GLACE
A Narrative of Hydraulic Cement Mined
in the Lehigh Valley
TP
879
P4 G55
A Narrative of Hydraulic Cement
Mined in the Lehigh Valley
WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS USE
IN THE EARLY DAYS
BY WILLIAM H. GLACE
1912
A Narrative of Hydraulic Cement
Mined in the Lehigh Valley
WITH A DESCRIPTION OF IT'S USE
IN THE EARLY DAYS
BY WILLIAM H. GLACE
1912
PREFACE.
Some time ago in conversation with Hon. Frank M.
Trexler, I casually stated that my father, Samuel Glace,
erected the first mill and manufactured Natural Cement
in the Lehigh Valley in 1826, when he stated that all
books on the subject stated it was at Coplay in 1864, and
that if I would write a sketch of the matter it would be an
interesting contribution to local history.
In accordance with this suggestion I have prepared
this sketch :
WILLIAM H. GLACE.
Catasauqua, Pa., February 12, 1912.
T~7 LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNI
V ' SANTA BARBARA
A NARRATIVE OF HYDRAULIC CEMENT
Mined in the Lehigh Valley
Natural cement has been in use in the United States
near a hundred years, it being used in the construction
of the Erie Canal in 1819.
In the construction and maintenance of the Lehigh
Canal in the early days it was manufactured in two pla-
cesat Lehigh Gap in 1826-1830, and at Siegfried's, Pa.,
from 1830 to 1841 by the late Samuel Glace.
The hydraulic cement, as it was then called at the Gap
Mill, was considered by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation
engineers of greater strength than that made at Sieg-
fried's and all the locks and other structures North of
the Gap were built from cement made at this mill.
The engineers in locating the proposed Canal found
cement rock which had been washed down from Sandy
Ridge by the erosion of ages and, tracing the same, found
the "pocket" in the top overlooking the present Palmer-
ton Zinc Works.
Abiel Abbott, of Forty Fort, Pa., one of the first super-
intendents of the Lehigh Co., upon assuming his duties
brought with him a number of hardy young men from
the Wyoming Valley and southern portion of Luzerne
Co., whose knowledge of river life and fair English school
education would fit them to hold positions in the con-
struction and maintenance of the canal.
Amongst them were Chauncey D. Fuller, Samuel
Glace, Joseph Wheeler, George Knickerbocker, George
Cooper, Joseph Chapman, Nathan Van Horn, John
Brown, Austin Peckins and others. Few returned and
the descendants of the others remain with us.
To Samuel Glace was assigned the proposed erection
of the cement mill at Lehigh Gap, which was done under
direction of the Company V engineers.
In October, 1906, in company of Tyndale Craig and a
photographer we visited the place and had views taken.
From the late Col. Thos. B. Craig and Nathan Van
Horn I obtained a fair description of the plant.
It was situated between the present canal and river op-
posite Craig's hotel. The kilns were built against the west
bank of the proposed canal, and from the ruins it appears
were four in number, and were erected from fire stones,
a granite so hard that fire had little effect, and in ap-
pearance resembled a lime kiln, but conical in shape, 10
to 15 feet in height, sloping toward the top with eyes or
numerous openings at the bottom to create a draft to
burn the cement with the wood, which was placed in lay-
ers in an upright position, thus to burn rapidly and pre-
vent caking of the cement. A dam had been placed at
the river bank to divert the water into a race, at the end
of which was an overshot wheel to create the motive pow-
er for the -burrs or mill stones to crush the stones, the
kilns were kept burning day and night, and after being
emptied, allowed to cool and then again refilled.
As soon as a kiln was properly burned, it was drawn
up an inclined plane, thrown into a hopper, same as a
grist mill, and being ground fine was at bottom placed in
wooden boxes or trays with handles at both ends, so two
men facing in the same direction could carry them ready
to be used and transported to places where locks and
kindred constructions were being erected, and culverts
to carry running water from springs and natural water
courses under the bed of canal.
Through the courtesy of Tjmdale Craig, I was shown
the ruins of the first plant for grinding and preparing
the "Hydraulic Cement," as it was then called. The
foundations and cribbing where the river had been
dammed to run the overshot wheel, and the holes where
the kilns stood were all plainly visible. Mr. Van Horn,
a few years prior to his death, informed me that the
cement made here was superior to that of the Siegfried
plant, and in the demolishing and abandonment of the
weigh-loeks below Mauch Chunk upon the completion of
the Lehigh and Susquehanna R. R. it required extensive
blasting and the highest then known explosive to .break
up solid walls of which the lock was composed, this being
sixty years after its erection. After the mills were oper-
ated five or six years, it was found the "pocket of ce-
ment" was likely to become exhausted and a search was
made for a further supply, but none was found sufficient.
Out-cropping of cement was found on this ridge six
miles east of the Lehigh Gap, where the Aquashicola
Creek flows through a gap. This Sandy mountain is a
spur of the Blue Mountain, running parallel to it to the
Delaware River, one mile north of the Northern side,
and at places rises to quite an altitude.
These investigations, which showed no further pockets
of cement, were in later years found to be correct.
The ridge has been the despair of promoters. Plum-
bago, .cement, limestone, slate and many other kinds of
minerals have been found. The mountain has been tun-
neled six miles from the river eastward, much money
sunk, but no paying proposition evidenced, save the oper-
ation of the "Prince Paint Co.," and in later years,
when vast bodies of sand have been worked and a limited
quantity found its way to the market, but the freight was
an obstacle to its general use.
The cement was taken from the "pocket" and after-
ward loaded in wagons, and owing to the steep moun-
tains it was tfiken by way of Towarnensing church, on
the road passing Snyders, now Palmerton, to the Gap, a
distance of near six miles, which was expensive.
Fortunately, in digging the canal at Siegfrieds, cement
rock was found, though much harder. Preparations
were made to abandon the plant, and my father, Samuel
Glace, then made his headquarters at the old stone hotel,
still standing on the ridge above the entrance to the
bridge at Siegfrieds. The tail-race of the lock which
drains the surplus water from the canal above the lock
was used to provide the motive power to run the over-
shot wheel to grind the stone. These kilns were built
much larger than the former ones.
Capt. Theodore H. Howell, residing at Siegfrieds, in-
formed me that when he came there in 1837 there were
four kilns erected and in operation. They were known
as draw kilns, fire being placed in the eye at the bottom
of the kilns, drawn at the bottom and hoisted up an in-
cline plane or tramway and emptied into a hopper, where
the stone were crushed by machinery shaped like a corn
crusher, then dropped down and ground by burr mill-
stones, then placed in boxes or trays with handles, then
transported in scows to points on canal where needed.
These scows were drawn by mules with a steersman on a
platform on the rear of the scow, having a large tiller,
15 feet long, ending in a large blade or paddle, which
tiller was fastened on a socket at the balance point, and
thus lifted with little exertion at will, and when in use
was a powerful means to turn the boat in any direction
wanted. At that time the capacity of this plant was ten
barrels per day.
The canal, from this place down to the Allentown dam,
was through a farming community, and the loam and
clay on the banks of the canal were vulnerable places for
the muskrats, which were plentiful. They seemed to be
busy constantly, and would in a short time make a hole
in the embankment, which if not attended to, would
empty the canal and stop transportation.
The method to remedy this was an alarm given by the
bank watchman, the scow or cement boat sent for, which
with the mules trotting, a man in front blowing a horn,
giving them the right of way, the steersman on his plat-
form at the rear, mean-while the workingmen were
emptying the trays (which had been covered with a tar-
paulin), on the bottom of the boat, mixing it with gravel
and sand, dipping up water from the canal and making
the concrete. As soon as the leak was reached a small
coffer dam was built around it, water emptied and the
concrete applied, stamped with wooden stampers in the
break, the frame work removed as soon as grouting hard-
ened. In those years Samuel Glace was supervisor of the
canal from Slate Dam to Allentown Dam, in addition to
the cement work at Siegfrieds until 1841.
He made daily double trips on horseback and in those
primitive times attention was frequently called to him as
the only man between those points who on work days
wore a white shirt and stand-up collar, with a black
stock.
In the fall of 1838, while passing along the line at the
lock near Catasauqua, he noticed Frederick Biery, owner
of the farm, Owen Rice, manager of Moravian Communi-
ty affairs at Bethlehem, and several other gentlemen,
standing on the east bank and looking in various direc-
tions, made inquiry of the lock-tender, Jonathan Snyder,
what was the matter, and receiving no solution to his
question, he passed over to see whether a leak had devel-
oped.
He was introduced to two gentlemen from Philadel-
phia, Directors of the Navigation Company, and in-
formed they had purchased the farm, the title passing
to Mr. Rice until the corporation was formed and would
erect a furnace, as this appeared to be the only level
ground on the line within reasonable distance of the hem-
atite ores. In a few days he received notice to sink
shafts or holes at different points on the place to see if
proper foundation could be obtained.
It will be remembered that the stockholders and sub-
scribers to this enterprise, that is many of them, were the
stockholders of the Navigation Company, and their ob-
ject was to obtain a market for their coal, not then in gen-
eral use, and also to secure transportation on their canal.
If the Sherman trust law had been in force then it would
not have been in violation thereof, but rather in complete
accordance therewith under the Supreme Court decis-
ions.
When David Thomas came here in 1839 the blast to
run the furnace was made by the motive power of large
water-wheels, and my father constructed the race or
channel leading from the canal to the overshot wheels,
then passing into the canal again below the lock, during
which much cement was used. When it came to the erec-
tion of the furnace Mr. Thomas was much concerned to
obtain the necessary hearth for the bottom of the furnace.
Fire-bricks, manufactured at Perth Amboy, N. J., were
only as large as the ordinary bricks of to-day, and no
large fire-bricks made in the United States. To send to
Wales would mean a question of three months, as it took
him over six weeks to make the voyage from Europe.
My father suggested to him, he being a stranger in a
strange land, to use the fire-stones above the Gap. He
was soon ordered from the Mauch Chunk office to send
men up, and selecting the stones, he had them cut, taken
to the canal and brought down in boats. After they
were placed in position he made a grouting of cement and
spread it thick as a layer on top and sides, filling all the
This answered the purpose until about 1851-52, when
large fire-bricks came into the market, and the old plan
was no longer used, as it was a difficult job when a fur-
nace was extinguished, needing a new lining, to blast out
the foundation, which had become heavily encrusted with
the debris mixed with iron.
The engraving shows these stones partially prepared,
and for some reason abandoned, as it was left on the
mountain 70 years ago, and photographed when I was
there in 1906. During those first two years Mr. Thomas,
recognizing his executive ability, made several efforts to
induce my father to enter his employ, as his oldest son
was then only 13 years of age, but he firmly declined.
But there came a change in 1841 ; a freshet in that year
destroyed a greater part of the canal. This made the
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, for the time be-
ing, insolvent, owing to the scarcity of money. For some
years Navigation scrip, certificates of indebtedness, had
been given in payment of wages and materials, bearing
interest, to creditors, which passed all along the line as
cash, and now in 48 hours these proved worthless and
could not be sold at ten cents on the dollar.
No person, unless they examine into the status of the
money affairs of our nation at that period, can have any
conception of conditions that then prevailed, and had
prevailed following the veto of President Jackson of the
rechartering of the United States bank at Philadelphia.
Wealth consisted mainly in land and cattle. Only one
bank, that at Easton, between there and Wilkes Barre.
The little specie in circulation was mostly Spanish,
levies, fips and quarters, Mexican dollars, and Amer-
ican cents, larger in size than our present twenty-five
cent piece. These coins were much depreciated in value,
owing to many years of wear, which coins only went out
of circulation, and into the smelting pot, owing to the
rise of silver during the civil war.
There were some American dollars .in circulation,
which were highly prized and looked to the holder al-
most as large as a cart wheel.
Then there was the prejudice against the banks and
corporations generally, which had existed as a slogan of
the political party then in power and were avoided as
something that would destroy their liberties and would
prevent them from enjoying the full blessings of the
Declaration of Independence.
Naturally, my father felt depressed, as all his savings,
some $3,000, were in scrip, the savings of a lifetime, and
being then 36 years of age. At this 'juncture Mr. Thom-
as renewed his offer, and further agreeing to take his
scrip, which was also payable in lump coal at the mines,
giving him a note of the Lehigh-Crane Tron Co., there-
fore, with interest.
Now, as he had no use for coal, nearly every person us-
ing wood for household purposes, and no stoves then man-
ufactured to burn coal, he willingly accepted the offer.
He then moved to Catasauqua, and the freshet of 1841
was the inducing cause of the writer's childhood days
and those of his succeeding manhood residence here.
From that time until 1873 he remained in the employ
of the Lehigh Crane Iron Co. He had obtained a good
English education, his father moving from Lancaster
county in 1807, when he was two years of age, to become
manager of the farms of the ' ' Conyingham 's, " a family
then, as now, prominent in the city of Lancaster. They
had large landed interests in the southern section of
Lancaster county, and founded the village of Conying-
ham on the turn-pike between Hazleton and Berwick ;
and whilst Pennsylvania German was the language of his
father's family, the surroundings here were "English."
The Conyinghams maintained a good English school in
the settlement, advantage of which he enjoyed. In 1826
he occasionally traveled to Wilkes Barre to consult with
a lawyer in relation to the settlement of his father's es-
tate, who was a son of the proprietor and afterward be-
came President Judge of the Luzerne County Courts.
Through his influence he became acquainted with Super-
intendent Abbott, of the canal company, then about
assuming his duties, and the result was his going to
Mauch Chunk as afore stated.
In addition to his correct English he was a fine pen-
man, making his own pens from quills as was the custom,
and his knowledge of Pennsylvania German, then indis-
pensable. All these proved dominant factors in the po-
sition he was about to assume.
Shortly, two more furnaces were erected and subse-
quently, in 1850, two more, as the business had become
financially a great success. The late Samuel A. Bridges
informed me when a student at law that a decision had
been handed down by the Supreme Court where, in the
history of the case as published, it was shown in litigation
between members of a family, the head of whom had
been a large stockholder in the "Crane," that the div-
idends for quite a time had amounted to 40 per cent.
About this time, 1841, the charcoal furnaces were mak-
ing some inroads on the deposits of hematite ore, one in
the Aquashicola and one at Big Creek, both in Carbon
county, and the Lehigh or Balliett's furnace above Slat-
ington, and rumors that the Balliett's would erect fur-
naces at Allentown, which they afterward did. So no
time was to be lost, and my father was appointed Mining
Agent.
He explored the fields of the county, made a lease on
the Troxell's farm, called Ritter's ore bed, North of
Egypt, where a large deposit was discovered, which re-
sulted afterward in litigation which found its way to the
Supreme Court and resulted in a resumption of mining
until the deposit was exhausted. Also in the vicinity of
what is now Ironton, throughout East Texas, the White-
halls, Maeungies and the Lehigh mountain, thence to
Hanover township, in Northampton, and mines in Han-
over township, Lehigh county. A large deposit above
Siegersville, called Chamber's ore bed, reopened the mine
near the cemetery at Catasauqua, which had been mined
by the charcoal people, and at Mickleys, back in the
woods near Seiple's station. The mines near the Le-
high were mostly wash ore. A washery, therefore, was
erected where the L. V. depot here is erected, the tail
race now being used by the C. & F. R. R. to supply with
a turbine the locomotives with water. Another washery
below the dam at Hokendauqua was also erected.
A difficulty soon arose here, as the riparian owners
objected to the deposit of mine water into the river. Lit-
igation ensued which ended in the Supreme Court. The
opinion rendered implied, as Mr. Samuel Thomas in-
formed me, that it would be unwise to throttle an in-
fant industry, which would result in the development of
the mineral wealth of the Commonwealth. It goes with-
out saying that at this time no such opinion would be
handed down. Of all these deposits none exceeded the
Guth's mine, now known as the Koch and Balliett mine,
near Guth's station. This mine had been opened by the
charcoal people and ore smelted into charcoal iron at the
Balliett furnaces, but no one ever expected that the mine
would develop as it did. During the years up to 1854
my father mined tens of thousands of tons, the teams
carting the ore to the furnaces in a line at times nearly
a mile in length, this being prior to the construction of
the Catasauqua and Pogelsville railroad.
He thus attracted the attention of Samuel Lewis, Sr.,
who offered increased salary, but he never wavered in his
allegiance to the person through whom the savings of a
lifetime had been retrieved. His attention was not whol-
ly taken up with this work, for in 1846-7, when the Crane
Iron Company installed their water plant for the houses
occupied by their employees he erected a reservoir. It
was lined with bricks lined with cement, grouted in the
bottom, on outer side banked t up, covered with a tower,
an opening near the top which when the cistern was full
would automatically flow out into the company's field,
where it percolated through the lime stone and found its
way to the Catasauqua creek. This field became a fa-
mous swimming pool for the boys of that day and in the
winter a splendid skating place.
In 1854, when the charter of the Catasauqua Gas Co.
was obtained, he erected a large reservoir, to hold gas for
storage, and to-day it is impregnable, the same methods
with the cement being used.
The reservoir built in 1846-7 became too small for the
Crane Co., having obtained a special act from the Leg-
islature to furnish water to the inhabitants of Catasauqua
and vicinity. About five years ago the old cistern foun-
dation was demolished to furnish room for a tenant
house for the gardener of the Williams' estate. Mr.
Kern, the gardener, informed me that the walls were
solid as granite, and it was only demolished by repeated
explosions of dynamite. His last work was in 1872, -when
he erected a new reservoir at the northern end of the
Borough, the same methods being used. The walls at
this time are impregnable, and look as if they would last
for centuries ; but what no person could foresee, it rested
on a limestone fissure or cavern, which, owing to natural
causes, after 20 years, gave way, and the present stand-
pipe was erected in its place.
In 1851 there was another large freshet in the Lehigh
canal. The damage was not as great as 10 years prior,
but after the canal was repaired there remained only a
short time 'ere winter would close navigation. There
were no railroads here then, and with but a small supply
of coal, there appeared no remedy and the furnaces
would be blown out until spring. In this dilemma my
father was called from his other work and sent to Mauch
Chunk to obtain the boats to transport the coal.
Many of the boatmen owned their own boats at that
time and he established his headquarters at the weigh-
lock, one mile south of Mauch Chunk Church, and as the
boats passed up through the lock made arrangements
with the Captains, as they all knew him, and had confi-
dence in him, and his offer of an increase of freight cap-
tured the bulk of the output and the situation was saved,
the furnaces remaining in blast continuously during the
winter.
In 1851-2 he constructed a new canal from the fur-
naces to the Hokendauqua dam, then known as Swartz's
dam. There were two more furnaces erected in 1850,
and as the power used to make blast was by overshot
wheels, the old canal became dangerous, the water rush-
ing rapidly, and boats loaded with coal would be caught
in the torrent, would turn turtle, boatmen drown in the
miniature Niagara.
Therefore a new canal was constructed, parallel to the
old, which is now in use. In that day there were no
dredges, and it was quite a sight to see three gangs of
thirty or more men each wheeling the ground up an in-
clined plane, built on trestling, to make the high west
embankment. There was also a large basin dug from the
lock to the cinder bank on the river to act as a buffer and
back water to remedy the rushing canal. Cement grout-
ing was extensively used in this work, and for the small
aqueducts to lead the water from the two springs, Peter's
and Faust's, under the bed of the canal to the river.
One of the small aqueducts is still in use, by the Bryden
Horse Shoe Co., who thus have an outlet for their water
to the river. It has never caused trouble and apparently
is as perfect as it was when,. erected 60 years ago. In ad-
dition there was erected a 'tunnel to carry away the sur-
plus water to the river, opposite the lock.
The first cement mill was completely destroyed by the
1841 freshet. The second plant, at Siegfrieds, is now in
ruins. Subsequently* about 1860, it was leased by Mes-
srs. Menninger, Kohl, Eckert and Ackerman. Tt was
purchased from the Ackermans of New Jersey, operated
for a time and sold to the Laurence Cement Co., who now
have their extensive and prosperous plant adjoining and
equipped with modern appliances and machinery.
In conclusion I would state, my father retired in 1872,
having accumulated a reasonable competency, and lived
thereafter 20 years. He was of correct habits, having
as far as known no personal enemy, and by his Christian
life his influence has been to me a constant benediction.
He died January 3, 1892, aged' 86 years, 2 months and
22 days.
Finis.
u '
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