the highway over which the 'star of Empire takes its way.' It was the
beginning of highway construction that did not pause until met by the Golden
Gate waters in the Pacific.

     We have noted the expedition of the French army over the old Indian trail
on the campaign to Augusta. Now in the period when it had been opened as a
State Road we have to record further military uses for it.

     In the War of 1812, leaving Fort Louden on March 4h, 1814, Major William
McClelland marched a division of troops numbering two hundred and twenty-one
privates, three captains, five lieutenants and two ensigns, over the old state
road to the relief of the Americans at Lake Erie. These soldiers later gave
good account of themselves at Chippewa and Lundy's Lane.

     These soldiers of the war of '12 with their wagon train of equipment and
cannon, camped at Thunderbird Spring, just east of Kiwanis Trail. and near the
Jefferson - Clearfield County Line. Here the old road may be followed for some
distance to the north in the forest where trees of diameter two feet now grow
on the old grading over which these soldiers dragged their heavy cannon for the
aid of Perry on the great laze. To the southeast the old roadway is easily
traced for a mile or more to the crossing of the old turnpike at West Liberty.

Susquehanna and Waterford Turnpike
     On February 22, 1812, was incorporated the Susquehanna and Waterford
Turnpike Company to which the state subscribed twelve thousand dollars. The
remaining shares were taken by the people in the counties through which it was
to pass. Owing to the War of 1812 construction work was delayed until 1818 and
much of the work was let to James Harriott by contract. The bridge over the
Clarion river was built in 1821 and in 1823 the road was put in operation all
the way from Philadelphia to Erie. Squared cut stone markers were placed at
each mile; some of them are still to be seen between Clarion and Franklin where
they have stood silent sentinels for more than a century,—of the millions of
human being and animals that passed along,—in stage-coach, Conestoga wagon,
horseback and on foot.

     These stone monuments had carved on their faces the letters S and F,
indicative of their terminal and the figure or numeral sign to show the
distance. Over this turnpike was hauled the freight and merchandise for all the
storekeepers and traders along the route. For the purpose the Conestoga Wagon
with canvass top and four or six horses was used. It required four weeks to
make the trip from Philadelphia with loads of two or three tons and the rate
charged to the Jefferson district was $6. per hundred pounds.

     Passengers and mail were carried in the famed Concord Stage coaches whose
four-horse teams in relays rattled along at six to eight miles an hour. Before
the days of postage stamps, letters were carried at rates of 5c for seventy-
five miles and 10c for a hundred and fifty miles and 15c for three hundred
miles.

     The turnpike was organized for profit and fees were charged for driving
upon it and gates were installed every five or ten miles.

     The toll-gate keeper collected for every horse, passenger and head of
livestock passing through from sunrise to sunset,—and preachers were let
through the gate free. At the

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usual feeding-time distances were the `taverns' where the stage stopped for
`dinner' and horse-feed! The menu was fried eggs and home-cured ham with fried
potatoes and sauerkraut, dried apples and custard pie; sometimes varied with
stewed venison, squirrel and speckled trout. The bar was the most important
adjunct to every turnpike tavern, and rye whiskey was the universal drink,
served for 5c and 10c a glass in tumblers.

The Great Eastern Cattle Trail
     The 'Old Pike' was the main thoroughfare for the north half of the state.
Perhaps its most interesting and profitable period was the thirty years
preceding 1875, in which never-ending herds of live-stock were driven over it
from the grazing sections of western Pennsylvania and northern Ohio to the
markets of the east ending at Philadelphia. Before the days of modern meat
packing to feed the multitudes in the thickly populated sections in the east it
was necessary to collect the fattened beef cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry,
which were taken in 'droves' over this route to the point of consumption and
there slaughtered and distributed freshly dressed by the retail butchers.

     Men are yet alive who saw and participated in this wonderfully
interesting business and there is not more romance in the story of the western
cowboy than was experienced by those who made the cattle business a profession
while Western Pennsylvania adjoined the Frontier. Mr. H. E. Ginter, of DuBois,
remembered well the almost-continuous cavalcade of live-stock that covered this
old thoroughfare with only sufficient space between droves to permit the
mounted proprietor and his helpers to control and manage his own particular
division. These "drovers" made from eight to fourteen miles a day with their
fat stock and at night were obliged to pasture at one of the wayside farms
which were maintained largely for an prospered by this traffic. During this
period only sufficient grain was produced by the farmers for the use of their
families, finding it most profitable to cater in this way to the "drovers."

     Sheep were herded and driven in a similar manner, likewise turkeys, geese
and hogs. Mr. Ginter told of the turkey drover's difficulty when night came on.
Instead of turning his flock into a rented pasture, such as the cattle and
sheep men were obliged to do, his wayward charges, when dusk approached, would,
without warning, fly to nearby trees and contentedly roost until morning,
obliging their captor and guide to camp at the roadside whether it pleased him
or not.

LAKES-TO-SEA HIGHWAY
     During the World War it was found desirable for military reasons,—anyway
for commercial reasons to have a modern through route from the lakes to the
sea,—and there could be no better route designed than the old Indian Trail,
whose history we have traced from earliest times. It had been selected by the
white settlers an every needful occasion for the best way to the west. The
Lakes-toSea Highway Association was formed to promote it.

     With the phenomenal increase of population and traffic and the great
advance in ways and means for constructing roads, the progressive highway
officials revised, relocated and paved the old War Path and made of it the
historic, romantic and picturesque trunk line called LAKES-TO-SEA HIGHWAY.

PRESQU' ISLE
     This French Fort, built in 1753, stood near the lake front at corner of
what is now Parade street and Front street on a plot later to become the City
of Erie. It was 120-ft. square with a gate at the north and another at the
south. No port holes were cut in any part of it.

     This fortification was built by Mon. Babier and a force of three hundred
men sent out by Marquis DuQuesne, Governor of Canada, to erect a line of
defense against encroachments of the English. This fort served as a depot of
supplies for all the others on the Ohio. In 1754 it was commanded by Captain
Darpontine and thirty men. In 1759 it was evacuated and in 1760 was occupied by
the Eng-

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[image]
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

image may be viewed at:
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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 73

lish under Major Rogers. Later it was in charge of Ensign Christie who with 27
men repulsed a two-day attack on June 15-16 by 200 French and Indians from
Detroit who surrounded the little garrison and maintained a relentless siege
forcing them to surrender when they were all carried prisoners to Detroit from
which the daring Christie later escaped.

     The post was visited by Colonel Bradstreet in 1764 with his army for the
purpose of making a treaty with the Indians but it was not until 1783 that the
final peace was obtained.

     Presqu' Isle was bought from the United States on March 3rd, 1792 by the
State of Pennsylvania thus completing a long-disputed title to the coveted lake
front. Presqu' Isle is now the modern City of Erie and one of her historic
relics of the old days is Commodore Perry's flag-ship, the Lawrence. The city
was laved out in 1793 by Act of the Legislature "in order to facilitate and
promote the progress of settlement within the Commonwealth and to afford
additional securit to the frontiers thereof."

FORT LEBOEUF

     The modern City of Waterford was the site of the old French fort. It
stood at what is now High street fronting Water street opposite he bridge
crossing LeBoeuf Creek—now French Creek. The original fort was built in 1753,
"of wood stockaded triangular-wise and had two log houses on the inside."

     It was here that George Washington came in the winter of that year as
emissary of the irascible Dinwiddie to tell the polite old Monsieur St. Pierr
that he must evacuate the fort and deliver up the possession of the northwest
country. George's half brothers, as well as the Virginia governor himself were
interested in the  great Ohio Land Company which sought the Indian fur trade in
this region and were largely instrumental in sending the youth with this
message of warning.

     Along with Washington on this memorable journey were Christopher Gist the
trader, Van Braam interpreter of French, John Davidson Indian interpreter, and
three Indian guides, Tennacharison, Jeskakake and from Logstown. The Indians,
in trying to understand the reasons for this White Thunder accompanied him
expedition, said: "The French claim all the land on one side of the Ohio and
the English on the other side, now where does the Indian's lands lie?"

     On arrival at post after hard travel through "mire and swamps and most
unpropitious weather" young George immediately presented himself and `offered
his commission and letters' but was requested to retain both until Mon. Reparti
should arrive,—who was then commandant at the next fort and was expected
hourly, and in a few hours came.

     The letters were again tendered and a Council of War was held which gave
Major Washington opportunity to examine the fort which he estimated at 100 men
exclusive of a large number of officers; there were fifty birch bark canoes,
seventy pine ones and many more unfinished.

     Washington's instructions permitted him to remain but seven days for his
answer. His horses being without grain and the snow falling fast they were sent
back to Venango. Washington wrote,—"I cannot say that ever in my life I
suffered so much anxiety as I did in this affair."

     Reporting from the Council, the Chevallier St. Pierre courteously said:
"He would transmit the letter of Governor Dinwiddie to his general the Marquis
DuQuesne",—and as to the summons to retire: "I do not think myself obliged to
obey it. Whatever your instructions, I am here by virtue of orders of my
General, and I entreat you, Sir, not to doubt one moment but that I am
determined to conform myself to them with all exactness and resolution which
can be expected from the best officer."

     In describing the fort Washington wrote: "it is situated on the south or
west fork of French Creek near the water and is almost surrounded by the creek
and a small branch of it which forms a kind of island. Four houses compose the
sides above it and sharp at the top, with port-holes cut for the cannon and
loop-holes for the small arms to fire through. There

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Page 74  DUBOIS HISTORY

are six-pound pieces mounted on each bastion and one piece of four pounds
before the gate. The bastions are a guard-house, chapel, doctor's lodging and
the commander's private stores round which are laid platforms for the cannon
and the men to stand on. There are several barracks without the fort for the
soldier's dwellings, covered some with bark and some boards made cheaply o
logs. There are severel other houses such as stables, smith's shops, &c."
LeBoelf was sometimes referred to as `Buffalo's Fort.'

     During the Pontiac War June 18th, 1763, the fort was garrisoned by Ensign
Price, two corporals and eleven privates when attacked by a band of Indians who
besieged them and succeeded in setting fire to it with burning arrows
completely destroying it during the night. The brave defenders escaped in the
darkness and wandered about several days in the forest and swamps. They were
led by John Dortinger and their rations consisted of three biscuits each but
during the second day they became separated and Price continued on to Venango
alone only to find that fort a smoldering ruins among which lay the half-burned
bodies of its former garrison. Prise reached Fort Pitt in a starved condition
some time alter, but those he had become separated from him at LeBoeuf were
never found and evidently perished.

     In 1794 a new fort was built and garrisoned for the defense of the
settlers. In the War of 1812 it was used for the care of wounded and for
prisoners for a time and after peace came, it was converted and used as a hotel.

FORTS MACHAULT VENANGO AND FRANKLIN

     Fort Machault was built at Ganagarah'hare, later called Venango, at the
mouth of LeBoeuf (French) Creek by Mon. Bite in the late fall of 1753. The
Indians objected to having this fort erected there, accordingly the noted
Joncaire with a small detachment of troops occupied the old log cabin that had
been in use by John Frazier the Indian Trader, until the objection was removed
in the spring, when a saw mill was erected to cut the lumber for the structure.

     In addition to the fort and sawmill, the old plans show 45 houses or
barracks some distance below the mouth of French Creek on the west bank and
"fifteen feet higher than the bed of the river at the side of a hollow 15ft
deep and 60ft broad with a small stream of water." The English referred to it
as "The French fort at Venango." An old description of it says:

     "The north and south polygon is 45 yds and the east and west polygon is
37 yds. The bastions are built of saplings 8 inches thick and 13ft in length
set stockade fashion."

     
          In 1757 it had -six wall pieces of swivel guns and the garrison
comprised 50 regulars and 40 Canadians. In 1758 there were two officers and
forty men." Later in the same year Col. Mercer reported "about 100 soldiers and
several officers with but a small quantity Of flour, one great gun the size of
a quart pot and 11 bat-toes."

     After the abandonment of Fort Duquesne the French regarded Machault of
great importance and in 1759 concentrated here 1000 French troops and Indians
for an attack on Fort Pitt but just as they were about to embark, the order was
countermanded, the fort abandoned and destroyed and the forces left for Ft.
Niagara.

FORT VENANGO
     This fort was built in 1'760 on a new site 40 rods farther up the river
and nearer to the mouth of French Creek. In the present plan of Franklin Elk
street runs through the center of it and the bastion extended out into what is
Eighth street.

     It was more substantial than• the old French fort and was 88 ft square
with a block house in the center. It was surrounded by a ditch 24 ft wide. It
held a small garrison under General Gordon when in 1763 it was attacked and
destroyed leaving "not a man to tell the tale." An Indian who took part in this
massacre related many years agter, that "a large body of Senecas gained
entrance under pretense of friendship, then closed

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 75

the gates, fell upon the garrison and butchered them all except the commanding
officer Gordon whom they forced to write from their dictation a statement of
grievances which had driven them to arms,—then tortured him over a slow fire
for several nights until he expired. They then burned the place and departed.

FORT FRANKLIN

     Fort Franklin was constructed in 1787 and stood a half mile up French
Creek,—immediately above and west of the south end of the French Creek bridge.
It was garrisoned by Capt.
Jonathan Hart and 87 men; the plan was somewhat similar to the former Ft.
Venango and the block house was three stories high with substantial stone
chimneys in which was located the magazine.

     Forces were kept here until 1796 when the "Old Garrison" at the mouth of
the creek was erected,—a wooden building one and a half stories high and forty
feet long; here the troops stayed as a more convenient point to receive and
exchange stores. In 1803 this barracks was abandoned by the military as peace
now seemed secure.

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Modern DuBois
Chapter XV

     It was after the World War that Big Business established more and more
chain-stores in interior towns. DuBois, located for convenience of
distribution, became a chain-and-department store town. Newspapers were
consolidated, as were the telephone systems; banking became more and more under
the domination of the Federal Reserve authority, while locally owned largely,
they were no longer independently managed, nor could be, in the interest of the
local people. Funds that always had been devoted to upbuilding of the local
community, now were forced into investments that were controlled elsewhere.

     DuBois was no longer a live independent town, owned and controlled by her
local people who had made it so; but now she was a mere tiny cog in a small
wheel in the giant economic machine operated by the engineer of High
Finance,—her activities regimented, along with all other inland towns, her
future and her fortunes subject to the dictation of Wall Street and Washington.
And for the time, like all the rest, she lived and prospered on speculation.

     On Harding's demise, Coolidge became president and was re-elected in '24.
He did not interfere with Herbert Hoover's gigantic organization which he had
built up for the control, and guidance, of world trade,—but when the next
campaign came Coolidge said he 'did not choose to run.' Big Business selected
and elected Mr. Hoover as his successor in 1928; he stood for the 'Noble
Experiment' in prohibition, but left High Finance to carry on its thousand
times worse sin of gambling and bold piracy through the stock exchanges. And
DuBois got her share of the victims.

     To one who could look back through the years DuBois was a chicken in a
cyclone; what feathers were left were turned the wrong way; she was playing
'city' when she was really only an oversize mining camp desperately prospecting
for a new vein of 'pay ore'. The vast lumber mills, the two big tanneries, the
great opera house, the famed hotel, the engine works, the two big glass
factories. the iron furnace, the four great coal operations—Rochester, Nos. 1 &
2, Briton, Big Soldier,—the big payroll-makers, were gone,—and the chain store
with absentee management, were sapping the savings of the people whose life had
been spent in creating it all,—and who, still had to pay the tax for its
support; DuBois was a harvest place for the junk man.

     The feeding of the starving Belgians went on during the after war time;
the effort by the Dawes Commission to secure a settlement of the destruction
bill between France and Germany, kept the country in years of uncertainty. It
was during this period of anxiety (1923) that the writer made a trip to France,
Switzerland and Austria and saw the wreck made by the World War; the disturbed
condition in Germany prevented going into the late enemy country.

     At home, both Agriculture and Industry were paralyzed, and only
speculation prospered; everybody, nearly, was becoming rich, from the universal
gambling in stocks; public utiliities,—gas and electric stocks were the choice
ones for making multi-millionaires,—and everybody wanted to be one,—including
DuBois people; some of them counted sufficient `paper profits' to justify
owning Lincoln, Cadillac and Packard cars,—and later, wished they had purchased
a Model 'T' Ford, instead.

     Chain and department stores thickened in DuBois; more and more it was
becoming certain that she was solidly in the clutches of Big Business, and she
was becoming not an industrial, not a coal town, but a

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 77

regional trading center,—thanks to the good roads stretching out to the north,
east, south and west.

     To try to check the wild gambling spirit of the people, some insiders
invented the American Investment Trust, and for the last half of the 1920s, so-
called finance experts proanoted hundreds of them, and instead of curbing
speculation, they increased it, as one trying to put out a prairie-grass fire
by scattering its embers. But the local banks discouraged stock speculation so
far as possible, but of course could not prevent it; the Deposit National still
stood first through this trying period, with upwards of three million deposits.

     Al Smith, the champion of repeal of the Prohibition law was defeated in
the '28 campaign, and four more years of the noble experiment' had to be
tolerated under Hoover. Disrespect for law originated by the Volstead act, grew
to enormous proportions, and only encouraged and aggravated the gambling spirit
in the people; women joined with the men in defying the drinking rules, and
soon nearly every home was a private distillery or a home-brew factory; women
adopted the cigaret habit along with the drink habit; the old moral code was
thrown into the discard. From '26 to '29 was the 'whoopee' age.

     Then came the deluge; On October 29, 1929, the wild orgies of American
finance came to an end; the High Finance house of cards toppled and was gone
with the winds of wholesale wailing; fear and fanaticism followed; FAILURE was
the answer to fifteen years of Federal Reserve Finance.

     And how fared DuBois in the tragedy?—she stood the test because of the
strength and conservative policy of her banks! When the thousands of banks,
large and small, throughout the country failed; when Roosevelt closed all the
banks and re-opened only 'sound' ones, DuBois was among the few towns whose
banks were first to open.

     The tragic tale of the so-called Depression since 1929 is better left to
future historians; the sheriff's sales for taxes and debts; the astounding
increase in Federal debts; the relief rolls of near half the population of the
county; the suffering and suicides of the unfortunate; the millions of
unemployed subsisting on government dole; the temporary spur to business from
excessive government spending, —yet hoped by everyone might be permanent; these
are things now debated and which the writer joins with everyone in the hope
that they will soon be solved,—and that DuBois will, with 1937, once more take
its way to progress and prosperity.

Retrospect
     A look into the little end of the telescope pointed into 1938 and beyond,
the sweep of vision takes in the very same area that for two centuries, was the
famed trapping ground of the French; the same acres that held the vast forests,
and the coal beds from which DuBois was built but it is a wholly different
panorama.

     The former forest-covered 80-miles crest of the Continental Divide with
its western drainage system, the center of which is DuBois, is barren and fire-
scarred or mantled with struggling scrub-oak and spindly second-growth,
interspersed with small farms, occupied by over-taxed and struggling owners.
Here and there are ugly scars, sad reminders of the former prosperous coal
operations and mining towns which for many years, supplied the revenues from
which the town's railroads, shops and business institutions came and her people
were sustained.

     Notwithstanding the expenditure of many millions by the state and nation
in the effort to re-establish our forests, it is futile, so long as the
straggling remnants are annually invaded by fire, and the mine prop and paper-
wood cutters and Christmas-tree thieves are unrestrained. And our resources of
coal cannot be replaced, nor can the millions of tons of unmined coal that was
ruthlessly wasted and put beyond recovery by the former operators of the
district. The effects of this criminal waste and destruction of acres upon
acres of this God-given heritage falls not upon the corporations which happened

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Page 78  DUBOIS HISTORY

to possess it at the time, but upon future generations that must suffer
because of it. There remains, however, a considerable acreage of coal to the
east of the town, covering the Sabula-Home Camp-Narrows Creek region, which
will be developed, and once more contribute needed payrolls.

     Geography decided the beavers to build, and geography decided John DuBois
to build,—and geography will decide the future of DuBois! With her marvelous
network of state roads, railroads, and the airort, together with her water
system, excellent schools and churches, it may be confidently predicted that
DuBois will continue to hold her position as the trading center of a large and
growing territory. Sooner or later her clay and her gas and possibly oil, win
be developed, and the old lumber-and-coal days will be repeated with like
prosperity; that, however, is for the people of DuBois to decide; retail
business, labor, civic-country, or night-clubs, Federal or State authorities
will not do it for them. Serious thinking, old-time co-operation, and a little
capital will do it.

     What DuBois needs in this time of economic crisis is substantial
reduction in her overhead costs; a reduction in taxes and public utility rates;
a big reduction in building costs to encourage home-building instead of
preventing it as is now the case; and this again is for the people of DuBois to
decide,—they who pay the taxes.

     After all, DuBois is as good as any town, and better than most, but she
can be made a great deal bigger and better if only her citizens think so, and
want to make her so.

     In closing, the writer mentally reviews the army of fine men and we-men
who lived and labored to make of the lumber camp the modern little city it came
to be. Real estate development was started by John Rumbarger's big lots and
wide streets; then the Long & Brady Second ward section; the Hamor & Kuntz
addition in the `flats'—George Pifer and his hotel St. Cloud on Courtney, later
transferred to Sandy, Where the mill and yards now oper ate under the
management of Jim and Charley on a much larger scale; 'Squire W. N. Prothero in
the State street section; John Bierly of the Commercial corner; Henry Kilian
held the best locations in the business section, and had the courage to build
more and better than most others; the Wilson Bros. invested in Sandy to develop
the Wilson Addition, now an important suburb; Fred and Norman Loeb took on the
A. L. Tozier lands and extended operations to B. & S. Crossing after securing a
garment factory; Charley Burnham had his promotion of the Oklahoma section; the
Hopkins district in the Third ward, and the Wm. Menzie Addition adjoining; the
McClelland & Barlow promotion of the Silk Mill section with the later
development of the Maple Avenue residence plot by A. R. Van Tassel, and then
came the Daly development out on Main street, and the Iselin Heights section,
by Long, Johnston, Pentz and others. Moses Ruslander, and B. K. Fisher of the
St. Elmo Hotel. fought bravely through the nineties to maintain the lower Long
avenue and Franklin street section in competition with the Brady street
district. Among the real estate owners and subsantial taxpayers then were Sid
Fuller, Jim Daly, Wm. Stevenson, S. J. Schrecongost, H. E. Ginter, W. T. Ross,
the Osburns, Minns, Al Sprankle, Jime Hines, R. H. Moore, the Schwems, Sime
Wilson, Joe Taylor, Nate Hoover, Walter Hatten; and here it is reminded that
Walter Hatten was the champion boat builder of all time. During the Johnstown
flood day, he had need to reach the Main street section and as the flood
prevented, he went to his shop adjoining the Scalen lot, laid out a pattern,
fit bottom sides and ends; nailed it together; trimmed the projections, grabbed
up lath for an oar, carried the boat to Jared street, launched it and rowed to
his destination, all in thirty five minutes. The boat was in use for ten years
afterwards.

     Somebody once remarked that DuBois was a good town to be born in and
leave early in life. Looking back

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DUBOIS HISTORY  Page 79

over the list, it seems that there might be some truth in it, for hardly a
section of the United States is without a DuBois boy or girl who has made good;
not many years ago a row of the biggest banks from New York to Seattle had
their highest positions filled by DuBois trained men; and but a few years ago a
California merchant, with more than a hundred stores, called to thank the
writer for having loaned him his first hundred dollars which, he said, started
him on the way to success—not the money, but the evidence of confidence in his
integrity as a DuBois boy.

     Hardly an industry but has DuBois men holding responsible places; and,
besides, finance, manufacture, aviation, merchandising, their names stand high
in Law, Medicine and Art. Looking back is to ge reminded that DuBois owes much
to her pioneers. Rev. Father McGivney and J. V. Bell spent their lives here and
left monuments in fine churches and good work; Cole, Pentz Arnold, made marks
in the legal fraternity.

     Early physicians were Smathers, Spackman, Sweeney, Hindman, Pettigrew;
and dentistry was represented by Marsh, Bell and Vogle; there was no hypodermic
needles to save the patient excruciating pain; they just grabbed the tooth and
yanked it out; it was a case of yell and suffer. Greene, Fell and Alleman
rendered valuable aid in building up DuBois public schools, and during his
short service in the DuBois region Joe Bailey, Superintendent of the Erie's
coal operations was a popular power for good in the community.

     DuBois would never have grown from a lumber camp to a city without the
work of her women. A nobler lot never lived in any city; to them is entitled
the credit for her good schools, the church and her hospitals,—and they are the
mothers of those who are making good in the world today.

     When Gabriel blows his trumpet for the last census DuBois women and girls
will lead the procession!
THE END

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AFTERWORD

     A year has passed: Printing of this booklet has been for one reason or
another, delayed, and as early 1938 indicates that the print-shop is preparing
to operate for making of it a permanent record, the publisher warns that
criticism has been lodged against the story as it appeared in the Courier-
Express.

     Because it failed to include the character sketches of many of the most
interesting people of early days; people who lived, loved and labored to make
DuBois the place where its present inhabitants still like best to live and
labor.

     The answer to this was:

     Because to tell the truth about many of them would prohibit printing the
booklet, and to tell all the good things about all of them would require, not a
book but several volumes of books, and that would be prohibitive. Nothing would
be more interesting to read than accurate biographies of Paddy Burns, Mike
Hanlon, John Jimison, Charley McNulty, 'Squires Martine, Bryan, 'Man' Kuntz,
John Bierly, Sid Fuller, Jim Hines, B. K. Fisher, Joe Taylor, P. S. Weber, John
Rumbarger, Lew Brady, George Schwem, Harry Loeb, George Betts, Jack Foster,
'Caps' Truxal and Hay, 'Farmer' Fuller, Dave McIntosh, Ed and Ex Van Tassel,
Gene Nettleton, Tom Scully, Butch Shaw, Dave Sparks, Ed Grier, Doc Sweeney,
Pentz boys, Los Hibner, Henry Knarr and a host of others, for they and those
like them, were the men who came and who stayed through the hard trials that
had to be met in building the logging camp into a town and rebuilding it into
the city it is today.

     World and National events since the "Memories" closed a year ago, have
been epochal to say the least. War in the Far East; Italy crushed Ethiopia,
killing tens of thousands; Japan invaded China killing hundreds of thousands of
helpless and innocent natives.—and at this writing, the slaughter still goes
on; Europe has been a seething war-map and still is, with outbreak of another
world war imminent daily; Spain, an oldest nation has been for the past year,
almost wiped out by its hideous modern Civil War; the United States in another
recession, after a partial recovery; the unemployed list is growing; stocks
receding; meantime DuBois stands firmly on its financial and economic feet, and
looks ahead with undiminished faith in the oldest flag that floats, and in the
patriotism and common sense of the American people.
M. I. McCREIGHT.