Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc., Part 14

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Akron > Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County : embellished by nearly six hundred engravings--portraits of pioneer settlers, prominent citizens, business, official and professional--ancient and modern views, etc.; nine-tenth's of a century of solid local history--pioneer incidents, interesting events--industrial, commercial, financial and educational progress, biographies, etc. > Part 14

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The first series of bonds was issued with the view of being negotiated in London, through the United States Bank of Penn- sylvania, at Philadelphia, to which institution, as trustee, the company executed a mortgage upon all its lands and franchises, on the 19th day of April, 1839, to secure the payment of said bonds. The total amount of bonds thus authorized was £20,000 sterling, in forty bonds of £500 each. These bonds, as prepared, were nicely engraved, with a handsome vignette, representing both a moving canal boat and a railroad train, fine marginal designs, with 24 interest coupons attached to each, and were nicely printed on a fine quality of bank note paper. The body of the bonds read as follows:

STATE OF OHIO, U. S. A.

NNo ..... 500 £ St'g.

[Canal Boat, etc.] £ St'g 500.

THE PORTAGE CANAL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, (Incorporated by the State of Ohio, February, 27th, A. D. 1837), promise to pay to the bearer of this Bond, FIVE HUNDRED POUNDS STERLING, on the first day of January, one thousand, eight hundred and. , with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent. per annuin front the date hereof. The said interest to be paid semi-annually, on the first days of January and July, on presenting the proper warrant for the same at.

, where the principal will also be paid on the surrender of this certificate at its maturity.

Witness the Seal of said Corporation, with the signatures of the President

[SEAL] and Treasurer, at Akron, Ohio, the .. day of A. D. 18 ....

Treasurer. President.

With the exception of some four or five of these bonds, negoti- ated with Joseph S. Lake, a Wooster Banker, and a stockholder in the company, it was found impracticable to carry out this scheme, because of the alleged stringency of the money market in

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

London, and because of the discovery that, being a corporation, the United States Bank of Pennsylvania, under the laws of that State, could not legally act as a trustee for their negotiation. An arrangement was therefore made by the company with Mr. Lake to give him, in exchange for the bonds he had thus purchased, a like amount in a new series of bonds to be issued, and the mort- gage given, as above stated, to the U. S. Bank, was duly cancelled on the 30th day of March, 1841. On the succeeding day, March 31, 1841, a mortgage was executed in favor of John J. Palmer, of New York, as trustee, to secure the payment of bonds to be issued by the company, to the amount of $100,000, in sums of $500 each, to be negotiated by him, which bonds, similar in style and execution to the others, as appears by a specimen in the hands of the writer, were as follows:

[Loan of 100,000 Dollars.] [Real Estate Pledged By Deed of Trust.]

STATE OF OHIO, U. S. A.

$500.

[Canal Boat, etc.] $500.

THE PORTAGE CANAL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, (Incorporated by the State of Ohio, February 27, 1857), promise to pay the bearer of this Bond, FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, on the first day of January, One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Forty-Six, with interest thereon at the rate of SIX per cent. per annum from the date hereof ; the said interest to be paid semi-annually, on the first days of January and July, on presenting the proper warrant for the same, at THE MERCHANTS' BANK IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, at which INSTITUTION, the principal will also be paid on the surrender of this Certificate at its maturity.

Witness the Seal of said Corporation, with the Signatures of the President and [SEAL.] Treasurer, at Akron, Ohio, the thirty-first day of March, A. D. 1841.

S. DAY, Treasurer.

ELIAKIM CROSBY, President. .

[Instituted March 31, 1841.] [Appraised at five times the amount of the Loan.]

Some time previous to the issue of the bonds described, the original proprietors of the lands and water power, Messrs. Crosby, Eicher, Sackett and Crittenden, transferred the entire property to the company, after it had become duly organized, being credited therefor, upon the books of the company, the sum of $500,000, stip- ulating to erect the dam, construct the canal and cause to be surveyed and laid out into suitable sized lots for the purposes designed, 100 acres or more of said lands. Of the $500,000 thus credited to them, the original proprietors set apart the suni of $118,000, for the execution of the work they had stipulated to per- form. Subsequently, said original proprietors contracted with Mr. E. C. Sackett to build the canal or race for the sum of $90,000, Mr. Sackett entered vigorously into the work, its progress, from the nature of the route to be traversed, being necessarily very slow, however, and after he had expended about $50,000 the com- pany, reimbursing him in that amount, purchased his contract, binding itself to complete the work as stipulated therein. After- wards the company contracted with Dr. Crosby, for the sum of $30,000, to complete the dam and race, excepting the unfinished work upon the latter begun by Mr. Sackett; but for some reason not now fully ascertainable, this arrangement fell through, and the company itself, under the superintendency of Dr. Crosby, proceeded to complete the work.

The means for the earlier prosecution of the work were mostly procured from the sale of shares of stock, lots, etc. For this purpose, Dr. E. W. Crittenden, as general agent of the company,

ASPIRING FOR COUNTY SEAT HONORS.

and James W. Phillips as special agent, visited New York Philadelphia, and other Eastern cities, in the interest of the corpo- ation. Money being a decidedly "cash article," in those days-the panic of 1837 then being full head on-large blocks of stock in Eastern railroads and other corporations, real estate and all kinds of merchandise, were taken in exchange for both stock shares and building lots in the prospective city; a store being opened, about 1840, in the corner room of the historical old stone block-where the M. W. Henry block now stands, corner Howard and Market streets-by E. Darwin Crosby, son of Dr. Eliakim Crosby, the large double-faced gilt sign, bearing his name, on either side, as above given, made by the writer, now doing service as a shelf for canned fruit in his [the writer's] cellar, at 510 West Market street.

Later on, in 1842, the late John T. Balch (father of Mr. Theodoric A. Balch, of 136 Balch street), as agent for John R. Hudson, of New York, contracted to furnish goods upon the orders of the company, at retail prices, to the amount of $30,000, on a year's credit, the company to provide two store rooms for the sale of said goods, rent free. The main store under the taking title of " The New York Store," was established in room No. 3, of the stone block, and filled with a large and well-selected stock of general mer- chandise, for sale to the public at large, as well as upon the orders of the company; a smaller but pretty full assortment of goods also · being kept in a store erected by the company in "Summit City;" on the southwest corner of Cuyahoga street and Tallmadge avenue. The same building, then occupied as a dwelling by Mr. Seth Sackett, was destroyed by fire on the night of February 11, 1844, with all its contents, the family, in their night clothes, barely escaping with their lives; the New York Store closing business on the 25th day of April, the same year.

FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES A COUNTY SEAT.

Elsewhere will be found, in detail, the history of the erection of Summit County, and the protracted and bitter struggle over the location of the county seat. For the purposes of this chapter it will be sufficient to say that, in 1840, the "Chuckery" appeared upon the tapis as a compromise candidate for county-seat honors, against Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, between which towns a fierce rivalry existed. Akron claimed it as being the larger, in point of manufactures, general business and population, and because of its more convenient access from a large proportion of the territory included in the new county; while Cuyahoga Falls claimed it because of its more central geographical location, its alleged superior water power; its more favorable topographical advantages, and above all for its unsurpassed salubrity and healthfulness; the "Chuckery's" claim being that by means of its gigantic hydraulic operations, then rapidly progressing, Summit City would speedily outgrow either of the other claimants, both in the magnitude of its manufactures and general business, and in population, while its accessibility, as well as its beauty of location, would be generally satisfactory to the people of the entire county, and allay the bitter animosities that were being engendered in the controversy then being waged between its two rivals.

So promising were the prospects of the company at this time, and so plausible were the arguments presented by Drs. Crosby and

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

Crittenden before the reviewing commissioners, at an all day's meeting held by them in the Universalist (late Baptist) Church, in 1841, to hear the question discussed, that two of the three commis- sioners actually decided in its favor, and proceeded to "stick the stakes" for the public buildings on the first level above the valley of the Little Cuyahoga, a little east of the house now owned by Mr .. R. A. Grimwood, on Glenwood avenue, built and formerly occupied by Mr. E. C. Sackett, one of the most prominent and active promot- ers of the "Chuckery" scheme.

It is possible that this selection would have prevailed, the disas- ters of the company have been averted and the project have proved a triumphant success, but for the "moving" remark of bluff old Dr. Daniel Upson, of Tallmadge, while the measurements were ,being made and the stakes driven, who said to the bystanders, loud enough to be heard by the commissioners, that "nobody but fools- or knaves would think of locating county buildings on such a spot as that." This so incensed the commissioners who, having con- versed with the Doctor the day before, knew that though his resi- dence was nearer the Falls, he was favorable to Akron, that they immediately pulled up their stakes, and proceeded to locate the county seat at Cuyahoga Falls as elsewhere stated, resulting finally in a submission of the question to a vote of the people, in 1842, and a confirmation of the judgment of the original commis- sioners in favor of Akron.

To those familiar with the topog- raphy of the section traversed by the canal, the engineering diffi- culties to be overcome, with the crude and limited appliances then in vogue, to say nothing of the- serious financial embarrassments by which the company and the contractors were beset, the won- der is that the really gigantic work in question could then have been accomplished as soon as it was, while in these modern days of improved labor-saving expedients, and comparatively easy finances, it could have been done in one-fourth the time, though probably at double the cost; common laborers upon the job then receiving but $13 per BENEDICT PERCHI - month, $2 only of which was in View of "Big Falls" on Cuyahoga River, from "Chuckery" race, opposite "Old Maid's Kitchen." money, and the remaining $11 in orders upon the company's stores. For the information of those who have never been over the ground, I will attempt to convey what, at best, will be but a faint idea of the magnitude of the work.

In the first place, a dam, some 20 feet in height, was required to be thrown across the river, from whence to draw the water thereof at a sufficient elevation to properly flow through the con- templated canal and discharge itself, on reaching its intended outlet at the other end, a distance of nearly four miles. This dam,

SKILLFUL ENGINEERING FEAT.

nearly 100 feet below the general surface of the surrounding coun- try, was constructed of heavy timbers, anchored to the bed rock, at the bottom of the narrow gorge where it was located, with the ends of the upward arching superstructure resting against the solid rocky walls of the river bank, upon either side. Though meeting with several disasters and many hindrances, by reason of frequent floods, during the progress of the work, the dam was finally suc- cessfully completed some time in the year 1843.

For two miles from the dam, the canal had to be cut from the solid rock of the overhanging cliff, or built up from the bed of the stream with substantial masonry and curbing, and filled in with earth difficult of access. On emerging from the gorge of the river a mile or so above the present covered bridge, the course of the canal, southward, was through a succession of large spurs of the high bluffs on the northwestern verge of the upper plateau of the company's domain, and at an elevation of fully one hundred feet above the bed of the river.

These bluffs, composed chiefly of sand, had been corrugated and worn into deep ravines, by the action of the surface water from the upper plateau in its flow towards the river. These numerous high ridges required to be cut down, while the intervening gullies had to be elevated to the proper level for the bed of the canal then being built. To have done this by the usual modes of excavation then in vogue, the shovel, the barrow, the scraper and the cart, would have required an immense number of men and teams, and an immense expenditure of time, muscle and money.

View of "Old Maid's Kitchen," from "Chuckery" race below the "Big Falls," on Cuyahoga river.

But the engineering and hydraulic skill of Dr. Crosby were equal to the emergency. Procuring a permit from the managers of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal, that canal was tapped upon the eastern verge of the company's lands, and in "a shallow ditch, formed mainly by its own current, the water was conducted across the nearly level plain, about a mile and a half, to the western edge of the plateau, where, in troughs and properly directed sluice-ways, it was made to wash the parts to be cut down into the parts to be filled up; the latter being forti- fied at the bottom with suitable breastworks of logs, brush, etc., to catch the moving sand, which were from time to time added to, as the cavities filled up.

In this way, not only were the depressions in the bluffs brought 11p to the required level, but thousands and perhaps millions of cubic yards of earth were deposited upon the flats below; the bottoms, between the river and bluffs, being in places raised from twenty-five to thirty feet; trees of quite large growth, being almost completely buried thereby.

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

The south end of the canal, along the base of the upper plateau, for a mile or more, was constructed in the usual way, with shovels, barrows, scrapers, carts, etc., and though the work had several times been suspended, by the exigencies of the times, and the many unavoidable obstacles it had encountered, the great project was at length so far consummated, that on the 27th day of May, 1844, . the water was turned into the canal at the dan, and, running its entire length, nearly four miles, was permitted to flow, for a short time, over the edge of the lower bluffs into the valley of the Little Cuyahoga, at a point about midway between Cuyahoga street and Howard street extension.

The news that the water was to be let into the "Chuckery" canal, at a given hour of the day n'amed, attracted to the spot a large crowd of interested people. from both "Summit City," Akron and the surrounding country. Of this event, Hiram Bowen, Esq., founder and editor of the BEACON, in the issue of May 29, 1844, said:

"On Monday morning last the water of the Great Cuyahoga river was turned into the race, which has been for several years in process of construction by the Portage Canal and Manufactur- ing Company, for the purpose of conducting it to the brow of the hill, just north of the village, to BENEDICT be used for hydraulic purposes. The water flowed freely through View of "Chuckery" race where it emerges from the rocky bank of the Cuyahoga river, into the sandy plain towards Akron. the rocky channel which has been made at incredible labor and expense along the precipi- tous banks of the Cuyahoga, for more than two miles, when it passed into that portion of the race made through the sand bank, where it makes a southerly course towards the village of Akron, and leaves the river. Here, in consequence of the porous nature of the soil, the water made but slow progress, but it crept slowly and securely on towards its destined termination, the distance through, from the commencement of the sand bank, being about two miles. Long before the water came in sight a crowd of spectators from the neighboring villages, had gathered to witness the interesting spectacle.

"About 4 o'clock P. M. the water was descried from the point where it was to flow over the hill into the valley of the Little Cuyahoga river, when the 'Baby Waker' of the Summit Guards, stationed on a neighboring hill, awakened the echoes that skirt the vallies of the two rivers, by repeated discharges, done in fine style. This was answered by the hearty cheers of the multitude, and the ringing of the bells from the town. Then came a pause, and all were on tip-toe to see the final consummation of this great work-the fall of the water at the end of the race into the valley

INHARMONY AND DISASTER.

below. The water came slowly on, as if it had lost its way, and was loth to leave the foamy bed of the ancient river, and check its headlong career to be subject to the control of man. But art and enterprise had triumphed-the great work, which had so long been held in doubt, was accomplished, for soon the water was seen to emerge from the termination of the canal, and flow over the hill into the valley below. This was greeted with three cheers from the people and the firing of cannon. Ithiel Mills, Esq., then pro- posed the following sentiment, to which the people responded with a right good will, and then retired to their homes:

"'DR. E. CROSBY: The noble projector and efficient executive of the great enterprise this day successfully accomplished, of introducing the waters of the Great Cuyahoga river to Akron by land. Of his noble and persevering spirit of enterprise, his fellow- citizens are justly proud.'"

It was to be expected, of course, that there would be more or less defects in the bed of the canal, particularly in the sandy por- tion of it, that would need to be puddled and otherwise remedied, and there being as yet no proper gates and sluices for safely conducting the water into the Little Cuyahoga river, the water was turned off at the dam until these things could be provided, and, as the sequel proved, never to be again turned on.

Of the causes that led to the final overthrow of this gigantic project, which had cost so much time, labor and money, and so great a degree of intrepidity, skill and perseverance of its projector and his associates, it is difficult at this remote day to definitely determine. But from the legal and other sources of information available, it seems to have largely resulted from want of harmony among the stockholders, and the importunity of the numerous creditors of the company, and perhaps, to a certain extent, from the cupidity, if not downright rascality, of certain parties who had been trusted with the sale of bonds, stocks, lots, etc., and the purchase of merchandise and other property in exchange therefor, the court records showing that about fifty suits at law, and in chancery, were instituted against the company and parties con- nected therewith, between the time its embarrassments and complications became manifest, until the final closing up of its affairs.

Finding itself unable to restore harmony among its members, or regain the confidence of capitalists, in September, 1845, Joseph S. Lake, of Wooster, was appointed a trustee, and all of the lands and franchises of the company were conveyed to him, in fee simple, for the purpose, as he expressed it in his advertisement announcing his appointment, "of enabling him to pay off the debts of the company, and to secure a good title to the purchasers;" and to more speedily accomplish that object, he associated with him- self, W. S. C. Otis, Esq., to arrange and settle claims, and receive pay for lands sold; and Mr. E. C. Sackett to make sales of lands, rent property, etc.

Finding that but little, if any, headway was being made by Trustee Lake, towards adjusting the affairs of the company, and placing it upon its feet again, on the 20th day of June, 1845, John J. Palmer, of New York, mortgagee of all the company's property in trust to secure the payment of its bonds negotiated through him, filed a bill in chancery, in the Court of Common Pleas of

AKRON AND SUMMIT COUNTY.

Summit County, for the foreclosure of said mortgage, in which suit, besides the corporation itself, some 45 or 50 more or less interested private individuals were made parties. What with answers, replications, demurrers; amendments, references, contin- uances, etc., this suit was prolonged until the October term of the court, 1849, at which time a judgment was rendered against the company for $127,832.18 and costs $289.81, and a decree entered for the sale of the mortgaged property, by Daniel R. Tilden, Esq., as Special Master Commissioner; E. C. Sackett having been appointed by the court, receiver of rents, etc., pending said litigation.

Having been duly advertised, said property was sold by Master Commissioner Tilden, on the 15th day of June, 1850; a few of the smaller portions, city lots, etc., being sold to parties to whom they had previously been sold or contracted, by the company, and who had made improvements thereon; but the bulk of the property, includ- ing its water-power, hydraulic improvements, franchises, etc., being sold to W. S. C. Otis, Esq., attorney for the bondholders for the sum of $38,172, the entire sales aggregating a little over $42,000, for what, exclusive of the large outlay on the dam and race, had originally cost the company nearly or quite $300,000.

In speaking of this sale, John Teesdale, Esq., then editor of the BEACON, said: "Its present shape renders it available for the exe- cution of the original design, and the conviction seems to be general that with the requisite enterprise and energy, the new purchasers may realize from their investment what even the most sanguine of the stockholders dared hope for."

But the prediction of Mr. Teesdale was destined never to be verified. The rapidly increasing use of steam, as a machinery pro- pelling power, and the constantly diminishing volume of water in the Cuyahoga river, by reason of the wanton denudation of adja- cent timber lands, rendering hydraulic privileges less desirable, the entire project was finally abandoned, and the territory included in the original scheme, embracing about 2,500 acres-with the small exceptions noted-was sold as occasion offered, to private parties, mostly for agricultural purposes; though at this time a considera- ble portion thereof is rapidly assuming a city aspect, preparatory to annexation as the Seventh Ward of the exceptionally prosper- ous and growing city of Akron; while the dismantled canal through the gorge of the Cuyahoga river-now largely overgrown with bushes and trees-only serves as an object of curious interest and wonderment to the thousands of pleasure seekers who annually visit that now celebrated Summer resort, "The Glens;" that portion south of the river being rapidly obliterated by the action of the elements upon its sandy embankments, and the plowshare of the gardener and husbandman.

DR. CROSBY'S LATER LIFE, DEATH, ETC.

Fifty years ago the Crosby family were not only the very elite, but the very life and soul of Akron society, first and foremost in every good work and social enterprise, the second and third daugh- ters, Louisa and Mary, being very fine singers-the latter occupying about the same position in musical circles that Mrs. Henry Perkins holds among us to-day.

What I have said of Dr. Eliakim Crosby, in this and former chapters, conveys but a faint idea of his services to the people of

DOCTOR CROSBY'S LATER LIFE.

Akron, a meager recognition of which has been tardily accorded in the naming of the new street running parallel with West Market street, from Maple to Balch streets; and also in giving his name to the Third Ward school building, corner of Smith and West streets.

It is proper, in closing this chapter, and as supplemental to matters pertaining to the same subject contained in the first chap- ter of these papers, to add the following in regard to Doctor Crosby and his family: In 1830, the Doctor buried his wife, Mrs. Marcia Beemer Crosby, who died October 13, at the age of 38 years, having borne him seven children, four sons and three daughters. In about 1832 he moved his family to his projected new village of "Cascade," building for himself the house which is still standing on the back part of the lot on the corner of North Howard and Beach streets, and for many years known as the "Wheeler House." A year or two later this property was exchanged, with Mr. Reuben Downing, for the present lot occupied by the St. Vin- cent De Paul Church and parsonage, corner of West Market and Maple streets, and in the plain story-and-a-half frame house thereon he continuously resided until removing from the town in 1853.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905 Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Lane, Samuel A. (Samuel Alanson), 1815-1905
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Akron, Ohio : Beacon Job Department
Number of Pages: 1228