USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of the city of Cleveland: its settlement, rise and progress, 1796-1896 > Part 36
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The year also saw the solu- tion of the problem of electric lighting, by Charles F. Brush, a Clevelander, who, in this year, perfected the dynamo that is the foundation of the lighting system known by his name the world over. Charles F. Brush 30 and his work de- serve more than a passing MAYOR NATHAN P. PAYNE. mention, as this great inven- tion gave him immediate rank among the great inventors of the age. He had commenced life in Cleveland as an from the pen of F. T. Wallace ("Men and Events of Half a Century"), a stanza or so of which are here quoted:
The banner that a hundred years Has waved above our good ship's keel, Upheld by oak or mast of pine, Now proudly floats from staff of steel.
Soon Lakeview, Woodland, Riverside
Will keep the graves where kindred kneel- Of all who now salute the stars That wave above that staff of steel.
And in remoter ages still, The antiquary's worthy zeal Will note the tombs and mural stones Of those who gave that staff of steel !
30 Charles F. Brush was born in Euclid, Ohio, on March 17, 1849. He attended the schools of Cleveland, and pursued a special course at Ann Arbor, Mich., graduating in 1869, as a mining engineer. As a boy, he was al- ways experimenting, and at work with batteries, magnets, and other mechan- ical and electrical appliances. He never experimented, however, for the mere pleasure of toying with the forces of nature. Each model that found
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analytical chemist, in 1872, when the Cleveland Telegraph Supply & Manufacturing Company was formed, and being called upon by that organization to do some special scien- tific work, became deeply interested in the subject of elec- tricity. An arrangement of mutual assistance and co- operation was made between the company and himself, and he set to work to solve the question of electrical light- ing. Within a few weeks, he completed his first attempt, performing the greater part of the mechanical labor with his own hands. Before exhibiting it to his associates, he took it out to his father's farm, east of the city, and tested it with a horse-power, used in the farm labor. Having seen it work to his satisfaction, he again loaded it into his buggy, and took it to the Supply works, where it was set up in a corner. It was then put in circuit with a clock- work lamp, and from the first it worked to the perfect sat- isfaction of all concerned, and for many years afterwards was in constant and practical operation. It is a fact worthy of note, that the Brush machine, of its most suc- cessful pattern, showed no change from this first produc- tion in the principles of construction or in general scien- tific plans. This first working machine was constructed without a model, after the plan which had definitely and permanently shaped itself in the inventor's head, before he had made a pattern or lifted a finger toward its mechanical execution. The first machine gave one light of about three hundred candle power. Mr. Brush supplemented the machine with the invention of an accompanying lamp, which was also a marvel of completeness, for the work for which it was intended. Through the commercial enter- prise of the Brush Electric Company (which appeared as successor of the organization above named), under the effi- cient management of George W. Stockly, the new inven-
construction at his hands, must have not only a use, and a power to per- form some portion of the world's labor, but also be an answer to some ex- pressed demand. This trait of character has found expression all through the labors of Mr. Brush, and is one of the marks that set him apart from the main body of the world's great inventors.
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tion was pushed with great energy, and an immense and wonderfully successful business built up. While the total sales of 1877 reached but thirty-five thousand dollars, those of 1882 had reached over two million.
At the very close of this Centennial year, which had been ushered in amid such rejoicings, there occurred, so near to Cleveland as to become a part of its record, one of the most terrible railroad accidents ever recorded. On the evening of Friday, December 29, 1876, in the midst of a fierce snow and wind storm, a heavily laden passenger train on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway
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FOREST CITY HOUSE, IS76.
went down with the bridge it was crossing, into the ravine of the Ashtabula River, and a hundred and more passen- gers met instant death, while scores of others were injured. The train was late, and two engines were hardly able to drag it through the blinding storm. It consisted of two express cars, two baggage cars, two, day passenger coaches, a smoking car, a drawing-room car, and three sleepers. The passenger cars were all filled with travel- ers, most of whom were going to, or returning from, events connected with the happy holiday season. The crash came without warning, and in an instant the bridge and train lay a ruin, in the bed of the ice gorge below, and a
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moment later fire broke forth, to complete the work of death.
It was a scene that no pen can describe, and there is no need for the re-telling. The citizens and firemen of Ashtabula did all that lay in their power. A relief train was sent as soon as possible from Cleveland. The railroad authorities worked with herculean powers for the relief of the suffering, and the preservation of the remains of the dead. Every house, and office, and saloon, at Ashtabula Station became a hospital for the night. It was an awful night, the cold and storm adding their terrors to those of fire and suffering and death.31
The military spirit of Cleveland, seems to have experi- enced a sudden revival in 1877, if we may judge from the practical results. In that year, the Fifteenth Regiment Ohio National Guard was organized, largely through the efforts of Colonel A. T. Brinsmade, then an aid on the staff of Governor Hayes. It was at first composed of the Brooklyn Blues, the Emmett Guards, the Veteran Guards, the Forest City Guards, the Townsend Guards, and the Buckeye Guards. The regiment was organized in June, with the following officers : Colonel, A. T. Brinsmade; Lieutenant-Colonel, George A. Mckay; Major, Henry Rich- ardson ; Surgeon, John F. Gibson, M.D .; Assistant-Surgeon, R. W. Stannard, M.D .; Adjutant, George B. Huston ; Quar- termaster, George D. Scott ; Chaplain, Rev. James A. Bolles. The regiment was soon increased to ten com- panies, by the accession of the Chagrin Falls Guards, of Chagrin Falls ; the Hart Guards, of Elyria ; the Berea Guards, of Berea, and the Washington Guards, of Cleve- land. The Cleveland Gatling-Gun Battery was also organ- ized in 1877, the citizens of the city having provided two gatling-guns for their use. The first officers were: Captain, W. F. Goodspeed; Lieutenant, Frank Wilson ; Orderly Ser- geant, Thomas Goodwillie; Quartermaster-Sergeant, J. Ford Evans. All of the members were well-known gentlemen,
31 A complete narrative of this great event may be found in the follow- ing work: " The Ashtabula Disaster," by Rev. Stephen D. Peet.
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and the aim, from the beginning, has been to keep the bat- tery up to a high standing, in both a military and social way. Still another military organization that saw a be- ginning in 1877, was the First Cleveland Troop, which was created on September 10. A meeting of a number of citizens was held in Weisgerber's Hall on that date, and was presided over by Colonel W. H. Harris. It was decided that a cavalry company should be formed, and the organization was perfected on October 10th, by the election of: Captain, W. H. Harris; First-Lieutenant, E. S. Meyer; Second Lieutenant, George A. Garrettson; First Sergeant, Charles D. Gaylor; Surgeon, Frank Wells, M.D. There were forty original members, and the preamble to the constitution declared that the troop was created so that the members might "perfect themselves in horsemanship, in the use of arms, and in military exercise." In 1878, the troop took possession of its own fine brick armory, on Euclid avenue, near Case avenue, and in 1884 removed to more commodious quarters, on Willson avenue. It long since took high rank among the leading independent mili- tary organizations of the country.
It was thought, in the summer of 1877, that there would be immediate need not only of the newly organized Fif- teenth Regiment, but of such other military assistance as could be secured. The great railroad strike of that year will be long remembered, not only for the actual damage that resulted, but also because of the greater dangers that were threatened. The terrible destruction of railroad prop- erty in Pittsburg, by the mob that took advantage of the strike disturbances, caused dismay in other cities to which the strike had extended. It reached Cleveland on July 22d, when five hundred men, in the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company, ceased work, and by their absence, left the business of the road almost at a standstill. Travel and transportation were for the time paralyzed, thousands of men were thrown out of employ- ment, and a state of anxiety as to what might come next prevailed. The strikers themselves were quiet and law-
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abiding, and their leaders counseled them to prevent all acts of violence, so far as lay within their power, but there was danger that the lawless and criminal classes might find their opportunity for outbreak, in the public excite- ment, and the unrest of labor.
The discretion and wisdom of Mayor William G. Rose, and his associates in the city government, were brought into play in a most admirable manner. Counseling peace and moderation, upon the part of all, sympathizing with the railroad men in such demands as were just, and at the same time showing them that violence would not be toler- ated; preparing for the worst, and making arrangements to meet it with vigor ; they carried the city through two weeks of danger, without the striking of a blow, or a dollar's damage to public property. The authori- ties made no parade of their preparation ; not a drum tap was heard, nor a body of troops seen in the streets. Yet, in police stations, in armories and else- NORME JORDY where, armed police, militia, in- MAYOR W. G. ROSE. dependent companies, and vol- unteer veterans of the war, lay for days upon their arms, ready to crush at one blow the first sign of violence. When the railroads and their men came to terms, all things moved on as before, and Cleveland had no reason for regret, and no bill of damages to pay.
A more attractive picture is that which presents itself in the closing days of 1878, when the people of the entire city turned out to celebrate the completion of that great stone structure which bound the East Side and the West Side in new bonds of union. The two sections, that at one time faced each other across the valley with such bit- ter rivalry, had become one in interest, and lived in the greatest harmony, and with this new viaduct carrying
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travel and traffic across the flats of the Cuyahoga, the one barrier against still closer intercourse was removed.
Naturally, better means of communication between the two sides of the river had been discussed from the days of the great bridge war, and bridge after bridge had been constructed, only to prove that the toilsome ascent and descent of the hills was still an unpleasant feature of travel between the east and the west.
In his annual message of 1870, Mayor Stephen Buhrer urged the construction of a high level bridge, and again referred to it in his communication to the City Council in the year succeeding. In response to these suggestions, the Council passed a resolution appointing a committee to re- port upon the question of such bridge. A favorable report was made, but a great deal of public opposition was de- veloped against a bridge of the character then proposed. Accordingly, on January 30, 1872, John Huntington in- troduced in the City Council a resolution for the appoint- ment of a special committee, to take into consideration the construction of a bridge across the river, at Superior street, and to confer with the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway Company, as to the advisability of sinking their tracks below grade. The resolution was adopted, and entrusted to a committee consisting of Mayor F. W. Pelton, City Engineer C. H. Strong, John Hun- tington, and H. W. Leutkemeyer.
On March 19, these gentlemen presented their findings to the City Council, in an extended report. They found that two routes were practicable, as follows: From the Atwater Building, Superior street, to the intersection of Pearl and Franklin streets, which would require a continuous high bridge between the points named. Second, from the in- tersection of Superior and Union streets, to the intersection of Pearl and Detroit streets. They submitted figures showing the cost of each route, and declared that, in their opinion, the Superior and Pearl street route possessed ad- vantages not to be found in any other. They urged its adoption, and suggested that the City Council obtain from
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the Legislature such authority as the situation made nec- essary.
The aid of the General Assembly, therefore, was invoked, and a law was passed authorizing the city to issue bonds to the amount of one million one hundred thousand dol- lars, for the construction of the proposed viaduct. The question was duly submitted to the voters, and was car- ried by a majority of 5,451. A contract for the masonry on the West Side was let, when an injunction was ob- tained by parties opposed to the measure, which tied it up almost completely until 1873. Progress was made slowly, and on May 4, 1876, a special election was held, which decided affirmatively these two questions: Whether toll should be charged, and whether more bonds should be issued for the completion of the work. Legislation was finally secured abrogating the toll decision, and making it a free bridge. When the great and needed viaduct was turned over to the city authorities, on December 27, 1878, it had been four and a half years in building, and had cost $2, 170,000.
The character of the structure can be best understood from the following figures, given by B. F. Morse, who succeeded Mr. Strong as city civil engineer, and who had charge of the enterprise during the greater portion of the time: The Viaduct, from Water street to its intersec- tion with Pearl and Detroit streets, is 3,211 feet in length, and exclusive of drawbridge is 64 feet in width, with a road way 42 feet wide and sidewalks II feet in width. The drawbridge is 332 feet in length, 46 feet in width, with roadway 32 feet wide and sidewalks 7 feet wide. The height of the roadway of the draw above low water mark in the river is 70 feet. There are ten stone arches on the west side of the river, of which eight are 83 feet and two are 9712 feet span. The length of the roadway supported by stone arches is 1,382 feet. The average height of arches above the surface of the ground is 54 feet, and above the pile foundations 76 feet. The total num- ber of piles driven for foundations of arches and river
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piles, is 7,279, and, if laid lengthwise, would extend 277,092 feet, or a fraction over 52 miles. There are 80,508 perches of solid masonry in the Viaduct, and 15,500 cubic yards of gravel filling. The approximate weight of ma- terials resting on the pile foundations of the ten arches is 140,000 tons; on the foundation for iron work 12,500 tons, and on the pier that supports the draw, 610 tons.
All Cleveland made holiday on December 28, 1878, when the long-needed and long-wished-for structure was dedicated to the public use. A federal salute at daybreak, from the Cleveland Light Artillery, opened the exercises of the day. At 10.30 a. m. there was a great parade, by the military, uniformed societies, the fire department, and citizens generally, and at 12.30 exercises of a fitting nature were conducted in the old Tabernacle on Ontario street.
Hon. B. R. Beavis presided. Prayer was offered by Dr. Charles S. Pomeroy, and an extended address, cover- ing the history of the structure, delivered by William G. Rose, mayor of Cleveland. An address was also deliv- ered by Hon. R. C. Parsons, succeeded by remarks from Hon. F. J. Dickman, William W. Armstrong, Hon. R. M. Bishop, Governor of Ohio: Governor Matthews, of West Virginia, and others. A banquet at the Weddell House followed in the evening, Hon. Amos Townsend presiding. A number of eloquent speeches were made by prominent Clevelanders, and by distinguished guests from elsewhere.
On the day following, the great bridge was opened for the use of the public, and the East Side and West Side became one in fact, as they had before been in civil and governmental matters.
It was in 1879 that the first steps were taken toward the formation of an organization that has been second only to the Western Reserve Historical Society, in the value of its labors, and in whose publications has been preserved a great amount of valuable historical information, that otherwise would have been lost. This was the Early Settlers' Association of Cuyahoga County, from whose Annals I have so freely quoted, in the pages that have
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gone before. Through the indefatigable labors of Har- vey Rice, and his associates, the story of Early Cleveland has been gleaned in a wealth of detail seldom obtained in matters of that character, and preserved for use and ref- erence through all time.
The idea of such organization found origin in the mind of H. M. Addison, a well-known pioneer, whose inter- est in all matters of the past has been great and long- continued. In the fall of 1879, he published a number of articles in the daily press of Cleveland, in relation to this matter. His idea, he has since explained,32 was the cultivation of "an inti- mate acquaintance with each other," and the perpetuation of "the kindly feelings for which pioneer life was pro- verbial, and to secure the preservation of much of the unwritten history of our county and its vicinity." To give effect to this idea, Mr. "FATHER" H. M. ADDISON. Addison wrote and circulated a call for a public meet- ing of such as might be interested.33 The response was general, and on November 19, 1879, a large number of
32 " Early Settlers' Association of Cuyahoga County, Ohio," by H. M. Addison .- " Magazine of Western History," Vol. VIII., p. 281.
33 Mr. Addison has related his experiences, in the paper before quoted. He met with very little encouragement, at first. Those to whom he pre- sented it seemed to think-and some said so in so many words-that it would not be a success, and declined signing it until others had done so. On presenting it to the venerable General H. H. Dodge, he said, 'O, get some of the old folks to sign it first.' After several similar repulses, Mr. Addison went to the residence of George Mygatt, where he obtained the first signature to the call. On his return, he called on General John Crowell, who was the second one to sign. Among others who signed were John W. Allen, J. P. Bishop, D. R. Tilden, Charles Whittlesey, H. B. Payne, John A. Foot, Harvey Rice, S. Williamson, R. C. Parsons, H. H. Dodge, Geo. C. Dodge, T. P. Handy, Sherlock J. Andrews, J. H. Wade, William Bingham, George B. Merwin, and W. H. Doan.
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early settlers gathered at the rooms of the Probate Court. An organization was effected by the selection of John W. Allen as chairman, and H. M. Addison, secretary. It was decided that a society should be formed, under the name above given, and a constitution was adopted which declared that the membership should consist of such per- sons as had resided within the county for forty years, and which stated the reason for existence in these words: "The object of the association shall be to meet in conven- tion annually, with the view of bringing its members into more intimate social relations, and collecting all such in- teresting facts, incidents, relics and personal reminiscences, relative to the early history and settlement of the city and county, as may be regarded of permanent value, and trans- ferring the same to the Western Reserve Historical So- ciety, for preservation and for the benefit of the present and future generations."
The first permanent officers were then elected, as fol- lows: President, Harvey Rice; Vice-Presidents, Sherlock J. Andrews, John W. Allen; Secretary and Treasurer, George C. Dodge ; Executive Committee, R. T. Lyon, Thomas Jones, Jr., S. S. Coe, W. J. Warner, David L. Wightman.
The first annual convention of the association, was held at the Euclid Street Presbyterian Church, on May 20, 1880. From that time until the present these annual gatherings have been held, each a season of great pleasure and profit to all who were permitted to be present. Mr. Rice held the office of president, by successive elections, until his death, when he was succeeded, in 1892, by the election of Richard C. Parsons, who has been continued in the office until the present time.
It is due to the efforts of this association that Cleveland possesses the bronze memorial of the founder of the city, that stands on the southwestern quarter of the Public Square. In a historical address, delivered by Samuel E. Adams, at the first annual convention, he suggested that the association "would do a noble and commendable act were it to inaugurate a project for the erection, in Lake
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View Park, of a monument crowned with a statue of Gen- eral Cleaveland, commemorative of his having founded our beautiful city." A resolution favoring this sugges- tion was adopted at this gathering.
At the annual meeting. of 1883, a resolution was also adopted to the effect that the association "proceed to raise a fund for the purpose of erecting, at some suitable
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CLEAVELAND
STATUE OF MOSES CLEAVELAND.
point within the City of Cleveland, a life-size statue, in marble or bronze, of General Moses Cleaveland," and also providing for the selection of a committee of three to take the matter in hand. The following gentlemen were ap- pointed : R. P. Spalding, Dudley Baldwin, and Bolivar Butts.
The work was pushed as rapidly as circumstances would
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permit, and the completed monument was ready for un- veiling on the afternoon of July 23, 1888. (The 22nd, or anniversary of Cleaveland's landing at the Cuyahoga, fell upon the Sabbath.) The members of the association were escorted from Music Hall, where the annual conven- tion had been in session, to the Public Square, by the Cleve- land Grays. The exercises were opened by A. J. Will- iams, chairman of the executive committee, who explained that President Rice could not be present, because of sick- ness. He then gave the signal, and the flag draping the statue was removed, amid the admiring plaudits of the gathering. An address prepared by the president, was then read by Mr. Williams, the closing words of which contained a formal presentation of the monument to the city.
A graceful response was made by Mayor B. D. Bab- cock. "As mayor of the City of Cleveland," said he, in conclusion, "in behalf of the people, I accept from you this beautiful and appropriate monument. Here, in the midst of these beautiful surroundings, upon these grounds dedicated forever to the public use, may it ever stand upon its firm foundation, to perpetuate the name and memory of Moses Cleaveland."
The address of the day was delivered in Music Hall, a little later, by Samuel E. Adams. An ode, "Our City's Birthday," composed by Mr. Rice,34 was sung, and after other brief exercises, the proceedings came to a close.35
The monument consists of a circular pedestal of pol- ished granite, seven feet high, surmounted by a bronze stattie seven feet and ten inches in height. It was cast in one piece, weighs 1,450 pounds, and is a life-like re-
34 The opening stanza of the ode was as follows:
" "Tis here, when nature reigned supreme, That General Cleaveland trod the wild; And saw an infant in his dream, And with his name baptized the child."
35 The full report of these exercises may be found in the " Annals of the Early Settlers' Association," No. 9, p. 215.
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production of General Cleaveland, dressed in the fashion of his day, with a staff in his right hand and an old-fash- ioned compass clasped in the elbow of his left arm. The total cost was $4,378.
The death of the younger Leonard Case, and the public announcement of his benefactions, comprised two of the most important events in Cleveland, in the year 1880. In an earlier portion of this record, we have noted the arrival of the elder Leonard Case in Cleveland, his connection with the city's first bank, and the part he took in the city's welfare, as a busy and shrewd man of business. He early saw that Cleveland was destined to become a place of importance, and made large purchases of land, in what was then the suburbs, and which the rapid growth of the city soon made of enormous value. His elder son, William Case, took an active part in public affairs, filling at one time the office of mayor. The son Leonard was a student and semi-re- cluse, finding his life and companionship in books, sci- ence, literary labors, and LEONARD CASE, JR. mathematics. Left the sole heir of a large estate, he re- garded it as a trust, and when he suddenly died, on Jan- uary 6, 1880, it was found that he had made his beloved home-city the heir to a princely sum, the use and direction of which had been carefully pre-arranged by himself. On January 11, 1880, Henry G. 'Abbey, Mr. Case's confiden- tial business agent and personal friend, filed in the Coun- ty Recorder's office a deed which had been executed by Mr. Case some time before (in 1876), which conveyed to Mr. Abbey over one million dollars' worth of property, to be held in trust, for the eventual establishment of an institution to be known as "The Case School of Applied
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