| Show non nonI I ABIJAH A SMITH WAS THE FIRST AMERICAN COAL DEALER One of ot the Derby dealers dealer In Jh of ot the tho coal business ii In this vicinity th the he theother other othor day Ilay called attention to tl tho Iho fact Ctet that thul the 1110 first coal ever over mined l In 1 this Ma country Was waa taken out of tho the earth by byn bya n II Derby man who offered d time tho brat t cargo cant for tor sale This Tills norm wan Adjoin father of at tho the founder of ot Ms e r who lived here hero many years Th The rho story tory la Is that Abijah Smith heard through urh tome some man who had been trAveling III In Pennsylvania and anti who passing through Derby on his hh way loy home homo stopped sloped nt at Smiths blacksmith shop to have havo Ida his horse shod hod about n a 1 ablack black stone atone In Pennsylvania which fN would burn Tho The result of or this con cob conversation was wan that Smith mode a 1 trip trIll to Pennsylvania and eventually located there Ho Iu loft lort ti Urby rby In 1806 1800 and In III n 1897 mined lx tons of ot Coal in III Ply Plymouth mouth Pa Ia nt lit the tho old mine now no rent rented rented ed to tho time Lehigh c Coal ConI and known n ns the tho rOil rod ash h oo coal l in November er r 1807 lie ho pur n a hoot boat which was called an nn cork nr for or III 21 11 Olla and on ou November 4 boot boat was fal va loaded loadell lo lcd with tons and l down the river to 10 where whore the settlers looked look with wonder won or at nt this black Hone alone and thought Smith nl nt be ue cruy to 10 think of at Belling selling such each stuff It U IB is l said Hold that to demonstrate the tho thou utility u 1111 t of ot tho lima article Smith arranged with this landlord to use UHe his hili fireplace anti and placing In It a n especially con cun construct strutted started a fire on ml which coil coal win was piled lime Tho members of DC the thu w wate 1111 d to 10 see eo the time black stone burn but Jut mutter souto time tin time wood burned burnet cut Ing the time o 0 il Ignited In III only n 1 few ow Smith Invited tho limo party to take dinner with him an nn another another other trial after dinner Hut nut after ut n the limo to the mho room loom In which the tho grate crate was WM located they were to tn set ode the lie coat coal burning fiercely I ly There Then were er turn moony many cities oU lo present when time tho twit test wits was rondo III nil a and the tho won wan I tiers M of oC the new fuel rapidly spread over our th country Helni Joined by hy his broth brother er John Smith In 1803 began shipping coal coul to III cities continued In this thus business until tint I It became very ory Th lh e murk ark lauds louda wore loro sent edit to tu New York YOlk by Jy way riy 11 of Havre De tie Grace In ms 1801 There are nr two stories of oC what want became of It this coal coni con ono one being that till the people carried till tau entire I O tons n as aK curiosities while tho time other Is in that it wan wall wild sold Whatever of ot this Bret t cargo of or cool coal the gradually built up IJ n a 1 largo large business It 11 was hard to Introduce because It II was waa expensive ex p pally en eRo and lilt unknown but It II gradually ally made It its Ibl way WilY For I or n II number II II of ot the tho average annual sales Bales for lor time the whole country waa wa six ark nik loads or tons mid nud tho time Smiths Smith enjoyed a monopoly complete than any nn man JUnn manor JUnnor or n combination In the tho business has ha over Vel VelI I since enjoyed Nearly oil nil the time early car operators except tho time Smiths outdo mado failures of ot the work orl of oC minim 11 1 rho Tho first OrRt coal cOllI was IM brought Into Par for Derby forby by In 1807 HOT by b Smith upon Ulon hla return to Derby D rb from Crom Pennsylvania after his hla first trip It 11 was only so O mulch much as 18 ho he could brine bring along In hm hla and It was looked upon ns 08 a n great That was 91 Ol years yean 1118 ago IIO BO BOand and since that than the coal coni shipped hero here has hUll been be on enormous In 1820 tile the annual product for lor tho time entire country was less than 1000 tons In III 1879 1870 the amount shipped to Derby was tons lon and It Is 18 estimated e that today Derby Shelton and Ansonia re rc receive rev anti and consume annually about CO 00 O tons of anthracite and tons tone of bituminous coal or a II total of or tons The amount Abijah Smith brought to Derby In his him pocket In 1807 weighed about one ono pound Today the amount which comes here Is li about tons Sentinel |
