History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 7

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196

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On motion by Mr. Smith, of the Ohio Statesman, Kossuth's speech was adopted "as the position of the Association." Thanks for the address were voted on motion of Judge Spalding, and the preparation of an address to the people was ordered on motion of H. B. Carrington. After Judge Spalding, who was called for, had made a few remarks, Kossuth spoke briefly in German. As he quitted the hall he was loudly cheered. He was much depressed in spirits, as well as exhausted physically, during his sojourn in Columbus, but favorably impressed

RECEPTION AND VISIT OF LOUIS KOSSUTH.

everyone by his simple and ingenuous manner. The Ohio State Journal of Febru- ary 9 contained the following :

An affecting and lovely scene took place on Saturday at the room of Gover- nor Kossuth immediately after the ceremonies in the legislature. A committee of boys, on the part of their association, waited on the Governor to present him with their mite, when Master M. H. Lewis in presenting it remarked : " Mr. Kossuth, I am requested by the boys of Columbus to present you our little sub- scription to the Hungarian canse, which is thirtyfive dollars. I cannot give you a set speech, but must say what first comes into my mind." Here, apparently overcome by the feelings inspired by the occasion, he paused, the tears gathering in his eyes, and with considerable effort he added : " Heaven bless you, Mr. Kossuth, and Heaven bless your cause which we love as well, and may you be happy in its success." Tears choked his utterance, and Kossuth, scarcely less affected, the tears rolling down his cheeks, replied : " My boy, there is more elo- quence in this than in words." Here Kossuth gently reached his arm around the boy, drew him to his side and added : " May Ileaven bless you, in turn. Be a truehearted boy and a noble man. Love freedom, love your country, and love them that suffer everywhere; love God." Kossuth then withdrew his arm and shook him by the hand, as well as the other member of the committee, speaking in the meanwhile in such language of counsel and tenderness as from his great heart flowed so purely. The room was nearly filled with ladies and gentlemen, from whom sobs and tears came freely, and from those least expected.

Attempts were not wanting to turn the popularity of Kossuth, and the pre- vailing sympathy for his canse, to partisan account. Manifestations of this fact have probably been observed in the significance of varions circumstances and the complexion of various events narrated in the course of this chapter. The City Council, probably influenced by political considerations, refused to take any part, as a body, in the reception ceremonies, and thereby aroused so much feeling that a public meeting denunciatory of this action was held. At this meeting, which took place in the City Hall, February 3, Samuel Medary presided and Judge Ran- kin and Doctor Johnson delivered addresses. The Ohio Statesman said of it: " The meeting was terrific, crowded to suffocation . . . the most extraordinary outburst of feeling we ever witnessed anywhere." Resolutions were adopted fiercely denouncing the action of the Council, condemning the members by whose votes that action was taken, and applauding those who opposed. The members com- mended were Benjamin Blake, John Miller, Louis Hoster, James H. Armstrong and William Miner; those criticised were, Robert McCoy, Robert Cutler, Theodore Comstock, J. William Baldwin, Robert Riordan, William Roedter and John Butler.

During Kossuth's sojourn in Columbus, great preparations were made for his reception in Cincinnati. Advised of this, he wrote to the committee of arrange - ments declining all banquets, processions or illuminations in his honor, deprecat- ing any escort from Columbus, and concluding : " Let me enter the city privately and unnoticed, and let me express my views and feelings in a private interview immediately after my arrival." Kossuth quitted Columbus on the morning of May 9, and journeyed to Cincinnati via Xenia, Springfield and Dayton. As his train moved away he was honored with a parting artillery salute. He was accom- panied by Governor Wood, Lieutenant-Governor Medill and numerous invited

HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

guests. At Xenia he was met by an " immense concourse," was addressed by Doctor J. A. Coburn, and replied briefly. At Springfield he was introduced by General Charles Anthony and spoke about ten minutes. His reception at Day- ton, was very enthusiastic, but the condition of his voice was such that he could utter but a few words of appreciation. At Hamilton a great crowd met him, but the crowning reception awaited him at Cincinnati. A contemporary account thus describes it :

From Mill Creek to the depot the railway was lined with people, who gave cheer upon cheer in such a manner that there seemed to be one prolonged shont. The arrival was announced by the booming of cannon and the ringing of bells. It is estimated that one hundred thousand people assembled to welcome the great Magyar. It was the greatest display ever witnessed in the West. The arrange- ments were complete and Kossuth was conducted to his splendid suite of apart- ments at the Burnett House, the great Hotel of the West, in a manner doing the highest honor to the cause in which he is engaged.3

With Kossuth's departure for Cincinnati terminated one of the most unique and memorable events in the history of Columbus. The city has since that time given great receptions to distinguished men, but to no other foreigner than Kos- suth has it ever extended such a splendid welcome. The reason is not far to seek. The eloquent IIungarian represented principles which every American holds dear. As one touch of Nature makes the whole world kin, so do Freedom and Freedom's cause, make brothers of us all, no matter what language we speak or in what chime we were born.

The amount of the Columbus contributions to the Hungarian cause was about two thousand dollars ; the whole amount of the Ohio contributions about sixteen thousand. Meetings of the associations, including one of German ladies, organ- ized in behalf of IIungarian independence, continued to be held for a time, but after some weeks were discontinued. On July 14, 1852, Kossuth sailed for Eng- land.5

NOTES.

1. Kossuth was sufficiently master of French, German, English and Italian to be able to speak fluently in all those languages.

2. The City Council refused to participate, as a body, either in the reception or the parade.

3. By order of the General Assembly the manuscripts of Governor Medill's speech and Kossuth's reply were handsomely bound and deposited in the State Library.

4. Ohio State Journal.

5. During his sojourn of about six months in the United States, Kossuth delivered about three hundred speeches. The changes which meanwhile took place in European poli- tics having destroyed nearly all hope of Hungarian independence, the contributions to that cause were comparatively insignificant.

M M Savage,

CHAPTER V.

BALLOON ASCENSIONS.

Fifty years ago aerial navigation was much more of a novelty, as well as more hazardously executed than it is now. Its most notable instance, down to 1859, was that of John Wise and John La Mountain, who, in July of that year, sailed through the air from St. Louis to Henderson, New York, a distance of 1,150 miles, at the rate of nearly a mile per minute. The first balloon ascension at Columbus was made by Richard Clayton from the Capitol Square on July 4, 1842. In advertising this performance it was stated that Mr. Clayton was one of the "most daring aeronants in the world," and that on this occasion he would make his thirtieth ascension. " He will take his departure," the announcement pursued, " from a spacious amphitheatre erected for that purpose, at five o'clock P. M. To generate all the necessary quantity of hydrogen gas for the inflation of this stupendous vessel, 2,800 pounds of oil of vitriol, 3,000 pounds of iron, and 15,000 pounds of water have to be used."

Clayton's ascension, we are told, was a beautiful one, and was witnessed by " a vast concourse of people," occupying streets, windows and tops of buildings. " The balloon," the account continues, " rose gracefully from the amphitheater where the process of inflation took place, and the intrepid aeronaut waived an adieu to the congregated thousands as long as he could be distinguished."1 On July 7, Mr. Clayton published the following account of his voyage : "

Precisely at the time proposed in my advertisement, I took my departure from the earth. The weather was calm, but the atmosphere was extremely hazy. The enclosure from which the ascension was made contained the most respectable and influential citizens of Columbus and its vicinity. As I arose, hats and hand- kerchiefs were waved, the military gave a salute, and an approving smile beamed from a thousand lovely countenances, giving buoyancy to one's feelings and adding enchantment to the scene. The movement of the balloon was so steady that no sensation of motion was experienced; the earth appeared to gradually fall from my feet and the spectators to dwindle into dwarfs and blend, at last, into masses. A gentle breeze wafted me nearly in a north direction, a little to the right of the Delaware Road. A number of persons on horseback endeavored to keep up with me, who, together with their horses, resembled the toys of children moving with snaillike velocity. On attaining the altitude of half a mile and a dis- tance of five or six miles from the city, I caught a different current of air which bore me in an eastern direction. .

[49]

HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

After feasting a few minutes upon the beautiful view beneath me, I turned my attention to the balloon and arranged various articles in my little car so as to have no confusion at the time of landing. This being done, I took some refresh- ments which an old acquaintance and intimate friend had provided for me. On passing from one current of air to another, a slight agitation takes places in the silk envelope. At half after five o'clock Columbus bore west, southwest, distance about ten miles. At 5:45 the thermometer stood at 52°; threw over ballast, ascended rapidly and moved eastward with increased velocity. At 5:55 gained the altitude of two miles; looked back to see Columbus, but it was lost in the hazy vapor. The thermometer now stood at 38° ; a great quantity of water poured down upon me from the neck of the balloon. This water was taken into the balloon in the form of vapor when the gas was generating, and afterwards, when it was exposed to extreme cold, condensed and fell in copions showers of rain upon me. Being drenched with water, and the thermometer down to 38°, I felt extremely chilly and rather sick at the stomach ; the sickness was occasioned, partly, perhaps, by inhaling a goodly quantity of hydrogen gas. A teaspoonful or two of brandy and a little excellent cake prepared by a fair friend of mine restored me to my proper feelings.

I was now rapidly descending to a warmer and pleasanter region. Crossed the main canal at six o'clock between Hebron and Newark and had a fine view of both towns ; could hear the shouts of the inhabitants and the sound of a band of music. A few miles beyond Newark, I approached the earth ; voices sounded in every direction calling me to come down. When within cable distance of the ground, I perceived two persons at work in a cornfield, neither of whom had seen the balloon, for their backs were towards me. To one of these men I shouted to take hold of my rope. He gazed around him to see where the voice came from, but did not think for a moment of looking upwards and consequently did not see the balloon until it reached the ground.

Not the slightest difficulty was experienced in landing. Persons came run- ning from all points. The balloon was conducted in its inflated state to the house of Mr. Seymour, where I remained all night and received the kindest and most hospitable treatment. My landing was effected at twenty minutes after six o'clock, after remaining in the atmosphere one hour and twenty minutes, and on the farm of Mr. Seymour, five miles east of Newark, and thirtyeight miles east by north of Columbus.

The next ascension worthy of note was made July 4, 1851, by John Wise, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, above mentioned, from an enclosure erected by John M. Kinney, at the corner of Broad and Seventh streets. The day dawned clear and gentle, and at an early hour the people began to pour into the city from all the country round until Broad Street and its pavements were literally packed with eager multitudes. The balloon having been inflated, Mr. Wise stepped into his " car" at three o'clock P. M., gave the signal to let loose, and soared skyward, greeted by the shouts of many thousands of delighted spectators. His airship drifted in a sontherly direction and landed without accident about six miles from its startingpoint, from which Mr. Wise returned to the city the same evening.

On September 26, 1851, the same aeronaut ascended in his balloon " Ulysses," from Kinney's Museum, in the presence of a great concourse of people. He was accompanied on this trip, said to have been his one hundred and twentyfourth, by Mrs. Wise and his son Charles. The balloon floated in a northeasterly course and landed on Mr. Noble's farm, about four miles from Columbus. Here Charles Wise

BALLOON ASCENSIONS.

alighted and Mr. and Mrs. Wise reascended to a height of about ten thousand feet. At 6:15 P. M. they alighted near Blendon Corners, about ten miles from Columbus.

On October 29, 1857, the French aeronaut, Monsieur Godard, and his brother, made an ascension from the Capital City Fairgrounds, a short distance southeast- erly from the locality now known as East Park Place, on East Broad Street. P. W. Huntington, of the Exchange Bank, and R. H. (" Rocky ") Thompson, an employé in the postoffice, accompanied the Godards, one of whom suspended himself head downwards by a rope dropped from the " car," and in that position waved a flag while the balloon floated through the air. The party alighted about five P. M. in a pond near Reynoldsburg, and returned to the city the same evening. The Godards had been advertised to go up on horseback in their balloon, the " Ville de Paris," but owning to the inability of the Gas Company to mannfacture thirty thousand feet of gas all in one day, this project had to be reserved for a later expedition from Cincinnati.

The next mentionable ascension of which we have record took place Septem- ber 13, 1864, from an enclosed lot near the railway station, on High Street, and is said to have been a very fine one. It was made by William Shotts in a beautiful balloon which bore the name of " General Graut."

An aeronaut styling himself Professor Brooks advertised that he would make an ascension by moonlight during the evening of September 15, 1864. Admission to the enclosure from which the start was to be made was charged for, but the supply of gas from the works being insufficent to inflate the balloon without leav- ing the city in darkness, Brooks was obliged to announce a postponement of his intended exploit. Thereupon his patrons, believing themselves to have been duped, seized his apparatus and destroyed it.

On July 4, 1881, Charles H. Grimley made an ascension from the northeast corner of the Capitol Square in a balloon of twentytwo thousand cubic feet capac- ity, on which was displayed, in large blue letters, the name " Columbus." In and about the Square, at the time of the start, which took place about three o'clock P. M., ten or fifteen thousand spectators were assembled. When let loose, the bal- loon rose grandly and sailed off in a southeasterly direction, exciting the vociferons enthusiasm of the observing multitudes. The aeronaut was accompanied by S. J. Flickinger, representing the Ohio State Journal, from whose account of the voyage the following passages are taken :

As we glided up through the warm air to more pleasant climes the effect was most grand. There was none of the rattle of machinery nor the jar of rail- cars, and not even the quiver of a vessel on a clear sea. It was such peace and comfort as mortals never realize at their common altitude, and enough to make one believe in the promises made for mansions in the skies. . . . It was not till we had passed over the County Infirmary that the Professor felt like consulting his instrument and then cried out "3,250 feet high, and just now beginning to move up rapidly." At this place, or a few moments later, when at 4,200 feet, the view of the city began to grow dim, but before that it was a magnificent panorama. The streets looked like paths and the bright sun made them, as it did everything else, shine. The diagonal streets, irregular blocks and other things ont of the uniform system seemed to be most prominent. The Scioto soon began to look like a white whiplash lying on the ground and its bridges like rings about it. The

HISTORY OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS.

grander view was spared for the country. . . . The course was southeast, about midway between the Hocking Valley and the Ohio Central railroads, and through that fertile region the farms presented a grand view.

After we were about ten miles out of the city, the Professor was observed throwing bits of paper from the balloon. We were falling and he wanted to observe the rate. The paper seemed to go up, which showed that we were going down. He said that would not do, and it was after this that the surface currents were surmounted. Out went the ballast, and as the sand was poured down, the first part of the stream had not yet tonched the ground when the bag was closed. For a moment it looked like a suspended rope of sand.

After we had disposed of considerable paper and some sand, Professor Grimley noted the instrument, which was suspended in the balloon, and called out, " 5,600 feet high " - considerable more than a mile. The barns and farm- houses were seen with some indistinctness as to form or color, and the view was a general one, circumscribed by the horizon. As we were passing between Lockbourne and Groveport the Professor announced the height at 6,800, and soon at 7,250. We soon passed back over on the east side of the Hocking Valley and then had a grand view of that road, which seemed like a line, but the tracks could not be noticed. This road was followed for some distance, all the little places appearing in their turn, on both this and the Ohio Central. Canal Winchester was left to the south some distance. The balloon was making all the time a bee- line for Rushville, on the Ohio Central. The trains could be heard, but it took a . long time to find them, and they seemed very small and to be going very slow, although at full speed. At the greatest rise there was almost absolute silence, and this was grand for a few moments, after which it became somewhat awful and was not pleasant. Even the Professor did not relish being ont of hearing distance, not from fear but from a distaste for an entire stillness which cannot be described.

The balloon, as is the enstom, took spells at going up and then dropping, as the gas would expand and contract, and whenever it made a big spurt upward so much force was gone and its equivalent in ballast had to be dispensed with in order to keep from coming down. During the expansions in rising, gas would escape from the " mouth " into the basket and make a disagreeable smell. During the second of these changes we were lowering over a harvestfield and yelled out to the men, wanting to know how far we were from Columbus. They had great difficulty in understanding us, but we caught their response of "eighteen miles" quite plainly. Then we went up to three thousand feet again and the Professor called ont in order, 4,200, 5,450, 6,800, 7,200, 7,500, 7,850, 8,000, and so on. At this time we had in view more than fifty miles on each side, or a stretch of one hundred miles on the horizon, which was tinted with delicate colors and pre- sented a fine sketch.

Opposite Lancaster the ship "went down " somewhat, and immediately, by throwing out ballast, it ascended, when the Professor called out 8,200, 9,275 and 9,300. The canal in the bright sun then looked like a silver thread lying on the ground. We were up out of the surface currents. The lower part of the dragrope was, however, flying around in them. . . . The balloon remained at her fine alti- tude and bore gently on in her southward course, Finally, by the use of slips of paper, a very slow downward movement was perceptible. Professor Grimley saw a large open space in what seem to me the " far distance," and he said, " we will try to land there." After some time the dragrope struck the ground, and that meant only four hundred and fifty feet to fall. . . . It was found that the balloon was going beyond the open space and more ballast was thrown out to lift us over the woods. We went over it safely, and arrived at another space of open fields. The men in the field were called to all the time and were running after us. The

BALLOON ASCENSIONS.

second open space was struck all right, but none of the persons following had hold of the rope. We let out all the ballast after the valve had been opened for the escape of gas, so as to come down easy, but we struck the ground with some force owing to a breeze that came up just then and swept us along. We were pretty well bouneed up in the basket when the ground was struck, but held in, and the wind carried the balloon up again and right over into the woods. When we landed in the field, the men had not got hold of the rope, and there was nothing to hold us down when he got there. The anchor was out, tearing up the ground and opening fences, but it could not hold the monster, which seemed to be raging in the wind just when it should have been tame. The ballast was all gone and we had to land where the wind put us. We went down into the tree tops and were in a decidedly bad fix.

While lingering around in the treetops the men came up and took hold of the dragrope while the anchor had its fastening. But still the balloon swung to and fro with us in such a manner as not to be described, tearing off limbs and making a general crash. When it would strike a treetop the men below would cry, "jump out now while you can." The striking of the trees and the blowing up of a stiff wind at that very time had placed us in a frightful condition. The basket was at times over on end and it was very difficult to hold onto it, but all this time the valve rope had to be pulled and much more looked after. Professor Grimley told me to hold on to the valve rope and hang to the basket, and so I did till tossed about and scratched in the branches. We held on till our hands were peeled, and finally the Professor told me to get out the next time we struck an ash treetop in which we had been lunged once. . . . A strong sweep of wind soon swung us back to the ash tree and then he said, " be careful that you make the tree." It was made, and when in the treetop, pretty well used up, a look was taken at the Pro- fessor who hung to the balloon. . . . The writer finally made his way down to the forks of the tree, being fifty feet from the ground when he perched in the treetops, and then he stood watching the Professor hang to that balloon. It is a property worth $500, and wanted for another venture at Coney Island, New York, next Saturday. Grimley was, however, soon fastened in the treetop, and then he came down the same tree, both alighting on terra firma abont the same time. The start was made about 3:10 and the forest was struck at 5:30. We were up over two hours, but it was more than three hours before we got to the ground. The struggle in the treetops lasted half an hour and then the balloon was still to be gotten down.

As soon as we felt like getting our bearings we learned that we had landed in the woods of James Brisbine, two miles from Rushville, on the Ohio Central Rail- way, and eight miles southeast of Lancaster, being in the northwest corner of Rush Creek Township, Fairfield County. . . . The distance traveled was about forty miles. This was made in less than two hours and a half, but owing to the stillness of the day the speed was not great and quite irregular. We left the city about the same time as the Hocking Valley passenger train and beat it to Lan- caster by twenty minutes.

This was said to have been Mr. Grimley's fiftythird ascension. He repeated it on July 6, 1882, again accompanied by S. J. Flickinger. The balloon floated, on this latter occasion, in a northeasterly direction, and about seven o'clock in the evening landed gently on the lawn surrounding the Academy in the village of Central College.

During the last ten years balloon ascensions from the city have been fre- quently made, for amusement only, and have been accompanied in many instances by lofty leaps with the parachute, and other feats of daring. Of ballooning

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 7

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1196

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196