USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1 > Part 66
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A former Hessian soldier named Port, who lived in a hut under the bluff at the corner of Third and Main for a time, is said to have car- ried on the business of supplying the citizens with water. ( Recollections of Jonathan Lyon.)
In June, 1801, Messrs. Avery and Fithian ad- vertised in the Spy under the head "Living Water,"-"that they have completed their well of excellent water, at a heavy expense, and that four dollars per year will be expected from every person or family using the water." As an ex- planation of this high charge the information is given "that the well will have to be kept in order and supplied with buckets, rope and windlass, and cleaned out at least once a year." There were other private wells and also public ones supported by assessment. These latter included wells on the north side of Lower Market street, between Main and Sycamore, one on the cast
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side of Main, and one in front of the Miami Ex- porting Company's bank.
FIRE PROTECTION.
The matter of protection against fire occupied the serious attention of the villagers. The in- adequacy of the water supply and the fact that the buildings in the settlement were all frame and that throughout the clearings were many dry and decaying stumps and logs, combined with the compactness of the settlement, necessi- tated by the fear of the Indians, made the com- munity particularly susceptible to danger from this source. A good sized fire would have wiped out the settlement. There was reason to believe too that many of the little conflagrations were of incendiary origin. The soldiers were charged with these offenses, whether with justice or not it is hard to tell, but after the garrison had moved across the river the fires decreased very considerably in number. No regular department was in operation during the village life of Cin- cinnati.
The Spy of December 19, 1801, contains a call for a public meeting to take measures towards procuring a fire engine. The engine was not procured at this time, but on July 17, 1802, and later during the year provision was made by ordinance for an organization to fight the fire. "Every freeholder and every person being a householder and paying an annual rental as high as thirty-six dollars must be provided with a black-jack and leather bucket of a capacity of two and one-half gallons and contribute the use of it and his own physical exertions whenever he should hear a cry of fire. Every male between sixteen and fifty years of age had to serve. Such was the first step for fire protection in that Cin- cinnati that was to produce the first fire engine to be operated by steam-a blessing that the en- tire world now appreciates." ( Henderson's Council, p. 23.)
COMMERCE.
The general character of the business as well as the manufacturing carried on here is indi- cated by the advertisements published in the chapter of newspaper quotations.
The commerce of the village and the means of communication with other points have been fre- quently referred to. The arks, keels, flat-boats and barges so familiar to pioneers continued to be the principal method of transportation by river for some time. Martin Baum's firm and others carried on a regular line of barges in the New Orleans trade. The regular packet line to
Pittsburg was established, as seen by the adver- tisement quoted elsewhere, in January, 1794. An important event was the arrival on April 27, 1801, of the brig "St. Clair," in charge of Com- mander Whipple, bound for the West Indies and the ocean. As he passed the village ""the banks were crowded with people all eager to view this pleasing presage of the future greatness of our infant country."
We have also seen the notices for the meet- ings at Yeatman's Tavern to consider a new method of propelling boats by steam or elastic vapor. It was not, however, until well into the next century that steamboats began to displace the keel-boats and flat-boats and the original business of the community was accommodated in these primitive conveyances.
PRICES OF LAND.
Among the early purchases reported in the gossip of the city was that made in July, 1795, by Robert Benham, who traded an old musket worth less than $10 in the inflated Continental currency for lot 51, 100 by 200 feet, and lots 56 and 57, 200 by 200 feet, at the'northeast corner of Front and Sycamore and out-lots 16, 17, and 18 being the ground included between Main and Sycamore and Seventh and Canal.
During the next month Joseph Hahn traded his ax, valued at $1, for a lot, 50 by 200 feet, on Sycamore street, between Second and Third streets. The same time Samuel Dick traded a cow for out-lot 54, being a square bounded by 14th, Jefferson, Canal and Elm streets, and out- lots 58 and 59, bounded by Court, 12th and Canal streets and Central avenue. Two days be- fore this, Dick traded a hat somewhat the worse for wear for lots 130 and 131, 200 feet, at the northeast corner of Second and Walnut streets, lot 151 at the northwest corner of Front and Walnut streets and lot 157 at the northeast cor- ner of Front and Walnut streets.
Thomas Doyle of the garrison in August, 1795, gave a pair of moccasins valued at $2 in Continental scrip for lot 108 at the west side of Main near Third, 100 feet front. In October lie traded a neat, second-hand great coat valued at $8 for out-lots 32 and 39 and in-lots 85 and 109. These included the squares between Court. Canal, Walnut and Race streets and the south- west and northeast corners of Third and Main.
In 1795 lots 83 and 84, 200 feet on Main at the southeast corner of Third, sold for $3 in de- preciated certificates. Eight dollars in scrip bought the northeast corner of Third street and
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Central avenue and three lots on the southeast corner, as well as almost all of the west side of Race from Second to Third. Four dollars in scrip bought 300 feet of this Race street pur- chase a day later. In the same year Benjamin Van Cleve paid $4 scrip for the. southwest cor- ner of Fourth and Sycamore, the northwest cor- ner of Vine and Longworth, and out-lot 56 on Liberty and Elm streets.
In February, 1795, Dr. Allison paid £25 in de- preciated scrip for. six lots of 60 square yards each, lying just cast of Fort Washington and north of Third street. Smith & Findlay, the mer- chants, moved their store in 1795 from the west side of Broadway to a lot on Front street, where the Bethel was afterwards built, for which lot they paid the high price of $4. The Isaac Bates' farm of 78 acres of land near the House of Refuge was purchased in 1795 for £19, 10 shill- ings. Lot 54, on the southwest corner of Second and Sycamore, was bought in the same year for nine cattle worth about $2 each. The Ludlows, Benjamin and William, bought a thousand acres of land near the present site of Spring Grove Cemetery for $639. Thomas Goudy, the lawyer, as may be seen from the various notices in the newspapers, became the owner of a great many notes of the earlier pioneers, which unfortu- nately were considerably below par. One for $21 he traded off for a little strip of ground 100 by 200 feet, on the southeast corner of Front and Elm, and the squares now bounded by Betts, 14th and Canal streets and Central avenue, and by Walnut, Vine, Seventh and Eighth streets and by 12th, 13th, Vine and Main,-four whole squares and a good corner lot. In Columbia the elder Mr. Goforth gave fio for eight ont-lots, each of five acres. S. Freeman gave $40 for a little over 27 acres in Columbia township and a number of out-lots and lots in Cincinnati, among which was the square from Seventh to Eighth and Race to Vine, that from Ninth to Court and Walnut to Vine, that from Fifth to Sixth and John street to Central avenue, that from 13th to 14th and Race to Vine and that between Fifth and Sixth and Phum and Elm. 'The purchase also included two lots on the west side of Vine between Second and Front and two on the cast side of Race between Second and Front, running back to the Vine street lots, one on the north side of Front, between Plum and Western row and the southeast corner of Central avenue and Sec- ond street. These are but few of the many ab- surdly low prices obtained by Symmes for prop- erty which has since become worth millions. It
must be remembered, however, that although these transactions all bear date of 1795 that prob- ably they had actually taken place at least five years earlier, that is the bargains had been made at the carlier time. Symmes was not able to give deeds of course until he had obtained title from the government. Still, lands did not increase much in price during the first few years of the settlement. As late as 1799 Burnet, in a letter to Boudinot, says that "lands in this purchase have certainly fallen in price at least twenty-five or thirty percent in twelve months and I see no prospect of their taking a sudden rise, but on the contrary I fear that the sale of the public lands above the patent and below the Miami will bring them still lower."
BRIDGES.
In 1798 an attempt was made to connect the shores of Mill creek by a bridge. A subscrip- tion paper dated April 10th of that year was drawn up by Judge Symmes and subscriptions to the amount of $433 were obtained "for the express and sole purpose of forming and erect- ing a bridge over Mill creek at its mouth, either of stone or wood, on pillars or bents, so high as to be level with the top of the adjacent banks, and twelve feet wide, covered with three inch plank, and so strong that waggons with three tons weight may be safely drove over the same, and so durable that the undertaker shall warrant the bridge to continue, and be kept in repair for passing loaded waggons, seven years after the bridge is finished."
Judge Symmes headed the paper with a $100 subscription. Israel Ludlow followed with $70, Thomas Gibson, William H. Harrison, Corne- lius R. Sedam $40 cach, Joel Williams $30 and J. and Abijah Hunt $20. Among the other sub- scriptions for smaller amounts appear the names of Smith & Findlay, merchants, Samnel Dick, Andrew Park, Culbertson Park, Stephen Wood, Griffin Yeatman, Benjamin Stites, Arthur St. Clair, Jr., William McMillan, Jacob Burnet, Dr. J. Salmon, Aaron Reeder, George Gordon, Jo- seph Prince and Thomas Goudy. (Cist's Mis- cellany, Vol. II, p. 37.)
This bridge we are told was never built, as the amount of subscriptions was not sufficient. A floating bridge, however, was maintained with a ferry alongside which was used when the high waters made the bridge useless. These were in charge of a man named White and he is said to have carried on a profitable business.
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There was a bridge across Deer creek, where the ravine in 1800 was not more than 12 feet across and overhung with evergreen and water willows, built of a single string piece from bank to bank with a descent at each end. This was protected at each end from freshets by piling loads of stone on the edges for 30 feet or morc each way from the banks.
HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS.
As is natural in a small community, the public celebrations and holidays were participated in by the populace generally. It was to attend one of these celebrations on the Fourth of July in 1792 that Oliver M. Spencer came from Colum- bia to Cincinnati at the time he was captured by the Indians. Two years later the day was cele- brated by a salute from Fort Washington, at that time in command of Captain Pierce, and a dinner at Maj. George Gordon's tavern in the frame house of Ludlow. In the following year there was another dinner at the same place at which 13 regular toasts were drank by the par- ticipants; in Columbia the celebration was equally elaborate and the number of toasts were 15. Two years later the dinner was at Yeat- man's Tavern at the sign of the "Square and Compass." In 1798, in addition to the other regular exercises, there was a militia muster in charge of Lieut .- Col. Daniel Symmes. The fol- lowing year there was a procession in which the military in the fort took part. Afterwards there was a dinner at Yeatman's and an address by Governor St. Clair. By 1800 the celebrations became more partisan in their character and the Republicans dined at Major Zicgler's, next door to Yeatman's. There was also a dinner at Fra- zier's in Columbia, where there were 16 toasts. In the following year the celebrations were more numerous. Governor St. Clair took part in a dinner at Yeatman's Tavern. Sixteen rounds were fired by the Cincinnati Light Infantry. An- other party, presided over by Judge Symmes, picnicked on the Rock at Republican Springs in the East End. Major Goforth presided over the celebration in Columbia. (Cincinnati Pioneer, No. IV, p. 6.)
SOCIETY.
Dr. Drake speaks as follows of the society of the early days: "Now, the state of society in our olden time was very different from the pres- ent. In many respects the contrast between the two is scarcely less than the contrast of the
primitive and the present scenery. From the be- ginning, the military element was predominant, and up to the end of the first era, its influence was still perceptible, not in the generation of ferocious passions and dueling practices, but in fostering indolence, apathy and a love of pleas- ure. High aims and great enterprises, with in- tense efforts for their accomplishment, did not belong to those times, even in the older settled portions of the Union, and if they sprang up, as indeed they did, in the minds of some of our pioneers, they had to contend against many ad- verse and discouraging circumstances. The army, at this time so emulous of civil society, in propriety and purity of manners, was then much further behind a far worse condition of general society. Drinking to intoxication, public balls, theatrical amusements, horse-racing, billiards, and various games of chance, prevailed to a de- grec exceedingly unfavorable to habits of study or business. Cards, the most dangerous of all family amusements, were a part of the means of wasting time, in the majority of the houses of the village; and the whisky bottle was a symbol of hospitality in the whole. Every body drank, but every body was not a drunkard; nor must it be supposed that there was no minority of in- dustrious, sober-minded and pious persons, who sought by example, as well as precept, to rectify the morals of the majority. Yet even these were temperate drinkers; and when they dispatched a messenger for the family physician, would ex- amine the bottle, and if by chance they found it empty, would start another to the distillery or nearest tavern. In his morning and his evening rounds the doctor was expected to drink wher- ever he stopped, and would even give offense by refusing, unless he never drank at all. Public lectures, now so common and instructive or amusing, on almost every branch of human knowledge, were then unthought of; and I can not recollect any associations for mutual im- provement, except that primitive, old-fashioned organization, which I really think has done mitich good in the world-the Young Men's De- bating Society. Of those who belonged to ours, a large number have since become respectable and useful mien, while three have earned a na- tional reputation-Jolin McLean, of the Su- preme Court of the United States, Joseph G. Totten, Chief Engineer, and Thomas S. Jesup, Quarter Master General of our army." (Drake's Discourses, p. 49.) The debating society was, however, of later date.
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CHAPTER XXIV.
THE PIONEER NEWSPAPERS (1790-1802). NEWS ITEMS AND ADVERTISEMENTS.
THE CENTINEL OF THE NORTHWESTERN TERRITORY-FREEMAN'S JOURNAL-THE WESTERN SPY AND HAMILTON GAZETTE.
. TIIE CENTINEL OF THIE NORTH-WESTERN TERRI-' TORY.
The first newspaper published in Cincinnati was entitled The Centinel of the North-western; Territory. It was published by William Max- well at the corner of Front and Sycamore streets, beginning with the number of November 9, 1793. The motto of this paper was "Open to all par- ties-but influenced by none," a noble sentiment! representing the vain aspirations of many edi- tors. It consisted at first of four pages of eight and one-half inches by ten and one-half inches. In July of 1794 the size of the pages increased to about eight and one-fourth inches by fourteen inches and in September, 1795, the pages were- again increased in length to about nine and one -; half inches by fifteen inches. During the period of the first size referred to, each page contained. three columns, while the later papers contained four columns to a page. The price per annum of the paper was two hundred and fifty cents, or; seven cents for a single copy. This paper was continued for a period of about two and one- half years. In the summer of 1796 the proprie- torship changed and thereafter the paper ap- peared under the name of Freeman's Journal, minider which it was continned until November, 1800.
The library of the Ohio Historical and Philo- sophiical Society of Cincinnati contains almost
a complete set, 118 numbers, of this earliest pub- lication, probably the only set in existence.
The paper is made up of communications on subjects of local interest, foreign intelligence, in which the news from France receives the most consideration, letters from various parts of the East concerning American affairs and usually one or two items under the head of Cincinnati. The most interesting part of the paper is of course the advertisements which give many side- lights upon the life of the inhabitants of those early days. They abound with rewards for the return of lost or stolen property, for the sale of lots and land and also of merchandise and rum- away slaves. Among the most frequent adver- tisements are those of rewards offered for de- serters from the army and of husbands whose wives have proved faithless to them and who therefore warn the public that they will no longer be responsible for their debts. Another common form of advertisement is to the effect that the subscriber will not pay some note or obligation which he has signed and therefore warns any person from purchasing the same. A recital of some of these advertisements will give an excellent view of the conditions of the time.
The conditions of life were shown by the statement of the printer: "This country is in its infancy, and the inhabitants are daily ex- posed to an enemy who, not content with taking away the lives of men in the field; have swept
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away whole families, and burnt their habitations. We are well aware that the want of a regular and certain trade down the Mississippi deprives this country, in a great measure, of money at the present time. These are discouragements, nev- ertheless I am led to believe the people of this country are disposed to promote science, and have the fullest assurance that the Press from its known utility will receive proper encourage- ment."
An early discussion was with reference to the law of the Territory requiring merchants and tavern people to take out a license. This seems to have been a very important matter and brought forth several learned disquisitions signed according to the fashion of the time by such classical names as "Plebius" and "Manlius." We learn on November 23rd, that on the 20th the house of the lawyer Thomas Goudy was broken into and that the thief seemed particu- larly interested in the matter of clothing for he took "one waistcoat and breeches, black silk ; one buff casimer waistcoat, one black florentine do. one purple and white striped do. one pair yellow breeches, ribbed worsted; one pair paist knee- buckles, with a small range of purple stones set inside the white do .; nine ruffled shirts; one marked W. F. the rest marked T. G. 5 neck cloths, 3 pair silk stockings, 2 pair silk and cot- ton striped do. one pair cotton do. 2 pair shoes, one red cotton handkerchief, with white spots interspersed." For the discovery of the thief of this gorgeous raiment Goudy offers the sum of eight dollars reward and a generous reward for the property if returned to him.
The same number contains an offer of two dollars reward for the return of a coat lost be- tween Griffin's Station and Fort Washington and several small articles enclosed therein; to wit : One shirt, one pair of small clothes, one muslin neckcloth and sundry papers.
John Ludlow offers four dollars reward for the thief and two dollars for "a Dark Bay horse, fourteen hands and a half high, in middling order, with a square docked tail, trots and can- ters, about 14 years old," which horse was stolen in Cincinnati and is supposed to have been taken to Kentucky.
From an advertisement of Jacob Myers we learn that two Ohio packet boats were in the service from Cincinnati to Pittsburg, performing a round trip in four weeks. "The proprietor of these boats having maturelv considered the many inconveniences and dangers incident to the com- mon method hitherto adopted of navigating the
Ohio, and being influenced by a love of philan- trophy (sic), and desire of being serviceable to the public, has taken great pains to render the accommodations on board the boats as agreeable and convenient as they could possibly be made.
"No danger need be apprehended from the enemy, as every person on board will be under cover, made proof against rifle or musquet balls, and convenient port holes for firing out of. Each of the boats are armed with six pieces carrying a pound ball; also a number of good muskets and amply supplied with plenty of ammunition, strongly manned with choice hands, and the mas- ters of approved knowledge.
"A separate cabbin from that designed for the men, is partitioned of in each boat for accom- modating ladies on their passage. Conveniences are constructed on board cach boat, so as to ren- der landing unnecessary, as it might, at times, be attended with danger. * *
"Persons desirous of working their passage, will be admitted on finding themselves, subject, however, to the same order and directions from the master of the boats, as the rest of the work- ing hands of the boats crew."
Mr. Myers also suggests that an "Office of ln- surance will be kept at Cincinnati, Limestone and Pittsburgh, where persons desirous of having their property insured may apply."
A notice of November 30, 1793, that a "malig- nent disorder that has long so raged in Philadel- phia is entirely ceased" is followed by the state- ment of the death of the son of Colonel Strong at Cincinnati "with the natural small-pox, which now prevails with great virulence in this place."
A discussion on the origin of love is followed by a column of rewards of twenty dollars per man, offered by Capt. Edw. Butler, command- ing the fourth sub-legion, for deserters eight in number. The deserters are described in consid- erable detail ; as of Patrick O'Hara, obviously an Irishman, it is said that "if villainy could be called an accomplishment, he is accomplished in a high degree. * A mason by trade, a * thief and drunkard," while John Johnson is to be identified by the fact that he has "remarkable large feet and thick lips." The rewards were to be paid in Spanish mill dollars.
Levi Woodward advertised that on November with between Seth Cutler's tavern, and Samuel Thompson's house, he had "found a pair of Deer Skin Sattle Bags, one Shirt, and one pair of Trousers made of Homespun linen, which the owner can have by proving Property, and pay- ing Charges."
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Darius C. Orcutt had a tract of land for sale on the Licking River for which he would take corn, whiskey, flour, neet cattle, horses, pork, beef or cash in payment.
Thomas Gibson announced on November 29th his arrival at his store, the "North-East corner from John Ludlow's, Esq., with a very large Assortment of Dry Goods, Madeira, Sherry, Lis- bon, and Teneriff Wines, Spirits, Brandy, Loaf and Brown Sugars, Pepper, Alspice and other Groceries. All which he will dispose of on Rea- sonable Terms."
On the same day is published a notice request- ing merchants and tavern people who hold li- censes to meet at the house of John Grier, "to consult about matters concerning themselves only."
Job Gard evidently lost his parchment pocket- book on the 11th of October, a little above the North Bend on the river, or on shore at the North Bend. This contained nothing but a num- ber of valuable papers of no use to any person but the owner. He offered four dollars reward for its return.
Jolin Armstrong of Columbia on November 14th "calls on all those who have not settled their accounts, contracted before the first day of the present month, to make immediate payment ; corn, beef, pork, butter, cheese, potatoes, furr and skins will be taken at his store at the market price." He makes a special note of the fact that he has a quantity of turnips for sale.
Gano & Company of Columbia on November 20th announce that "all persons indebted to the Subscriber for last years Contracts or Sales, are for the last time requested to make Payment, as no longer time can be given." Country produce of all kinds was evidently as acceptable as cash.
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