USA > Ohio > Delaware County > History of Delaware County and Ohio : containing a brief history of the state of Ohio biographical sketches etc. V. 1 > Part 44
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* We make this state- ment from reliable authority, to show to the citi- zens of Delaware, and the farmers of this vicinity, who are, and should feel, equally interested in the importance of making every exertion to induce the Company to adopt this central point in the road as their headquarters for making cars. This would be of great advantage to Delaware, and it is but right that we should take stock enough to enable the Company to erect the necessary buildings and establish their workshops at this place."
After the consolidation of the two roads, nego- tiations were opened with the new company, the result of which was a contract for the building at the city of Delaware, the shops, offices and depot buildings of the consolidated road, upon the pay- ment by the city of $35,000 for the purpose of assisting in erecting the buildings. The money was paid according to contract, and excellent shops put up by the Railroad Company, but the depot buildings (as agreed upon) have not yet been
erected. Recently, too, the Company have with- drawn most of the employes from the Delaware shops, leaving them, in a manner idle, but, upon a remonstrance from the city, have agreed to send them back, and re-open the shops as usual, as soon as the revival of business will justify it.
The Columbus & Toledo Railroad is compara- tively a new road, being completed but little over two years ago. As everything connected with it is new, even its history, we cannot do better than to take a synopsis of its history from the first annual report of President Greene. The Company was incorporated May 28, 1872, under the general act of May 1, 1852, the corporators being M. M. Greene, P. W. Huntington, B. E. Smith, W. G. Deshler, James A. Wilcox and John L. Gill, of Columbus, for the construction of a railroad from the city of Columbus to the city of Toledo, through the counties of Franklin, Delaware, Marion, Wyan- dot, Seneca, Wood and Lucas, a distance of 123 miles. The capital stock was fixed in the certifi- cate of incorporation at $2,500,000, and on the 1st of July (1872) subscription-books were opened in Columbus and Toledo. October 15, 1873, the line of the road was permanently located through the towns of Delaware, Marion, Upper Sandusky, Carey and Fostoria. It was originally designed to run the road due north from Delaware, but an extra $10,000 of stock had the effect of producing a slight curve in it, so as to carry it through Delhi and Middletown.
Bids for the construction of the road were opened on the 4th of August, and on the 16th of the same month a contract was concluded with Miller, Smith & Co. They commenced work on the 17th, and in November, 1876, the portion between Columbus and Marion, a distance of forty- six miles, was sufficiently finished to justify the Company in complying with the urgent solicita- tion of stockholders and business men along the line, to operate the same. On the 10th of Janu- ary, 1877, the entire line was so far completed that through business was commenced and regular trains run between Columbus and Toledo, under an arrangement with the contractors, who were, how- ever, occupied for some time after that in finishing up the road, so that it was not fully completed and accepted by the Company until July following. The original design of building a first-class road was strictly adhered to, and it is now completed in accordance with this resolution.
A few particulars relating to the building of the road, its length, grade, etc., may not be devoid of
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
interest to our readers. Its extreme length from the Union Depot in Columbus, to Walbridge, five miles south of Toledo, where it joins the Toledo & Woodville Railroad, is 1182% miles, of which 110 miles are straight. The remaining dis- tance is in curves, the slightest of which is from 10' to 1º; while the greatest is at the rate of 5° 30'. The latter, however, is in the yard at Colum- bus. The highest point is forty-three miles north of Columbus and two and a half miles south of Marion, where the summit of the water-shed between the Ohio River and Lake Erie is crossed, at an elevation of 265 feet above the Olentangy River bridge at Columbus, and 410 feet above the level of Lake Erie ; 43-5 miles of the line are level, and the grades vary from five to twenty-six feet per mile. The rails, laid with standard angle- bar joints, and 3,000 ties to the mile, are steel, sixty pounds to the yard, from Columbus to Upper Sandusky, a distance of sixty-four miles, and iron of same weight and best quality, for the remaining distance of fifty-four miles. The frogs and switches are of steel rail, and the sidings, of which there are 1333, miles, are laid with iron of the quality described. The bridges are all iron, except one, and the depots and water stations, fences and tele- graph line, are all completed in a thorough manner.
The terminal accommodations of the road are good. The track of the Toledo & Woodville Rail- road, a road operated by the Pennsylvania Com- pany, is used from Walbridge to Toledo, a distance of five and a half miles, also the bridge of the latter road over the Maumee River, at Toledo, to- gether with its depot and other terminal facilities and connections in the city. On February 22, 1877, a contract was made with the Hocking Valley Rail- road Company, for the joint use of its terminal property and facilities at Columbus, and also for the joint management of the roads of the two com- panies. A dock on the Maumee River, at Toledo, was found necessary for the traffic in coal, iron ore and lumber, in addition to the facilities afforded by the Toledo & Woodville road. Accordingly, a strip of ground fronting 1,200 feet on the river, and running back about 400 feet, was purchased, in March, 1877, and a substantial and permanent dock built along the entire front, for the accom- modation of lake vessels, and the grounds in the rear graded for yard purposes. The present equip- ment of the road is as follows : Nine locomotives, 10 passenger cars, 4 baggage cars, 134 box cars, 66 flat cars, 50 stock cars, 337 coal cars and 6 caboose cars. As we have already
noted, the road has been completed 118.2 miles, fully equipped and provided with all the necessary and proper terminal accommodations in Columbus and Toledo, and at a cost of $3;338,507.54, being $28,244 per mile. Included in this amount, how- ever, is the cost of certain real estate, dock property, and other items, summing up $328,- 397.65, which, if deducted, gives the true cost per mile at $25,466.
President Greene winds up the introduction to his report, with the following, in reference to the earnings and expenses of the road for its first year, which is very good : "Considering the ad- verse circumstances under which the road has com- menced operations, great encouragement is to be derived from the results shown in Statement B. From this it appears that the net earnings for the year were $119,000, and the expenses only 63-55 per cent of the gross earnings, after deducting all expenses, including those incident to the prema- ture operation of the road before it was completed, as above stated, which may properly be styled ex- traordinary. This result, and especially the indi- cations of improvement during the last six months. afford gratifying assurance of sufficient earnings in the coming year to meet all operating expenses, including rentals, and the interest on the entire debt, as well as strong evidence that the Company is in a sound condition, warranting the belief that. with a general revival of business, reasonable re- turns upon their investment may be realized by the stockholders.
In conclusion of the history of this road, we give the following from the last annual report, re- ferring to its earnings :
Freight earnings $379,702 89
Passenger earnings 115,839 25
Express earnings.
7,378 15
Mail earnings.
6,043 90
Telegraph earnings 391 17
Miscellaneous earnings.
8,515 87
Total. $517,871 23
Road expenses .. $ 68,818 55
Locomotive expenses .. 12,793 74
Transportation expenses.
143,612 51
Car expenses. 15,612 83
General operating expenses 54,340 76
Loss and damage.
434 20
$295,612 59
.$222,258 64 Net earnings for 1878.
The Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Columbus Railroad was completed through, and trains put
258
HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
on late in the fall of 1872. It enters the county at the northeast corner of Trenton Township, runs in a southwesterly direction, through it and a corner of Berkshire, and enters Genoa Town- ship near the center of the north line, where the course changes to almost due south through the latter township. The road was begun at Cleve- land and built south toward Columbus, and oc- cupies a portion of the old Springfield, Delaware & Mount Vernon road-bed. This road was pro- jected in an early day, but, after its completion to Delaware, was sold, and became a part of the Cin- cinnati Division of the C., C., C. & I., as noted in the history of that road. In 1870, a part of the Eastern Division of this old road was sold, and bid in by John W. Russell, George W. Potwin, Henry D. Curtis and others of Mount Vernon. They sold it to the Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Colum- bus road for a mere pittance, and thus it was util- ized by this road. In the Delaware Gazette of March 1, 1872, we find the following, which that paper credits to the Mount Vernon Republican: " Last Saturday, the grading of the entire line from Mount Vernon to Columbus was let to Messrs. Cassil & Israel, the firm being Col. Alexander Cassil and Samuel Israel, Jr. The work is to be completed by the 1st of September. The stone- work on the bridge over Owl Creek, near John Cooper's foundry, and the bridge over Dry Creek, have been let to R. S. Mckay, of this city, the balance of the stonework was let to Mr. Fish, of Columbus. It is the purpose to have the trains running over the road before next winter."
The Gazette of November 15, 1872, has the following in reference to the completion of the road .: "The Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Colum- bus Railroad is pushing forward from Oxford, in Holmes County, connecting with the Pan Handle at Dresden. This will make a new route to Cin- -cinnati via Zanesville. Through trains are now running from Cleveland to Mount Vernon, and several new cars and locomotives have been con- tracted for by President Hurd." Soon after this, the road was finished through to Columbus, and from there to Cincinnati, thus opening up another line between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. While it is a road of no special benefit to this county, except a very small portion of it, it is a valuable road, and through line between the north- ern and southern sections of the State.
The foregoing pages have been devoted to railroads that actually exist, while we come now to notice a few that never had much existence
except on paper. One of these paper railroads, was known as the Lebanon & Xenia Railroad, and the proposed route was from Xenia, through Delaware, Mount Gilead and Mansfield, to a point at or near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. The counties through which it was to pass were Greene, Clark, Champaign, Delaware, Morrow, Madison, Richland, Ashland, Lorain, Medina and Cuyahoga. The cause of its failure is unknown to us. Another of these railroads that were never built, and which created considerable stir in its day, was called the Newark, Delaware & Northwestern. This road at one time seemed in a fair way to be built, the counties and the people along the pro- posed route taking an active interest in it. Del- aware Township alone voted $100,000 stock by 735 to 56 votes, while other sections did equally as well, and subscribed quite as liberally. The Gazette of September 20, 1872, says: " At a meeting of the stockholders of the Newark, Dela- ware & Northwestern Railroad, held at Ottawa, Putnam County, September 5, 4,150 shares of stock of $50 each was represented. The meeting therefore proceeded to the election of Directors and chose the following : J. C. Evans, Delaware ; A. Ream and Gen. J. S. Robinson, Hardin ; James L. Bierky, William C. Maholm and Waldo Taylor, Licking; J. L. H. Long, Dr. H. Huber and Dr. Day, Putnam. The Directors were sworn in, and organized the Board as follows : J. C. Evans, President ; J. L. H. Long, Vice Presi- dent ; Waldo Taylor, Secretary, and Charles T. Dickinson, Treasurer. Measures were then taken to secure a favorable vote in each township on the proposed route of the road. Why this road has never been built, is a problem we are unable to solve. It seemed to have died out somewhat abruptly, and all interest in it to have-evaporated.
Another of the class of roads last described, is the Atlantic & Lake Erie Railroad, which has been surveyed, located, and considerable work, in the way of grading, done on it. It clips off a small cor- ner of Porter Township, of this county, and, if ever built, will prove a valuable and paying road. The terminal points of it are Pomeroy, on the Ohio River, and passing through Newark, Mount Gilead and Bucyrus to Toledo. The completion of the road is again, after quite a dormant period, being agitated, and the probabilities are flattering that it may yet be built. The main object in building it is the opening and developing of the coal fields through which it passes. The south- ern division-that south of Newark, is completed
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
and provided with rolling stock; and, with the northern division partially graded, to finish it through will be but a small matter, and we doubt not that a few years will witness its completion .*
And still another monument of railroad enter- prise in Delaware County that has resulted in nothing, and probably never will, is the old grade of the Springfield, Delaware & Mt. Vernon Rail- road, from the city of Delaware to Centreburg. As already stated, a portion of this old road is now occu- pied by the Cincinnati Division of the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis, and a portion
* Since the above was penned, work has actually commenced on this road in such an energetic manner, as to warrant the belief that it will soon be completed.
of the eastern division is used by the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Columbus Railroad, the remainder still lying unoccupied. It was graded and finished, all ready for laying down the ties, when the road be- came involved and was sold. The portion now unoccupied will probably never be utilized.
The agitation of a railroad from Delaware to Cin- cinnati-an air line-is another of the enterprises of the day, but whether it will ever amount to any- thing more than agitation, time only will tell. The idea entertained is to run a line to Cincinnati more direct than the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis, and that will be several miles shorter than that road. The project, however, is yet in the future.
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CHAPTER VIII.
AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES-DRAINAGE-DISEASES OF DOMESTIC ANIMALS -HORTICULTURAL-FOREST CULTURE-CLIMATOLOGY, ETC.
" Who doth ambition shun, And loves to live in the sun, Seeking the food he eats, And pleased with what he gets, Come hither, come hither, come hither, Here shall he see No enemy,
But winter and rough weather."-Shakespeare. A T the time of the settlement of Delaware County, agriculture was in its infancy. The farmer was contented and happy, if he raised grain enough for his own wants, and a few bushels, per- haps, to spare his newly settled neighbor. There were no grain merchants in those days, with big warehouses, and banks full of money with which to buy up the surplus products of the county. Stock was on a par with everything else. There were no blooded horses, cattle or hogs, but a limited number of work-steers, a few poor, old bony horses and hogs (of the " hazel-splitter " breed) running at large and fattening on the "mast." These comprised the domestic animals of the early settler. Their mode of cultivating the soil was equally primitive. The ground was poorly plowed with wooden plows, slovenly scratched over with wooden-toothed harrows ; the wheat was sown by hand, brushed in by a bushy-topped sapling, cut with a sickle, thrashed on the ground by the tread of horses or oxen. The corn-ground was plowed in the same way, marked off both ways
with a plow, planted with a hoe and cultivated with hoes, and single-shovel plows not larger than a man's hand. Truly, agriculture was in its infancy then, and the great and grand family of agricult- ural implements were not yet born into existence ; neither were the people familiar then with agricult- ural and mechanical associations, and societies for the improvement of stock and farming.
The first account we have of the organization of an agricultural society in Delaware County, we find in the Ohio State Gazette (now the Delaware Gazette) of June 28, 1833. It says: " At a meeting of the citizens of Delaware County, con- vened under an act of the Legislature of Ohio, to authorize and encourage the establishment of agri- cultural societies in the several counties of this State, passed February 25, 1833, Dr. Noah Spald- ing was appointed Chairman, and F. Avery, Sec- retary." A number of resolutions were adopted. The first one, "That a society be formed called the Delaware County Agricultural Society, etc." A second resolution required that " Each member pay 50 cents annually to the society." The officers elected were Milo D. Pettibone, President ; Wilder Joy, Vice President; Frederick Avery, Secretary ; William Little, Treasurer; and John Cartis, David Prince, James Carpenter, Hugh Lee, J. N. Cox, William S. Drake, Forrest Meeker, Amos Potter, A. Root, Jr., and Robert Jameson, a Board of
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260-261 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
Managers. The President, Vice President and Secretary were appointed a committee to prepare by-laws and a constitution. Another meeting was to be held on the 4th of July, 1834. We extract from the Gazette the full proceedings of this meet- ing, which are as follows :
At a meeting of the Directors of the Delaware County Agricultural Society, held on the 4th of July, 1834, said Board resolved that there be an exhibition and show of domestic animals and manufactures on the first Friday in October next, and that premiums be awarded as follows :
For the best stud horse. $7 00
For second-best stud horse. 3 50
For the best brood mare. 5 00
For second-best brood mare 2 00
For best mare or gelding, not over three and one-
half years old. 4 00 For second-best mare or gelding, not over three and one-half years old. 2 00
For best spring colt. 3 00
For second-best spring colt. 1 50
For best bull. 5 00
For second-best bull. 3 00
For third-best bull. 2 00
For best cow 3 00
For second-best cow. 2 00
For third-best cow 1 00
.For best pair of work oxen, on trial. 5 00
For best pair three-year steers, in yoke. 3 00
For best heifer, not less than three years old. 2 00 For best spring calf. 1 .50
For second best spring calf. 1 00 For best merino or Saxon buck. 2 00
For second best merino or Saxon buck. 1 00
For best pair of pigs. 1 50
For best piece of ten yards, and upward of jeans. 2 00 For second best piece of ten yards and upward of jeans. 1 00
For best piece of ten yards and upward of linen .. 2 00 For second-best piece of ten yards and upward of linen. 1.00
For best piece of ten yards and upward of flannel 2 00 For second-best piece of ten yards and upward of flannel 1 :00
For best pair of woolen socks. 75
For second-best pair of woolen socks 50
For best cheese of twenty pounds weight and upward. 1 00
Any person offering any animal for premium must give satisfactory assurance to the Board that he is the actual owner of such animal, and that it is his intention to keep such animal in the county at least one year. By order of the Board.
F. AVORY, Secretary. July 26, 1834.
The meeting was held as set forth in the origi- nal announcement, on Friday, October 3, and David Gregory, H. J. L. Brown, Charles H. Pick- ett, Benjamin Powers and James Eaton were
appointed judges to decide all questions relating to premiums. After a deliberate and impartial ex- amination of the various objects, premiums were awarded as follows :
DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.
Miss Martha Ann Joy, for the best piece of jeans .. $2 00 Miss C. A. Avery, for the best piece of flannel .... 2 00 Mrs. J. Said, for second-best piece of flannel. .. 1 00 Mrs. J. Said, for best piece linen. 2 00
Mrs. J. Carpenter, for best pair of woolen socks .. 75
Mrs. L. M. Avery, for second-best pair woolen socks .. 50
Mrs. H. S. Jameson, for best counterpane. 2 00
Mrs. Martha Joy, best cheese. 1 00
ANIMALS.
John Sherman* for the best stud-horse 7 00
G. Allbright, for second-best stud-horse. 3 50 Win. Sweetser for best brood mare .. 5 00 Forest Meeker, far second-best brood mare 2 00 Alex. Mccutchen, for best three-year-old mare. 4 00
Moses McElvain, for second-best three-year-old mare 2 00
Forest Meeker, for best spring colt. 3 00
John Reid, for second-best spring colt. 1 50 Wilder Joy, for the best bull. 5 00 Rodney Smith, for second-best bull. 3 00
Nathan Dustin, for third-best bull 2 00 Joseph Prince, for the best cow. 5 00 Mathias Kensel, for second-best cow. 2 00
David Cadwallader, for third best cow 1 00
S. H. Allen, for best yearling heifer. 2 00
Joseph Prince, for best spring calf .. I 50 James Carpenter, for second-best spring calf. 1 00 Calvin Woodbury, for best pair of oxen 5 00
Abram Williams, for best merino buck 2 00
The Gazette thus editorializes on the subject:
" Being the first exhibition of the kind in this county, the Society did not anticipate so large an exhibition, nor so general an attendance, in both of which, we are pleased to state, they were agree- ably disappointed. The show was creditable to the county, in quality and number of manufact- ured articles and animals offered for premiums. . as well as in the character of those who encouraged it by their presence and aid."
In 1835, another exhibition was held and many additions made, including " domestic manufactures, fruits, dairy and household productions." The highest premium was $8, and the lowest 75 cents. To the advertisement and premium list, which is published in the Gazette, was affixed the name of Wilder Joy, as President of the Society, and Frederick Avery, Secretary. In 1836, a similar announcement is made through the same channel (the Gazette), of the "Third Annual Cattle Show
*Not the Secretary of the Treasury.
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HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY.
and Exhibition of Domestic Manufactures," which will take place in October next. Further additions were made to the premium list of stock, grain, seeds, fruit, farming implements, etc., with half a column of rules and regulations. The highest premium is $8, and the lowest $1. Nathan Dus- tin's name is attached to the premium list as President, and G. W. Sharp, Secretary.
.Considerable interest was manifested in the Society by the farmers and business men of the county. These early meetings and exhibitions were held, partly in the public square and partly on the commons. The exhibitions of " Domestic Manufactures " took place in the court house, and the show of animals was usually made on the lot where the Baptist church now stands. The Society flourished for a number of years, and then took a little Rip Van Winkle nap, and from it awoke under a special act of the Legislature, passed at the session of 1847-48. The Society was re-organized under this act. and in May, 1848, a meeting was held, which elected the following officers : David Bush. President ; Wilder Joy, Vice President : B. Powers, Treasurer; L. Glessner. Secretary, and H. P. Havens. Robert Faris. E. S. Mendenhall, James Carpenter and Sabeers Main, a Board of Managers. The following is from an editorial in the Gazette of September 29, 1848 : "The first fair of the Delaware County Agricult- ural Society will be held in this place on Tuesday next. Since the passage of the law for the en- couragement of these societies, they have been formed in most of the counties in the State, and many of them are in a highly flourishing condition and doing much to add to the science of agricult- ure, and develop the resources of the counties in which they exist. Delaware County is well adapted to agriculture, containing scarcely any land but is susceptible of cultivation. One great object of societies of the kind is the united benefit of the members, produced by diffusing useful in- telligence connected with agricultural pursuits, and emulation in the rearing of stock, raising of grain, fruits, etc., and the production of articles of do- mestic manufacture. Farmers should all become members, and strive to make the Society suc- cessful."
The first meeting held under this act was " far more interesting than was anticipated." etc. About fifty premiums were awarded. ranging in amount from $5 down to 50 cents. The domestic manu- factures were reported by the Secretary as being " very fine, also fruit ; apples could not be beat in
any county in the State." Jesse Said, of Concord Township, is reported as having exhibited twenty- five different varieties of apples.
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