COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES and the m anufacture o f stoves, plows and other ^ ric u tlu ra t implements undertaken. The diflfcrent owners until 1887, when the building w as removed, were Moore & B id d le; Biddle, M oore & Com{>an)‘, and W illiam Biddle. Sim on P . K ase, in 1S38, started his foundry in a sm all shed on Pine street on the present she of the F irst ward school building. At first this enterprise used horsepower to run the machinery. In 1839 M r. K ase formed a partnership with L . Bergstrcsser and they en larged ih r plant, putting in a steam engine. The products were threshing machines, stoves and milt gearing. In 1844 M r. K ase built the first mill in the town fo r the m anufacture o f merchant iron. In 1846 he built his rolling mill, where he installed the first “ three-high’’ train o f rolls ever used in Danville. H e operated the mills until 18 4 8 and then leasetl them to David P. Davis, who failed to make them profitable and they returned to the ownership o f M r. Kase. In 1S52 M r. K ase soki the mills and the purchaser removed all the machinery to K n o x ville, Tennessee. Sam uel Oltis, in 1840. built a steam en gine factor)’ on the premises of the K ase & Bergstrcsser foundrx', which w as later incor porated into the rolling mill plant. T h e National Iron Foundry w as another industry the histor)’ o f which is closely iden tified with Danville’s early years. It w as lo cated near the Columbia Furnace and w as originally built b>’ Peter Baldy, S r., in the year 1839 . T he first operators of the plant were W illiam s. Belson & G artlcy. T h is con cern failed and w as succec<led by O'Connor & Rice, w ho also encountered financial difficul ties. T h e plant fell into the hands o f R . C. Russell, who, a fte r conducting it fo r a com paratively b rief perio<l. sold out to Messrs. Hancock & C arr, who later tran sferred their holdings to John Hibler. These various changes in ownership covered a jieriod o f twenty-five years. A form er forem an of the ^ g l e Foundry. Sam uel Huber, in 1854 purchased the business from John Hibler. He njierated it fo r five years, when, in 1859. it was destroyed by fire. Previously to the destniction of the plant. M r. Hiilier had taken Samuel Boudm an into partnership. A fte r tbe fire Boudm an abandoned the enterprise. M r. Hiilicr. how ever, continued the business and purchased the ground from Peter Baldy. huilt a far iK tter foundry than Ihe one which had been destroyed, and again embarkcci in the business, successfully conducting it alone until
32D
t868, when he took his son, J . S . Huber, into l>artncrship, and they continued under the firm name o f S . H uber & Son. On the 19th of Jan u ary, 1877. C. C. Huber, another son. w as taken into the firm. T he title w’as then changed to S . H ulicr & Sons. Subsequently W. M. Huber, a third son. joined them and the concern continued in business and pros|>cred greatly. I'h is plant is now occupied by the Montour Foundry & M achine Company, which still m anufactures the H uber plows. R eadin g Iro n Company One o f Danville's leading industries at the present time is the plant 01 the Reading Iron Company. These operations, although coming into the hands of the Reading Iron Company in recent years, have a history running back into the early days and know'n in the past under different names, the property bclonpng to different owners. In t 8 ^ what w as known as Furnace No. t, of the Danville Furnaces, was built by E li T rego fo r C ir c y & H art. T h is w as a char coal furnace and w as located on North M ill street beyond what w as afterw ard s known as Ihe company gristm ill and near the present Philadelphia & Reading railroad crossing. In 1840 this was altered by Thom as Chamlicrs into an anthracite furnace. In 1844 the Mon tour Iron Company w as incorporated, with Thom as Chambers as president. M r. Cham bers, in 1840, built Blast Furnaces Nos. 2 and 3 and o]ierated them with anthracite coal, i l i c s c furnaces w’cre located at the head of West Centre street. In a short time all these furnaces became the property of the Mon tour Iron Company which, in 1846. built Furnace No. 4. which joined Furnaces Nos. 2 and 3. In 1844 the Montour Iron Company huilt. on Northumberland street. Rolling M ill No. I, containing thirty-seven double and single pud dling furnaces and ten heating furnaces. .-t this mill. Oct. 8. 1845. the first T rail in Ihe United Stales was manufactured. In 18 53 the Montour Iron Comjiany built Rolling *.Iill .o. 2, containing thirty-two single puddling furnaces. In 1843 the above named furnaces were leased lo Ilenjaniin Perry, .Alexander Garretson, Cornelius Garrctson and W illiam Jcn n i son. T he first manager of the rolling mills w as a man named H a r r is; but he w as soon succeeded by M. S . Ridgxvay, who fo r many years con tinued to manage these mills ih r o u ^ the dif-
