Report of the Engineers
The “Engineers” noted in the title were Josiah White and Erskine Hazard. These two men are generally attributed as the co-founders of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company and its Lehigh Canal. The Lehigh Canal was a cost-effective and reliable transport of anthracite coal from the coal fields of the Lehigh Valley to Easton and then on to Philadelphia by way of the Delaware Canal. This report, which notes the rising demand for anthracite coal which was at the time a new heating fuel on the market, is a detailed prospectus of the LCNC Company for the expansion of the Lehigh Canal. Comparisons are made with London’s use of bituminous coal and shipping sources for this coal with the great potential for anthracite to the coal markets of New York, Philadelphia and London. Josiah White, a great promoter for anthracite coal, settled in Mauch Chunk in 1818 and began shipping anthracite coal found in the immediate area on the beginnings of the Lehigh Canal. He and Hazard were aware of other canals and made a good case for the expansion of the Lehigh Canal in this report. The Lehigh Canal construction began around 1820 and was in full use by 1829. It eventually extended 72 miles as a part of the Pennsylvania Canal system. Its demise began around 1862 with the rise of the railroads especially - Asa Packer’s Lehigh Valley Railroad.
