Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company's Early Years and Legacy

The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company was a pioneering enterprise in the United States. It was founded in 1822 by Josiah White and Erskine Hazard.

The company's early years were marked by significant growth and innovation. In 1824, it began constructing the Lehigh Canal, which would revolutionize transportation in the region.

This canal was a major achievement, spanning 46 miles and connecting the Lehigh River to the Delaware River. It was a vital transportation route for the company's coal and other goods.

The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company played a crucial role in the development of the American coal industry.

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The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company has a rich history that dates back to its founding. James J. Curran, a Schuylkill County attorney, founded the LCAN company, which would eventually become part of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company.

In 1793, the Lehigh Coal Mine Company was founded, but it struggled with weak management and inefficient operations. The company's employees attempted to transport coal from the mine to the Lehigh River, but it was a challenging task that required cutting down trees and building crude arks.

The Lehigh Coal Mining Company's rights were eventually absorbed by the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, which leased their operational rights from their predecessor.

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The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a pioneer in canal construction, learning from its early experiences with icing damage and canal repair. In 1821, the company reorganized into its current form, with White and Hazard injecting additional funding to sustain repairs.

The company's expertise in canal construction led to the development of a bi-directional long lock system, which was tested on the Lehigh Navigation from Lehigh Gap to Mauch Chunk in 1823. This innovative system allowed for more efficient navigation and reduced the risk of damage.

Here are some key statistics about the Delaware Division Canal Company:

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company played a crucial role in the operation of the Delaware Division Canal, taking over its management in 1834 after Josiah White's repairs enabled the canal to open.

Coal Company operations played a crucial role in the growth of navigation. The largest coal company, Pittsburgh Coal Company, was founded in 1867 and dominated the industry for decades.

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Their coal mines in Pennsylvania produced over 1 million tons of coal per year, supplying the nearby ports and railways. This coal was used to power the steamships that traveled up and down the rivers.

The Pittsburgh Coal Company's coal was highly prized for its quality and was used in many of the region's factories and power plants.

The Upper Lehigh Canal was a significant expansion of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company's operations. The company extended the Lower Lehigh Navigation upriver by 39 miles through the Upper Lehigh Canal. This extension was completed in 1843, giving the canal its largest carrying capacity of any U.S. canal at that time.

The Upper Lehigh Canal connected Jim Thorpe to White Haven, providing a crucial link in the company's transportation network. With this extension, the company could transport coal and other goods more efficiently and effectively.

Here are some key facts about the Upper Lehigh Canal:

The Upper Lehigh Canal was a major achievement for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, demonstrating the company's commitment to innovation and expansion.

The founders of the Lehigh Navigation Company, White and Hazard, were mill and foundry owners who invested in the Schuylkill Canal in 1814, but became disillusioned with its planning and funding.

They had a vision for harnessing the power of the Lehigh River, and White's innovative Bear Trap lock-gate system was based on creating a triggerable artificial flood to float boats past rapids.

The legislative act of 1815 gave the LNC ownership of the entire river, which was not released back to Pennsylvania until 1964.

The company used White's knowledge and experience to develop waterpower sites along the Lehigh River's waterways, leading to the creation of early industrial parks.

By 1840, the Abbott Street area near Lock 47 employed over 1,000 men in almost a dozen factories, fostering the growth of industries in Allentown and Bethlehem.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a pioneer in railroad development. They built America's second railroad, the Mauch Chunk and Summit Hill Railroad, in just a few months in 1827.

The company's engineers surveyed a route along the existing wagon road, which had a virtually uniform gradient, making it easier to build the railroad. This route ran along the south side of Pisgah Ridge to Mount Pisgah, where the railroad connected to the canal's loading chute.

The railroad was a gravity railroad, using wooden sleepers on a gravel substrate, and was 9.2 miles long. It was built to bring coal from mines to the river more efficiently, with loaded cars making the descent by gravity and empty cars being drawn back to the mines by mules.

The Summit Hill and Mauch Chunk Railroad was a remarkable feat of engineering built in 1827. It was America's second railroad and spanned 9.2 miles.

The railroad was built using the road bed of the wagon road built in 1818-19, which was a huge advantage in terms of time and resources. This wagon road had been surveyed by White well before its charter in 1818.

The railroad's right-of-way was carefully planned to follow the uniform gradient created by grading the original mule trail, overseen by Hazard in 1818. This gradient allowed the cars to make a smooth descent.

The loaded cars, each with a capacity of approximately one and a half tons, were connected in trains of from six to fourteen. Men regulated their speed to ensure a safe and efficient journey.

The empty cars were drawn back to the mines by mules, which took three hours. This was a long and arduous process, but it was necessary to keep the railroad running smoothly.

The wagon road to become gravity railroad ran from what later became Summit Hill along the south side of Pisgah Ridge to Mount Pisgah. It ended at the canal's loading chute, over 200 feet above the canal banks.

The New England Railroad was a significant acquisition for the company, allowing them to stop leasing rights to the CNJ and transfer them to the new acquisition, the Lehigh and New England Road.

This move likely provided the company with more control over their operations and infrastructure.

The Lehigh and New England Road was a key part of this acquisition, enabling the company to expand its reach and capabilities.

By acquiring the Lehigh and New England Road, the company was able to take a major step forward in its development and growth.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company's decline was a gradual process that started with the closure of the Lehigh Navigation in 1932 due to maintenance expenses surpassing operating revenues.

This marked the beginning of a downward spiral for the company, which had become heavily reliant on coal revenues by the mid-20th century.

The shift to diesel locomotives and other forms of heating led to a significant decline in coal demand, cutting deeply into corporate profits.

As a result, the company underwent a gradual contraction, selling off various subsidiaries and assets.

In 1966, the remaining coal properties were sold to Greenwood Stripping Co., and eight years later, they were sold again to Bethlehem Mines Corp.

By 1986, the company had sold its last business, Cella's Chocolate Covered Cherries, to Tootsie Roll, and its shareholders decided to dissolve the company.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company had to get creative with their canal system. They built coal arks for the one-time, single use boats, which cost the company dearly.

In 1823, the company rebuilt the upper four locks on the Lehigh Navigation from Lehigh Gap to Mauch Chunk as proof of concept test beds with a spacious bi-directional long lock system.

The company operated both canals into the 1930s, making them a crucial part of the region's transportation infrastructure. They even spun-off the Lehigh Navigation Coal Company, a subsidiary operating company with its own management, in mid-1832.

Blast furnaces played a crucial role in the industrial development of the United States. Anthracite was used as fuel in these furnaces, making iron plentiful and inexpensive.

Using anthracite in blast furnaces allowed for the production of greater quantities of iron than any other part of the nation. This was a significant achievement, especially considering the furnaces in the Lehigh Valley produced more iron than anywhere else.

In 1821, the partners learned a lot about icing damage and canal construction, but also knew that some damages would be sustained each winter.

The need for new cash to repair the canals led to the company reorganization into the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, which bought out George Hauto's share and left White and Hazard with majority ownership.

The company injected most of the additional funding from their own pockets, allowing them to make necessary repairs.

In 1823, the upper four locks on the Lehigh Navigation from Lehigh Gap to Mauch Chunk were rebuilt as proof of concept test beds with a spacious bi-directional long lock system.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company had to build coal arks and exhaust thousands of acres of timberlands for the one-time, single use boats, costing the company dearly.

The state rejected White's idea for a ship and steam tug capable two-way lock canal system from Mauch Chunk down to Philadelphia in 1824, promising to build the Delaware Canal instead.

The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company had to build a canal along the Delaware River in 1827 to link Easton with Bristol, a length of 60 miles, with 24 lift locks to accommodate the elevation differential of 180 feet.

Here's a brief summary of the canal's specifications:

The state canal was poorly built and badly designed, with narrow 11 feet that soon proved to be a serious limitation on boats using both canals.