USA > Ohio > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Ohio. Biographical and Statistical > Part 8
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The McComb Herald was established January 1, 1880, by J. F. Hickerson and others, and soon after purchased by S. B. Davis, of Dunkirk, who published the paper a short time, and then sold to R. M. Horn, who held control for a few years, when he sold out to H. M. Pomeroy, who has conducted the Herald with credit to himself and his patrons. Mr. Pomeroy, in 1902, sold his paper to Daniel Dyer, who is the present publisher. Mr. Pomeroy was proof-reader on the Toledo Times for the past year, but severing his connection with that paper a few months ago, he accepted a similar position with the Toledo Blade.
Mt. Blanchard has a very neat and newsy paper, published by Norman B. Clark, who is surely a newspaper man from the upper ranks.
Arlington can boast of a paper second to none in towns of its size. This paper is published by Mr. L. E. Huston, a very able writer.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
There were other papers in various localities of this county, some are still living, others have passed into oblivion. But whatever their length of life was or may be, the newspapers are one of the best educational mediums we today possess. The farmer ; the laborer ; the merchant ; the mechanic; the professional man ; the business men in all stages of physical, mental or moral duties, have each an equal opportunity to instill in their minds the current history as it swiftly glides across the stage of time.
Fountain, Findlay, Ohio.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE GAS AND OIL INDUSTRY.
The one prevailing and never-to-be-forgotten industry, which caused such excitement the country over, and increased our little village of four thousand in- habitants to a city of eighteen thousand population as if a magic wand had been passed over our heads and the words "hocus pocus" had been pronounced with great emphasis, was the supposed everlasting natural gas.
To give a history of this phenomenal fuel we must take the reader back to the autumn of 1836. Mr. Richard Wade, who entered the west half of the south- east quarter of section six in Jackson township, this county, April 7, 1836, while digging a well on his farm, and having reached the depth of ten feet found plenty of water, but the well was abandoned on account of such a strong flow of gas as to render it unfit for use. Mr. Wade conveyed the gas through a wooden box to the end of which he attached a piece of iron tubing, and he would light it in order to exhibit the phenomenon to visitors.
In the autumn of 1838 Daniel Foster put down a well on the lot now owned by J. M. Curtis, being lot number. 171 and situated just north of the present Donnell block. At the depth of eight feet he struck a very strong vein of gas and had to suspend operations. Covering it over he placed a pump tube, extending under his house from an opening in the well to a point near the chimney, and then boring a hole through the floor attached a musket barrel to the pump tube, through which the gas was conducted to near the mouth of the open fire place. This was the first that natural gas was utilized in the county. There were other places in this vicinity where gas was found in wells dug for water supply, but our space being limited we will proceed to more exciting events.
As early as 1850 Dr. Charles Oesterlin became earnestly convinced and argued that underlying the village was a great natural gas deposit which could be developed by drilling through the supervening rock strata, but the people only laughed and intimated that he was crazy. Dr. Oesterlin, however, continued to advocate his belief, until it developed into an absolute fact. While serving in the state legislature Mr. Oesterlin called on the state geologists and informed them that in his opinion their survey of northwestern Ohio was not exactly complete, and that a mighty bed of natural gas lay undeveloped in the vicinity of Findlay. The geologists learnedly replied that whatever natural gas existed at Findlay came from Michigan underneath the bed of Lake Erie, and there was not sufficient gas to pay for sinking wells. The doctor bluntly told them they
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
were all mistaken, and time would prove the correctness of his statement. Dr. Oesterlin was right, and the geologists were wrong.
Early in 1884 Dr. Oesterlin determined to make an effort to organize a com- pany to prospect for natural gas, and approached a number of the citizens and business men with his proposition. The result was that April 18, 1884, articles of incorporation under the name of "The Findlay Natural Gas company," were drawn up, signed and acknowledged by Dr. Charles Oesterlin, Charles J. Eckels, Fred H. Glessner, Henry Porch, George W. Kimmel and Peter Kunz in the presence of Jason Blackford and Vincent H. Coons and three days afterwards filed in the office of the secretary of state. The capital stock was $5.000 divided into 100 shares of $50 each. On the 30th of April the eight citizens of Findlay previously named, together with U. K. Stringfellow and John H. Decker, entered into a private agreement, "to prospect for natural gas, petroleum, coal, minerals and artesian wells (all of which the charter covered), in and about the village of Findlay. Ohio," and share all profits arising therefrom.
The subscription book for stock opened July 19, and on the 25th Dr. Charles Oesterlin took fifteen shares; Charles J. Eckels, ten: Fred H. Glessner, five ; George W. Kimmel. five; U. K. Stringfellow, five; Jason Blackford, two, and Henry Porch, two. Subsequently the following named persons took stock in the enterprise : A. C. Heck, John Ruthrauff, J. W. Zeller, W. H. Haven, W. T. Platt, Edward Dietsch, W. B. Porch, Ernest Bacher, William Edwards, J. W. Gassman, Lemuel McManness, G. L. Cusac, Dr. Anson Hurd. John M. Ham- lin, Frank Karst, Sr., Isaac Hershey, Brownyer & Martin, Mrs. Harriet Detwiler, Mrs. E. H. Young and B. F. Bolton, some of whom, however, took very little interest in the progress of the work.
August 22, 1884, Dr. Charles Osterlin. Charles J. Eckels, Henry Porch, Vincent H. Coons George W. Kimmel, A. C. Heck and U. K. Stringfellow were chosen directors of the company for the ensuing year, and at once organized by electing Henry Porch, president ; A. C. Heck, vice-president : Fred H. Glessner, secretary ; George W .. Kimmel, treasurer. On September 5 the contract for drill- ing was let to Brownyer & Martin, of Bradford, Pennsylvania, at the following prices : $2,200 for 1,200 feet ; $2,800 for 1,600 feet, and $3,200 for 2,000 feet. Messrs. Eckels, Coons and Stringfellow were appointed to select a location for the well, and chose a site on the land of Dr. Oesterlin, in the east part of the town. Work was commenced at once, and at a depth of 314 feet the first vein of gas was struck; the second at 516 feet ; the third at 618; oil at 718 feet, and the general bed of gas at 1,092 feet. They, however, drilled on to a depth of 1.648 feet, which was reached December 5, 1884, and operations stopped. The drilling of the well costing $2,825. Soon after the gas was piped into town and the use of natural gas became a reality. Derricks began to loom up in all directions and the news spread with rapidity over the entire country.
Speculators began to pour in from every direction ; syndicates were formed ; vast tracts of land were laid out into lots, and sales were rapidly made at enor- mous prices. In the meantime other large gas wells were being brought forth
95
THE GAS AND OIL INDUSTRY.
by various parties, and excitement was running at a very rapid speed, but on the morning of January 20, 1886, when the great Karg well broke forth with its tremendous roar, caused by the escape of 20,000,000 cubic feet of gas, imagine the excitement. The gas was placed under control January 25, 1886, and at an early hour the torch was applied. Then it was that a bright, fiery flame shot upward toward the sky to a height of fully one hundred feet, and the rushing noise could be heard for a distance of five miles. The light from the flame could be seen for a distance of fifty miles on a cloudy night ; and for a considerable distance, all about the well, the grass was growing with the luxuriance of May, and the water in the river below, everywhere else covered with ice, was as blue and limpid as a lake.
In the autumn of 1886 manufacturing establishments began to locate and inside of two years Findlay became one of the largest manufacturing cities in the state; glass factories, rolling mills, brick and tile factories, potteries, lantern
LEON'S
CLOTHING
HOUSE
31 FACTORIES LOENVIEI WITHIN ONE YEAR
LHO WHITE CORNER
FOUTOFFICE
View of Main Street, Findlay, by Gas Light.
works, tube works, wire nail factories, indeed all sort of manufacturing estab- lishments seemed to tumble over each other to gain a foothold in a place where gas seemed to be inexhaustible, and until the days of the great gas celebration over fifty manufacturing enterprises had established a foothold in the great gas center of the world.
June 8, 9 and 10 were probably the three greatest days that Findlay ever witnessed in all her history. These were the days on which we celebrated the anniversary of the first application of natural gas to the mechanical arts, and well may they long be remembered. We have not the space to give this account in full, but will be somewhat brief.
The first day a large procession headed by five enormous bands formed in front of the Chamber of Commerce from which point they proceeded to and laid
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
the corner-stone of the Lagrange rolling mill amid appropriate ceremonies. Ow- ing to extreme heat the ceremony at this place was made to answer for the sim- ilar occasion at the Moore Chair factory, Union Boiler works, Ohio Coil and Cable Chain works, and Findlay Door and Sash factory.
At 1 :30 o'clock in the afternoon the same bands, together with a large pro- cession marched to Camp Garfield, at the Fair Grounds, and enjoyed a very interesting time in a military contest. Early in the evening the immense crowd of people who had come in on the trains was largely augmented by our citizens from the country who came in to see the sights, and long before dark the broad Main street of our city was a living, moving mass of humanity for over a mile in length. Doorways and windows and every point of observation were crowded.
"What a magnificent sight!" "What a wonderful spectacle!" were the ex- clamations heard on every side when the gas was lighted on the many arches which spanned Main street, and when the gas was turned on in the standpipes from the wells the crowd for a moment stood quiet with fear and awe and then were heard murmurs and exclamations of surprise on every hand.
The spectacle was grand beyond words to tell or brush to paint. There were eighteen arches spanning the streets each with a half-dozen flambeau flames from the top circle, while on each side of the arch there were two dozen burners with different colored globes. Added to these were thousands of burners on the build- ings along the streets, and to this was added the roar and flames of a dozen gas wells. The stars in the heavens were paled with the effulgent light of nature's last and best gift to man-natural gas.
On and on for three days, long to be remembered, did this gala affair last. Speeches, fireworks, contests and speeches galore until the evening of the third day when the crowd began to disperse, the din of music became less distinct and later on the stillness of night seemed to say-'tis done.
This was the height of the great gas boom. It held up on a level for a year or more and with the decline of years the gas has gone glimmering. But thanks be to Him who controls the affairs of men, oil has taken its place and in a more permanent and staple form.
One winter morning in 1859, Daniel Dixon, an old-time citizen of Findlay, while passing by an old abandoned well near the present site of the rear of Frey's drug store, noticed a strong gaseous odor coming from it. The oil excitement was then at its fever heat, owing to some very rich discoveries in Pennsylvania, and thinking that perhaps he had found a sign of the much-sought for article, Mr. Dixon procured an iron bar and began forcing it through the debris. A passerby noticed the actions of Mr. Dixon and inquired the meaning of the vigorous probing. Mr. Dixon, with a twinkle in his eye, responded : "It's oil; Squire, oil!" In fact it was the odor of gas but the greasy substance that came with the gas was oil. In 1861 an oil company was organized with the following citizens as stockholders: Wm. H. Wheeler, Robert S. Mungen, U. G. Baker, C. A. Croninger, Albert Langworthy, David Goucher, H. P. Gage, E. M.
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THE GAS AND OIL INDUSTRY.
Burkle, Wm. Mungen, J. B. Horn & Co., Wm. Vanlue, Jesse Wolf, Frederick Henderson, George H. Crook. Israel Green, Jesse Guise, Henry Brown, Isaac Davis, Dr. Bass Rawson and Wm. C. Cox. The company was organized by elect- ing Israel Green, president ; Robert S. Mungen, secretary, and E. M. Burkle, treasurer. The spot selected for the well was a few rods southeast of the Pres- byterian church, but this idea was abandoned through the breaking out of the war and was never resumed. In 1864 a well was started on the Jacob Carr prop- erty by two men from Gallipolis, Ohio, and sunk to the depth of 141 feet when the drill stuck and the well was abandoned. This was done by a spring pole process. Other oil companies were afterward organized but nothing ever came of them, until the drilling in of the Oesterlin gas well in 1884, when at the depth of 718 feet a flow of oil was obtained.
Although oil was found in small quantities in various gas wells, it did not develop as an industry of any importance until about August, 1886, owing prob- ably to the low price of the powerful fluid. But be that as it may, this industry has been on the incline for the last seventeen years, and at present go where you may over this grand county of ours and you will see oil derricks dotting the surface of the earth, in village-like formation, giving to the entire county an appearance of the top covering of one of the best oil reservoirs located any- where in the Buckeye state. Not only this, imagine the thousands upon thou- sands of dollars expended in prospecting for this hidden treasure; also, the thousands upon thousands of dollars of reward in return; the hundreds of fam- ilies and individuals who have made their all from some so-called. "streak of luck," and the hundreds of innocent children and loving wives fed and clothed from the profits realized from this rather undoubtful adventure. But long may she live and continue to bless the households of this, one of the greatest, grand- est and noblest counties on the face of God's green earth.
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HISTORY OF. HANCOCK COUNTY.
First Frame Residence built in Hancock County. Built in 1826 by Wilson Vance, on the north-east corner of Main and Front Streets, now situated on East Front Street, and occupied by the Barnd Sisters, Florists.
BERGMAN'S
DRUG STORE.
First Brick Residence built in Hancock County. Built in 1830 by William Taylor, on Lot 8 original plat of Findlay, being located on Broadway just north of the. U S. Express Office.
CHAPTER XIV.
COURT HOUSES.
The first court of common pleas was held in June, 1828, in the old log school house located in the vicinity of where the C., S. & C. depot now stands in the rear of the Central school building, and this edifice was used as a court house for three or four years thereafter.
At the December session of the county commissioners held on the 5th day of said month, 1831, it was ordered that "advertisements be posted up in three
First Court House.
public places for constructing, putting up and finishing a frame building in the village of Findlay to be of the following dimensions :
The building to be 24 by 36 feet, two stories high, with sufficient doors and windows. The building to be weather-boarded with black walnut, except the front, which was to be ornamented by having the weather-boarding of poplar, which appeared to be the most valuable in those days.
January 16, 1832, the county commissioners met to consider sealed pro- posals for the erection of the new court house, the contract being let to Wilson Vance, Frederick Henderson and Jonathan Parker for the sum of $700.00.
L. of C.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
June 29, 1833, the county commissioners entered into contract with Parlee Carlin for lathing and plastering the new court house, which was to be com- pleted November 1, 1833, but was not accepted by the commissioners until No- vember 5. 1833.
This fine structure (so considered at that time) was erected on the south- west corner of Main and Crawford streets, the site now occupied by E. P. Jones' National block, in which is located the First National Bank. This structure was used and occupied as a court house, school house and church until the comple- tion of the brick court house in 1842, and remained at the above-named place until 1863, being used for many years as a hotel, after its abandonment by the county. It was then removed to South Main street, where it still remains, being situated just north of the Donnell block.
On the 6th day of June, 1837, the county commissioners ordered "that the auditor give notice in the Findlay Courier that proposals will be received on the 4th day of July next at the auditor's office in Findlay to make two hun- dred thousand good brick to build county buildings in Findlay and that a draft or model shall be drawn of the court house suitable for the county at the expense of the county.
184
1885
LET JUSTICE REMAIN.
ADIEU - TO THE OLD COURT-HOUSE. JULY
BS.
Second Court House.
The records do not disclose any transaction relative to the erection of the new court house further than "that John McCurdy was the builder:" and by a vigorous search of the old records of the county auditor I find that from certain entries in an old account book that the court house was probably begun in the latter part of 1837, and that the same was not completed until 1842, costing $7.953.22.
At the time of the commencement of the new court house, in 1886, the old one was sold to Richard Hennesy, February I for $125, the building to be torn down by April 1, 1886.
The old fence was moved to the infirmary, December 9, 1885.
The old brick court house having been engaged for over forty years with the din of public life, hearing the settlement of family and neighborhood difficul- ties, and the hustling of the busy officers administering justice to the public. the appointed time came for a life-long vacation. The increase of business of
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COURT HOUSES.
the various offices caused by an increase in the population and industrial and commercial business of the county demanded a larger and more substantial edifice.
On the 17th day of April, 1885, the legislature of the state of Ohio passed an act authorizing the building of a court house in Findlay, Hancock county, Ohio, and the issuance of $100,000 of bonds to meet the payment of the same. June 5, 1885, the committee, consisting of C. S. Kelley, J. M. Moorhead and A. S. Beck, commissioners of Hancock county; G. W. Galloway, appointed by the court of common pleas, together with G. W. Myers, probate judge; Lemuel McManness, sheriff, and Presley E. Hay, clerk of the courts, met to make pre- liminary arrangements and consider the plans of the newly contemplated seat of justice. .
September II, 1885, Wm. T. Platt, county auditor, was ordered to advertise for bids for the erection of said court house. The bids were opened on October 20, and the contract awarded to W. H. Campfield for $71,576 on the 7th day of November. This was to be the price for erecting the court house as far as is commonly called "an enclosure."
August 11, 1886, the corner-stone of the new court house was laid amid appropriate ceremonies and a grand celebration, consisting of speeches, music, parades and accompanied in the evening with a grand display of gas illuminations.
October 3, 1887, the county auditor was ordered to advertise for bids for the completion of the court house. The contract was let November 10 to W. H. Campfield for $50,314.25, thus it will plainly be seen that the cost of our court house was in the first place as anticipated to be a grand palace for the low price of $121,890.25. That was the legal contract price of our court house, and such should have been the cost of the erection, but by a comparison which will be made later on you will observe that the cost of our court house was such as to warrant the erection and furnishing of a queen's palace. The contract for the furniture was let October 28, 1887, to Conant Brothers for $8,913.63. The vault furniture to Hines, Kelley & Co. for $2.940.
The erection and construction of the court house was pushed along as rapidly as possible and on the 27th day of October, 1888, the grand structure was dedicated to the use of the public. The architecture in the main is classic. though the roof is pitched and the annoyance and inconvenience of a flat roof avoided. The outside finish of the building is entirely of stone with rock face work and richly trimmed with cut stone. The front windows are large and showy, the smallest having a five-foot opening and the largest one of seven feet. Each window has forty-four square feet of plate glass or more and ample light is furnished in every part of the building. No wood whatever, excepting win- dow frames, doors and a portion of the floors, is used in the construction of the edifice and is guaranteed fireproof. The tower is 130 feet high from ground to top and 107 feet to the center of the clock dial. It is finished with a dome roof surmounted with a statue of John Hancock 16 feet high. The tower is built entirely of iron and stone and is 24 feet square. The clock dial is 9 feet
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
in diameter and can be illuminated with gas or electric lights. The edifice is 142 feet long and 82 feet wide, and 146 feet from ground to top. Entrance into the first floor hall from the front on the east is through a stone portico sup- ported by four polished granite columns 20 inches in diameter. This portico is designed as a protection for the first flight of steps so often left uncovered.
The portico, 12 feet high, is surmounted by an imposing entablature ex- tending up to the roof. In this is a magnificent stained glass window 12x26 feet in size opening out upon the balcony, having an archway top and extend- ing through two stories. The whole effect of this is similar to the grand triumphal arch at Paris built by Napoleon and called the Arc D"Triomphe. This arch is surmounted with a group of feminine figures representing Justice, Law and Mercy. Two small easy flights of stairs separated by a vestibule lead through double doors into a spacious hallway running through the building, in- tercepted by a traverse hallway 18 feet wide and 75 feet long.
Present Court House.
In the center is an octagon rotunda twenty (20) feet square with a gal- lery up through and into the dome. It is furnished with. tile floors and iron ceil -. ings, and the walls are of fine pressed and enameled brick. To the right of the hall near the entrance a door opens into the treasurer's office for the reception of city taxes and an archway from that leads into the main office of the same official, where taxes in general are received. Three places of entrance are pro- vided and the room is 24 feet by 28 feet. To the north and adjoining the gen- eral collecting room is the treasurer's money vault and private office. the private office being 13x15 feet in dimensions.
Thsi is about the size of all the private offices. Immediately adjoining this office to the west is the auditor's office, consisting of three rooms. The main office is 30 by 35 feet in size and has communication with the treasurer's office
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COURT HOUSES.
by means of a sliding window. Beside the private office and work-room ad- joining there is a large fire-proof record vault 13x28 feet in dimensions and containing a window. To the south of and adjoining the auditor's vault and office is the commissioners' room, 17x24 feet.
On the left side at the front entrance is the sheriff's office, 16x18 feet in size. This is connected with the common pleas court room on the second floor by means of a private stairway.
At the south end of the traverse hall is the entrance to the probate court room, 24x30 feet in dimensions, which, like the auditor's office, is separated from the hall by a stained glass screen. Adjoining on the east side is the pro- bate judge's office, while to the north of the office is the record vault. To the west of the probate court room is the retiring room for the witnesses, which is also used as a private office.
The southwest portion of the first floor is used by the recorder, who has a private office to the south and a record vault to the north of the main office. This completes the description of the first floor.
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