History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 60

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 60

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Ætna, Locust, Bowery, Water, Canal, Howard, Main, High, Broadway, Summit, and, in the so- called " Eastern Addition," First, Second and Third streets.

About this time, Middlebury and Cuyahoga Falls partook also of the general business activity, and for some years bade fair to push Akron vigorously in a contest as to which should prove the coming metropolis. When, however, the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal at last passed by on one side, Middlebury received a blow which substantially put her out of the race. From that time destiny seemed to thrust her down to a subordinate rank, and that fate was philosophically accepted. Cuyahoga Falls, however, stoutly maintained her priority, both as to time and station, for the Falls had ob- tained an incorporation just one week before Akron, on the 7th of March, 1836, the same day that Cleveland was advanced from a vil- lage to a city. The Falls people obstinately refused to believe that Akron possessed or could promise any better things than Cuyahoga Falls could offer. They pointed to their prac- tically illimitable water-power, and dilated up- on the superior healthfulness of their town, yet, nevertheless, Akron unreasonably insisted up- on keeping just a little ahead in point of num- bers. So matters went until the new county of Summit was carved out of the adjacent ones of Portage, Stark and Medina, in 1840.

Section 2 of the act incorporating the town of Akron provided for the election, upon the sec- ond Tuesday of the next ensuing June, by " the white male inhabitants, who have resided within the aforesaid limits of said town for the space of six months next preceding, etc., etc.," of one Mayor, one Recorder and five Trustees, together constituting a Town Council. In pursuance of this provision, the first election of town officers was held at the house of Asa Larned, June 14, 1836, with the following result : Total num- ber of votes cast, 166, of which for Mayor, Seth Iredell received 91, and Eliakim Crosby, 75 ; for Recorder, Constant Bryan received 87 votes, Charles W. Howard 75, and H. Johnson 4; Erastus Torrey, Jedediah D. Commins, Will- iam B. Mitchell, William E. Wright and Noah M. Green were chosen Trustees. The first meeting of the "Town Council of the town of Akron" convened on Saturday, the 18th of June. After some preliminary business, the first ordinance was passed, entitled, " An Ordi-

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nance regulating Exhibitions and Public Shows in the town of Akron." As William B. Mitch- ell declined the honor of a Trusteeship, at an adjourned meeting held Monday, the 20th of June, Justus Gale was appointed a Trustee in his stead. Samuel A. Wheeler was also ap- pointed Treasurer. At the next Council meet- ing, Ithiel Mills was elected Marshal. From that time until Akron advanced in grade, be- coming a village at the adoption of the State's new constitution in 1852, by virtue of the gen- eral act, the officers were as follows :

Mayors-1836, Seth Iredell ; 1837, John C. Singletary, Jr .; 1838, John C. Singletary, Jr. ; 1839, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1840, Arad Kent; 1841. Lucius V. Bierce ; 1842, Harvey H. John- son ; 1843, Harvey H. Johnson ; 1844, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1845, Philo Chamberlin ; 1846, Philo Chamberlin ; 1847, Levi Rawson ; 1848, Israel E. Carter ; 1849, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1850, George Bliss. In April, of 1851, Bliss re- signed the position, but no new Mayor was elected until the next regular election in June. 1851, Charles G. Ladd ; 1852, Frederick Wads- worth. Up to this time the Mayor, Recorder, and Trustees had been elected by the people upon the first Monday of June of each year.

Recorders-1836, Constant Bryan ; 1837, William E. Wright ; 1838, William E. Wright ; 1839, Robert K. DuBois ; 1840, Robert K. Du Bois ; 1841, Robert K. DuBois ; 1842, Nahum Fay ; 1843, Nahum Fay ; 1844, William H. Dewey ; 1845, William H. Dewey ; 1846, Will- iam HI. Dewey ; 1847, Nahum Fay ; 1848, Arad Kent; 1849, Arad Kent; 1850, Edward W. Perrin ; 1851, Arad Kent : 1852, Horace Can- field.

Treasurers-1836, Samuel A. Wheeler ; 1837, Horace K. Smith; 1838, Horace K. Smith ; 1839, Russell Abbey ; 1840, Gibbons I. Ack- ley ; 1841, Gibbons I. Ackley ; 1842, Gibbons I. Ackley ; 1843, Gibbons I. Ackley ; 1844, Gibbons I. Ackley ; 1845, Gibbons I. Ackley ; 1846, Grove N. Abbey ; 1847, Grove N. Abbey ; 1848, Grove N. Abbey ; 1849, Grove N. Ab- bey ; 1850, Milton W. Henry ; 1851, Milton W. Henry ; 1852, Milton W. Henry.

Trustees-1836, Erastus Torrey, Jedediah D. Commins, William B. Mitchell, William E. Wright, Noah M. Green ; Mitchell declined to serve, and Justus Gale was appointed to the vacancy. 1837, William K. May, William I. Mather, David D. Evans, Jesse Allen, Eber

Blodget ; in September, May having removed from Akron, his seat was declared vacant, and William Patterson was elected by the other Trustees to succeed him. 1838, Jesse Allen, Ebenezer Martin, Justus Gale, James W. Phil- lips, Ansel Miller. 1839, Samuel Manning, Seth Iredell, James W. Phillips, Lewis P. Buckley, Ebenezer Martin ; Martin declining. Ansel Miller was appointed instead ; in July, Phillips resigned, and Ithiel Mills succeeded him. 1840, Seth Iredell, Samuel Manning, Ithiel Mills. Samuel A. Wheeler, William E. Wright ; Wheeler resigned in July, and Ansel Miller became his successor. 1841. Seth Ire- dell, Webster B. Storer, Jacob Allen, Ansel Miller, Leverett J. Ives. 1842, Ansel Miller, Seth Iredell, David Allen, George F. Ray, Hor- ace May ; in January, 1843, Allen died, and James Mathews filled the vacancy. 1843, Seth Iredell, James Mathews, George F. Ray, Horace May, Ansel Miller. 1844, William M. Dodge, Robert K. Du Bois, Nahum Fay, Jesse Allen, Samuel A. Wheeler ; in September, Jesse Allen resigned, and Jacob Allen was appointed. 1845, Robert K. Du Bois, Justus Gale. Lucius V. Bierce, William M. Dodge, James H. Craw- ford : Gale refused to serve, and Samuel A. Wheeler was elected to the vacancy. In Novem- ber, Du Bois died and Horace Canfield suc- ceeded him. 1846, Horace Canfield, Samuel A. Wheeler, Allen Hibbard, Nicholas E. Vansickle, Lucius V. Bierce. 1847, Allen Hibbard, Lucien Swift, Samuel A. Wheeler, Joseph A. Beebe, Ausel Miller. 1848, Ansel Miller, Nathaniel Finch, Benjamin McNaughton, John M. Cutler. George W. Bloom. 1849, Nathaniel Finch, Ansel Miller, Charles Webster, George W. Bloom. Milton N. Henry ; in October, Finch resigned, and the remaining Trustees elected John M. Cutler. 1850, Thomas H. Goodwin, John Howe, Hiram Viele, Robert Jackson, L. C. Parker ; in October, William M. Dodge was elected to the place made vacant by the re- moval of Howe. 1851, James M. Hale, Bell- jamin McNaughton, William O. Sanford, Milton W. Henry, D. F. Bruner. 1852, James M. Hale, William O. Sanford, R. P. Myers, Peter Osburn, Ansel Miller.

The total vote upon the occasion of the first town election, in 1836, was 166. At the last town election, in 1852, there were cast 278 votes. The year previous. however, fifteen years after the first vote above mentioned,

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there were 334 ballots cast, just two more than double the first vote. From the time that Akron became a village until advanced to a city of the second class, in 1865, the following were officers of the corporation, and were elected by popular vote upon the first Monday of April of each year. The Mayor, Recorder, and the five Trustees together constituted the Village Council :

Mayors-1853, Philip N. Schuyler ; 1854, William T. Allen ; 1855, Nathaniel Finch ; 1856, Nathaniel Finch ; in December, Finch resigned, and in February of 1857, Frederick A. Nash was elected to succeed him ; 1857, Frederick A. Nash ; 1858, Frederick A. Nash ; 1859, George W. McNeil ; 1860, Henry Purdy ; 1861, Henry Purdy ; 1862, Charles A. Collins ; 1863, Henry A. Collins ; 1864, George D. Bates.

Recorders-1853, Horace Canfield ; in De- cember, Canfield died, and the Council elected R. S. Elkins to fill the vacancy thus caused ; 1854, R. S. Elkins ; 1855, Joseph E. Wesener ; 1856, Joseph E. Wesener ; 1857, Ralph P. Waterbury ; 1858, Ralph P. Waterbury ; 1859, Allen Hibbard ; 1860, Alvin Rice ; 1861, James Holmes ; 1862, Alvin Rice ; 1863, Al- vin Rice ; 1864, Henry W. Ingersoll.

Trustees-1853, William T. Allen, Daniel H. Wheeler, R. S. Elkins, David A. Scott, George Thomas ; Elkins being appointed Recorder in January of 1854, S. A. Lane was elected to fill the vacant place ; 1854, James B. Taplin, Thomas 11. Goodwin, Richard Howe, David Hanscomb, James M. Hale ; 1855, Richard Howe, George Thomas, James B. Taplin, Will- iam T. Allen, David A. Scott ; in April, Taplin resigned, and R. S. Elkins succeeded him ; 1856, Henry Purdy, David A. Scott, Thomas H. Goodwin, Henry S. Abbey, Joseph Milli- gan ; 1857, George Thomas, Henry Fisher, Jr., Henry S. Abbey, Henry Purdy, Charles Cranz ; 1858, Charles Cranz, R. B. Walker, John Cook, Joseph Milligan, Job Pierce ; 1859, William L. Everett, Job Pierce, R. B. Walker, Thomas H. Goodwin, Joseph Milligan ; 1860, Richard Howe, Ferdinand Schumacher, Robert L. Mof- fatt, James Christy, William S. Painton ; 1861, Robert L. Moffatt, Ferdinand Schumacher, George Buel, John Douglass, Henry Fisher ; in October, Fisher resigned, and, in November, George W. MeNeil was chosen by the Council to serve out the term ; 1862, Charles Webster,

John E. Bell, John Douglass, Isaac Harter, George Buel ; 1863, Arad Kent, John E. Bell, J. W. Holloway, Jacob Goldsmith, John H. Wagoner ; 1864, Allen Hibbard, Stephen H. Pitkin, William H. Lapens, Charles W. Bon- stedt, James Christy.

Treasurers-1853, Milton W. Henry ; at this time, the election of the Treasurer was trans- ferred from the Council to the people; 1854, Milton W. Henry ; 1855, Milton W. Henry ; 1856, Milton W. Henry ; 1857, Milton W. Hen- ry ; 1858, John Good ; 1859, John H. Cham- berlin ; 1860, John H. Chamberlin ; 1861, Charles Cranz ; 1862, Charles Cranz ; 1863, Charles Cranz ; 1864, Charles Cranz.

In Jannary, 1865, as is set forth more at length elsewhere, Akron became a city of the second class. From that time to the present, her officers have been the following :

Mayors-Elected by the people, term two years : 1865, James Mathews; 1866, James Mathews ; 1867, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1868, Lu- cius V. Bierce ; 1869, J. L. Robertson ; 1870, J. L. Robertson ; 1871, J. L. Robertson ; 1872, J. L. Robertson ; 1873, Henry Purdy ; 1874, Henry Purdy ; 1875, Levi S. Herrold ; 1876, Levi S. Herrold ; 1877, James F. Scott ; 1878, James F. Scott ; 1879, James M. Fraze ; 1880, James M. Fraze ; 1881, Samuel A. Lane.

Clerks-Elected by the Council, term one year. The office is that of which the incum- bent was formerly denominated Recorder ; 1865, Jerry A. Long ; 1866, Jerry A. Long ; 1867, Mills B. Purdy ; 1868, Mills B. Purdy ; 1869, Mills B. Purdy ; 1870, Mills B. Purdy ; 1871, Mills B. Purdy ; 1872, Mills B. Purdy ; 1873, John A. Means ; 1874, John A. Means ; 1875, John A. Means ; 1876, Mills B. Purdy ; 1877, Adams Emerson ; 1878, Adams Emer- son ; 1879, Newton Ford ; 1880, Newton Ford, 1881, Newton Ford.

Members of City Council-Elected by the people. Term two years. After the first elec- tion, the six persons elected drew lots as to which ones should serve the full term of two years, and which the half term, until the next election, resulting as follows :

First Ward-Two years, George W. Crouse ; one year, Charles W. Bonstedt. Second Ward- Two years, Henry W. Howe ; one year, John E. Bell. Third Ward-Two years, Lewis Mil- ler ; one year, J. Park Alexander. Each year thereafter there has been elected one from each

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ward, as follows : 1866-First Ward, J. J. Wag- oner ; Second Ward, J. H. Collins ; Third Ward, George Sechrist. 1867-First Ward, George W. Crouse ; Second Ward, W. H. Payne ; Third Ward, J. A. Long. 1868-First Ward, J. W. Holloway ; Second Ward, J. H. Collins ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander. 1869-First Ward, C. R. Howe ; Second Ward, W. J. Atwood ; Third Ward, Clement J. Kolb. 1870-First Ward, William T. Allen ; Second Ward, W. P. Cassidy ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander. 1871-First Ward, David R. Paige Jr .; Second Ward, John Memmer ; Third Ward, Elias W. Howard ; Fourth Ward, Robert McElhinney, George Burkhardt ; Fifth Ward, R. F. Palmer, Clement J. Kolb. 1872-First Ward, William T. Allen ; Second Ward, O. C. Barber ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander ; Fourth Ward, Noah N. Leohner ; Fifth Ward, James A. Metlin. 1873-First Ward, Milton W. Henry ; Second Ward, James Christy, H. E. Merrill ; Third Ward, H. L. Carr ; Fourth Ward, David Lam- parter ; Fifth Ward, A. J. Hamlin ; Sixth Ward, J. A. Baldwin, Thomas Johnson. 1874- First Ward, William T. Allen ; Second Ward, E. H. Merrill ; Third Ward, Elias W. Howard ; Fourth Ward, Robert McElhinney ; Fifth Ward, James A. Metlin ; Sixth Ward, Enoch Rowley. 1875-First Ward, Milton W. Henry ; Second Ward, A. Brewster ; Third Ward, William A. McClellan ; Fourth Ward, J. H. Derhammer ; Fifth Ward, Simon Hankey ; Sixth Ward, Da- vid E. Hill. 1876-First Ward, William Buch- tel ; Second Ward, John W. Baker ; Third Ward, John J. Cook ; Fourth Ward, John Schott ; Fifth Ward, Christian Vogt; Sixth Ward, Enoch Rowley. 1877-First Ward, Charles A. Collins ; Second Ward, James Christy ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander ; Fourth Ward, D. W. Morgan ; Fifth Ward, Ed- ward A. Lawton ; Sixth Ward, David E. Hill. 1878-First Ward, L. G. Thorp ; Second Ward, W. J. Underwood ; Third Ward, Mason Chap- man ; Fourth Ward, John Schott ; Fifth Ward, Christian Vogt ; Sixth Ward, Enoch Rowley. 1879-First Ward, Ulysses L. Marvin ; Second Ward, N. A. Carter ; Third Ward, J. Park Alex- ander ; Fourth Ward, Estep ; Fifth Ward, Edward A. Lawton ; Sixth Ward, F. W. In- man. 1880-First Ward, Milton W. Henry ; Second Ward, Henry H. Brown ; Third Ward, B. F. Goodrich ; Fourth Ward, John Schott ; Fifth Ward, Charles F. Ingersoll ; Sixth Ward,

Thomas H. Peckham. 1881-First Ward, Da- vid L. King ; Second Ward, N. A. Carter ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander ; Fourth Ward, Philip Weber ; Fifth Ward, Edward A. Lawton ; Sixth Ward, James Housel.

Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal .- Judge Leices- ter King, of Warren, father of David L. King, Esq., of this city, was the man to whom, more than all others, Akron was indebted for her second canal, an enterprise which very mate- rially aided in developing the commercial in- terests of the growing village. By personal effort and influence, Judge King conquered the many obstacles in the path, and carried to a successful completion, after many years of tireless endeavor, the project to which he had devoted his energies, and in whose eventual ac- complishment he had the fullest confidence. An old paper in the possession of Mr. George McMillen, of Portage Township, indicates that the lobby system obtained in full vigor over fifty years ago, and is not, therefore, one of the inventions of modern politics. We subjoin a copy of a portion of the paper, bearing date of " Middlebury, December 12, 1826," and running as follows : "We, the subscribers, citizens of the villages of Middlebury and Akron and their vicinity, confident that inestimable advantages would result to our villages and this section of the country generally, from a canal connecting the Ohio Canal at the Portage Summit with the Pennsylvania Canal at Pittsburgh, and anxious that an act should pass the Legislature of Ohio at their present session, authorizing the con- struction of such canal, will pay the sums an- nexed to our respective names, to John Mc- Millen, Jr., and Peter Bowen, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of delegates from the aforesaid villages to the Legislature, to assist in procuring the passage of such an act. Pay- ment to be made at the time of subscribing.' To this are attached nineteen names. The delegates and other supporters of the measure proved speedily successful, for the Pennsyl- vania & Ohio Canal was incorporated by act of the General Assembly of the State of Ohio January 10, 1827, which aet authorized "the construction of a canal to meet or intersect the Pennsylvania, or Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, at or near the city of Pittsburgh, in the State of Pennsylvania." The act was to take effect and be in force " whenever the Legislature of Penn- sylvania should pass a law giving their assent

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to and confirming the provisions of said act of Ohio," etc. Pennsylvania's Legislature subse- quently passed the act desired. Hindrances of one sort and another intervened, and, at times, it looked as though the canal would never be built. Finally, in 1836, the State of Ohio was induced to extend a helping hand, which she did by a pledge to take one dollar of stock for every two dollars of private subscription ob- tained. Mr. King then visited Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other Eastern cities, and, by dint of carnest solicitation, secured a favorable attention from a number of capitalists, and re- turned, bringing with him across the mountains many thousands of dollars, in an ordinary hand satchel. Altogether, $840,000 was secured from private individuals, and the State, in pur- suance of her promise, added $420,000 of stock.

As originally projected, the canal was to have passed through Middlebury, which at that time was about as large and as promising a place as Akron. However, since the connection with the Ohio Canal was to be made "on the Portage Summit," and some difficulty was ex- perienced in accomplishing both these things, by act of the Legislature, March 2, 1836, the State Canal Commissioners were empowered to determine anew the location of the connection. The Board of Canal Commissioners ordered Leander Ransom, Acting Commissioner, to in- vestigate the matter and report. This he did, voluminously, January 29, 1837, fixing the junction "at the north end of the lower basin in South Akron, a few rods from the foot of Lock No. 1 of the Ohio Canal." The canal was at last completed from its eastern terminus at Beaver, Penn., to Akron, and opened through- out in 1841. Late in the fall, the first boat ar- rived from the East. A number of prominent citizens of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and other Eastern cities, were on board. Gov. Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, and Gov. David Por- ter, of Pennsylvania, were specially invited to attend the formal opening. Gov. Corwin was detained at home by sickness, but Gov. Porter was present. When the boat, decorated with flags and banners, and carrying a cannon and a brass band, reached Warren, it met a hearty reception at the hands of the enthusiastic citi- zens. There Judge King, who was President of the Canal Company, and his son David, then a lad of seventeen, and others interested, joined the party. At every town and village the pco-

ple had turned out with hearty good-will to see the boat go by, and to every such gathering Gov. Porter declaimed his same set speech till all the passengers had memorized it as thoroughly as the speaker. At Ravenna, an- other accession was received, and at Franklin Mills (now Kent) and Cuyahoga Falls. Akron had been advised of their approach, and the en- tire populace went out to meet them, which they did about noon, at the big bend at the Old Forge. The escort accompanied the boat to town ; the company disembarked at the west- ern end of the long trench, in South Akron, and repaired to a large upper room in May's Block (where the Clarendon Hotel now is), where a grand banquet had been spread. One of the most important factors of the boat's cargo was its ample supply of liquor. There was a barrel of sherry, another of Madeira, and a great many dozen bottles of champagne ; what was left of these was conveyed to the dinner-room. Besides this thoughtful provision, much more of a like sort had been forwarded in anticipation of the event, and there was no lack of that with which to make merry. Not a few were attacked with a dizziness not incident to sea-sickness. In the evening, another jolli- fication was indulged in at the Ohio Exchange, a noted tavern, where Paige Brothers' hardware store now stands. Specches were made and drinks taken ; bands played, and toasts were offered and responded to ; refreshment flowed freely. One of the visitors-old Gen. S., of Warren-imbibed too much, and died before morning, of apoplexy. A son the next day, himself also considerably obfusticated, sobbing and moaning to a friend, Mrs. E., remarked that "he always cried when his father died." One of the Ravenna party, upon his return, was narrating the joyfulness of the occasion to a group of neighbors, when one of them re- ferred to this death of a man who had taken so conspicuous a part, inquiring if that occurrence did not cast a shadow over the general hilarity, to which he responded : "It was dom'd fine ! dom'd fine! That dying of S-'s was too bad, to be sure ; but the old fellow went out of the world with his belly full of beefsteak and brandy !"

As is mentioned elsewhere, the canal com- pany took possession of the ditch through which the water-power was conveyed to Akron, from Old Forge to Moody's shop on Main

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street, between Market and Mill, widening and deepening it, but reserving to the Middlebury Hydraulic Co .- the owners of the power-all their rights. For a time the canal flourished apace. A large amount of business was done and it became the thoroughfare of a consider- able passenger traffic. Besides the merchan- dise brought here or shipped from here, every- thing from Pittsburgh or Warren destined for Cleveland of course passed through Akron, and thence via the Ohio Canal.

The outlook promised well for the stock- holders ; in fact, several small dividends were declared. The tolls collected at the port of Akron during the year 1852, amounted to $6,966.61 ; in 1853, $8,110.54. The maximum was reached in 1856, in the sum of $8,786.78. Very unfortunately for the canal, in 1854 a controlling interest passed into the hands of men who were also financially interested in the new newly constructed Cleveland & Ma- lioning Railroad. This end was accomplished, first by obtaining stock of the canal company as subscriptions to the railroad company, and afterward by buying from the State her inter- est. These two, the railroad and canal, being parallel, were necessarily either coadjutors or active competitors. At first they promised to act together, and largely upon that considera- tion the same men secured the relation of Di- rectors to each. That policy, however, was not long maintained ; tolls upon the canal werc speedily put up to an exorbitant figure, while the railroad transported between the same points for a much lower cost. The effect is clearly exhibited in the showing of the receipts of toll upon the canal at Akron for the next few years : 1857, $6,538.96 ; 1858, $5,400.96 ; 1859, $2,143.42 ; 1860, $853.27 ; 1861, $772.88.

A joint resolution passed the Legislature April 12, 1858, authorizing the sale of the State's canal stock by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, to the highest and best pur- chaser. Nothing was, however, effected under the order until some years later. Finally, in 1862, November 20, the stock, for which the State of Ohio had paid $420,000, was sold to Charles L. Rhodes, of Cleveland, for $35,000. He at once turned it over to the Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad, of which he was Vice President and Superintendent, and the bondage of the canal became complete. Just prior to this sale, the General Assembly had been

urged to permit the canal company "to sell the canal, and that such portions might be closed as the purchasers might think proper." This was rejected in the Senate by a heavy adverse vote. After 1862, the business of the canal was very small and constantly decreasing. No money was expended on repairs ; bridges and locks became dilapidated, and the people along its banks were clamorous for a removal of the source of so much sickness. In January, 1867, the canal company again petitioned the Legislature for permission to remedy matters in some way or other, and secured the passage of an act (March, 1867) "authorizing the Di- rectors of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal to lease, sell or abandon such portion or portions of said canal and its appendages as may, in their opinion, be for the interest of said com- pany, and not prejudicial to the public inter- est." *

* * Negotiations were then pending between the Middlebury Hydraulic Company before mentioned and the canal com- pany, which, upon the passage of the above act, were completed. The Hydraulic Company, whose rights had fully continued through the period of the canal's active operation, now leased that portion contained between the Portage County summit near Ravenna and the western end, the junction with the Ohio Canal, and including the Shalersville reservoirs, in- tending to maintain its use as a canal, and also as to the portion between Middlebury and Akron its original purpose of a water-power. Business had now substantially ceased ; the water in the channel beyond the Old Forge was stagnant, and by its offensive odors and malarial influences provoked its neighbors be- yond the point of their endurance. One night in the spring of 1868, a party of men cut the banks at Cuyahoga Falls and at two other places east and west of that village. By morning only a reeking ditch remained. The State threatened to prosecute the actors, but never did so, and the breaks were never re- paired.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 60

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104