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Page 162 TRANSPORTATION
The first construction work was started in June, 1892
and the first passenger train over this road was run on the first
day of June, 1893. This line was very popular and it started with
two passenger trains to the east and two trains to the west every
day, and so continued until several years ago when the bus and
automobile business had so interfered with the passenger business
that all passenger trains were taken off.
In the early stage days the stage passenger route was
from Penfield. If one took the stage for Clearfield, he had to go
through Curwensville and there connect with the local railroad
service to Clearfield, which meant an all day drive. Sometime in
1880 George Gearhart, of Clearfield, conceived the idea of putting
on a stage line direct between Clearfield and DuBois, coming by
Horn's Shanty, Burns' Garden, Rockton and the old Dressler Saw Mill,
a distance of 22 miles. James L. Levy, who conducted the line from
Penfield to Clearfield immediately put on a competing line. These
stages left DuBois at seven o'clock in the morning and returned by
six in the evening. Of course, when the railroad put on its
passenger service in 1893 all of the stage lines across the mountain
disappeared.
The principal business of the citizens of DuBois in
Clearfield was attending Court.
Prior to 1883, Clearfield County was in a judicial
district composed of Clinton, Center and Clearfield Counties, with a
President Judge and an Assistant Law Judge. The President Judge
lived at Lock Haven and the Assistant Law Judge lived at Bellefonte.
Neither of these men were very anxious to remain in
Clearfield any longer than he had to. It was an easy matter to get
cases continued and in that way the issue list had become very much
congested.
In the census of 1880 the population of Clearfield
County had reached over 40,000 and a special session of the
Legislature of 1883 gave Clearfield County a separate judicial
district. The first election for a Judge was held in November, 1883,
at which time Honorable D. L. Krebs, of Clearfield, was elected to
the Bench. When Judge Krebs came to the Bench he found a trial list
which had accumulated for years. Judge Krebs immediately extended
the terms of Court to four weeks, which gave an annual term of 16
weeks. At no time had the criminal business of the County come to
such a point that it could not be handled in one week, and the first
week of Court was designated for that purpose. In less than three
years Judge Krebs had reduced his trial list so that a case brought
to September Term would be reached at least the following February
Term.
The remarkable fact is that Judge Krebs did not bring
in any assistant judges except to try the cases in which his office
had been interested prior to his election.
Attending Court, however, from DuBois, became quite a
chore.
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