USA > Illinois > Kane County > History of Kane County, Ill. Volume I > Part 49
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
1908. Aldermen. elected for two years. William H. Fitch. J. H. Pompa, H. E. Trumper, Fred H. Budde, Fred Fauth. John Fenton, J. P. Kartheiser.
SUPERVISORS.
In the year 1849 the Illinois legislature passed a law allowing the people of the different counties to vote on the question of organizing a township government in each town in the county and giving a name to each township thus organized. The law provided for a supervisor, who should have general control of the town's business. be overseer of the poor. etc., an assessor, col- lector, three highway commissioners, school trustees, etc., for each township, with a provision for a "town meeting" on election day at which various minor matters may be considered, discussed and voted on "vive voce." This is similar to the New England system of town organizations, which probably comes nearer a true democracy than any other system in this country. if not in the world.
Unfortunately the law made the supervisors in the several towns to con- stitute a county board for the transaction of all county business. This gave Kane county alone a little legislature of sixteen members. This system con- tinued in vogue until 1887, when the state legislature discovered some discon- tent in some of the counties in the state where large cities of 25.000 or more population found that they had no more influence in the county board than a farming town of only a few hundred population, for each township had one member on the board. It was suspected that the farmers, being in the majority, might object to paying some of the big pauper bills from the cities and to try to throw upon the cities more than their just share of taxation. So the legislature passed an amendment to the law concerning supervisors. providing that all cities should have one "assistant supervisor" for every two thousand five hundred inhabitants over four thousand. This gave Aurora
· Elected to fill vacancy
€
HARDWARE
STOVES
CITIMY
CHASE
STOLPS ISLAND. LOOKING EAST. 1866.
559
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
seven assistant supervisors and increased the entire board to twenty-eight men to do the little county business that could better be done by three men.
Following is a list of supervisors elected in Aurora for the years men- tioned. The names of the numerous "assistants," together with the assessors, collectors, justices of the peace, constables, etc., "too numerous to mention," elected at the same time are omitted :
1850 Russell C. Mix. 1876 Joseph Reising. 1851 Russell C. Mix. 1877 Joseph Reising.
1852 Russell C. Mix.
1878 Joseph Reising.
1853 Russell C. Mix.
1879 Joseph Reising.
1854 Russell C. Mix.
1880 Joseph Reising.
1855 Russell C. Mix.
1881 Joseph Reising. 1882 John B. Chase.
1857 Wmn. B. Allen.
1883 Thomas O'Donnell.
1858 Myron V. Hall.
1884 Thomas O'Donnell.
1859 George S. Bangs.
1885 T. N. Holden.
1860 George S. Bangs.
1886 T. N. Holden.
1861 Isaac M. Howell.
1887 T. N. Holden.
1862 Isaac M. Howell.
1888 T. N. Holden.
1863 R. L. Carter.
1889 T. N. Holden.
1864 R. L. Carter.
1890 T. N. Holden (term extended to two years).
1866 D. M. Young.
1892 T. N. Holden.
1867 I. M. Howell.
1894 T. N. Holden.
1868 Charles Wheaton.
1896 T. N. Holden.
1869 Charles Wheaton.
1898 James W. Battle.
1870 Charles Wheaton.
1900 John Jameson.
1871 Charles Wheaton.
1902 John Jameson.
1872 Charles Wheaton.
1904 John Jameson.
1873 Charles L. Hoyt.
1906 John Jameson.
1874 O. N. Shedd.
1908 John Jameson.
1875 O. N. Shedd.
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
The peace and good order of any city is best preserved by the prompt and sure punishment of all offenses against peace and good order. Riots and mob rule never occur in places where all disorders of a minor character are promptly and quickly punished. Aurora has been particularly fortunate in having competent and conscientious officers whose highest ambitions have been to do their duty. As a consequence Aurora has never had any public disturbance and all breaches of the peace have been summarily punished.
City marshals appear to have been first appointed or elected in 1862, when Wm. Dexter was appointed and served to 1864. Wm. Vinter was marshal in 1865. serving one year; George A. Fish served from 1866 to 1870; A. C. Graves, 1871 to 1874; J. W. Rice, from 1875 to 1877; R. B. Gates, 1878 to 1881 ; Chris Zimmer, 1882 to 1886; John L. Walker, 1877 to 1888; Frank Demmer, 1889 to 1898, and he resigned October 1. 1898, to become
1865 R. L. Carter.
1856 Edward R. Allen.
560
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
sheriff, to which office he was elected. Frank Michels was appointed in 1899 and served up to the time of the present writing, making a most efficient officer. During his administration he kept minutes of the most important cases, two of which have become historic and are given herewith :
"On October 8, 1903, at 9:30 P. M., the Riverview Park street car was held up by three masked men, who robbed the conductor and motorman of their watches and what money they had, and made them get off the car near the Montgomery schoolhouse. They then operated the car and ran it about a quarter of a mile, stopped and threw off the trolley and abandoned the car. They walked across the E. J. & E. railroad bridge, came to the city of Aurora and boarded a street car on the Elgin, Aurora & Chicago line. About 10:10 P. M. Officers Grass and Gibson, of the Aurora police depart- ment, having been notified about the holdup, boarded the 10:10 P. M. car on the same line at Spring street to go to Aurora avenue to see if any suspicious characters would be getting on the car at that point. About two blocks north of Spring street they saw three men come out of the dark and flag the car to stop and got on the car. When the conductor came around to them for their fare they did not seem to know where they wanted to go. This made the officers suspicious of them and thinking that they must be the holdup men, they made up their minds to place them under arrest, but as the thieves were sitting in different parts of the car it was impossible to capture the three men without using their revolvers in the car.
"There were other passengers in the car at the time, but as the men had paid their fares to Aurora avenue they thought they would wait until the. men got off the car and then make the arrest. While the men were coming out of the car door they were placed under arrest. Officer Grass descending first and Gibson following the three prisoners. While descending two of the robbers turned on Officer Gibson and the three fell off the car together, they making an effort to pull their guns from their pockets. However. they were not quick enough for Gibson, who pulled his gun from his pocket and while lying on the ground shot one of the men dead, the other man making his escape. In the meantime Officer Grass had his hands full in having a gun fight with the third man, who later made his escape with the other robber. The dead robber was later identified as Clate Taylor, a tough character of Nodoway, Missouri. On October 24, 1903, two suspicious characters were arrested by the Chicago police department and in searching them guns of the same pattern were found on them as those used by Clate Taylor, the dead robber. Chief Michels was notified of the same and detailed Officers Grass and Gibson to Chicago to see if they were the men wanted here. They were placed among several other prisoners and were at once picked out by the Aurora officers and brought to Aurora, where they were identified by a good many people who had seen them in Aurora the day of the holdup. They were identified as being the three men hanging around the Montgomery schoolhouse the same day the holdup occurred. Their names were Thomas and James Conway, brothers, living in Chicago. Their trial was held in Geneva and they pleaded guilty and were sentenced to Joliet state prison March 3. 1904. on an indeterminate sentence."
561
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
"One of the most brutal murders occurred in the E. J. & E. railroad yards in West Aurora, February 28, 1903, when Antonio Romano, an Italian, murdered his companion, Nicholas Tomaso, in a box car by striking him with a hatchet in the head. In this case Chief Michels and his assistants deserve great credit in ferreting out and capturing said Romano. The cause of the murder was an old grudge from Italy before they came to America. In looking over the grounds after the murder was committed a hatchet was found in the snow covered with blood, and from this Romano was suspected of being the murderer. The dragnet was put in all the Italian quarters in Chicago and Chief Michels, with the assistance of the Chicago police depart- ment, captured Romano at 121 West Polk street, Chicago, Illinois. The arrest was made by Detectives Murray and Shaunessy, of the Chicago police department. He was brought to .Aurora, bound over to the grand jury, and at his trial was found guilty and was sentenced to be hanged November 20, 1903. The execution was carried out by Sheriff Burke on said date at 12:30 P. M., the hanging being perfect."
"One of the greatest catches made was when Chief Michels arrested Emory Hartsig and five of his bogus collectors February 25, 1908, who were collecting for advertising space in several bogus directories. These men have operated all over the United States and have defrauded business houses of hundreds of thousands of dollars. They are known the world wide and all large detective agencies had been trying to capture them, but without avail until Chief Michels and his assistants made good in capturing five of these men so long sought for. These five men are now doing time in the Joliet state prison and several more are listed to keep company with their companions in Joliet."
First Patrol Il'agon. S. L. Charles, alderman of the second ward under the old charter, has the honor of being the man who bought the first patrol wagon and team for the city of Aurora in the year 1886. Also the first team for the present fire and police system. The horses were named Sam and Charlie by Alderman Sam Charles, he being the chairman of the police com- mittee. They had to answer every fire call, pulling the hook and ladders, besides doing all the police work. In the year 1898 the patrol wagon was done away and an ambulance was bought to do police work and take care of the sick and injured, taking them to either their homes or hospitals as requested.
The old jail in the city building has been torn out and a modern jail, well ventilated and electric lighted, second to none in the state, having cost the city $7,000, taken its place.
The "red light system" has been adopted in the business district and is indispensable to the police department. By throwing a switch in the chief's office a red light appears on most of the down town corners, telling the police- men that someone is wanted at headquarters or to be spoken to by the office. In three minutes' time all the men will have answered the signal and through this means many suspects have been caught and quick service rendered
The police department in 1908 consisted of :
I chief of police. I assistant chief of police. i captain of police. 2 detectives. 2 patrol drivers. 2 desk sergeants. I jailor. 12 patrolmen. 3 merchants police.
562
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
AURORA'S FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Aurora has for many years boasted of its efficient fire department and it has certainly had capable and efficient firemen, who as a rule have nipped incipient fires in the bud and prevented their growing into conflagrations. Only three or four times since its organization and the installation of the high pressure water works system have fires got beyond the control of the fire department. Fire Chief Rang has recently compiled a brief and concise history of the fire department, from which liberal extracts are given :
After several large fires in the year of 1853-54. which nearly wiped out the business portion of the village. Trustee Holmes Miller on July 16. 1855. made a motion that if the citizens of Aurora will raise $500 by subscription for the purchase of a fire engine. the trustees will appropriate the balance from the treasury, the engine not to exceed in cost $1,000.
On May 13 Charles Gill was appointed by the president of the board to go to Chicago and examine fire engines with a view of purchase.
May 17 the board considered the report of Charles Gill and resolved that if practicable the sum of $4.000 be borrowed for the purchase of a fire engine. hook and ladders and for a company to extinguish fires and for a building of two stories.
June 26 an ordinance was passed to enable the president and board to purchase a fire engine when a sufficient sum shall be subscribed, said sub- scribers shall receive 10 per cent interest thereon. one-half to be paid from the taxes of 1856 and one-half from the taxes of 1857. provided that enough money is subscribed.
July 22 Charles Gill was sent to Chicago to purchase the engine.
July 31. 1856. a contract with Wright Brothers, of Rochester. New York, for a hand engine, hose cart and hose : also for a building to be erected for an engine house and calaboose and for the storing of the cannon was let. The engine cost $1.600 and the house $600.
The first fire company organized was the Young America, with Jesse Brady as foreman. and for many years our leading citizens and business men ran with the machine and manned the brakes.
February II, 1857. the two villages were incorporated and all apparatus was turned over to the city.
In 1863 J. H. Thompson was appointed chief engineer, L. D. Brady first assistant. and J. S. Hawley second assistant. These were all prominent business men located on Main street and Broadway.
In 1872 the Young America engine was sold to Benton Harbor for $750.
In the year 1869, when B. F. Parks was mayor and Ben. Bishie chief engineer. the first steam fire engine (Amoskeag) was purchased by the city. Sam Edgerly was its first engineer.
No. I company was then organized ( volunteers) and did excellent service under the various officers and men for many years. No. I was the champion team of the state and won the Buckhorns at three state tournaments. In 1871 the steamer and company were sent to help at the great Chicago fire and came home with much credit.
563
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
In 1898 the steamer was sold for old junk for $60, and with the money from the sale Chief Schoeberlein had hose wagons built for Nos. I and 2.
Under the administration of John C. Murphy new quarters were built in North Broadway for $12,000 to house No. I hook and ladder truck and patrol wagon.
In 1891-92 W. S. Frazier, mayor; William Messenger, James Battle and John Meredith, fire and water committee, purchased an aerial truck and a chemical engine for this house.
In 1905, H. B. Douglas. mayor ; Louis Stoll. J. W. Linden and Jesse Curry, fire and water committee; the chemical engine was replaced by an up-to-date combination hose wagon and a company of five full paid men organized, with George Rang as chief.
The second steamer purchased was in 1875, from A. Button & Son, Waterford, New York (D. Volintine mayor). Its first engineer was Hugh Doran and W. E. Reed was chief. The steamer was stationed on Anderson street, in a house built in 1870. A company of twenty men was organized and named Excelsior No. 2. The engine was in regular service until the establishment of the city water works system (1886) and is at the present time in good condition and held in reserve ( 1908). 1881 (T. Phillips, mayor). William Egermann chief, a horse was purchased for the No. 2 hose cart, then rebuilt. The first driver was George Rang, now chief. In 1882 a team of horses were purchased for the steamer and a company of thirteen men organized, with Adam Schoeberlein, captain; Emil Frauenhoff, lieuten- ant ; John Hubbard, engineer of steamer and Harvey Rackinyer stoker; M. Keil, driver. In 1898 the one-horse cart was replaced by a two-horse hose wagon and a company of five call men and a regular driver organized.
In 1869 the Holly pumps were established on both sides of the river, a hose house built and a company organized and located in River and Galena streets. A Holly pump was put into Hoyt's shop to pump water into the West Side mains and into the city mills for the East Side. The old Eagle mill site at the north end of the island was first tried, for the city owned one hundred and forty-four cubic inches of water then, but this power was insuf- ficient to work the pump. After many years a hose house was built in South Lake street.
In 1881 a horse was purchased for the hose cart, then rebuilt. The com- pany was organized under Chief Egermann and called No. 3 company. In 1886 a two-story brick house was built in South Lake street and a team of horses and a four-wheeled carriage purchased. In 1895 company of five paid men organized with Captain R. Tabor.
In 1892 the horse and cart at No. 3 was transferred to a two-story brick house, built at Union and Columbia streets. A company of six call men was organized. with R. Nixon as captain. In 1894 a team of horses was pur- chased and the No. 3 hose carriage transferred to this company. Later built into a hose wagon with a company of four paid men; organized under Chief Rang. January, 1907. with B. Weiler captain.
In 1894 old hook and ladder house in Broadway was moved to Fifth avenue and horse and cart transferred from No. 4 and a company of six call
564
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
men organized, with Captain L. Reese. It was called No. 5. In 1908 this house was rebuilt and company of four paid men organized. with Captain WV. Jacobs.
The first ladders used in the department were a few ladders carried on a two-wheeled cart.
In 1871 a hook and ladder house was built in North Broadway and the Eureka hook and ladder company organized. with a fair-sized village truck, which was in service until 1892, when an empty truck was purchased and equipped with the ladders taken from the Aerial truck ( also purchased the same year) by the fire and water committete-Messenger, Batttle and Mere- dith. The aerial truck is held in reserve. January 1, 1907, the company (now called No. 6) were put on full pay, with five men.
In 1875 W. E. Reed and other members of the department established the first electrie call fire alarm system. While stringing wires Tom Bexon, a member of No. 2 company. fell from a pole at the corner of River street and Downer place and was killed.
In 1886 an electric fire and police alarm system was installed with fifty signal boxes and gongs and printers in all hose houses, city hall and pumping station. The system has been improved and added to and at the present time there are about one hundred fire alarm boxes in the city.
The source of water supply up to 1886 was either direct from the river, from the Holly system in the business district of the east and west side, or from large cisterns located through the residence district, as follows :
Main and Root streets. Main and State streets. New York and Fourth streets, Clark and Fourth streets, Fifth and Clark streets. North avenue and Jackson street, Fourth street and North avenue, Union and Liberty streets, and Walnut and Locust streets.
In 1886 a high pressure water works system was installed, with miles of mains and hydrants, which system has been greatly extended and enlarged.
Chief officers and their titles under which they served were as follows :
1853. George Suydam. fire warden.
1856. Jesse Brady, foreman ; J. Hattery, foreman.
1863. J. H. Thompson, chief engineer.
1869. Ben Bisbie, fire engineer. 1870. W. H. Hawkins, chief engineer.
1871-73. W. E. Reed, chief engineer.
1874. J. Eddy, chief engineer.
1875-79. W. E. Reed, chief engineer.
1880-81. W. Egermann, chief engineer.
1882-83. W. E. Reed, chief engineer.
1884. Joseph Boyle, chief engineer.
1885-90. George Siler, chief engineer.
1891. Adam Sanders, chief engineer.
1892-93. Adam Schoeberlein, fire marshal.
1894-96. W. Zimmers, fire marshal.
1 807-05. A. Schoeberlein. fire marshal.
1906-08. George Rang. chief.
THE
OLDEST & BEST
NEWSPAPER
PRINTING
SINDING
EAST BRIDGE, AURORA. ERECTED 1885.
BULL DUR
AURORA, NORTH FROM HOTEL ARTHUR.
567
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
As before stated, there have been but few fires since 1886, when the new water works were installed. Among the more prominent fires in the city since its settlement are the following :
1854. August 4, Mackenhill's distillery.
1854. Volintine's general store, in Main street.
1856. Eight stores on east side Broadway.
1858. Seven or eiglit stores west side of Broadway, from corner of Main south of Alschuler's.
1861. May 3, stores in River street from Galena to Hurd's store.
1867. Wilder House.
1869.
Huntoon House.
1871.
Old silver plate factory.
1873. May 20, C., B. & Q. shops ; over $50,000 damage.
1888. C., B. & Q. paint shop, Oak street schoolhouse, Mercantile block,
Fox and Broadway.
1903. June 18, Sencenbaugh store, Broadway.
1906. February II, Stolp's woolen mills building.
1906. March 18. Jennings seminary.
1906. August 10, Knickerbocker Ice Company, North Broadway.
1906. November 7, Oak street school.
CITY WATER WORKS.
Under the head "Fire Department" is mentioned the installation of the high pressure water system, but the circumstances which led up to it deserve a more extended mention. There had been considerable agitation of the question of water supply for fire purposes, and for a few years a supply of water for domestic purposes was discussed. An analysis of numerous wells in different parts of the city was made and they were all found to be contami- nated with organic matter, decidedly dangerous to life and health of the people. The council engaged the services of an engineer, Chester B. Davis, to ascertain where a suitable water supply could be obtained. He discovered there was plenty of water in the river and advanced the theory that impure river water would purify itself by falling over a dam and becoming "aerated," therefore the river water, after falling over the North Aurora dam, would become pure and suitable for domestic purposes. He also found a large underground supply of pure water on the Douglas farm, south of town, which he thought might possibly furnish a sufficient supply. But being sure of a sufficient supply in the river, he recommended that it be taken from the river above the city. The council adopted this plan June 5, 1885, and bor- rowed one hundred and thirty-eight thousand dollars to complete the work. Alderman George Meredith championed the work of the council. and it is to his efforts, more than to those of any other one man, that Aurora secured water works at that time. The pumping station was put north of the city, and conduits were laid to an island opposite the pumps, through which the water ran to get into the big well, from which it was pumped into the stand pipe and into the water mains. But the quality of the water was not suitable for
568
KANE COUNTY HISTORY
domestic purposes, for the air failed to purify the sewage from the up river towns. When the work was completed the city owned over twenty miles of mains, a steel stand pipe one hundred and fifty two feet high and eighteen feet in diameter, two steam pumps, with a capacity of three million gallons daily, and two hundred and forty-five hydrants. Water takers used the water for watering lawns, etc. There was an abundant supply for fire purposes, but it was not much used for domestic purposes. After a few years the city determined to experiment with artesian wells, and sunk one well to a depth of two thousand or more feet into the St. Peter's sandstone, which underlies all this part of the country. The first five thousand feet supplied pure soft water, but not in sufficient quantity. The deeper the well went the more mineral matter appeared in the water, and in the last five hundred feet the quantity was so great that the water was undesirable, therefore the lower end of the well was plugged up. Three other wells have been sunk, until now (1908), with the aid of an "air lift." supply the needs of the city, about three million gallons daily. Extensions of the water mains have been made every year. until now ( 1908). the city has over fifty-eight miles of mains, while the quality and quantity is very satisfactory. In fact it analyses better than any other city water in the state. The city had in 1908, four hundred and eighty-four hydrants for fire protection. It keeps a constant supply of fresh water in fourteen watering troughs and two drinking fountains. Water is supplied to private parties through meters, of which there were four thousand five hundred in use in 1908, and the annual revenues were about forty thousand dollars. The surplus over the expenses was used to extend the mains and pay the interest on the bonds. The actual amount of water consumed was two million gallons daily. Thus, in 1908, it appeared that with fifty-eight miles of water mains and five hundred hydrants for fire protection, free water supplied to the city buiklings, fire department buildings, schools, hospitals, drinking fountains, watering troughs, the entire expense, including interest on the bonds, was paid by the private water consumers and the water tax was not large, compared with that of other places. This was considered by the advocates of municipal ownership of public utilities to be an unanswerable argument in their favor.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.