USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 10
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
I18
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Horace Greeley, who was actively identified with the organization of the Republican party. The disaffected element held a convention and organized the Liberal-Republican party, and nominated Horace Greeley for candidate for President. By action of the Democratic convention, Greeley was en- dorsed as the Democratic candidate. Greeley had been most bitter in his denunciation of the Democratic party and it was regarded as a political freak for that party to adopt Greeley as a party leader. A straight Demo- cratic candidate, in the person of Charles O'Conor, was brought out by an element of the party who declined to follow the Greeley leadership. The Prohibition party made its first appearance in this campaign, with a presi- dential candidate in the person of James Black. Greeley died a few days after the election, and before the electoral votes were counted. In the elec- tion Grant received 286 of the 349 electoral votes. Indiana's fifteen elec- toral votes were counted for Grant. Indiana's popular vote: Grant, 186,- 147; Greeley, 163,632; O'Conor, 1,417. Daviess county vote : Grant, 1,914; Greeley, 1,618; O'Conor, 17.
THE ELECTION OF 1876.
The candidates for the presidency in 1876 were: Rutherford B. Hayes, Republican; Samuel J. Tilden, .Democrat; Green Clay Smith, Prohibition; Peter Cooper, Greenback. The contest was exciting and the result of the election close, and in dispute. An election commission finally settled the mat- ter by giving Hayes 185, and Tilden 184 electoral votes. The popular vote of Indiana in that election was, Tilden, 213,526; Hayes, 208,011; Cooper, 17.233 ; Smith, 141. Daviess county : Tilden, 2,350 ; Hayes, 2,026; Cooper, 25.
THE ELECTION OF 1880.
The presidential candidates were, James A. Garfield, Republican; Win- field S. Hancock, Democrat; James B. Weaver, Greenback; Neal Dow, Prohibition. The electoral vote was divided between Garfield and Hancock, Garfield receiving 214, and Hancock 155. The fifteen electoral votes of Indi- ana were cast for Garfield, and the popular vote of each candidate was: Garfield, 232,164; Hancock, 225,522; Weaver, 12,986. Daviess county gave Hancock 2,387; Garfield, 2,320; Weaver, 85.
II9
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
THE ELECTION OF 1884.
The candidates in 1884 were James G. Blaine, Republican; Grover Cleve- land, Democrat; Benjamin F. Butler, Populist; John P. St. John, Prohi- bition. The electoral vote was divided between Cleveland and Blaine, Cleveland receiving 219, and Blaine, 182. Cleveland received Indiana's fifteen electoral votes. The popular vote was: Cleveland, 244,990; Blaine, 238,463 ; Butler, 8,293; St. John, 3,028. The vote of Daviess county was 2,480 for Cleveland; 2,278 for Blaine; 113 for Butler; 2 votes for St. John, in Van Buren township.
THE ELECTION OF 1888.
General Benjamin Harrison, of Indiana, was the Republican candidate for President, in 1888; Grover Cleveland, the Democratic candidate for re- election ; Clinton B. Fisk, Prohibition; A. J. Streeter, Greenback. Harrison received 233 electoral votes; Cleveland, 168. Indiana's popular vote: Har- rison, 263,361 ; Cleveland, 261,013; Fisk, 9,881 ; Streeter, 2,694. Daviess county voted, Harrison, 2,694; Cleveland, 2,689; Fisk, 6; Streeter, 39.
THE ELECTION OF 1892.
General Harrison was a candidate for re-election on the Republican ticket, in 1892; Grover Cleveland was again the candidate of the Demo- cratic party. The candidate of the Prohibition party was John Bidwell; James B. Weaver was the People's party candidate. Of the electoral vote Cleveland received 277, Harrison, 145; Indiana's fifteen electoral votes were counted in the Cleveland column. The popular vote of Indiana for the sev- eral candidates was: Cleveland, 262,740; Harrison, 255.615; Weaver, 22,208; Bidwell, 25,807. The contribution of Daviess county to this vote was, 2,498 for Cleveland; 2,610 for Harrison; 908 for Weaver; 55 for Bidwell.
THE ELECTION OF 1896.
William McKinley was the Republican candidate for President in 1896; W. J. Bryan was the candidate of the Democratic party, on a free-silver platform; John M. Palmer was the candidate of the faction of the Demo- cratic party that was not in accord with Bryan's free-silver ideas; Joshua Levering was the Prohibition candidate. Of the electoral vote, Mckinley
I20
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
received 271, Bryan, 176. Indiana distributed its popular vote among the several candidates, giving Mckinley 323,754; Bryan, 305,573; Palmer, 2,145; Levering, 3,192. Daviess county vote: Mckinley, 3,120; Bryan, 3,378; Levering, 19.
THE ELECTION OF 1900.
The election of 1900 was practically a renewal of the contest of 1896. William McKinley was the Republican candidate for re-election to the presidency, and William Jennings Bryan made his second race as the candi- date of the Democratic party. John G. Woolley was the candidate of the Prohibition party, and Eugene Debs, candidate of the Socialist party. Mc- Kinley was again elected, Indiana's fifteen electoral votes contributing to that result. The following is the popular vote of Indiana in this election : Mckinley, 336,063; Bryan, 305,584; Woolley, 13,718; Debs 2,374. The vote of Daviess county was : McKinley, 3,298; Bryan, 3,424; Woolley, 175; Debs, 168.
THE ELECTION OF 1904.
The death of Mckinley within a year after the beginning of his second term made Theodore Roosevelt, who had been elected as vice-president, suc- cessor to the presidency. Roosevelt was the candidate of the Republican party for President, in 1904; Alton B. Parker, the Democratic candidate ; Swallow, the Prohibition candidate, and Debs, the Socialist candidate. Roose- velt received a majority of the electoral vote, including the fifteen from In- diana. Of the popular vote of Indiana, Roosevelt received 368,289; Parker, 274,345; Swallow, 23,496; Debs, 12,013. Daviess county divided its vote as follow : Roosevelt, 3,682; Parker, 2,802; Swallow, 169; Debs, 148.
THE ELECTION OF 1908.
William Jennings Bryan made his third race as candidate of the Demo- cratic party for the presidency in 1908. William Howard Taft was the can- didate of the Republican party; Chafin of the Prohibition party; Debs of the Socialist party, and Watson, of Georgia, was the candidate of the Populist party. Indiana's fifteen electoral votes were given to Taft. The popular vote of the state for the several candidates was: Taft, 348,993; Bryan, 338,262; Chafin, 18,045; Debs, 13,476; Watson, 1,193. Daviess county's vote : Taft, 3,424; Bryan, 3,253; Chafin, 134; Debs, 204; Wat- son, 53.
I2F
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
THE ELECTION OF 1912.
The Republican convention of 1912, like that of the Democratic party in 1860, resulted in a split. William H. Taft was nominated for re-election by the regular Republican organization. The dissenting faction, at a subsequent convention, organized the Progressive party and nominated Theo- dore Roosevelt for President. Woodrow Wilson was the nominee of the Democratic party, and Chafin and Debs were the candidates of the Prohibi- tion and Socialist parties, respectively. In the following election Wilson received Indiana's fifteen electoral votes, and a safe majority of the elec- toral votes. The popular vote of Indiana was: Wilson, 281,890; Roose- velt, 162,007; Taft, 151,267; Debs, 36,931; Chafin, 19,249. Daviess county voted 2,759 for Wilson; 2,005 for Taft; 1,061 for Roosevelt; 150 for Chafin; 327 for Debs.
CHAPTER VII.
THE WABASH AND ERIE CANAL.
In the early thirties the people of Indiana went wild in their efforts to compete with some of the older Eastern states in the location and con- struction of internal improvements. Railroad projects which had been pro- moted in some of the Eastern states, were still in the experimental stage. For land transportation the old stage coach was considered the most depend- able, and for the greater convenience and comfort of this means of travel the public enterprise was enlisted in the construction of plank roads. Taxes were laid and large expenditures were made in this method of improvement of some of the main thoroughfares traveled by the stage coach. The larger handling of public traffic and the more extensive travel of those times was by boats, and the location of early settlements and towns at points, either on a river or easily accessible to a navigable watercourse, was considered an important advantage. As the physical formation of the country did not provide for navigable watercourses sufficient to meet the demand, public enterprise turned to the construction of canals to supply the deficiency. The construction of canals was not a new project. Most of the ancient nations had canals. The Egyptians very early made a canal connecting the Nile with the Red Sea. The great canal of China was constructed about the seventh century. The Erie canal, so important to New York city, was begun in 1817 and completed in 1825. Many of the older Eastern states had con- structed canals, and they had been in successful operation for several years before the canal idea struck the people of Indiana.
The act of Congress making the first land grants for the construction of the Wabash & Erie canal was passed in 1827. The act of the Indiana Legislature, authorizing the commencement of the work, was passed at the session of 1830-31. A second grant of lands for the continuation of the canal from the mouth of the Tippecanoe river to Terre Haute was passed by Congress in 1831. A third grant of half of the unsold lands in the Vincennes land district, for the continuation of the canal from Terre Haute to the Ohio river at Evansville, was made by Congress in 1845. The work on the canal was begun at Fort Wayne in 1832, finished from Toledo, Ohio, to Lafayette in 1841, to Terre Haute in 1849, and to Evansville in 1852.
123
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
FINANCIAL CRASH OF 1847.
In the meantime Indiana was going to the limit in the promotion of plank roads, railroads, and other internal improvements. During these years so much work in the way of public improvements was in progress in the state that wages were high, and all kinds of produce and provisions were bringing good prices. The great amount of money that was paid out for labor and produce, apparently, made good times in all parts of Indiana where this work was being done. But this was fictitious prosperity. The pros- perity was only apparent. The people had gone wild in extravagance; they engaged in much speculation for which promissory notes were given, with little regard for the future pay-day. The retail merchants contracted debts with the wholesale merchants. They sold quantities of goods on credit to their customers, who were wholly dependent on these works for the money with which to pay their store accounts. The crash came in 1847, and there was a general suspension of every sort of business. The state was involved in the financial disaster; thousands of men who were on the road to fortune could do nothing but stand idly by and see their fond hopes disappear. Col. W. M. Cockrum, of Oakland City, Indiana, author of the "Pioneer History of Indiana," relating the condition of financial distress prevailing at that time, says :
"So wide was the disaster in the country bordering on these undertak- ings of the state that it was very distressing. In 1838 there were so many individuals involved in that ruin that it was very embarrassing to all the peo- ple. At the meeting of the Legislature, in 1838, Governor Wallace, in his message said: 'Never before-I speak advisedly-never before have you witnessed a period in our local history which more urgently calls for the exer- cising of all the soundest and best attributes of grave and patriotic legislation than the present.'
"In 1839 work was suspended on most of the state improvements and the contracts surrendered. It became evident that the state could not finish all these works. The Legislature of 1841 passed an act authorizing any private company to take charge of and complete any of the work, except the Wabash & Erie canal. It was thought that by the aid of the govern- ment the state could finish the canal in the next few years. The state made several attempts in this direction without success. Everything lay quiet until 1846, when Charles Butler, who represented the bondholders, offered to take the state's interest in the canal for one-half the debts, and for the
I24
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
lands granted for its construction. He proposed to finish the canal on this condition, and the further condition that the state would issue new certifi- cates for the other half, and pay interest at four per cent. per annum, the state reserving the right of redemption."
The state accepted this proposition and the canal was finished under this management. It was completed and began operation from Terre Haute to Evansville in 1852. The entire length of the canal in Indiana was three hundred and ninety-five miles; in Ohio, eighty-four miles. making its entire length four hundred and seventy-nine miles.
PROMISING INVESTMENTS GO GLIMMERING.
The construction of the Wabash & Erie canal, and the hopes and ambi- tions the enterprise aroused, the failures and disappointments experienced, is all a part of the history of Daviess county. Along the meandering course of the canal, through the county, several towns were located, and there was quite a demand for town lots, the price of real estate in the vicinity of the canal route materially increasing. Some of these towns were laid out on a large scale; several houses were built, including stores, and small industries of various kinds were established. During the short time the canal was in operation, some of the towns became extensive shipping points for grain and produce, and the merchants located there enjoyed a large trade from the surrounding country. But all the bright prospects and promising finan- cial investments went glimmering when the canal failed. The site of these flourishing towns is now but a memory. The thousands of dollars expended by Daviess county in the canal project was compensated, in some measure, however, by the bringing in of a large immigration and the consequent devel- opment of the material resources of the county.
The amount of labor and patient energy expended in the digging of the canal is a wonder to the present age. That was before the day of the steam shovel and other modern machinery for such work, all work of exca- vating being laboriously done by pick and shovel. Irish laborers were mostly employed for this work, as they were the most expert in hand- ling the implements used. The dirt was loaded into a wheelbarrow, or a dump cart drawn by a mule, and carried to the place of dumping. The plow and scraper were used to some extent by a few of the contractors; but most of the work in the construction of that great ditch was the slow process above stated. The trace of the old canal can still be followed in its course through Daviess county. In many places deep excavations are seen, giving
125
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
some idea of the immense cost, and the great amount of time and labor required in the removal of all the dirt with shovel and wheelbarrow.
INCIDENTS OF CANAL DAYS.
There are still a few of the citizens of Daviess county living who were employed in the digging of the canal in this county, and those who have had that experience, and a memory reaching back to that time, can relate many interesting incidents connected with that great enterprise. Among those who have had this experience, and a memory to relate it, is Warren ("Dodge") Hart. Mr. Hart lives at Maysville, one of the flourishing towns in canal days; now a deserted village. Mr. Hart is the authority for the following statements relating to the digging of the canal through this county :
Mr. Hart introduces himself as the "jigger" boy, a very important and necessary function, second only to the paymaster with the canal diggers. The "jigger" was about two swallows of whiskey, and the number of "jig- gers" that a contractor would give a day to his employees was as important a consideration as the amount of money he would give for labor. One dollar per day was the usual money consideration, and the number of "jiggers" was fixed by agreement, five to ten a day being the usual allowance. It was not unusual for a contractor who was short of hands to increase the number of daily "jiggers" over the allowance by other contractors. This proposed increase brought the contractor all the hands he needed. It was the duty of Mr. Hart, as "jigger" boy, to see that the agreed number and specified amount was delivered on time. Contractors bought whiskey by the barrel, at about twenty cents per gallon, so the "jigger" was not an expensive luxury in those times.
Some of the contractors who had contracts for work in this county were "Doo" Munson, Coffee and Burns. Most of their employees were Irish. After the canal was finished many of these had saved up enough money to buy land and locate in the county, settling mostly in Barr and Wash- ington townships. Many of these families became prominent in county affairs, and have contributed no small part to the development of the county.
Laborers lived in rude shanties, sometimes cooking their own meals. Others obtained meals from boarding houses that were established at every "dump." The rations usually consisted of bread, potatoes, and plenty of black coffee, sweetened with molasses. Meat was on the bill of fare about once a week. The laborers received their wages every three months. Pay-
I26
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
day was the occasion for a holiday, in which drunks and fights were the principal amusement.
In most cases the contractors had one section each, and these sections, as a rule, were a mile long. Where the sections required heavy work they were made shorter, in order that the work might all be completed about the same time. The embankments were made by hauling the dirt in one-horse carts. The usual outfit for a crew of men, where the haul was not over two hundred yards, was four carts and four men to each cart to shovel in the dirt. The work was so timed that the loaded cart was ready to pull out as soon as an empty cart was returned to be loaded. Over each squad of forty men there was a boss; usually the most important man on the works, the boss let no opportunity escape to magnify his office.
WHISKEY AS FREE AS WATER.
There were no restrictions then on the sale of intoxicating liquor. Whiskey was as free as water, and often more easily obtained than water. There was great opportunity for profitable business in setting up a "grocery" or "doggery," as drinking places were called, in the vicinity of the canal works. A board shanty and a barrel of whiskey was all the preparation necessary to equip a business place of this kind. As a rule, contractors objected to establishments of this kind because of the demoralizing effects among their employees, and they would not permit whiskey joints to remain within their jurisdiction.
The canal followed the water-level of rivers as far as practicable. In many places the fall was so great that it was necessary to build locks in order to secure a new water-level. The locks were made of sufficient length to accommodate the largest boats, and were about eighteen feet wide. The material used was heavy hewn timber, with very heavy double gates at each level. Several locks of this kind were built on the canal in Daviess county by Contractor Munson. One of these was about two miles below Elnora, called the "Patterson Lock." There was one at Plainville, one at Jordan station, one at Thomas station and one at Sandy Hook. American laborers were exclusively employed in the building of locks, culverts and constructive work where timber was required. Irish skill was better adapted to the handling of a shovel than the broadaxe.
An aqueduct was built across the east fork of White river, just east of the junction of the east and west forks of that stream. This was quite
I27
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
an extensive and expensive structure, and an important link connecting the canal in Daviess county with its southern extremity. During the Civil War, when southern Indiana was in a state of terror on account of the Morgan raid, Governor Morton ordered a battery to be sent, on request of citizens of Daviess county, to defend this aqueduct against a possible attempt of the ruthless raider to destroy it. If Morgan ever had any such designs, or had ever heard of the aqueduct, he was too busy finding a way of escape from the invincible "Home Guards" to give the matter any special attention. The aqueduct was burned by ferry-boat men about the close of the Civil War, but the canal had ceased operations prior to that time and the loss was not material.
The canal was tested in 1852 by letting in the water to discover if there were any leaks. Boats began running in the early part of 1853 and continued until 1860, when navigation was suspended and the canal was practically abandoned on account of railroad competition. The motive power was mules, two or more mules being hitched tandem for the heavy freighters.
CHOLERA EPIDEMIC.
The Asiatic cholera, which had been prevalent throughout Ohio, Indiana and Illinois during the years 1849 to 1851, made its appearance in Daviess county in the summer of 1852. The disease was most prevalent among the laborers on the canal. Their manner of living, with little regard for sani- tary conditions or cleanliness of habit, offered a special invitation to this disease, and the attack was almost universally fatal. Within a few days after the appearance of the disease a number of deaths occurred. These were mostly in the camps located in the vicinity of Plainville and Sandy Hook. Following the first attack a number of men fled from the camps. Some of these had already the poison of the disease in their systems and this soon became virulent, resulting in death within a few hours. It was not an unusual occurrence for men fleeing from the afflicted camps to be attacked with the disease and die on the roadside. Victims of the disease in camp were often left lying for days before being given burial, few able persons being left to attend to this duty. Some were buried in the little shanties where they died. Other bodies were buried in long trenches by friends who braved danger and remained to care for the sick and dying. A number of graves of cholera victims were located in the vicinity of Sandy Hook, but all traces of these have disappeared. There is no record of the number of deaths resulting from this epidemic.
128
DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
TRAVELING ON A CANAL BOAT.
In 1850, an English gentleman, named Beste, and his family, came over from England, and, like all visitors to America before the Civil War, they had to make a tour of the West. They reached Indianapolis, traveling by river and rail, and after remaining at that place for some time, bought a team of horses and a spring wagon and proceeded by the National road to Terre Haute. They were detained there for several months on account of sickness. They then decided to abandon their contemplated trip to St. Louis in the wagon and return by the Wabash & Erie canal, which was then in operation. The following extract from a sketch written by Mr. Beste relat- ing his- experience on this trip, and describing the appointments and accom- modations of a canal boat, is reproduced from "Readings in Indiana His- tory," published by Indiana University :
"At five o'clock in the afternoon, we stepped from the little quay at Terre Haute on board the Indiana canal boat. Three horses were harnessed to a rope, about fifty yards ahead of the boat; they started at a moderte trot, and the town where we had tarried so long was soon lost to our sight. No other passengers were on board, and we wandered over the vessel well pleased with the promise it gave us of tolerable accommodation. The captain, a very young man, was civil and attentive to our wants, and told us that tea would be served at seven o'clock, which there, on that day, was the precise hour of sunset.
"The construction of the canal boat was, in miniature, much the same as that of the river and lake steamers. There was no hold or under deck, but on the deck at the stern were raised the kitchen, steward's room and offices ; in the center of the boat was the large saloon-the sitting room of all by day, the sleeping room of male passengers by night. Adjoining it was the ladies' saloon; beyond which, again, was a small cabin containing only four berths. This cabin was separated by a doorway and curtain from the ladies' saloon, and the other side opened upon the bow of the vessel. In it was a looking glass, a hand basin, two towels, a comb and a brush for the use of the ladies.
"It was a rule in the boats that no gentleman should go into the ladies' saloon without express invitation from the ladies. Consequently the third little room was sacred to the female sex, unless entered from the bow, in which case a male occupant would cut off the ladies from their wash house. Doctor Read had, however, declared that it was necessary that I should
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.