EASTON, Pa., city, county-seat of North ampton County, situated at the extreme east ern part of the State, on the banks of the Dela ware River, at its confluence with the Lehigh River and the Bushkill Creek, 74 miles west of New York and 65 miles north of Philadel phia, scarcely two hours distant by rail from each city.
Railroads and Canals.— Through Easton pass the two great trunk lines, Lehigh Valley and the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and the smaller local roads, Lehigh and New Eng land, Easton and Northern, Easton and Western and the Bangor and Portland railroads. Im mediately across the Delaware River from Eas ton is located the thriving city of Phillipsburg, population about 18,000. Through this town run the Belvidere and Delaware division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Lehigh and Hudson Railroad, which make direct connec tions with the Hudson River Valley and the New England States, also the Delaware, Lack awanna and Western Railroad. Seventy-seven passenger trains arrive and depart from Easton daily and 159 freight trains. There are two canals, Morris and Essex from Phillipsburg, N. J., to New York, traversing the entire State of New Jersey, and Lehigh Canal, offering direct com munication from the anthracite coal regions to Philadelphia and its tide water points, connect ing at Lambertville with the Delaware and Raritan Canal. The Atlantic Deeper Waterway Commission of the United States is dredging the channel of the Delaware River from Tren ton to Easton, so that ocean-going barges of 1,000 tons capacity can load and unload at Easton and ultimately at Martin's Creek and Bethlehem.
Electrical Roads.— The Easton Transit Company has a splendid suburban system reach ing all local points and interurban lines out to Alpha, N. J., where large cement works are located, and to Bethlehem, South Bethlehem and Nazareth. These lines make direct con nections with all points in the Lehigh Valley and at Allentown for Philadelphia. Another system, the Philadelphia and Easton, extends from Easton to Philadelphia, via Doylestown and Willow Grove, traversing the right bank of the Delaware River for 15 or 18 miles and affording scenery unsurpassed by any trolley road in the United States. Two other roads, the Northampton Traction Company and the Northampton, Easton and Washington Traction Company (familiarly known as the Hay Lines), extend both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from Easton. The first named extends from Easton to Nazareth, the centre of the cement belt of the United States, and to Bangor, the centre of the slate producing region of this country, thence to the Delaware Water Gap and Stroudsburg, reaching the very heart of the Pocono Mountains, the famous mountain resort of the Eastern States. The Jersey road, called the Northampton-Easton and Washington, ex tends from Phillipsburg due east through the Musconetcong Valley almost to Hackettstown, through the impdrtant points, New Village and Washington. It is intended in the near future to connect this line with Lake Hopatcong. When
finished it will be possible for passengers start ing anywhere in the Lehigh Valley to proceed by trolley, all the way to New York, Boston and far off Maine, and from Philadelphia to the Pocono Mountains.
Climate and The climate of Easton is particularly good. The great Blue Mountain Range shuts off the harsh winter winds which have so sorely injured other places. The summers are fine. The rivers offer bath ing and boating for its young people. The rivers cutting through the mountain chains give it a scenic setting not surpassed by any city in this broad land. The soil immediately sur rounding Easton is wonderfully fertile and Northampton, of which Easton is the county seat, is far famed for the •wealth of the farms' resources of its soil.
The industries are wonder fully varied and Easton is signally fortunate in the character of its labor. At least 60 per cent of its men wage earners own their homes. This gives Easton a class of skilled men and fine citizens, foremost in every good work and public cause. The factories make almost every thing from pig iron and steel castings and ma chines down to delicate silk underwear, hosiery, silks and small articles of every day use. Among the industries and their products are Ingersoll Rand Company, mining machines, air compress ers, drills, etc., Taylor Wharton Iron & Steel Co,, steam railroad and electrical supplies, frogs, switches, special work, etc., Treadwell Engi neering Company, steel casings, mining machin ery, .separators, etc., Victor Balata Textile and Belting Company, machinery belts. The silk industry is very large. Over 5,000 operators work in the silk mills of Easton and Phillips burg, making broad silks, velvets and ribbons. C. K. Williams Company, ground paints and ground stone; General Crushed Stone Com pany, crushed stone, among the largest in the United States. Many flour mills. Charles Chip man Sons, hosiery; a very large concern; H. Lehr & Company, pianos; Lehman Brothers, silk and cotton underwear for ladies. Rinek Cordage Works, cordage; Binney & Smith, pen cils and crayons, one of the largest in the world; Easton Finishing Company carton finishers; American Flag Company, flags and bunting; Fitzgerald, Speer & Company, doors and sash; American Horse Shoe Works, horseshoes; Can ister Company, making cans and packages for grown products; General Chemical Company (Baker & Adamson Branch), and J. T. Baker Chemical Company, general chemicals and acids; Tippett & Wood, stand pipes and reservoirs. The repair shops of the Lehigh Valley employing about 750 men. Northern Ore Company have one pig iron furnace within a mile and a half of Easton. The Kuebler Foundries, malleable, cast iron and general iron works and the Easton Brass and Finishing Works. Within a radius of 10 miles there are 10 cement plants with a very large output. There are numerous other industries of various kinds, all uniting to make Easton a great manufacturing centre.