USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > Valley of the upper Maumee River, with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Volume II > Part 6
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John W. McQuiston is one of the early settlers of Allen county, who has done well financially by bringing shrewd business qualifications to bear upon the early advantages, and by continuous and intelligent appli- cation through life has gained a wide fund of information, which well stands instead of the educational advantages now so abundant, but then infrequent. His father, John McQuiston, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn., in 1782, and married Jane McDaniel, who was born in York county, Penn., in 1789. Both were children of revolutionary soldiers, who held rank as officers. They removed to Allen county in 1837, settled in Perry township, and cleared out a farm. The father served as one of Allen county's early commissioners. He died at his home in 1877, having survived his wife two years. John W., the oldest
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THE CANAL ERA.
of their eight children, was born in Westmoreland county, Penn., June 27, 1812. He did his share of the pioneer work, and continued farming until 1887, when he removed to the city. In politics he is a democrat. He was married November 16, 1836, to Eliza Rodgers, born Septem- ber 16, 1816, in West Virginia, and they have had thirteen children, of whom eight are living: Jane, William Henry, Wilson, Allen Perry, Ben- jamin, Edward L., Charles and Franklin. Mrs. McQuiston is a member of the Presbyterian church.
William McIntosh was born in Adams township, November 28, 1831. His father, John McIntosh, one of the earliest of the pioneers of Allen county, was born in County Derry, Ireland, and came to America just after the close of the war of 1812. After spending a few years in Pennsylvania and Ohio, he came to Allen county in 1823, and entered land in Adams township. In 1827 he was married to Ruth, daughter of Samuel Brown, and this was the first marriage that occurred in Adams township. Mrs. Ruth McIntosh died when her son William was but three years old, and a few years later Mr. McIntosh married Mrs. Olive Young, who died in September, 1858. John McIntosh spent all the rest of his life in Adams township, his occupation being that of a farmer. He died in December, 1859. William W. lived in childhood on the old homestead where he was born, and followed farming there until December, 1888, when he and wife removed to Fort Wayne. He was married July 4, 1859, to Emily A., daughter of Peter L. and Han- nah G. (Kenworthy) Carrier, the former a native of Ohio, and the latter of England. Mrs. McIntosh was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, Feb- ruary 16, 1843. They have had eight children: Grace M., Jessie B., Elmer E., Alice and Helen (twins), and Lila R. and Lulu A. (twins), and Archie W., all living except Grace M., who died aged six- teen months. Mr. McIntosh is a member of the I. O. O. F., New Haven lodge, No. 253, and in politics is a republican. He is an honora- ble, upright man and he and wife are highly respected.
Daniel Nestel, a worthy and honored pioneer citizen of Fort Wayne, was born in Carlsbronn, Prussia, January 31, 1818, the son of Daniel · and Elizabeth (Klein) Nestel. He attended school until he was four- teen, devoting his attention during the last year to the study of veterin- ary surgery. During six years of his youth he was employed in a grist mill, filling the position of superintendent during the last two. June I, 1840, he started for America, on the sailing vessel Cotton Planter, com- manded by Capt. Harley, and reached New York City August 7, after · a voyage of forty-seven days. His entire capital when he landed was but eight cents and the first meal he ate in America was earned before it
was eaten. He arrived at Fort Wayne on August 27th, having walked a good portion of the way. He had a companion who had started with him from Germany, Fred. Foellinger. When within thirty miles of Fort Wayne they camped for the night in the woods, after having walked all day long with no food but green walnuts. The wolves in the surrounding forest prowled about them and not knowing what the
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
result might be, Mr. Nestel took occasion to carve upon a tree near by the following inscription: "D. Nestel and Fred. Foellinger, died from hunger and eaten up by wolves." Here he was first employed as a day laborer but soon began to learn the blacksmith trade, and setting up a shop of his own he worked at that trade about twenty-six years. While so engaged he worked sixteen hours a day for more than fifteen years. Mr. Nestel was married June 4, 1844, to Henrietta, daughter of Adam Goebel, who located in Preble township, Adams county, Ind., in 1835. Mrs. Nestel was born in Germany, about 1821. Mr. and Mrs. Nestel have had six children: Henrietta, Charles W., Daniel, Charlotte, Eliza S. and Oscar W., of whom Charles W. and Eliza S. are familiarly known to the world as Commodore Foote and Fairy Queen, and though perfectly developed, weigh respectively but forty and thirty-five pounds. They are highly educated in different languages and have traveled throughout the civilized world, appearing before all the royal personages of Europe. Mr. Nestel traveled with them for eighteen years, visiting all the larger cities in the eastern, western, northern and middle states, and also Canada. For six years after this he was engaged in the dry goods business in Fort Wayne. For the past three years he has owned and conducted the Broadway nursery. In politics he is a staunch repub- lican. He has been a member of the city council two terms. He is one of the city's old citizens, is extensively known and very highly respected. Mr. Nestel, in his extensive travels, had an opportunity to witness the progress of American cities and this excited in him greater interest than anything else. He has for several years past, given some time to the real estate business, besides attending to his nursery. The Commodore and Fairy Queen (Charles and Eliza) have just returned from their second visit to Europe.
RAILROAD DEVELOPMENT.
Few cities are blessed with railroads in number and excellence equal to those which center in Fort Wayne, and have made of this inland city . a commercial place of the first class, a distributing point for freight and passengers second only to the very largest of American cities.
It is fortunate that its location is on the forty-first parallel of latitude. On the same parallel New York city is situated and Chicago and Omaha are not far from it, accordingly. Fort Wayne lies directly on the high- way which commerce has established between the metropolis by the Atlantic and the great western cities with which it interchanges so much of its vast business. Accordingly it is not strange that three great trunk lines lead from Fort Wayne to New York city with two to Chicago and that another trunk line now in course of construction will connect the lakes with the city by the sea through this bustling place. The fact that six railways enter Fort Wayne and provide easy commu- nication in ten different directions is of the highest importance to the
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RAILROAD DEVELOPMENT.
manufacturing and commercial interests of the city. New York, Phil- adelphia, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, Grand Rapids, Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Detroit, Louisville, Cincinnati and many other cities are reached without change of cars and generally by two or more through routes.
The fact that the city has the advantage of railway competition has greatly contributed to cheapen freight rates from eastern trade centers and thus enhance the profits and strengthen the business of the wholesale merchant, who can secure his supplies at as low cost as though he resided at Chicago or Cleveland, Indianapolis or Detroit.
The railroads which enter or pass through this city are the Pitts- burgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway company, operated by the Pennsylvania, the Wabash, the Grand Rapids & Indiana, the Fort Wayne, Cincinnati & Louisville, the Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne, the New York, Chicago, St. Louis (" Nickle Plate "), and the Fort Wayne & Jackson a branch of the Lake Shore.
Within a few miles of the city these roads intersect other lines which thus become almost as intimate and direct a portion of the general sys- tem. For example, the Chicago & Atlantic, the western feeder of the Erie system, is crossed by the Wabash at Huntington and by the Muncie at Kingsland; the Baltimore & Ohio is crossed by the Wabash at Defiance, by the Lake Shore at Auburn, and by the G. R. & I. R. R. at Avilla; the " Clover Leaf" is crossed by the Muncie at Bluffton and by the G. R. & I. R. R. at Decatur; the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern is intersected by the Fort Wayne branch at Auburn, and by the G. R. & I. R. R. at Kendallville. All of these points are within a few miles from the city and the lines there met with regularly contribute to Fort Wayne's commercial prosperity.
The regular time for fast freight shipments between New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore and Fort Wayne has recently been reduced to seventy-two hours, and in some instances of special shipment even below this low figure. Between Boston and Fort Wayne the time is five days; between Fort Wayne and Cincinnati and Chicago fifteen hours, while in the fruit and oyster seasons special trains are run through the city on the schedule of the fastest passenger trains, thus supplying Fort Wayne with the fish of the sea and the fruits of the orchard of delightful flavor and freshness. An immense trade in oysters and fruits has been developed here in consequence of the unusual excellence and cheapness of these staple luxuries.
The Pittsburgh Fort Wayne & Chicago railway is the result of the consolidation, effected in 1857, of the Ohio & Pennsylvania, the Ohio & Indiana, and the Fort Wayne & Chicago railways. The entire road extending from Pittsburgh to Chicago, is 469 miles long and Fort Wayne is the largest city on the line and is the seat of the principal erecting and repair shops.
In January, 1850, the contract for building the entire length of the Ohio & Indiana, from Crestline, Ohio, to Fort Wayne, a distance of 131
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
miles, was let to Samuel Hanna, Pliny Hoagland and William Mitchell, for $740,000. This sum was to include all necessary buildings and fixtures, but no iron or cars. In January, 1852, the entire contract was sublet. The firm name of the contractors was William Mitchell & Co. In the same year Allen Hamilton donated six acres for depot purposes, the site of the south depot, and Samuel Hanna donated five acres, for grounds for the company's shops. The railroad was completed to Fort Wayne in the fall of 1855, about one year after the contracted time. The track deflected from the present straight east and west line at a point just west of Clay street and swung around to Lafayette street down which it passed northward to the canal basin at the foot of Columbia street, . where a frame depot and a frame engine house were erected. These build- ings remained until 1857, and marked the western terminus of the road. A principal reason for extending the road to the canal was to secure a profitable interchange of business, and this expectation was substantially realized, the railroad at once receiving great consignments of east-bound wheat from the canal boats. The depot and freight grounds embraced all lands between the canal and the north side of Columbia street, and extending from Barr to Lafayette street. The first locomotive seen in Fort Wayne was brought from Toledo on a flat boat, under the charge of Mr. R. W. Wohlfort. He landed it at the foot of Lafayette street and for several years run it over the road. After its usefulness had ended, by reason of greater perfection in machinery of that character, the old locomotive was stored on the wharf in front of the company's warehouse where it remained for a considerable time an object of much curiosity and interest. It has long since been consigned to the scrap pile and the melting pot. The original depot was a small frame affair, and the original engine-house was a store which was converted to the purpose by tearing out the gable end. This old building may still be seen near the Globe flouring mill of J. B. Monning & Co. The first buildings on the present site of the south depot were of frame and consisted of a pas- senger depot and a freight house. The depot was removed to a point west of Calhoun street, and was subsequently demolished. The freight house was destroyed by fire. The present elegant buildings were in part erected to take their places but both have been largely added to to meet the wonderful increase of traffic.
„ Operating thisrailroad without through business or connecting lines, and extending out into a sparsely settled country, with its agricultural, manufacturing and commercial interests all undeveloped, was by no means as satisfactory as the owners of the stock and bonds find it today.
In 1854 and 1855 the condition of the Ohio & Indiana, and the Fort Wayne & Chicago roads was by no means prosperous. The first had been imperfectly constructed; the ballast was largely of sand or a poor quality of gravel, the bridges and culverts were flimsy wooden affairs, and the imperfect drainage of the country subjected the track to fre- quent and annoying washouts. The equipment of the road was woefully lacking, and, worse than all, the financial credit had been exhausted by
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RAILROAD DEVELOPMENT.
three mortgages, all of which had been inadequate to complete and equip the road. The Fort Wayne & Chicago road was at a stand-still, the track had been laid for a distance of some fifteen miles west of Fort Wayne, when no more money for construction work was available. In this predicament a consolidation of the three lines leading from Pitts- burgh to Chicago was proposed at a meeting of the presidents of the Pennsylvania railroad, the Pennsylvania & Ohio, the Ohio & Indiana and the Fort Wayne & Chicago roads. The object of this scheme was to vitalize the stagnant corporations, and its principal champion was Hon. Joseph K. Edgerton of this city, president of the Ohio & Indiana rail- road. Mr. Edgerton's plan of consolidation was approved almost unan- imously by the stockholders of the various corporations, and the enlarged possibilities that grew out of a great line of travel operated for through business. became at once apparent, and the completion of the road to Chicago was not much longer delayed.
The consolidation, called the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad company, went into operation August 1, 1856. George W. Cass of the Ohio & Pennsylvania railroad, was chosen president, and Mr. Edgerton, vice president. The first four Indiana directors were Messrs. Samuel Hanna and J. K. Edgerton, of Fort Wayne, William Williams of Warsaw, and A. L. Wheeler of Plymouth.
In 1857 the road became seriously involved financially, and German bondholders applied to the United States court of the Northern District of Ohio for the appointment of a receiver. Mr. Edgerton was appointed, and at once the stockholders and bondholders in the Pennsylvania railroad, who had been gradually acquiring stock in the promising western feeder, opposed the appointment in the courts and Mr. Edgerton resigned, giv- ing way to William B. Ogden, who appeared to be better able to har- monize the conflicting interests. He introduced Samuel J. Tilden, deceased, as a legal adviser, who devised a plan of reorganization. The control of the road was finally acquired by the Pennsylvania railroad company upon foreclosure sale to a purchasing committee of which Mr. Tilden was one and was at once re-sold to a reorganizing committee. The name of the road was changed to Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway. A lease to the Pennsylvania interests for 999 years followed and the operation of this great line of travel has since been out of the hands of its projectors and builders.
It is probably the best equipped trunk line for freight and passenger business between Chicago and the seaboard, runs solid through trains of royal magnificence and has established in Fort Wayne the finest equipped car shops in the west.
The Pennsylvania company, lessees, now run sixteen passenger trains daily in and out of Fort Wayne. The monthly ticket sales at the Union passenger station are $13,000, about a third of which amount must be accredited to the passenger business of the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad, which the Pennsylvania company also controls. Mr. C. D.
.
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
Law, the enterprising superintendent of the western division resides in this city.
Fort Wayne is the largest city and most important commercial point on the Wabash main line between Toledo, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo. The company's principal engine shops are located here, and give employ- ment to 550 skilled mechanics who are largely occupied in the building of locomotives, famous for their speed and power. Ten passenger trains arrive and depart from the Wabash depot daily, eight of them being through trains. The affairs of this road have occupied the attention of the courts for many years, and the history of Wabash litigations, arising from the control of Jay Gould, the extension of the system, the creation of the $70,000,000 debt and the various receiverships, would greatly exceed the compass of this chapter. Under the receivership of Gen. John McNulta the road has been magnificently equipped, and its man- agement by General Superintendent K. H. Wade and Assistant General Superintendent G. W. Stevens, has been exceedingly satisfactory to its patrons. The gross receipts at Fort Wayne station are about a million and a quarter of dollars annually and the yearly tonnage is 500,000. The last sale of the road was in June, IS89, under order of Judge Gresham, when the entire property was purchased at foreclosure sale at Chicago by the Wabash Western railway, whose lines are generally west of the Mississippi. It is now operated from St. Louis, and O. D. Ashley is president of the consolidated systems.
The Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad forms a north and south trunk line of vast commercial importance. It extends from the Straits of Macki- naw on the north, through the center of Michigan and on through Fort Wayne in an almost due southerly line 459 miles, to Richmond, Ind., where direct connection is made to Cincinnati. The road is noted for its splendid passenger equipment, and in the summer runs through sleep- ing cars from Cincinnati to Mackinaw. It is under the control of the Pennsylvania company, and to that company at Fort Wayne it is a principal feeder, delivering thousands of car-loads of pine collected from the Michigan forests, tons of salt, millions of dollars worth of furniture from the factories at Grand Rapids, solid train loads of ice from Cadillac, besides Michigan-grown potatoes, apples and other fruit in great abund- ance. The road is known among pleasure seekers as the "Fishing Line," and during the summer months a constant stream of tourists seek the cool, refreshing resorts in Northern Indiana and Michigan, by way of this road. Mackinaw, Petoskey, Traverse City, Charlevoux, Michi- gan and Rome city, Ind., are perhaps the best known of these places of delightful remembrance of the summer tourist. The superintendent of the southern division, extending from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Rich -. mond, Ind., is P. S. O'Rourke. His headquarters are in Fort Wayne. Besides ranking very high as a wide-awake and pushing railway offi- cial, he has taken a leading part in politics, and on the subject of a reform of the tariff his views have been widely quoted for many years past.
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RAILROAD DEVELOPMENT.
Like the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway the construc- tion of the " Rapids " was attended with great financial difficulties. In 1866, when Joseph K. Edgerton became president of the company, it had for more than ten years held a grant of about two thirds of a million acres of Michigan land, for the construction of a road from Grand Rapids to Traverse Bay, and in 1864, congress had enlarged the grant over 200,000 acres, and extended it to a line from Fort Wayne to Traverse bay. But not a mile was built, nor a bar of iron bought, and the land grant was subject to immediate forfeiture from January 1, 1866. Samuel Hanna, during the three months preceding his death, had initiated movements at Fort Wayne and elsewhere for aid to the road, and his operations were taken up and continued by Mr. Edgerton, with vigor. In December, 1866, iron was obtained to begin track laying on the twenty miles between Grand Rapids and Cedar Springs, the first section required to be built by the land grant, and at the following session of the Michigan legislature, Mr. Edgerton memorialized it for an extension of time. This prayer was granted, though with much oppo- sition. The struggle for the restoration of the company's credit was a long and arduous one, but was finally successful. The company is now in excellent financial condition. Its improvements are of the most sub- stantial character. Its shops at Grand Rapids are of great magnitude and excellently equipped. The city of Fort Wayne is a large owner of its stock, which the mayor votes at the annual meetings held at Grand Rapids. J. H. P. Hughart is the president of the road and C. L. Lock- wood the general passenger agent. Eight passenger trains are run through Fort Wayne every day.
The railways heretofore mentioned, run their trains through the south depot on Calhoun street, between Railroad street and Grand street. The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago, and the Grand Rapids & Indiana, occupy a large and finely appointed brick building, which con- tains a hotel and an eating house, noted all along these lines of travel for the excellence of the cuisine. On the opposite side of the tracks and facing this depot is the passenger depot of the Wabash company, a frame building well adapted to the purposes intended.
There are two other depots and all are connected by street cars, making passenger transfers cheap and expeditious. On the north side of the city, in the Ninth ward, is the union depot used by the Fort Wayne branch of the Lake Shore road and the Fort Wayne, Cincin- nati & Louisville railway. These roads form a continuous north and south line from Cincinnati and Louisville on the south to Jackson and Saginaw, in Michigan, and the volume of business transacted is of such rapid growth that the engine service has recently been very largely in- creased. Both roads are laid with steel rail. The principal shops of the Muncie road are at Fort Wayne and here its general superintendent, W. W. Worthington, who has grown up with the company, has his office.
The latest addition to Fort Wayne's railways is the New York,
-
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VALLEY OF THE UPPER MAUMEE.
Chicago & St. Louis railway, or Nickel Plate, which was built for the sole object of profitable sale to the Vanderbilts, which object was finally accomplished. It parallels the Lake Shore main line from Buffalo to Chicago and so greatly threatened the business of the Lake Shore that after Vanderbilt had denounced it as valueless property, " a string of dirt leading from nowhere to no place," he paid, a good round price for it. It has been of the greatest service to Fort Wayne in developing a new country, famous for its hard wood timber and heretofore quite difficult of access.
The Vanderbilt management of the " Nickel Plate " has not directed much attention to its passenger business, though its two daily trains are well patronized, but the road has been devoted almost exclusively to the quick movement of freight, especially live stock, dressed meats and perishable goods generally. Its direct line, from Chicago to Buffalo, with easy grades, permits of such rapid transportation of these food products that the Nickel Plate has long since been dubbed the " Meat Express " line, and the claim is made for it that shipments from the great Chicago packing houses reach New York by this line from ten to twenty hours in advance of all other routes. It is common for the Nickel Plate to haul six long meat trains east through Fort Wayne every night. The road has a very handsome depot located in the heart of the wholesale trade, and in this city are the offices of C. D. Gorham, superintendent of the western division, of trainmaster S. K. Blair, engineer W. McK. Pardee and other officials. The principal shops of the company are at Stony Island, Ill., where they were located to improve the value of real estate owned by the road's speculative projectors. There is reason to expect that these shops may be removed to Fort Wayne, their natural place of location.
An ambitious project in railway building, which, when accomplished will greatly benefit the city, is that of the American Midland company. Its officers assert that its early financial embarrassments have been arranged, and that before many months its trains will be running into and probably through Fort Wayne. An aid of $200,000 has been voted the company, conditioned upon the early construction of the line and the erection and maintenance of its principal shops in this city. The bonds of the company are said to have been placed, and a number of miles of the road are now constructed and in operation. The scheme of the projectors is for a trunk line between Jersey City on the east, to Omaha on the west, crossing the Allegheny mountains at the Red Bank pass, and traversing the country in almost an air-line, paralleling the forty-first degree of latitude. It is planned to lead a branch from Fort Wayne to Chicago, and another from . Fort Wayne to St. Louis, making this the junction point of all branches. It is stated that terminal facilities and wharfage of the greatest value have been secured at Jersey City and Philadelphia, and by a traffic arrangement with the Reading and other lines, access to both New York and Philadelphia may be had whenever needed. An item of particular interest here is that an arrangement has
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