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CITY OF DUBOIS Page 93
DuBois an opportunity to see the very best productions of the
American stage of the time, at a low price of admission. Among the
artists presented were Lawrence Barrett, Joe Jefferson in "Rip Van
Winkle," Wilson in "The Mikado," "Lotta," and a great many others of
the same character which cannot now be recalled.
In constructing this building Mr. DuBois had provided a
hot air system carried from the Iron Works through a large conduit
into the building. Unfortunately one evening fire got into this
conduit and was blown through the building, and in a very short time
it was destroyed.
This lumber and tannery operation continued until 1900
when all the timber had been cut on the large holdings of Mr. DuBois.
In the early stocking of this lumber to the mills, Mr.
DuBois had constructed dams on the various streams flowing into
Sandy Lick Creek. The first dam above DuBois was what was known as
the "Joe Hand Dam." The present generation is using the hole dug out
by the overflow of this dam as a swimming hole. On the opposite side
of the valley the Low Grade had constructed a culvert over McCracken
Run. At this point Mr. DuBois built a spillway in the culvert, using
it for the floating of the logs. The railroad company, of course,
protested. Mr. DuBois' reply was "If you don't like that dam in
there, take your danged old railroad away." The railroad company
didn't remove its tracks. On Narrows Creek a series of dams were
erected, but the largest dam was at Sabula on the head waters of
Sandy Lick Creek, which was constructed at the time of the digging
of the tunnel at that point. The contractor made the breast of the
dam from the waste rock and dirt from that tunnel. It remained
intact until the flood of 1889 when it overflowed. This break was
repaired. John E. DuBois subsequently took out all of the stumps and
rubbish from this dam and now it affords the only lake in Central
Pennsylvania where the people can relieve themselves from the hot
weather in summer by swimming.
As the country cleared up, the water supply in the
streams was not sufficient to float logs through the summer or in
winter. It became necessary to build railroads throughout the
property for the conveying of logs to the mills and hence a series
of railroads throughout the entire property were constructed.
This lumber operation continued until 1900 when all of
the timber of all varieties had been cut on the large holdings of
Mr. DuBois. A careful estimate shows that more than one billion feet
of lumber was cut on the DuBois mills between 1872 and 1900. In
1900, this mill was removed to Hicks Run in Cameron County, where it
remained until that lumber operation was exhausted.
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