USA > Ohio > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of the Northwest Territory, history of Ohio, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc > Part 71
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" Five or six miles before reaching Findlay a brilliant light is seen in the heavens, and a mile or two further on discloses to the vision a great cloud of fire. This was the great Karg well. Its proportions, intensity and grandeur increase as the town is neared, when the church steeples and house tops are brought out with the distinctness of day. Unexplained, the phenome- non would be awful and fearful. Passing into the main street of the town the light from the burning Karg is somewhat modified by the bright flames from the immense jets of gas shooting upward from the tops of the lamp-posts. These jets are three or four feet in height, and under their glare, a pin in the street, which is 100 feet wide, can be readily picked up, and the finest print can be read as easily as in a parlor in Toledo lighted by the best gas our company" can produce. It is impossible to give a correct idea of the impression made
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
upon a stranger as he stands in the center of this wide, level street, with long vistas of light north and south of him; the house fronts are as clearly defined as if the king of day were pouring the noon-day light upon them, and the pedestrians on the street readily recognized blocks away. The effect was peculiar and inspiring.
"To obey the impulse to visit the monster who was shedding a light which, to unused eyes, exceeded anything before imagined, beyond the sun itself, though tired and hungry, a carriage was called, and with the artist of the Bee we drove at once to it, more than half a mile from the hotel. As we neared the spot, sounds like the rushing waters of a great fall struck the ear, and in the houses where the windows looked in that direction, the inte- rior was as light as day. Passing through several streets, the hack brought up suddenly 100 feet from the well. The sounds of the escaping gas from the stand-pipe now forcibly reminded me of Niagara, and as I looked up at the great cloud of flame shooting upward as if angry that there was not something for it to destroy, the feeling of the sublime called up by the great cataract forced itself still stronger upon me.
"The scene is one of indescribable grandeur. The well is located on the south bank of the Blanchard River, which passes through the north part of the town. It is 1,144 feet from the surface to the gas-bearing rock below, and the hole is five and five-eighths inches in diameter. From the top of the ground it is conveyed about 100 feet from the well in a six-inch iron pipe, and from this a stand-pipe fifty-seven feet high is connected, which is three inches in diameter at the top where the gas escapes. A cut-off above the ground at the well is placed to shut off the flow, but for some time the gas has been allowed to have its way and millions of feet are wasted to satisfy the curiosity of the throngs of people who visit it daily. As far as the eye has uninterrupted scope, the landscape is illuminated by this mon- ster light, and persons could be distinctly seen more than half a mile away, and the color of their clothing readily discerned. Within 100 feet of the flame, with a cold crisp atmosphere outside, it was uncomfortably hot. On the opposite side of the river 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."
The stand-pipe alluded to by the correspondent has recently been taken down and placed upon the ground, with its mouth extending over the bank of the stream. In this position the scene is, if anything, grander and more awe-inspiring than before. the water in the river fairly boiling from the in- tense heat thrown out by the constantly burning fluid. The flame licks the surface of the water, and leaps at intervals almost across the stream, and, in close proximity, the noise made by the escaping gas is indeed bewilder- ing to the average visitor.
While the number of wells already sunk, and the quantity of gas pro- duced would seem to be more than sufficient to supply the wants of Findlay and its 6,000 inhabitants, and even ten-fold that number of people, wells are still being sunk to meet the demand of the increasing number of manu- facturing establishments attracted to the town by the abundance and cheap- ness of the gas as a fuel. There has been no perceptible decrease in the product of the wells except in instances where a flow of oil has interrupted the flow of gas. The discovery of the great Karg well, which of itself
Henry Pennington
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VILLAGE OF FINDLAY
pours out more than enough gas to light and heat the town, and supply all of its manufactories, justifies the belief that the Findlay gas territory is almost inexhaustible, and from it enough of the valuable fluid could be ob- tained to supply two or three cities the size of Toledo. The gas supplies all the purposes for which coal is used- heat and light-and is readily. cheaply and safely applied to all purposes of lighting the streets, and light- ing and heating halls, theaters, churches, stores and dwellings, and for all manufacotries where power is used. Its capacity to heat steam generating boilers is demonstrated beyond question, and there does not seem to be any purpose to which fuel can be applied that it is not the best, most convenient and cheapest.
The superiority of the Findlay gas in the amount of heat which it pro- duces is one of its most valuable features. It is doubtful if any other article known to use as fuel can produce as high a degree of heat in so short a time. Burned from simple perforations in an ordinary gas-pipe, which can be introduced into any stove or grate, in a brief time the stove will be- come a cherry red. A little valve regulates the supply and pressure, and in the morning, if you do not want the fire burning all night, you turn the valve, thrust in a lighted match, and at once your fire is booming. Fire- building, of a cold winter morning, has lost its terrors for the fortunate people of Findlay, and wood-sheds, coal-bins and ash barrels are to them merely an unpleasant memory. Another important advantage is the fact that it is characterized by a strong odor, more pungent than artificial gas even, which is a great safe-guard against explosions and accidents. The Pittsburgh gas is nearly or quite odorless, and there is nothing, consequently, to give warning when there has been an escape. The use of gas greatly lessens the danger of loss by fire and so reduces rates of insurance. Burnt with air as it is, the combustion is complete, and there is no soot and no chimneys to burn out. In a thousand different ways this new factor in the affairs of the world adds to the wealth, the convenience, the comfort and pleasures of existence.
Aside from all the remarkable advantages the new fuel and illuminator possesses, its cheapness is, however, the main thing in its favor. The gas company now charges $12 per year for cooking stoves, and $1.50 per month for seven months, for the average heating stove; the larger heaters in the busi- ness houses run as high as $3 per month during the winter season. Gas burners for lighting purposes cost from 15 to 30 cents per month each. In this respect, as in the item of fuel, a great saving is made. Many of the stores light up at night with scores of blazing jets, and on short winter days light them early in the afternoon, for there is no stingy measurement of the gas through meters, the use of which is discarded. It is, however, proper to state that the light is not so good as that furnished by the manufactured gas or coal oil, as the powerful pressure makes it unsteady, and the least draft or puff of air affects it badly. It is, therefore, not a pleasant light for reading or other close work, and is very trying to the eyes. But Findlay possesses the cheapest fuel in the United States, and here the manufacturer may build immediately over his supply of fuel and light. The cost of sink- ing a well averages from $1,200 to $2,000, and that is the end of all expense and trouble to light, heat and furnish power to the establishment. This is marvelous, and makes a reduction in the running expense and cost of pro- duction that is nothing less than a revolution.
34
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
Very little fuel outside of gas is now used in Findlay, and the wood and coal trade has fallen off to a comparative insignificance. A few cases will serve to illustrate the wonderful revolution that natural gas has brought about in the cost of lighting and heating. The proprietors of the Joy House claim a saving of about $400 per annum on light and fuel, and this hotel is one of the best heated and lighted country houses in the State. The proprietor of one of the principal stores of the town says that it used to cost him $360 per annum to light and heat his establishment. Now it costs him not quite $60 or a saving of $300, besides being rid of all the dirt, trouble and inconven- ience of wood and coal. Elijah Barnd, proprietor of the limekilns, south of town, pays the gas company $200 per annum for all the gas he can use in his kilns. It used to cost him $1,800 per year for wood, with which to burn the same amount of lime. Adams Bros. & Co., foundry and machine shops, with a previous fuel capacity of $1,000 per annum, are supplied with fuel and light from a well on their premises at no cost, such being the con- tract with the company when the well was sunk. W. K. Marvin & Sons, foundry and machine shop, owners of the Marvin well, run their establish- ment at a saving of $2,000 a year in fuel, and, besides, supply a planing- mill and furnish a large surplus to the gas company, which pays them a considerable profit. The planing-mill supplied from this well saves $1,000 a year in fuel. The most striking example, however, in the saving of fuel in manufacturing is furnished by the Eagle Roller Flouring-mills. This estab- lishment consumed $1,500 worth of coal a year, and employed two stokers, which, with the handling of the coal, made the cost about $2,000. At a cost of $1,600 for boring a well, gas has been obtained which furnishes all the fuel and light for the mills. And, in addition, the well supplies a woolen- mill with fuel and light, for which they get $100 a year, also thirteen fami- lies with fuel and light. The results in these cases illustrate the value of natural gas as a fuel-saving element to a remarkable degree. And yet with all this, the capacity of the wells is by no means heavily drawn upon, and millions of feet of gas go to waste every twenty-four hours.
Capital is eagerly investigating matters here, and the attention of man- ufacturers is turned in this direction. There is a noticeable increase of vis- itors, the hotels are full all the time, and there has been a general advance in valuation all along the line. But those proposing to locate and establish any kind of manufacturing institution may be sure of generous treatment. That the development of natural gas in such large quantities is the beginning of a new era in the history of Findlay is now plainly evident. No one feels any doubt about that. From the handsome, quiet capital of one of the richest agricultural districts in the State, she will become a busy manufacturing center, with mills and factories, foundries and glass-works. The present wells can furnish an unlimited supply of fuel, available at an instant when wanted, for every conceivable use to which fuel can be applied, at a reduc- tion in cost so great that it is hard to realize, working a most important saving in domestic economy, and a veritable revolution in the cost of run- ning large manufactories. Real estate has advanced and is advancing in value, business confidence has been restored, and everybody and everything is aroused to the impetus of a new life and fresh activity. It has not been our fortune to witness or hear of, in a town the size of Findlay, since the beginning of the existing period of financial depression, so revived an activity in all general business, nor so buoyant a spirit among the people as
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VILLAGE OF FINDLAY.
is now prevailing here. Hotel keepers, merchants, grocers, clothing dealers, boot and shoe people, butchers, bakers and tradespeople generally, are mak- ing money and feeling good. The place has already a goodly number of manufacturers of various sorts, all of which have been prompt to utilize the benefits of cheap fuel and light; while many more industries of like nature are seeking locations in the town to share in the seemingly assured prosper- ity. These are bringing in their train more people to Findlay to live, swell- ing the volume of trade in every branch, insuring yet better prices to farm- ers for their products, to the mechanic and workman for their labor, etc .; in short, simply following the law of general prosperity that uniformly marks a thriving industrial community.
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PART IV.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
ALLEN TOWNSHIP.
GEORGE B. ALBAN, farmer, P. O. Findlay, was born in Jefferson County, Ohio, March 10, 1811, son of William (a farmer) and Elizabeth (Shane) Alban. William Alban served in the war of 1812 as captain; he was a justice of the peace for many years; in politics he was a stanch Whig. His father, George Alban, was a Virginia farmer. William Alban was thrice married, Elizabeth (Shane), the mother of our subject, being his first wife. There were eight children in this family: James S. (the eldest, was a lawyer by profession, and at the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion was a res- ident of Wisconsin; he became colonel of the Eighteenth Regiment W. V. I., and was killed in action at the battle of Pittsburg Landing), Eliza (deceased), Jane (deceased), George B., Mary, William (a lawyer and a former partner of James S.). Sarah. wife of Solomon Franks, of Medina County, Ohio) and Capt. H. H. (of Findlay, Ohio). William Alban's second wife was Jane Whitcraft, daughter of William Whitcraft, of Stark County, Ohio, and by her were eight children-three of whom are still liv- ing: Nancy, Rebecca and Levina. William Alban's last marriage was with Isabel McCaughey, daughter of Joseph McCaughey, of Stark County, Ohio; she bore him two children: Joseph P. and Newton. George B. Alban, the subject of this sketch, passed most of his early life in Stark County, Ohio, and there married, October 15, 1835, his first wife, Maria McCaughey, daughter of John McCaughey, of Stark County, Ohio; there were three children by this union, two of whom are living: Eliza J. and John M. Mr. Alban came to this county February 12, 1839, and has since resided here, engaged in farming. He has a farm of 160 acres of land which is crossed by the "Nickel Plate " Railroad. His second wife was Susan Edgar, daugh- ter of William Edgar, formerly a farmer of this county. To her he was married in January, 1844. She bore two children, both of whom died young. Our subject's third marriage was November 9, 1848, with Mary A. Davis, daughter of John Davis, a farmer of Wood County, Ohio; the only child born of this union died in infancy. Mr. Alban's present wife, Jane, to whom he was married November 1, 1854, is a daughter of John McLeester, a farmer of this county. Two children have been born of this union: Maria and Helen. George B. Alban is an energetic and enterprising man, and still retains a goodly share of youthful vigor, both in action and in appear-
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
ance. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church; one of the old and sub- stantial citizens of this county. He and his family are connected with the West Union Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican.
ALLEN DORSEY, farmer, P. O. Van Buren, was born in what was formerly Cass Township, this county, February 22, 1834, son of David and Rosanna (Weand) Dorsey, natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a farmer and one of the first settlers in Allen Township, this county, and helped organize the township, serving as justice of the peace for several years. He came to this county in 1833, and died in this vicinity. Of his family of seven children who grew to maturity four are now living: George, Allen. Cordelia and Henry; William and James, members, respectively, of the One Hundred and Twenty-third and Twenty-first Regiments, Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, were both killed in service during the war of the Rebellion; David, died in Idaho. The father of our subject married, for his second wife, Margaret (Deal) Adams, who is now living in Wood County, Ohio. The subject of this sketch has all his life resided in this county, engaged in farming and stock dealing. He has farm property to the extent of 180 acres, most of which lies in Portage Township, this county. He is a mem- ber of Haywood Lodge, No. 333, I. O. O. F. Mr. Dorsey first married Miss Mary A. Howard, daughter of James Howard, a farmer of this county, and by this union there are two children: Ardinell and Allen D. Our subject's present wife, Margaret J., is a daughter of James McMurray.
WARREN L. DRAPER, farmer, P. O. Wineland, was born in Wash- ington County, N. Y., October 5, 1824, son of Moses and Marilla (Wilson) Draper, former of whom, a son of Jonathan Draper, a Revolutionary sol- dier, devoted his life to farming and saw-milling. Warren L. Draper moved from Pennsylvania when six years of age to Summit County, Ohio, and in 1853 came to this county, where he has since resided, engaged in farming. He has at present 180 acres of improved land in Allen Township. Our sub- ject was united in marriage with Miss Louisa Sobercole, and by her he had five children: Ann, Warren C., Edward, Elizabeth and Jane. His present wife, Hannah (King) Draper, is a daughter of John King, formerly a resi- dent of this county, and by her our subject has two children: Emma and Belle. Mr. Draper is a much respected citizen of this county.
DANIEL FRICK, farmer, P. O. Van Buren, was born May 3, 1828, in Westmoreland County, Penn. His parents, Daniel and Catherine (Miller) Frick, were also natives of the same place, the former a farmer and blacksmith. Daniel Frick, Sr., had a brother, George, who served in the war of 1812. Their father, George Frick, a German by birth, died of scar. let-fever in New Orleans, where he, in company with a man named Hannah, had taken a flat-boat loaded with flour. The father of our subject was twice married. His first wife (the mother of our subject) bore him nine children: Mary, John, George, Lucinda, Daniel, Delilah, David, Jacob and Abraham, all of whom are still living. His second wife also bore him nine children, of whom six are still living: Catherine, Jane, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Luther and Joseph. David, of the first family, and Isaiah, of the second family, served in the late war of the Rebellion. Daniel Frick, Sr., came to this county in the spring of 1855, and died the following fall. The subject of this sketch came to this county in 1856, and engaged in the mercantile trade. He was, however, a miller by occupation, and, in 1861, he purchased a flouring-mill (which is still standing in Van Buren, unused) and operated it for several
George Storyh
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ALLEN TOWNSHIP.
years. In 1871 he bought a farm of 160 acres of land, north of Van Buren, which he still owns, and on which he resided until last spring, when he moved to Van Buren, having purchased a store-building and residence com- bined. Mr. Frick has long been a member of the I. O. O. F., belonging at present to Haywood Lodge, No. 333. In politics he is a Republican. He was united in marriage, November 6, 1851, with Esther Dinsmore, a daugh- ter of John Dinsmore, a farmer of Westmoreland County, Penn., and two children have been born to this union, both now deceased.
EDWARD GEORGE, M. D., Van Buren, born in Mercer County, Penn., March 18, 1850, is the eldest son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Harlow) George, natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Germany, and who came to this county in 1855, where they still reside. They have two children: Dr. Ed- ward George and Louisa (wife of Orrin A. Ballard, of Findlay). Jonathan George, a carpenter by trade, is the son of John George, who was a soldier in the war of 1812. Dr. Edward George received his education in this county, and in early life clerked in a store. He commenced the study of medicine in 1872, under Drs. T. & T. C. Ballard, of Benton Ridge, Ohio, and took his first course in the medical department of the Michigan University in 1873-74; in 1875-76 he attended the Butler University, at Indianapolis, Ind., graduating therefrom February 25, 1876. In May of the same year he located in Van Buren, where he has since enjoyed an extensive practice. He was united in marriage, September 30, 1875, with Esther Whisler, daugh- ter of Samuel Whisler, a merchant of Benton Ridge. The Doctor is a Re- publican in politics. He has filled the office of mayor of Van Buren. He united with the Presbyterian Church in January, 1882, and was elected and has served as Sabbath-school superintendent four years in succession, up to the present time.
S. M. HARTMAN, farmer, P. O. Van Buren, was born in Wayne County, Ohio, November 11, 1844, son of Samuel J. and Eva (Whonsetler) Hartman, natives of Washington County, Penn., reared a family of ten children. The mother and seven of her children are still living. The father, who engaged in farming during his life, was a son of Peter Hartman, who, with many brothers, served in the war of 1812. S. M. Hartman, the sub- ject of this sketch, came to this county in 1872, and has since resided here, having a farm of seventy-six and a half acres of land. He was united in marriage, November 29, 1867, with Julia A. Zimmerman, daughter of Henry Zimmerman, formerly of Wayne County, Ohio. Ten children have been born to this union: Charles O., Ettie G., S. Della, Fannie S., Zoa A., Sam- uel T. (deceased), Jessie E., Wella Z., Oda L. and Henry B. In politics Mr. Hartman is a Prohibitionist. The family are members of the United Brethren Church.
HUGH McMURRAY, farmer, P. O. Van Buren, was born in Richland County, Ohio, November 4, 1832, son of James and Margaret (McHarry) Mc. Murray, natives of Ireland. James McMurray was born May 2, 1800, and came to Canada July 3, 1821, shortly afterward removing to the United States. He was a farmer, an active member of the Presbyterian Church, and an ardent Republican. His family consisted of eight children: Will- iam (deceased), Ann (deceased), James (deceased), Hugh, George (deceased), John H., Thomas H. and Margaret J. George was a member of the One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in Andersonville Prison. Hugh, the subject of this sketch, came to this county
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
in 1840, and has since resided here. He has a farm of 258 acres of land and a beautiful residence. He was united in marriage with Eliza Zarbaugh, a daughter of John Zarbaugh, an old resident of this county, now living in Van Buren. Our subject and wife have seven children living: Albina, born February 27, 1868; George, born February 22, 1870; Antonette, born De- cember 27, 1872; Harry J., born November 2, 1874; Mary C., born Decem- ber 12, 1877; Ardinell, born December 12, 1879, and John F., born Febru- ary 4, 1883.
SAMUEL SPITLER, retired farmer, Van Buren, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, September 5, 1813, youngest child of John and Susanna (Buswell) Spitler, both natives of Virginia, who settled in Fairfield County, Ohio, in a very early day. Their family consisted of ten children, eight of whom lived to maturity, but our subject is now the only survivor. Samuel Spitler resided in his native county until after his marriage, when he moved to Crawford County, Ohio, where he remained eight years; then, in 1840, came to this county, where he has remained since. He has been engaged principally in agricultural pursuits, and owns a farm of 320 acres of land in Allen Township, this county, and is one of the substantial citizens of the county. He served his county two terms (from 1863 to 1867) as treasurer, with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents; during this time he resided in Findlay. Samuel Spitler married, April 18, 1832, in Fairfield County, Ohio, Miss Anna Bretz, a daughter of Conrad and Susanna (Foreman). Bretz. Mr. Bretz served in the war of 1812. Mr. and Mrs. Spitler are the parents of ten children, eight of whom survive: Israel (married to Miss Jane Bushong), Noah (united in marriage, the first time with Sarah Loehr, and after her death, with Susa Hegerman), Eli (married to Miss Ensminger), Lu- cinda (wife of Paul Bryan), Cass W. (married to Benia Pingle), Samuel B. married to Nettie Poe), John H. (married to Irena Taylor) and Stephen D. (married to Lucy Rader). The deceased are Susannah E. and Conrad. In politics Mr. Spitler has always been a Democrat. Our subject and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Israel Spitler, Mrs. Lucinda Bryan, and Mr. and Mrs. Cass W. Spitler, all belong to the Primitive Baptist Church, called the Van Buren Church.
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