Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 31

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

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"This avenue will also become a formidable rival to Western row, as a connection between the adjacent parts of Indiana and Cincinnati, owing to the scandalous condition into which the upper part of that street has been suffered to dilapidate, which renders it impassable in winter and unpleasant at all times."

In 1846, 980 more new buildings were erected and in 1847, 1,140. Among these last was the first five-story brick building erected in the city, that of Edmund B. Reeder, at the corner of Pearl and Walnut streets.

The peculiar dangers of flood in Cincinnati are indicated by the fact that during the build- ing of a cellar a bystander remarked that he had once unloaded a flat-boat on the very spot. In December of that year ( 1847) came another of Ohio's great floods, the water reaching to within six inches of its height in 1832.

The following year, 1,305 buildings were added; 1849 was distinguished as being the year in which the . Burnet House was erected ; in 1850 the number of new buildings was 1,418. Mr. Cist gives the number of buildings in the city as 16,286.

CINCINNATI IN 1851.

Mr. Cist's second volume, "Cincinnati in 1851," gives an excellent idea of the growth of the city in the 10 years that had elapsed since the publication of its predecessor. The city was now the fifth city in the Union and the first in the Western country, although according to the census New Orleans had a slightly greater pop- ulation. There could be no question that Cin- cinnati as a center of population far surpassed that city.

The second of Mr. Cist's books was published in 1851. In the meantime Mr. Cist had been en- gaged in compiling directories for the city and also in the publication of the Advertiser from which the extracts relating to the history of the community are compiled into two volumes known as the "Cincinnati Miscellany."

This work was more statistical in its character than the previous one, although it contained a

number of general articles. Those on geology and magnetism were by Professor Locke, on medical topography by Dr. Drake, on meteor- ology by Professor Ray, education, transporta- tion and travel by Mansfield, the culture of the strawberry and the grape by Robert Buchanan, while a most optimistic article on Cincinnati's destiny was from the pen of S. H. Goodin.

The claim is made that the statistics of man- ufactured and industrial products which at that time constituted more than one-half of the busi- ness operations of the city and afforded the profits of three-fourths the rewards of industry showed that the raw materials consumed did not exceed 54 percent or thirty out of fifty-five million dollars, leaving 46 per cent or more than twenty- five million dollars as the revenue derived at Cincinnati from her own handiwork.

The city, which at that time included the space between Mill creek on the west, the river on the south and cast and Mill Creek and Fulton townships on the north and northeast (that is McMillan street on the north) had attained the dignity of 16 wards. Dr. Drake, in his chapter on medical topography, gives us a little idea of the appearance of the town at that time. The narrow swamp at the back part of the lower plain with the heavy timber surrounding it had long since disappeared, having been filled up with material which had been taken from the bluff bank of the river. As a result the city sloped gradually upwards to the base of the Mount Auburn hills. Deer creek still meandered along the east, converted in times of flood to a hill torrent and passed through a culvert into the river. On the west the Mill creek bottoms were still largely banks of mud although the work of elevation was going on. The White Water Canal came in from this direction, cross- ing Mill creek by an aqueduct and traversed the lower terrace into a basin of stagnant water lo- cated at Plum street. The city had extended by a single street nearly four miles up the Ohio so it included the villages of Fulton, Lewis- town and Pendleton.

Dr. Drake tells us that the population of the city presented many varieties of physiognomy. While the original settlers were from various States of the nation and the armies of Harmar, St. Clair and Wayne had left a still greater va- ricty of persons, the subsequent immigration, although largely from the Middle and North At- lantic States, had been in part from the more Southern. In later years the greater proportion had been Europeans. The Germans were most

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numerous, followed by the Irish, English, Scotch and 'Welsh. There were few French, Italians and Spaniards, but a large number of negroes, including many mulattoes, griffes and quadroons. Dr. Drake was of the impression that the Germans of all classes of foreigners soonest assimilated to the general mass.

Professor Ray, in his chapter on meteorology, gives the result of the observations made at Woodward College from 1835 to 1850. Accord- ing to this the mean temperature of the winter season was 33.6°, spring 53.7°, summer 73.5° and autumn 53.4°. February on the average, but not always, was the coldest month of the year, while July was always the warmest month, June was the least variable and March the most variable month, while the mean temperature of October was about that of the entire year. The mean temperature for the 16 years was 53.5°, with a range of 3.5°. The coldest winter, that of 1845 and 1846, had a mean temperature of 30.5°, while the warmest, the one preceding this, was 38.1º. The coldest summer was that of 1847, with a mean temperature of 71.4°, and the warmest that of 1850, with a mean tempera- ture of 77.7°. The extreme range of the thermometer at Cincinnati was 117º, the low- est temperature mentioned being on Feb- ruary 8, 1835, when the thermometer fell to 17° below zero, and the highest, August 9, 1838, when it reached 100° above. The greatest range in any . one year was 100°. Westerly winds prevailed two-thirds of the year, 246 days, those from the east 68 days or less than one-fifth, from the north 28 days or less than one-tenth, and from the south 22 days or one-sixteenth of the year. The average fall of rain and snow throughout the year was 48.02 inches. The greatest fall of fluid was in the sum- mer months, June, July and August, being 14.74 inches ; the spring came second with 12.12 inches, winter 11.09 inches and autumn was the dryest season of the year, with 10.07 inches. The wet- test month of the year was June and the dryest September. The most marked drought was in 1850, when from September 17th to November 26th, 68 days, but 1.6 inches of rain fell. The average depth of unmelted snow during 11 win- ters preceding 1850 for each year was 21.8 inches; there was great variation, however, the depth in 1842 being but 8.8 inches, while in 1849-50 it was 50 inchies. But once in the IO years ( 1843) did any snow fall in April. Di- viding the days into three classes, clear and fair, variable and cloudy, it was found that there were

146.3 days of the first, 140.6 of the second and 78.3 of the third class. The mean height of the barometer at Woodward College, 150 feet above low water of the Ohio, was 29.318 inches, the maximum was 30.05 inches and the minimum, 28.42 inches. The barometer was highest in October and lowest in May. It would be of in- terest to compare these figures with those of the present day.

The personal statistics made up from the census of 1850 have already been given. A very elab- orate classification of occupations, trades and pursuits is given which is too lengthy to be copied in full. The largest number is under the head of laborers,-7,864. There were 2,318 carpenters, 1,676 tailors, 1,583 clerks, 1,569 boot and shoe makers and 1,550 merchants and traders. The bakers numbered 421, barbers 227, blacksmiths 713, boatmen 950, bricklayers and plasterers 809, butchers 672, cabinet-makers 485, coopers 868, coffee-house keepers 327 (there were no saloonkeepers), draymen 482, finishers 264, foundrymen 162, grocers 533, molders 512, machinists 255, painters and glaziers 589, serv- ants 294, stone-masons and stone-cutters 657, to- bacconists 219, and tanners and curriers 298. It will surprise many in these days when every man who was ever connected with the river is called "captain" to learn that there were but 16 steam- boat captains in the city at this time. There are but HI gentlemen listed and one loafer. These two classifications are distinguished by being printed in italics, an honor shared by them with the speculators of whom there were two and thieves, 42 in number. There were 176 attorneys, 278 physicians, 146 teachers, 22 professors not counting two dancing masters, 82 musicians, 97 clergymen, 25 artists (not including II portrait painters and two miniature painters who ap- parently did not consider themselves as artists), 25 priests, 153 druggists and 32 dentists. There is but one author listed and but three hackmen. The brewers were 126 in number, pork packers 13 and carriage makers 51.

The schools are considered at some length. They include the public schools, of which there were at that time 13, the Central School, which furnished a higher course than was afforded by the common schools ; the parochial schools, of which there were 13, and a number of academies and private schools. The number of pupils en- rolled in the public schools was 12,240, of which less than one-half-5,557-were in daily at- tendance. The number of children of school age (four to twenty-one) was 36,073. In the

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parochial schools 4,494 were in attendance. There were also two Catholic high schools, the Young Ladies' Literary Institute and Boarding School on Sixth street, and the Ursuline Aeademy. Other private academies were: Wesleyan Fe- male College on' Vine street, Cincinnati Female Seminary, Herron's Seminary for Boys, the St. John's College of Dr. Colton, Lyman Harding and Mrs. Lloyd's seminaries for girls and E. S. Brooks' and the Youngs' schools for boys. The whole number of private academies and schools in Cincinnati at that time amounted to 50, with 2,500 pupils in attendance. Three col- leges were mentioned; the oldest of these, the Cincinnati College, had practically suspended in- struction except in the Law School, and the others were Woodward College and St. Xavier College. There were four medical colleges,- Medical College of Ohio, Eelectic Medical Col- lege, Physio-Medical College and Ohio College of Dental Surgery. The number of medical stu- dents in the city during the winter was estimated at 450. About 30 students attended the Law School and 250 the various mercantile schools of which three were regularly incorporated. Under the head of theological schools five are given, Lane Seminary, Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Seminary of St. Francis Xavier, Roman Catholic Theological Seminary and Bap- tist Theological Seminary. The last three had not formed classes, so that the whole mimber of theological students in the city did not exceed 60. There were also three colored schools with nine teachers and an enrollment of 360 pupils. In the totals are given 102 schools with 357 teachers and 20,737 enrolled pupils. This was more than one-half of all who were of suitable age for education and it must be remembered that a very large proportion of these were in regular attendance in the schools.

The faculty of Lane Theological Seminary, which was still headed by Lyman Beecher, its president, included Revs. D. H. Allen, George E. Day and J. B. Condit, and that of the Law School included Judge Charles P. James, M. H. Tilden and M. E. Curwen. The principal of the Cincinnati Mercantile College, at the southeast corner of Fifth and Walnut, was R. S. Bacon. St. Xavier College, on Sycamore between Fifth and Sixth, had quite an extensive faculty, in- cluding Revs. J. DeBlieck, president, and Xav. Whippern, vice-president. The president of the Wesleyan Female College, on Vine between Sixth and Seventh, was Rev. P. B. Wilber. Dr. Thomas J. Biggs was still the president of Wood-

ward College and High School and other mem- bers of the faculty were Joseph Ray, Charles E. Matthews, William G. W. Lewis and D. Mo- loney. Herron's Seminary for Boys, on Seventh between Walnut and Vine, was a very prominent school and included in its list of instructors some of the best known teachers of the city. In addition to the principal, Joseph Herron, were Rev. Charles Aiken and C. Aiken, professor of vocal music, Joseph Tosso, professor of instru- mental music and Frederick Eckstein, professor of drawing and painting. Another prominent school at the time was the Cincinnati Female Seminary, at the head of which were Miss M. Coxe and J. C. Zachos.

An elaborate enumeration of the dwelling houses and stores is also given.

The total number of buildings in the city in 1850 was 16,286, of which more than a third had been added in the preceding four years. and two-thirds since 1839. Of these buildings 9,360 were of brick, 6,886 of frame and 40 of stone. The largest number of buildings was in the Eighth Ward, which, of course, was the largest territorialiy. Within its limits were 2,082 buildings, of which about half were of brick and half of frame, there being but two of stone. The Sixth being the section lying along the river west of John contained 1,715 buildings, of which 985 were of brick. The next largest number was in the Ninth Ward, which lay above Sixth street and cast of Main. Here were 1,650 buildings, a little more than half of which were of brick. The Seventh Ward contained 1,438 buildings, of which a little over half were of brick. The 10th Ward had also a large number of buildings. Here were 1,370 buildings about nearly distributed be- tween brick and frame, there being but two of stone. The Third Ward followed with 1,347 buildings, of which two-thirds were of brick. This included the oldest portion of the city and lay south of Lower Market and cast of Main street. There were no stone buildings in this ward. The Third was closely followed by the 12th, which lay north of Liberty street and west of Vine street, with 1,317 buildings, of which 17 were of stone, 479 of brick and 821 of frame. The Second Ward was also well built up, contain- ing 1,303 buildings. One of these was of stone and 1,142 of brick, while there were 160 frame. structures in this the most substantial ward of the city. The other wards in order were the Fourth, the nth and the Fifth, in which were 1,184, 1,176, 984 and 720 buildings, re- spectively, brick buildings largely predominating.

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Brick buildings in fact formed 60 per cent of all the buildings in the city. The number of indi- viduals who owned the houses they lived in were 5,360, one-third of the voting population.

Fifty-three periodicals are enumerated. There were still six daily English papers, including the Cincinnati Gasette and Liberty Hall, Chronicle and Atlas, Enquirer, Times, Commercial and Nonpareil. The Gasette was still edited by John C. Wright, aided by his son, Crafts J. Wright and L. C. Turner. James D. Taylor was editing the Times, L. G. Curtiss the Commercial, and C. S. Abbott the Nonpareil. There were four German papers,-the Volksblatt of Stephen Mol- itor, Republikaner, edited by Emil Klauprecht, Volksfreund edited by Joseph A. Hemann and Demokratische Tageblatt of Henry Roedter. The Gasette, Chronicle and Republikaner were Whig and the Enquirer, Volksblatt and Tage- blatt were Democratic in politics and the Times, Commercial and Nonpareil claimed to be neutral. The weeklies were largely religious in their character ; perhaps the most important of them was the Western Christian Advocate. Frederick Hassaurek was the editor of the Hochvaechter, denominated by Mr. Cist as "socialist and in- fidel of the deepest dye." Another weekly paper of interest was Cist's Advertiser, "Charles Cist, editor, printer, publisher and proprietor .- Fam- ily, Historical, Statistical and Literary." Rich- ard Smith edited the Price Current. There were four medical journals and a number of maga- zines representing special interests; the most interesting perhaps of these was The Crisis, an abolitionist paper of W. H. Brisbane. Congress Halle, issued once a month by Henry Roedter, contained the only full report in German of the congressional debates.

Ninety-one churches are enumerated in this volume of which 13 were Catholic, five Protest- ant Episcopal, five Presbyterian Old School, six Presbyterian New School, four Reform Presby- terians, four Congregational, seven Baptist, five Disciples, 22 Methodist and 13 under the various names of United Evangelical, Lutheran and German Reformed Church, two Friends,- one orthodox and one Hicksite,-as well as the Church of New Jerusalem and others. There were four Jewish synagogues. The Jews were the only religious denomination which kept a full register of its members which numbered in all, in the city and vicinity, 3,346. An estimate is given by which the Jews constituted three percent, the Roman Catholics 35 percent and the Protestants 62 percent of the population.

At the head of the Catholic Church, of course, was Bishop Purcell. Other well known priests were his brother Edward Purcell, Charles Dris- coll, Michael Deselaers, Joseph Ferneding and J. H. Luers. Bishop Charles P. Mellvaine, Episcopal Bishop of Ohio, lived in Clifton. The pastor of Christ Church at that time was Rev. John T. Brooke. Rev. Samuel R. Wilson was still at the First Presbyterian Church, while Rev. Samuel W. Fisher was at the Second Pres- byterian Church, the head of the New School.

The- Supreme Court still held its sessions here, although this custom was abolished by the new constitution of 1851. The other courts at that time were the Court of Common Pleas, the Su- perior Court and the Commercial Court. The mayor, Mark P. Taylor, also had certain judi- cial functions.

The incorporated banks included the Ohio Life Insurance & Trust Company, the Commer- cial Bank, the Franklin and Lafayette banks, Mechanics' & Traders' Branch Bank at No. 100 Main street and the City Bank on the south side of Third between Walnut and Vine. There were also many private banking institutions. Among these were Ellis & Morton at Third and Walnut; T. S. Goodman & Company, on Main above Third; George Milne & Company, on Third between Main and Walnut ; the Citizens' Bank of W. Smead & Company on Main be- tween Third and Fourth ; B. F. Sanford & Com- pany, Fourth and Walnut; Langdon & Hatch, Court and Main ; Gilmore & Brotherton, Main below Columbia; S. O. Almy, Third near Wal- nut ; the Western Bank of Scott & Mckenzie, Fifth and Western row; Burnet, Shoup & Company, northwest corner Third and Walnut ; Phoenix, on Third between Main and Walnut ; and Merchants', on Third near Walnut. Brown & Ramsey, A. J. Wheeler, A. G. Bart, P. B. Manchester, Wright, Clark & Company and P. Outcalt & Company also engaged in banking operations.

Cincinnati at that time was also a very im- portant insurance center as is indicated by the fact that almost 40 different companies local and foreign are enumerated in this volume. Among these 40 the Equitable, Cincinnati Fire- men's, Washington. Merchants' & Mamifac- turers'. City, Eagle, Ohio Life Insurance & Trust, Ohio Life, Jefferson, Ohio Live Stock and Ohio Mutual were the principal local con- panies. Jolin Young was the president of the General Board of Underwriters and Benjamin Urner. secretary.

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E. Hinman was at that time superintendent of the City Water Works and W. S. Caldwell president of the Cincinnati Gas Light & Coke Company. This latter company had between 18 and 20 miles of pipe laid and 500 lamps erected throughout the city. The Observatory was still on Mount Adams in charge of Prof. O. M. Mitchel. The Cincinnati Horticultural Society formed in 1843 was in a highly pros- perous condition; its president at that time was A. H. Ernst. Other institutions that receive special mention are the medical colleges, the Ohio Mechanics' Institute in its new building at Sixth and Vine, the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association and the Apprentices' Li- brary which had been in continued existence for 30 years. Under the head of fine arts is de- scribed the Arts Union Hall, which fine saloon with its attendant offices occupied the fourth story of the building at the northwest corner of Sycamore and Fourth streets. Here as many as 300 pictures had been exhibited at one time. A picture had recently been ordered of Mrs. Lily Martin Spencer at $250 and a statue or other subject in marble of Hiram Powers at a price to be set by himself at from $3,000 to $5,000. Another picture gallery was conducted by William Wiswell so well known to citizens of the present day. Here as many as 300 portraits, fancy and historical pieces embracing the work of Kellogg, Beard, Rothermel, Heade and others were placed. The gem of the collection was Powers' recently executed bust of Gen. Andrew Jackson. A list of Cincinnati artists is given which includes over 60 names. Conspicuous among these are Miner K. Kellogg, Shubael V. Clevenger, J. H. Beard, John Frankenstein, W. H. Powell, T. Buchanan Read, G. N. Franken- stein, W. L. Sonntag, Hiram Powers, C. C. Brackett and F. Baker.

The means of communication are given in a special chapter. First were the roads, after these the canals and finally the railroads. Until 1835 the roads were all mud roads but after the in- vention of MacAdam more attention was paid to the surface and grading of roads and as a result every road of any importance leading from the city had been macadamized either by char- tered companies or by the county commissioners. Fourteen macadamized roads, in all 514 miles long, are given as proceeding directly from Cin- cinnati. The longest was the so-called Goshen, Wilmington, Washington and Circleville turn- pike, which extended in an easterly and northeast- erly direction for 100 miles. Montgomery road

ran northeast for a distance of 50 miles, the Lebanon turnpike ran north and northwest a distance of 93 miles, Colerain road ran north- west 37 miles while the Cincinnati, Carthage and Hamilton road ran northwest 25 miles. The great Miami turnpike to Dayton through Mon- roe and Franklin ran northwardly 38 miles and was continued with the Dayton and Springfield pike 34 miles farther. To the west ran the Har- rison turnpike 20 miles long and southwardly the Covington and Williamstown, 36 miles long.

The canal system had been completed some years before. The canals which connected di- rectly with Cincinnati were the Miami Canal and Extension running north 29 miles of which the Wabash and Eric, 200 miles, was a continua- tion, and the White Water Canal which ran northwest 70 miles. The Miami Canal fol- lowed the Great Miami valley until it passed the summit of St. Mary's and entering the Maumee valley terminated at Toledo. The tolls collected on this canal for 1850 had been over $315,000, of which $192,000 was net after deducting the cost of repairs, superintendence, etc. This was an increase of about $65,000 over the preceding year. The canal brought to Cin- cinnati during this year 117,655 tons of mer- chandise and took from it 42,784 tons. The figures for Toledo were a little larger. The explanation given of this was that the Little Miami Railroad shared business at this point.

The Cincinnati and White Water Canal, which had been incorporated in April, 1837, extended 25 miles to Ilarrison where it connected with the White Water Valley Canal. This canal crossed the Dry Fork of White Water and Miami River and Mill creek, passing through the hills dividing the Ohio and Miami rivers by a tunnel 1,900 feet long, and came up the bank of the river to the city. The construction and right of way had cost $800,000, of which the city subscribed $400,000 and the State $150,000. Boats first passed through to the city in Novem- ber, 1843. The president of the company at this time was William McCammon and C. W. West was the secretary. This canal which has long since been abandoned is the well known "ditch" so-called, through which trains run into the Grand Central Depot.

Two railroads besides the Little Miami are mentioned, the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton, with its office at the northwest corner of Vine and Fourth streets, and the Ohio & Mississippi, with its office in Bromwell's Building at the northeast corner of Fourth and Vine streets.

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Of the former the president was S. S. L'Hom- medieu, chief engineer, R. M. Shoemaker, and among the directors from Cincinnati were J. C. Wright, Samuel Fosdiek, Eben B. Reeder, Wil- liam Burnet and A. M. Taylor. The president of the second road was Abner T. Ellis. Other officers were H. H. Goodman, Henry Hanna, Alphonso Taft, E. Gest, C. W. West, Eben B. Reeder, David Z. Sedam, John Baker, James C. Hall, Joseph A. James, John S. Burt and John Slevin.

Railroad construction was at that time at high tide. The Little Miami Railroad was the only road leading from Cincinnati actually in operation. It connected at Springfield with the Mad River & Sandusky Railroad, at Xenia with the railroad via Columbus from Cleveland, thus affording two distinet routes to Lake Erie. The president of the Little Miami at this time was Jacob Strader; secretary, John Kilgour; treas- urer, Archibald Irwin; and superintendent, W. H. Clement. The other directors were Griffin Taylor, R. R. Springer, John H. Groesbeck, Nat Wright, John Bacon, William McCammon, Abraham Hivling, James Hicks, Larz Anderson and Alphonso Taft. An interesting feature is the elaborate explanation of the various trans- portation arrangements of Cineinnati to other large cities.

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 31

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048