History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 24

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302

USA > Ohio > Crawford County > History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 24

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159

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

and in 1890 their usefulness and necessity for pike building was so apparent that the people were as unanimous for pikes as they had been against them. The financial depression of 1893 put a stop to the work, but after better times came, pikes were again taken up and their building was only limited to the amount of tax the various townships would stand for road purposes.

It was not only the country that had the bad roads, but city streets were frequently im- passible, for in the spring of 1893, the hearse of a funeral procession was stalled on Center street, sinking hub deep in the mire, and the pall bearers were compelled to take the casket, in which was the little child, and carry it to the cemetery. It was the finishing stroke and that year Center street was paved.

In 1898 the three townships of Bucyrus, Holmes and Whetstone entered into a joint arrangement for the piking of roads. Other townships were doing it singly and in the past twenty years over 300 miles of improved roads have been constructed, distributed among the various townships as follows :

Square Miles Mile Pike

Auburn

.26

123/4

Bucyrus

.36

401/2

Chatfield

.30

1614

Cranberry

281/2

Dallas

.22

Holmes

Jackson

153/4

Jefferson

.20

Liberty

.321/2

Lykins

.30

191/2

Polk

251/2

Sandusky

I1/2 6

Texas

Tod

Vernon

.22

Whetstone

.42

361/2

The above is exclusive of 15 miles of brick streets in Bucyrus, Creathive and Galion.

In 1830 a number of the citizens of Craw- ford, Seneca, Huron, Delaware, Logan, Clark and Champaign counties presented a petition to the legislature for a charter to build a rail- road from Sandusky to Dayton, with a branch to Columbus. The committee to whom it was referred reported it back without any recom- mendation. The road contemplated horses as the motive power, and the cost was estimated at $4,842 per mile, including the bar or strap iron for the track. It was this road that was

built in 1840 to 1845, the Mad River and Lake Erie, the first road built in the state, and it passed through the Wyandot portion of Craw- ford county.

In 1832, charters were granted to eleven roads in Ohio, and of these four were through Crawford county.

Jan. 5, 1832, the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. (Built in 1840-45.) Among those petitioning for the charter were E. B. Merriman and John Cary of Crawford.

Feb. 3, 1832, the Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad Company from Pittsburg to Massil- lon. (Twenty years later this road was com- pleted to Crestline. )

Feb. 8, 1832, the Delaware, Marion and Sandusky Railroad, from Columbus, through Delaware, Marion and Bucyrus to Sandusky. Among the incorporators were E. B. Merri- man, Zalmon Rowse, John Cary, Joseph Chaf- fee, Joseph Mccutchen and Henry St. John of Crawford. (Sixty years passed before this road was built by the children and grandchil- dren of the early pioneers. )

Feb. II, 1832, the Milan and Columbus road, from Milan to New Haven past Galion to Mt. Gilead and on to Columbus, the old Portland stage route. E. B. Merriman was one of the incorporators. (This road was partially built, as later the C. C. & C. was chartered, follow- ing the route from Columbus to Galion, and then going northeast to reach the lake at Cleveland instead of Sandusky. )

These roads were undoubtedly to be ope- rated by horse power, as the charters provided for the erection of toll houses, and people were to be permitted to go over the road with proper and suitable carriages of their own.

In 1836 a charter was granted to the Cleve- land, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, and in 1837 to the Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania Railroad. Feb. 8, 1847, the charter of the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati was amended so as to allow it to construct branches. At the same session a law was passed allow- ing counties and towns to subscribe for the stock of a railroad company providing the people voted favorably on the proposition.

Feb, 24, 1848, the Ohio and Pennsylvania was incorporated and on the same date the Bellefontaine and Indiana, and on March 20, 1850, the Ohio and Indiana was incorporated.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

A charter was also granted at this time for a road from Bucyrus to Toledo, but nothing was done with it. A generation later it was built as the Atlantic and Lake Erie, now the Toledo and Ohio Central, owned by the Lake Shore Company.

It was nearly twenty years from the time the first charters were granted until, with one or two exceptions, work resulted in the build- ing of railroads. Crawford county citizens had taken an active part in the promotion of the various railroad projects, but it was the Ohio and Indiana road which was strictly a Crawford county organization, in fact, pro- moted, built, and put in operation by Craw- ford county citizens, especially those of Bucy- rus. The incorporators of the road in 1850 were John Anderson, George Lauck, Willis Merriman, Robert Lee, John Frantz, Josiah S. Plants, John J. Bowman, George Quinby, John Simms, John A. Gormley, Z. Rowse, Aaron Carey and C. Widman of Crawford county, and D. Ayres, R. McKelley and H. Peters of Wyandot.

At this time the Mad River road was in operation from Sandusky to Cincinnati, through Wyandot county, and a road through Richland county from Sandusky through Mansfield to Mt. Vernon and Newark. Be- tween these two the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati was nearing completion, through eastern Crawford. When the charter of the last named road was originally granted the Bucyrus incorporators were strongly favor- able to its going through Bucyrus, but the people at that time, not knowing the value of railroads, offered no special inducements, and put forth a very feeble effort to secure the road. A proposition was submitted to the voters of Crawford county at the spring elec- tion of 1846 to empower the commissioners to subscribe for $50,000 stock in the road but it was voted down: Yes, 361, No, 1,507; ma- jority against, 1,146. Galion voted to take $15,000 stock in the new road and it was lo- cated through that town. Work was com- menced immediately and it was pushed rap- idly, as in April, 1850, the stockholders were called upon to pay $10 per share on their ninth assessment. In May of 1850, Alfred Kelly, the president of the road, announced that he had just succeeded in purchasing, in

England, 5,000 tons of rails for the new road. It was later in this year that cars were running to Galion. The opening of the road was on Feb. 21, 1851, and on that day by invitation of President Kelly, the Ohio legislature and other prominent people were the guests of the road on the first regular train from Columbus to Cleveland, the first railroad train in Crawford county.

Soon after this, death reaped his first re- corded harvest in this county from this new method of locomotion. It is thus mentioned in the "Crawford County Forum" of April 4, 1851 :

Man Killed-On the 26th ult., the cars on the Cleve- land and Columbus Railroad ran over a man who was lying on the track, severing his head from his body. The man was recognized (we did not learn his name), and subject to fits, and is supposed to have fallen on the track. The engineer, as soon as he saw him, reversed the engine, but it was too late to save him. The ac- cident happened near Galion.

As early as April, 1851, the road was run- ning three passenger trains each way per day, one a fast train called the "Empire State or Buckeye State Express."

The citizens of Galion early appreciated the value of railroads, for on May 24, 1850, the citizens of Polk township decided by a large majority to take $10,000 in stock in the Belle- fontaine and Indiana Railroad, to run from Crestline to Indianapolis. The Bellefontaine and Indiana was 118 miles long, starting from the main road of the C. C. & C. at Crestline, and running southwest to the Indiana line. In 1852, the company issued a prospectus of the contemplated road, which is interesting as showing the cost of road building in those days and also the prospective business. From this prospectus the following facts are taken:

Road 118 1-5 miles in length.

Cost of grading and masonry, 118 1-5 miles at $4,000 $472,800

Five miles double track at $2,000. 10,000

Railway superstructure, 118 1-5 miles at $7,900 933,780

Railway superstructure, five miles sidings at $7,900 39,500

Right of way 12,600

$1,468,680

The capital stock was $2,000,000.

The following was the estimated income to be derived from the new road :

75 passengers each way at $3.00. . .. $450

100 through passengers, estimated one-half dis-

tance, at $1.50. 300

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

100 tons freight, each way, at $3.60. 720

100 tons freight, half way, at $1.80 360

Transportation, mails and sundries. 50

Total per day. $1,880

Deduct 40 per cent., repairs and expenses 752

Net income per day $1,128 313 days in year at $1,128 per day, $353,064, or about 20 per cent. on investment.

The above shows that in those days it was not customary or even contemplated to run trains on Sunday. The Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark road was completed as far as Mansfield as early as 1846, and John Hoover of Mansfield, who was one of the early con- ductors on that road, states that in the long ago something had gone wrong with the en- gine a few miles north of Shelby. By the time the engineer had his engine in running order again night was upon them and they sought lodgings for the night at a farm house near by. A passenger suggested that if they had a big lantern a man might carry it ahead and the train follow him to Shelby. This was looked upon as absurd and the man who sug- gested it viewed with pity, if not with con- tempt, for who ever heard of a train of cars running after night! *

In 1852 the railroads in Ohio were the fol- lowing :

Cleveland and Columbus; from Cleveland, through Galion and Columbus and then to Cin- cinnati.

Sandusky, Mansfield and Newark; from Sandusky to Newark.

Mad River and Lake Erie; from Sandusky to Tiffin, Carey, Bellefontaine and Dayton.

Columbus to Newark, Zanesville and Wheeling.

Cleveland to Alliance.

Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton; com- pleted from Cincinnati to Sidney.

Lake Shore; completed from Toledo east to mouth of Sandusky river; building to San- dusky.

Ohio and Pennsylvania ; completed to Mans- field; building to Crestline.

Ohio and Indiana; building from Crestline to Fort Wayne.

Bellefontaine and Indiana; building from Galion to Indianapolis.

In the map of 1852, giving the above roads, *Baughman's History of Richland county.

Galion is spelled "Galeon," and Crestline is two words, "Crest Line."

It was on Feb. 24, 1848, that the charter was granted under which the Ohio and Penn- sylvania was built, the old Pittsburg, Fort Wayne and Chicago road. In the spring of 1848 a vote was taken in Crawford county, and carried, authorizing the county commis- sioners to subscribe for $100,000 of stock in the road. The Ohio and Pennsylvania, which was building, found difficulty in raising suffi- cient funds to complete their road through Ohio to the Indiana line. It was all they could do to handle the eastern half of the state. As a result a number of the business men of Bucyrus secured a charter for the building of the Ohio and Indiana railroad. The Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati road was in operation, and the charter of the Ohio and Indiana called for its building from "a point on the Cleveland, Columbus and Cin- cinnati road near Seltzer's tavern in Richland county, thence to Bucyrus, to Upper Sandusky, thence by a route to be determined to the In- diana line and to Ft. Wayne."

In March, 1850, Hon. C. K. Ward, the member of the legislature from Crawford, se- cured the passage of an act allowing the county commissioners of Crawford county, to subscribe the $100,000 voted to the Ohio and Pennsylvania road in 1848, to "any other rail- road passing through the town of Bucyrus."

The county commissioners were Peter Con- kle, Phares Jackson and Sidney Holt. The records of the Crawford county commis- sioners of June 7, 1850, show: "This day the county commissioners subscribed for stock in the Ohio and Indiana railroad company to the amount of $100,000, on condition said com- pany shall agree to receive the bonds of said county, bearing interest at the rate of six per centum per annum from date thereof, at par, in payment of said stock subscribed as afore- said." At the same meeting they authorized a tax to be levied of $650 for railroad purposes.

On Sept. 2, 1850, they issued the first ten bonds of $1,000 each; then legal complications arose and it took many months to compromise the trouble, but eventually the matter was har- monized, and at their November meeting of 1852 the balance of the bonds were issued. J. N. Frye had succeeded Peter Conkle as com-

162

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

missioner in December of 1851, but on account of his health attended but few meetings, and when it came to the signing of the bonds he had to sign by proxy as witness the following :

"I hereby authorize and empower A. M. Jackson to sign my name to all railroad bonds that the other com- missioners of Crawford County are willing to sign their names to.

"West Liberty, Nov. 19th, 1852.

"J. N. FRYE."

Mr. Jackson was county auditor at the time, and while the proxy was not in the legal phraseology of today it said exactly what the writer wanted to say and the bonds were is- sued, and accepted.

In April, 1850, the books were opened to secure subscriptions for the new road at the business places of George Lauck, John Ander- son, Willis Merriman and John J. Bowman in Bucyrus, and Robert Lee and John Frantz in Leesville. On May 4, a meeting was held in the interest of the road. Samuel Myers was chairman and Andrew Failor secretary. The object of the meeting was stated by J. S. Plants and remarks were made by S. R. Har- ris, Willis Merriman, Samuel Myers and J. S. Plants of Bucyrus, and Robert McKelly and H. Peters of Upper Sandusky. A liberal amount of money was subscribed to the stock of the road, and a resolution passed soliciting the county commissioners to subscribe the $100,000 to the road.

The township trustees decided to submit to a vote the question of Bucyrus township sub- scribing for $15,000 worth of stock in the new road. The constable, Lewis Stevenson, issued the call for the election, but there was pro- nounced opposition, and the friends of the road believing it might interfere with their securing the $100,000 already voted, the elec- tion was not held

On July 4, 1850, the stockholders of the road met at the courthouse and elected Wil- lis Merriman, George Quinby, Henry Peters, Franklin Adams, Jacob Augustein and Josiah S. Plants as directors, and the next day the board organized by electing Willis Merriman, president, George Lauck, secretary, and John A. Gormly, treasurer. And by July 26, the surveyors were at work locating the route from "at or near Seltzer's tavern" to Bucyrus. Another survey was made, commencing at the C. C. & C. at Galion and passing through

the southern part of Bucyrus, along what is now Lucas street. This was the favorite route of the directors and of the engineer, as the more level ground made the cost of construc- tion much less. President Merriman had sev- eral meetings with the Ohio and Pennsyl- vania officials over the crossing point, the eastern road favoring the crossing point north of Seltzer's on account of cheaper construc- tion, the western road favoring Galion. In October President Merriman reported that the Ohio and Pennsylvania had decided to make their western terminus at a point on the C. C. & C. road, called Crest Line, three and one- half miles northeast of Galion. He stated the Pennsylvania and Ohio would reach Massillon by June, 1851, and Crest Line in two years. That the arrangement was for the Ohio and Indiana to commence their road at a point near Seltzer's tavern. The country west of Mans- field was such that the Pennsylvania and Ohio preferred crossing the C. C. & C. track about two miles northeast of Crestline, but to accom- modate the Ohio and Indiana and the Belle- fontaine and Indiana the Pennsylvania com- pany reluctantly consented to make the point at Crest Line, providing the Ohio and Indi- ana road would construct their road to Bucy- rus, commencing at Crest Line. And the Bellefontaine and Indiana railway also com- mence at Crest Line, and the Pennsylvania and Ohio will build no further west. Merriman then adds : "A railroad from Bucyrus to Gal- ion could be constructed cheaper than to Crest Line, but if Galion is adopted as the eastern terminus, the Ohio and Pennsylvania will cross two miles northeast of Crest Line and later extend west on a line that will par- allel the Ohio and Indiana. Crest Line was the southern ultimatum of the Ohio and Penn- sylvania, and the Ohio and Indiana must con- nect at that point."

The $10,000 in bonds issued by the commis- sioners in September Mr. Merriman announced he had sold in New York "at good prices."

Then came the trouble in the court. An in- junction was secured at Tiffin before Judge Bowen restraining the commissioners from the further issue of bonds, Josiah Scott and J. D. Sears being the attorneys for the commission- ers. Commenting on the injunction allowed by Judge Bowen, the "Forum" said: "Deep

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

are the murmurings against Judge Bowen for his decision in this case, while in the portion of the county remote from the seat of justice the news will be received with joy."

On Feb. II, 1851, President Merriman re- ported to the directors that the cost of grading and bridging for the Ohio and Indiana road and getting the roadbed ready for the rails was $3,000 per mile.

The opposers of the road were still active and endeavored to have the legislature re- peal the act which gave the commissioners power to buy stock in the road, and Represen- tative Ward presented a petition signed by 335 citizens of the county against the repeal. Mr. Ward's influence was such that the Legis- lature took no action.

In April a motion was heard to dissolve the injunction but it was overruled, and in June the case came before the supreme court, and they announced they would reserve their de- cision until December, the directors deciding, however, to continue their work on the road. On April 8, 1852, at Bucyrus, the contract was let for the grading of the road from Crest Line to Upper Sandusky, the contracts being let in sections of one mile each, the object be- ing to have the work completed as soon as pos- sible. Of the 29 sections between Crest Line and Upper Sandusky over two-thirds went to Bucyrus parties.

January 2, 1852, Jesse R. Straughan, the engineer in charge of the construction, re- ported that on the Ohio and Pennsylvania the grading was completed from Pittsburg to one mile east of Wooster. That part from Pitts- burg to Alliance, 81 miles, was completed and in use, except nine miles. From Massillon east the iron was being laid and the road would be working about January 25, when track lay- ing will be extended to Wooster, which will take about sixty days. From Wooster to Crestline a force is at work on the heavy sec- tions. The lighter sections are about com- pleted and timber in progress of preparation. By April next the distance of staging on direct route from Bucyrus will be 86 miles, and in twelve months the railroad will be completed to Crestline, and the Ohio and Indiana can be permitted to begin.

In January, 1852, Franklin Adams suc- ceeded George Lauck as secretary of the road.

The supreme court also this month rendered their decision in the injunction case of James Griffith against the commissioners. It did not meet the point at issue, but made the evasive decision that the supreme court had no juris- diction while the suit was pending in the com- mon pleas court. The matter was therefore returned to the court of common pleas, and as stated above a satisfactory settlement was made with Griffith and the bonds issued.

The legal point involved in this case was as to the constitutionality of the law allowing a majority to vote public money to a railroad. It was settled later in a case from another county that such a law was constitutional. On this question, in 1852, Judge Spaulding held that "the legislature has no constitutional power to authorize a majority of citizens in a county to vote subscription of stock to a rail- road company that shall be binding on the property of the minority." Judge Spaulding was alone in this view, but his minority opinion is the law today, showing "the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner."

During the year 1852 railroad matters at Bucyrus moved along at high pressure. In January the directors held their annual meet- ing at that village lasting four days, and let the contract to William Mitchell & Co. for the construction of the entire road from Crestline to Fort Wayne, he to furnish everything ex- cept the rails and rolling stock, and to com- mence work between Crestline and Bucyrus as soon as the individual subscriptions amounted to $45,000. The subscriptions at that time were about half that amount. It was also de- cided people could pay for their stock in land at a cash value to be fixed by the seller and the treasurer of the company. On March 5, 1852, the town council passed an ordinance and for the usual one dollar consideration the rail- road company was authorized to construct a road on and along Galen street and to lay one or more tracks and to repair them. The ordi- nance was signed by S. R. Harris as mayor and Charles Rupp as recorder. On April 30th came the first call for payment of stock, which was to be paid in ten installments of $5 each to John A. Gormly. In June the entire road was under contract in mile sections, all to be com- pleted by July 1, 1853.

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

The following was the distribution of stock for the building of the Ohio and Indiana road :

County.

Individual. Total.

Crawford county

$100,000

$50,000

$150,000

Wyandot county

50,000

25,000

75,000

Allen county

100,000

50,000

150,000

Van Wert county

50,000

5,000

55,000

Allen county, Ind.

100,000

57,000

157,000

Contractors

150,000

$400,000

$337,000

$737,000

While Hardin county was organized in 1833, the road passed through the northern part of that county, all marsh land, and was regarded as of so little benefit to the county, that Hardin contributed nothing.

In July President Merriman returned from New York and stated that he had arranged for the entire amount of rails needed for the road and that they would be delivered in New York from England by May 1, 1853. He had, also, made a contract for the locomotives. On Oc- tober 5th the injunction case came on before the court at Upper Sandusky and the injunc- tion was dissolved to the great satisfaction of the citizens in and around Bucyrus, and Bucy- rus's difficulties in securing the first railroad were over.

The report of the president in January stated that he had purchased 6,000 tons of the best T rails to be delivered early in the spring. The distance from Crestline to Ft. Wayne was 131 miles, and the cost of construction would be $14,045 per mile. He stated that his ac- companying estimate was based on the high price of iron rails, $66 a ton.

Road-bed, track-laying, spikes and station buildings, per contract ... $740,000

12,000 tons rails at present prices 800,000

Machinery for first year 210,000

Right of way, engineering and incidentals. 90,000

Average, $14,045 per mile. $1,840,000

During the spring of 1853 work was pushed rapidly, the papers announcing in April "Sev- eral hundred new hands have arrived to work on the road near Bucyrus. The ties are mostly delivered between Crestline and Bucyrus, and it is expected the road will reach Bucyrus. July 4." On July 15, the fourth had passed and the announcement was: "Rails are laid three miles this side of Crestline. If there are no strikes the work will be done to Bucyrus in two weeks."

On August 19, the death of Lon Dixon oc- curred at Bucyrus. He had been assigned

there in 1851 as the resident engineer in the building of the road. Another young man to come in 1852 was Cyrus W. Fisher who had the position of telegraph operator; his salary was $20 a month, and half of this was paid to the McCoy House for room and board, but it was at Bucyrus he had his first experience in railroad work; later going to Bellefontaine, en- tering the army in the Twenty-third Ohio, rising to the rank of colonel, and becoming one of the prominent railroad men of Colo- rado, and in 1889 returning to Bucyrus, where he still resides.

The first train arrived on Wednesday even- ing, August 31, and of course there were great demonstrations. The new road and the iron horse were equally a wonder to the small boys, who were the same as they are now, judging from the following from the Forum of Sept. 2, 1853:

"Timely Warning .- We learn that our town boys are in the habit of laying such things as spikes, chips, etc., on the railroad track to see what effect the cars will produce in running over them. Such acts might throw a whole train off the track; it is also a penitentiary of- fence. We also see small boys, from 5 to 10 years of age, playing around the cars, not knowing or caring about the danger they are in. Parents should keep chil- dren away or go with them to see the cars."

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History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 24

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850- Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1302

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302