History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. I, Part 57

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 814

USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. I > Part 57

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COMBE, THE PHRENOLOGIST.

About the middle of April the celebrated phrenologist, Dr. George Combe, of Edinburgh, came to this place. The character and purpose of his visit are shown in the following brief paragraph :

April 15, Thermometer 55°, KENTUCKY .- We sailed down the Ohio to Louisville, in Kentucky, distance one hundred and thirty-five miles, and found it a large, thriving town, and apparently destined to become a formidable rival to Cin- cinnati. My chief object was to pay a visit to Dr. Charles Caldwell, with whom I had corresponded for upwards of twenty years, but whom I had never met. He is one of the most powerful and eloquent medical writers in the United States, and has scarcely a rival west of the Alleghany Mountains. He has been the early, persevering, intrepid, and successful advocate of phrenology, and in his character of medical professor, first at Lexington and latterly in Louis- ville, had exerted a great influence in its favor. .

He is now advanced in life, but so full of fire and vigor that I look forward to his still laboring in the cause of science for many years.

We traveled by an excellent road to Frankfort, the capital of Kentucky, thence bv a railroad to Lexington.

DEATH OF HON. P. H. POPE.

The Hon. Patrick H. Pope died May 4th, of this year. He was a native of Louisville, born March 17, 1806, son of Worden and Elizabeth · Pope. He was graduated at the St. Joseph's Col- lege, in Bardstown, and began practice at the Jefferson county bar in 1827, where he soon took a commanding position. He was early offered by Governor Breathitt the place of Secretary of State to the Commonwealth; but declined it. He presently accepted, however, at the hands of

the Jackson Democracy, a nomination for Representative in the State Legislature, and was triumphantly elected from a district in which his ticket was largely in the minority. When but twenty-eight years of age, in 1834, he was chosen to the lower branch of Congress, in which he was the youngest member; and at the expiration of his term he again served in the State Legislature with much ability. His bril- liant career was cut short by death, as above noted, in his thirty-fifth year.

1841-GROWTH OF MANUFACTURES.

About this time foresighted business men in Louisville were stimulating as much as possible the increase of the manufacturing interest in the city. "At this time," says a writer upon the subject in one of the daily papers, "there were sold brown cottons to the value of $276,095 ; prints amounting to $249,824; cotton yarns to $224,819 ; bleached cottons, $89.589 ; and checks and tickings $68,180; making a total of $908,772 taken from the city, which could have been easily and profitably furnished on the spot." Other considerations were urged, but not to much purpose in bringing about actual results in the addition of manufacturing establishments to the city. A foundry or two, and some bagging and rope-factories, with the lard-oil factory of C. C. P. Crosby in 1841, were about the sole accessions to the industries of the place. Mr. Casseday, writing of these ten years afterwards, says:

It was then said, and may be now repeated, that too little attention is paid to the vast advantages to be derived from the establishment of manufactures, especially at this point, where the necessary power could and can be so easily and so cheaply obtained. It is somewhat remarkable that this pop- ulation has depended and still depends so entirely upon com- merce as a means of gain. No other city, perhaps, in the world has so large a commercial business in proportion to its population. This is probably accounted for in the fact that the incre.ise of commerce has been so rapid, and the difficul- ty of over-doing the business so apparently impossible, that every temptation has been offered to the capitalist to prefer this mode of investment. The time, however, can not be far distant when the advantages offered to the manufacturer will be acknowledged and embraced. Indeed, the commence- ment of what must before long become a very large branch of prosperity here was already established, but it has not grown with a rapidity commensurate with the increase of other de- partments of trade.

This grievance has been bravely remedied

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since the gentleman's History of Louisville was published. The manufacturing interest has come to be one of the heaviest here, and in its magni- tude, as measured with the population and wealth of the place, will compare favorably with that of any other city in the country.

THE TAXABLE VALUATION

in the city this year was $6,536,021 in the East- ern district, and $8,236,023 in the Western, making a total of $14,772,044, nearly three and a half millions less than that of the year before.

ANOTHER QUICK TRIP

of a steamer from New Orleans to Louisville was made in May of this year, the Edward Ship- pen arriving on the 14th in five days and four- teen hours, making twenty-two stoppages on the way.

A DUEL

was fought on the previous day near the city, with pistols, at forty paces distance, by Cassius M. Clay and Robert Wickliffe, Jr., of Fayette county. Neither party was harmed.

A GRAND ENCAMPMENT

of military was had July 1 to 4, at Oakland, near Louisville, in which twenty companies partici- pated, from the city and from Cincinnati, Colum- bus, Dayton, Ohio, and several places in Ken- tucky.

BISHOP FLAGET

this year removed the Roman Catholic Episcopal See of Kentucky from Bardstown to Louis- ville. We reserve fuller notice of this and sev- eral related matters for another chapter.

MONROE EDWARDS,

the forger, a part of whose career had been in Louisville, was arrested October 12, in Philadel- phia, and $44,000 gained by his remarkable for- geries and other rascalities, found in his trunk. He was taken to New York, where he was tried and convicted.

1842.

The Eastern District of the city had this year a valuation of $6,275,226, and the Western, $6,306,448. Total, $12,581,674-$2,190,370 less than that of 1841, and nearly one-third below that of 1840.

The city was authorized by the Legislature,

January 31st, to construct water-works, and to issue its bonds in aid thereof, at a rate of interest not exceeding eight per cent.

February 5th, the State Institution for the Education of the Blind was established by the Legislature, at Louisville, and $ro,ooo were ap- propriated for it out of the common school fund.

The Mercantile Library Association was incor- porated the same day.

The charter of the Louisville and Portland Canal Company was so amended by the Legis- lature January 21st, as to provide for the selling to the State or General Government of stock held by private persons, or the use of the net income in the purchase of stock -- all for the purpose of making the canal eventually free from tolls.

The old Louisville Democrat was started about this time.

Another street fight in which an editor was concerned as a principal, occurred in Louisville September 26th. Mr. Godfrey Pope, of the Louisville Sun, shot and fatally wounded Mr. Leonard Bliss, Jr.

The Rev. Benjamin O. Peers, first rector of St. Paul's, and the subject of a previous notice, died here August 20, 1842.

Also died this year, July 13th, the Hon. John Rowan, who will receive full notice in our chap- ter on the Bench and Bar.

THE IMMORTAL DICKENS.

Charles Dickens, the novel writer, then best known as "Boz," and still a very young man, was in Louisville a short time in the early spring of this year, on his way from Cincinnati to St. Louis, and again for a night on his return. Sonie amusing stories of his appearance and manners during this visit are related; but we will let him tell his own tale, as found in his American Notes :

There was nothing very interesting in the scenery of this day's journey, which brought us at midnight to Louisville. We slept at the Galt House, a splendid hotel, and were as handsomely lodged as though we had been in Paris, rather than hundreds of miles beyond the Alleghanies.

The city presenting no objects of sufficient interest to de-

. tain us on our way, we resolved to proceed next day by another steamboat, the Fulton, and to join it about noon at a suburb called Portland, where it would be delayed some time in passing through a canal.

The interval after breakfast was devoted to riding through the town, which is regular and cheerful, the streets being laid out at right angles and planted with young trees. The buildings are smoky and blackened from the use of bitumi-

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nous coal ; but an Englishmin is well used to that appear- ance, and indisposed to quarrel with it. There did not ap- pear to be much business stirring. and some unfinished buildings and improvements seem to intimate that the city had been overbuilt in the ardor of "going ahead," and was suffering in consequent upon such forcing of its powers.

On our way to Portland we passed a " Magistrate's office" which amused me, as looking far more like a dame-school than any police establishment ; for this awful institution was nothing but a little, lazy, good-for-nothing front parlor, open to the street, wherein two or three figures (I presume the magistrate and his myrmidons) were basking in the sunshine, the very effigies of languor and repose. It was a perfect pic- ture of justice retired from business for want of customers, her sword and scales sold off, napping comfortably with her legs upon the table.

Here, as elsewhere in these parts, the road was perfectly . alive with pigs of all ages, lying about in every direction fast asleep, or grunting along in quest of hidden duinties. I had always a sneaking kindness for these odd animals, and found a constant source of amusement, when all others failed, in watching their proceedings. As we were riding along this morning, I observed a little incident between two youthful pigs, which was so very human as to be inexpressibly com- ical and grotesque at the time, though I dare say, in telling, it is tame enough.

One young gentleman (a very delicate porker with sev- eral straws sticking about his nose, betokening recent in- vestigations in a dunghill) was walking deliberately on, pro- foundly thinking, when suddenly his brother, who was lying in a miry hole unseen by him, rose up immediately before his startled eyes, ghostly with damp mud. Never was pig's whole mass of blood so turned. He started back at least three feet, gazed for a moment, and then shot off as hard as he could go, his excessive little tail vibrating with speed and terror like a distracted pendulum. But before he had gone very far, he began to reason with himself as to the nature of this frightful appearance, and as he reasoned, he relaxed his speed by gradual degrees, until at last he stopped and faced about. There was his brother, with the mud upon him glazing in the sun, yet staring out of the same hole, perfectly amazed at his proceedings! He was no sooner assured of this-and he assured himself so carefully that one may almost say he shaded his eyes with his hand to see the better-than he came back at a round trot, pounced upon him, and summarily took off a piece of his tail, as a caution to him to be careful what he was about for the future, and never to play tricks with his family any more.

We found the steamboat in the canal, waiting for the slow process of getting through the lock, and went on board, where we shortly afterwards had a new kind of visitor in the person of a certain Kentucky Giant, whose name is Porter, and who is of the moderate height of seven feet eight inches in his stockings.

There never was a race of people who so completely gave the lie to history as these giants, or whom all the chroniclers have so cruelly libeled. Instead of roaring and ravaging about the world, constantly catering for their cannibal lard- ers, and perpetually going to market in an unlawful manner, they are the meekest people in any man's acquaintance, rather inclining to milk and vegetable diet, and bearing any- thing for a quiet life. So decidedly are amiability and mild- ness their characteristics, that I confess I look upon that youth who distinguished himself by the slaughter of those in- offensive persons as a false-hearted brigand, who, pretending to philanthropic motives, was secretly influenced only by the

wealth stored up within their castles and the hope of plun- der. And I lein the more to this opinion from finding that even the histori.un of those exploits, with all his partiality for his hero, is fain to admit that the slaughtered monsters in question were of a very innocent and simple turn, extremely guileless and ready of belief, lending a credulous ear to the most improbable tales, suffering themselves to be easily en- trapped into pits, and even (as in the case of the Welsh giant) with an excess of the hospitable politeness of a land- lord, ripping themselves open, rather than hint at the possi- b lity of their giants being versed in the vagabond arts of sleight-of-hand and hocus-pocus.

The Kentucky Giant was but another illustration of the truth of this position. He had a weakness in the region of the knees and a truthfulness in his long face, which appealed even to five-feet-nine for encouragement and support. He was only twenty-five years old, he said, and had grown re- cently, for it had been found necessary to make an addition to the legs of his inexpressibles. At fifteen he was a short boy, and in those days his English father and his Irish mother had rather snubbed him, as being too small of stature to sustain the credit of the family. He added that his health had not been good, though it was better now; but short people are not wanting who whispered that he drinks too hard.

I understand he drives a hackney-coach, though how he does it, unless he stands on the foot-board behind and lies along the roof upon his chest, with his chin in the box, it would be difficult to comprehend. He brought his gun with him, as a curiosity. Christened " the Little Rifle," and dis- played outside a shop-window, it would make the fortune of any retail business in Holborn. When he had shown him- self and talked a little while, he withdrew with his pocket instrument, and went bobbing down the cabin, among men of six feet high and upwards, like a light-house walking among lamp-posts.

Within a few minutes afterwards we were out of the canal and in the Ohio river.

1843-THE STATE CAPITAL.

A bill was introduced into the legislative ses- sion of this year to remove the capital of the State from Frankfort to Louisville. It had a strong following, and was ably advocated; but failed in the Senate, on the final vote, by 14 to 23, and in the House by 30 to 60. Geographi- cal considerations seem to have prevailed over all else, in the minds of the country members.

STEAMBOAT BUILDING .

was actively pursued about the Falls this year, thirty-five vessels of this kind, with a total ton- nage of 7,406 and a cost of $700,000, being built at Louisville, New Albany, and Jeffersonville. Seventy-three steamers were now owned or registered here, and were regularly engaged in the Louisville trade.

EARTHQUAKES.

Another notable shock of earthquake occurred

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this year, which was felt here and throughout the State, though no great amount of injury was done. The shock took place at five minutes past nine in the evening of January 4th, and lasted full half a minute. Several other convul- sions of Mother Earth had been felt in parts of the State, especially in Northern Kentucky since the famous and prolonged series of 1811-12; as that of December 12, 1817, and those of July 5, 1827, March 3, 1828, November 20, 1834, and September 5, 1839.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

of the Presbyterian church of the United States was held in Louisville this year; one hundred and twelve ministers and eighty-four ruling elders were present.

1844-BUSINESS GROWTH.

There were in Louisville this year one hun- dred and sixty-two wholesale and retail stores, forty-one commission stores, and six book-stores, ten printing-offices, eighteen drug-stores, fifteen hotels and taverns, one hundred and thirty-eight grocery stores, three hundred and fourteen mechanics' shops of all kinds, eighty lawyers, seventy-three physicians, forty-six steam factories and mills, fifty-three other factories, six banks, twenty-six churches, and fifty-nine schools and colleges. A comparative view of the extent of these branches of business in the place, in the three years 1819, 1844, and 1871, will be pub- lished when these annals reach the latter year.

The Rev. Dr. Craik remarks, in Historical Sketches of Christ Church, that, "on my arrival here in 1844, Louisville had the cheapest and most abundant market I have ever seen. House rent was low, and the expense of living much less than I had known elsewhere. In the spring of 1845 the change began ; it was slow, but gradual and constant, until in 1860 house-rent and the price of most articles of food had increased three- and fourfold from the prices in 1844."

The assessment of this year again showed a slight decrease. It was in the Eastern District $6,790,787; Western, $4,865,521 ;- total, $11,- 656,308.

The long-renowned Louisville Courier was started this year, by Mr. Walter N. Haldeman, now the veteran business manager of the Courier- Journal.

STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION.

The steamboat Lucy Walker exploded three boilers October 25th of this year, in the middle of the river, only about four miles below New Albany, with most disastrous effects. Everything immediately above the boilers was blown to pieces, the ladies' cabin also took fire, and in a short time the vessel sank in twelve feet of water. Fifty to eighty persons were killed or drowned by this awful calamity, and about twenty were more or less injured. Among the former were General Pegram, of Virginia, and others of more or less note.

DEATH OF LOUISVILLE MINISTERS.

Among the dead of the year were the Rev. D. C. Banks, the first pastor of the First Presby- terian church, and the Rev. William Jackson, the first Rector of St. Paul's church after its new building was erected.

ANOTHER GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

this time of the Old School branch of the Pres- byterian church of the United States, met in Louisville this year, its sessions beginning May 16th.

THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY

had by this time four thousand volumes upon its shelves, besides many valuable pamphlets and other documents.

1845-POPULATION.

An informal census taken in September of this year, for Mr. Jagli's edition of the City Directory, exhibited an aggregate population of 37,218- whites, 32,602 ; slaves, 4,056: free blacks, 560. As the official enumeration five years afterwards gives the city a population of 43,194 in 1850, it is possible, of course, that the unofficial count of 1845 was correct, although a growth of 16,000 in the first half of the decade (from 21,210 in 1840), and of only 4,976 in the remaining half, seems rather disproportionate, and is hardly probable. We doubt whether the population really exceeded 30,000 at this time.

The progress in other respects must also be noted. Beginning with two hundred and sev- enty, the houses engaged in trade, wholesale and retail, had gone up to five hundred. There were also twelve large foundries for the manufacture

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of steam machinery ; one large rolling and slit- ting mill ; two steam bagging factories capable of turning out annually 2,000,000 yards ; six cordage and rope factories, by some of which were made 900,000 pounds of bale rope each year, several smaller rope walks for the produc- tion of sash cord, twine, etc .; one cotton and one woolen factory; four flouring-mills, from which certainly four hundred barrels were made daily ; four lard oil factories; one white lead factory; three potteries; six tobacco stemmeries, and several tobacco manufactories; two glass cutting establishments ; one oil-cloth factory; two places for the making of surgical instruments; two lithographic presses; one paper mill; one star candle factory; four pork houses that can slaughter and pack 70,000 hogs annually; three piano-forte manufactories; three breweries; eight brick-yards; one factory for ivory black ; six tan- neries; two tallow rendering houses, from which were produced 1,000,000 pounds annually; eight soap and candle factories; three planing ma- chines; two scale factories ; two glue factories; three large ship-yards ; besides several factories of minor importance.

The official valuation of property in the city, having reached its lowest point in this decade, was now beginning to recover itself, gaining $2,445,837 within the year. The full figures are, for the Eastern district, $7,530,623; Western, $6,571,422; total, $14, 102,145.

ECCLESIASTICAL.

One of the most memorable events in the his- tory of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America occurred here in May of this year, in the formation of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. More concerning it will appear here- after.

THE CANAL.

February 10, 1845, the Legislature gave for- mal assent to the proposal that the ownership and control of the Louisville & Portland Canal should pass to the United States Government, which should be permitted to purchase any ad- ditional ground necessary for its enlargement.

One thousand five hundred and eighty-five steamboats and 394 flat and keel boats, 318,741 tons, passed through the canal this year, paying $138,391 tolls. From the opening of the canal, January 1, 1831, to the close of 1845, fifteen

years, 16,817 steamboats (an average of 1, 121 per year) and 5,263 flat and keel boats, with a total tonnage of 3,048,692, passed through it, paying in tolls $1,506,306.

TEST OF HEMPS.

The United States Hemp Agent at Louisville, Mr. Lewis Sanders, made an interesting series of tests June 9, of the comparative strength of Russian and Kentucky water-rolled hemp. The result, as might be expected, was in favor of the American product, a rope of Kentucky hemp 1.7 inches in circumference sustaining a fall of 2,940 pounds before breaking, while a larger Russian rope (1.8 inches) parted under a strain of 2,218 pounds.

THE RIVER FROZEN.

Winter set in with unusual severity this year. On the 6th of December the Ohio was covered with ice, for the first time in a dozen years so early as this. It remained closed but four days, however, breaking up again on the 10th.

1846-THE MEXICAN WAR.

The struggle with Mexico had now been initi- ated, and Kentucky had been called upon for her quota of volunteers-two regiments of in- fantry or riflemen and one regiment of cavalry. It was speedily filled. The Louisville Legion was prompt to tender its services, and, as filled by ready enlistments, it constituted bodily the First regiment of Kentucky infantry. Within four days after the Governor's proclamation call- ing for troops (May 22), the Legion had em- barked for the seat of war. Some of the Louis- ville officers and men were also in the Second regiment, among whom was the gallant young Lieutenant Colonel Henry Clay, Jr. The cavalry regiment was led by Colonel Humphrey Mar- shall, of Louisville, and two Jefferson county companies were in the regiment-the first and second; commanded, respectively, by Captains W. J. Heady and A. Pennington.

In the autumn came stirring news from the Legion. At the battle of Monterey, September 24th, it was posted to support a mortar battery, and was for twenty-four hours under fire of the Mexican cannon without having the opportunity to reply. They held thoroughly in check the enemy's cavalry, and by their steadiness under

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fire won much praise for "obedience, patience, discipline, and calm courage." The Legion re- peatedly distinguished itself in the service, and on the 23d of February of the next year was the subject of complimentary resolutions by the Leg- islature, which also voted thanks and a sword each to General Zachary Taylor, formerly of Louisville, and General William O. Butler, of Carroll county, who had been appointed Major- General of volunteers. At the battle of Buena Vista, proceeding on the same day, in which General Taylor won a signal victory, Colonel Clay, of Louisville, son of the great statesman Henry . Clay, was killed on the field. His re- mains were brought back to Kentucky with those of sixteen other officers and private soldiers, and buried with imposing ceremonies July 20, 1847, in the State cemetery at Frankfort. A funeral dis- course was delivered on this occasion by the Rev. Dr. John H. Brown, and an oration pronounced by Major John C. Breckenridge, afterwards Vice- President of the United States and a Major- General in the Confederate armny.

A RAILROAD AT LAST.

On the Ist of March the Louisville & Frank- fort Railroad company was duly incorporated. This was to take the place of the defunct Lex- ington & Ohio railroad, of which only the sec- tion from Lexington to Frankfort had been con- structed, and finally gave Louisville a railroad. Mr. Casseday thus explains the delay :

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History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. I, Part 57

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co. Number of Pages: 814

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 814