History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, Part 79

Author: Waggoner, Clark, 1820-1903
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: New York and Toledo : Munsell & Company
Number of Pages: 1408

USA > Ohio > Lucas County > Toledo > History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio > Part 79

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Earnings in 1886

15,859,455

Earnings per mile in 1886

11,832

1885.

Meat by rail to seaboard and thence by water to Liverpool, per 100 lbs. 40

THE ERIE GAUGE WAR.

The history of the present Railway line be- tween Buffalo and Chicago, would not be com- plete without mention of what was known as the " Eric Gauge War."

For 20 years of Railway progress in this country, trains of each Road were run wholly separate from those of other Roads, there being no connection of cars, everything-passengers, baggage and freight-being transferred at the end of each Road. This condition is in striking contrast with the combinations and "Trunk Lines" of the present day, under which the pas- sage is made across the continent or from the Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, without change of cars, while baggage and freight have like uninterrupted transit.

The first attempt to run through passenger trains between Buffalo and Cleveland was made iu 1853. That portion of the present Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway had been constructed by three different corpora- tions -- the Buffalo and Eric, the Erie and North- east and the Cleveland, Painesville and Ashta- bula. The track of the second line named (20

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HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.

miles long), was of six feet gange, that of the others being four feet ten inches. At the date named, the Erie and Northeast Road came into the control of the owners of the two connecting lines, who sought, by change of its gauge, to make an unbroken track between Buffalo and Cleveland. That Road was built under a charter from the Pennsylvania Legislature, which contained a provision requiring a break of gauge at Erie, in any line of Road that might be built upon the Lake Shore East or West from that place. The law also required a change in gauge in the direct line between Erie and Pittsburgh by any Road crossing that State. A chief object in such policy, was by arbitrary law to turn to Philadelphia the tide ot traffic seeking the seaboard. This law, bow - ever, was repealed before the year 1853. The people and authorities of Erie determined to prevent such change of gauge on the Erie and Northeast Road as would enable trains to pass that City without transhipment. The City Council passed ordinances prohibiting such change, and the people organized and made violent resistance to the same. The result was that transit of passengers and freight on that line was seriously interrupted for some time. The new track was torn up and bridges de- stroyed and passengers compelled to walk and carry their baggage for a distance of eight miles or pay to Erie parties $1.00 for each pas- senger, with an extra charge for baggage. As fast as bridges were rebuilt or track relaid, they were burned or torn np. The purpose of all this was not disguised. It was avowed by the actors, that their object was to compel the transhipment of all traffic passing through the City. The lawless proceedings had the full sympathy and support of both the Courts and the State authorities. Governor Bigler, De- cember 12, 1853, telegraphed from Harrisburg :

My sympathies are with the people of Erie, and whatever my duties and the laws permit, shall be done for them. If my presence can be of any service I will cheerfully come out to your place. Let me hear from you by telegraph.

The Governor subsequently visited Erie, and there personally co-operated in measures for resisting all steps looking to the union of the Railway tracks. The grounds on which he acted were set forth in a special message to the Pennsylvania Legislature, in which he said :

It so happens that Pennsylvania holds the key to the important link of connection between the East and the West, and I most unhesitatingly say, that where no principle of amity or commerce is to be violated, it is the right and duty of the State to turn her natural advantages to the promotion and welfare of her own people. It may be that neighboring States, possessing similar natural advantages, would give them away for our benefit ; but I have not been able to discover any act in their former policy to justify such conclusion.

Finally, the Railroad Company applied to the United States Court at Pittsburgh for pro- tection from the mob, when was issued a decree enjoining all persons from molesting the Com- pany in repairing their track. This process was resisted, and as soon as the bridge at Ilarbor Creek was repaired, it was again torn down by the mob of citizens. Citations were then issued to offenders, to show cause why attachment should not issue against them for contempt. One Kilpatrick was arrested and committed by the Court, but the mob continued its work. Mayor Lowry and one or two others were then arrested, but before the United States Marshal could make return of service, he was himself arrested by the Erie authorities, on the ground of false imprisonment in serving the process of the United States Court, and committed to jail and compelled to give bail in a large amount. The mob severely beata young man for taking notes of their operations. The Court then appealed to President Pierce, for aid in enforeing its process. The result was favorable to the Railroad Company ; the change of gange soon was made, without further re- sistance ; the " Erie Gange War" was over; and that City took its place with the other law- abiding Stations of the line.

With the serious side of this matter, was the Indierous and amusing one. The case came to be popularly known as the " Erie Peanut War," so called from the prominence therein of the trade of hucksters, who songht to furnish trav- elers with food and other supplies. This idea, by a poet of the time was embodied in verse, as follows :

CAKES TO SELL! (As Sung by Erie Ilucksters.)

Here your nice, sweet cakes ! Two for a penny ! Ilere's cakes, sweet cakes ! How many ? how many ? We must sell and you must buy To get our living-try them, try ! Stop the thousands rushing past ! They have no right to go so fast, When here's your nice, sweet cakes.

Here's your nice, sweet cakes ! Two for a penny ! Here's your cakes, sweet cakes ! Ilow many ? how many ?

We must sell and you must buy ; We must live or you must die ! When our kind pursnasion fails, Burn the bridges ! break the rails ! For here's your nice, sweet cakes !

Here's your nice, sweet cakes ! Two for a penny ! Here's your cakes, sweet cakes ! llow many ? how many ?

We must bake, and you must buy- Now you'll be obliged to try. Every traveler through the land Must leave a penny on this stand- For here's your nice, sweet cakes !

Ilere's your nice, sweet cakes ! Two for a penny !

Here's your cakes, sweet cakes ! How many ? how many ?

We have baked and you must cat- Here's a man shot in the street ! Now, we're sure the rushing mass

Will drop their coppers as they pass- For here's your nice, sweet cakes !

411

RAILWAYS.

THE OHIO RAILROAD PROJECT.

The first movement looking to the construc- tion of a Railroad along the Southern Shore of Lake Erie, was that of the Ohio Railroad Com- pany, whose charter bears date of March 8, 1836. The enterprise originated chiefly with parties in Cleveland and in Ohio East of that City. The charter was obtained largely through the efforts of Nehemiah Allen, then a Representative from Geauga County, who be- came the President of the Company.

The plan contemplated a Railway from the Pennsylvania line to the Maumee River, Man- hattan being the Western terminal point. The terms of the charter were what would now be regarded as highly favorable, since, in addition to other liberal franchises, as in the case of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad Company, it con- ferred upon the Company Banking privileges, an advantage far more highly prized in those days, than it would now be. But in addition to this important aid, which was fully utilized, the enterprise had the benefit of what came to be known as the " Plunder Law," by which the State was pledged to furnish its bonds to the extent of one-half of whatever amounts Rail- way, Turnpike and Canal Companies should report as received on stock subscriptions for their respective works ; thus making the State one-third owner in all such enterprises. There being no proper restriction as to the manner of payments of subscriptions, much looseness was practiced in that connection-real estate, labor and other materials often being taken at fabu- lous rates, the higher being the better for the Company, since such payments furnished basis for corresponding amounts of State subscription. It could hardly be a matter of surprise, that under such extraordinary inducement, schemes and projects of all sorts should be devised. . When this unfortunate act was repealed, the State had contributed to various enterprises under its provisions as follows :

For Railroads-Mad River and Lake Erie (San- dusky to Dayton), $293,050 ; Little Miami (Dayton to Cincinnati), $121,900 ; Vermillion and Ashland(mouth of Vermillion River to Ashland), $48,450 -Road never built ; Sandusky and Mansfield, $33,533; Ohio Rail- road, $249,000. Total for Railroads, $745, 733.

For Turnpikes-$2,479,558. Total, $3,215,291.

The cost of Canals to same date, $15,320,898.

Grand total of investments named to 1845, $18,- 536,189.

The Ohio Railroad Company was organized at Painesville, April 25, 1836, when subscrip- tions of stock to a considerable amount were received, which were subsequently, from time to time, increased. The corporators were R. Harper, Eliphalet Austin, Thomas Richmond, G. W. Card, Heman Ely, John W. Allen, John G. Camp, P. M. Weddell, Edwin Byington, James Post, Eliphalet Redington, Charles C. Paine, Storm Rosa, Rice Harper, Henry Phelps, Il. J. Rees.

The first subscription to the stock of the Company was made at Norwalk, between April 25th and May 5, 1836, and amounted to $468,- 500, of which $23,425 was reported as paid in cash. November 19, 1837, $751,800 was sub- seribed at Willoughby, Lake County. January 24, 1838, 8508,151 was added, of which Geo. W. Card, for himself and others, took 8249,000, in- cluding 864,000 for the Maumee Land and Rail- road Company at Manhattan, and other sums ranging from $3,400 to $28,000.

The line of the proposed Ohio Railroad ex- tended from the Pennsylvania State line to the Maumee River at Manhattan, a distance of 177 miles, Cleveland, Sandusky and Fremont being points thereon. The plan of construction was as follows :

A space 100 feet wide was cleared. For the track, 112 piles, and 1,056 ties per mile were used-the for- mer varying from 7 to 28 feet in length (according to the sueface of the ground), and from 12 to 16 inches in diameter ; while the ties were nine feet long and eight inches in diameter. The piles were driven by a machine, consisting of two sills 30 or 40 feet long, placed parallel at a distance of seven feet, that being the width of the track. At the forward end of these sills were erected four timbers, termed "leaders," 30 feet high, between which, on each side, the iron hammers, weighing 1,000 pounds each, were raised and let fall upon the piles. A circular saw attached to a shaft projecting between the leaders, cut the pile to the proper grade, when the driver was moved and the operation repeated.

These machines employed eight men, and drove about 40 piles per day, covering some 20 rods in dis- tance. Upon the heads of each pair of piles was fitted a tie, Sx8 inches, in which a gain was cut nine inches wide and four deep, the tie being pinned down through this gain with a two-inch cedar pin ; but before this was done, half a pint of salt was de- posited in the augur-hole of each pile, which, per- meating the wood, was expected materially to pre- serve the same from decay. A locomotive saw-mill, upon the track and behind the pile-driver, attended by three men, prepared the rails at the rate of 900 lineal feet per day. These rails or stringers were Sx8 inches and 15 feet long. On the wood stringers thus provided were to be placed iron ("strap ") rails, of the weight of 25 tons to the mile. Behind all, upon the prepared track, was a boarding-house, for the work-hands, which moved with the rest of the establishment.

The following was the estimated cost of the Road, per mile, as made by Cyrus Williams, Chief Engineer, to wit :

12,240 feet chestnut sills at $7 per M

8 195 68

36,950 feet white wood rails at $10. 360 50

1,760 white oak ties at 20c. 352 00

600 splicing blocks at fic 36 00

3,520 white oak wedges at $5 per M. 17 00

25 tons irou plate at $80. 2,000 00

1,414 spikes at 9c. 127 26

120 pounds eud plates at 8c. 33 60

Labor laying down Road 600 00

Total cost of one mile. $3,831 74

The Chief Engineer said of the plan :

The superstructure is contemplated to be of the usual form used in New York and New Jersey, having a rail plate of 25 tons to the mile. The graded surface to be 24 feet wide in embankments, and 36 feet in excavations, with a slope of 112 hori-

112

HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.

zontal to one vertical, having the proper ditches through the excavations. The large streams and valleys are estimated to be passed by wooden via- nets; in those that are of importance the timber and framing to be completely protected from the weather. The small ones will be built in a simple form. as per plan, and can be replaced when decay- ing by earth embankments and stone arches, which, with the facilities afforded by the Road for convey- ing materials, can be done at less expense than at present.

The estimated cost of the entire Road, with double track, buildings, &c., was $2,653,676, or $16,000 per mile. The first pile was driven at a point near the present Lake Shore station at Fremont, June 19, 1839. The work was prosecuted mainly between that point and Manhattan, and to some extent Eastward to- ward Cleveland, with the hope of completing that portion (110} miles) in the spring of 1842, when connection was to be made at Sandusky with the Mad River and Lake Erie (now the Indiana, Burlington and Western) Road, then completed as far South as Tiffin ; also connec- tion with the Erie and Kalamazoo Road at Toledo, and with roads projected from Man- hattan to Monroe and Detroit.

The condition of affairs as to facilities for transportation at the West at that time, is shown by the Chief Engineer's showing of traffic which the Road was expected to secure, to wit :

The Road will receive travel-Ist. From the Ohio River, by the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad. 20. From Missouri and Illinois, by the Terre Haute and Alton, and the Peoria and Logansport Railroad ; through the Wabash and Erie Canal and Railroad ; 3d. From Chicago, through the Wabash and Erie Canal. Ith. From Evansville and Indianapolis, by Railroad and the Wabash and Erie Canal. 5th. From Evansville, by the Indiana and Wabash and Erie Canals. 6th. From Lake Michigan, by the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad. 7th. From Detroit, by the Detroit, Monroe, Huron and Manhattan Railroad.

As already mentioned, the Western terminus of this Road was Manhattan, at that time an active and vigorous rival of Toledo, but now constituting a part of that City. The Road was to cross the Maumec River at that point, and there connect with the proposed Detroit Railroad. Of the work accomplished March 22, 1842, the Chief Engineer said :

The superstructure from the Maumee River to Lower Sandusky (Fremont) 29 miles, is now com- leted. On the line between Lower Sandusky and Huron (33 miles), there are less than three miles of piles yet to drive; and to complete the 62 miles, it will require an additional expenditure of $41,868, of which $19,850 will be required for the Sandusky River bridge at Lower Sandusky. The 47 miles be- tween Huron and Cleveland, was put under contract in December last, and over one-third of the work is now completed.

The Directors, in March, 1842, published a statement of the financial condition of the Company, which showed its indebtedness to

consist of orders drawn on its Treasurer out- standing (in circulation), $37,694 ; due to con- tractors, 830,274.82 ; to depositors (in Banking office), $5,903.72; total indebtedness, $73,872 .- 5.1. Its assets consisted of real estate in Ash- tabula, Lake, Cuyahoga. Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa and Lucas (received mainly on stock subscriptions), 8154,220; due from the State, $152,251.52. These made a total of $305,471 ; and left a balance of $231,598.98, beside 832,110 worth of machinery. The President had been authorized to sell the lands for the purpose of paying the debts. The managers continued their efforts to keep the work alive until the spring of 1843, when operations wholly ceased, without a mile of track being completed. It was generally looked upon as the scheme of visionaries, and its management in no small degree justified such view; and yet, it was only 10 years from the date of its collapse, to the actual opening of the Cleve- land and Toledo division of the present Lake Shore Road. It was easy enough afterwards to see how, by concentrating effort, the line between the Maumee and Sandusky Rivers might have been completed, and success thus assured; but the Company had to deal with too many points jealous of each other, and was thus led to scatter its resources and invite the failure which followed.

Subsequent investigation by the Auditor of State revealed a condition of things essentially different from that represented by the Direc- tors. It was found that the aggregate of stock subscriptions was $1,991,776; of which sum only 813,980 was paid in cash ; $8,000 to $10,000 being in labor and material, and 8533,776 in lands and town lots. On such basis, State bonds had been issued to the Company to the amount of $249,000. Samples were given by the Auditor showing that the values placed on the real estate received by the Company were altogether fabulous. For instance, the " Lord farm," in Brooklyn Township, Cuyahoga County, put in at $33,300, stood on the tax list at $3,748, with a mortgage on it of $4,000 ; a parcel taken at 86,000 was taxed at 820. It appeared that immediately after accepting these lands, and on their drawing State bonds, the Com- pany proceeded to sell them as fast as they conld find buyers, and in that way disposed of $59,678 worth, in many cases being returned to the parties from whom they were received, and at greatly reduced prices. The sole reli- ance of the Company for means, consisted in State bonds and its own notes, which latter it was allowed to issue for circulation, which it issued to a large amount, and which never were redeemed. It appeared that the entire cash expenditures of the Company amounted to 8237,220, or $11,780 less than the amount of bonds received from the State.

The scheme finally collapsed in July, 1843, upon non-payment of interest on the bonds

11:

RAILWAYS.

issued by the State. The President of the Company, and its chief manager, was Nehe- miah Allen, of Willoughby. The General Superintendent was Samuel Wilson, Wil- loughby; and the Chief Engineer, Cyrus Williams, a man justly prominent in his pro- fession, who died in Cleveland many years since. Judge Allen was born in Whitestown, New York, November 10, 1790. In 1817, at the age of 27, he came to Ohio, settling at Willoughby, where he engaged in business. In 1835, he was elected as Representative to the Ohio Legislature from Geauga County, where he was active in securing the charter of the Ohio Railroad Company, of which corpo- ration he was the President throughout its existence, and to which he devoted his un- divided attention, as well as his private means. Upon the failure of the enterprise, Judge Allen removed to Manhattan, where he en- gaged in milling, and went to Toledo in 1850, remaining there until his death, August 4, 1861. He was of Quaker descent, and in high degree possessed the qualities of reserve and modesty. He was an intellectual man, much devoted to the higher order of reading. His funeral on the 6th of August, was attended by a large number of citizens, and especially of the older residents.

THE WABASH RAILWAY.

The pioneer Railroad of the West (from Toledo to Adrian) had hardly been opened to traffic before the matter of connecting Lake Erie with the Mississippi by like means was proposed. The first record of that sort found consists of an editorial item in the Blade of July 11, 1837, wherein it was stated that an unbroken chain of Railroad had been provided for by charters from Toledo to the waters of the Mississippi. The Toledo and Sandusky Railroad Company was authorized to construct a Road from Sandusky via Toledo to the Indiana State line. There it would connect with the Buffalo and Mississippi Railroad, passing, via Michigan City, to the Illinois line, there to connect with the Chicago and Galena Union Railroad, which, by its charter, was authorized to begin at the Eastern boundary of Illinois, and extend through Chicago to Galena. A preliminary survey of a portion of the route between Toledo and Michigan City and Chicago and Galena had already been made by James Seymour, Engineer, and part of the former line put under contract. This project was never put in execution.

The plan of a direct Railway from Toledo, through the Wabash Valley to the Mississippi, was first given definite form in 1852. An carly step in that direction consisted of a meeting held at Logansport, Indiana, June 22d of that year, in the interest of the Toledo and Wabash Railway. The movement was largely a result of personal efforts and newspaper discussion

by Mr. T. G. Miller, who spent some time in the Spring of 1852 on the line of the proposed Road. A meeting to appoint delegates to that Convention was held at Toledo, June 11th, with II. D. Mason as Chairman ; T. G. Miller, James Myers, Edward Bissell, Matthew John- son, Richard Mott, and Simeon Fitch, Jr., as Vice Presidents; and Charles W. Ilill, as Sec- retary. The following named delegates to the Logansport Convention were appointed from Toledo : Sanford L. Collins, Frank J. King, V. JI. Ketcham, L. B. Lathrop, Lyman T. Thayer, Geo. W. Scott, Simeon Fitch, Samuel B. Scott, Matt. Johnson, H. L. Hosmer, M. R. Waite, J. W. Scott, J. W. Kelsey, C. M. Dorr, C. G. Keeler and J. M. Ashley. The Logans- port Convention embraced about 700 dele- gates, representing various points on the pro- posed line. Steps were taken for immediate measures for the construction of the Indiana portion of the work.

Several routes were surveyed from a point one and a half miles South of the Wabash and Erie Canal at the Ohio and Indiana State line, to Danville, Illinois, The survey was made under direction of Wm. Durbin, Civil Engineer, of Sandusky.

Part of the plan was that from the Indiana State line two Roads should be constructed- one to Sandusky, to connect with the Junction Railroad East; and the other to Toledo, to form a junction with a proposed Canada line. The Sandusky line was never undertaken. Soon after completing his surveys, Mr. Durbin resigned his position as Engineer, and was suc- ceeded by Warren Colburn, of the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Railroad. Soon there- after the contract for the Ohio section was let to Boody, Ross & Co., ot New York, to be com- pleted in 1855.

While the purpose of the projectors of this important enterprise, wasto form a direct and continnous route, with a single management, from Toledo to the Mississippi, it was deemed best to accomplish such end with distinct or- ganizations in the three States through which the Road would pass. Hence, the Toledo and Illinois Railroad Company was organized in Ohio, carly in 1853, to build the Eastern see- tion of the line, between Toledo and the West- ern Ohio boundary line in Paulding County ; and the Lake Erie, Wabash and St. Louis Rail- road Company was organized in August, 1853, to continue the work down the Valleys of Little and Wabash Rivers, to a point on the West line of Indiana, in the general direction of Danville, Illinois, a proposed length of 190 miles when opened.

In August, 1856, these Companies were con- solidated under the name of the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railroad Company. The new corporation being unable to meet thejoint obli. gations of the two Companies, the Toledo and Illinois Road was sold by order of Court, Octo-

411

HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.

ber 7, 1858, to Azariah Boody, for the sum of $800, subjeet to the mortgages; and the prop- erty of the Lake Erie, Wabash and St. Lonis Company was sold October 5, 1858, to the same party for $1,000 subject to like encumbrance. In accordance with an understanding had pre- vious to these sales two new companies were organized, to-wit: The Toledo and Wabash Railroad Company (for Ohio), and the Wabash and Western Company (for Indiana), which, respectively, took the Road from Toledo to the Illinois line. The corporations west of the Illinois line consisted of the Great Western Railroad Company of Illinois, extending from that point to Meredosia, Illinois, 175 miles, with a branch from Bluffs to Naples, four miles ; the Quincy and Toledo Road, from Meredosia to Camp Point, 34 miles; and the Illinois and Southern Railroad Company, Clayton to Car- thage, 29 miles, were, in May, June and July, 1865, consolidated with the two Ohio and Illi- nois Companies, under the name of the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railway Company. In Angust, 1870, was perfected the consolidation of this Company with the Decatur and East St. Louis Railroad Company, its line extending 108 miles. June 30, 1874, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Railroad Company had under lease the following Roads: Hannibal and Naples, 52 miles; the Pekin, Lincoln and Decatur, 67.2 miles; the Lafayette, Blooming- ton and Mississippi, 80.3 miles ; and the Lafay- ette, Muncie and Bloomington, 36.4 miles. În 1874, the Toledo, Wabash and Western Rail- way was placed in the hands of Jacob D. Cox, Receiver, and there remained until January 1, 1877, when the property, by deed, passed to

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History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio, Part 79

Author: Waggoner, Clark, 1820-1903 Publication date: 1888 Publisher: New York and Toledo : Munsell & Company Number of Pages: 1408

Author: Waggoner, Clark, 1820-1903
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: New York and Toledo : Munsell & Company
Number of Pages: 1408