Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 121

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006

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chartered in 1828, has a valuable philosophical and chemical apparatus, a library and a reading-room. The common free schools of the city are of a high order, with fine buildings, teachers, and apparatus. In the high schools there are not less than 1,500 pupils; in the common and private, 5,000; and, including the

THANELM

Drawn by Henry Howe, in 1846. ST. XAVIER'S COLLEGE.

students in the collegiate institutions, there are 7,000 persons in the various departments of education. In 1831 a college of teachers was established, having for its object the elevation of the profession, and the advancement of the interest of schools in the Mississippi Valley, which holds an annual meeting in Cin- cinnati in October. The Young Men's Mercantile Library Association has a fine library and reading-rooms. The library contains over 3,800 volumes, and

Drawn by Henry Howe, 1846.

LANE SEMINARY.

the institution promises to be an honor and a blessing to the commercial com- munity. The Apprentices' Library, founded in 1821, contains 2,200 volumes.

The charitable institutions of the city are highly respectable. The Cincinnati orphan asylum is in a building which cost $18,000. Attached is a library and well-organized school, with a provision even for infants ; and it is surrounded by

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ample grounds. It has trained up over 300 children for usefulness. The Catholics have one male and female orphan asylum. The commercial hospital and lunatic asylum of Ohio was incorporated in 1821. The edifice, in the north- west part of the city, will accommodate 250 persons ; 1,100 have been admitted within a year. A part of the building is used for a poor-house; and there are separate apartments for the insane.

The city is supplied by water raised from the Ohio river, by a steam-engine, of forty horse-power, and forced into two reservoirs, on a hill, 700 feet distant ; from whence it is carried in pipes to the intersection of Broadway and Third streets, and thence distributed through the principal streets in pipes. These works are now owned by the city.

Cincinnati is an extensive manufacturing place. Its natural destitution of water-power is extensively compensated at present by steam-engines, and by the surplus water of the Miami canal, which affords 3000 cubic feet per minute. But the Cincinnati and White Water canal, which extends twenty-five miles and connects with the White Water canal of Indiana, half a mile south of Harrison, on the State line, will furnish a great increase of water-power, equal to ninety runs of millstones. The manufactures of the city, already large, may be expected to greatly increase. By a late enumeration, it appears that the manufactures of Cincinnati of all kinds employ 10,647 persons, a capital of $14,541,842, and produce articles of over seventeen millions of dollars value.

The trade of Cincinnati embraces the country from the Ohio to the lakes, north and south ; and from the 'Scioto to the Wabash, east and west. The Ohio river line, in Kentucky, for fifty miles down, and as far up as the Virginia line, make their purchases here. Its manufactures are sent into the upper and lower Missis- sippi country.

There are six incorporated banks, with aggregate capital of $5,800,000, beside two unincorporated banks. Cincinnati is the greatest pork market in the world. Not far from three millions of dollars worth of pork are annually exported.

Cincinnati enjoys great facilities for communication with the surrounding country. The total length of canals, railroads and turnpikes which centre here, completed and constructing, is 1,125 miles. Those who have made it a matter of investigation predict, that Cincinnati will eventually be a city of a very great population. A writer, J. W. Scott, editor of the Toledo Blade, in Cist's " Cincin- nati in 1841," in a long article on this subject, commences with the startling announcement : "Not having before my eyes the fear of men, 'who-in the lan- guage of Governor Morris-with too much pride to study and too much wit to think, undervalue what they do not understand, and condemn what they do not comprehend,' I venture the prediction, that within one hundred years from this time, Cincinnati will be the greatest city in America ; and by the year of our Lord 2000 the greatest city in the world." We have not space here to recap- itulate the arguments on which this prediction is based. The prediction itself we place on record for future reference .- Old Edition.

EARLY INCIDENTS.

The few following pages are devoted to incidents which transpired within the city and county up to the time of issue of the edition of 1847. They were derived mainly from newspapers and other publications.

Adventure of Jacob Wetzel, the Indian Hunter .- The road along the Ohio river, leading to Storrs and Delhi, some four hun- dred yards below the junction of Front and Fifth streets, crosses what, in early days, was the outlet of a water-course, and notwith- standing the changes made by the lapse of

years, and the building improvements adja- cent, the spot still possesses many features of its original surface, although now divested of its forest character. At the period of this adventure-October 7, 1790-besides the dense forest of maple and beech, its heavy undergrowth of spice-wood and grape-vine

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made it an admirable lurking-place for the savage beasts, and more savage still, the red men of the woods.

Wetzel had been out on his accustomed pursuit -- hunting-and was returning to town, at that time a few cabins and huts collected in the space fronting the river, and extend- ing from Main street to Broadway. He had been very successful, and was returning to procure a horse to bear a load too heavy for his own shoulders, and, at the spot alluded to, had sat down on a decaying tree-trunk to rest himself, and wipe the sweat from his brow, which his forcing his way through the brush had started, cool as was the weather, when he heard the rustling of leaves and branches, which betokened that an animal or an enemy was approaching. Silencing the growl of his dog, who sat at his feet, and appeared equally conscious of danger, he sprang behind a tree and discovered the dark form of an Indian, half hidden by the body of a large oak, who had his rifle in his hands, ready for any emergency that might require the use of it-as he, too, appeared to be on his guard, having heard the low growling of the dog. At this instant, the dog also spied the Indian and barked aloud, which told the Indian of the proximity of his enemy. To raise his rifle was but the work of a moment, and the distinct cracks of two weapons were heard almost at the same time. The Indian's fell from his hands, as the ball of the hunter's had penetrated and broken the elbow of his left arm, while the hunter escaped nnhurt. Before the Indian could possibly reload his rifle in his wounded condition, Wetzel had rushed swiftly upon him with his knife, but not hefore the Indian had drawn his. The first thrust was parried off by the Indian with the greatest skill, and the shock was so great in the effort that the hunter's weapon was thrown some thirty feet from him. Nothing daunted, he threw himself upon the Indian with all his force and seized him around the body ; at the same time encircling the right arm, in which the Indian still grasped his knife. The Indian, however, was a very muscular fellow, and the conflict now seemed doubtful indeed. The savage was striving with all his might to release his arm, in order to use his knife. In their struggle, their feet became interlocked, and they both fell to the ground, the Indian uppermost, which extri- cated the Indian's arm from the iron grasp of the hunter. He was making his greatest endeavors to use his knife, but could not, from the position in which they were lying, as Wetzel soon forced him over on his right side, and, consequently, he could have no use of his arm.

Just at this point of the deadly conflict, the Indian gave an appalling yell, and, with renewed strength, placed his enemy under- neath him again, and with a most exulting cry of victory, as he sat upon his body, raised his arm for that fatal plunge. Wetzel saw death before his eyes, and gave himself up for lost, when, just at this most critical junc- ture, his faithful dog, who had not been an

uninterested observer of the scene, sprang forward and seized the Indian with such force by the throat, as caused the weapon to fall harmless from his hand. Wetzel, seeing such a sudden change in his fate, made one last and desperate effort for his life, and threw the Indian from him. Before the prostrate savage had time to recover himself, the hunter had seized his knife, and with re- doubled energy rushed upon him, and with his foot firmly planted on the Indian's breast, plunged the weapon up to the hilt in his heart. The savage gave one convulsive shudder, and was no more.

As soon as Wetzel had possessed himself of his rifle, together with the Indian's weapons, he started immediately on his way. He had gone but a short distance when his ears were assailed by the startling whoop of a number of Indians. He ran eagerly for the river, and, fortunately, finding a canoe on the beach near the water, was soon out of reach, and made his way, without further danger, to the cove at the foot of Sycamore street.

The Indians came up to the place of the recent rencounter, and discovered the body of a fallen comrade. They gave a most hideous yell when, upon examination, they recognized in the dead Indian the features of one of their bravest chiefs.

O. M. Spencer Taken Captive .- In July, 1792, two men, together with Mrs. Coleman and Oliver M. Spencer, then a lad, were returning in a canoe from Cincinnati to Columbia; they were fired upon by two Indians, in ambush on the river bank ; one of the men was killed, and the other, a Mr. Light, wounded. Mrs. Coleman jumped from the canoe into the river, and without making any exertions to swim, floated down nearly two miles. It is supposed she was borne up by her dress, which, according to the fashion of that time, consisted of a stuffed quilt and other buoyant robes. Spencer was taken and carried captive to the Maumee, where he remained about eight months and was ransomed. A narrative of his captivity, written by himself, has been published by the Methodists. [For some further details see Defiance County.]

Scalping of Col. Robert Elliott .- In 1794 Col. Robert Elliott, contractor for supplying the United States army, while travelling with his servant from Fort Washington to Fort Hamilton, was waylaid and killed by the Indians, at the big hill, south of where Thomas Fleming lived, and near the line of Hamilton and Butler counties. When shot, he fell from his horse. The servant made his escape by putting his horse at full speed, followed by that of Elliott's, into Fort Hamil- ton. The savage who shot the colonel, in haste to take his scalp, drew his knife, and seized him by the wig which he wore. To his astonishment, the scalp came off at the first touch, when he exclaimed, "dam lie /" In a few minutes, the surprise of the party was over, and they made themselves merry at the expense of their comrade. The next

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day, a party from the fort, under the guid- ance of the servant, visited the spot, placed the body in a coffin and proceeded on their way to Fort Washington. About a mile south of Springdale they were fired upon by Indians, and the servant, who was on the horse of his late master, was shot at the first fire. The party retreated, leaving the body of Elliott with the savages, who had broken open the coffin, when the former rallied, re- took the body and carried it, with that of the servant, to Cincinnati, and buried them side by side in the Presbyterian cemetery, on Twelfth street. Several years after, a neat monument was erected, with the following inscription :

In memory of ROBERT ELLIOTT, SLAIN BY A PARTY OF INDIANS, Near this point, While in the service of his country. Placed by his son, Com. J. D. ELLIOTT, U. S. Navy. 1835.

DAMON AND FIDELITY.

A Witch Story .- About the year 1814, one of our most wealthy and respectable farmers of Mill creek, who had taken great pains and expended much money in procuring and pro- pagating a fine breed of horses, was unfortu- nate in losing a number of them, by a dis- temper which appeared to be of a novel character. As the disease baffled all his skill, he soon became satisfied that it was the result of witchcraft. Under that impression, he consulted such persons as were reputed to have a knowledge of sorcery, or who pre- tended to be fortune-tellers. These persons instructed him how to proceed to discover and destroy the witch. One of the experi- ments he was directed to make was to boil certain ingredients, herbs, et cetera, over a hot fire, with pins and needles in the caul- dron, which, he was told, would produce great mental and bodily distress in the witch or wizzard. He tried that experiment, and while the pot was boiling furiously, placed himself in his door, which overlooked the principal part of his farm, including the field in which his horses were kept. It so hap- pened, that, while standing in the door, he saw his daughter-in-law, who lived in a cabin about eighty rods from his own house, hasten- ing to the spring for a bucket of water. His imagination connected that hurried movement with his incantation so strongly, that he im- mediately ordered his son to move his family from the farm.

From some cause, he had formed an opinion that a Mrs. Garrison, an aged woman, in fceble health, fast sinking to the grave, living some eight or ten miles from his farm,

was the principal agent in the destruction of his horses. He had frequently expressed that opinion in the neighborhood. Mrs. Garrison had heard of it, and, as might be expected, her feelings were injured and her spirits much depressed by the slanderous report. One of the charms he had been directed to try was to shoot a silver bullet at a horse while the witch was evidently in him. This he was told would kill the witch and cure the animal. He accordingly prepared a silver ball, and shot it at a very fine brood- mare which was affected by the distemper. The mare, of course, was killed ; and as it so happened, that, in a very short time after, poor Mrs. Garrison died, the experiment was declared to be successful, and the experi- menter believes to this day that his silver bullet killed the poor old woman. However that may be, his slanderous report had a great effect on her health, and no doubt hastened her death .- Burnet's Notes.

Explosion of the Moselle .- The new and elegant steamboat, Moselle, Captain Perkin, left the wharf in Cincinnati, April 26, 1838 (full of passengers), for Louisville and St. Louis ; and, with the view of taking a family on board at Fulton, about a mile and a half above the quay, proceeded up the river and made fast to a lumber raft for that purpose. Here the family was taken on board ; and, during the whole time of their detention, the captain had 'madly held on to all the steam that he could create, with the intention, not only of showing off to the best advantage the great speed of his boat, as it passed down the river the entire length of the city, but that he might overtake and pass another boat which had left the wharf for Louisville, but a short time previous. As the Moselle was a new brag boat, and had recently made several exceedingly quick trips to and from Cincin- nati, it would not do to risk her popularity for speed, by giving to another boat (even though that boat had the advantage of time and distance) the most remote chance of be- ing the first to arrive at the destined port. This insane policy-this poor ambition of proprietors and captains-has almost inevita- bly tended to the same melancholy results. The Moselle had but just parted from the lumber raft to which she had been fast-her wheels had scarcely made their first revolu- tion-when her boilers burst with an awful and astounding noise, equal to the most violent clap of thunder. The explosion was destructive and heart-rending in the ex- treme; heads, limbs and bodies were seen flying through the air in every direction, attended with the most horrible shrieks and groans from the wounded and dying. The boat, at the time of the accident, was about thirty feet from the shore, and was rendered a perfect wreck. It seemed to be entirely shattered as far back as the gentlemen's cabin ; and her hurricane deck, the whole length, was entirely swept away. The boat immediately began to sink, and float with a strong current down the river, at the same time receding farther from the shore-while

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the passengers, who yet remained unhurt in the gentlemen's and ladies' cabins, became panic-struck, and most of them, with a fatuity which seems unaccountable, jumped into the river. Being above the ordinary business parts of the city, there were no boats at hand, except a few large and unmanageable wood- floats, which were carried to the relief of the sufferers, as soon as possible, by the few persons on the shore. "Many were drowned, however, before they could be rescued, and many sunk, who were never seen afterwards. There was one little boy on the shore who was seen wringing his hands in agony, im- ploring those present to save his father, mother and three sisters-all of whom were struggling in the water to gain the shore- but whom the little fellow had the awful misfortune to see perish, one by one, almost within his reach ; an infant child, belonging to the family, was picked up alive, floating down the river on one of the fragments of the hurricane deck.

The boat sunk about fifteen minutes after the explosion, leaving nothing to be seen but her chimneys and a small portion of her upper works.

The "Moselle" was crowded with pas- sengers from stem to stern, principally Ger- mans, bound to St. Louis. Nearly all on board (with the exception of those in the ladies' cabin) were killed or wounded. Most of the sufferers were among the hands of the boat and the steerage passengers. The cap- tain was thrown by the explosion into the street and was picked up dead and dreadfully mangled. Another man was forced through the roof of one of the neighboring houses ; the pilot was thrown about a hundred feet into the air, whence he fell and found his grave in the river ; and many were the limbs and other fragments of human bodies which were found scattered about upon the river and far along the shore. The number de- stroyed by the explosion was estimated at over 200 persons.

The Asiatic Cholera .- This dreaded pesti- lence first visited the United States in 1832 and broke out in October of that year. The total number of deaths by it in Cincinnati was, as reported, 351. [The most fatal year of its visitation was in 1849, when out of a population of 116,000 the total deaths were 8,500. The deaths among the Germans and Irish were one in sixteen persons and among the Americans one in fifty-six. The causes of these results were doubtless owing to the different modes of living. The greatest mor- tality was in the hot month of July, yet great fires were made in some streets, but the dis- ease went on with its fearful fatality and "the long funerals blackened all the way."]

The Great Freshet of February, 1832 .- The Ohio river commenced rising at this place about the 9th inst. On the 12th it be- gan to swell over the banks, and on the 14th many merehants and others near the river were compelled to remove their goods to the second story of their houses. It continued to rise rapidly till Saturday morning, February

18th, when it came to a stand, having risen sixty-three feet above low water mark. Dif- ferences of opinion exist as to its compara- tive height with the rises of 1792 and 1815. It is supposed to have been about five feet higher than in 1792 or 1815. About noon, on the 18th, it commenced falling very slowly, and yet continues to fall. In the course of two or three days it probably will be confined within its banks.

The rise was of the most distressing char. acter. It carried desolation into all the lower parts of the city. Hundreds of families were turned houseless upon the community. During the early part of the rise many in the lower part of the city were awakened at night by the water pouring in upon them and were obliged to fly ; others betook themselves to the upper stories and were brought away in boats the next morning. Many families continue to reside in the upper part of their dwellings, making use of boats in going from and returning to their stores and houses

We have heard of the death of but two in- dividuals, Mr. John Harding and Mr. Wil- liam Aulsbrook ; the former a man of family, the latter a single man. They were in the employ of Mr. William Tift, of this city, and lost their lives in endeavoring to keep the water out of his cellar. While at work the back wall of the building gave way ; the cellar filled in an instant and they were unable to get out. They both were very worthy men.

The water extended over abont thirty-five squares of the thickly settled part of the city, from John street on the west to Deer creek on the east, and north to Lower Market and Pearl streets. The distance of about a mile west of John street was likewise sub- merged. This part of the city, however, is but thinly settled.

The amount of damage sustained by mer- chants, owners of improved real estate and others cannot be correctly ascertained. Many houses have floated away, a great num- ber have moved from their foundations and turned over ; many walls have settled so as to injure the houses materially, and a great quantity of lumber and other property has floated off. The large bridge over the mouth of Mill creek floated away, and that over Deer creek is much injured. Thousands and tens of thousands of dollars worth of dry goods, groceries, etc., have been destroyed or materially injured. Business of almost every description was stopped; money became scarce, and wood and flour enormously high.

Active measures were taken by the citizens for the relief of the sufferers. A town meeting was held at the council chamber on the 15th inst. G. W. Jones was ap- pointed chairman and Samuel H. Goodin secretary. On motion a committee of fifteen (three from a ward) was appointed to take up collections for the relief of the sufferers, consisting of the following persons : E. Hulse, N. G. Pendleton, E. C. Smith, J. W. Gazlay, Jno. Wood, G. W. Jones, W. G. Orr, W.

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Holmes, A. Owen, P. Britt, J. Resor, O. Lovell and G. C. Miller.

A committee of vigilance was also ap- pointed, whose duty it was to remove per- sons and goods surrounded with water. The following persons composed that committee : J. Pierce, Wm. Phillips, Saml. Fosdick, Wm. Stephenson, Chas. Fox, Henry Tatem, I. A. Butterfield, Jas. McIntyre, N. M. Whitte- more, M. Coffin, Jas. McLean, J. Aumuck, J. D. Garard, A. G. Dodd and Fullom Perry.

T. D. Carneal, J. M. Mason, J. C. Avery, Chas. Fox and R. Buchanan were appointed a committee to procure shelter for those whose houses were rendered untenable. On motion it was resolved that persons who may need assistance be requested to make applica- tion to the council chamber, where members of the committee of vigilance shall rendez- vous and where one or more shall at all times remain for the purpose of affording relief. At a subsequent meeting twenty were added to the committee of vigilance.

It gives us pleasure to state that the mem- bers of the foregoing committees most faith- fully discharged their respective duties. A provision house was opened by the committee of vigilance, on Fourth street, where meats, bread, wood, clothes, etc., were liberally given to all who applied. The ladies sup- ported their well-known character for benevo- lence by contributing clothing and food to the sufferers. The committee appointed to collect funds found the citizens liberal in their donations. All who had vacant houses and rooms cheerfully appropriated them to the use of those made homeless. Public buildings, school-houses and basement stories of churches were appropriated to this pur- pose. Mr. Brown, of the amphitheatre, Mr. Franks, proprietor of the gallery of paint- ings, Mr. R. Letton, proprietor of the Mu- seum, appropriated the entire proceeds of their houses, the first on the night of the 17th ; the second on the 18th, and the third on that of the 20th, for the relief of the sufferers. The Beethoven society of sacred music also gave a concert for the same purpose, in the Second Presbyterian church, on Fourth street, on the night of the 24th.

Destruction of the Philanthropist news- paper printing office by a mob, July 30, 1836. -The paper had then been published in Cin- ciunati about three months, and was edited by James G. Birney. As early as the 14th of July, the press-room was broken open and the press and materials defaced and destroyed. July 23d a meeting of citizens was convened at the lower market-house "to decide whether they will permit the publication or distribution of abolition papers in this city." This meeting appointed a committee, which opened a correspondence with the conductors of that print-the executive committee of the Ohio Anti-slavery Society-requesting them to discontinue its publication. This effort being unsuccessful, the committee of citizens published the correspondence, to which they appended a resolution, in one clause of which

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 121

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 1006

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006