USA > Ohio > Butler County > A history and biographical cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio, with illustrations and sketches of its representative men and pioneers. Vol. 1 > Part 34
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! It is ascertained, from information on which the utmost reliance can be placed, that thirty thousand barrels of flour have been exported from the county of Montgomery alone in one year. It will undoubtedly be safe to esti- mate that the same quantity will be exported when addi- tional facilities are offered by the eanal for exportation ; and that at least an equal quantity will be exported from the counties of Clarke, Champaign, Miami, Darke, and other adjoining counties. The lowest price for which flour can now be transported from Dayton to Cincinnati is fifty cents per barrel. A toll of twelve and a half cents per barrel from Dayton to Cincinnati. will not be nnreasonable, and this on sixty thousand barrels will give a revenue of 87,500. On all other articles exporterl from Dayton to Cincinnati on the eanal it will be undoubtedly safe to calculate on receiving a toll of $2,500 per an- num, making on the descending navigation from Dayton au aggregate of $10,000. From the business which will naturally fall into the canal from the intermediate coun- ties of Warren, Butler, and those adjoining them, to- gether with the whole ascending navigation, it will be safe to calculate on receiving an equal amount of tol!, making a total product from tolls of 820,000 per annum, which, added to the estimated rents for water-power, will produce the annual sum of $40,000."
The preliminary measures having been taken, the acting commissioner issued the following advertisement :
" MIAMI CANAL.
"Proposals in writing will be received by the under- signed at Hamilton, on the 15th of July next, for the con- struction of about fifteen miles of the Miami Canal, extend- ing from a point on the Great Miami River two miles above Middletown, to a point near Hamilton.
". Persons who are disposed to contract for the construc- tion of any part of this work are invited to examine the ground before the day of sale. Any information as to the character of the line manner of constructing the work, or terms of contracting, may be had on application to Samuel Forrer, Esq , engineer on the line.
" A profile of the line, wit . the estimates of the value of the work, will be exhibited on the day of leiting, for the in- formation of all who may be disposed to take contracts. " M. T. WILLIAMS, Acting Commissioner. " CINCINNATI, June 27, 1825."
In that year (1825) his excellency De Witt Clinton, governor of the State of New York, visited Ohio, on the invitation of the citizens of this State, in order to be pres- ent at the commencement of the internal improvements of the State by our canals. As soon as it was known that he would be present on that date, an invitation was extended to the most. prominent gentlemen of the vicin- ity to meet him, on the 11th of July, in Hamilton. The invitation read as follows :
"Sm ..- You are respectfully invited to attend, at. Hamilton, on Tuesday, the 12th July instant, at an early hour, for the purpose of partaking of a dinner to be prepared for their excellencies DEWITT CLINTON and
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.
JEREMIAH MORROW, governors of the States of New York and Ohio. Invite any of your friends who can make it convenient to attend with you.
" By order of the committee of arrangement. " LEWIS P. SAYRE, Chairman. "HAMILTON, July 11, 1825."
The dinner which was provided on the occasion, of which one hundred and fifty persons partook, was elegant and.abundant. It was prepared by T. Blair, and served up under the shade of the locust-trees in the court-house yard. The day was fine, and the pleasure which was universally felt at welcoming the " father of internal im- provement" was heightened by the presence of Jeremiah Morrow, governor of the State of Ohio; Ex-Governor Ethan Allen Brown, the Honorable Benjamin Tappan, and Micajah T. Williams, Esq., canal commissioners ; Judge David S. Bates; the chief engineer, Samuel For- rer, Esq., and a number of other distinguished citizens and strangers, who honored the occasion by their pres- ence. John Keily presided at the table, assisted by Jolm Woods, as vice-president. Governor Clinton was met at Middletown on the previous day by a deputation from Hamilton, with Captain Dann at the head of his fine company of cavalry, together with a large concourse of citizens, who escorted him to Hamilton, where rooms had been prepared for his reception.
The enthusiasm which was excited by the presence of Governor Clinton was, if possible, heightened by the toasts and sentiments which followed the removal of the cloth. Thirteen regular toasts had been prepared, as follows :
TOASTS.
1. " The President of the United States and heads of de- partments .- If talents, virtue, experience, and patriotism at the helm will afford security, the ship of state is in no danger of foundering."
2. " The Heroes of the Revolution. - They are fast drop- ping into the grave, but the memory of their deeds sur- vives them."
3. " Internal Improvements. - Whether their accom- plishment legitimately belong to the States or the nation, a prophetic spirit may look forward to the period when, in times of trouble and difficulty, the works of the present age may become the safeguard of our national indepen- dence and the bond of national union."
4. " The State of New York .- She has given a noble specimen of what the genius and enterprise of one man may accomplish. Let Chio profit by the example."
5. " The States of Ohio und New York .- Connected by mutual interests, and not less united in policy than in their admiration of the illustrious father of internal im- provenient."
6. " The Mind Conal .- When completed as far as its location has been authorized, may no sectional inter- ests prevent its extension to Lake Erie !"
7. " The Republics of South America .- Let no unholy interference of the allied sovereigns disturb their inde- pendence !"
8. " Greece .- The land of ancient renown and modern glory."
9. " The Bunker Hill Monument .--- When it shall have moldered into dust, the names and the deeds that it com- memorates will not be forgotten."
10. " Lafayette .-- His honors and rewards as far ex- ceed those of princes as his merits surpass theirs."
11. " The Friends of the Manumission and Colonization of the Blacks .- They are the friends of man, and their exertions will promote the best interests of their country."
12. " The Press .- It needs no other check to preserve it from licentiousness than uncorrupted public opinion."
13. " The Literary Institutions of Ohio .-- May they continue to be encouraged by an enlightened and libera! policy until the Western wilderness shall become an aca -- demic shade !"
After the regular toasts, Mr. Beily, from the chair, addressed the assembly as follows :
ยท I rise, gentlemen, to propose a toast in obedience to the instructions of the committee of arrangements ; and, in thus becoming the organ of my fellow-citizens, I have the satisfaction of performing a duty highly gratifying to myself.
" It is only an act of justice to testify respect to men of distinguished worth and talents, whose lives have been devoted to the service of their country. But this is an occasion of more than common interest. Our State has just commenced a stupendous work of internal improve- ment similar to that which New York has nearly colo- pleted, under the auspices of our distinguished guest-a work which is destined to elevate ber to a proud rank among the States of the Union. Under such circum- stances it is natural for her to look to New York for her model, and to De Witt Clinton as her presiding spirit. I shall, therefore, meet the cordial response of this as- sembly when I propose-
" De Witt Clinton, the friend and promoter of interna! improvement."
To which Governor Clinton replied :
"Fellow-citizens, -- I receive with grateful sensibility this expression of approbation, and 1 fully appreciate its importance. Its communication through so respectable an organ in behalf of this respectable company renders it peculiarly interesting, and I offer to you my sincere thanks for your kindness to me on this occasion, and during my visit to this place.
. " For fifteen years I have devoted myself' to the great cause of internal improvement, and it has been may good fortune, during my administration, to witness the coal- mencement of the canals of New York, and in a very short time I hope to witness their completion. To the moral power and intelligence of the people we must as- cribe the success of these stupendous undertakings. Ohio
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THE MIAMI CANAL.
in her infant state, with inferior revenues and a less att- merons population, has followed the example set by her eliler sister, and has undertaken an enterprise without a parallel in the history of mankind, considering all the circumstances nnder which it has been commenced ; and the whole exhibits wisdom, patriotism, and magnanimity that would refleet honor on any age or country. The success is as certain as the resulting advantages, unless some destroying spirit should be let loose among you and darken the brightest days that ever opened upon the West. I beg leave to present as a toast:
" The public-spirited State of Ohio and her excellent chief magistrates who have pointed out her way to great- ness and glory, and supported her in her illustrious career."
By John Woods, Esq .:
" Governor Morrow .- His long-tried publie services have tested the purity of his principles.
" Under his administration the State of Ohio has commeneed the great work of forming by internal im- provement the bonds of union between all the members of our government, and by whose wisdom and prudence were pointed out the only means by which we shall be enabled to march with firmness to the accomplishment of the magnificent work."
Governor Morrow rose, and said :
"Gentlemen, it would manifest insensibility on my part were I not to acknowledge the gratitude I feel for your kind expression of regard. That I have performed public services in which important interests were ren- dered, early in the settlement of our country, is certain. But it is equally true that these, which are overrated, have been more than compensated by the repeated ex- pressions of your confidence.
"Permit me, then, to say that I express the feelings of my heart when I assure you that I entertain a sincere respect for the people of this town and its vicinity, and tender my best wishes for their welfare. I. propose ---
" The Citizens of Hamilton and Rossrille -Their inter- ests assured and prosperity promoted by the Miami Canal."
Arrangements having been made at Cincinnati to en- tertain the distinguished gentlemen as guests in that city on the day succeeding, the company retired at an early hour, and Governor Clinton, accompanied by the gentle- men who had attended hin hither, together with an es- eort of military and citizens, proceeded, that evening, to Martin's tavern, where he was met by a military escort from Cincinnati.
After Governor Clinton had been entertained at Cin- vinuati, he visited the falls of the Ohio; then returning to Hamilton, which he reached on the 18th of July. Tiw next day he proceeded to Muidletown. One of the local papers thus speaks of the day :
"On Thursday last the people of the Miand country we're gratified with one of the most interesting spectacles
that ever was, or perhaps ever will be, witnessed by them. It was the ceremony of commeneing that great work of internal navigation which is destined to raise their char- acter as an enterprising people, promote their happiness, both in a political and moral point of view, and increase their wealth as individuals and as a community. They saw the first sod raised by the great father and patron of internal improvement; and, notwithstanding it will be a matter of much exultation to see the completion of the work, yet it will not detract from, or even equal, the ex- eitement produced by viewing the first breaking of the ground -- the first step to the daring and stupendous un- dertaking.
" Although notice had been given but three days previous, thousands of freemen, drawn by the interest and novelty of the scene from different parts of the country, were on the ground; and never, perhaps, was observed a greater degree of harmony in a like assom- blage than what prevailed on this occasion. Unanimity in the object for which they had assembled to view the commencement seemed to be the prevailing sentiment, and was strikingly expressed in almost every counte- nance ; and all appeared to be animated by the import- ance of the matter, and to take a deep interest b: the ceremonies of the day.
" The appearance of several independent companies, attended by an excellent band of music, from Cincinnati, added greatly to the occasion. A fine troop of cavalry, commanded by Captain Morseil, escorted Governor Clin- ton from Cincinnati ; the other companies, three in uum- ber, were the Cincinnati Guards, commanded by Captain Emerson, Captain Avery's company of light infantry, and the Lafayette Greys, commanded by Lieutenant Burky. They deserve the unbounded thanks of oui citizens, and are most certainly entitled to the highest commendation for the patriotism displayed in marching so great a dis- tanee, and for the good disciphne and soldier-like condnet evinced during their stay in this place and in Middle- town ; and we sincerely hope that their reception and entertainment was fully equal to their expectations of the hospitality and patriotism of our citizens.
" Captain Crane's company of Jacksonburg artillery and a troop of horse belonging to Middletown were like- wise observed among the military.
"Among the distinguished guests, in addition to Governor Clinton and Governor Morrow (the latter of whom arrived about 11 o'clock, A. M.), we observed our late governor, E. A. Brown, General Harrison, General Beasly, Judge Bates; Dr. Drake, of Lexington, Ky .; Mr. M. T. Williams, acting commissioner, and Mr. Forrer, principal engineer, together with many others, whom our memory does not sufficiently serve us to par- ticularize at this time.
" The ceremony was commenced by an appropriate ati impressive prayer to the Throne of Grace by the Rev. M. Viekars, chaplain of the day ; after which Judge Crane, of
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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY.
Dayton, rose, and, in a commanding strain of eloquence, delivered an excellent address. Nothing we could say by way of commendation would add to its excellence ; for it amply speaks its own superior merit, and attaches great credit to its intelligent and classical author. It is suffi- cient to say that it was received by the audience with loud and repeated acclamations.
"Governor Clinton and Governor Morrow then de- scended from the rostrum, which had been prepared for the oeeasion, followed by the commissioners, contractors, and other persons of distinction who felt an interest or were to assist in the enterprise. The governors each raised a sod, as the commencement of the work ; after which the other gentlemen assisted. The latter part of the ceremony was greatly enlivened by the continued volleys of musketry and by the many appropriate airs performed by the band of music.
" After partaking of an excellent dinner, prepared by Mr. J. P. Reynolds, a number of toasts were drunk. The one given by Mr. Clinton was received with loud cheers. He responded with the following toast :
"' The Miami Canal, like the Nile, will enrich and ag- grandize the region of its transit-not by fertilizing a soil exuberantly rich, but by opening lucrative markets for its production.'
"The company separated at an early hour. Gover- nors Clinton and Morrow, with their respective suits, de- parted the same evening for Lebanon."
The place at which these ceremonies took place was in a field about a mile south of town, at the place where the first lock is now constructed. The land was then owned by Daniel Doty, and is in section 28.
As we have elsewhere said, the northern portion of the route, that part going from Dayton to Lake Erie, had been partly located in 1824, and the next year it was regularly surveyed. This section of the work was not done till some time after the other, and, indeed, was for a period in danger of not being done at ali. But the general government, in response to a petition from some of the best men in Ohio, made a grant of land equal to one-half of five seetions in width on each side of the proposed route, between Dayton and the Maumee, so far as the same should be located through the government lands. In return it was simply provided that all persons or property of the United States should forever pass through or over the canals free of tolls. The amount of this grant, as afterwards ascertained, was three hundred and eighty-four thousand acres. Its market value could not have been very far from a million of dollars. The same act granted the State half a million dollars more, in aid of its canals. This grant was conditioned upon the completion within five years of the canals already begun at the time of the passage of the act, and the grant for the Miami extension upon the commencement of the work within five and its completion within twenty years, on penalty of payment by the State to the federal
government of the value of the lands. The Legislature accepted the former, but declined the latter grant, as it was feared that it might be impossible to fulfill the con- ditions. There were the initial grants by the general government in aid of internal improvements, and were the forerunner of those to the Illinois Central, Northern Paeifie, and Union Pacific railroads, as well as to a hun- dred others of less length. When Judge Jacob Burnet, of Ohio, was sent to the United States Senate in 1830, he succeeded in getting a bill through which repealed the forfeiture elauses and made the grant equivalent to five sections for every mile of canal located on laud pre- viously sold, as well as that unsold, by the general gov- ernment. The land so given was located by the gov- ernor, and by it, undoubtedly, the extension was effected.
Work was speedily begun above Middletown, taking the water from Enoch's dam, and running to the head of Mill Creek, a distance of twenty miles. The Advertiser of August 23d says :
"It will be remembered that twenty miles of the Miami Canal was put under contract on the 20th of July last. It was divided into forty-three sections. On the 28th of July the sod was first broken on section No. 8, a part of a contract taken by Seymore Scovel, Esq., of the State of New York. On the 23d the whole of this section was taken by a sub-contractor, who com- menced active operations on it on the 24th, and has now, August 23.1, completed thirty rods ready for inspection. No less than thirty-nine parties, or near five hundred workmen, under original and sub-contractors, are now engaged on twenty-seven sections. Many of these sec- tions are in a rapid state of forwardness, and present a scene more like the effect of magic than reality, and can only be accounted for by the number of workmen so suddenly thrown upon them, and the determined perse- verance of the undertakers. A little more time will be necessary for farmers to remove their corn from the ground occupied by a part of the canal line, when ali the sections will speedily be commenced ; and, from the number of persons continually flocking in for employ- ment, and the character of the contractors, there can be no doubt that the whole twenty miles will be completed within the stipulated time. We understand that the resident engineer will set out in a few days to prepare the south end of the line for contraet. which has been delayed in consequence of the great press of business oc- casioned by the immediate commencement of labor by so many of the contractors on the part of the line already let, and that the acting commissioner intends to dispose of fifteen miles more on or about the 15th of September next."
In their next report the canal commissioners give an account of what work lad been done, aud of the actual beginning of labor. They state :
" Towards the latter part of June, the commissioners were enabled to commence the preparation of a part of
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THE MIAMI CANAL.
the Miamt Canal for contract ; and on the 20th of July, in pursuance of public notice previously given, contracts were made for the construction of twenty miles of that canal, including six locks, extending from a point of the Miami River near Middletown to the head of Mill Creek. These contracts were, as in the former cases, effected at prices in all eases as low, and in most lower, than the orig- inal estimates. On the day following, the work was com- menced on this canal in the presence of the distinguished chief magistrates of Ohio. and New York and an ini- mense concourse of deeply interested citizens ; since which it has progressed with spirit and effect, and is now in a flattering state of progression.
" As early as the 27th of September twenty-two miles in addition, including six locks, extending to a point near Cincinnati, were prepared and placed under contract upon termis still more favorable to the State; making, in all, forty-two miles of this canal now under contract. Upon the whole of this line, with only two exceptions, the eon- tractors have already commenced the work on their jobs, and are prosecuting it in a manner highly satisfactory. Thirty miles or more are now grubbed and cleared ; the excavation already performed exceeds two hundred thou- sand cubic yards; three large culverts are built, and the other items of the work have progressed in the same proportion. The most serious difficulty which has been experienced or is anticipated in the prosecution of the work on this line arises from the scarcity of stone of a suitable character for the construction of the locks, and from the difficulty of procuring water-lime. It was, in the first instance, thought most advisable to construct the locks of timber, and contracts for the first eight locks were made accordingly. It was, however, soon ascertained that to obtain timber in sufficient quantities would be attended with difficulties, be more costly than was anticipated, and, in most cases, would inflict a serious and measurably irretrievable injury upon the adjacent country. It was de- termined, therefore, to suspend the construction with tim- ber of most of the locks, and to make further efforts for the discovery of stone, which have so far been successful as to induce a belief that stone will be obtained within a reas- onable distance for their construction. The cost of ob- tining the stone will, however, be such as to forbid the hope of constructing the locks for a sum below the orig- inal estimates of their cost. If the saving in the cost of the locks could have been in the same proportion with that on the other items of the work under contract, this line would be constructed for a sum very considerably less than that at which it was estimated. From the best estimate which can be made from the other items of the work at eoutraet prices, making a liberal allowance for all contingencies which will probably occur, and placing the cost of the locks at $4 per pereh, the line under con- tract will be constructed for the sum of 8358,984.14. This is less than the sum at which it was estimated in the hist report of the board by $25,000, and makes au
average cost per mile, including twelve locks, of $8,547.24.
" Abstraet marked F will show the name of each contractor, the extent of contract, the contract price of each item of work, the average price of each kind of work, the total estimated amount of cach contract, and of the whole line under contract at contract prices. The value of work performed on this line up to the 21st November is estimated at $31,994. The number of laborers engaged upon this line in the month of No- vember amounted to nearly nine hundred. The con- tracts for the first thirty miles of this line require its com- pletion by the first day of October next, and for the last ten miles by the 5th of May, 1827.
" In the last report of the board to the Legislature two points of termination at the Ohio River, near Cin- cinnati, were named. The one, by preserving with the line a high level from a point about ten miles up the val- ley of Mill Creek, as it descends, and passing the west- ern margin of the city upon a low level, to unite with the river at a point immediately below it. Estimates of the cost of each of these lines were made, which showed a difference in favor of the line upon the low level of about 845,000; and the cost of the Miami Canal, as stated in the report, was estimated upon this line. Upon a full investigation of the question of the proper point to terminate the canal, which was made in August last, it was deemed advisable, with reference to all the inter- ests connected with the canal, notwithstanding the esti- mated difference of cost, to adopt the line upon the high level, and terminate the canal at the mouth of Deer Creek. The superior value of the hydraulie privileges afforded by the high level, the favorable position which the mouth of Deer Creek affords, when compared with the other point of termination, for a safe harbor for steam and canal boats, both in low and high water, the great facility it affords over any other for the construc- tion of dry and wet docks, which the increasing com- merece of the Ohio River and the interests of the public will soon imperiously require, and the prominent and mutual advantage, both to the surrounding country and the city, which the level, uninterrupted by lock, for a distance of ten miles back into the country will afford,- all conspired to produce the conviction upon the minds of the commissioners that the adoption of that line was required by the general interests connected with the work.
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