USA > Ohio > History of Ohio; the rise and progress of an American state, Volume Five > Part 18
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This wonderful stream of ore pierces Ohio along several lines of railways, feeding many furnaces in its valleys and giving employment to hundreds of
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
thousands of its citizens. No industry has such rami- fications as iron. Iron ore is the raw material of pig iron, pig iron is the raw material of steel, and steel ingots are the raw material of the steel rail, structural steel, shapes, plates, tubes, knives and forks, and such infinite refinements as watch springs. Consider the employment of labor therein.
The Lakes also afford an unfailing market for the output of the coal mines of Ohio and neighboring States. Some 28,000,000 tons are annually transported to the industries and homes of the Northwest.
The shipbuilding industry must not be overlooked in the general survey of the influence of the Lakes upon the commonwealth. The development of the channels has been coincident with the change in freight- carrying vessels. In the earlier days, that is to say before 1870, the greater part of the freight movement was in small vessels of from three hundred to six hundred tons capacity. It was the practice to tow these vessels through the rivers, and a considerable towing industry was developed. The tugs were powerful and frequently towed five or six vessels at a time. Out of this practice was evolved the consort system, whereby a propeller towed one or more barges.
The iron ore trade was gradually asserting its domain over the other trades, and vessel-owners were turning their attention to the construction of vessels exclusively for this trade. The first vessel that might be said to be constructed for the ore trade was the steamer R. J. Hackett, built in 1869. She was the first steamer to have her machinery well aft, having a continuous hold extending from the forecastle to the boiler room,
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
with hatches spaced twenty-four foot centers. The advantage of this type in the ease of loading and unload- ing was at once apparent, and no change in general principle has been made since, though there have been numerous modifications in detail. By 1892, the pre- ponderance of iron ore over all other articles of freight became established, and since then the output of the shipyards has been largely freighters intended as ore carriers. It is interesting to note that in the year when the Poe lock was opened to commerce, 1896, more than half the tonnage of the freight-carrying vessels built during that year was in ships exceeding two thousand tons net register.
Meanwhile another evolution was occurring in the development of the commerce of the Lakes, which was tending to add greatly to the industries of Ohio, and that was the mechanical unloading of the ore vessel. In the early days the ore was hoisted out of the hold of the vessel by means of a horse with block and tackle, the ore being dumped into wheelbarrows as it reached the deck and was wheeled ashore by laborers. This was, of course, a very tedious and expensive method. The next step in development was the substitution of a little dock engine for the horse, but in 1882, Alexander E. Brown invented a cable rig for both, hoisting the ore out of the vessel and conveying it to the dock. It was necessary, however, to fill the buckets by hand shoveling, which militated, of course, against rapid dispatch, though by nesting the buckets and working in several holds simultaneously a considerable improve- ment over the old method was obtained.
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
In 1899, the first automatic self-filling bucket was tried as an experiment and proved an instantaneous success. It has revolutionized the handling of ore on the Lakes and has caused the establishment of very considerable industries throughout the State of Ohio. The next year marked the advent of the so-called five hundred-foot ship. In 1904, another jump was made in building a ship five hundred and sixty feet long. Hundreds have since been built ranging from five hun- dred to six hundred feet in length, and there are two of six hundred and seventeen feet in length, with a carrying capacity of 14,000 tons. These ships have been built with hatches spaced at twelve-foot centers to accommodate themselves to the loading pockets of the ore docks, so that it is possible for a ship to receive her whole cargo without shifting. "Tween deck beams and stanchions have been eliminated, and compensat- ing strength secured by heavy girders running athwart ships between the hatches under the spar deck, so that the hold offers an unobstructed area to the unloading bucket.
While the first automatic bucket was designed for a load of about two tons, the latest buckets are designed to lift seventeen tons, and have unloaded ten thousand tons in three hours and forty-five minutes, while it is common practice to unload from a modern carrier ten thousand tons or more in a working day of ter hours. Accompanying the physical development, the cost of transportation has been so reduced that a tor of coal is now actually carried from Cleveland to Duluth for less money than one pays to have it wheeled from the sidewalk to his cellar, and a gross ton of two
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
thousand, two hundred and forty pounds of ore is carried a thousand miles for forty cents. So the effi- ciency of the modern freighter, working in sympathy and in conjunction with the loading and unloading dock, has reduced the cost of Lake transportation to its least dimensions, until there is annually saved to the people of the United States on these reduced freight charges a sum greater than the total amount that the Government has ever expended for the improvement of Lake channels. Every man, woman, and child on the continent shares in these dividends, but the State of Ohio has been the chief beneficiary.
This growth, which in its business effects affected Ohio more than any other State, was marked by the progress which may be graphically illustrated in simple statistics that do not pretend to go back and follow out the stages of progression. Going back a quarter of a century, we find that the shipment of grain east gave place in precedence and importance to the ship- ment of iron ore, while the movement of coal west, and of all other commodities, increased so as to demand the expanding of facilities.
As everywhere in the world, so in Ohio, the agri- cultural has been and always will be the predominant interest. The growth of urban population, the allure- ment of the city, is more striking in appearance than conclusive of the social problem, and the farmer will always be predominant in the substance of the com- monwealth. We are here dealing, however, with the influence of Lake commerce upon the State, and this relates necessarily to the mining and manufacturing side of the multifold industries and sources of popula-
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246
THE RISE AND PROGRESS
tion and substantial progress. Pursuing the subject in this view, we may urge further this interesting his- tory of development, and impress its importance to the industrial fortunes of our State.
Before the Sault Canal was opened, as has been described, efforts were made to utilize in Ohio and West- ern Pennsylvania the Lake Superior iron ores. The first effort was to concentrate, by hauling the ore to the forge and reducing into bloom for shipment, then to haul this by the primitive means at hand to the Lake and so ship; but the cost exceeded two-fold the value of the product. The price then stood at about $80 a ton for pig iron in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. The opening of the canal and locks at Sault Ste. Marie developed the iron mines of the Lake Superior region, or, as put by some authority, the growing needs of this country for a supply of merchantable iron ore compelled the breaking of the barrier, so that the ore in such abundance about Lake Superior might come down at a transportation cost within commercial limits. In the first primitive state of business the cost of getting the iron to the Lake shipping point on Lake. Superior was easily eight times the cost of shipment to Lake Erie ports to-day, and the cost of shipment thence to the eastern port was easily twenty times the cost of Lake transportation at present. Ohio, with her rich coal fields, with some adjunct of her lean native iron ore, and with limestone, was in preeminent position to profit by the opportunity opening up through the facilities and diminishing cost of transportation by the Great Lakes.
ALVA BRADLEY
Born in Ellington, Tolland County, Conn., November 17, 1814; when nine years old came with his parents to Brownhelm, Lorain County, Ohio, where he was reared on a farm; at the age of nineteen shipped on a Lake Erie vessel, and from that time for many years was engaged in Lake transportation, serving as captain of various ves- sels; afterward was one of the foremost shipbuilders on the Lake; removed to Cleveland in 1859; first president of the Cleveland Vessel Owners' Association (organized 1880); died November 28, 1885.
THE RISE AND PROGRI
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The primitive means at hand to the mi & die, lun the cost exceeded two-fold the af da gibten. The price then stood at about A um for Eig won In Obvio and Western Pennsylv Ti pperfoy of on vamal and locks at Sault Ste. devilapod the Des pilies of the Lake Superior sc 6. MA js f Me authority, the growing need The city Bus ogly of merchantable ir of the barrier, so that th the Lake Superior might lion cost within comm I love state of business th 1 prise del te he Lake shipping point on Spoor sin vily andhot times the cost of shipmer Lake Erie paris to-day, and the cost of shipment 10 KJit HUNHETN VONT + Hasily twenty times the com Laks Frankenitation at present. Ohio, with her chal Kedis, wich come adjunct of her lean native oce, and with Limestone, was in preeminent posil to pron by the opportunity opening up through facilida and diminishing cost of transportation the Great. Later,
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
This was a problem for the business men of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, who were logically interested from the beginning and as men of affairs saw and grasped the opportunity of cheap Lake transportation. It would possibly be invidious to attempt to name men prominent in this movement, but everyone will recall D. P. Rhodes, Hiram Garretson, Captain Alva Bradley, Captain Philip Minch, Valentine Fries, Henry J. Webb, Fayette Brown, and M. A. Hanna as pioneers in Cleve- land, who in turn were followed in the expansion and application of their efforts and results by such men as the Mathers, Oglebay, Norton, Corrigan, Mckinney, Richardson, Coulby, Mitchell, Harvey Brown, Dalton, Pollock, Hutchinson, Becker, Ashley, Sheadle, Davock, and other men who have so well followed up the task laid upon their shoulders by those who had preceded them. It would be an invidious task to attempt to speak of all the progressive and forceful men who have been interested in this movement from the purely transportation side. The result is, that through intelli- gent utilization of the wonderful natural waterway, on which the Government has expended more than $100,000,000 and in connection with which hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in ships and in terminal facilities and machinery for the handling of cargoes, the cost has been reduced to a minimum trans- portation charge compared with all the world. An ordinary cargo is ten thousand tons. An ordinary time for loading is a few hours. An ordinary time for discharge of ten thousand tons of cargo is less than ten hours.
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
Ohio has, from the very beginning of this trade, been an exceptionally fortunate beneficiary of a move- ment approaching 100,000,000 tons in the season of navigation.
The growth of the cities on the south shore of Lake Erie has predominated, and is due primarily to Ohio's touch with this cheapest and most efficient transpor- tation the world has known. The value of this kind of transportation to a community which may take advan- tage of it, is shown in the enormous expenditures made by Canada to enlarge and deepen and so overcome strictures in navigation to the sea; in the appropriation of some $100,000,000 in New York for the enlargement of the Erie Canal; in the project to establish a canal from Lake Erie to Pittsburg; in the growing intelli- gent expenditures by the Goverment to meet the demands of commerce along the south shore of Lake Erie; in the very large expenditures of every muni- cipality in Northern Ohio to encourage and further the terminals to accommodate this business. And this business, briefly stated, is: Laying aside all of the miscellaneous business and all passenger business, and confining ourselves to two articles of commerce which are primal and basic, we ship out of Ohio ports in a year some 28,000,000 tons of coal, and receive in Ohio ports in a year about the same 28,000,000 tons in iron ore. To estimate and understand the impor- tance of this, we must bear in mind that the production of pig iron in a year in the United States practically equals that of England, Germany and France combined; that into this product of the United States the iron ore coming from the Lake Superior region by the Lakes
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
produces more than eighty per cent, of which approxi- mately two-thirds comes to the ports of Northern Ohio, that is to say, that of the entire product of pig iron of the United States, there comes to and through our ports two-thirds of the iron ore than enters into the whole production.
So far as industrial Ohio is concerned, it depends much on its mining and manufacturing. The census of 1910 shows our rank to be fifth among all the states. Encouraged in every practical way as has been the development of our mining and our manufacturing business, it is not too much to say that it has been largely and broadly dependent on the position of Ohio, cover- ing, as it does, most of the south shore of Lake Erie in connection with the efficient and extremely cheap Lake transportation There is nothing strange or unaccount- able anywhere in this. Industrial development will follow in natural bent if the men are at hand to see and develop natural opportunity. Ohio will go for- ward in the march of industrial events, because she should, because she has the natural advantages and the men to improve them.
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OHIO AS A MANUFACTURING STATE BY OPHA MOORE
Opha Moore was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in 1867. He was educated at Otterbein University (Westerville, Ohio), and served as a member of the civil staff of four Governors of this State-Foraker, McKinley, Bush- nell, and Harris. From 1898 to 1902 he was secretary of the Ohio Building Commission, and since 1910 has been secretary of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association .- THE EDITORS.
I N 1910, according to the United States census, Ohio was the fourth State of the Union in popu- lation. The total inhabitants for the six leading States were :- New York, 9,113,614; Pennsyl- vania, 7,665, III; Illinois, 5,638,591; Ohio, 4,767,121; Texas, 3,896,542; Massachusetts, 3,366,416. For the comparative purposes of this article, Texas is to be eliminated from consideration, as the volume of its manufacturing is small contrasted with that of any of the other five States named, and indeed with a number of other states of much less population. With this exception we have five states-New York, Pennsyl- vania, Illinois, Ohio, and Massachusetts-which lead in population and also (and generally speaking as conspicuously) in industrial enterprise. Several eastern states-New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc .- show a very high manufacturing development in ratio to population; but in the gross of operations none of them equals any of the five states specified.
The fourth State in population in 1910, Ohio ranked fourth also in the amount of capital invested in manu- factures and in the number of establishments devoted to the production of manufactured articles. In the number of persons engaged in industries, the number of wage-earners, and the total wages paid, it closely approached the State of Illinois, though the latter had nearly a million more population. It may be remarked that both Ohio and Illinois were surpassed in these three respects by the smaller State of Massachusetts. Comparisons of totals, on the ratio basis, with the greater states of New York and Pennsylvania as well as various lesser states having the advantage of eastern
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
location, would be interesting statistically and afford further demonstration of the relatively advanced posi- tion that Ohio has taken in manufactures. It is suffi- cient to say that the place Ohio occupies as a manufac- turing State is substantially the same as that which it has in the numerical order. This is a remarkable eminence for a commonwealth which has always been considered primarily agricultural and which fully sus- tains at the present day its ancient reputation in that particular.
· The elements of Ohio's manufacturing development are too diverse and complicated to admit of complete analytical treatment in an article intended to be on lines of general information. It is improbable that any diligence could produce a complete history of manu- facturing in this State or any other-even if the term history is used only in the very restricted sense of narra- tion of origin and growth. The materials are too widely diffused, too little recorded, and too scantily preserved. Scarcely would it be practicable to write a minute account for any special time, say a census year; mere figures are only the foundations of data, and the multi- form details of industrial operation and production defy satisfactory collection and arrangement, except on certain broad plans or for selected purposes of infor- mation or illustration.
The general manufacturing situation in Ohio at the present time is, however, capable of quite thorough presentation on the basis of reliable statistics, and before taking up particular aspects, these general phases will be reviewed, without, however, too great elaboration.
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
The figures are from the United States census reports, 1910, and where the present tense is used it will be understood that the year 1910 is meant.
The predominating productive interest of Ohio is still agriculture, and the tendency of this interest is still largely expansive-facts which require some em- phasis. There is a prevailing disposition to regard agriculture and the country life in the northern states east of the Mississippi River as having attained their maximum development, if indeed not verging on decline. So far as Ohio is concerned this is a strangely mistaken idea.
During the decade from 1900 to 1910 the aggregate value of farm property in Ohio (including land, buildings, implements, and animals) advanced from $1,198,923,946 to $1,902,694,589. The ten years' in- crease alone exceeded by over one hundred and thirty million dollars the total capital invested in manufac- tures in this State in the century year 1900-that is, in the last ten years the increment in the valuation of farm property has been more than a hundred and thirty millions greater than was the entire capitalization of manufacturing establishments after nearly a hundred years of the existence of Ohio as a State. This vast agricultural progress from 1900 to 1910 has coincided, in the first place, with an even larger manufacturing development during the same period (to which we shall presently refer), and in the second place with a considerable diminution in the number of farms and the amount of farm acreage. Despite a tremendous growth in manufactures in the last decade there has been a nearly equal growth in our agricultural assets,
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THE RISE AND PROGRESS
and this notwithstanding an actual reduction in the number of farms and the number of acres farmed. The unmistakable conclusions are that the whole manufacturing interest of Ohio is a distinctive and separate creation, not derived to any degree from a sacrifice of agricultural activity, which on the contrary shows a mighty acceleration; and consequently, that there is not the slightest ground on which to apprehend a turning from farm to factory, as has so extensively occurred in the eastern states. A further conclusion, equally significant, is that agricultural operations in Ohio are becoming characterized by marked increase of economy and efficiency; otherwise an access of valuation would be incompatible with the reduction in farms and farm lands. This tendency lends especial weight to the optimistic predictions of Ohio's agricul- tural future, whatever magnitude may be attained by the manufacturing interest.
The agricultural situation as it stands to-day, with all our remarkable urban development, will perhaps be best understood from these figures :-- the land area of the State is calculated to be 26,073,600 acres, of which 24,105,708 acres are farm lands. With so slight a deduction from the total for naturally waste places and for the areas appropriated to cities, towns, railways, highways, etc., the agricultural preëminence of Ohio may be considered permanently assured. It remains for the manufacturing interest to move for- ward to an equivalent position as a factor of the State's resources and wealth. That result will not occur for some years, but it is inevitable.
JAMES GAMBLE
Born near Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland, April, 1903; came with the family to America in 1819 and settled in Cincinnati; in 1837 organized, with William Proctor, the manufacturing firm of Proctor and Gamble, which since has become known throughout the world; died April 29, 1891.
THE RISE AND PROUM
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forli bes de sfu weer ground on which to appreidid A tiréa fome que to factory, as has so extensidy Wewrbad ly Ous saugy statea, A further concluiin orally Ggi fait i thar agricultural operatione Ohbe an Typ Caracterwed by marked incre of Tonomy raul cloitre: otherwise an access of Vawebos wall bu wwonustible with the reduction in farms and darm Ande The tendency lends especial wright to she prections of Ohio's agric total fatww wwww pituide may be attain
Tu apkultur samme wo it stands to-day, wins lewdopment, will perbar These figures :- the land rad to be 26,073,600 acres are farm lands. With slight a dollnem m The total for naturally wasce poco and - > aro appropriated to cities, town railways, Michmary, se,, the agricultural preeminent of Ohio may lw con oderod permanently assured. In remains for the mandfacwirtur interest to move for ward in an prwirless puntion as a factor of the Statela Toonies and waltk. That result will not occur for some Truny bil itu inevitable.
Famcs Gamble
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OF AN AMERICAN STATE
We have seen that in 1910 the valuation of farm property was $1,902,694,589, against $1,198,923,946 in 1900-an increase of 58.7 per cent. For the same years the totals of capital invested in manufacturing in Ohio were, 1910, $1,300,733,000; 1900, $570,909,000- increase, 127.8 per cent. With similar percentage increases for the two interests in the current decade, the aggregate capital invested in manufactures will in 1920 closely approximate that invested in agricul- ture. It is idle to speculate whether these increases will, respectively, be sustained. Comparative census figures, as applied to the prediction of future economic growth in any department, are exceedingly unsafe.
It is to be considered improbable, however, that the development of valuation of the farm property of Ohio will go on in so great a ratio as that of 1900-10. That increase was very abnormal, totally without precedent in the history of the State. During the decades 1880- 90 and 1890-1900 the farm values were practically stationary-then came the extraordinary increase. The impetus so recently imparted may be expected to continue to some noticeable extent, especially if due (as seems the case) to general improvements in farming methods. But it is not in the nature of agriculture, where a high and scientific development has already been reached, to make sensational advances with any regularity.
Manufacturing, on the other hand, is likely to expand with large and continuing magnitude so soon as its organization shows powerful and solid characteristics. This has been the uniform experience in the eastern states, which have specialized in manufacture from an
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