Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1, Part 86

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1020

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wagon or stone wagon, or seeing a new cellar being dug. Industrious mechanics would be inet hurrying to and fro, and in their working dress. A brick-layer would not hide his trowel, nor a carpenter his hatchet, under his coat. Ev- erything gave promise of the city's continued prosperity, but a desire to become suddenly rich had led too many into wild speculations, on bor- rowed money, from the United States and other banks. They were willing to lend to almost anyone who could get two indorsers. This was 110 difficult matter, for it had got to be a maxim, 'You indorse for me, and I indorse for you.' Some persons not worth a dollar bought lots and built houses on speculation. Others bought wild lands, built steamboats, etc. Some, who had become rich in imagination, began to live in a style ill suited to their real condition." (Cin- cinnati Past and Present.)

The reaction came in a very short time,-just after the incorporation of the city.

STEAMBOATS.

The first steamboat seen in Cincinnati, the "New Orleans," arrived in the city on October 27, 1811. Liberty Hall, the newspaper of the day, in its issue of October 30th gives this in- teresting itent: "The steamboat, lately built at Pittsburgh, passed this town at five o'clock in the afternoon, in fine stile, going at the rate of about ten or twelve miles an hour." This is certainly a very brief account of one of the most important events in the history of a city which owed its greatness more to the steamboats than any other cause and whose wonderful rela- tive advancement did not cease until steamboats had given way to railroads. This boat the "New Orleans" in charge of Nicholas J. Roosevelt created great excitement at all points along the river. At Cincinnati which it reached two days after leaving Pittsburg, she rounded to opposite the city and cast anchor in the stream. "Levees and wharf boats were things unknown in 1811. Here, as at Pittsburg, the whole town seemed to have assembled on the bank, and many of the acquaintances of the former visit came off in small boats. . Well, you are as good as your word ; you have visited us in a steamboat,' they said; 'but we see you for the last time. Your boat may go down the river; but, as to coming 11 it, the very idea is an absurd one.' This was one of those occasions on which seeing was not believing. The keel-boatmen, whose shoul- ders had hardened as they pressed their poles for many a weary mile against the current, shook

their heads, as they crowded around the strange visitor, and bandied river wit with the crew that had been selected from their own calling for the first voyage. Some flat-boatmen, whose un- gainly arks the steamboat had passed a short dis- tance above the town, and who now floated by with the current, seemed to have a better opin- ion of the new comer and proposed a tow in case they were again overtaken. But as to the boat's returning, all agreed that that could never be.

"The stay at. Cincinnati was brief, only long enough to take in a supply of wood for the voy- age to Louisville, which was reached on the night of the fourth day after leaving Pittsburg."

On the return trip the vessel was greeted "with an enthusiasm that exceeded, even, what was displayed on her descent from Pittsburg. No one doubted now." ( Latrobe's First Steam- boat Voyage on the Western Waters, pp. 15-18.)

A comet was visible at this time and the pioneers who heard the hissing sounds of the engines thought that the comet had fallen into the river. The earthquakes too which occurred during this trip were by some attributed to the unusual disturbance of the waters of the great rivers by this unusual form of vessel.

The next steam vessel on the Ohio after the "New Orleans" ( which sank at Baton Rouge in 1814) was the "Comet" built at Pittsburg some- time before 1813. This was a 145-ton stern- wheeler. This was followed by the "Vesuvius," 390 tons, which Robert Fulton built at Pitts- burg in November, 1813. It subsequently made an attempt to come up the river and pass the fails at Louisville but long before she came to that point she grounded and finally returned to the Lower Mississippi. A little later came the "Enterprise," built at Brownsville in 1814, the "Aetna," the "Despatch," the "Buffalo," the "James Monroe," and the "Washington." The "Eagle" has been called Cincinnati's first steamer. This was a small vessel of but 70 tons built in 1818. A little later came the "Hecla," the "Hen- derson" and the "Cincinnati." The last named, a vessel of 120 tons, was owned partly in this city. The first steamer owned entirely in the city was the "Experiment," constructed in 1818 and a 40-ton boat. Despite the fact that some 32 steamboats had been built by this time, steam transportation had by no means taken the place of the other methods of conveyance. The old Kentucky boats and flat-boats were mich in use during this period. A notice in the first minber of the Cincinnati Ga-

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

sette published July 15, 1815, speaks of the arrival at this port of the "elegant barge Cincinnati, Captain Jonathan Horton from New Orleans ; passage eighty-seven days. Car- go sugars, molasses, rum, lignum vite, Spanish hides, etc., to Jacob Baymiller." Other notices appear in the quotations from the newspapers. The traveler Burnet says that in 1817 a number of arks with emigrants and their families bound to various parts of the Western country were generally ncar the landing. He counted seven Kentucky boats with coal, iron and dry goods from Pittsburg. There were four barges or keel- boats, one of at least 150 tons with two masts, which traded up and down the rivers between New Orleans and Pittsburg and four large flats or scows with stones for building and salt from the "Kenhawa" works. Six arks were laden with emigrants and their furniture. The emi- grants going down the Ohio usually stopped at Cincinnati to purchase provisions and collect in- formation. Shortly after this, however, steam- boat building became quite active and Cincin- nati became a prominent ship building place. In the two seasons between 1817 and 1819 nearly a fourth of the vessels built on the Western waters were launched here and by the time that the town came to be a city the old broadhorn for business of any magnitude had been replaced by steam vessels. Cincinnati's great era of devel- opment was in the next 20 years, which were the years when the river navigation was of the utmost importance.

PHYSICAL DISTURBANCES.

During the year 1809 there occurred a most unusual autumnal frost on the oth of August. This was probably the earliest onc on record. On the last day of August in the year 1789 the Indian corn in the northern part of Kentucky had been destroyed by frost.

Another interesting physical disturbance was the hurricane of Sunday, May 28, 1809, which is described by Dr. Drake as follows: "For two or three days previous to that time, the wind was various, with a turbid atmosphere. On the morning of the 28th it veered to the south, and blew with violence. During the fore- noon, while the lower clouds were passing rapid- ly to the north, the upper were moving with equal velocity to the east ; indicating a superior. current, which traversed the course of the south wind at right angles. Before twelve o'clock both strata of clouds were propelled eastwardly, and soon after the west wind was perceptible at the

earth's surface. By three-quarters past one o'clock, the sky was very much obscured, and a narrow whirlwind or tornado of great force, swept impetuously across the eastern part of the town. It demolished a few old buildings, threw down the tops of several chimneys, and over- turned many fruit and shade trees. The people in the centre of the town had scarcely time to view this alarming operation, before their own houses were shaken to the foundations by another gale of equal violence; this was immediately suc- ceeded by a third, which traverscd the western part of the town with augmented fury. By this last, a handsome brick edifice, designed for tu- ition [Cincinnati University ] was blown down, in consequence of having a cupola dispropor- tionate to its area; and various minor injuries of property were sustained-but. the inhabitants. escaped unhurt. A copious shower of rain and hail, with thunder and lightning, increased the terrific grandeur of the scene. Each of these tornadoes ascended the hill to the northeast of the town, forming a track through the forest, which remained visible for more than a year."

Five years later on 'May 4, 1814, there was experienced another hurricane not so violent which came from the same quarter. This was accompanied by a fall of hail which at Cincin- nati was of the usual size but in the western part of the county the stones were of surprising magnitude and many angular forms. Several weighed from eight to ten ounces cach and measured from 15 to 16 inches in circumference. The hail storm was followed by a rain shower and a powerful blast from the southwest in which were felt currents of air heated to an unnsual degree. "On the next day the foliage of various plants was found to be destroyed. It was chiefly the leaves which grew to the wind- ward, and were consequently most exposed, that suffered. They were neither lacerated nor wilt- ed, but sustained an injury, which upon ex- posure to the sun the ensuing day, caused them to wither. In some cases, only the tip of the leaf perished ; in others, the whole was destroyed. Whether this extraordinary effect should be ascribed to heat, or to a noxious quality of the wind, is uncertain. I could not perceive that one species of plant was more affected than an- other ; and of individuals growing near the same spot, it was conmon to find only a part af- fected."

In Dr. Drake's "Picture of Cincinnati" is con- tained an extended account of the earthquakes of 1811, 1812 and 1813. The first shock occurred

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at 24 minutes past two o'clock in the morning of December 16, 1811. The motion was a quick oscillation or roeking, lasting some six or seven minutes. It was so violent as to agitate the loose furniture of the rooms and open doors that were fastened with falling latches and throw off the tops of some of the chimneys. It was stronger in the valley than in the adjoining uplands. Forty-five minutes later another slight vibration was felt and a little after seven o'clock in the morning there came a moderate rocking of a minute's duration, terminating in a strong throe of a few seconds. This was followed ten minutes later by another slight oscillation and about three hours later by another. One quarter of an hour before midnight of the next day a slightly stronger vibration was felt. On the morning of the 18th there was a moderate agita- tion and again in the early morning of the 3Ist of January, 1812, between two and three o'clock in the morning there was again a slight vibra- tion. From this time until the 22nd no vibra- tion of any consequence occurred although many thought that they felt slight agitation. During that period shocks were felt every day along the Mississippi. On the 23rd about nine o'clock in the morning a great number of strong undula- tions occurred and continued for four or five minutes having two or three distinct exacerba- tions in that time. This earthquake was nearly equal to that which commenced the series on December 16th. Again on January 27th there was a strong solitary heave which was repeated on February 24th. On the 5th and 6th many slight jars and tremors were received. On the 7th at about a quarter before four in the morn- ing several alarming shocks came in rapid suc- cession, the last greatly surpassing any other undulation known at this place. It threw down tops of more chimneys, made wider fissures in the brick walls and produced vertigo and nausea in a greater number of people than the earth- quakes of December 16th or January 23rd. It was said by some that the earthquake was pre- ceded by a light and a noise, but this was denied by others. During the greater part of the 8th the earth was in a state of ebullition with more decided agitations at eight o'clock and again at ciglit-thirty ; the last continued for about a min- 11tc. At ten-forty there came a shock which was much stronger which produced a sensible degree of trembling but no oscillation, indicating perhaps a vertical instead of horizontal motion of the previous shocks. Immediately before this, was heard a noise of peculiar faint, dull, rumbling

or rushing sound, near the horizon, to the south- west. It seemed to approach but did not arrive at the place of observation and after continuing five or six seconds was suceceded by a shake. During the remainder of this day and for the next and almost every day until the 17th there were gentle vibrations. On the last named date again in the morning a much stronger shock was felt. There were shoeks on the 20th, 21st, 22nd. on March 3, 5, 10, 11, April 30, May 4, 10, June 25, 26, September 15, December 22, March 6, 1813, and again two on December 12th of the last named year. The principal shocks were those of December 16, 1811, January 23, 1812, and February 7, 1812. Dr. Drake discusses at length the features of these earthquakes and the electrical and other phenomena which attended them as well as the state of the atmosphere at the time.

A somewhat less scientific but certainly most interesting account of this same occurrence is given by Mansfield in his life of Drake:

"In the morning of the sixteenth of December, 1811, the inhabitants of the Miami country, and especially of Cincinnati and its neighborhood, were awoke from a sound sleep, at about three o'clock by a shaking of their houses, and by rumbling noises which seemed like distant thun- der. To each one the phenomenon was alike unknown and awful. In the country the animals soon began to shriek, and all nature seemed to feel the shock of a common evil and the .dread of a common danger. The most intelligent per- sons soon discovered it to be an earthquake; but this discovery by no means allayed the alarm. On the contrary, as earthquakes were never. known before in this region, there was nothing to reason upon, and full scope for the imagina- tion. Pictures of the earth opening to devour its inhabitants, of burning lava bursting forth, of yawning gulfs, and to many of a general de- struction and a general doom, rose to the visions of the affrighted people, filling them with fears and anxieties.

"The shock of the sixteenth of December was so violent that it shook the chimneys of several houses. In the midst of the general alarm there was some amusement; and the buoyant spirits of young and happy people will often extract something pleasant, even from the most fearful circumstances. Mrs. Willis's Columbian Inn was a sort of fashionable hotel, where many of the gay people of the town boarded. I remember to have heard a great deal of laughter at the odd and curious appearance and grouping of maids

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and madams, bachelors and husbands, as they rushed into the street, tumultuous, in midnight drapery. But this cheerfulness did not last long ; for the earthquakes continued during the winter, and although they were better understood, they were not the less dreaded. This common fear, and indeed the common necessity of being pre- pared for any event, had a great influence in destroying the artificiality of society and bring- ing friends and neighbors together. Many fam- ilies had their valuables carefully packed up, that they might take a rapid flight, in case of the de- struction of their houses or chasms in the carth, which would render their departure necessary. As the shocks of an earthquake were generally preceded by signs of their approach, such as rumbling sounds and a peculiar atmosphere, fam- ilies would often sit up late at night, in dread of a night shock, and neighbors and friends would assemble together to make the time pass more pleasantly, especially to the young, by cheerful conversation. In this manner social intercourse and friendly feeling was promoted, and as in other afflictions of Providence, good was still educed from evil. #

"Most careful notes of the duration and de- viation of. the shocks were made by Colonel Mansfield at Bates' place. A carefully prepared pendulum hung in the parlor window of his house never ceased its vibration from December to the following May and several shocks oc- curred during the remainder of the year 1812. "The original seat of this shaking of the earth seems to have been near New Madrid, on the Mississippi, a point four hundred miles, in a direct line, from Cincinnati. There the con- vulsion was terrific. Boats on the river were thrown into a. boiling whirlpool, and seemed for a time to be engulfed in an endless vor- tex. The banks of the river were rent, the carth was opened, and the waters, rushing in, formed lakes for miles, where the land was dry before. Explosions from beneath took place, and fossils buried in the alluvium of ages were forced to the surface. The power of the original cause may be estimated by the fact of such violent ef- fects at Cincinnati, four hundred miles distant, and that the movements, as of a lever, of this central force, were felt almost throughout North America, diminishing in intensity in the inverse ratio of the distance.": ( Mansfield's Drake, p. 85. )

Another interesting physical manifestation re- corded by Dr. Drake is the aurora borealis of Sunday, April 17, 1814. This appeared soon after dark directly in the north and extended for

50 or 60 degrees along the horizon rising from 10 to 15 degrees above it. The upper part was most luminous and now and then faint ob- tuse flashes of light were sent upwards several degrees higher. At length an arch was formed over the bank of light, mounting upwards about 40 degrees and sending dim and slow corusca- tions to near the zenith. The ends of the archi were about 140 degrees asunder. It was com- posed of luminous spots, which appeared and disappeared alternately, in different parts, for more than half an hour and finally the whole manifestation ceased. The greatest illumination was from about half-past eight to half-past nine o'clock. The light was white, with a slight tinge of red and through it others were visible. On September 11, 1814, there was an aurora bore- alis which continued visible in Cincinnati from dark until midnight. It was accompanied by an unusual display of shooting stars.

THE GROWTH OF POPULATION.

The matter of population during the early years is a little difficult of ascertainment. In 1800 the population had been estimated as 750. In 1805 it is said to have increased to 960. There were at that time 25 merchants and grocers, 15 joiners and cabinet-makers, 12 bricklayers, 11 innkeepers, nine attorneys, eight physicians, eight black- smiths, seven shoemakers, five saddlers, seven tailors, five bakers, four hatters, three tanners, three silversmiths, three tobacconists, two printers, two brewers, two tinners, two copper- smiths and one bookbinder. In 1807 the vote of the city was 208, which would indicate a popula- tion of less than 1,500. In 18to the census showed that the population was 2,320, of whom 1,051 were under 16, and 184 over 45. The town vote was 388, 90 more than three years previous, a rather light vote for the population. The population in 1813 was estimated as 4,000. This was based on a census made by the Select Council. Dr. Drake estimates the population in 1815 as 6,000, nearly ten to a dwelling house. In no town of the State was there so great a proportion of blacks who in 1810 amounted to So and in 1815 to 200. At the close of the town life the figures given in the first directory, show- ing the first population in the summer of 1818 10 be 9, 120 and m July, 1819, 10,283, are probably fairly accurate. The census of 1820 gives the population as 9.642, about 6oo less than the figure given in the directory, a not uncommon thing with census takers.

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In connection with the subject of the blacks, the following is in point :

"The following year, 1810," we are told, "was remarkable for the tide of immigration that set in from the adjoining State, Kentucky. Thou- sands of the colored inhabitants, black and brown, abandoned their homes, swam the river, and landed on the fertile bottoms of the Ohio. They came unarined, without sword or spear, musket or ammunition, or other munitions of war than those bestowed upon them by nature. Imine- (liately on landing they dispersed among the woods, prepared themselves log cabins or built more temporary structures, and set up house- keeping. Nothing could be more peaceable than their intentions. No class of citizens could have been more active, industrious, frugal, or cleanly in their habits. But, though as a class they were conceded to be productive, in political economy they were ranked as non-producers, and accordingly were doomed to suffer persecution. Then every white man was a Granger. Middle- men had not yet found their way out West ; so war was immediately declared against the in- truders, and every man, woman, and child ar- rayed themselves against these unarmed and in- offensive immigrants. War to the knife, bit- ter, relentless, exterminating war was waged, and speedily raged. From the township the war sentiment extended to the county; from the county to the State ; until the Legislature actually passed a law for the extinction of the races, black and brown, indiscriminately. Every atrocity was then practiced and encouraged; and scalping commanded a high premium." (Nelson's Su- burban Homes, p. 62.)

Although this remarkable and somewhat ex- aggerated story is told of Columbia township, it discloses a somewhat similar condition of affairs that affected the town for several years. The negro population and negroes from the South were for years a source of irritation and eventu- ally resulted in the sad race riots described Jater.

Among the important additions to the com- munity during its existence as a town are given the following, many of whom have been men- tioned in various connections: 1802 .- Ethan Stone, Samuel Perry and William Pierson. 1803. -Christopher and Robert Cary, grandfather and father of the celebrated Cary sisters, Thomas and Thankful Carter, grandparents of A. G. W. Carter. 1804 .- Col. Stephen MeFarland. Gen- eral Findlay, Zachariah Ernst and his sons H. M., Jacob and Andrew Ernst. It is from this family that Ernst Station was named. Other arrivals

of this year were Peyton S. Symmes, Benjamin Smith, P. A. Sprigman, George P. Torrence, Jonathan Pancoast, Robert Richardson, James Perry, Peter M. Nicoll, Adam Moore, William Moody, Benjamin Mason, Casper Hopple, An- drew Johnston, Ephraim Carter, James Craw- ford, William Crippen and Henry Craven. Of course the most. distinguished arrivals of the following year were General Mansfield and his son E. D. Mansfield, the latter of whom survived until October 27, 1880. Another well known pioneer who arrived this year was Joseph Cop- pin, subsequently the president of the Cincinnati Pioncer Association and known to so many cit- izens now living. After 1806 which is generally regarded as the beginning of the real growth of Cincinnati, the arrivals were so numerous as to make it impossible to give them in detail. (Ford's Cincinnati passum, and Cincinnati Pioneer, No. VI, p. 18.)

One prominent man who came this year was Rev. Adam Hurdus, the founder of the Sweden- borgian Church in the West who came on April 4th. He was also the grandfather of Judge Carter. In 1807 came Evans Price with his wife and four children and also $10,000 worth of goods with which he began a successful business career which continued for a long time. Gen. W. HI. Lytle came to Cincinnati in 1810 as well as the L'Hommedieu, Fosdick and Roger fam- ilies. James W. Gazlay arrived in 1813 and opened a law office in the outskirts of the village on Main between Sixth and Seventh. Another arrival of this year was Thomas Pierce, the anonymous author of "Horace in Cincinnati." In the year 1814 came David K. Este. The next vear marked the first arrival of Timothy Flint. Bellamy Storer reached Cincinnati May 31, 1817. This was also the year of the arrival of Joseph Jonas, sometimes called the first Israelite in Cin- cinnati. He was a watchmaker at Third and Main streets and achieved the title of the "Father of Cincinnati Democracy." William Robson, a ship carpenter by trade who had worked on Full- ton's first steamboat the "Clermont" and was afterwards at the head of the copper and brass business of the city, came in June, 1818.

The historic Lytle house on Lawrence street above Third, probably the oldest house in the city, was built by Gen. William Lytle in 1800 or 1810. It was two stories high and built of brick with a gable roof, dormer windows and tall chin- neys. The original entrance was on Third street and opened into a hall 50 feet long and 12 feet wide. This has been closed and the present en-

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 1, Part 86

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1020

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1020