USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > Steubenville > Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 20th > Part 31
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Among the middle century boats on this end of the river the Sewickley was built in 1864, Bengal Tiger in 1853, Amelia Poe in 1865, John C. Calhoun in 1859. Minerva in 1863, John Hanna in 1865, Mollie Ebert in 1868, Juniata, older, Mary Davage in 1865. John T. MeCombs in 1860, the City of Pekin in 1863, the A. Jacobs No. 1 in
1864, the Andy Fulton came out as a new boat in 1859, the J. I. Stockdale in 1863, Flora Temple in 1858, Clara Poe in 1859, Telegraph in 1859, Lone Star in 1859, Por- ter Rhodes in 1860, General Anderson in 1860, Emma Duncan in 1860, Daniel Bash- nell in 1860, Sea Gull in 1863, General Grant in 1863, Yorktown in 1863, Big Foot about 1860. The Chief Justice Marshall was also built in 1863. as well as others.
Steamboat as well as other business suffered from the panic of 1873, but there had been a rapid decline before that period to such an extent that outside the coal traf- fie the Ohio was considered a back number for business purposes. Abont that the, however, there was a revival. We have noticed the changes and improvements in local boats, and the Pittsburgh and Cin cinnati line was re-established, first with a tri-weekly service and then, with the two Wheeling boats, a daily service, including a fine class of sternwheel boats, such as the Katie Stockdale, Buckeye State, Hudson. Granite State, Scotia, Andes, and the side- wheeler St. Lawrence. There was the Emma Graham in the Zanesville trade, and boats running to Charleston and Parkers- burg. W. Va., among which were the Green- wood, afterwards the Greenland. Ben Hur and others. A long boat, the Alice, W. P. Thompson and E. H. Durfee made weekly trips to St. Louis, and occasionally a through boat to New Orleans, although there was always opportunity for through connection below. Among the boats of that period were the big twins Dakota and Mon- tana, 1,200 tons each, which made their 3.000-mile trips to Fort Benton, the head of navigation on the Missonri River. Other boats were the Cherokee, Telephone, Telegraph, J. Rhoades, F. W. Batchelor. Darling, etc. It looked as though old times had come again, but a series of bad seasons and better railroad facilities cansed a fall- ing off in trade, and as the steamers sunk, burned or were worn out they were re- placed only in a few instances. The Pitts- burgh and Cincinnati line is now reduced to two stemmers, the Virginia and Queen
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City, the Kanawha holds a single boat of but for several days the grewsome search that name, and the Muskingum route has been given up. The Katie Stockdale was used by the National Government to send supplies to the sufferers during the great flood of 1884.
Serious river disasters during these lat- ter years have been infrequent, but there was one just below Mingo Island on the night of July 4, 1882, that will long be re- membered. On that day the side-wheel steamer Scioto had been chartered to take an excursion from East Liverpool and Wellsville to Moundsville, W. Va. She left that place early in the morning with more than 400 people aboard, in fact was so overcrowded that several became alarmed and disembarked at Steubenville on the downward trip. Nevertheless, there was no mishap until about 8:30 p. m., when the boat on her return trip was opposite Devenny's warehouse, just above Cross Creek, when the small stern-wheeler John Lomas was coming down the river. There had been a change of Government signals only a few days before, and it is claimed the pilots did not understand each other. Be that as it may, the boats, instead of taking opposite sides of the river, came together, the bow of the Lomas striking the side of the Scioto, making a hole that caused her to sink in a few minutes in fif- teen to twenty feet of water. The scene that ensued can be more easily imagined than described, as the mass of humanity found itself struggling in the water. The Lomas, which was found not to be seriously injured, rendered efficient aid in rescuing the unfortunates, and in a few minutes there was a small fleet of skiffs engaged in the same work. Fortunately the hurricane deck was not covered and those in the cabin found refuge there until taken off. Up- wards of seventy-five were drowned, all but five being men and boys, which was due to the fact that they were mostly on the lower deck when engulfed by the rushing waters, while the women were on the boiler or upper deck. A special train on the C. & P. road carried the survivors home,
for the dead went on until all the bodies were recovered. Among the sad events of that dreadful night was the drowning of Captain Thomas's son and E. P. Smith, of Wellsville with his three children, aged 14, 8 and 6. E. J. Keller, of Steubenville, was pilot.
No account of the Ohio River would be complete without reference to Samuel Bur- nell, the "hermit," who came to this vicin- ity about 1870 and took charge of the Gov- ernment lights in the vicinity of Brown's Island. He built a little cabin among the thick hillside forest, just visible from pass- ing boats, and there he lived alone, doing his own cooking and household chores. When the boats passed they would sound their whistles, he would come out and salute, and then retire to his cabin again. His manner of life and reticence concern- ing his previous career led to a great deal of imaginary creations, the old familiar one of a love affair of course coming first, and when that was worn out mysterious hints of a "past" took their place, none of which probably had any foundation. He had at least one grown-up son, who lived in the neighborhood, took the daily papers. was up on current events, and was familiar with prominent publie men. He came to Steubenville whenever necessary to pro- enre provisions or transaet other business, and was always cordial and hospitable to visitors. The writer was well acquainted with him and secured what was probably the only photograph of him, taken at his forest home, he complying with the request to pose without hesitation. He remained there until the infirmities of age compelled him to relinquish the place and was taken away by his son, with whom he remained until his death, so there is no mystery about that part of his life at least.
The journey of the towboat Porter up the river thirty-five years ago is another memory of those days. The yellow fever broke out among the crew, a number of whom died and were buried at Gallipolis, O., where there was quite a local epidemic.
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There was quite a panic along the river and the boat was not allowed to land, but continued on a floating hospital nntil the disease spent its force.
There was another great industry along the river thirty to sixty years ago which has become practically extinct, not through lack of demand for the product but exhans- tion of the sources of supply. When the country was first settled the Allegheny Mountains were covered not only with the usual varieties of hardwood trees found in this latitude, but with immense forests of hemlock and pine. The settlement of the lower valleys created a demand for this timber for building purposes, and it was felled and bound together into immense rafts, some of them half an aere in area, containing more than 1,000,000 enbic feet of lumber. At first the rough logs pre- dominated, which were floated to various saw-mills along the river, but finally the mills themselves moved up into the moun- tains, the logs were converted into boards and shingles, and the more finished product was ready to sell direct to the dealer. Acres of such rafts could be found after the spring floods tied along the Stenben- ville water front, principally north of Washington street, above and below the old MeKinney saw-mill. They frequently remained there until "swimming time," and were fully utilized by the youngsters for diving purposes. From the upper waters of the Allegheny to the lower Mis- sissippi was a journey of weeks, and it was a reposeful sight as the raft floated lazily along, the smoke curling from the im- promptu cabin where the ocenpants slept. There was no danger of sinking or being blown up, although it frequently required work with the sweeps or steering oars to round the sharp turns and keep off the rocks and bars.
While the ordinary river trade was rela; tively if not absolutely receding, another was growing to immense proportions, which increased the tonnage of Pittsburgh to a point above that of any other port in the country. As early as 1803 coal was
shipped from the upper Ohio to Philadel- phia via New Orleans, which was cheaper than trying to haul it across the moun- tains, but it was many years before there was sufficient demand to make it an im- portant article of commerce. Wood and local coal banks furnished supplies along the valley, and down below there was still plenty of the former material. Gradually, however, as wood became scarcer and dearer, a permanent demand was created for the more reliable fuel. Banks were opened at various points along the river and the old-style barges, once the express boats of the stream, were devoted to the humble service of transporting black dia- monds. The original plan was to lash two or more boats together, carrying 5,000 or 6,000 bushels apiece, and with a crew of several men float down as did the rafts on the spring and fall freshets, keeping their boats in the channel by the big sweep oars fore and aft. Their responsibility was greater than that of the raftsmen, for striking an object usually meant disaster, and the barges, loaded almost to the water's edge. required very different han- dling from the unsinkable raft. It was not until the forties that steam power was applied to "towing" these barges, and the Black Diamond, the pioneer side-wheel tow- boat, is still remembered. The situation, however, gradually developed a class of powerful stern-wheel boats, capable of handling twelve to fourteen boats and barges carrying 8,000 to 10,000 bushels apiece. The JJ. B. Williams was a great boat in her day, but in 1903 the acme was reached when the Sprague was launched and took sonth over 1,000,000 bushels on a single trip. A little figuring shows this to be 40,000 tons, an amount far beyond the capacity of any ocean steamer and which, if transported by rail in 100-ton ears, would require 400 cars, making a train about two and one-half miles long. A num- ber of years ago 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 bushels were considered a good run, but with the growth of business and harbor facilities this has been increased to 18,-
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000,000 and 20,000,000, with a year's ag- gregate reaching 50,000,000. Tows of small barges can be sent out when the marks show eight feet on the bars or ripples, but for a good run twelve to fifteen feet are necessary. The boats usually start when the river begins to fall after a freshet, so as not to get ahead of the crest of the flood. The sight when the coal fleet is going down the river is one not seen any- where else in the world. The water is cov- ered with acres of coal, each bunch having behind it a steamer of enormous power, the belching smoke and steam, paddling of great wheels, and this repeated for miles along the river is a sight "worth going miles to see." While the word "tow" is used from the old meaning of the word to draw or pull, yet in this case the barges are lashed together, making a solid mass, which is pushed by the boat from behind; other- wise it would be impossible to handle them. Not only is this the most unique but cheap- est transportation in the world, the cost of transporting a bushel of coal from Pitts- burgh to the lower rivers not averaging over three-fourths of a cent. The engineer as well as the pilot has a busy time going down, constantly starting, stopping and backing while rounding the numerous enrves ; but coming back the engines pursue their steady chug with scarcely an inter- ruption as the steamer slowly pushes the empty barges against the stream. In win- ter, when the river is clogged with ice, the barges are strung out behind tandem- fashion on the return trip and then there is actual towing, but this is not as satis- factory as the other method and only re- sorted to when necessary. A four-foot stage of water is necessary for the return trip. The business is not without its haz- ards to property at least. Ice is a great hindrance to winter runs, and there is a temptation to go out on an insufficient stage of water, particularly if the rest has been a long one, with the result of boats stranded on the bars or sunk by obstrne- tions. The railroad bridges have also been a fruitful source of disaster, the boatmen
having lost hundreds of thousands of dol- lars by sinking of boats at the Steubenville and Bellaire bridges. Numerous efforts have been made to have the channel span of the Steubenville bridge lengthened, but so far unsuccessfully. In the later seven- ties considerable coal was shipped from Steubenville to Cincinnati by water, the Swift Coal Company operating what was known as the Borland shaft at the southern end of the city, operating the towboat Michigan for that purpose. Another Sten- benville towboat was the Annie L., owned by Dougherty Bros.
A writer who is well informed has said that it required great nerve and hardihood to pilot the steamers of many years ago, when there were so many obstructions, and especially as the boats were packed fre- quently with humanity. He was right, for the narrow and tortuous channel was ob- structed by rocks and sunken trees, which were a menace, and the river frequently spread over a large surface, making a shal- low on top of a bar where a little concen- tration would have given a navigable chan- nel. Then there was more or less shifting of the channel, although the Ohio was not to be compared with the Mississippi or Missonri in this respect. The Government first began to make improvements by re- moving obstructions and dredging, but it was evident that the latter could only be used to a limited extent, as the effect of cutting a channel through a bar was to lower the water in the pool above. In 1825 this plan was abandoned in favor of build- ing wing dams and dikes for the purpose of narrowing the channel and giving in- creased depth, of which we have some notable examples at Brown's Island. This is the plan in use today and it has afforded considerable relief, although it is apparent that it is limited in its effect. About 1870 the Goverment adopted a system of light- ing the river, in other words, giving pilots a light to steer by at night instead of de- pending on the tops of the hills, a very uncertain method on a dark night. The lights consist of a large oil lamp hung to a
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post or some other permanent object with rill, corps of engineers, U. S. A., proposed a white board behind it. n very effective ar- in 1874 the introduction of the system of movable dams which is now being built. rangement. The keeper, who is usually somebody residing in the neighborhood, receives $15 a month for the care of each light, and the Government tender visits hiim periodically to pay his salary and fur- mish supplies. The first boat in this busi- ness was the side-wheeler Lily, commanded by Capt. George Vandergrift and later by Cupt. Sheldon MeCook. It has since been replaced by a light stern-wheeler named the Golden Rod, while the obstructions are cared for by the powerful snagboat E. A. Woodruff.
In 1828 a private company built a lock canal around the fulls at Louisville, since taken over and enlarged by the Govern- ment so that freight could be shipped to lower points even in low water without breaking bulk (in high water boats can descend the falls), but each year made it more evident that if the Ohio was to hold its place as a general commercial factor there must be some arrangement that should insure a depth of water that would permit the use of large and fast steamers at all seasons. Irregular freshets might do for coal rnus but not for general passenger and freight traffic. Reservoirs were sug- gested to be placed in the mountains where- by water could be stored during the flood periods and released during droughts, but this was dismissed as impracticable, al- though it has lately been revived in con- nortion with the other improvements. The roal men were solidly opposed to any per- minent dams which would obstruct the river during floods, thereby compelling them to nse locks where they now had a free passage; in fact they were opposed to dams of any kind. In order to reconcile these conflicting interests abont 1872 the plan of building a system of movable dams began to be considered, and a commission of engineers was appointed to look into the subject, with a visit to France and Belgium to examine similar works there. As a re- sult of this investigation Col. W. E. Mer-
The first step in the scheme was to build Davis Island dam, immediately below Pittsburgh. At the time this was regarded somewhat as an experiment, as no other similar dam had ever been built on a large seale. It was commenced in 1878 and opened to commerce October 7, 1885, hav- ing cost about $1,000,000. It has since been in successful operation continnonsly to the present day. Its chief office has been to give below Pittsburgh n deep pool, in which to accumulate the enormous tows of coal which are seen passing Steubenville on every rise in the river. Perhaps its most beneficial effect has been to convert the coal men to approval of the system, and they are now among its warmest advocates. This dam is planned upon the ideas of two French engineers, Chanoine and Pasqueau. . It is built in sections, or wickets, of abont four feet in width, each hinged to the bot- tom of the river and supported by a prop. By tripping the props sections of the dam can be lowered in succession so as to lie fat upon the bottom, thus allowing the passage of boats and tows of coal, steel, etc., freely over the dam as soon as the water reaches a stage high enough to per- mit them to go on down the river.
The success and usefulness of the Davis Island dam having been proved by experi- ence, about eighteen years ago the first step in the continuation of the system of looks and dams down to Cincinnati was taken, and the river is now slackwatered to a nine-foot stage from Pittsburgh to Rochester, twenty-eight miles below. Dam No. 6 below Beaver, No. 7 near Industry, No. 8 below East Liverpool. No. 11 below Brilliant, No. 13 below Wheeling, No. 18 be- low Marietta, No. 19 below Parkersburg, and No. 37 below Cincinnati, are in process of completion, and if the rapidity of Gov- ernment work could be depended on should be ready this year. Surveys have been made for No. 10 at Wills Creek, above Sten-
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benville, and No. 9, between that at Wells- ville, which will give nine feet from here to Pittsburgh.
The distance from Pittsburgh to the Cin- cinnati dam is about 481 miles, requiring thirty-seven dams at an average cost of a million dollars each, and a simple calcula- tion shows that the cost per mile will be abont $75,000. If this is compared with the cost of a railroad between the two points, and the enormous greater capacity of the river as a freight carrier is considered, the river improvement is presented in a very favorable light as an economical invest- ment of the large sums which must be expended.
Each dam is to be provided with a lock 600 feet long and 110 feet wide; with but few exceptions the largest locks in the world. In all essential features except their size the locks are like those ordinarily seen on canals. When the river is below the stage of nine feet the dams must be raised into position so that the pools will fill and give a depth of not less than nine feet at any point. In order to pass boats from pool to pool, either up or down the river, the locks will then be used, and for the passage through one about ten or fif- teen minutes will be required. On account of the great size of the locks tows will be able to go through carrying as much freight as a large ocean steamer. It is probably not too much to say that the locks will be able to pass 15,000 tons each hour. When the river is high enough to permit it the dams will be put down, the locks will go out of commission temporarily and the packets and tows will use the open river freely, as they do now at times of high water. The result will be that except when ice is in the river, navigation will be con- tinuous from year's end to year's end; there will be a steady procession of tows of
coal and iron going down and of empty fleets coming up, and the packets will be able to make regular trips at all times. When the dams now in course of construc- tion are completed the citizens of the towns named can. if they choose, accumulate fleets. of coal and iron in their pools, as is now done at Pittsburgh, ready for shipment on the first suitable rise of the river; manu- facturers owning water fronts will be able to use the river as a means of getting their fnel and for other purposes, and other bene- fits due to having deep water permanently in front of the towns will be felt. At each dam is a residence for the keeper and other necessary buildings. The importance and national character of this work may be bet- ter understood when it is known that coal was shipped down the Ohio destined for Japan, to be used by the Mikado's fleet in its fight against Russia. Manufactured goods from the headwaters of the Ohio River find their way down stream in vast quantities, for foreign shipment, and the tonnage even with the present handicaps runs far up into the millions. To complete this improvement to Cairo, its ultimate des- tination, will require sixty-eight locks and dams. It is a more important work than the Panama Canal and should be completed in time for this valley to reap the benefits of the great international waterway. D. J. Sinclair, the Steubenville member of the Ohio River Improvement Commission. has. with others, been working energetically towards this end.
It has been suggested that 3,000 to 4,000 horsepower could be developed at each of these dams at an average of from seven to nine months in the year, and that the power would mean much for the manufac- turing establishments, but this is a dream of the future.
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CHAPTER XV
STEAM AND TROLLEY
Railroads and Telegraph-Trolley and Telephone-An Electrical Centre in an Electric Age.
The earliest railroad systems in Ohio were endeavors to connect the great lakes with the Ohio River, no one then seriously considering east and west trunk lines in this section, and their advantages over water transportation were not apparent, and the country too thinly settled to give hope of much local traffic. The state canals, also mainly north and south, had been completed about 1830 at a cost of some sixteen million dollars, of which east- ern Ohio contributed its full shure but never received any benefit, and when it came to building railroads that had to be done without state aid. In pursuance of the policy above noted the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad was projected in 1844-45 to extend from the former eity to Wellsville, and in 1850 the line was opened for traffic as far south as Alliance, where on January 3, 1852, it made connection with the Ohio & Pennsylvania road. now part of the Fort Wayne System, for Pitts. burgh, giving railroad connection between that point and Cleveland. On March 4, 1552, the first train entered Wellsville. making dircet connection between lake and river, and constituting what is now the main line of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. By following the Yellow Creek valley this road passed through the north -- east corner of Jefferson County, taking in what are now the towns of Hammondsville
and Irondale, but it was too far from the center of population to be of much effect or utility so far as this county was con- cerned. So in 1847 a movement was start- ed towards building a railroad to the west, which besides opening up the back country would connect with north and south lines projected from the lake to Cincinnati. There had been an embryo project for an eastern line in 1836, but it died bornin'. In February, 1847, the following citizens of Steubenville procured n charter for the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad from Steubenville to the Indiana state line: James Wilson. James Means, Nathaniel Dike, Willimn MeDonald, Daniel L. Collier. John Orr. John Andrews, David MeGowan, James Gallagher, Jones Mckinney, Ros- well Marsh, James Turnbull and Alexander Doyle. There was plenty of enthusiasm but an equal lack of money, and for two years the enterprise languished. In 1850 the ennse was taken up by Abner L. Fra- zier, James Parks and others, and Daniel Kilgore, a wealthy citizen of Cadiz, was induced to join in the enterprise. He re- moved to Steubenville, and with Mr. Parks canvassed the proposed route, soliciting stock, rights of way, etc. Some of their experiences were quite amusing, as most of the people had no idea whatever as to the nature of a railroad. some of them supposing it would be built in the air and
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