Pastime sketches : scenes and events at "The Mouth of Eel" on the historic Wabash with papers read before the Cass County Indiana, Historical Society at its spring meetings, 1907, Part 12

Author: Wright, W. Swift (Williamson Swift), 1857-1923; Cass County Historical Society (Ind.)
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: [s.l. : s.n.]
Number of Pages: 236


USA > Indiana > Cass County > Pastime sketches : scenes and events at "The Mouth of Eel" on the historic Wabash with papers read before the Cass County Indiana, Historical Society at its spring meetings, 1907 > Part 12


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Dec. 11, 1872, Champion company elected Rod- ney Strain foreman. Fifty active members.


Feb. 3, 1873, Froster building on Sycamore street.


March 2, 1873, Canal street, school house.


March 10, 1873, Campbell's livery and other stables, Sixth, between Market and Broadway.


April 23, 1873, frame row north side of Broad- way, west of Keystone building, Sixth street. John- ston & Crook's, A. M. Goodwin, T. R. McElheny, Gans & Rosenberg, V. C. Hanawalt; loss $4,000. Independents got first water.


May 18, 1873, Old Cheney saw mill at Point, also R. D. Stevens' planing mill. Mill built in 1845.


May 22, 1873, Uhl barns and stables in Brown- town.


July 2, 1873, Clapp & Jones' steamer bought.


July 5, 1873, stables of J. J. Purerbaugh, Rev. Sparks, Female College, hard fight to save Merri- am's stable and residence. All engines got water from Methodist church cistern.


July 7, 1873, Weyands and other stables, Brown- town.


July 15, 1873, Tenth street school house.


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Aug. 22, 1873, stables of Mrs. Farquhar, D. Pat- rick, Chas. Horning, Jas. Wilson (Broadway, North, Second and Third.) Hard work to save dwellings, Jos. Ivens and other firemen injured. Andrew Schaffer, of Summit company, mentioned for brav- ery.


Aug. 25, 1873, Jas. L. Baldwin's distillery, north side of Eel river, opposite Eighth street.


Aug. 25, 1873, stables of John Sammis, T. C. Mitchell, Geo. Horn, Mrs. McElheny, Mrs. S. A. Hall, H. C. Thornton. Two houses badly damaged. Great excitement over incendiaries.


Sept. 22, 1873, trial of "Champion" engine.


Sept. 24, 1873, Summit company disbanded be- cause new str. given to Champions.


Sept. 26, 1873, "Logan Fire company" organized from old members of Summit. Jas. Henderson fore- man; thirty members.


Nov. 16, 1873, stables in rear of St. Elmo hotel and Elliott, P. & Shroyer, incendiary.


Dec. 2, 1873, Michaels' millinery store; loss about $15,000. Supposed incendiary. Adams build- ing on Fourth between Market and Broadway.


March 4, 1874, dwelling on North between Four- teenth and Fifteenth, occupied by J. G. Meck and Ed Strong.


March 22, 1874, stables of Lewis Diehl, J. B. Eldridge, Hugh Ward, Market between First and Second ; loss $2,000. Incendiary.


April 1, 1874, Eureka fire company in Brown- town, recognized ; has old Tipton hand engine.


April 27, 1874, midnight, stables of J. Kraut, Wm. Dolan, Barnett House, Barnett ice house, Bruggaman's shop, extended to large brick livery stable of Ed Anderson and houses of Dolan, Kraut


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and Bruggaman; loss $12,000. Incendiary. High wind. Horses on Champion engine; the first fire at which horses were used.


May 5, 1874, celebration fire department twen- tieth anniversary. Parade, picnic, speeches by Judge Chase and Col. Bringhurst. Grand ball at night, Dolan's opera house.


June 16, 1874. Grusenmyer's wagon shop, "Ta- bertown."


Oct. 30, 1874, stables of David Miller and E. T. Stevens' residences, both damaged; loss $3,400.


Jan. 20, 1875, partial alarm telegraph system provided for connecting Tipton and Champion en- gine houses.


Feb. 28, 1875, funeral of Chief Geo. Bevan ; very cold and stormy day. All the fire department out.


March 9, 1875, large tenement house near round house ; loss $2,500.


March 10, 1875, barn and shop of A. D. Pack- ard, the latter severely burned.


March 11, 1875, roof and upper story of large frame boarding house, east side Sixth, between Market and Broadway, Musselman. Firemen had narrow escape.


March 23, 1875, Enterprise fire company organ- ized on Southside.


March 6, 1875, Twenty-first anniversary cele- bration. Parade, fire companies from Peru, Delphi, Kokomo, Noblesville, Tipton, Frankfort, Muncie. Horse races. Grand ball.


May 15, 1875, Independent company elected Robt. R. Bringhurst foreman, H. J. Larimer as- sistant.


May 19, 1875, all the stables in center of block North and High, Fourth and the Canal. Damaged


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residences of McTaggart, Wilson and Harwood. A hot and dangerous fire, 11:30 a. m.


June 16, 1875, Silsby horse hose cart bought for Champion Co.


July 3, 1875, entertainment by Independent com- pany, Dolan's opera house.


July 29, 1875, roof and upper floor of Lincoln foundry, southeast corner High street and Canal. J. H. Tucker plow handle factory, 10 p. m. Large fire ; loss about $12,000.


Aug. 20, 1875, Canal water supply so unreliable ; other measures tried. Much discussion on water works.


Nov. 17, 1875, contracts concluded for water works.


Jan. 1, 1876, Logan company elected Geo. Leroy foreman ; Frank Comingore, secretary.


Jan. 1, 1876, Dan Comingore stables, Broadway, between Eighth and Ninth.


Feb. 14, 1876, Independent company masquerade ball, Dolan and McHale's hall.


April 6, 1876, Jno. Jackson house on High street ; loss $700.


June 4, 1876, fire department out at funeral of Councilman Hugh Ward.


July 4, 1876, fire department in parade.


Aug. 4, 1876, first water pumped into water works' mains.


Oct. 3, 1876, first fire at which water works used ; small fire on Fourth, near North.


Oct. 5, 1876, midnight, two houses burned on Canal, Twelfth street, near Point; water works streams used.


Oct. 6, 1876, 5 a. m., Keeport's Lime office and Rhoads stable, Market and Sixth.


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Nov. 8, 1876, 2 a. m., election night, livery stable, Ingram Bros., Mrs. Anderson's and other stables. Lively fire, Sixth street.


Dec. 5, 1876, test of water works. Much talk of reorganizing fire department.


Jan. 17, 1877, council bought Richmond fire alarm system in spite of protests.


April 1, 1877, Tipton company went to big fire Converse, Ind.


April 3, 1877, final test of water works.


April 6, 1877, fire alarm tel. accepted.


April 8, 1877, 11:30 p. m., fire in block Market, Canal, Fourth anl Fifth, burned various stables and other buildings. Fire alarm telegraph did not work; delay in getting water pressure; a lively and dangerous fire.


May 5, 1877, noon, fire at "Castle," residence of D. P. Baldwin, Mrs. Whiting's boarding house ; good work; much excitement.


May 30, 1877, jury disagreed in case of Jas. Fin- negan for setting big fire of April 8.


June 3, 1877, two houses burned New Jerusalem.


July 10, 1877, Griner and Quealy stables and house near Point.


July 11, 1877, funeral of Curt Hutson, Indepen- dent company.


Jan. 1, 1878, fire in Mrs. McCarty's house on Market, between Sixth and Seventh; great water loss.


Jan. 6, 1878, "Store on Wheels" Clem Kern on canal bed and Broadway.


Jan. 6, 1878, Cement pipe works near Peoria.


March 30, 1878, fire department out to funeral of Jos. Green, ex-chief.


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May 8, 1878, twenty-fourth anniversary celebra- tion, parade, races, etc.


June 23, 1878, 5 a. m., several stables between North, High, Sixth and Seventh. Trouble as to pressure.


July 4, 1878, fire department paraded.


Aug. 18, 1878, Westside engine house struck by lightning, much damage.


Aug. 19, 1878, fire department paraded funeral W. Fornoff.


Dec. 4, 1878, "City Mills" on Hamilton race, owned by Sol Jones and Robt. Ray; loss $10,000. Hose laid from Third and Canal ; hot fire.


Jan. 21, 1879, Collision and fire Peoria Junction.


March 23, 1879, two houses burned on Toledo near Twelfth.


May 14, 1879, Stuart residence ; loss $500.


July 24, 1879, Cronise's feed stable, Sixth street, R. C. Taylor and other stables.


Nov. 1, 1879, 8:45 p. m., Spiker & Harrison wagon factory, south side Toledo near Fourteenth. Disastrous fire ; little pressure because rebuilding water works' dam; loss $40,000; insurance $16,000 ; started paint shop.


Nov. 5, 1879, council adopted resolution of Chas. Knight providing for paid fire department. H. J. Larimer, chief.


PAPER PREPARED BY MR. W. S. WRIGHT FOR THE CASS COUNTY, INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.


The newspapers of a city always reflect the city's enterprise and intelligence. Logansport has been a prominent newspaper center since the organ- ization of the state and a brief sketch of newspaper history may be interesting.


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There are several complete files of the news- papers of Logansport and they speak for them- selves. The county histories also contain sketches of the earlier publications so that this branch of local history is well covered. Briefly it may be said that Logansport claims the first newspaper printed in northern Indiana. It was issued on Saturday, August 15, 1829, and the office was on the south side of Market street between Fourth and Fifth streets, on the alley. The type and press were brought in on an ox wagon and it took another wagon to bring in the name, which was the Potta- watomie and Miami Times. The paper was founded, edited and published by John Scott. Owing to the difficulties connected with pioneer journalism the paper, which was a weekly, did not appear every week. It is noted that a new volume, commenced on the 10th of November, 1831, the name being changed to The Cass County Times, was not com- pleted until twenty-six months later, it taking that length of time to get out the first fifty-two copies of the supposed weekly. John Scott was a pioneer printer, having commenced the publication of the Inquirer at Brookville, Franklin county, Indiana, in 1815 and of the Weekly Intelligencer at Richmond in 1820. Later he founded the Western Emporium at Centerville, in the same county, which he con- ducted until he moved to Logansport in 1829. James B. Scott, later the editor of the Delphi Journal, set the first type for the new Logansport paper. May 30, 1833, James B. Scott and William J. Burns be- came the owners of the paper and the name was again changed to the Logansport Republican and Indiana Herald. This name proved too heavy and publication ceased December 11th, of the same year.


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The Canal Telegraph made its appearance Jan. 2, 1834, a month after the Herald suspended, hav- ing purchased the type and material used by the Herald. Stanislaus Laselle was its founder and on the 16th of August John B. Dillon became asso- ciate editor and publisher. In November the name was changed to The Logansport Canal Telegraph and in 1836 it became The Logansport Telegraph. This paper suspended publication March 24, 1849, and its good will and fixtures were bought by Thomas H. Bringhurst and Thomas Douglass, who continued the publication under the name of The Logansport Journal, the first issue appearing April 20, 1849. In that year Williamson Wright was nominated for congress by the Whigs against Gra- ham N. Fitch, who had been first elected in 1847. The Whigs had no organ and the fixtures of the Telegraph were bought by Williamson Wright, and`T. H. Bringhurst was installed as editor. Mr. Bringhurst was a cabinet maker and had never been inside of a newspaper office. He protested against the selection of himself as editor but final- ly yielded. The wisdom of the selection soon be- came apparent and Mr. Bringhurst continued as ed- itor until 1861, when he enlisted in the Civil war and rose to the rank of colonel, being first appointed major of the Forty-sixth Indiana by Governor Morton. He was mustered out in 1865 and re- turned to The Journal, continuing as editor until 1869, when he was appointed special agent of the postoffice department. Previous to his connection with The Journal, in May, 1846, he enlisted in the First Regiment, Indiana Volunteers, Mexican war and served under General Taylor, returning to Lo- gansport in 1847.


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Joseph Dague purchased a half interest in The Journal in 1863 and continued with Mr. Bringhurst until January, 1870, when it was sold to Z. and W. C. Hunt, who conducted it for two years, selling a half interest to Joseph Dague in 1873. D. P. Bald- win purchased a third interest in 1874 and another third in 1875. During most of this time, while Mr. Bringhurst was absent during the Civil war, and at other times, James T. Bryer was the editor and he continued in that capacity for many years, until 1888. In 1882 William D. Pratt became sole owner and in 1876, January 1st, started the daily Journal, changing the weekly to a semi-weekly. C. B. Lan- dis, W. K. Landis and R. A. Brown were city edi- tors during this time.


The Journal changed ownership again in 1891. The Logansport Journal Co. was incorporated that year by a number of Logansport republicans, J. C. Hadley, A. R. Shroyer, A. Hardy, S. B. Boyer, B. F. Keesling, Bert G. Small, Will R. Small and W. S. Wright were directors, with W. S. Wright president and managing editor, Bert G. Small, city editor and Will R. Small business manager. This organization remained in control seven years, Bert G. Small and Will R. Small retired in 1895 to publish the Saturday Night Review and W. S. Wright be- came an officer in the Spanish-American war in 1898. D. W. Tomlinson and Thomas and Chas. Torr bought The Journal in that year and contin- ued it until 1902, when Keesling & Metzger Bros. (incorporated) purchased it. A. R. Keesling be- came managing editor, E. F. Metzger, business manager, and H. C. Metzger, advertising manager. The Journal was represented in the Mexican and Civil wars by Col. T. H. Bringhurst and in the


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Spanish-American war by W. S. Wright. In the changes in the business centers it had many homes:


The first Journal office was on the east side of Fourth street, south of Market. In turn it occu- pied quarters on Broadway, north side of the alley between Fifth and Sixth street; on the east side of Pearl street, between Market and Broadway; at northwest corner of Fourth and Court streets and below Fourth at No. 310 Broadway. The advent of the Rural Free Delivery and of the Interurban railroads changed the character of the country cir- culation, the daily becoming popular in the country and the semi-weekly became the weekly once more. Since its foundation The Journal was first Whig, then Republican in politics. By reason of its vari- ous successions The Journal lays claim to the honor of being the oldest newspaper in northern Indiana.


In the matter of name the Pharos, a Greek word meaning lighthouse, has the priority as to age. It appeared first on the 24th of July, 1844, with Sam- uel A. Hall owner and editor. It continued under this management until January 6, 1869, when Rufus Magee became owner and editor. August 10, 1874, The Daily Pharos made its appearance. Mr. Magee sold his interest July 1, 1875, to the Pharos com- pany and Jerry Collins became the controlling spir- it. S. P. Sheerin also became a part owner and an editor. In November, 1877, M. Y. Todisman and B. F. Louthain purchased the Pharos. On the 20th of May, 1885, John W. Barnes purchased the inter- est of Mr. Todisman and the Pharos has been con- ducted by the firm of Louthain & Barnes since that time, almost a quarter of a century. Besides the military honors conferred on the newspaper fra- ternity of Logansport, already mentioned, D. P.


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Baldwin was attorney general of Indiana, R. A. Brown, clerk of the supreme court and C. B. Landis and Fred Landis members of congress, all of The Journal. W. K. Landis is also postmaster at San Juan, Porto Rico. Of the Pharos owners or editors, S. P. Sheerin was clerk of the supreme court, Rufus Magee was minister to Sweden and Norway and B. F. Louthain was postmaster. The Pharos has made few changes of location. It was published at the southeast corner of Third and Broadway, then at the southeast corner of Fourth and North, and under the present management at 430 Fourth street.


The Daily Star was started in 1873 as an adver- tising sheet by some Logansport printers. The paper was distributed free, the advertising making it profitable. Shortly afterwards it became the property of J. H. Hall, son of Samuel Hall, the founder of the Pharos, and he continued it on the same lines until Aug. 11th, of that year when W. H. Smith became associated with him and the paper was enlarged. On the 20th of September, 1876, the daily list and good will was sold to The Journal but the publication was resumed and was continued until April 9, 1878. The Weekly Star was com- menced January 1 1874, and was discontinued with the daily. The Star under the management of W. H. Smith was quite a metropolitan paper. At one time the full Associated Press telegraph ser- vice was taken and a large force of compositors was employed. The office was on Fourth street in the Closson insurance building.


Referring again to the earlier period of the coun- ty's history The Logansport Herald was com- menced August 1, 1837, by Jesse C. and David Douglass, and this paper was continued until July


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20, 1841. The Wabash Gazette followed the Herald on the 10th of November, 1842, with Moses Scott publisher and Horace P. Biddle editor in chief. The Gazette suspended April 27, 1844. In 1872 the Democratic Printing and Publishing Co. began the publishing of the Sun .. It suspended after its forty-ninth number, but revived again No- vember 18, 1873. In 1875 the paper was sold and removed to Illinois.


The Logansport Chronicle made its appearance April 7, 1875, and has continued as a weekly ever since, under the management of the founder, H. J. McSheehey. It was first published Sunday morn- ing, but later publication day was changed to Sat- urday. The Daily Advertiser was started by Wil- liams and Longwell in January, 1881. John M. Bur- rows bought the interest of Mr. Williams in 1883 and in January, 1885, the publication was discon- tinued. The Sunday Critic was started May 4, 1884, by Mrs. Sarah Pratt wife of W. D. Pratt, of the Journal. This paper was later sold to W. D. Owen and W. K. Landis, who discontinued it in a year or two. The Bon Ton was started by J. E. Sutton, who afterwards founded the Reporter, it appearing first as a weekly, in 1885. It was soon changed to a monthly, and was finally discontinued in 1886.


The Times made its first appearance in March, 1886, as a weekly, I. N. Bell being the publisher. It was started as a Democratic paper and was con- tinued as such for a time. Mr. Bell sold the paper to James Hitchens and he in turn sold it to a stock company composed of leading Prohibitionists. T. C. Barnes became the editor at that time. C. O. Fenton shortly afterwards became the owner and


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editor, and has continued as such ever since. W. S. Rosier became assistant editor in 1905. The Zei- tung was published first on the 7th of October, 1882, by John Day, the present owner and pub- lisher. Prior to that a paper was printed in German at Fort Wayne with a Logansport date line. Later Julius C. Kloenne published a German paper for a time and another was edited by Michael Fornoff. These were short lived. The Sternenbanner was also published by Peter Walroth.


The latest daily was established by J. E. Sutton in 1888. It was called the Reporter, and it had an office in Sixth street, between Broadway and North street, east side of the street. Its daily and weekly editions became popular and later it moved into its own building, 525 Broadway. After the death of Mr. Sutton, Mrs. Inez M. Sutton continued the publication of it, and it is still under her manage- ment.


Other publications in the city and county were the Galveston News and the Royal Center Record. The Record was established by Dr. J. J. Burton and afterwards became the property of Oliver Hand, who still owns it. The Home Music Jour- nal was started in 1892, by W. T. Giffe. It was, as its name implies, devoted to music. In 1903 it was consolidated with a similar publication at Dayton, Ohio, and appeared under a different name, Mr. Giffe selling his interest in it.


The Saturday Night Review was published by Bert G. and Will R. Small in 1895. It was a weekly literary and society paper of merit but the city was not large enough to justify a publication of that character and it was discontinued.


The Logansport publications have at all times


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ranked high in the state and have been influential in public affairs.


ORGANIZED LABOR IN LOGANSPORT-PAPER WRITTEN FOR THE CASS COUNTY, INDIANA, HISTORICAL SOCIETY BY W. S. WRIGHT.


It is not possible to give the history of every organized movement in Logansport, nor in fact is such history needed to complete the few sketches here thrown together. Most, if not all, of the or- ganizations have their historians, and they have carefully prepared the data and in some instances have published it. There are some of these sketches in print, pamphlet form', at the Public Library and others may be obtained at the various organiza- tions. Other organizations have complete records for historical purposes and the information they contain is always at hand. One of the organizations having a marked influence on the welfare of the city is the Trades and Labor Assembly, devoted to the promoting of the best interests of the wage earners.


ยท The Trades and Labor Assembly was organized in Logansport sixteen years ago, in 1891. It was organized by O. P. Smith, State organizer, with Weldon Webster, president and Fred Bismarck, secretary, and was composed of the printers, Cigar- makers and retail clerks. At the close of 1892 al- most every craft in the city was organized and had representatives in the assembly, notably the paint- ers and designers, carpenters, bricklayers, coopers, tailors, barbers, bakers, bartenders, brewers, laun- dry workers, stationary firemen, laborers, teamsters and plasterers. The hall then was on the third floor on Fourth street, where the Turner barber shop


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now is. In 1892 the Assembly started the agitation in favor of an Assembly Park which resulted in the present Riverside Park and Weldon Webster, its president, was nominated for mayor by the Repub- licans, being defeated by less than 30 votes. The panic of 1893 stopped business generally and labor was not in great demand. This seriously affected the organization and many of them disbanded so that only the printers, cigarmakers and brewers re- mained in the Assembly. In 1904 an attempt was made to revive the Assembly with indifferent suc- cess and it continued with ups and downs until 1901. In that year it was reorganized with most of the crafts again represented and it is still active with only two of the building crafts not represented. It meets every two weeks. E. H. Laing is president, with O. P. Smith corresponding secretary and or- ganizer and Henry Tripps, financial secretary. Mrs. O. P. Smith is vice president, the second woman in the State to hold that position in an assembly. She represents the Woman's Union Label League in the Assembly. The mission of that league is to urge the placing of the Union Label on all manufactured goods or products and to increase the sale of Union made goods, education along the lines of labor, especially woman and child labor, to teach children Union principles, tend to the sick and serve as an auxiliary to other labor or- ganizations.


Besides promoting the welfare of the members of their organization the Assembly was instrumen- tal in creating the park, now known as Riverside Park, and in giving Cass county a free gravel road system. In 1892 the Assembly took up the gravel road question, secured an election and had men at


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the polls working in every precinct for free gravel roads, carrying the election and abolishing tolls.


A request for information on the usbject of Riv- edside Park brought the following letter from Mr. Weldon Webster who suggested the park and did much to establish it:


Dear Sir: If you desire any statistics concern- ing the origin and final realization of Riverside Park, (Assembly Park), I can furnish this to you. However, briefly you will find in local records all you desire, I presume. The plan was projected by me before the Trades and Labor Assembly of Logansport September, 1890, at which time I dis- played a full sketch of the design proposed, which was afterwards carefully followed in my contract with the city of Logansport. I brought my matters before the city council that same fall, being accom- panied by a committee from the Trades Assembly. Our project was not kindly received, and Mayor Cullen proposed shortly after this to sell a tier of lots off the alley side of the ground and use the money thus realized to beautify and improve the remainder of the ground. The council thought this wise, but having met with steady and deter- mined opposition from those who had the Webster plans before them, the administration then in power finally abandoned their scheme to sell the ground. I and my committee kept up the agitation through help of the local press, especially the Logansport Journal, and would not allow the sentiment once enkindled to weaken the least until the following fall, viz., 1891. Finally on Dec. 16th, 1891 the con- tract for the building of "Assembly Park" was awarded to me. I completed the work and the park was dedicated in splendor July, 1893, by a


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Fourth of July celebration, boat racing and fire- works and at this time the people turned out and came in great numbers to take possession in due form.




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