USA > Ohio > Champaign County > History of Champaign County, Ohio, Its People, Industries and Institutions, Volume I > Part 96
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coming year we will be able to pay fifteen thousand dollars due in April. In addition to this we have made extensions and are furnishing water to many who were deprived of this convenience. This will Increase the receipts quite a little. When this adminis- tration assumed control you were promised a 10 per cent. discount on the flat rate, if paid within a specified time. This resulted in the collection for the six months from April to October, 1916, of $9,542.78, being the largest collection ever made, and shows the advantage of the 10 per cent. discount, thus making it possible for the city to pay its water works bills promptly and save the discount on same.
The last itemized bill against the city by the old water works company available for six months from August 22, 1903, to February 22, 1904, was $4,550.75, or for the year. $0,101.50.
If the city had to pay into the water works fund now in proportion to the amount used and the number of hydrants, etc., allowing forty dollars each for the fire bydrants, instead of fifty dollars as paid to the old company the items would be as follows:
184 fire hydrants at $40.00. $ 7,360.00
9 water troughs at $125.00. 1,125.00
6 drinking fountains at $30.00.
160.00
City building
60.00
Second ward fire department
00.00
Fourth ward fire department
30.00
Sanitary sewer flush (est.)
2.207.00
Street flushing and sprinkling
1.000.00
Storm sewers, etc.
100.00
$12,122.00
Besides all this, all contractors, sanitary, paving, storm sewer, and others have been furnished water free, which probably had some bearing on their bids for this work, but if the city had not owned the water works, the contractors would have paid for water used, and knowing this, their bids would probably have been higher on that account.
The estimated number of gallons used for sanitary flushing is based on the number of flush tanks, the number of gallons it takes to flush each and the number of times they are supposed to flush each day, and at that, they are using more than estimated, flush. ing oftener than intended. The estimated number of gallons for flushing sanitary sewers, per year, is 22,075,200.
This year the amount to be collected will be $10,847.47 each six months, or $21.694.94 for the year. This is considerably in advance of any amount ever due. Thus it will be seen the income is increasing each year, and another reduction in rates will be possible some time in the future.
There has been added during the year these new mains and extensions: 597 feet on South Kenton; 782 feet on South Kenton from Henry to Park avenue: 970 feet on East Market from Locust to Happersett: 737 feet at the Urbana Packing Company ; 400 feet on Happersett from Market to Water; 181 feet on Washington avenue: 454 feet on Free- man avenue; 561 feet at the W. B. Marvin plant: 755 feet on West Court; making a total of 5,037 feet. not Including the service connections made on the paved streets. Ten new fire hydrants have been added for the better protection from fire in these sections. The wisdom of the city in operating its own water plant can be seen in these figures. We have reason to feel a pride in the success of our own water system.
During the year bonds have been paid as follows :- $10,000 Urbana Water Works; $5,000 Natural Gas Refunding, being the last of those bonds. $3,000 Miami street bridge
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
and $1,500 Market street bridge bonds, being the last bonds of these two bridges. Then there was paid $15,505 of special assessment bonds that became due. Another matter of good judgment was the settlement of the suit of Royal & Cook of $5,446.15. This suit grew out of extras and changes in the sewerage contract, and the amount they claimed due them. The suit was settled by the city paying 8500.00. This was an excel lent settlement on the part of the city, as it would have cost that amount to defend the case, to say nothing of the uncertainty of a judgment being rendered adversely.
On the whole the year has been fruitful of good works. Harmony and good will prevails in all departments. We can look back over 1916 and feel a just pride in the accomplishments of needed improvements. We can look into the coming year of 1917 with happy anticipation of the good deeds that we will be called upon to perform. Let our watchword be economy in all departments so that when the year ends we will be able to give a good account of our stewardship.
In concluding this review I want to express my appreciation to the members of this council, to the heads of departments and all employees for their courteous treatment during the year, and wishing all a happy and prosperous new year.
Respectfully submitted,
January 1, 1917.
GEORGE A. TALBOTT, Mayor.
CITY INDEBTEDNESS.
The statement of Mayor Talbott concerning the finances of the city in 1916 suggests a review of the debt history of the city. In 1880 the city had a debt of only $32,275, which, by 1890, had increased to $73,568. Between 1890 and 1900 the city accumulated an enormous debt, due to its efforts to enter the natural-gas field. The $272,000 debt charged against the city in 1900 represents the city's investment in natural gas, although by that year the city had paid off a considerable amount of that indebtedness. By 1910 the debt had been decreased to $97,050, but by 1914 it had risen to nearly half a million, the amount for that year being $476,260. This rapid increase in the indebtedness of the city was due to the installation of a sewerage system and sewage-disposal plant and the purchase of the water- works plant. By 1915 the debt had increased to $623,555, and at the close of 1916 it had increased to $687.769.49.
URBANA'S POCKETBOOK.
The general public is lazy-minded. Whenever it turns through the pages of a periodical, a departmental report, or a newspaper, a long set of financial statistics proves too formidable for its mental digestive apparatus, and these are passed over as being too dry for reading.
The laws of the commonwealth demand that every financial institution issue a true, itemized report of its liabilities and resources at regular inter-
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
vals for the perusal of the public; but very few persons give these state- ments any more than passing attention. Since people have this attitude, we need not be surprised that they are often taken unaware when a bank or trust company fails, carrying with it the hard-earned savings of its depositors.
Again, we hear much discussion of rottenness in municipal govern- ment. It is doubtful that the goods-box discussion league of the drug store forum ever considers that such a condition arises through the fault of the people who do not keep sufficient check on the financial reports of the city government. The American citizen wants automatic government; a penny- in-the-slot machine whose plunger he pushes in on election day and then expects the machine to do the rest during the next city administration. He takes no cognizance of the fact that the machinery may go awry at times and may need repairing. It is only on election day that he attempts to use his head, and then he too often does a sorry job of it, since he fre- quently is confused by the long list of candidates, many of whom he has never heard, and the greater number of whom he has never seen. Yet these good citizens look askance whenever any graft is unearthed in the municipal government, and then place the blame on their neighbors for not doing their duty, or especially on the offending official. If the voter keeps a check upon the finances of his city government, he saves money for him- self and his neighbors, does his duty as a citizen of the municipality, and saves the official from yielding to the temptation of taking advantage of the public's gullibility.
The commonwealth of Ohio has sought to help the people by estab- lishing a vigilant state board of accountants, which keeps expert check on local officials. But why should not the people interest themselves in better municipal government? They should remember that the government is their government, which spends their money; and that the city officials are their servants, whose intentions are, with few exceptions, to give their employers value received for the salaries paid them.
Urbans is indeed fortunate in having such a responsible city government, for it adopted the commission form of municipal government in 1903. It has, moreover, an excellent corps of city officials whose intention is to serve their employers-the people-to the fullest extent of their ability. This con- dition is reflected in the efficient administration which the citizens now enjoy.
The auditor of the city, Horace M. Crow, has painstakingly prepared a complete statement of the city's finances for 1916, beginning on January I and ending on December 31. The citizens of the municipality should give
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
this valuable report their careful attention and study. The historian has summarized the finances of each fund separately wherein the first balance is that of January I, and the second that of December 31. Finally, an attempt has been made to give a general statement of the city's finances.
General Fund.
Balance
$ 7.764.40
Receipts
4,951.25
Total receipts and balance
$ 12,715.65
Total expenditures
6,522.15
Balance
$ 6,193.50
Public Safety Fund.
Balance
$ 1.04
Total receipts
17,193.49
Total receipts and balance
17,194.53
Total expenditures
15,944.96
Balance
1,294.57
Public Health Fund.
Balance
$ 311.50
Total receipts
1,893.74
Total receipts and balance
2,205.24
Total expenditures
2,145.52
Balance 59.72
Public Service Fund.
Balance
$ 356.79
Total receipts
38,612.85
Total receipts and balance
38,969.64
Total expenditures
38,799.1I
Balance
170.53
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
Library Fund.
Total receipts $ 1,904.72
Total expenditures
1,904.72
Balance
City Waterworks.
Balance
$ 6,411.02
Total receipts
19.397.47
Total receipts and balance 25,808.49
Total expenditures
24.929.25
Balance
$ 879.24
Cemetery Fund.
Balance
$ 2,326.41
Total receipts
5,501.92
Total receipts and balance $ 7,828.33
Total expenditures
6,169.11
Balance
$ 1.659.22
Cemetery Trust Fund.
Balance
$ 1,275.00
Total receipts
225.00
Total receipts and balance $ 1,500.00
Total expenditures
. .
Balance
$ 1.500.00
Sanitary Sewer Fund.
Balance
$ 10,257.64
Total receipts
1,854-75
Total receipts and balance
$ 12,112.39
Total expenditures 11,097.46
Balance
$ 1,014.93
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
General Sinking Fund.
Balance
$ 4,386.73
Total receipts 42,046.73
Total balance and receipts $ 46,433.46
Total expenditures
44,268.89
Balance
$ 2,164.57
Special Assessment Fund.
Balance
$ 5,924.78
Total receipts
132,813.40
Total balance and receipts
$138,737.18
Total expenditures
137,623.83
Balance
$ 1,114.35
Special Assessment Sinking Fund.
Balance
$ 7,986.77
Total receipts
53,011.29
Total balance and receipts
$ 60,998.06
Total expenditures
59,138.86
Balance
$ 1,859.20
Summary of City's Finances.
Fund
Receipts Expenditures
General
$ 4,951.25
$ 6,522.15
Safety
17,193.49
15,944.96
Health
1,893.74
2,145.52
Service
38,612.74
38,799.11
Waterworks
19,397.47
24,929.25
Cemetery
5,501.92
6,169.11
Cemetery trust
225.00
Library
1,907.72
1,907.72
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
Special assessment
132,813.40
137,623.83
Sewer
1,854-75
11,097.46
General sinking fund
42,046.73
44,268.89
Special assessment sinking . . 53,011.29
59,138.86
Total transactions
$319,406.61
$348,543.86
Temporary accounts
36,685.85
36,685.85
Actual transactions
$282,720.76
$311,858.01
Actual receipts of year
$282,720.76
Actual expenditures of year
311,858.01
Excess of expenditures $ 29,137.25
Balance, December 31, 1916-
General city funds
.$12,341.06
Sinking funds
4,023.77
Trust funds
1,500.00
$17,864.83
Deduct sinking fund
4,023.77
$13,841.06
Deduct trust fund
1.500.00
Balance general city funds
.$12,341.06
Add outstanding orders
282.27
Treasurer's cash balance
$12,623.33
COMPARATIVE STATEMENT OF EXPENDITURES.
It will be of interest to Urbanians to compare the expenditures of the city government for the last five years. The following table shows the annual expenditures from each fund for these five fiscal years :
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
FUND.
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
General
5,485.94
$ 4,506.87
$
5,603.85
$ 6,314.94
$ 6,522.15
Safety
10,441.65
8,498.14
10,207.96
10,498.57
15,944.96
Health
1,116.38
1,191.30
712.65
1,319.46
2,145.52
Service
20,365.51
23,500.03
23,678.93
45,668.46
38,799.11
Waterworks
34,548.01
21,038.08
23,423.18
14,421.27
24,929.25
Cemetery
4,070.74
6,156.05
6,210.58
4,923.05
6,169.11
Cemetery trust
162.52
Sewer
2,368.94
46,965.65
73,898.81
50,017.67
11,097.46
Special assessment
17,438.51
19,636.84
60,792.93
131,195.81
137,623.83
General sinking
33,827.42
40,700.53
40,941.05
40,910.92
44,268.89
Special assessment sinking.
1,729.83
6,237.81
13,503.15
48,261.12
59,138.86
Library
1,405.73
1,549.71
1,361.68
1,621.59
1,904.72
Total
$132,961.18
$179,981.01
$260,334.77
$355,152.86
$348,543.86
HOW THE DOLLAR IS USED.
But withal, the expense of the corporation should not bear so heavily upon the taxpayers. The municipal rate in Urbana is seven and four-tenths mills per dollar, hence one dollar in taxes pays the levy on property assessed at $135.14. Let us trace the path of this dollar. One-tenth of a cent pays the mayor, the council and their corps of assistants. Nine and five-tenths cents polices the city and sends the fire department hurrying to your home when you have need of it. Eight-tenths of a cent sends the health minions of the city in quest of the wily microbe. Twenty-one and three-tenths cents repairs the streets and keeps them clean, lights the wary pedestrian home- ward on a dark night, and prevents frog ponds of the days of yore from form- ing in the public square after a rain. Two and nine-tenths cents opens up the public library with its treasures of the printed word to the children of Urbana. Of this one dollar, not one cent is spent for water, or for a place to lay the Urbanian when he is ushered out of this existence. All going con- cerns must pay their debts and the municipality has a large one for a city of its size. Of this dollar, thirteen and six-tenths cents goes to the sinking fund and twenty-four and seven-tenths cents is applied to the debt. At times cer- tain exigencies arise which demand a vote of money by the city council and this requires twenty-seven and one-tenth cents. Thus the dollar is com- pletely used up.
URBANA, 1815-1830.
The history of the town from the close of the War of 1812 to the year 1830 was uneventful. A few industries arose which are treated in the sec- tion devoted to the industries, but no untoward events happened. The village was incorporated in 1816 and this aroused a certain amount of civic pride and it may be imagined that the town then took a certain pride in fixing up the
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
streets and sidewalks. But the year 1830 was one which is still recalled by the older citizens of the city; not that they were living at the time, but that the events of that memorable year so stamped themselves on the people then living that they kept talking about them for years afterward. The particular event of that year which marked an epoch in the town was the tornado of March 22. A vivid description of the catastrophe was written by Judge William Patrick and it is his account which is reproduced in this connection. One of his accounts of the tornado appears in the "History of Champaign and Logan Counties" of 1871 (p. 421) and another account from his hand was printed in the Champaign Democrat, March 25, 1880.
THE TORNADO OF 1830.
Monday, March 22, 1830, was a memorable day for Urbana. It was mild and pleas- ant in the early morning, but at about 10 or 11 o'clock it began to baze with fitful south- western breezes, with alternate sunshine and flitting clouds, until about 2 o'clock P. M., when a small, black, dense cloud could be seen low down in the southwestern horizon, which gradually ascended and rapidly approached at a seeming angle of about thirty degrees. Spectators were attracted by its marked singularity in many respects. It moved, enlarged, and expanded in quick darting swoops, and zig-zag gyrations, up. down, and horizontally, with quick, whirling evolutions, and seemed to emit dazzling bright electrical scintillations, producing the most gaudy fringe-work of which humanity can conceive. As it neared, for a few moments, all nature seemed to be hushed-not a ripple of air could be felt. The heavens seemed to hang out a dark pall, and all seemed to be Immersed in one general gloom. When suddenly the scene changed from a death- like silence, and a breathless calm, to a most terrific and appalling spectacle. The whole heavens were in tumultuous commotion. The Storm King in awful grandeur, rode majestically, wrapt in his cloud panoply to the music of the screeching, howling, and horrific roar of the elements, bearing up in his track in mid-air, trees, lumber, fence- rails, timber, shingles, gates, haystacks and all manner of debris, as trophies of his vast and mighty power in the demolition of nature's garniture, and the results of man's labor.
The awful sublimity of the scene can not be impressed upon the mind of any one who did not witness it. And in much less time than the above can be read, the whole force of the tornado seemed to dart down like forked lightning upon the town-picking up and demolishing a small brick building on the northeast corner of John A. Mosgrove's homestead lot, occupied by Richard Baker; unroofing the Luce House on the corner of West Main and Russell streets, then with one concentrated swoop dipped Into the Town branch, in the present foundry yard, cleaning out all the water and sediment in its wake; then ascending, whirled and scattered J. B. Eaker's frame house, standing near the front yard of J. M. Gardener, unroofing a log house of old James Hulse, which stood in the rear of the present Lutheran church, destroying all the stables In this vicinity. Then as if imbued with mercy, the cloud leaped over without injury to two or three small frames, near where Colonel Johnson now lives, occupied by J. E. Chaplin and others, demolishing in front, a pillared street market-house; and then taking up a hip- roofed, steepled brick Presbyterian church, on the present site of the court house- erumbling it to its foundation, carrying the steeple and other timbers long distances. some of which struck what is known as the Hamilton House, leaving the marks to this day; then with a bound, this last-named house was partly unroofed, and a part of its
977
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
walls prostrated, unroofing at the same time the house of Joseph Reppart, now occupied by Mrs. James Brown.
Here in its wild freak, the tornado seemed to sever itself, and a part of it struck and unroofed a log house then owned and occupied by William Downs ( Mason), drawing or rather sucking out the north wall from its solld corners of the old brick M. E. church, evidently caused by a vacuum produced by the action of the storm, and laid it out in a straight line without even separating the masonry to any considerable extent.
The other segment of the tornado struck the house of Rolin J. Harvey, near the present residence of Mrs. Heylin and prostrated it to the ground. Then it whirled into fragments a new frame house, occupied by George Bell (school teacher) a little east of the present residence of Dr. Houston.
Would to God it were only necessary to record the demolition of property; but oh, no; the spirit of the storm here transformed itself into an angel of death, and seized four innocent, beautiful and interesting children, one a little infant, as victims to the dark domain, and secured them as additional trophies, in the retinue of the Storm King, carrying their lifeless bodies immense distances in mid air; and not content with this sacrifice, hurled Mrs. Bell several rods, maiming her for life, and at the same time greatly injured a little girl who happened at the house, who is now a respectable lady of this city, and who carrles the evidence of it to this day.
Here the two segments of the storm again coalesced; leaving the residence of Jerry Mathis untouched, which stood in the present front yard of Jerry Deuel, and next picked up the brick residence of Charles Mathis, (on the spot where Mrs. West now lives, ) and crumbled it to the lower floor, leaving Mrs. Mathis sitting with a small child in her arms, surrounded with the wreck of the house, uninjured and unscathed, as a seeming atonement for the work of death at the last named place, and then veered north and demolished the oll-mill of John Mathis, destroying his whole stock of castor beans, etc.
At this point the tornado left our town, pursuing its tumbling, pitching, swooping course through the Ryan woods, hurling, twisting and up-rooting the largest trees; on, yet on it sped, ascending and descending, touching the earth, here and there, at unequal distancea, leaving a track of some twenty yards wide when it came in contact with the earth throughout the state of Ohio, nearly destroying a small town In Richland county, reaching a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania at about 5 o'clock the same after. noon at the unparalled speed of about one hundred and fifty miles per hour.
You need not tell me, gentle reader, that my effort is a failure; I know It. I feel it, but console myself with the reflection that no uninspired pen, however ably wielded, can do Justice to such a subject. I have failed to catalogue all the destruction in the town: some thirty buildings, Including stables, etc., were either partially or totally demolished in the wake of the storm, besides many chimneys and other fixtures in other parts of the town.
I ought to speak of one incident which I passed. I have already spoken of the Hamilton House: it was in process of erection and Elijah Wolfkill and another car- penter were in it, and were entirely burled with the crumbled part of one of the walls and were only saved by crouching under their work bench, which held up the weight of brick and mortar.
I might here extend many diversified incidents, some very and, some mirthful, and some indeed laughably ludicrous, but will forbear, and will close by merely saying that immediately after the catastrophe the citizens of the town, and many from the country. met with the council and Immediately Inaugurated measures of relief to the sufferers, and early next morning, marshaled under chosen lenders, commenced the reconstruction of the buildings that the havoc of the storm had demolished. Merchants, blacksmiths,
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CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
tailors, shoemakers, hatters, tinnera, saddlers, wheelwrights, tanners, pumpmakers, cabi- net-makers, potters, gunsmiths, and indeed all classes were metamorphosed into car- penters, plasterers and brickmasons, and those who could not labor furnished means necessary, such as shingles, nails, glass, lumber, etc. Also in addition to contributions from our own citizens, the people of Dayton and perhaps some other neighboring towns, contributed and placed In the hands of the town council handsome sums of money for distribution; all the unfortunate families were again provided with new homes and many indeed in less than a month were in better condition than before the storm; thus order and comfort were restored by united effort.
It is easy to imagine how the citizens of the town for years after this event referred to it. and how it became the year from which future events were figured. "Before the year of the tornado," or "after the year of the tornado" were common expressions for many years, and even to the year 1917 the older citizens still refer to the tornado of 1830.
Other than the incident of the tornado the town proceeded on its way from 1816 to 1848 with a steady growth. Population statistics prior to 1860 are very meagre and an attempt to follow the growth of the town since 1805 mathematically involves the historian in difficulty.
EARLY POPULATION OF URBANA.
When Urbana was platted in 1805 the family of Thomas Pearce was the only one on the site of the town. The census of 1810 included it in the township. The report of that year is not now available. In 1811 William Patrick arrived in the town and he enumerated about forty families, which indicated that the town had a population of not less than two hundred and probably nearer three hundred. Population figures for 1816, the year the town was incorporated, have not been found, but the town then probably numbered at least five hundred, its growth during the preceding five years being quickened by the War of 1812. The tax duplicate of the village of Urbana in 1818 gave the total amount of taxes for that year as one hundred and twelve dollars fourteen and one-half cents. The rate was twelve and one-half cents on the one hundred dollars. This, however, gives no clue as to the number of taxpayers. The return shows that William Wooley owned the only female dog in town and that he was taxed five dollars for the same. A gazetteer of Ohio published in 1819 gives the town a population of six hun- dred, and states that it contained one hundred and twenty houses. 1820 has left no record which can be found, although it is recorded that only twenty- eight votes were cast in Urbana township at the Presidential election on November 3. 1820. The census taken in the year of the tornado (1830) gives Urbana township a population at that time of 2,456. Undoubtedly at
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