Harlan & Hollingsworth - Page 4

Interurban Cars —

Among the most interesting interurban cars produced by Harlan & Hollingsworth were the “Holland” sleeping cars and the unusual articulated units constructed by Bethlehem in 1935 for the Key System's Bay Bridge service between San Francisco and the East Bay cities.

The two “Holland” sleeping cars were built by Harlan & Hollingsworth in 1903 for the Holland Palace Car Company. Holland aspired to become the Pullman of the interurbans, but was bankrupt and out of business by 1906.

Just two cars were built for Holland. Named Theodore and Francis, they were first tried out on the 64-mile run between Columbus and Zanesville, OH, then moved to western Ohio, and finally to the Illinois Traction Railroad, where they served the 172-mile run between St. Louis and Peoria. There they were renamed Decatur and Springfield after two towns on that line.

The two cars were unsatisfactory as sleeping cars due to the noise and vibration from the power trucks. (They were ultimately replaced with cars of the railroad’s own design that were “trailers” (cars without their own motors, operated in combination with motorized cars).)

The Springfield was destroyed by fire 20 May 1916. The Decatur was rebuilt as mainline motor car #272 in 1911, converted to bunk car #7 in 1914, renumbered to #14 in 1922 and #028 in 1930. It was finally retired 22 February 1939.

The Key System —

“Shoeless” Joe Jackson —

Are you familiar with the story of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Chicago White Socks left fielder, and the “Black Socks” scandal of the 1919 World Series?

In 1917, Joe bats .307 and stars in the field, leading the White Sox to victory over the New York Giants in the World Series.

In 1918, he takes a job in a shipyard to contribute to the war effort (1st World War), takes a lot of heat for not going overseas, but continues to play baseball for industrial league teams.

In 1919, he bats .351 during the regular season, posts a .375 average at bat and a perfect 1.000 fielding average in the World Series as the White Sox lose to the Cincinnati Reds, but is nevertheless accused of conspiring to throw the series.

Guess what was the shipyard for which Joe worked and the industrial league team for which he played. If you guessed Harlan & Hollingsworth, you win the prize!

Harlan & Hollingsworth/Ship Builders —

The following list represents only those ships erected by Harlan & Hollingsworth that we found by searching the Internet (and probably not all of those): a small sampling of the ships actually constructed over a period of more than 100 years.

Cast of Characters —

Mahlon Betts (1795-1867) was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and came to Wilmington in 1812. About two years later he purchased a small foundry at 2nd and Justison Streets from Samuel Baldwin and operated it in partnership with Evan Thomas. He built a larger foundry on his own account at 8th and Orange, where the first heat was run on July 20, 1828. Betts’s first foundry was worked by horsepower, but the second featured the first stationary steam engine used in the state of Delaware. He leased the foundry at 8th and Orange to his son Edward, who carried on the business as Betts & Stotsenburg.

Samuel Nichols Pusey (1814-1885) was born in Delaware, probably in New Castle County. His mother died in childbirth, but he eventually had two stepmothers and nine half-siblings. Though 28 years separated Samuel from his youngest sibling, the siblings (and their spouses) were frequent business partners and socialized together, especially those who lived in the Wilmington, Delaware area. Samuel was a businessman. The 1880 census lists him as a retired merchant. Judging by the size of his estate, he appears to have been a very successful businessman.

Samuel Harlan (1806-1883) was born at Long Island, New York, the son of a carpenter. He became a skilled cabinetmaker. He married 1830 in Chester (now Delaware) County, Pennsylvania, Susan Fairlamb, younger sister to Elijah Hollingsworth’s wife Anna Richardson Fairlamb. He died at Vienna, Austria, but is buried near Wilmington, Delaware.

Elijah Hollingsworth (1806-1866) was born at  ____. He married in ____  at ____ Anna Richardson, elder sister of Samuel Harlan’s wife Susan Fairlamb. He died at _____.

(If you can fill in the blanks (or add to any of the above sketches, PLEASE get in touch with us!)

For More Information —

“Holland Sleeping & Parlor Car - 1903.” Traction PlanBook. Newton, NJ: Carstens Publishing, 1964, p. 39.

Photos and scale drawing(s).

Gause, Harry T. Semi-Centennial Memoir of the Harlan & Hollingsworth Company. Wilmington, DE: Privately printed, 1886.

Hoffecker, Carol, Wilmington, Delaware—Portrait of an Industrial City, 1830-1910. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1974.

Online points to begin in-depth research —

“Betts & Steel Records, 1828-1868.” Hagley Museum and Library. Online description of holdings.

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