History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 8

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923

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On the 17th of February, 1868, the Enter- prise Building and Loan Association elected their first officers which were as follows: John A. Lutz, president ; John Bayer, vice-president ; Alfred Williams, secretary; E. P. Garaghty. treasurer ; John A. Lutz, solicitor.

In the newspaper files of January, 1870, we find, in addition to the two companies men- tioned above, two new concerns known as the Pickaway Building and Loan Association and the Home Building and Loan Association. In 1872 there were two more companies in the field-the Mechanics' and the Scioto building and loan associations. All of the associations named above were created for a definite period and were successfully terminated. We also find early mention of the Golden Rule, German and other building and loan associations.

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FAILURE OF THE THREE BUILDING AND LOAN COMPANIES.

The city of Circleville was stirred to its very depths in the first week of January, 1903, when it became known that State examiners had found discrepancies in the accounts of the three building and loan companies then doing business here. The failures were attributed to G. C. Bayer, who held the office of secre- tary in each of the organizations. Upon the first intimation of trouble, he disappeared and was next heard from in Honduras, Central America, where he is reported to have died a year or two later. The total embezzlements or deficiencies, as later found, amounted to about $165,000.

When the discrepancies, indicating whole- sale embezzlements, were found on January 6, 1903, immediate proceedings were instituted looking to the placing of the companies in the hands of receivers. An action was brought in the Court of Common Pleas for this county by S. C. Gamble, trustee for Jane Popejoy, who asked for the appointment of a receiver and for a winding up of the business of the Circleville Building, Savings and Loan Association Company. On the 19th of l'ebruary the company dissolved and joined with the petitioner in the action for the appointment of a receiver, and on the fol- lowing day Charles H. May was appointed. In the meantime a suit against the Germania Building and Loan Company was brought by Jennie McGath, a depositor. S. L. Grigsby and J. P. Winstead were appointed receivers on February 19th. A suit was also brought against the New Citizens' Building and Loan Company by Frederick Dunn, an infant, by his next friend, Samuel W. Courtright. Henry P. Folsom and Barton Walters were appointed receivers on February 19, 1903 ..

The oldest of these companies, the Ger- mania Building and Loan Company, was in- corporated March 28, 1881, and on April 2nd a temporary organization was effected, with the following officers : - James Harsha, presi- dent; G. C. Bayer, secretary; George M. Van Heyde, treasurer ; and S. L. Grigsby, solicitor.

On May 13, 1881, the following permanent of- ficers were chosen : T. K. Brunner, president ; W. E. Bolin, vice-president ; G. C. Bayer, secre- tary; George M. Van Heyde, treasurer; and S. L. Grigsby, solicitor. The officers at the time of the collapse were: H. B. Clemons, president ; Christopher Wefler, vice-president ; G. C. Bayer, secretary ; William Chaney, treas- urer; and S. L. Grigsby, solicitor. The liabili- ties of this company were found to be $46,- 224.66, while the assets were only $27,907.77, leaving a deficiency of about $18,000. Since the failure, the receivers have paid dividends amounting to 50 per cent. and it is thought will pay from 25 to 30 per cent. more.

The New Citizens' Building and Loan Com- pany was organized in July, 1882, the original stockholders being : Simon Bayer, G. C. Bayer, E. E. Bock, Andrew R. Bolin. S. L. Grigsby, A. J. Grigsby, Henry R. Heffner, William Heffner, B. H. Moore, W. T. Price. James Reichelderfer, Joseph P. Smith, Edward Smith, George M. Van Heyde and William Vieth. The company was capitalized at $12.500. The first officers were: Joseph P. Smith, president; William Heffner, vice-presi- dent : G. C. Bayer, secretary ; George M. Van Heyde, treasurer; and Bolin & Grigsby, solici- tors. The last officers of the company were as follows: Joseph P. Smith, president; H. S. Heffner, vice-president; G. C. Bayer, secre- tary ; E. E. Bock, treasurer ; and S. L. Grigsby, solicitor. George M. Van Heyde was treasurer of this company from its organization in 1882 until 1894, when he was succeeded by E. E. Bock. As near as can be found, the liabilities of this concern amounted to about $178,935, while the assets were about $80,500, leaving a deficiency of nearly $98,500.

.The Circleville Building, Savings and Loan Association Company was incorporated Sep- tember 28, 1894, with a capital of $10,000, the incorporators being: Samuel Rindsfoos, G. C. Bayer, Percy A. Walling, Gustavus A. Schleyer and Joseph P. Smith. The other original stockholders were: E. E. Winship, Sr., Minnie Smith, T. K. Brunner, Charles A. Smith, Matilda Bayer, Samuel Morris and Edward Smith. The first officers were : Joseph

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HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY

P. Smith, president; T. K. Brunner, vice- president; G. C. Bayer, secretary ; Charles A. Smith, treasurer; and Percy A. Walling, solici- tor. At the time of the collapse, this company had the following officers: Joseph P. Smith, president; George W. Bauder, vice-president ; G. C. Bayer, secretary ; Charles A. Smith, treasurer; and Percy A. Walling, solicitor. The total amount embezzled from this com- pany was about $50,000. Charles H. May, the receiver, has since paid 50 per cent. in divi- dends and it is expected that the remaining assets will realize from 20 to 25 per cent. more.

NEW HOME BUILDING AND LOAN COMPANY.

On April 6, 1903, shortly after the failure of the three building and loan companies in Circleville, a new concern, the New Home Building and Loan Company, was organized with a capital stock of $450,000. The board of directors and officers were the same at the organization of the company as they are at the present, namely : George W. Bauder, presi- dent; S. M. Lewis, vice-president; George F. Grand-Girard, treasurer; R. C. Weldon, secre- tary ; S. C. Gamble, attorney and George J. McMullen, F. B. Brunner, John C. Goeller and E. S. Neuding. The company is in a flourish- ing condition.

PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATIONS.

Circleville Light & Power Company .- As far back as 1859, Coverdale & Bierce estab- lished a coal gas plant in Circleville and began furnishing gas in January, 1860. In 1863 Col. Samuel A. Moore became sole proprietor. The original capital was $26,000. Colonel Moore turned the plant over to his son Ed- ward, who held it until his death, in 1885, when it was purchased by the Circleville Gas Light & Coke Company, organized for this purpose. The first officers of this company were: Dr. Howard Jones, president; Frank C. Hubbard, vice-president ; Charles J. Delaplane, secretary and treasurer; and J. L. Stribling, superin- tendent. In 1887 the plants and business of this company and of the Edison Incandescent

Company were combined, and the following became the officers of the combined concerns : Joseph P. Smith, president; Dr. Howard Jones, vice-president ; J. H. Sweetman, secretary and treasurer ; and J. L. Stribling, manager. In 1891 the Circleville Light & Power Company was organized with the following officers : Dr. Howard Jones, president; Frank C. Hubbard, vice-president ; Charles J. Delaplane, secretary and treasurer; and J. L. Stribling, superin- tendent. In that year they established the arc light plant, which went into operation in Feb- ruary, 1892. The following March the com- pany purchased the plant of the Edison In- candescent Company, and the following Sep- tember moved that plant to their present loca- tion on West Mound street. The present of- ficers are : Dr. Howard Jones, president ; Frank C. Hubbard, vice-president ; Howard B. Moore, secretary and treasurer; and J. L. Stribling, manager. The plant is operated by two Hamil- ton-Corliss engines of 150 and 250 horse- power, respectively, one Ball engine of 40 horse-power, two Babcock boilers and one Sterling boiler. There are three arc light gen- erators and six Edison incandescent light gen- erators. The employes number about 10 on an average. The company supplies the city with 133 arc lights and can furnish current for about 2,500 incandescent lights. The gas tank has a capacity of 30,000 cubic feet. The company has about nine miles of gas mains.

The Buckeye Natural Gas Company furnishes the natural gas consumed in Circle- ville, which is piped here from the Sugar Grove field. The company, whose headquarters are at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, was incorporated in 1895; J. C. McDowell is president, while R. P. Miller is in charge as local manager of the Circleville office, which is located in the Grand Opera House on North Court street.

The Circleville Water Supply Company was incorporated by Eastern capitalists in 1886 and the plant established and put in operation the following year. The pumping station and stand-pipe are located on the west side of the river on the Niles farm. The pumping capacity of the plant is 3,000,000 gallons daily; the Holly system is used. The stand-pipe is 150

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05.

COURT STREET, NORTH FROM MAIN

MAIN STREET, WEST FROM COURT

QUENTES & NEXCHAN

PUMPKIN SHOW, 1905 Court and Main Streets.

PUMPKIN SHOW, 1904 West Main Street.

STREET VIEWS IN CIRCLEVILLE

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feet high and 24 feet in diameter. Fourteen and a half miles of mains are in operation. George R. Haswell is superintendent and T. D. Krinn, clerk.

The Central Union Telephone Company, familiarly known as the Bell company, has had telephone lines in operation in Circleville and the county since 1886. The company has two exchanges in the county : Ashville and Circle- ville, the former with three operators and the latter with ten. Three trouble men are em- ployed. There are 24 toll stations in this dis- trict : Ashville, Atlanta, Bell's Siding, Bazore's Mills, Clarksburg, County Line, Darbyville, Deer Creek, Fox, Elmwood, Kinderhook, Hayesville, New Holland, Meade, Oakland, Union Chapel, Stoutsville, Spunkeytown, South Bloomfield, Tarlton, Thatcher, Will- iamsport, Woodlyn and Ryan's Crossing. The company has 810 subscribers. H. S. Grant is local manager.

The Citizens' Telephone Company was or- ganized in the fall of 1901, with capital stock of $200,000. The first officers were: Edward E. Smith, president; Henry P. Folsom, vice- president; Germain Joseph, secretary; and Gus- tavus A. Schleyer, treasurer. These officers with L. M. Long and Frederick J. Schleyer composed the board of directors. The com- pany has the same directors and officers at the present time. The company has four ex- changes : Ashville, with four operators; Will- iamsport, with three; Laurelville, with two; and Circleville with 18 operators and six trouble men. The manager is E. W. Lutz. There are 1,600 subscribers and 28 toll sta- tions, namely : Stoutsville, East Ringgold, Thatcher, Leistville, Stringtown, Haynes, South Perry, Hayesville, Nash, Yellowbud, Tarlton, Adelphi, South Bloomfield, Kinder- hook, Woodlyn, Deer Creek, St. Paul, Duvall, Commercial Point, Carrie, Clarksburg, Atlanta, Pherson, South Bloomfield, Nebraska, Mat- ville, Cedar Hill and Meade.

THE CANNING INDUSTRY

In Circleville has a history extending over a period of 30 years. In 1873 Mr. and Mrs.

Cyrus E. Sears came to this city from Grove- land, Livingston County, New York, and started putting up corn from a farm of 300 acres. The corn, which was a variety known as "Excelsior," was dried in pans and put upon the market under that name. This was the first plant of its kind west of the Alle- ghanies. In 1876 Evans, Day & Company, of Baltimore, Maryland, came here and put their canning apparatus into one of the drying houses, Sears & Company furnishing the corn and Evans, Day & Company doing the pack- ing. The process first used for putting up corn in cans was one that was invented or rather discovered by John Winslow Jones, of Maine, to whom the canners had to pay large royalties. Finally the heating process was invented, which did away with the old method, in which tar- taric acid was the preserving agent. From that time to this, the progress of the sweet corn canning industry has been rapid. The year of largest production was 1904, when 867,000 cases were packed in Circleville. This was the banner year for the industry so far as amount of production was concerned; but when the goods were put upon the market, it was soon found that there had been an over-production, which resulted in the canning companies sell- ing their product at cost or less than cost. The experience was a wholesome one to the pack- ers, for they got together and agreed to curtail production 40 per cent. in 1906.

The canning industry has been a most bene- ficial one for this section and especially for the city of Circleville, where many important companies have either their headquarters or their factories. The industry also brings good returns to the farmers. It is said that 15,000 acres of sweet corn are necessary for the fac- tories controlled from Circleville. The price paid to farmers in 1904 amounted to about a third of a million dollars. The cost of the tin cans was nearly as much and other ex- penses such as labor in field and in factory, packing boxes, solder, labels, sugar and salt brought the total amount paid out to almost a million dollars.

The business of drying and evaporating corn, which was started by C. E. Sears & Com-

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HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY

pany back in 1873, prospered for a number of years, until the canning process became per- fected and popular, when the demand for the evaporated product fell away. At the present time the demand is supplied by Mrs. Annie S. Sears, widow of Cyrus E. Sears, who conducts a small evaporating plant and gets out quite a number of packages of dried corn, which is put up in one-pound cartons.

At the present time there are six canning companies located in Circleville, as follows : C. E. Sears & Company, Esmeralda Canning Company, Pressing & Orr Company, Scioto Canning Company, New Circleville Canning Company and Central Ohio Canning Company.

The canning plant of C. E. Sears & Com- pany, as stated above, was the pioneer one west of the Alleghany Mountains. It was conducted as a canning plant by Cyrus E. Sears from 1876 until his death in 1893. Mrs. Sears then operated it for three years, after which it passed into the hands of J. M. Dun- Jap, Festus Walters and R. G. McCoy. It was purchased later by the Crites brothers and McCoy, and in 1903 Mr. McCoy disposed of his interest to H. M. Crites. Mr. Crites then sold a half interest to Sears & Nichols, of Chillicothe, who with James Reichelderfer and H. M. Crites now own the plant. The fancy brands of this concern are: "Excelsior," "Sears' Cream," "Faultless," "Sears' Choice," "Pride of Ohio" and "Progressive." The standard brands are : "Riverside," "Pickaway," "Scioto Valley," "Snow White," "Blue Bell" and "Cupid." The company has several third grade brands, namely : "Swiss," "Egyptian," "Island" and "Myrtle." The plant has five lines, with a capacity of putting up 4,000 cans. an hour. In 1904 the company packed 300,000 cases. The same year the company also packed 40,000 cases of tomatoes at their Laurelville plant.

Esmeralda Canning Company .- In 1899 Smith Brothers started a tomato packing and preserving plant, which was merged into a new concern known as the Esmeralda Canning Company, which was incorporated for $100,- 000 in 1904. The directors are R. G. McCoy, Boyd Trout, James I., Edward E. and Joseph

S. Smith and Miss Elizabeth Renick. The officers are : R. G. McCoy, president; James I. Smith, secretary ; and Edward E. Smith, treas- urer. The factory occupies five acres of ground and has three lines for corn and one for tomatoes. Its annual capacity is 150,000 cases. The company uses the calcium system, and is the only company that seals its cans with the hem cap. Sprague machinery is used through- out the plant. All cans used are purchased from the American Can Company. The com- pany packs two fancy brands-"Esmeralda" and "Columbia;" and two standard brands- "Our Country" and "Circle City."

Pressing & Orr Company .- In 1901 the Winorr Canning Company was established by Messrs. Winters and Prophet, of Mount Mor- ris, New York, and Pressing and Orr, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. The company changed hands January 1, 1904, and the name was changed to the present style. Messrs. Pressing and Orr are sole owners. The fac- tory was put in one combination with the can- neries at Norwalk, Ohio, and capitalized at $150,000, paid up. 'The officers of the com- pany are : S. M. Orr (residing in Circleville), president; W. C. Pressing ( who lives at Nor- walk), secretary and treasurer; and C. D. Hess (a resident of Circleville), superintendent. The pack of the Pressing & Orr Company at Circleville consists of green lima beans, peas. stringless beans, beets, spinach, tomatoes and "Winorr kernelled corn"-"The corn without hulls," which is their specialty. At Norwalk the company packs all kinds of fruit and also sour kraut, peas, green lima beans and manu- factures catsup. This factory is in operation the year round, putting up baked beans, salad dressing and condiments of all kinds. In the spring of 1906 the Pressing & Orr Company purchased the Scioto Canning Company's tomato canning plant at New Holland. where they have packed tomatoes during the past summer. Many improvements have been made in the last named plant, among which has been the erection of a fireproof warehouse, 30 by 80 feet in dimensions, built of concrete and tile. In its busy season the company employs up- wards of 600 hands; its pay roll in Circleville

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amounts to about $25,000 a year. Last year the company packed 40,000 cases of kernelled corn. The Circleville plant occupies over four acres. The kernelled corn is put up in wrappers of royal colors : Red, blue and gold. The regu- lar corn is put up under the names of "Rain- bow," "Omega," "Vesper" and "Wilton."

The Scioto Canning Company, whose plant is located at Ashville; was incorporated in 1899 for $100,000, under the laws of Ohio, the in- corporators being Festus Walters, James Reichelderfer, Wayne Caldwell, John L. Krim- mel and H. C. Allen. The present officers are : Festus Walters, president; Milton Morris, vice- president ; S. P. Deeds, secretary ; and Wayne Caldwell, treasurer. The plant, which covers an area of 71/2 acres, is described in the sketch of Ashville, appearing elsewhere in this work. The fancy corn is put up under the brands of "Logan Elm" and "Scioto;" while the stan- dard brands are, "Zenith" and "Prize." Sprague machinery is used throughout the plant. During the season of 1906 the com- pany has put up corn without hulls under an entirely new process. Last year can-making machinery was added to the plant and the com- pany is now able to manufacture its own cans at the rate of 50,000 a day.

The New Circleville Canning Company was originally established by I. N. Abernethy, Ira Busic and George W. Inskeep, who built a plant in Circleville for the canning of tomatoes. The New Circleville Canning Company was in- corporated in 1901, with a capital stock of $10,000, and purchased the plant above named, the incorporators being: Samuel W. Court- right, Irwin Boggs, Julius H. Helwagen, W. T. Bell, W. G. Jacob and John P. Given. In November, 1904, the cap- ital stock was increased to $50,000 and a corn-canning plant of two lines was built at Washington Court House, with a capacity of 100,000 cans daily." Both corn and tomatoes are put up under the same brands. The fancy brands are: "Just Out" and "The Colonel;" while the standard brands are, "Pride of Circleville," "Alpha," "Royal Im- perial," "Sweet Morsel," "The Baron" and "Washington Belle." The officers of the com- pany are: Samuel W. Courtright, president ;

Irwin Boggs, vice-president; W. T. Bell, treasurer; and Julius H. Helwagen, secretary.

On June 20, 1904, the Central Ohio Can- ning Company was incorporated with capital stock of $20,000, paid up. The incorporators were: Marion Corwin, Louis W. Berry, Her- man Shade, Charles L. Boyer, Irvin F. Snyder and John L. Krimmel. The present officers are : Irvin F. Snyder, president; William Heff- ner, vice-president; Charles L. Boyer, secre- tary ; Louis W. Beery, treasurer; and Herman Shade, manager. The office of the company is located at Circleville, while the factory is situ- ated at Canal Winchester and occupies three acres of ground. Corn is packed in fancy brands under the names of "Little Queen" and "Sweetheart;" the standard brands are, "Sweet Clover" and Winchester." The cannery is a one-line affair; Sprague machinery is used and corn is put up under the calcium system. Forty thousand cases of corn were packed in 1905.

R. G. McCoy, the president of the Esmer- alda Canning Company, is also interested in a canning company at Urbana, in which he holds a controlling interest.

TIIE OHIO CEREAL COMPANY

Is the result of a combination of the business and plants of the Smith Mill Company and Crites Brothers & Company. The Smith Mill Company was established in 1888 for the manu- facture of meal and feed stuff, being the suc- cessor of the milling firm of J. S. Smith & Brothers. In 1893 flour-milling machinery was put into the plant, and from this date the business rapidly increased in volume. In the meantime the mill of Crites Brothers & Com- pany on Canal street had been growing in importance and establishing a reputation for the quality of its products. In 1900 the Ohio Cereal Company was incorporated under the laws of Maine, with capital stock of $260,000 and the plants of the Smith Mill Company and Crites Brothers & Company were combined under the one management. In the course of a few years, H. M. Crites disposed of his in- terests in the Ohio Cereal Company.

The present officers and chief employes of

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HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY

the Ohio Cereal Company are as follows: Jo- seph S. Smith, president; Edward E. Smith, vice-president; James I. Smith, secretary and treasurer; C. J. Barbeau, head miller ; Lee S. Simison, assistant miller; Richard Northam, assistant engineer; Matthew Smith, manager of the Crites mill; and Boyd Trout, book- keeper. The yearly pay-roll of the hands em- ployed in the mills amounts to $20,000. About 80,000 barrels of flour and 160,000 barrels of meal and feed are produced annually, which requires about 1,000 car-loads of corn and wheat. The flour for export is put up in barrels and the meal in Osnaburg sacks. The Ohio Cereal Company's brands of flour are "Para- digm," "Needa" and "Diamond Dust." For the Southern trade there are two brands of flour, "Monogram" and "Crown." In the early years of the business the flour was exported almost exclusively, but of late years it has been introduced in this city and in Columbus and has met with popular favor. There are only two larger milling concerns in the State than the Ohio Cereal Company.

THE HEFFNER MILLING COMPANY,

One of the most important of Circleville's suc- cessful manufacturing concerns, engaged in the preparation of corn-meal and other corn products, was incorporated in March, 1905, for $175,000, by Henry R., William, Harvey S. and W. Frank Heffner and Wade H. Cook, the first two incorporators being old, expe- rienced grain men of many years standing. For a period of nearly 40 years, Henry R. Heffner has been engaged in the grain and milling business in Circleville. The present of- ficers of the company are : Henry R. Heffner, president; William Heffner, vice-president; Harvey S. Heffner, secretary and treasurer; and W. Frank Heffner, manager.

The Heffner mill occupies 25,000 square feet of space and is divided into three mills- for white meal, yellow meal and feed. Its capacity is 1,500 barrels of kiln-dried meal and 100 tons of corn feed daily. Employment is given to 27 men in the mill and elevator, besides 30 coopers, who can turn out 500 bar-

rels daily, if necessary. The company ships annually 667 car-loads of food stuffs for domestic use and exports 575 car-loads, all the goods manufactured being shipped in car-load lots. Three-fourths of the meal is packed in Osnaburg bags, on account of the increased cost of cooperage stock. The capacity of the elevator is 45,000 bushels. The plant has every modern equipment for the expeditious loading and unloading of cars. The mill shells 900. bushels of corn in an hour and in the same period 1,400 bushels of wheat can be elevated. The products of the corn mill consists of bolted and unbolted, white and yellow, kiln- dried corn-meal, feed chop, cracked corn, corn chop, feed meal, corn bran and corn and oats chop. The corn-meal of the Heffner Milling Company is put upon the market under the "Sagamore" and "Dixie" brands. While the Southern States and Atlantic Coast are large consumers, great shipments are made to the West Indies, Canada, South America, Europe and Africa. The mill covers two acres of ground, has its own electric light plant and uses its own power to move the cars on the company's sidings. The annual business amounts to about $1,000,000. The amount paid to employes yearly is about $25,000. The Heffners also control elevators at Jasper and Woodlyn.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 8

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Number of Pages: 923

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923