USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Discovery and conquests of the Northwest, with the history of Chicago, Vol. II > Part 34
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Thomas Hoyne, Willard Woodward, Herman Ras- ter, Robert F. Queal, Samuel S. Hayes, Elliott An- thony, Daniel L. Shorey, James W. Sheahan and Julius Rosenthal were appointed, April 8, as the first board of directors, and Thomas Hoyne was made president of the board.
The collection of books was immediately stopped, and Mr. Robson employed by the new board to ship the books on hand. The books from England soon began to arrive, and storage was secured for them in the "Iron Tank," which was attached to the temporary
479
Chicago Public Library.
city hall building, on the corner of Adams and La Salle streets. This tank had been used as a distributing reservoir for the South Division, and stood on a masonry foundation thirty-five feet high. The lower portion was converted into fireproof vaults. Donations of books were also received from Chicago citizens.
January 1, 1873, a reading room was opened in the third story of the city hall, adjacent to and connected with the tank. Mr. W. B. Wickersham, who had been appointed secretary, July 20, 1872, was placed in charge. October 25, 1873, William F. Poole was appointed librarian, and assumed his duties January 1, 1874, holding that position till August 1, 1887, when he resigned to take charge of the Newberry library. Frederick H. Hild, the present librarian, was appointed to take his place, and assumed his duties Octo- ber 15, 1887. Mr. E. F. L. Gauss was appointed assist- ant librarian.
March 16, 1874, more commodious rooms for the library were secured on the southeast corner of Wabash avenue and Madison streets, where the circulating de- partment was opened to the public May 1, 1874, with 17,355 volumes. Citizens of Chicago, by registering their names and depositing a certificate of guaranty, signed by a responsible person, to secure their safe return, could draw books. This guaranty required re- newal every two years.
May 27, 1875, the library was removed to the south- west corner of Dearborn and Lake streets, where it remained until May 24, 1886, when it again found new quarters in the fourth story of the city hall, to accom- modate its 120,000 volumes. Here it remained until its removal, September, 1897, to its permanent home in the new Public Library building.
The last official act of the old Chicago Library Association took place March 9, two days after the free library bill became a state law; when Mr. Lowther brought together a quorum of the officers of the Chicago
480
Chicago Public Library.
Library Association, which, on motion of Gen. J. D. Webster, voted to the new public library all the books the old library still possessed or were entitled to, namely, the 300 or 400 volumes which were afloat in members' hands; the 250 volumes (about) of the British specifications of patents, then at our binders in London, and some 600 books which were stored subject to our order in London when the work of collecting had been suspended.
The Chicago Public Library, as it now is, grew out of the efforts of public spirited citizens of Chicago, whose incentives were to decorate our city with the insignia of literature. Some of these men are still liv- ing, venerable with years, and held in honor by their fellow-citizens. The public will delight to honor them. Every man who assisted in the organization and mainte- nance of the Young Men's Association, afterward called Chicago Library Association, as well as American and British donors of books and money, after the fire of 1871, helped to found an institution, out of which grew the present Chicago Public Library-the pride of our city, the delight of bookworms, the great educator of the public, and at this date (1901) the largest circulating library in the world.
The circulation of the four largest libraries in the world, in 1896, was as follows:
Birmingham, England. 818,312
Boston Public Library 847,321
Manchester, England. 975,944
Chicago Public Library 1,172,586
When everything was ready to consider the erec- tion of a public library building, the first thing to be obtained was a suitable site. Dearborn park was the most convenient and the best adapted to all its require- ments of any other that could be found, and the possi- bilities of this spot for its erection had been considered for many years by public spirited persons.
As early as 1833 a bill was introduced in congress (supposed then to be vested with authority) to secure
481
Chicago Public Library.
permission to use this park for a public library build- ing and soldiers' memorial hall, and other purposes of a public nature; this bill failed to pass. Like efforts were made at subsequent congresses, without success; committees were appointed by both library and soldiers' interests, who visited Washington, in the hope of ob- taining the coveted plat of ground. But in 1888 the United States Supreme court rendered its decision in what is known as the "Lake Front" case, with the effect of vesting the title to Dearborn park, not in the United States, but in the state of Illinois (and in the municipal corporation, as its agent), for public purposes.
Acting under this decision, the Illinois legislature, on June 4, 1899, gave the Soldiers' Home, of Chicago, permission to erect a memorial hall on the north quar- ter of Dearborn park, and on May 19, 1890, an ordinance of the city of Chicago was passed, and on June 2, 1891, an act was passed by the legislature, and approved, under which authority the directors of the Chicago Public Library were authorized to purchase the inter- ests of the Soldiers' Home, and to erect and maintain a public library on the entire park. Immediately after the passage of the ordinance-that is, on or about June 14, 1890-the library board, through its president, John G. Shortall, upon information received by him that an adverse occupation might be looked for, determined to take actual possession of the land, and had the whole park fenced. This timely action undoubtedly saved several years of occupation to the library, and avoided the cost of possible litigation. On July 14, 1890, a "consent" to the use of the park by the library was drawn up by the president, who undertook, on behalf of the board, the obtaining of the signatures of the abutting owners. This was accomplished through the summer and autumn of 1890.
The Soldiers' Home was an institution very popu- lar among the people. It originated during the civil
482
Chicago Public Library.
war, and has ever since been distributing thousands of dollars a year among the families of needy soldiers.
As a compromise of these conflicting interests, the managers of the Soldiers' Home voted unanimously in favor of the proposition advocated by Thomas B. Bryan, who had been their president for some thirty years, as he still is, to convey their quarter of the square to the library trustees, in consideration of a spacious Memorial Hall being appropriated to the ex- clusive use of the soldiers, for the space of fifty years at a nominal rent, after which, the right, title and use of said Memorial Hall shall revert to the Directors of the Chicago Public Library. This lease bears date January 1, 1898. That elegant hall is one of the most impressive features of the splendid edifice, and a very appropriate tribute to the veterans, who delight in the privileges so enjoyed in their declining years. The records show the deed of the ground from the Soldiers' Home, signed by Thomas B. Bryan, presi- dent. Ground was broken for the new building July 27, 1892, and the corner stone laid Thanksgiving day, 1893.
The entire cost of the building was $2,078,954.01. It was dedicated Saturday, October 9, 1897. Monday, October 11, 1897, the library, with all its departments in working order, was thrown open to the public. The entire number of volumes on May 31, 1898, was 235,385, showing a net increase of 14,649 volumes over the number reported at the close of the previous year.
The entire number of volumes in the library on May 31, 1901, was 272,276, an increase of 13,778 vol- umes over the number reported at the close of last year. The total number of volumes entered in the accession catalogue was 21,854, of which 18,910 were purchased, 1,958 were donated, and 986 were acquired by binding periodicals from the reading rooms. There were also added 1,702 pamphlets, making the number of unbound pamphlets now on hand 49,805.
483
Chicago Public Library.
There were deducted during the last year from the total number of volumes in the library the following items: Books worn out and withdrawn from circula- tion, 7,424; books lost and paid for, 394; books un- accounted for in the annual inventory of 1899-1900, 203; books not recovered from delinquent book bor- rowers in 1899-1900, 55.
The amount expended for books was $19,867.04.
CIRCULATION OF BOOKS.
The aggregate circulation of books in all depart- ments of the library was 2,318,579, distributed as follows :
Home circulation (main library)
608,421
Home circulation (delivery stations)
1,164,320
Reference department.
*336,103
Room for art books
29,529
Patent department
99,160
Bound newspapers.
4,128
Branch reading rooms.
76,918
Total circulation of books 2,318,579
The circulating department was open for the deliv- ery of books on 302 week days, fifty-two Sundays and nine holidays. The entire home circulation was 1,772,741 volumes, an increase of 22,966 over the pre- vious year. The daily average week day circulation was 5,813, against a daily average of 5,769 reported last year. The average Sunday and holiday issues numbered 284. The largest number of books issued on any one day was 10,005, on February 23, 1901; the smallest number was 4,424, on September 12, 1900.
The amount received for fines from delinquent book borrowers was $7,131.19.
DELIVERY STATIONS.
During the past year the number of free delivery stations in operation was increased from sixty to sixty- five. Of these, twelve are located in the North Divi- sion, twenty-six in the South Division, and twenty- seven in the West Division of the city. The number of
* Does not include use of books kept on open shelves accessible to the public.
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Chicago Public Library.
books drawn from the various stations for home use was 1,164,320, comprising nearly 66 per cent of the entire home circulation. The increase over the previous year was 20,929 volumes.
The amount expended for compensation of keepers of delivery stations and for the transportation of books was $19,319.65, an average cost of one and sixty- five hundredths cents for each book circulated.
CLASSIFICATION OF THE CIRCULATION.
The classification of the books issued for home reading, showing the number and percentage of each class, is as follows :
Volumes.
Per Cent.
English prose fiction
801,279
45.20
Juvenile literature.
507,713
28.64
History and biography
111,151
6.27
Geography and travels
53,891
3.04
Sciences and arts.
94,487
5.33
Poetry and drama
24,819
1.40
Miscellaneous .
56,373
3.18
Foreign languages.
123,028
6.94
Total.
1,772,741
100.00
REFERENCE DEPARTMENT.
The number of recorded visitors to the reference room was 121,709, to whom were issued 336,103 volumes from the stacks. No record was kept of the number of books consulted from the open shelves in this room. The average number of readers in the reference room at the close of each hour from 9 A. M. to 10 P. M. was sixty-six. The largest attendance in the room was at 4 o'clock P. M., the average number of readers present at that hour throughout the year being 112. In the room for art books, 8,668 readers consulted 29,529 volumes.
PATENT REPORTS AND PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
The number of visitors to the patent department was 24,124, who consulted 88,690 volumes of patent office records and 8,745 public documents. There were also consulted in this department 4,006 volumes of bound newspapers and 1,725 volumes of scientific mag- azines. Of books for the blind, 858 were circulated for home use and 122 were used in the library.
a
485
Chicago Public Library.
READING ROOM.
The average attendance in the reading room at the close of each hour of the day, from 9 A. M. to 10 P. M., was 195. The maximum average of attendance was at 3 o'clock P. M. throughout the year, numbering 273 readers. It was impossible to keep a record of the use of periodicals and newspapers, as all the more popular serials are now kept on open racks in the room, where they are directly accessible to readers.
The entire number of serials on file was 1,102. The amount expended for newspapers and periodicals for all the reading rooms was $4,388.11.
BRANCH READING ROOMS.
The aggregate attendance at the six branch read- ing rooms was 204,821. The issues of periodicals num- bered 190,028, and the issues of books 76,918. The average attendance on Sundays and holidays was sixty- six.
REGISTRATION.
The total registration during the two years ending May 31, 1901, was 80,616. During this period there were canceled for various reasons 5,507 cards, leaving the number of two-year cards which entitle the holders to draw books for home use at 75,109. The classifica- tion of the registration by sex shows that 41,967 cards were issued to males and 38,649 to females. The total registration of the year was 40,407. There were issued at the various delivery stations 24,316 cards.
ADMINISTRATION.
There are now employed in all departments of the library service 208 persons. The amount expended for salaries was $135,678.76.
BINDING.
There have been sent to the various book binders who have contracted to do work for the library 28,052 books, of which 19,978 were newly bound or rebound, and 8,074 were resewed in the old covers. The attend- ants in the binding department repaired 66,634 books;
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Chicago Public Library.
5,819 books were repaired at the binderies. The total number of books relabeled during the year was 127,095. The amount expended for binding was $10,331.31.
ANNUAL INVENTORY.
The annual inventory was taken in the usual man- ner without closing the library. The result showed 192 books unaccounted for. Of the 291 volumes re- ported missing in the previous inventory, eighty-eight have since been found.
Hitherto the branch libraries of the Chicago Public Library have been placed in rented rooms in various parts of the city, convenient to the reading public; but through the generosity of Mrs. Blackstone, widow of the late T. B. Blackstone, a beautiful building, costing $100,000, is to be erected at the intersection of Forty- ninth street, Lake and Washington avenues, to be known as the "T. B. Blackstone Memorial Branch Library." This munificent gift will accommodate the citizens of the entire southern portion of the city.
The board of directors of the. Chicago Public Library gratefully accepted this donation at its meet- ing October 24, 1901, extending thanks to Mrs. Black- stone. If similar branch libraries could be erected in other portions of the city remote from the main library at Dearborn park, it would greatly increase the ad- vantages and usefulness of the library as it now is. It is to be hoped that Mrs. Blackstone's generous example will be imitated by other public benefactors.
-
CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY.
PUBLIC SURVEYS.
In 1783 the United States took her place in the family of nations.
She had conquered, by the sword, an immense in- heritance of nature, which lay spread out on her west- ern border, in forest and prairie, like an unwritten page to be filled up.
The appliances of civilization were to be introduced here, and the grandeurs of the old world reproduced, on a new and improved plan.
The old seignorial rights of landlords over their tenantry had not been recognized in the new order of things, which the American revolution had brought into requisition in the new nation.
One of the foundations on which this nation must stand was private ownership of the soil, and agreeable to this premise, instead of surveying the new country in large feudal estates, our present system of public land surveys was adopted by congress as the best manner of securing individual rights to small parcels of land.
It began in the territory of Ohio in 1785, only two years after the peace of Paris had sheathed the sword between the American colonies and the mother country.
The first step to be taken was to run a line due north from the Ohio river to Lake Erie. This was called the first principal meridian. The second meri- dian was run from the Ohio river north through Indiana and Michigan.
The third meridian was run from the Ohio river, where Mound City now is, north through the central portions of the state of Illinois, thence through Wis- consin.
The fourth meridian was run north from the con- fluence of the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, thence through western Wisconsin.
(487)
488
Public Surveys.
As public surveys progressed westwardly, meridi- ans were run, in like manner, at convenient distances apart, till the Pacific coast was reached, the last one of which passed near the city of Portland, Ore.
From each of these meridians what are called base lines, being east and west lines, forming right angles with the meridians, were run.
Along these base lines what are called ranges were designated, at intervals of six miles apart, and num- bered either east or west from their meridians.
The meridians are numbered at intervals of six miles, thus laying out the whole country into six-mile
GOV'T TOWNSHIP CONTAINING 36 SECTIONS, 640 ACRES.
-6-
5
4-
-3-
-8
-10
-11-1
-12-
18
-17
-18
-1'5
-14
-13
-19
-20-
+21-
-22
-24
30
-29
28-
-27
26
-25-
31-
-32-
+38
34
35
-36
THE SMALL SUBDIVISIONS IN THIS CUT CONTAIN 40 ACRES EACH.
squares, which were originally called government town- ships, but latterly called towns, to distinguish them from civil townships created by state authority.
The civil townships are generally composed of a single government town, but when physical or political conditions make it necessary, they contain more than a government town, as, for example, Downer's Grove, Du Page county; or less, as Cicero, Cook county.
The government towns are subdivided into square miles, called sections, making thirty-six in each town, and numbered as in the diagram herewith presented.
Every square mile in the surveyed portions of the United States can be described by its meridian number,
489
Public Surveys.
its range number and its section number, no two of which have the same description.
Sections contain 640 acres, and each is subdivided into quarters, 160 acres; quarters of quarters, forty acres; and quarters of quarters of quarters, ten acres.
These smaller subdivisions are described in convey- ing small parcels of land by deeds.
Deeds of land are described by township numbers, range numbers 'and section numbers.
Blocks in cities are numbered and divided into lots, each of which is recorded, as parts of a section, in its respective township and range.
There are fifteen ranges in Illinois, east of the third meridian, the fifteenth being fractional, as it con- sists of but two sections until the Indiana line is reached ; and all the lands in these ranges are de- scribed, in deeds, as east of the third meridian, and numbered as per the meridian number and range in which they lie.
Fractional sections occur along the entire margin of Lake Michigan, and also along the margin of large lakes as well as along the shores of large rivers.
The old Indian boundary line, which passes diago- nally from the southwest into the southern portion of the city, has caused intricacy in the transfer of lands, inasmuch as it has made diagonal offsets necessary, some of which it is difficult to assign to any given sec- tion. This line was run in 1816, which, with another line twenty miles distant from it to the northwest, and parallel with it, enclosed a strip of land from the Illi- nois river to the lake, which was ceded to the United States by the Ottawas, Chippewas and Pottawattomies August 4, 1816, for the purpose of enabling the Illi- nois and Michigan canal to be built." The inducement by which the Indians were persuaded to sign this treaty was on the ground that the canal would be free to them for canoe navigation.
* For the details of this treaty see Volume I, page 491,of this work.
490
Public Surveys.
This strip of land was surveyed previous to 1832, as will be seen by looking at the map herewith pre- sented, which is a copy of a government map issued from the treasury department December 12, 1837, by Levi Woodbury, secretary of the treasury.
According to Mr. Woodbury's annual report of 1836, estimates were submitted to congress for surveying the tract of land lying between the third principal meridian and Lake Michigan, extending southwardly about five townships in width from the northern boundary of the state. It will thus be seen that settlements had been made around Chicago for many miles previous to the public survey of these lands. These early settlers made pre-emption claims to the lands on which they settled by plowing a furrow around such lands, and when surveys were finally made and the lands came into market, they bought the lands at government price. Warren Wheaton, an esteemed citizen of Du Page county, Illinois, is still living (1901) on his original claim made in the above mentioned manner. Hon. C. B. Farwell, well known in Chicago, assisted in survey- ing the lands in the neighborhood of Rockford, and when such lands came into market and were offered for sale at the land office in charge of them, no one but the original claimant dared to make a bid on such lands. To have done so would have endangered his life. This rule held good as to the claims of original settlers who had "squatted" on unsurveyed public lands every- where. It was an unwritten law of the early settlers, and seldom, if ever, transgressed.
The entire city of Chicago lies within the govern- ment townships numbered 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41, as numbered on the third principal meridian, and within ranges, or base lines, XII, XIII, XIV and XV.
It will be observed that offsets occur on vari- ous east and west township lines; for example, see township line along the northern limits of Niles, Elk- grove, Maine, etc., in Cook county.
Northboundary of the State of Illinois.
46
×
RS
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DASpaulding]
Nº 65
Nº 64
Nº
66
Nº
68
*
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45 S
RS
*
Ignatius T
James
James
E.C.Berrys
44
*
RS
Sprigg's district
Thompson's district
Galloway's district
district
43 RS
*
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at 600miles
at 650milesi at 600 miles
at 600. miles
42
×
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41
Nº
69
os os
40
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chicago
39
OS
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contract of 1837
O.S
38
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37
N.º
67
Et. S. Prescous district to survey
o.s
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350
36
as will make about, 800 miles of Surveying
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The townships which were subdivided and returned before June. of the year 1832 are marked "O S."
The townships which have been subdivided and returned and alto- gether or in part paid for since the commencement of June, 1832, are marked "R S."
Those which have been subdivided since that period and returned, but have not yet been sanctioned by the Surveyor General are marked " N S."
This mark "X" on the boundary lines and in the interior of town- ships designates the exterior lines and subdivisions of which the field notes have been permanently recorded in this office.
This mark """ designates the lines and townships of which the field notes have been both permanently recorded in this office and copied for the General Land Office at the city of Washington.
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Nº 55 RS ×
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State Line between Illinois and Indiana.
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Lake Michigan
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estimated
estimated
estimated
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the township lines & subdivide as many Townships
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D.J. Spaulding contract of 1835
XV.69
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491
Public Surveys.
These were necessary for corrections wherewith to preserve the sections, as nearly as possible, in square shape.
As the lines running north must converge as they approach the pole, at given intervals, a less number of base lines must be plotted, the farther north surveys proceed, in order to conform to the rotundity of the earth's surface.
The thirteen old colonial states are surveyed by metes and bounds, according to the old English sys- tem. All the states added to the Union since our independence have been surveyed on our new and improved plan, except Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas. Kentucky was originally included in the Virginia col- ony, which parent state had sent a hardy race of pioneers like Boone, McAfee and Harrod there, and made large grants of land to them, thus introducing the old instead of the new system of land surveys. Tennessee was included in the original charter of North Carolina, and jurisdiction over it was not given to the United States till 1790, at which time large grants had been made to private individuals.
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