USA > Ohio > Lucas County > Toledo > History of the city of Toledo and Lucas County, Ohio > Part 88
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" One could hardly wish," says the Editor, "to travel 775 miles in a less period." The trip has since been made in less than 20 hours, or not one-fourth of the time of 1839.
In June, 1839, the Steamboat Illinois made the " quick trip " of a passage from Chicago to Buffalo (1,047 miles) in 60 hours, or 173 miles per hour. The " quick passage " between Buf- falo and Detroit (300 miles) of 213 hours is noted in June, 1839.
The following were the rates for passage and freight on Lake Erie for the year 1840, to wit :
Buffalo to
Cabin.
Steerage. Horses, &c.
Dunkirk
$2.00
$1.50
$2.00
Cleveland_
6.00
2.50
5.00
Sandusky
7.00
3.00
6.00
Toledo and Detroit.
8.00
3.00
6.00
FREIGHTS.
Heavy. Light. Bbl. Bulk.
Dunkirk (per 100 lbs.) 25c. 35c.
38c.
Cleveland
27
40
50
Sandusky, Toledo and Detroit, 30
40 50
DOWN FREIGHTS.
Flour per barrel, 20c .; Provisions, 10c .; Ashes, 20c .; Wool and Peltries, 25c.
Bituminous Coal, as fuel, was first used on the Lakes about 1840, previous to which time wood had been the sole reliance. During the winter of 1840-41, a number of Steamboats were so altered as to enable them to use coal, which was found to be less expensive. Among such steamers was the Bunker Hill, which made four revolutions of its engine more per
minute than had been reached with wood. The supply of coal was wholly from Western Pennsylvania, where a good article had then recently been found, which was delivered at Erie and sold for 83.00 per ton.
Under the arrangements made by the Steam- boat Combination in 1845, the same steamers were made to supply both Toledo and Monroe, a condition of things by no means satisfactory to the people of the former City. A public meeting was held June 9th, of which Mavor Brigham was President, V. H. Ketcham and Henry Bennett, Vice Presidents ; and Decius Wadsworth and S. B. Scott, Secretaries; when it was declared that such arrangement was " highly prejudicial to our business and inter- ests as citizens, and unjustly oppressive upon the traveling publie, and causing a delay in most cases of 24 hours in the transmission of the mails." As the most ready and certain mode of relief from such wrong, the meeting "requested and instructed the City Council to appropriate such sum as might be neces- sary-not to exceed $10,000-to be used by the Mayor in securing the control of the Steam- boat Indiana, to run directly between Toledo and Buffalo, in opposition to the combination line, unless the existing grievance be removed. It is understood that this plan was not success- ful. The Indiana was controlled by Buffalo parties, prominent among whom was D. O. Mills, a young man then in business at that point ; since a successful operator in California mining stock; and now a resident of New York City. The Indiana continued to run to Toledo, but as a "Combination " Boat, and was commanded by Captain C. C. Roby, who, with his family, was lost by the burning of the Steamer Griffith, near Cleveland, in 1850, then under his command.
The Toledo and Buffalo Steamboat line in May, 1846, was constituted as follows: The Troy, Capt. S. F. Atwood; the Indiana, Capt. I. T. Pheatt; the Clinton, Capt. Hart; the Harrison, Capt. Parker; the Wayne, Capt. A. D. Perkins ; and the Franklin, Capt. Edmonds.
The following was given in 1843, upon cred- ible authority, as a full list of Steamboats built on the Lakes up to 1843, with the dates and places of construction, to wit:
Name.
Tons.
Built at.
Date.
Walk-in-the-Water
340
Black Rock
1818
Superior
300
Buffalo
1822
Chippewa
100
1824
Henry Clay
348
Black Rock
1825
Pioneer.
230
66
1825
Niagara
180
1826
Wm. Penn
270
Erie
1826
Enterprise
250
Cleveland
1826
Peacock
120
Barcelona
1829
Newburyport
75
Erie
1829
Sheldon Thompson
242
Huron
1830
45G
HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.
Name.
Tons.
Built at
Date.
Name.
Tons.
Built at
Date.
Ohio
187
Fremont
1830
Patronage
56
St. Joseph
1838
Adelaide
230
Chippewa
1830
Gen. Scott
210
Iluron
1839
Gratiot
63
Charleston
1831
Chatauqua
161
Buffalo
1839
Pennsylvania
395
Erie
1832
Brothers
150
Chatham
1839
New York
100
Detroit
1832
Huron
140
Newport
1839
Harrison (1st)
63
Erie
1839
Missouri
612
Vermillion
1840
Harrison (2d)
326
Maumee.
1840
Michigan
472
Detroit
1833
Daniel Webster
358
Black Rock
1833
Minos
400
Chippewa
1840
Detroit
240
Toledo
1833
Indiana
534
Toledo
1841
Franklin
231
Alginac
1842
Nile
600
Detroit
1843
Union
64
Black Rock
1843
Oliver Newberry
170
Palmer
1833
Delaware
170 Huron
1833
Victory
342 Black Rock
1834
Thos. Jefferson
428
Erie
1834
Com. Perry
352
Perrysburg
1834
Monroe.
341
Monroe
1834
Mazeppa
377 Sandusky
1834
Sandusky
250 Goodrich
1834
Minessetunks
Gen. Jackson
80 Sandusky
1834
Little Western
60 Chatham
1834
Robert Fulton
368
Cleveland
1835
Columbus
391 HInron
1835
Townsend
312
Buffalo
1835
United States
366
Huron
1835
Chicago
186
St. Joseph
1835
Taylor.
95
Silver Creek 1835
Thames
160
Chatham
1835
De Witt Clinton
413
Huron
1836
Julia Palmer
300 Buffalo
1836
Little Erie
149 Detroit
1836
Parcelona
132
Dunville 1836
9 Calves,
4 barrels Crackers,
United
37
Detroit 1836
St. Clair
250
Sandusky
1836
Don Quixotte
80
Toledo
1836
Dave Crockett
18
Brunersburg. 1836
Cincinnati
116
Sandusky 1836
755
Detroit
1837
Rochester
472
Richmond 1837
150 lbs. Halibut, 1 Mackerel,
Madison
630
Erie
1837
Cleveland
580
Huron
1837
Wisconsin
700
Conneaut 1837
Erie
497
Erie
1837
Constellation
483
Charleston
1837
Bunker Hill
457
Constitution
443
Conneaut 1837
New England
416
Black Rock 1837
Milwaukee
110
Grand Island 1837
Gen. Wayne
300 110
Mt. Clemens 1837
Star
128
Belvidere. 1837
Commeree
80 Sandusky 1837
Mason
53
Grand Rapids. 1837
Great Western
780
Huron
1838
Buffalo
613
Buffalo
1838
Chesepeake
412 Maumee City
1838
Vermillion
385 Vermillion
1838
Lexington
363
Charleston
1838
Fairport
259
Fairport 1838
Red Jacket
148 Grand Island
1838
Gov. Vance
75
Perrysburg 1838
James Allen
250
Chicago 1838
Washington (2d)
380
Ashtabula 1838
Dole
162 Chicago 1838
Trowbridge
52 Kalamazoo
1838
John Marshal 51 Perrysburg 1838
Owashenonk
15
Grand Haven 1838
In his letters to the Albany Evening Journal, in connection with the Chicago Harbor Con- vention of July, 1847, Thurlow Weed gave some particulars of life on board the Lake Steamers of that time. The passengers break- fasted " as at the Astor House " (then high water mark in hotel life), whenever they pleased between 7 and 11 A. M. Had lunch at 12; dined at 2; tea at 7; and supper at 10 P. M. The Steamer on which Mr. Weed made the trip to and from Chicago, was the St. Louis, Capt. Fred. Wheeler, and he gives a list of " stores" consumed on the trip (as taken from the Stew- ard's bills), which was as follows :
16 quarters fresh Beef.
3 bbls. Corned Beef, " Pork,
22 Lambs,
11 Sheep,
15 boxes Soda Biscuit.
1S Pigs,
4 large Cheeses,
600 Chickens,
12 kegs Pickled Oysters,
5 dozen Turkeys,
12 kegs Piekled Lobsters,
40 Hams,
6 barrels Flour, 2 Indian Meal.
128 live Lobsters,
450 lbs. Bass, Trout, etc.,
60 Beef Tongues,
8 boxes Raisins, 6 Oranges,
800 dozen Eggs,
45 dozen Soda,
30 dozen Ale, 16 Porter,
24 baskets Champagne, 16 Maderia,
9 dozen Port, 15 Claret,
Congress- Water, 14
Cider,
7 boxes Lemons,
4,000 Cigars,
2 barrels Crushed Sugar, 6 wheelbarrow loads of Mackinaw Trout, White Fish, etc., etc.
The Steamboat Chesepeake came into col- lision with the Schooner John Porter, four or five miles off Conneaut, Ohio, at 12:30 A. M., June 10, 1847, when both crafts sunk. Seven lives were lost-four passengers (George Van Doren, Fremont, Ohio; E. Cone, Bellevne, Ohio ; S. Yerk of Tiffin, and Mrs. Hoek, Water- town, N. Y.), and three of the crew. Among the 55 passengers saved, were W. R. Hoyt, then
* Rebuilt at Ogdensburg, N. Y .; was employed on the Hudson River ; passed by Canal to Buffalo, and was the Steamer burned by the British authorities at Schlosser, December 29, 1837.
Unele Sam
280
Grosse Isle
1832
Perseverance
50
Erie
1832
Washington (Ist)
609
Huron
1833
Waterloo
Black Rock
1840
Lady of Lake
161
Black Rock
1833
North America
362
Conneaut
1833
Caroline*
46
Charleston, S. C ..
70 Buffalo
1834
Com. Porter
26 Mt. Clemens
1833
Gov. Marcy
325 Black Rock
1832
Kent
180
1839
Gen. Brady
130
Buffalo
1834
Jack Downing
50 Mt. Clemens 1834
Illinois
20 Apples,
125 Sweetbreads,
1837
Perrysburg 1837
Macomb
457
LAKE MARINE.
of Norwalk, and now (1887) of Toledo ; Chaun- cy Dwight and Miss A. Dwight, of Monroeville ; Robert M. Shoemaker, of Republic, Ohio (died in Florida in 1885); and A. M. Stem, Green Springs, Seneca County. One of the earliest sailors in this portion of the Lakes was Captain S. F. Atwood. Commeneing in 1830, he com- manded 17 different Steamboats, to wit: The Argo, Gen. Jackson, Gen. Brady, Lady of the Lake, Oliver Newberry, MeComb, James Mon- roe, Gen. Harrison, Fulton, Troy, Arrow, De- Witt Clinton, John Owen, Ariel, Bay City, Dart, T. Whitney and Philo Parsons. During all these years, but four lives were lost from boats under his command. Captain Atwood's face was among the most familiar of the Lake sailors in Toledo, having been largely in the Detroit trade.
The Steamboats Western Metropolis and City of Buffalo, in 1857, made the trip from To- ledo to Buffalo in 134 hours, being 20 miles per hour, against Railroad time of 24 miles per hour.
The American Transportation Company was com- posed of the Swiftsure and Railroad Lines of Tow- Boats on Hudson River, in connection with the Mo- hawk and Hudson Railway (Albany to Schenectady), the Pilot, Traders, Eric and Ohio, and Eagle Lines, on the Erie Canal ; the Eagle Line of Steamboats and Sail Vessels on the Lakes; and the American Transportation Line on the Ohio Canal. The owners and Agents were :
A. Van Santvoord. P. Grandin, E. D. Robinson and D. P. Parker, New York ; C. Robinson, H. Niles, and Wm. B. Knox, Albany ; S. Hurd & Co., Sche- nectady ; Treat & Carter, Buffalo ; H. Wright & Co., Rochester; Scott & Carter, Cleveland; Forsyth & Hazard, Maumee City ; Mead, Kellogg & Co., Detroit.
In 1838, James Wolcott & Co (J. Wolcott, A. J. Hackley and James Howe) were Agents at Maumee City for the following Erie Canal Lines: The Na- tional Line ; the New York and Buffalo, and Utica and Buffalo Lines; the Oswego Line (ria Oswego and Welland Canals) ; and the Lake and River Line, via Oswego and Welland Canals.
In the Spring of 1841, there were 50 Steam- boats on the Lakes. Of these, 20 constituted four regular lines running out of Buffalo, as follows :
To Chicago-The Illinois, Great Western, Madi- son, Missouri, Wisconsin and Rochester. To Detroit- The Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Constellation, New England, and Bunker Hill. To Toledo-The Consti- tution, Wayne, Fulton, Clinton, Perry and Ver- million. Beside these, the Chautauqua and Fairport ran to Erie.
The Steamboat Toledo was launched at Toledo, August 16, 1841. She was built by Captains Church and Keating. A marked peculiarity of the case, was the fact that in- toxieating liquors were excluded from the yard and shops during the construction of the Boat. The consequence was, that the employees at all times conducted themselves with " the utmost order and decorum," and won the special re- speet of the community.
30
A " Steamboat Combination " was formed by seven Boats constituting the Buffalo and Toledo daily lino in 1842, to wit: The Gen. Wayne, Benj. Franklin, Rochester, Gen. Ilar- rison, Gen. Scott, Robert Fulton and Com. Perry. The rates of fare (19 per cent. less than 1841) were as follows: From Buffalo to Cleveland-cabin, $4.50 ; deek, 82.50; to Toledo and Detroit, $6.50 and $3.00; Mackinaw, $16.00 and $8.00; Milwaukee and Chicago, $18.00 and $10.00.
The Steamboat Indiana, Captain 1. T. Pheatt, went first into service in June, 1842. She was of 600 tons; length of deck, 177 feet; breadth of beam, 26 feet. She came to be one of the most popular Boats on the Lakes.
The first Propeller run on Lake Erie was built at Buffalo by Bidwell, Banta & Co. for Messrs. Hollister of that City. Its consort, the Sampson, was built the same season, at Perrysburg, as was the Emigrant, at Cleve- land. It was said that the last two cleared the entire cost of construction during that and the succeeding year (1844). With its name changed to Hercules, the Emigrant was still in service as late as 1862, when she was owned at Detroit and employed in the Toledo and Lake Huron trade.
In 1852, the Toledo and Buffalo line of Steamers, running in connection with the Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad, began the use of anthracite coal, which is said to have been the introduction of that article for fuel on the Lakes.
The first Atlantic Steamer at Toledo, was the Free Trader, which arrived from Montreal May 19, 1848, having been nine days on the way. She stopped at Hamilton, Port Stanley and Cleveland, and ber sailing time was six days. Her stowage capacity was 3,500 barrels of Flour, and was propelled by a low pressure engine of 75-horse power, at about 12 miles per hour. She was built expressly for the Lake and Atlantic trade, and owned by Hooker, Horton & Co., Montreal. It was calculated that Flour could be taken from Toledo to Mon- treal for 45 cents per barrel; Wheat for 10 eents; and heavy freights for $4.50 per ton. Tolls on the Welland and St. Lawrence Canals were then 10 cents for Flour, and 32 cents for Wheat.
The first iron Propeller employed on the Lakes, was built in 1862, at Buffalo, by David Bell, for E. T. Evans. She was 200 feet over all, 29 feet beam, and 14 feet deep; engine, low pressure, 40-inch bore, 36-inch stroke; boiler, nine feet diameter and 18 long, wheel, 10 feet diameter; cost, $68,000-engine and boiler costing $14,000.
In July, 1862, Smith & Rogers completed for J. Adam Grauff a new Steamer for pleasure uses. The hull was 26 feet in length, six feet wide, and two feet deep. Tho engine was of two-horse power, with three-inch bore and 5₺
-
458
HISTORY OF TOLEDO AND LUCAS COUNTY.
inch stroke. The boiler, built by Hotzman & Co. of Toledo, was five feet in length, made in the form of first-class Steamboat boilers, and capable of propelling the craft at the rate of eight miles per hour. It was named Dodd I. King, after a son of Charles A. King, Toledo.
The New York Central Propeller Line (Buffalo and Toledo) was composed as follows, in the Spring of 1863: Toledo, Capt. Thomas Watts ; Marquette, Capt. Harry Watts; Equi- nox, Capt. James F. Snow ; Eclipse, Capt. Thomas Crosby; Equator, Capt. J. G. Hinde ; Cuyahoga, Capt. Kelley ; Orontes, Capt. Neil Carney ; Arexes, Capt. John Parsons. Altred Chesebrough was then the Agent of the Cen- tral Road, and John B. Carson of the Propeller Line.
The Erie Railway Steamboat line between Buffalo and Toledo in 1864, included the fol- lowing Boats: Wabash, Capt. John Kirby ; Passaic, Capt. James S. Mitchell ; Canisteo, Capt. Gco. Blackman ; New York, Capt. H. A. Sisson ; Acme, Capt. J. W. Hathaway ; Elmira, Capt. Wm. Thorne; Pittsburgh, Capt. Simon Monro. S. D. Caldwell was the manager of the line; Washington Bullard, the Toledo Agent; and Alonzo Godard the Toledo Con- signee.
From 1827 to 1864, the earliest opening of Buffalo harbor was March 7, 1842, and the latest May 16, 1837, the average being about April 15th.
The Propeller Phoenix was burned in Lake Michigan, 17 miles from Sheboygan, November 21, 1847, with loss of 200 lives, of whom 150 were Hollanders. It was the most serious event of the kind that then had occurred. The Propeller was owned by Pease & Allen, Buffalo. Among the lost was the Second Engineer, W. Owen, of Toledo.
Up to July, 1838, there had been on Lake Erie Steamboat accidents, endangering human life, as follows: That of the Walk-in-the- Water, near Buffalo, 1822-no lives lost. The (first) Washington, at Point Albino, Canada, 1833-no lives lost. The Pioneer, on Lake Michigan, 1834-no lives lost. Second Wash- ington, June, 1833, burned, with loss of 20 to 30 lives. Beside these casualties, boilers exploded on the William Peacock, with loss of eight or 10 lives, and on the Com. Perry, with loss of one life.
Within three years, ended July, 1860, five Brigs, 40 Schooners, 10 Barques and eight Tugs were taken from the Lakes for use on the Atlantic, in consequence of the extreme depres- sion of trade here.
The Lake traffic, since soon after the opening of the lines of Railway along the Southern shore of Lake Erie and through Canada, has been undergoing change, both in modes and extent. For some years, those interested in the water route felt much confidence that the chief traffic of the new rival would be
transporting during the Winter season more or less of freight which otherwise would await the opening of navigation, there being no serious apprehension of competition while the water course was open. This view was favored by the lack of facilities with the Railway to dispose of the traffic. But as these were increased and new lines opened, the water route gradually came to realize that it had something substantial to compete with in its new rival. The Steamboats were first to suffer in the loss of their best traffic-that of passen- gers-which early began to scek the more rapid transit. Ere long, propellers were em- ployed, with double purpose of accommodating the limited travel and providing for the growing grain trade and Westward-bound freights. For many years, these were maintained with more or less success; but the advance of the land competitor was unabated, and in time the pro- peller gradually yielded its ground, as had done the side-wheeler and the sail. Meantime, steam was employed to considerable extent in the movement of Barges, though these were chiefly employed West of Buffalo, and largely between Lake Erie and Lakes Huron and Superior, in traffic not accessible by rail competition.
SUPPLY.
1862.
1886.
Michigan Southern R. R
2,850,694
Wabash R. R.
2,565,958
Dayton & Michigan R. R
1,277,006
Canal
3,007,204
230,311
Lake
1,467
182,000
Teams
125,000
300,000
Tol., St. L. & Kan. C. R. R
441,049
Tol., Ann Arbor & N. M. R. R.
204,810
Tol. & Ohio Central R. R
186,643
Pennsylvania R. R ..
316,000
Michigan Central R. R
79,200
Col., H. V. & Tol. R. R
473,840
Wheeling & L. E. R. R
9,810
Tol., Col. & Southern R. R
44,500
Michigan & Ohio R. R.
225,491
Totals
9,827,629
10,717,145
DISPOSAL.
1862.
1SS6.
Lake
9,384,774
3,313,001
Cleve. & Toledo R. R.
17,553
1,691,601
Manufactured here
204,480
1,500,000
Michigan Central R. R.
2,350,570
Wabash R. R
225,000
Dayton & Michigan R. R
350,000
Pennsylvania R. R
840,000
Toledo & Ohio R. R.
100,000
Col., H. V. & Tol. R. R
350,000
Wheeling & L. E. R. R
325,000
Tol., Ann Arbor & N. M. R. R.
50,000
Tol., Col. & Southern R. R
2,000
Canal
30,600
Totals
9,606,807
11,127,772
459
LAKE MARINE.
It is here seen that in 1862, the Canal brought over 30 per cent. of the Wheat supply ; where- as, in 1886, its delivery was less than 2 per cent. The proportions of disposal in 1862 were, by Lake, 97 per cent., and by rail, one-sixth of 1 per cent. The proportions in the case of Flour are also marked. In 1862, the Lake took 61 per cent .; while in 1886, less than one-half of 1 per cent. went by that route.
These figures indicate something of the state of the contest between rail and water in this section at the close of the season of 1886. The
condition and prospect were not hopeful for " nature's highway." The traffie for 1887 has been much more favorable to the Lako route, freights and prices being more favorable. This, however, is not due so much to a recovery of the breadstuffs traffic, as to large increase in other classes of freights, of which coal for the Northwest is an important item.
An effort is now being made to secure a line of Propellers between Toledo and Buffalo, of which none has existed for some time.
CHAPTER XI.
HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.
T HE matter of the navigation facilities of the Maumee River, early became a topic of dis- cussion and dispute between the rival Towns on its banks. This issue lay chiefly with the Towns at the foot of the Rapids (Perrysburg and Maumee), and Toledo and Manhattan ; while for a time, the champions of Marengo claimed for that point a combination of the ad- vantages of all other points. The Perrysburg Miami of the Lake, in June, 1834, had this statement of the case :
OUR RIVER .- As there are mistakes and misstate- ments, doubtless arising in want of correct informa- tion in regard to depth of water at this place, we take the liberty of saying, that according to the state- ment of the Engineer who surveyed the River to the Lake, in 1824, at a low stage of water, there is 63 feet in the rock reef two miles below this place, and Sa feet over the flats in the Maumee Bay. One foot and nine inches is the difference that can with truth be claimed at any stage of water in favor of any point below.
The survey of 1824 here referred to, is stated in the report made at the time by the Ohio Canal Commissioners, as follows :
Soundings were taken of the Maumee River and Bay, from the foot of the Rapids to Turtle Island, off the North Cape of the Bay. At the point where it is proposed to erect the dam suggested, there is a rock bottom with 6} feet of water. Below this rock the water increases in a short time to eight and nine feet. At a point between that of Swan Creek, a mile above Grassy Point, about eight feet of water is found, and on the bar in the Bay, 8} to nine feet.
The first Light-houses provided for Lake Erie were those at Fairport and on the Penin- sula, Sandusky Bay in 1826. The same year were made the first appropriations for the im- provement of Harbors on the Lake West of Buffalo, as follows :
For Buffalo, $15,000; Grand River, Ohio, $5,600 ; Ashtabula, $12,000; Cunningham Creek, $2,000; Huron, $5,000; Survey of Sandusky Bay, to ascer- tain the expediency and expense of improving the same, $400; for survey of La Plaisance Bay, Michi- gan, $200.
The first provision made for the better navi- gation of the Maumee River and Bay, consisted of the erection of a Light-house on Turtle Island. The Island was purchased of the Government in 1827 at public sale at Monroe, Michigan. In May, 1831, it was sold to the United States by Edward Bissell, then a resi- dent of Lockport, New York, for $300. It
then contained 6.68 acres. The original Light- house there was erected in 1831. The editor of the Toledo Gazette (Samnel Allen), July 2, 1836, made the following statement in that connection, to wit :
Turtle Island, upon which the Light-house is erected at the entrance of Maumee Bay, was since our recollection, sufficiently large for a farm of mod- erate size, and a considerable portion of it covered with wood. Before the erection of the Light-honse (in 1831), it was reduced to about two acres. Not- withstanding the Government has been vigilant in fortifying it for the past two or three seasons, it is now reduced to something less than an acre, and is gradu- ally wasting, insomuch that the structure is in dan- ger, without the immediate care of the Government. The immense increase of commercial business in this (the Maumee) River, demands some prompt action, not only on the part of the citizens of Toledo, but the neighboring Towns.
The matter of a "Straight Channel " or of any channel in the Bay better than that pro- vided by nature, had not at that time occupied the thoughts of Toledoans.
In 1834, soundings in the Maumee River from the foot of the Rapids to Turtle Island, were taken under authority of the Ohio Canal Commissioners. The chief results were-that the shallowest water between the points named, was found on the rock bar, where it was 63 feet deep. Between that point and the Bay it was from eight to nine feet, and on the bar in the Bay, about the same. This testimony to a minimum depth of 63 feet, was at the time re- garded as a matter of special importance to Perrysburg and Maumee City. This survey was made with reference to the practicability and advantages of slack-water navigation via the River to Fort Wayne and a Canal. It had been proposed to improve the River, by means of dams and locks, for navigation by Steam- boats to Defiance, and by Canal thence to Fort Wayne.
In 1835, the small appropriation of $700 was made by Congress for placing buoys in the Bay. This is said to have been secured largely through the personal efforts of Isaac S. Smith.
It is quite remarkable, considering the recog- nized importance of the commerce of Toledo, Perrysburg and Maumee, dating back for 50 years, that no steps were taken for the improve- ment of the entrance to the Maumee River until 1866. As shown elsewhere, measures were taken for such end in the case of Monroe Harbor, as early as 1835; in that of Huron, in
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HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.
1826; in that of Vermillion, in 1836; and in that of Sandusky, in 1844-each of these ante- dating Toledo by over 20 years. Until about the year 1866, the natural depth of water in the channel through the Bay, was found to ac- commodate nearly all of the crafts visiting the River. With the increasing draft of vessels, however, additional water was found neces- sary. The depth then deemed necessary was 14 feet, at mean low water in the Lake, with a breadth of 120 feet throughout the passage. For the provision of such accommodations, work was commenced in 1866, and was prose- cuted annually to greater or less extent until the close of the season of 1872. At this time, it was found that the plan upon which the im- provement had been prosecuted was not ade- quate to the demand of the rapidly increasing draft of Lake shipping employed in the Toledo trade. In December of that year, a communi- cation on the subject was addressed by the Toledo Board of Trade to the Secretary of War, asking that steps be taken for the pre- servation and improvement of the Harbor, which paper was referred to a Board of United States Engineers, with instructions to report a plan which should afford " an entrance-chan- nel of not less than 15 feet depth at the lowest stage of water," and such other accommoda- tions as should be found desirable.
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