THE MIDDLE YEARS
Then, the old banker met him on the street --said he --"You must come back to the bank --take my place there."" |
Heroic work of a few firefighters saved the home --and stopped the
blaze, thus saving all the first ward residence section, but the
business part of the town was gone.
 I had just started the new Deposit
Bank with office in the lobby of the Commercial Hotel. Just two weeks
old. The big safe lay in the hot coals in the basement. Chains and
crane lifted it to a temporary floor and three days later I sledged it
open to find the gold coin and the currency glued to the walls, but by
chisels and a hammer the coin was recovered and later the big bundles
of currency were redeemed by the government. The old frame opera house
had been saved and was about the only building left --it was
appropriated by both banks to reopen for trade. A carpenter's work
bench provided a counter for my bank; vault of the national bank was
opened and served as a money safe for both banks --under guard. For six
months banking was carried on thus, as the people gradually dug out
their property lines and rebuilt. We built a new building --moved in
after six months banking in the old Hines opera house, there to win new
business rapidly. Too small, the Boyles lot 22 ft. was bought --but
that seeming too small, the corner lot was bought from Mrs. E. Kuntz
for $9,000 which furnished the room for the new bank building --too
large --the new building was considered a joke. It has since been
increased in size three times --now the biggest bank and offices in all
the region.Started in 1888 and managed by myself for more than 50 years --until resigning in 1925 --still active in 1943. Son Rembrandt became afflicted with an incurable malady --died in 1937 --a terrible suffering of the family and particularly myself and Alice B. for the years until his death --but the suffering of father and mother continued --and still continues. He was as fine a lad as ever lived. Opening of the new century was the spread of Big Business and soon it affected our growing town. Local industries were bought up by Big Business and either removed to large cities or closed. But the Big Business boom was on. Now it was that former experience in coal trade came in force --coal was king. Knowledge of the coal beds took hold --coal and railroad heads came to seek data --gave him oversight and power to acquire vast acreage, and to establish operations thereon. 1901 to 1931 were strenuous years. From Tyler to Sagamore more than twenty thousand acres of coal lands were purchased, and operations placed thereon --all on plans of the writer; layed out route of and mostly responsible for the building of the Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad --spending many millions for that company. all without a contract or any writing or limit of control. It was his work that brought the Erie Railroad to the coal region. It was in June 1908 that Buffalo Bill came, with his biggest and best Wild West. He had with him 150 Indians and the same number of horses and ponies. We had known each other for several years, and of course our new Rambler automobile of 1907 grade was prominently spirited around town by the oldest boy, Don. At noon he pulled up in front of the house, loaded with Cody and Chief Iron Tail. Monroe McCanles was our house guest, and stood on the walk answering questions put to him by Cody about his father Dave McCanles having been shot by Wild Bill Hickok. |
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