USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics, Volume I > Part 24
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The Duke kept his word. If some of the government clerks of the present day, when they stir for the hundredth time their winter of- fice fire, can find leisure to examine their po- kers they will find stamped thereon "Smith, Jen- kins and Jones, makers."
Paul Jones.
So much has been published respecting this extraordinary man, that there is little which is interesting respecting him left, at the present day for gleaners of history, or anecdote.
The following, although not absolutely new, is not generally known, and merits preserva- tion :
"In the year 1801, two of the largest frigates in the world lay near each other in the Bay of Gibralter. It was a question which was the largest. Some gave it that the American Presi- dent (commodore Dale) had it in length, and the Portuguese Carlotto (commodore Duncan) in breadth. Each commander had a wish to sur- vey the vessel of the other and yet these gentle- men could never be brought together. There was a shyness as to who should pay the first vis- it. There is no more punctilious observer of etiquette than a naval commander, jealous of the honor of his flag, on a foreign station. A maater of ceremonies, or a king at arms, is nothing to him at a match of precedency. The wings of a ship are the college in which he obtains this polite acquirement, and when he comes to run up his pennant, we may be sure that a very pro- fessor in the courtesies flaunts upon the quarter deck. Dale was a good-humored fellow, a square strong set man, rather inclined to corpulence, jolly and hospitable. His pride in the command and discipline of his squadron, and the dignity of his diplomatic function, as the paramount of his nation in the Mediterranean, formed a gen- dle bridle on his easy intercourse and open- heartedness. Now he thought that the Portu- guese commodore should "cale vurst," (parson Trulliber has it so,) as having been earliest at the station. This was mentioned to Duncan, (a fine hard bitten old seaman by the way,) and he forthwith laid down his punctilio in a man- ner that put an end to all hopes of an intimacy, or of a friendly measurement of the two ships. "Sir," said he, "as Commodore Duncan of the Portuguese navy, I would readily call firat up- on Cominodore Dale of the American navy ; but as Lieutenant Duncan of the British navy, I can- not call upon a gentleman who served under the pirate Paul Jones."
This awoke my curiosity, and the next time I was in company with commodore Dale, he, perceiving that my conversation led that way, readily met me in it. He had been with Jones in the Ranger, as well as in the Bon Homme Richard. What follows is from his recital.
Paul Jones wanted (as the Bow-street runners
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say) Lord Selkirk, to try upon him the experi-[ the fighting side silenced and the crew of the ment practising on President Laurens in the Tower; and it Laurens had suffered, Lord Sel- kirk, or any other great man they could get hold of, would have been put to death. Lord Selkirk was only preferred as being considered by his supposed residence to be the readiest for capture. Jones was surprised and displeased at the family plate being brought on board, but the returning it would have been too serious a displeasure to his crew. It was sold by pub- lic auction at Cadiz, bought in by Jones, and sent back, as we have known.
Commodore Dale thus related the action of the Serapis. The "Bon Homme Richard" was an old East Indiamen, bought and fitted out at a French pori, and so christened out of compli- ment to Franklin, then in Paris, one of whose instructive tales is conveyed under such a title. Having originally no ports in her lower decks, six were broken out, (three on a side,) and fit- ted with six French eleven-pounder guns. On the upper deck she had twenty-four or twenty- six of small calibre. She had a numerous crew to which were added some recruits of the Irish brigade, commanded by a lieutenant-now a general officer in the British service. Fontenoy was one instance, and this action was another, of the gallantry of these unfortunate gentlemen whom an invincible hereditary feeling had driv- en into the service of the French monarch .- When the last of their protectors was dethroned, honor brought them gladly over to the stan- dard of their country.
In this vessel with the Alliance, American frigate of 36 guns (a fine regular ship of war) and the Pallas, French frigate of' 32, Paul Jones started on a marauding expedition,only differing from that of Whitehaven, as being on a larger scale. It was his intention to amerce the north- eastern ports of England, in heavy pecuniary ransoms, or to destroy the shipping and building as far as could be effected. He had intelligence, or believed so, of the exact number of troops stationed in those different places. Leith was the first great object. Entering the Firth, they seized upon a Scotch fishing boat. The owner was refractory, but they terrified him into the office of pilot. The wind became adverse ; they reached Inchkeith, but could not weather it, and had to stand out again. Making the land next to visit Whitby and Hull, they fell in with a large convoy, which dispersed while the ships of war (Serapis 44, captain Pearson, and Percy 20 guns, captain Piercy) which protected it, stood out to engage them. The determination was mutual; there was a deal of hailing from the Serapis, to the really strange ship which approach- ed her. They closed, and the Bon Homme, by Jones' order, was made fast to the Serapis,- While these were thus closely engaged the Alli- ance worked round the two ships, pouring in raking broadsides, which Paul Jones finding equally injurious to his own ship, if intended for the Serapis, put an end to by ordering the Alliance off, and she lay by during the action while the Pallas was engaged with the British sloop of war. The cannonade was to the ad- vantage of the Serapis, and gradually silenced the fire of the Bon Homme. The latter wished, and expected once to be boarded ; the British boarders were about to enter but returned, de- terred at the superior number lying waiting for them, and purposely concealed, as far as might be, under the gangway. Lieutenant Dale, on going below, found two of the three gung on
other vying with the crew of a British gun op- posite, which should fire first. The British were quick est and that gun was knocked over also,- He returned slightly wounded and much fatigued to the upper deck, and was seated on the wind- lass, when the explosion which blew up the deck of the Serapis, all aft from the main hatchway, gave the victory to the Bon Homme. For this success they were indebted to the officer and party of their marines. Seated out on the yards grenades were handed along, dropped by the of- ficer into the hatchway of the Serapis, and at last caught to some ammunition.
Paul Jones, crippled and afflicted with the gout, was seated, during the affair, in a chair, on the quarter deck. Dale boarded the Serapis with a few men. As he made his way aft, he saw a solitary person leaning on the taffrail in a melancholy posture, his face resting upon his hands. It was Captain Pearson. He said to Dale, "The ship has struck." While hurrying him on, an officer came from below, and ob- served to Captain Pearson, that the ship along- side was going down. "We have got three
guns clear, Sir, and they'll soon send her to the devil." It's too late, Sir, call the men off, the shtp has struck." "I'll go below, Sir, and call them off;" and he was about to descend, when Dale interfering, said, 'No. Sir, if you please you'll come on board with me." Dale told me if he had let that officer go below, he feared he would have sunk them, as the Bon Homme was old, settling in the water, and in fact, went to the bottom that night.
Paul Jones was, in Commodore Dale's opinion, a very skilful, enterprising officer, but harsh and overbearing in disposition.
He was afterwards taken into the service of the Empress of Russia, and was to have had an important command against the Turks. Greig, however, and the other British officers in her service memorialed against it. They would neither associate nor serve with him, and, if she had not got rid of him, would have left her feets.
Wherever Paul Jones was born. I have under- stood, from what I thought good authority, that he was apprentice in a coal vessel, in the employ of Mr. Wilson, at Whitehaven. It is told of him, that quarreling with a fellow apprentice, he took an opportunity to anoint the lad's head with a tar-brush, and then set it on fire.
MARRIAGES.
On the 24th inst., by The Rev. A. C. Thomas, Mr CHRISTIAN SEIDERT TO Miss SARAH T. McKIM, both of this city.
On Tuesday the 24th, by Rev. Mr. Sehon. Mr. JOHN WALKER, to Mrs. ADELINE A. FRENCH, all of this city:
On Tuesday the 24th, by Elder W. P. Stratton, Mr. THOMAS C. RENSFORD 10 Miss MARGARET It. WILLIAMS; all of this city.
On Wednesday the 25th inst .. by the Rev. Abet C. Thomas, JOHN C. GASKILL LO MISS CATHARINE SINGER, alt of this city.
On Thursday the 26th Inst., by the Rev. Mr. Walker, THOMAS B. HUBBELL IO MISS ELIZABETH ANN BENSON, all of this city.
DEATHS.
On Thursday morning, the 19th inst., at his residence in Batavia, Clermont County, Hon. THOMAS J. BUCHAN . AN, after an illness of a few days.
In this city, at the resdence of Rev. L. French, on Monday the 23d inst, Mr. H. H. SMOOT, of Consumption.
At his residence in Covington. on Thursday, the 26th inst., HON. WILLIAM WRIGHT SOUTHGATE.
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sixth Ward -- Cincinnati.
This is the south- west section of Cincinnati. It is somewhat in the shape of a wedge, of which the point is at Mill Creek, Sixth street, and the river forming the sides, and its eastern line, the butt. Its enumeration of buildings, follows :- Public buildings,ten. St, Aloysius orphan asylum, on 4th street,Gas works, public school house,two Friends' meeting houses, Morris Chapel, Trinity church, on Fifth street, Christian church, on Fourth, Baptist church, on Pearson street, and an Engine house, on Fifth. The entire number of buildings of the ward is 1063; 495 of which are of brick, and 568 are frames.
Of these there were at the close of 1842.
Bricks, 249. Frames, 501. Total, 750.
Built in1843, 157.
.6
39.
196.
1844, 89.
28.
117.
495.
568.
1063.
This is the only ward in the city through which I have gone, in which the buildings of this year, fall short of those put up in 1843. As an offset to this, it should be recollected that more buildings were put up last year, in the Sixth Ward, than in any other in Cincinnati.
Several fine improvements have been made during the current year here, Among these are the steam saw-mill of Baily and Langstaff, Thayer's Phoenix distillery, a Brewery on Smith street, south of the canal, a Rolling Mill, on 3d west of Smith , an Iron Wire, and Leaden Pipe factory, near the Gas works, Walter's bedstead factory, on Smith, near Front, and above all, the Cottonmill of Messrs Strader & Co,of which there is nothing in capacity, convenience,and substan- tial character, its equal this side of Lowell , Mass. All these are of brick ; a large number of fine brick dwellings, interpersed through the ward have also been erected this year, among which I have room only to specify two on Fourth st., opposite the Public school house, put up by Dr. Almy.
I observe that the work of grading Sixth st,, west of Park toits termination at Mill Creek which cannot be greatly short of a mile, is rap- idly progressing. It will prepare the way, for a great amount of house-building on the western end of that street, heretofore neglected on ac count of former difficulty of approach from the west,and I have no doubt will at least add fifty buildings next year to Sixth street west of Mound.
objects to arrest the eye of the traveler, and will be visible even from the steamboats.
I estimate one half of this ward built upon. It is probably the only ward in Cincinnati, where the frame buildings are more numerous than those of brick.
Seventh Ward -- Cincinnati.
This is another of the larger and more populous of the Wards. It lies between the Fifth and Eighth Wards, and extends from Sixth street, north to the corporation line. Three-fifths of it is built up, according to my estimate.
The public buildings are: The Commercial Hospital; Cincinnati Orphan Asylum; Engine House on George street. Churches, The Meth- odist Protestant on Elm; Fifth Presbyterian corner Elm and Seventh; Elm street Baptist corner Elm and Ninth; German Reformed on Elm; Second Advent Tabernacle corner John and Seventh; Reformed Presbyterian, George between Race and Elm; Grace Church-Epis- copal -- Seventh between Plum and Western Row; Ninth street Methodist Chapel, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral, now nearly finished. -12.
The entire number of buildings in the Sev- enth Ward, is 1311, of which, 610 are bricks, and 701 are frames.
Of these, there were at the close of 1842:
Bricks, 352 Frames, 588 Total, 940 152
Built in 1843, 112 40
1844, 146 73 219
610 701 1311
This ward has received its full share in the beauty and importance of the buildings added the current year to Cincinnati. Among these are a large block of four or five spacious three story business buildings, at the corner of Elm and Sixth, with five fine dwellings in the rear, fronting on George street. Some fine private dwellings at, and near the corner of Court and Elm streets, and various other buildings inter- spersed through the ward. The larger share of its improvements are north of the canal, the contrary being the fact, as already stated, in its adjacent ward east -- the Fifth. Pleasant street to the south, and parts of 14th, Hopkins, and John streets, are undergoing great improvements in their grade, in the latter cases imparting that elevation to the lots, which contributes so dis- tinctly to the beauty of Fourth street on its up- per side, from Plum to Park street, west. The great building of the Seventh Ward, however, is the CATHEDRAL, which has been progressing now for four years, steadily but slowly, as be- came the massive and permanent character of the improvement. The Plum street tront has been closed up with walls of Dayton marble,
A splendid improvement is in progress, also at the west end of Longworth street, which bids fair for completion in the spring. This is the erection of a row of ten dwelling houses in modern style,faced with marble and ornamen- ted with verandahs, and balconies. This and the elevation of the scite, must make these buildings one of the most conspicuous, as well as striking | breast high, and surmounted with neat and well
1
114
finished railings, with necessary openings and gates facing the Cathedral entrances. The railing is continued on the north side the whole depth of the Cathedral, where it is succeeded by brick walls on the north-west and south sides of the entire enclosure, comprehending the dwellings erected for the clergy, attached to the diocese. I suppose there is nothing belong- ing to that denomination, in the United States, which will compare with this Cathedral when finished, so far as the exterior is concerned. It has cost far less, I should judge, than the me- tropolitan one at Baltimore, which is an unsight- ly pile, while this is a truly magnificent struc- ture.
In this Ward asin the Sixth, I have found as I probably shall also find in the Eighth, an ex- cess of frame over brick buildings. This is occasioned by the circumstance, that nearly all the early buildings in that part of the city which now constitutes these wards, were put up of frame. The tearing down of Frames to make way for Bricks, and the great excess of new bricks over new frame buildings, will increase the dispari- ty between the two, each succeeding year of our building operations.
Eighth Ward -- Cincinnati.
This is the north-west territory, and the only region of our city in which the built up part is less than that which remains yet to built. If any individual who has lived here five to ten years, to say nothing of longer residents, and as far back as the shortest period named can re. member it as an irregular surface of commons, brick-yards, pasture grounds, and market vege- table gardens, were to visit it now, he would be at a loss to find his way through the cuttings down and fillings up of the streets, the putting up of buildings in all directions, and various other changes which would leave him in doubt whether this was the region he once knew.
The public buildings in the Eighth Ward, are in number, 7. The Engine House on Cutter street. The Pest House. The Tabernacle on Betts street. The United Brethren's Church, Fulton street. The Disciples' Church on Sixtli street. The Public School House on London and Clinton streets. Of these, the Clinton street School house, and the Engine house have been built during the year which has just passed.
The entire number of buildings in the Eighth Ward, is 1164-bricks, 403; frames, 761.
Of these there were at the close of 1842,
Bricks, 145 'Frames,
604
Total,
749
Builtin 1843, 138
51
189
1844, 120
106
66 226
403
76:
1164
Very extensive improvements in grading some
of the streets preparatory to paving, and in the actual paving of others have been made. Of these, the filling up of London from Cutter street, perhaps twelve hundred feet west, the cutting down of Freeman, Betts and Hopkins streets, all on the most extensive scale of thorough and efficient calculation for the fu- ture, may serve as specimens. A great number of fine dwellings of brick, with not a few charm- ing frame cottages more delightful with their spring and summer shrubbery accompaniments, than the most splendid mansions on Broadway, have been put up during the year 1844.
Lever Lock Factory.
The making of Locks-now an extensive and important fabric here, was commenced in Cin- cinnati some ten or twelve years since, by ABEL SHAWK,, one of our most enterprising and in- genious mechanics, who judging rightly that the foreign article could be superceded only by locks of a decidedly superior quality, set to work and produced a series of fastenings for build- ings, entirely different in material, construction, finish and strength from the English locks, and surpassing them in the same measure as they were different.
To understand this, it is necessary only for those who have seen them, to recall to mind the locks that were in use thirty years ago, defect- ive in exactness of fit to the respective parts; with imperfect springs; with handles which could not hold the knobs permanently ; latches that were liable to overshoot themselves; and keys filed into a multiplicity of wards which as they wore by use, either forced the correspon- ding wards of the lock out of their places, or became themselves unable to pass them; and continually getting out of order, to the constant loss and inconvenience of housekeepers. Even the Scotch spring locks, as they were called. which were doubtless a great improvement on the common lock, retained nevertheless many of the disadvantages referred to. It was rescr- ved for American ingenuity, by abandoning the use of iron as far as possible; improving the form of the spindle and knob, and the mode of securing them together, furnishing efficient springs, and applying the tumbler principle to the bolt throughout these locks and latches, substituting for the old system of wards, solid bitts to the keys, in which the edges were fled to fit corresponding and substantial guards in the locks, that the foreign article has been driv- en from use in the city, and to a great extent in the whole west.
Since the commencement of Mr. Shawk's op- erations, five or six factories of the same kind have been established, most of which are in suc- cessful operation. His own-always the most
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important and extensive of them all-passed a | better appreciated by examination than descrip- year or two since into the hands of Messrs. Glenn & McGregor, who have well sustained the high reputation Shawk acquired for his locks, and ad- ded some important improvements to the manu- facture. Among these is an ingenious and of- fective change in the shape of the key, whose wards are now taken off the nose in lieu of the sides. Ishall refer to this change again, in the progress of this article.
The best idea of manufacturing operations here can probably be afforded by commencing with the successive stages of the fabrication of locks, latches, &c.
The first process as it commences in the base- menr, is the rough casting in brass of levers, tumblers, bolts, striking plates and knobs being the several parts of the locks and latches made here, and of the keys belonging to the locks. Of all these Messrs. Glenn and McGregor have an almost infinite assortment according to size and pattern. In the second story of the factory. the frames and covers of the lock, the only paris made of iron are cut by steel dies out of iron plates of suitable thickness, punching out the bolt, latch, and follower holes, the plate being then bent up to form the edges of the lock .
This operation is accomplished by the ener- gies of a lever press, made by Miller and Carl- ton of our city. Of such force, as under the mere pressure , of the hand to cut with great smoothness iron even 5-16 inch in thickness.
In another part of the same floor, the work of finishing the keys is also performed. These are usually varied at the side of the bit, but by one of those improvements in the mechanic arts go- ing on continually here, they are now formed at its edge or nose, which allows of the same or a greater range in fitting, and tends less to injure the strength and durability of the key, by weak- ening it where it is already weakest, as was for- merly the case. The manner in which the chan- ges and combinations are formed of more than 180 different shapes and sizes of keys, may be varied to such an extent as to defy the possibility of fitting any other key to them than its appro- priate one, or one made purposely to supply irs loss. This is accomplished by cylindrical floats, which form the various modifications and vari- eties at the nosc of the kev. It must be obvi- ous that a check is thus interposed to the use of ekcleton keys, in picking locks which did not exist in the old mode.
The inside work is of Prince's metal a com- pound of copper and block tin, which renders it tougher than brass of which it is generally sup- posed to be made. A variety of ingenious bank door, tool chest, and pad locks fabricated by Messrs. Glenn and McGregor, were shown me, deserving of notice here, but which can be
tion. It might suffice to say that a simplicity as well as an exactness of mechanism, are mani- fest in all these, which is the best guarantee of their being highly efficient now, and of their capacity of being kept so for years. One fea- ture of their de'ector bank lock is remarkable. It not only defies tampering with, twelve tum- blers being required 10 be raised, which no skel- eton key ean accomplish. Bnt such is the ex- actness required to imitate the genuine key, that the thickness of a slip of bank paper, as was made apparent in my presunce, sufficed when added to the size of ils own key to prevent that key from opening the lock to which it belonged. It is worthy of notice that no locks of their make have been picked during the late burglaries in Cincinnati, where the neglect, or rather ignor- ance of house-keepers, did not invite the opera- tions of the picklock, by leaving the key improp- erlyin the door. When I say improperly, I mean leaving the key in the position it occupies in locking the door with the bit to the jamb side of the keyhole, which permits a wire bent for the purpose to pass through, carch the handle of the key, and to open the door from outside. This cannot be done if the key after locking is turned so far round in the lock as to leave its bit on the opposite side, the wire in that case, interfering with the repassing of the key in un- locking. Alter all the safer way is to take the key out entirely.
At this factory are made also all sorts of bell rope fixtures, & also club-feet apparatus for cor- recting that deformity. There are fourteen hands employed in this establishment, who turn out annually 10,000 dollars worth of locks latch- es &c. Now there are five more factories in Cincinnati of this nature, and the entire aggre- gate of their force may be estimated at thirty- five hands, and the value of their products, of 25,000 dollars. It must be observed, this does not include the heavy operations of Miles Greenwood in the lock line; his being principally made of cast iron could not well be included in these statistics.
Cincinnati Wood Company .-- No. 2.
I have presented à brief view of the operations of this Company, so far as they are calculated to assist and relieve the poor, the primary object of their labors. There remains another featuro of this establishment, which I had not room to touch in my last number, and will now notice.
Families who buy wood as most of us do, a load or a cord at a time, are subject to imposi- tion in every stage of the dealing, from the bar gaining for a load, to its final piling up, when sawed and split in the yard or the cellar. Those who have the means to pay for a years supply
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