50
COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES
Fishing crc€k, the water being conveyed from the old Irondale dam by way of the headrace and developing about two hundred h o r s i^ w c r . F o r a number o f years the Irondale Electric Light, Heat and Pow er Company and the Bloomsburg Electric Light and Power Com* pany were both engaged in the furnishing o f electricity to the community, developing a spir ited competition, resulting in a rate which while benehcial to the citizens produced disastrous results to those having investment in the enter prise. T he Berwick Electric Light Company was incorporated on Aug. 4, 1 8 ^ (M isc. B w k 4, page 7 0 ), the following gentlemen being in terested in the cntenirisc at that tim e: F . H. Eaton, C. D. Eaton, W. F . Ixiw ry, C. C . Evans, F . V. Brockway. W. E . Elmes. They sul>sequenlly incorporated the West Berwick Elec tric Light Company, which w as a company subsidiar)' to the Berwick Electric Light Compatiy, furnishing electric current in the borough o f West Berwick. These two companies later joined the merger and consolidation forming the Columbia Gas and Electric Company. T he first electric light company to be incorporateil in the borough o f Danville, Montour county, w as the Standard Electric Light Com pany, which received its letters patent from the Commonwealth on Oct. 6 ,18 9 9 ( Deed Book 2 1 . page 4 3 5 ), the incorporators being John B . Russel. W. D. Boyer, G . W. Reynolds, Grant Pelton, P. R . Bevan, and this company took over by purchase the electric light business in Danville which had form erly ^ n conducted by John R . Bennett, as an individual. EI.ECTRIC R A II.W A YS
T he first electric railw ay company o i^ n iz e d ih Columbia county w as the Bloomsburg Elec tric Street R ailw ay Company, which was in corporated on Ju n e t. 1892, under the act o f i 8 ^ (M isc. Book 4. page 4 1 ) . hv J . L . Dillon, L . E . W aller. C. C. Peacock. I. V. W illits, W. R . Tubbs, C. W. Miller, fo r the purpose o f constructing two miles o f road in the town o f Bloomsburg. T his enterprise was subse quently alnndoned. as the traffic w as not deemed sufficient to support it. T he Bloomsburg and Berw ick Electric R ail w ay Company w as incorporated Feb. 9. 1899 (M isc. Book '6. page 26 5), by R. Steen Martin. Franklin Ingraham, J . M. Em ery. L . E . W aller, F . E . Miller. C . W . M iller, with its route from Bloomshuqi to Berwick. T his road was com pletely financed through the efforts o f M r. C. W. Miller, but owing to the inability of the
company to procure all of the rigjits of way from abutting property owners, the subscribers temporarily abandoned the construction of the road. The North Susquehanna Transit Company was incorporated Aug. 1, 1895 (M isc. Book 7, page 449). by the following named gentle* m en: E . S . Whitney, Robert E . W riglit, .llentown, P a .; Wilson M. Gearhart, Jam es Scar let, R. S . Ammerman, John K . Geisingcr. Dan ville, P a .; E . R . Sponslcr, J . M. Fitzgerald, Harrisburg, P a .; all o f whom constituted the first board of directors. T he charter route of this company extended from the borough o f ]>anviUc in Sfontour county through the town o f Bloomsburg to the village o f E sp y in Colum bia county. On Oct. 3 1 . the Bloomsbuig and Ber wick Electric R ailw ay Company and the North Susquehanna Transit Company entered into an agreement o f merger and consolidation, forming the Columbia and Montour Electric Railw ay Company, with an authorized capital ization o f $ 3 7 5 ,0 0 0; bonds were is.sucd in the sum o f $ 3 7 5 ,0 0 0 secured by a first lien mort gage to the Commonwealth Trust Company o f Harrisburg, as trustee, the company secured a tract o f land, the site of the old Neal furnace, where they erected a powerhouse and car la m . and the first electric railw ay in the history o f Columbia county was constructed and com pleted between the borough o f Berwick and the town o f Bloomsburg. with a branch four miles extending from the town o f Bloomsburg to the borough of Catawissa. The road w as opened for traffic in October, 19 0 1. T he Danville and Bloomsburg Street R a il w ay Company w as incorporated on Sept. t, 19 0 3 (M is c . Book 8, page 2 5 9 ) . with a n authorized capitalization o f $2 5 0 ,0 0 0 . The in corporators were K. H. Koch, V. C. Billm an, Frank C . Angle. Charles P. Hancock. W. F . Pascoe. Bonds in the sum o f $2 5 0 ,0 0 0 were issued secured hy a first lien mortgage to the Fjiston T rust Company, of Easton, Pa. T h ey secured a site at the village o f Grovania, h alf way between Danville and Bloomsburg. and there erected a powerhouse and car bant, and constructed the road between Danville and Bloomsburg. A number o f charters for other electric railw ays to be constructed with terminus at Bloomsburg have been granted, but up to 19 14 none of them went further than the projected stage. T he exception w as the Bloomsburg & Millville R ailw av Company, incorporated in 19 0 1. . route ^rom M illville to Bloomsburg w as partially graded and about two miles o f
