Logan's Indianapolis directory, 1868, Part 51

Author:
Publication date: 1868
Publisher: Logan
Number of Pages: 416

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The Terre Haute and Richmond road was projected in 1846, surveyed December 1847, contracts let in 1848-9, commenced in 1850, and finished to Terre Haute, 73 miles, in May 1852, at a cost of $1,415,000, under Chauncy Rose, its firste president. The eastern section was abandoned and its con- struction undertaken by the Indiana Cen- tral Railway Co. in 1851. The brick freight depot (remodeled in 1857,) was built on Louisiana and Tennessee streets in 1850-1. Its roof was partly blown off in 1865 by the explosion of the pony engine of the Cen- tral company, inside the building. The engine house and the frame bridge over White river were built in 1851-2, and the bridge was replaced by a handsome iron structure in 1866, without interrupting traffic on the line. The road has been prosperous, well managed, has met with few accidents, and is the main line for western trade and travel. It is also the only coal road yet built. The company have no shops here, the repairs being made at Terre Haute. Chauncy Rose, S. Craw - ford, E. J. Peck and others, have been its Presidents.

The Peru and Indianapolis road was chartered at the session of 1845-6, the com- pany organized July 1847, road surveyed October 1847, located July 1848, com- menced 1849, cars were run to Noblesville, 21 miles, March 1851, and the road com- pleted to Peru, 73 miles, April 3, 1854, at a cost of about $760,000. It was con- solidated June 1, 1854, with, and operated for several months by the Madison road. The road traversed a new country, encoun- tered many obstacles, and has not been as successful as other lines. It has been the main source of supply for lumber and tim-

ber, and since its northern connections were finished has had a fair share of the north-western trade and travel. It passed into a receiver's hands in 1857, and has since been operated for the bondholders .- Its shops are at Peru, and its buildings here have never been of much value. It was originally laid with flat bar, taken up from the Madison road, but Trail was sub- stituted in 1855-6. The first frame depot was commenced in August, 1856, on New Jersey street and Pogue's run, but was blown down during a storm, September 17, burying about a dozen men in the ruins, and badly injuring several of them. An- other was built in November following .- W. J. Holman, Jno. Burk. E. W. H. Ellis, J. D. Defrees and David Macy, have been presidents.

The Lafayette and Indianapolis road was begun in- 1849 and finished to Lafayette, 65 miles, in December 1852, at a cost of about $1,000,000, under Albert S. White, the first president. The stock subscription was small, the road being mostly built by loans which were subsequently paid off from the earnings of the road, making its stock very valuable. Until the completion of the northern connections of the Peru road it was the main route to the north- west, and did a very lucrative business du- ring the war. In 1866 Henry C. Lord having failed to buy the road or effect a consolidation with it, began the construc- tion of a rival route to Danville and the north- west via Crawfordsville, and after doing considerable work achieved his ob- ject, and obtained a perpetual lease of the line, and it is now controlled and operated by the Cincinnati company. The Lafay- ette freight depot was built in 1852-3, on North street and the canal, but was burned in 1864, and rebuilt in 1865. Since the consolidation it has been but little used, the business of both roads being done at the Delaware street depot. The company never had any shops at this point, the con- struction and repairs being done at Lafay- ette. A. S. White and Wm. F. Reynolds, were the presidents of the company.

The Indiana Central Railway Company was organized in the spring, surveys made in the summer, and contracts let in the fall of 1851. Track-laying began No- vember, 1852, and the road, was completed to the State line, seventy-two miles, De- cember 8, 1853, at a cost of $1,223,000, . under Jolin S. Newman, the first President. It divides eastern trade and travel with the Bellefontaine road, and was consoli- dated with the Ohio connecting road in 1863, and afterwards known as the Indi- anapolis & Columbus road. A further consolidation was effected in 1867, with

INDIANAPOLIS FROM 1818.

the Chicago and Great Eastern road, and the offices and shops are to be removed elsewhere. The brick freight depot was built on Delaware street and Pogue's run in 1852, and its shops just east of the city, in the same year.

At and since the date of completion of the foregoing roads, several others were projected, or in course of construction ; among them was the Junction road, ninety- eight miles long, from Hamilton, Ohio, via Rushville and Connersville, to this city. It was begun in separate sections, in 1850, by the Ohio and Indianapolis, and the Junction Companies, which were consol- idated, April, 1853, with $1,800,000 stock subscriptions. Several hundred thousand dollars were expended on the line, the depot grounds here were purchased, and the road half finished, when the hard times of 1855-6 caused its suspension and the sale of its lands at a nominal price. The company was re-organized in 1866, work was resumed, a subsidy of $45,000 voted to it by our city, depot grounds bought, and the road finished to this point. in May, 1868. The freight depot will be built on Virginia avenue, south of Pogue's run, and the shops and offices are to be located here by contract with the city. Caleb B. Smith, Jno. Ridenour and others have been Presidents of the Company.

The Vincennes road was first projected in 1851, and a company organized in 1853, with John H. Bradley, President; but only a preliminary survey was made, and the enterprise was abandoned during the subsequent monetary revulsion. A new company was organized under General Burnside, in 1865, the contracts let, and a subsidy of $60,000 granted by the city in 1866, and right of way secured; work is now being rapidly prosecuted along the line, and the road will be finished from Gosport to this. city during the present year. The shops and offices, by agree- ment with the city, are to be located here. The road traverses the best iron, coal, stone, timber and grain region of the State, and will be second to none in im- portance, and it is all important that its management should not be adverse to our interests. On the 3d of April, 1868, it was consolidated with the Cincinnati road.

A direct road to Evansville, one hundred and fifty miles long, had been projected in 1849, but nothing was done till April, 1853, when Oliver H. Smith and Willard Car- penter organized a company under the general law, and held meetings, subscribed stock, surveyed the line, let contracts, and pushed the work rapidly forward till 1856, when the monetary pressure stopped the enterprise, and caused the loss of nearly

everything invested in it. It is still dor- mant, but its importance, and the rich ag- ricultural and mineral region it traversed, the amount expended on it, and the heavy south-western trade, certainly demand a renewal of the enterprise, and its favora- ble consideration by our people, especially since the management of the Vincennes road will probably be adverse to our in- terests.

The Cincinnati & Indianapolis Short- line Railroad Company, from this point via Rushville, Laurel and Brookville to Cincinnati, was organized in January, 1853; subscriptions were obtained, sur- veys made, contracts let, and other steps taken, but the enterprise was suspended by hard times in 1854-5, before any tan- gible results were obtained, and has not since been revived.

The Toledo & Indianapolis Railroad Company, via Muncie to Toledo, one hun- dred and eighty-five miles, was organized February. 1854, under the general law. Seventy five miles of road, only, were to be built to make connections with existing roads, and secure a short and direct route for grain to the lake. Surveys were made, and efforts to obtain subscriptions, but the financial pressure of 1855 put an end temporarily to the scheme.

The Indiana & Illinois Central Railroad, one hundred and sixty miles long on an air line, to Decatur, Illinois, was proposed in December, 1852, and organized Febru- ary 15, 1853. Surveys were made, sub- scriptions obtained, and contracts let in July, 1853, for the whole line, at $22,000 per mile, to be done in 1855, and $500,000 of work was done. The hard times in- tervened, the work stopped, and the com- pany lands were sold to pay the contrac- tors. The line is almost straight, trav- erses a beautiful and rich country, opens up coal and iron regions, and gives a di- rect western line to the Pacific road. Its importance merits renewed effort, and the company-which was re-organized in 1866-should attempt its construction.

In 1866, before the Cincinnati road had succeeded in forcing the sale of the La- fayette line, H. C. Lord, as the final effort, determined to build a rival line via Craw- fordsville. The city voted a subsidy of $45,000, right of way was secured, sur- veys made, contracts let, and considerable work done at this end of the line, when the Lafayette road consented to seil, and the new line was at once abandoned. This summary disposal of the matter displeased the residents along the line ; the company was soon re-organized, contracts relet, and the work is now in progress. It is to be hoped that a new outlet to the north-

HISTORY OF

west will be speedily found through the rich region traversed by this line.

In 1867 an effort was made by the east- ern roads to force a sale or consolidation of the Terre Haute road, which having failed, it was announced that a straight- line road to St. Louis would be built from this point. Surveys were made, right of way secured, subscriptions voted, and the contracts, it is said, will be let this year. The road should be built, as it will give an additional and competing route to the coal and iron beds of the western part of the State, and the city can well afford to aid the enterprise, first providing that no consolidation shall be made with compet- ing roads. The Terre Haute company is also engaged in building a straight line from that city to St. Louis, as a continua- tion of their own route.

It will be seen from the foregoing brief statement of facts connected with the sev- eral roads, that only one of the completed lines, (the Bellefontaine,) ever located its principal shops at this point, and even that road, since its consolidation, has its main shops in Ohio. The excuse advanced for this general action has been that work could be done cheaper elsewhere; but this, even if true in one or two cases, can scarcely be true of every little town in this or other States, and the solution of the problem is to be found partly in the jeal- ousy of other cities toward this, and mostly in the want of enterprise on the part of our own people. They have not deemed it necessary, either for their own interests or those of the city, to hold a controlling interest in the highways leading here, and the consequence has been that as little as possible has been done by the railways to- ward building up our manufacturing inter- ests. In many respects this city is better situated for manufacturing than any other in this or the adjoining States, and its advantages increase with the opening of every additional line; and, if it fails to achieve a high rank in this respect, the fault will lie solely with our own capital- ists, and the blame should lie where it be- longs. It has been too much the fashion here to wait for others to increase the value of property which is held by the few, and the money on hand, instead of creating wealth by producing manufac- tnred articles from comparatively valuless raw material, is doled out sparingly at one and two per cent. per month, taxing the life out of those who do attempt to create such articles. It seems singular that, while the railway companies combined and successfully operated a union track and depot, that they never entered into a union company for the manufacture of

locomotives, cars, and all other articles needed in the equipment of their roads. . One great establishment, under competent management, could combine the iron and brass foundries, rolling mills, machine shops, saw and planing mills, forges, up- holstery, paint and other shops, needed in the fabrication of every item used by them. Such an establishment, with the capital it could employ, the thorough subdivision and supervision of labor, the extent and variety of articles manufactured, the steady de- mand therefor by the stockholding roads and outside lines, located here where the influx and efflux of materials and articles would be so ready and certain, and skilled laborers, so readily brought, could defy private competition, furnish all articles to its stockholders at cost, and pay all expen- ses and a profit from outside work.

But few mills or manufactories existed here till after the completion of the Madi- son road, for the local demand was very limited, and shipments to other points almost impossible. Underhill's foundry, on Pennsylvania street, started by Grover in 1836, was the only one here. The grist mills of West and of Carlisle, West's cot- ton and woolen mill, Hannaman's woolen and oil mill, and Sheet's paper mill, were on the canal, and had been built since 1838. Patterson's grist mill was on Fall creek, and the old steam (grist, woolen and saw) mills, on the river, had been re- paired by Geisendorffs in 1847, and used as a woolen mill till 1852, when they built a mill (subsequently enlarged, ) on the west branch of the canal. Of mills and manu- factories, built since 1847, the more prom- inent may be briefly mentioned here. The principal grist mills were Carlisle's, (his old mill was burnt January 18, '56,) now Sohl & Gibson, on the canal, built 1863; Underhill's, south of the city, 1851; Skil- len's, 1863; Capital mills, 1856; Morris' mills, south Pennsylvania street, 1848, burnt 1851; Bates' mills, Pogue's run, 1859. Of saw mills, Kortpeter's, south Pennsylvania street, 1849; Fletcher & Wells, Massachusetts avenue, 1857; Gay & Stevens, Madison depot, 1857; Hill's, East street, 1858, burned and rebuilt Octo- ber, 1859; Off & Wishmire's, Railroad street, 1858; Helwig & Blake's, canal, 1858; Marsee's, New Jersey street, 1859 ; McKernan & Pierce, Kentucky avenue, 1865. Of planing mills, Shellaberger's, east Market, 1852; Blake & Gentle's, (the first one here,) Vermont street, 1849; Kreglo & Blake, canal, 1855, burned and rebuilt in Aug., 1860; Byrket's, Tennessee street, 1857; McCord & Wheatley's, Alabama street, 1865; Tate's, New Jersey street, 1864; Hill & Wingate's, East street, 1858,

INDIANAPOLIS FROM 1818.

burned in October and rebuilt November, 1859; Builders & Manufacturers' Associa- tion, Delaware street, 1866; Carpenters' Association, South and Meridian streets, 1866; Emerson's, near the canal, 1863; Beam's, west Washington street, 1865; Behymer's, east Market street, 1864.

Shingle mills, Evarts', south Pennsylva- nia, 1857; Smock's, east Washington, 1858.

Of furniture and chair factories, John Ott, west Washington, 1855; Sloan & In- gersoll, 1850; Espy & Sloan, 1848; John Vetter, Madison depot, 1857, burned 1866; Philip Dohn, south Meridian, 1865, burned and rebuilt, 1867; Spiegel and Thoms, east Washington, 1855, and East street, 1863, enlarged to double size, 1866, and the first five-story house built in the city ; Helwig & Roberts, canal, 1857, burned and rebuilt 1860; M. S. Huey, west Washington, 1855; Field & Day, Vermont street, 1850; Wilk- ens & Hall, west Washington, 1864; C. J. Meyer, east Washington, 1860; Cabinet- makers' Union, east Market, 1859.

Of coopering establishments, there have been Defrees, on the canal, Murphey's and May's on East street; Careys and Brennon's, near Soldiers' Home; McNeeleys, near La- fayette depot; Kingans and others.

Of peg and last factories, Crawford & Os- good, south Pennsylvania street, 1848, and burned 1851; Osgood & Smith, south Illinois, 1852, burned and rebuilt once or twice afterward; Yandes & Kemper, south Illinois, 1867.

Of wagon or carriage manufactories, Hiram Gaston, Kentucky avenue, 1853; Lowes, east Market, 1863; Drews, east Market, 1852 ; Shaws, Georgia street, 1866.

Of spokes and felloes, Osgood Smith & Co., south Illinois, 1852.

Of woolen mills, Geisendorffs, on the canal, 1852; Merritt & Coughlen, in Han- naman's old mill, on the river, 1849 or '50, were burned out in January, 1851, and re- built in May, 1851; West's, 1839; Younts, 1849, on the canal.

Of paper mills, Sheets, on canal, 1839; Gay & Bradens, canal, 1862; McLean & Co., river, 1861.

Of cotton mills, West, canal, 1839, and the Cotton Mill Co., on the river, 1867.

Of agricultural and farm implements and machinery, W. M. Gause, 1856; Beard & Sinex, and Beard & Forsha, Tennessee street, 1857; Hasselman & Vinton, south Meridian, 1852; Chandler & Taylor, west Washington, 1859, burned and rebuilt 1863(?); Binkley & Co., south Tennessee, 1860; Beard & Starr, north Tennessee, 1860; Agricultural Works Co., south Ten- nessee, 1864.

Of oil mills, J. P. Evans & Co., south Delaware, 1862.

Iron manufactures have taken the lead- ing rank at this point, and promise still more rapid growth in future. The interest has risen in the last fifteen years from a very small beginning. The first steam en- gine ever built here, a small affair of three or four horse power, was completed in June, 1848, by Mr. Sergeant, at Bardwell's shop, in the basement of Crawford & Osgood's factory, on south Pennsylvania street. . The first foundry in the place was started in July, 1832, by R. A. McPherson & Co., near the bridge, west of the river. Joshua Glover had been doing some iron work on a small scale in 1831. Underhill, Wood & Co. started a foundry in July, 1835, on north Pennsylvania street, and in 1838, Under- hill applied steam power in it, being the first to use it in a foundry here. He man- ufactured plow points, skillets, and other small castings, remaining there till 1852, when he built a large foundry on south Pennsylvania street, and failing in busi- ness the building was applied to other pur- poses, and burned up in November, 1858. Taylor, Watson & Co., in 1848 built a small foundry in the low ground south of Pogue's run, and first began to make steam engines here in 1849. This establishment subse- quently passed into Hasselman & Vinton's hands, who built the present foundry, boiler and machine shops in 1852. The firm suffered heavy losses in May, and also in July, 1853, from fires. In 1865 the es- tablishment passed into the control of the Eagle Machine Works Co., who now carry on a heavy business in the manufacture of castings, boilers and agricultural imple- ments, their trade extending over a large territory, and employing a heavy capital. In March, 1854, Wright, Barnes & Co., af- terward Ira Davis & Co., built a foundry on Delaware street and Pogue's run, which burned down in 1857. Curtis & Dumont began the manufacture of boilers on south Pennsylvania street in 1852, next north of Underhill's foundry, and Kelshaw & Sinker began the same business at about the same time, just south of the same foundry. Their shop was burned in December, 1853, and rebuilt in 1854. Dumont & Sinker became partners, continuing the business, and add- ing a foundry. In 1863, Dumont left, and the establishment, now greatly enlarged, is carried on as a foundry, machine shop and boiler factory, on the site of Underhill's old City Foundry, by Sinker, Allen & Yan- des. In 1851, Deloss Root & Co., built a small frame stove foundry, south of the Gas Works on Pennsylvania street. It was burned up in January, 1860, but soon re- built of brick on a much more extended scale, and stoves, heavy castings and boil- ers, are now largely manufactured by the

HISTORY OF

establishment. Wiggins & Chandler, in June, 1859, built a small foundry and machine shop on the Canal and west Washington street. It was burned in 1863, (?) but soon after rebuilt on a more extended scale by Chandler & Taylor, and has since done a large business. In 1858, Redstone, Bros. & Co., started a foundry and machine shop on Delaware street south of the Union track, making small castings and sawing machines. Spotts & Thompson started a foundry near the same place in 1859, but both establisments were shortly afterward burned. The Hoosier Stove Foundry was built in 1861, by Cox, Lord & Peck, on Delaware street and Pogue's run, and was operated by them for two or three years and then discontinued. It passed into the hands of A. D. Wood in 1867, and is now carried on by him. Ruschaupt & Co. built a large foundry and machine shop on South Meridian street in 1865, but as they soon afterward became interested in the Eagle Machine Works, the establishment was vacated, and is now used by the Car- penter's Association. Frink & Moore start- ed the Novelty Works in 1860, for the man- ufacture of small castings, and have done a good business. A foundry was started in 1863, on East Market street, by some one, (unknown to the writer,) and has since mainly been doing railroad work. B. F. Hetherington & Co. started a foundry and machine shop on south Delaware street in 1866 or '67 and are still located there.

Jos. W. Davis & Co., started a brass foundry in 1855, on south Delaware street, and has since added steam and gas-fitting, building up a good business. Garrett & Co., in 1858, started a brass and bell foun- dry, on the railroad between Meridian and Pennsylvania streets, but failed a year or two afterward.

In 1856, Williamson & Haugh began the manufacture of iron railings, and jail work, on Delaware street opposite the Court House, and at a subsequent date B. F. Haugh & Co. removed to south Penn- sylvania street, erecting new buildings and continuing the business on an enlarged scale.

In 1857, E. C. Atkins began the manu- facture of mill and other saws, in the old City Foundry building on south Pennsyl- vania street, but being burned out in 1858, he built a small shop near by, which was also burned in June, 1859. A new shop was then built on south Illinois street, a com- pany formed in 1863 or '64, and the busi- ness and buildings have since been greatly enlarged, and a heavy trade carried on. In 1867 Farley & Sinker built a shop and be- gan the manufacture of saws on south

Pennsylvania street, and are doing a good business.

Cottrell & Knight, in 1855 or '56, began the copper-smithing business on south Del- aware street, and have since built up a large trade.

In addition to the foregoing, other es- tablishments exist or have existed, and the different railroads have nearly all had re- pair shops of greater or less extent at this point.

The Indianapolis Rolling Mill was built by R. A. Douglass & Co., and a railroad track down Tennessee street constructed to it, in the summer of 1857, and work began October 29. The owners became involved in the spring of 1858, and for some time it was doubtful whether the works would be continued, but the mill was purchased shortly after by a new company, with John M. Lord as president, and has since been much enlarged and profitably ope- rated. The company have purchased coal and iron mines in Clay county, have erect- ed a furnace to supply their mill with iron, and have also supplied coal for the use of the citizens. The success of the company stimulated other parties, and dur- ing the summer of 1867, the White River Iron Company was formed, and a rolling mill was erected on White river, at the foot of Kentucky avenue, and put in operation in April of the present year, for the man- ufacture of bar iron, about $100,000 of capital being invested in the enterprise.

Several pork and beef packing estab- lishments have been built since 1847 .- Blythe & Hedderly began the first one, on Fall creek race in the fall of 1847. It was afterward carried on by Blythe & McNeely. Mansur & Ferguson built one west of White river in 1850. It was burned and rebuilt in 1858. Their packing establish- ment was located at the Madison depot .- Macy & McTaggart built one near Terre Haute railroad bridge in 1852. Gulick & Tweeds was built just north of it in 1854-5. Allen May's was built north-west of the city in 1855, and burned in 1858. Kingen & Co., built in 1864, on the river bank, the largest and best packing establishment in the country. It was of brick, five stories high, slate roofed, and finished in the best style. They were putting mill machinery in it in the spring of 1865, intending to use it as a mill in summer and packing house in winter. It was filled at the time with lard and pork, on storage, when it . was fired by an incendiary and utterly de- stroyed, involving a loss of $250,000 to the insurance companies, and being by far the largest and most destructive fire that ever occurred here. It was rebuilt in 1866, but not so large or expensively as before. Want

INDIANAPOLIS FROM 1818.

of space prevents further mention of the different manufactories of the city. They are almost wholly the growth of the past fifteen years, and with proper encourage- ment and enterprize could be easily doubled in the next ten years.

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Logan's Indianapolis directory, 1868, Part 51

Author: Publication date: 1868 Publisher: Logan Number of Pages: 416

Author:
Publication date: 1868
Publisher: Logan
Number of Pages: 416