(Continued from Thursday.)
Walter in his will says:
"And it is my will and do hereby order that the Grave Yard which is already on my said Land shall be for no Other Use of a Grave Yard and the Possessor or Possessors of my said Land and Plantation whereon I now live shall keep it in good fence forever."
This cemetery is on what has long been known as the Bomberger farm. It is west about 200 yards from the old Kreider home, and a short distance north of the canal. It is about 12 x 24 feet, surrounded on all sides but the south by a good rail fence. Along the south runs a wire fence. As stated previously there are three rows of graves-first to the south is the Walter row; next, the Kreider; and to the north, the Bomberger. The following inscriptions we were able to decipher:
The Family of John, Sr.
John Kreider, Sr., north of Gravel Hill had, according to Hon. A.S. Kreider, 3 children:
On April 2, 1836, John Kreider, of Lebanon township, yeoman, conveyed to one George Heckerdown, two tracts of land in Lebanon township, amounting to 38 acres. It ran by land of Widow Feeman's of Christian Kreider, by Lantz's lot, along the road to Lebanon, by land of John Bohr, of Ludwig Yingst, it being part of 203 acres bought by one Henry Beshore from Pennsylvania in Nov., 1788, 70 acres thereof having been bought by John Kreider Mar. 27, 1819.
This Beshore land was likely a short distance from Heilmandale station, there being a Beshore cemetery on the Kline farm. It was likely a member of this Beshore family that married the daughter of John Kreider, Sr. We are puzzled as to the Christian Kreider whose land joined this property in 1819. Was he a brother of John, Sr.? Did he die childless? Did he go west? Who was he? Was he Christian of Fairland? (See a previous number of the News.)
John Kreider, Jr., married Elizabeth Moyer, b. April 28, 1786; d. Nov. 13, 1850. John and his wife were buried in the cemetery on the farm, but their remains were later removed to the family block in Ebenezer cemetery by their son, Joseph. John was a farmer on the homestead, being the only son. He was likely a member of the United Brethren Church. He had 4 children:
Before taking up the family of John Kreider, Jr., we wish to say something about.
The Union Canal was finished when John Kreider, Jr., reached middle life. His father likely transferred the farm to him at the time that the Canal Company made settlement for damages for building the canal and feeder through the farm. That new marvel, the tunnel, was dug at this time. No doubt the old farmers as they walked about and talked with each other, could see horns above the ears of the projectors of this unheard hole in the earth, just as many of the conservative folk years ago could see horns on the heads of the men who first drove automobiles in our midst. But the tunnel came and it came to stay, and it is here yet, and many tunnels followed in its wake. Dr. Croll claims it is the first tunnel built in the United States, though we understand there is another one that now contends for the precedence. Be that as it may, we are sure that this one was here early enough for the community.
June 5, 1830, John Kreider and John Kreider, Jr., and wife Elizabeth, all of Lebanon township, transferred to the Union Canal Company of Pennsylvania, two pieces of land.
"One beginning at a point in the line between the land of the said Jno. Kreider, Junior and land of John Keller, thence along the outer side of the right bank of the canal to the Jno. Kreider, Junior, and the land of line between the land of the said Abraham Bomberger, thence along said line across the Canal to the outer side of said left bank, to the line first above mentioned, thence along said line, across the canal, to place of beginning, being all the land occupied by the canal, its banks, paths, bridges and other works, through the plantation now owned by the said John Kreider, Junr., and containing Two acres, ninety hundredths, more or less."
The other piece is described as follows:
"All the land occupied or conveyed through the plantation of said John Kreider, Junr., by the feeder of the Union Canal, which runs from the water works to the summit level, also all the land, along thereof, which is dug upon, damaged and injured for purpose of making, constructing and keeping up said feeder, and containing about two acres and a half, more or less. This conveyance is not to prevent the said parties of the first part from landing or loading goods or any other articles on the bearn (barn) banks side of the Canal, which privilege remains to them, their heirs and assigns forever, in the same manner as if this conveyance had never been made, to be exercised so as not to injure the canal, its banks or navigation. This conveyance is a release of all claims for damages for a spring injured or destroyed."
This would be a very fitting place to write a description of the feeder of the old Union Canal, but time and expense forbid. The deed of transfer has told us something. As the train needs a track, as an automobile needs a highway, as the aeroplane needs air, so a canal needs water.
When the canal turned its back on the Quittapahilla and boldly tunneled through Gravel Hill, it had not yet called on the greatest resources of daring. Where was water to be had to float the boats to the Swatara? Water works to pump water to a sufficient height so that it would run by gravity through an acqueduct from the place we now call the Water Works, through hill and over dale to a place immediately at the north end of the tunnel was the solution. There were daring, skillful, resourceful engineers directing the construction of the Union Canal. [T]his acqueduct must have an even, gradual descent from head to tail. It was circular and more than a yard in diameter. Where the ground was low it was built on staves and placed on trestle work of the required height. When it struck the earth it was made of brick and mortar and ran along under ground till it emerged on a hill slope to cross again in midair the vale ahead. It was an alternation of the aero and the sub, from the pumping station to the summit. "Summit," from the point of view of the feeder, was a paradox from the point of view of the canal, a truth. The summit was the lowest point of the feeder, but the highest point of the part of the canal supplied with feeder water, so the water ran by gravity from the water works through the feeder to the "Summit" and by gravity from the summit through the canal back again to the Water Works. When we understand, we shall take off our hats to the builders of the Union Canal. The father of our esteemed Dr. Guilford had in large measure charge of the work of construction.
Across the John Kreider farm the feeder was approaching the Summit, and ran to the south almost parallel with the canal, perhaps a hundred yards from it, and, of course, yet at a considerable elevation above the canal. From the back porch of the Kreider house you could toss peanuts to the boatman on the canal boat. Two locks were here close together, and a lock-tender we understand had his abode here and tended the two locks. Here was the path of commerce, east and west. It seems that there was a wide place in the canal here, where boats might haven. From 1830 to 1870 this certainly was not a place apart from man.
The feeder entered the Kreider farm at the west under ground. The brook and gulley down the northern hill slope, through a culvert, runs beneath the underground feeder. Where it emerged a short distance toward the barn, the old brick feeder is still visible, and vegetation for a short distance back along over the feeder withers up in dry weather like grass on the housetop. Brick and mortar, so hard, seems beyond the reach of the modern mechanic.
The staved feeder from this point of emergence was carried to the bridgeway of the barn on trestle work, perhaps three hundred yards. At the bridgeway it changed from bat to mole. At the western point of emergence there was a man-hole, and another at the bridgeway. When the canal was not in operation, the children used to go down through one manhole, creep through the feed-
(To be continued on Thursday.)