Tasie 3.—Construction costs for ratlroad and navigation companies 
in the Lehigh region, 1820-41 1 

Company | 







Year opened Miles | Cost 
| 
Railroad 
1827 Lehigh (Mauch 79.0 | 3 $48,226 
Chunk). | 
1833 Lehigh (Room 5.0 123,000 
Run). 
1837 Beaver Meadows. . 20.6 365,000 
1838 Hazleton*......... 10.0 120,000 
Sugar Loaf*....... 2.0 20,000 
TaurelEill ees eee, 0.2 | 1,000 
1839 Summit Hill....... 2.0 | 20,000 
1840 Buck Mountain.... 4.0 40,000 
Lehigh and Sus- 20.0 | 1,326,700 
quehanna. 
Tammanend...... | 2.0 | 20,000 
1841 Little Schuylkill 12.0 500,000 
and Sus- 
quehanna. 
otal Sects wacky cern i eae 86.8 $2,593,426 
Canal 
| | | 
1820 Lehigh. | 85.0 | $4,455,000 
1832 Delaware Division | 60.0 | 1,736,000 
aes 
Motalean... | | 145.0 | $6,191,000 
| | 
Grand | 
Total | | 231.8 | $8,784,426 

' Company annual reports. 
? Wagon road 1820-27. 
* Includes $9,500 for loading chute. 
*The Hazleton and Sugar Loaf companies consolidated 
their operations in 1844. 
° Operations ceased in 1839. 
The largest expenditure for carriers was made in the 
development of navigational facilities using the Dela- 
ware and Lehigh Rivers. The development of a navi- 
gational facility using the Delaware River was vital to 
the Lehigh Coal and Navig.tion Company’s movement 
Ky 
of coal from Easton. Total expenditures for the im- 
provement of these two waterways with a combined 
length of 145 miles amounted to $6.2 million: the Le- 
high Navigation, 85 miles, cost $4.5 million; and the 
Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, 60 miles, 
cost $1.7 million. 
The organizational structure and operational man- 
agement of these two navigational facilities varied 
widely. The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company 
was incorporated by the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania and was managed by a board of directors elected 
annually by the stockholders. The Delaware Division 
of the Pennsylvania Canal was a State owned and 
financed facility and was controlled by the canal com- 
missioners, who were appointed by the Governor. Many 
of the early difficulties in improving the navigation 
route from Stoddartsville to Bristol can be attributed 
to the differences in the composition of these two 
organizations. 
Approximately 87 miles of railroads were. con- 
structed for use in conjunction with the Lehigh Navi- 
gation at a cost of approximately $2.6 million. The 
Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company spent the 
largest amount, $1.33 million, on the construction of 
the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad. ‘This line con- 
nected the mining operations of the northern anthra- 
cite field at Wilkes-Barre with the Lehigh Navigation 
at White Haven. The high cost of this road was caused 
by the extreme terrain conditions found between these 
regions. 
The costs of other railroads constructed during this 
period ranged between $1,000 and $20,000 per mile, 
and were dependent on the type of terrain traversed 
and the permanency required for the road. The usual 
cost estimate per mile for construction of a railroad 
in this region was $10,000. Capital was difficult to raise 
for the construction of railroads because of the un- 
proven capabilities of this method of transportation. 
Public opinion in the Commonwealth during the early 
years of this period favored the construction of navi- 
gational facilities. 
The true value of an acre of coal land in the Lehigh 
region during the early days of the industry was diffi- 
cult to determine. Values that were commonly used 
in the anthracite regions ranged from a low of $20 an 
acre to a high of $400 an acre.** Using an average 
value of $200 an acre, and with a total coal-bearing 
" Packer Report, op. cit., p. 31. 
ILLETIN 252: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 
