USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 23
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H
EAMINTRER.
ELKS' HOME, EVANSVILLE
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many times. He was a man of boundless ambition and his greatest ambi- tion was to make the E. & T. H. a part of a Grand Trunk line from Chi- cago to Evansville, thus making Evansville the often called "Gateway to the South." For some years there was a struggle between Terre Haute and Evansville for the location of the shops, but they were located here and will always remain here. It is impossible today. to fix a valuation on this railroad. While it does not always appear among the quoted stocks in New York, it is known as one of the best and most ably managed roads in the west. Its business will never decrease and with the opening of the Panama Canal and the naturally increasing traffic on the Ohio, no one can tell what its possibilities may be. The above road was scarcely completed and its northern terminal fixed upon, before there was an agitation to build a road from this city direct to Indianapolis. It would in some respects be a rival to the E. & T. H. but only for a short distance and it was estimated that there was room enough for both. The prime mover in this new road was Willard Carpenter who spent several years of very hard work in try- ing to get it through. Mr. Carpenter had been one of the prime movers in the building of the E. & T. H. and had taken more stock than any other two men in the county, but his object had always been to run the road up the White river valley to Indianapolis. He always claimed that this was the only proper thing to do. So in 1853 he resigned as director and with Ex-Senator E. H. Smith made an agreement to build a road from Evans- ville to Indianapolis to be known as the Straight Line. Some $900,000 was procured along the line. Mr. Carpenter himself subscribed $65,000 and grading progressed rapidly for fifty-five miles, at which time Mr. Carpenter went to Europe to purchase the rails. It was at this time that he first found that he was surrounded by enemies who had gotten up a pamphlet con- taining misrepresentations which was distributed among the banks and the rail makers in London, Paris and Wales. So well was this work done that his plans were completely prostrated. He finally called on Vorse, Perkins & Co., who had houses both in London and in New York, and after much negotiations made a contract with that firm. His agreement was to pay $12,000 in mortgage bonds per mile on the road, $200,000 worth of real estate bonds and $100,0000 of Evansville city bonds, which the city had subscribed but had not delivered to him. All other bonds he had with him and they were to be handed over in July to the New York house of Vorse Perkins & Co. Mr. Carpenter wrote to Mr. Henry D. Allis, urging him to call the city council together and deliver the $100,000 of bonds to Vorse Perkins & Co. in New York, but the enemies of the road were now at work in his own city and the council refused. Mr. Carpenter then offered to secure them by mortgaging all his real estate in both the city and county (which was very extensive) to indemnify them, so that cars might be run- ning over the first fifty-five miles to the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad cross- ing before December, 1859, but council made a mistake by refusing to do this. Of course certain pressure was brought to bear upon them, but as to
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that, this work has nothing to say. The fact remains that their work caused the failure of the Straight Line railroad and it was one of the great- est detriments that could have happened to the city of Evansville. Of course the road has virtually been built since this, but it was at this council meeting that the big mistake was made. The bed to this old road of course still remained grown up with trees and undergrowth of every kind, until R. G. Hervy of Terre Haute got hold of the old franchise and induced the city by popular vote to grant aid to the amount of $300,000. This money, however, was never paid, as the road was not constructed as prom- ised. But the city's promise hung over it as a debt for many years and it was at length compromised by an agreement on the city's part, to pay $196,000. Bonds were issued for this amount. Mr. Hervy did not com- plete the road though this construction was well under way when he sold all his interests to D. J. Mackey. Mr. Mackey paid Hervy's debts for grading. Under Mr. Mackey's management, however, it was completed and is now one of the important factors in the railroad system of Evans- ville. In 1879 a company known as the Local Trade Company undertook to construct a system of roads in Evansville and as the name would inti- mate, the idea was to built roads which would bring in all the trade of the surrounding neighborhood of this city. The first president was a lawyer, Robert E. Hill. It first asked for $100,000, then withdrew the petition and asked for $150,000. The people refused to grant this but subsequently they voted to give the road $65,000 if it should be completed by January, 1881. The road was not completed and these bonds were destroyed and it is a great misfortune that the city was not able to destroy certain other bonds at the same time. This Local Trade Company then submitted another proposition by which it undertook to construct the Peoria, Decatur & Evans- ville road. They asked $100,000 for this. This proposition did not meet with popular approval. The Peoria, Decatur & Evansville later on asked the city to subscribe for $125,000 of its stock, agreeing to construct its road and maintain its shops in this city. The amount was voted and bonds were issued for 1,250 shares of the stock May 1, 1880. Many will remem- ber the great line of talk that was made about the wonderful amount of business that these shops would bring to Evansville. This formed the topic of many a speech and the only trouble is that too many people took these speeches as they were given and not for what they were worth, for it was soon found that though a sort of building was erected for the shops, there had never been any intention to carry the work on in this city. These bonds were taken up in 1881. The stock was sold for $125,000, and the P. D. & E. road became a part of the Mackey system. The lines owned and operated by the great L. & N. Railroad Company formed a very im- portant part of the system of Evansville railroads and while at present every one appreciates the great help that this road has been to this city, it may be well to go back to their connections with the road and state a few facts.
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In 1870 the city and county respectively, subscribed for $150,000 city and $120,000 county of stock in the Evansville, Cincinnati and Paducah railroad company. These amounts were afterwards doubled, on the con- solidation of that road with the Evansville and Southern Illinois to the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad Companies. In 1873 these consolidated lines got the name of the St. Louis and Southwestern Railroad Company, delivered its stock certificates to the city and county and received bonds in payment therefor. The city in the meantime had also subscribed for $300,000 worth of stock of the Evansville, Henderson and Nashville rail- road company, had paid $500,000 in cash, and had delivered bonds for the remainder of the amount. By the consolidation of these various lines which connected Evansville with the southwest, the name of Evansville, the city that had given far more than what her share should have been, was completely wiped out. This met with righteous indignation on the part of many citizens and it will be remembered that Hiram E. Reed called a public meeting and told the people a few things about what had been done and how they had been done. At that time Gen. Winslow was president of the road, and when he learned that steps had been taken to prevent the delivery of the bonds, he offered to compromise by agreeing that the road should be advertised on all its cars at all its stations and in all its advertising matter, as the St. Louis, Evansville and Nashville Rail- road Company. Having gotten hold of the bonds, it is needless to say that it was only a short time until the rain or something else completely wiped out the name of Evansville. Another thing, while it may not have been a matter of black and white, it was absolutely understood when the people voted to aid the road, that the company was to build and maintain its shops in this city. The paper was lost and I only wish I could give the name of the man who helped lose it. And in the record of the contract. strange enough, there was no reference to the shops, so the road located its shops at Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Winslow then consolidated the west and southern divisions of the line in 1872. His claim was that it would lessen the cost of operation and now for figures. There were no flies on Wins- low.
When this consolidation was accomplished, the Western division was bonded for $1,500,000 and the southern division for $1,100,000 and the stock and the road of which the city of Evansville held $600,000 worth, was worth the paper it was written on and no more. So much for smooth railroad work. In 1874 it passed, of course, as was usual in those days, into the hands of a receiver and so bought up the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company. The bonds which we are paying for today and which our children will continue to pay off, are the result of just such manipula- tions as the above, aided by the smooth-tongued C. H. Venner, mention of whom will appear later .on. In 1885 the L. & N. built a splendid steel bridge at Henderson. It is needless to say that though this road bears the southern name, and is supposed to be the connecting link between two
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southern cities and the name of Evansville does not appear, it has a warm place in the hearts of every true citizen, for it never promised anything which it did not do. Its immense shops at Howell virtually built up that beautiful suburban city, while its splended passenger station and freight yards completed but a short time ago, show only too well that although Evansville is not on their cars, it cuts an important figure with their man- agement. Another road was the Lake Erie, Evansville and Southwestern, which was designed to connect with northern and western cities, but its means were small and after building the road as far as Boonville, it was compelled for some time to stop, they being unable to build any further. It passed into the hands of a receiver and became the property of the Louis- ville, Evansville and St. Louis, called the Air Line. The road was so ex- tended that at Huntingburg it connects directly with the main line from Louisville to St. Louis. This line runs over a country of magnificent min- eral resources. Along it are immense amounts of the very best stone for ballast material for making lime, etc., while underneath it, for almost its entire distance, are vast beds of coal. Even if it does no local business, there is enough freight of this nature to keep its entire rolling stock busy during all the whole year. The Ohio Valley road runs from Evansville to Nashville, Tennessee, by way of Princeton and Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and comes through a very fine agricultural country. It also brings much trade to the wholesale merchants of Evansville. It has always been well man- aged and while not as important a road as some others, is a valuable ac- quisition to the city. The belt line is a road that runs around the entire city and connecting all the roads and running switches into great manu- facturing plants and thereby making itself a most important adjunct to progress. In 1873 the Evansville and Louisville narrow gauge railroad company asked for $225,000 from the county but the petition was with- drawn and in 1874 the Evansville, Jackson and New Orleans railroad com- pany asked for $300,000. For this an election was ordered but the order was afterwards rescinded. In 1875 the Henderson Mining and Trans- portation company asked for $200,000 to aid in building a road to begin at the river bank just opposite the city and run to Henderson. This was to be a Gap road, but while much was talked of at the time, nothing was done regarding it. In 1875 the Evansville and Newburgh Narrow Gauge asked for $22,000 but the proposition did not carry at the polls. Glancing at the above figures one will note how many demands have been made to start different roads and what vast amounts of money this city and county have been asked to give. Some of these propositions were all right but others were all wrong. No progressive man doubts but that railroads in every direction are a good thing, especially in this era of progress, but there are many conservative people who fail to see just why our already sorely taxed citizens should be compelled to pay so much for individual enterprises that could in no way ever return them a penny except in the way of a natural growth that comes to any city. And in conclusion, out
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of all the vast sums given by Evansville and Vanderburg County to these various roads, the only ones from which any money results were ever at- tained, were from the sale of the stock of the E. & T. H. and the P. D. & E. In 1888 $60,000 was voted to the Evansville Suburban and Newburgh road to aid in construtcing a dummy line from this city to Newburgh. This was a good investment. The little line has been of incalculable value to our city and its success has done much to encourage the other traction lines which are now coming in from every direction. Not so long ago there was a great deal of talk about an alleged railroad which was to come direct from Chicago to the city of Evansville, coming in where it pleased, put- ting up a great granite wall in the river with coal docks adjacent, building stations just where it pleased, in the rear of some of the handsomest homes of Evansville, and in fact, possibly coming down through Sunset Park and back again by Riverside avenue, through its center if it so pleased. This, however, proved to be one of the roads, the chief asset of which consisted of talk, and while some people allowed this to agitate them, the majority of the people paid little heed to what the road had to say through its agent here. In fact, its chief advocate being a rather conservative sort of a man, seemed to have as little to say as possible. Be that as it may, whoever was behind this road, soon found that a roadbed built as suggested was almost an impossibility and would meet with the same fate as did the outer wall of the water works and also found, that while they claimed that a railroad has absolute right to condemn any property, over which it saw fit to locate its right of way anywhere it chose, there were some good people who had been in this town perhaps longer than the projectors of the road who had an idea that they also had some rights and if these two rights clashed to- gether, the railroad would be the sufferer. The matter now seems to be dead. While it was being discussed, it was generally referred to as "the railroad on paper." Just at present all eyes are turned to the Big Four which is coming into the city across Sweezer's pond. Work on this road is being pushed as rapidly as thorough engineering and unlimited wealth can make it go. Its entrance will be quite an event for our city, as the ramifica- tions of this great system are so great that they take in an enormous amount of territory.
Before leaving the subject of railroads, it might be as well to explain a little further about the bonds which now constitute such a great part of the debt of Evansville. Along in the year 1887 the different newspapers and very probably some of the city officials began to get letters from parties hitherto unknown in the East, asking about the situation of the railroad debt owed by the city of Evansville. It was suggested that the city, which had repudiated its debt could never expect to prosper, and that if the citi- zens as a whole would decide to become honest and pay its debts, certain amends might be made and the once fair name of the city, now stained with dishonor, might be restored to it. About this time several of the papers took up the matter and probably being misled, as were many
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others, suggested that this was the only honorable thing to do. This was a most unfortunate movement on the part of the press and it would seem, looking at it from the light of latter years, that none of the papers took pains to see exactly how this aforesaid debt happened to be settled on to Evansville. Be that as it may, it was not long until a gentleman from Boston, who pronounced it Baston, appeared on the scene. His name was Clarence Venner. He wore good clothes in the very extreme of fashion, stopped at the St. George in the very best suite of rooms, spent money freely, and had one of the most oily and effective tongues that had ever been sprung upon this devoted public. He first saw the press, then very probably the councilmen and then still more probably, several leading and influential citizens, who like himself, were good talkers, and to each and all he told the story of the poor widows and orphans in the East who had bought these bonds and were now starving because they were unable to raise any money on them. According to his story, the city of "Baston" was almost made up of these weeping widows and fatherless orphans. He also suggested that aside from all that, that to prosper we must be honest. His friends finally brought together a public meeting in the old court room which stood where the Lottie barber shop now stands. At this meeting Mr. Venner appeared and told the story about the bonds which he pro- nounced "Bahnds" and at the end of his pitiful story there was not a dry eye in the house, except the eyes belonging to certain parties with whom Mr. Venner had had various confidential talks. This is history about which there is absolutely no doubt. After this first meeting there were several others and as a result of the pitiful tales of Mr. Venner, there were more and more people who began to sorrow for the poor widows and finally the said Venner decided that the trap was about ready to be sprung. How well he sprung it, the officials who are now trying to pay off this enor- mous debt, know only too well. It is not the object of this work to give the why and wherefore of any of the deeds of the citizens of Evansville, but it is only regrets that for the sake of this fair city whose beauties it is now trying to give to the public, that the city officials did not demand from Mr. Venner the list of those widows and orphans. It is a safe proposition that neither a widow or an orphan owned one cent of Evansville paper. This paper, suposed to be valueless, was in the hands of ecrtain eastern brokers and any business man knows well enough that long ere he started to Evansville, Mr. Venner knew exactly the amount for which these bonds could be bought. And it must have been a very small one, and he knew therefore, that his profit could only be determined by the amount of money above the stated price that his smooth tongue could work out of the people of Evansville. He went away from here perfectly happy, and the last the writer heard of him he had succeeded in marrying a very rich widow in Russia. Whether he was over there in the interests of widows in "Baston" no one knows, but it is safe to say that the same good talk that he made here in Evansville brought him a home and a rich wife.
CHAPTER XVI.
EARLY FIRE ENGINES-THE POLITICAL SYSTEM-ADVENT OF METROPOLITAN SYSTEM-FIRE HORSES AND HOW THEY ARE TRAINED-NEEDS OF THE DE- PARTMENT-OLD-TIME OFFICIALS-THE AUTO WILL TAKE THE PLACE OF THE HORSE-PUBLIC PARKS-THE FIRST ATTEMPTS-HOW SUNSET PARK HAS GROWN-"MODESTY FORBIDS"-COOK'S PARK-CHANCES FOR THE FUTURE.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Evansville has always been proud of her magnificent fire department and very justly so, for in the early days the efficiency of the fire department grew more 'rapidly perhaps than that of any other undertaking. In fact, when at one time the assets of the city of Evansville were a matter of question, it was said that her fire department was the only real asset that she had. Yet at that time there were few hose houses and very few horses. In another place this work has treated of the days when the Neptune, the Young America and the Little Sis were the only engines here. Shortly after this period, the city purchased a larger hand-power engine, known as the Washington and if I remember rightly, Mr. George Wolflin was in charge of this. It was many years afterward before the first steam engine was bought and as at that time we had no water works whatever, the water had to be taken from fire cisterns which were rapidly built in all parts of the city and more especially on and near Main street. These cisterns were kept up for a great many years and I can remember that at times when the pressure from the water works was not sufficient, it was no uncommon thing for a steam engine to be run up over one of these fire cisterns and the water used from it. About the first man who was ever known as a natural fire chief was Mr. William E. Hollingsworth, who at that time was in the queensware business with his brother. Almost every man has some par- ticular thing for which he seems peculiarly adapted and Mr. Hollingsworth's fort was in fighting fires. He was a man with a cool head who never lost it at any time and under any circumstances. He did not go crazy and raise up the town yelling his orders at the men so rapidly that they could scarcely understand him, but on his arrival at the fire, seemed to take in the situation at once. After that his commands were given in a quiet tone and always produced good results. For many years the city tried to induce him to accept the position of fire chief, but this he invariably refused to accept, stating that he was only a private citizen and while willing to do
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his duty, he did not wish to feel that he must at any time and at all times be ready to meet an emergency. He, however, stated to the committee who waited on him, that he was at all times ready to do his part. In those days the firemen were volunteers and it was not until later years that the city established a regular fire department, bought its own horses and paid fit salaries to its men in all the departments.
To deviate for a moment, after the system of a paid fire department was in vogue, it naturally got into politics much to the regret of every one who had the real good of the city at heart, and for a time places on the fire department were simply used as a reward for peanut politicians who thus were enabled to surround themselves with ward-heelers. As is very natural, the fire department in those days was not what it should have been. Men were chosen not for their ability as fire fighters but for their ability to round up voters on election day and almost any man with a good political pull could hold his place on the department, no matter how often he broke the most rigid rules. The citizens soon became convinced that this state of affairs could not continue, and a metropolitan fire department was begun. According to the terms on which this was passed, a man who held his position must have proved himself worthy, he must obey all rules, never appear on duty in an intoxicated condition, never sleep on duty ex- cept on his watch-off and at all times be ready to answer an alarm. But it soon became understood that the Metropolitan name simply meant that either party could claim control and that the places should be divided equally or as nearly as possibe between the two big parties. In this con- nection the police department was brought into play and it was always understood that if the chief of the fire department was a democrat, the chief of the police department must naturally be a republican and vice versa. It is needless to say that each party took every advantage that they could and after a change in election, all sorts of charges would be brought up against members of the force who happened to be on the losing side and they were soon gotten out of the way and firemen whose political acumen led them to say very little were put in their places. It was always found necessary to pass an ordinance making it a misdemeanor for either a fireman or patrolman to do any work at the polls but there was nothing said about sending these henchmen out ahead of an election to do what necessary talking had to be done and "layoffs" were a regular thing for many a day before the election. At the present day things are getting into good shape and there is very little electioneering done. But this is only for the reason that each party is afraid to trust the other and each is afraid to establish any kind of a precedent. After the water works was built, the necessity for steam engines seemed to diminish and for a time they were stationed in the various houses and no attention paid to them. If they got out of repair, they were allowed to remain in that condition, as it was thought that the water works were amply sufficient to quell any fire that might start in this city. However, when two big fires which occurred close
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