Biographical & Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County Pennsylvania, p.17

You are here: Cambria > Books > Biographical & Portrait Cyclopedia

OF CAMBRIA COUNTY. 17

gone home, and the assembled guests had given him up. However, the minister was informed of his arrival, and the wedding took place a little late, but nevertheless in the evening of the day for which it had been arranged.
    He continued the mercantile business in Johnstown for three or four years, and then sold out to John K. and William L. Shryock, who had come to the place from Hagerstown.
    It had been his intention to go to Pittsburg and engage in the wholesale mercantile business; but the hard times of 1837 and 1838 came on, and he remained in Johnstown.
    About 1839 or 1840, Mr. King turned his attention to searching for iron ore in the hills around Johnstown, and, after a hunt of several months, was rewarded by finding a deposit near Laurel Run, some three miles west of Johnstown, which he thought sufficient to justify the erection of a furnace. He associated with himself David Stewart, and John K. and William L. Shryock, and Cambria Furnace was built. It was a charcoal furnace, and made its first iron in 1841.
    About the latter part of 1843, Dr. Peter Shoenberger, of Pittsburg purchased the interest of David Stewart, and in 1844, Dr. Shoenberger and Mr. King purchased the interest of John K. and William L. Shryock, and thereby became equal owners of Cambria furnace.
    In consequence of the better times brought about by the tariff by 1842, Dr. Shoenberger and Mr. King built two more furnaces, Mill Creek and Ben's Creek, the former about four miles and the latter about three miles from Johnstown. In these enterprises Mr. John Bell was associated with Mr. King and Dr. Shoenberger, but they soon after purchased his interest.     Mr. David Stewart, who had been interested in the Cambria furnace, built Blacklick furnace, situated in Indiana county, Pennsylvania, about eight miles from Johnstown; but, becoming discouraged in consequence of the tariff at 1846, sold it to Mr. King and Dr. Shoenberger. They then bult another furnace at Sharon, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, making five furnaces which they then operated, but with little profit to themselves.
    Dr. Shoenberger favored the erection of a large foundry, so as to put the iron in the shape of castings, such as large sugar kettles, for the New Orleans market, which then seemed most in demand. Mr. King advocated the erection of a rolling-mill to manufacture railroad iron. The iron of these furnaces was not suitable for bar-iron, and, in his opinion, was not good for castings, being too hard, though in a wrought form he ws satisfied that it ws good for railroad iron, if properly worked. The result of a trial demonstrated that he was right in his opinion.
    Finally, it was agreed that an effort should be made to organize a company to erect a rolling-mill at Johnstown for the manufacture of railroad iron.
    In the early part of 1852, Mr. King went east to endeavor to get capitalists interested in the proposed enterprise. He went first to New York city, but finding little encouragement there, he went to Boston.
    This visit resulted in an arrangement by which certain Boston parties were to get up a company within six months, and Mr. King was to secure the charter. Mr. King and Dr. Shoenberger were to put in their four furnaces and 25,000 acres at $30,000, and they were to retain stock to the amount of $100,000, the difference to be paid them in cash. The capital was to be $1,000,000 and the works

Last Updated: