USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The Cincinnati miscellany, or, Antiquities of the West, and pioneer history and general and local statistics. Volume II > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77
First Ward -- Cincinnati.
I have commenced my annual cnumeration of the buildings of Cineinnati. That of the First Ward follows.
There are 17 public buildings, and 828 dwel-
155
lings, shops, store houses, mills and offices-To- tal 845. Of these 3 are stonc, 530 bricks, and 312 frames.
The public buildings are two fire engine houses, an observatory, two banks, theatre, the seminary soeurs de notre dame, a district school house, and the post office, with nine churches, to wit-Christ Church, on Fourth street; the Wesley Chapel, on Fifth st .; Welsh Churches, on Harrison and Lawrence sts .; Disciples Church, on Sycamore; Jews Synagoguc, on Broadway; Pilgrim's Church, on Lock street, and Bethel and True Wesleyan Churches-coloured. Of these the church at the corner of Lock and Fifth streets, and an engine house at the corner of Ludlow and Symmes, have been put up the eur- rent year.
Of the whole number of dwellings there were at the close of 1842-
Stone.
Brick. 403
Frame. · 223
Total. 627
Built in 1843,
0
22
4
26
1844,
1
71
10
82
« " 1845,
1
34
75
110
Total, 3
530
312
845
This ward, with the exception of its castern part, has been long built on, and the great in- creasc consequently has been in a great measure across the Miami Canal. The First Ward was originally constructed of the whole city territory north of Third and Symmes, and east of Main strcet.
As a general rule each year's buildings are im- provements on its predecessors in value, beauty, and convenience; but this will not hold good this year, as respects the First Ward. A large share of the buildings of 1845 here, is east of the canal and on the southern brow of Deer Creek, which are to a great extent frames. The bricks of this year's creetion, although not as numerous as those of 1844, arc cqually valuable to their number.
CORRESPONDENCE.
Pioncer Preachers.
MR. CIST:
Dear Sir,-As I have been giving you in former communications, some incidents of the early settlement of the Miami country, I will now give you some account of the pioneer preachers, for at that time we were not entirely without preaching in the stations. The first preacher I heard at North Bend was the Rev'd. John Tanner, whom I mentioned in a former communication. He then lived at Tanner's station, where Petersburgh now is, in Boonc county, Kentucky. The next was the Rev'd. Lewis Dewees, who came to the same station in
1792, and after Wayne's treaty settled near North Bend, in what is now Boone county, Ky., and continued to preach for us till about the ycar 1804, when he settled in Indiana in the neigh- bourhood of Brookville, where he died about ten years ago.
They were both ministers of the Baptist Church. Next the Rev'd. James Kemper of Cincinnati, frequently visited us, and preached in the station. The Rev'd. John Smith of Co- lumbia, a member of the United States Senate, and of Burr notoricty, preached for us occa- sionally.
The Methodists did not preach in the country at so carly a day as some other denominations. The first Methodist I heard at North Bend, was Rev'd. Mr. Oglesby, about the year 1804 or 5. The Rev'd. John Langdon, who was well known in this country, preached in this country about the same time.
Men subject to military duty, if they went in those days to Church, were obliged to go armed and cquiped, as if going to battle.
Yours respectfully, JOHN MATSON.
North Bend, Oct. 6th, 1845.
Friends' Testimony.
At a late trial in one of our courts, a member of the Society of Friends was called on to give testimony in a case of assault, &c.
Counsel .- You were present during the affray, and have heard the preceding witnesses' state- ments.
Yea.
You perceive the contradictory statement of the affair as testified by those who are already cx- amined, both as regards the manner of the assault and the way in which the plaintiff's coat was torn. One says it was torn perpendicularly; another horizontally; others again transversely and diagonally; and some give it ineisions and contusions. You will, therefore, have the good- ness to represent to the court and jury the pre- cise manner in which the assault was made, and the coat torn. My client relies mainly on your testimony for redress.
"Step this way," said the witness, " and I will be brief and explicit. (Placing his hand on the lawyer's collar.) The manner was thus: friend Patrick scized the coat of friend Andrew in this way, and according to my apprehension being in a mind not savouring of peace. After various words of vanity, spoken by Patrick, which it would be unscemly to repeat, he shook him after this manner! As to the coat, (suiting the action to the word,) he rent it grievously."
M'Colloch's Leap.
The ground where Maj. Samuel M'Colloch took the great leap to avoid being made prisoner by the Indians, is but a few rods from Wheeling, and yet such is the negligence of those who in- habit the scenes of great exploits, that we venture the remark that not one dozen men have thought of Major M'Colloeli, or been upon the table
1
156
land from which that leap was taken, during the last year.
We have not been to the point for five years, until last evening. We then mounted a very pleasant racker for a short ride, just as the sun was sinking behind the western hills. We cared but little where we rode, if we but found relief from suffering and the usual concomitants of that much lamented and ridiculed disease called Dys- pepsia; but we had ridden but a short distance, before we felt like seeing and enjoying. We therefore turned our horse's lead toward the top of the hill. In a few minutes we were at the top, and what a gorgeous scene presented itself. It was rich, magnificent, sublime. We have in- deed, no language for a scene like that.
The western sun was just then sinking behind the tops of the trees on the western hills:
" With disk like target, red, Was rushing to his gory bed,"
and great and glorious-the god of day, indeed he looked; and the western sky, like the timid maiden, blushed brighter rose, as she bade her lord goodnight. The green trees on the hill top were tipped with a golden crown, as they grace- fully waved adieu; and the houses on the far off hills shone in the setting sun, as it were the light from the diamond mine, wherein the fairy queens hold revel, and their crowns and thrones, and wands of office are mingled in a brilliant mass. In the broad western valley far below you for miles you see the brown stubble, the green grass, and the waving corn chequering the earth o'er which night is already drawing her sombre veil, and which is creeping slowly up the hill sides. Westward, is the island calmly slumbering, pre- senting on every rod of it evidences of usefulness to the sustenance of man, yet not the less beau- tiful and romantic in its location, or its appear- ance! By it meanders our honoured river, now narrowed almost to a creek in size, and showing along each margin a broad, white gravelly beach. On its bank, and almost beneath your feet, rests Wheeling. The hum of the city is still heard, the thousand children, the still clinking hammer, the puff of the engine, and all those sounds that are made by men in masses, rise to your ears.
But no such sounds or sights as these we have imperfectly described, were seen when M'Col- loch took his leap. The hill sides were then cov- ered with trees, and the island and the eastern valley was nearly all a dense forest. Fort Henry and two or three log houses, situated near where the old court house was, could then be seen from the hill, and the little corn growing in a field north of it. These were the only evidences of civilized life to be seen: but savage life was plenty enough.
It was on the 27th of September, 1777, that Fort Henry was attacked by the Indians, led on by the notorious Simon Girty. The Indians were estimated at about five hundred warriors. The fort contained at first but forty-two fighting men; of these twenty-three were killed in the cornfield below the hill, before the attack on the fort. The siege of the fort was sustained by these nineteen men, until the next morning about daylight, when Major M'Colloch brought forty mounted men from Short Creek to their relief.
Indians. He wheeled and galloped towards the hill, beset the whole way by the Indiaus, who might have killed him; but who wished to take him alive, that they might revenge more satisfac- torily upon onc of tlie bravest and most success- ful Indian fighters npon the frontier. He presu- med lie could ride along the ridge, and thus make liis way again to Short Creek; but on arriving at the top, he was headed by a hundred savages. On the west they were gathering thick and fast up the hill, among the trees and bushes, while the main body were following in his path.
He was hemmed in on all sides but the east, where the precipice was almost perpendicular, and the bed of the creek lay like a gulf, near two hundred feet beneath him. This too, would have been protected by the cautious savage, but the jutting crags of limestone and slate, forbade his climbing or descending it even on foot, and they did not suppose that the fearless horseman or high mettled steed could survive the leap if made. But with the Major it was but a chance of deaths, and a narrow chance of life. He chose like a brave man. Setting himself back in his saddle, and his feet firmly in the stirrups, with his rifle in his left hand, and his reins adjusted in the right, he cast a look of defiance at the ap- proaching savages, and pressing his spurs into his horse's flank, urged him over the cliff. In an in- stant of time the Indians saw their mortal foe, whose daring act they had looked on with horror and astonishment, merging from the valley of the creek below, still safely seated on his noble steed and shouting defiance to his pursuers.
There never was, we venture to say, in civili- zed or savage warfare, a more desperate or daring act, than this leap of M'Colloch. We have looked at Gen. Putnam's celebrated race ground, and we very much prefer his taste in the selec- tion of a route for a morning ride; at least con- sulting our ease and convenience .- Wheeling Times.
The Nautilus.
The latest novelty in Cincinnati is an article designed to protect the wearer from drowning, being an ingenious substitute for the awkward " life preserver" heretofore relied on for that pur- pose. It bears an appropriate name, " The Nau- tilus," and may be described as follows:
Its principle is that of the distension of an air bag, so constructed as to inflate itself in being stretched to its length. No time is therefore lost in the instant of need or in the confusion of the moment for filling it, as in the old mode, and the inside springs which press and support each other upon the outer coat of the article render it im- possible that the air can escape, after the Nauti- lus is once tied under the owner's arms.
Now that travelling across the Lake via Tole- do, is our usual course east, no person on that journey should be without one, to guard against the dangers of fire and shipwreck, which have destroyed so many vessels on Lake Erie. The Nautilus being sufficiently portable to be carried when empty in the pocket of an overcoat, and capable of being made ready in a second of time,
The gate of the fort was thrown open, and M'- Colloch's men, though closely beset by the Indi- ans, entered the fort in safety. M'Colloch, like a brave officer, was the last man, and he was cut off from his men, and nearly surrounded by the for the use of any person falling overboard.
157
Wm. Dodd, Main, below Fourth street, is the [ tion, but after making every allowance, our con- agent in Cincinnati for this article, which is as worth seeing as many an object which will at- tract visitors the whole length of the city.
Market Statistics .-- No. 2.
In my Advertiser of the 24th ult., I gave the market statistics of Cincinnati, so far as beef, pork, veal, and mutton were concerned, and showed by the conclusive evidence of figures, that while our population is but one half that of Philadelphia, and one fourth that of New York, our consumption of meat fell little short of either. Two or three reasons will explain this.
The consumption of food in a given place, de- pends on its money, value, and the facility of earning that price. Mcat is always eaten more freely and wasted, also, where it is abundant. The finest beef, pork, and lamb here, average to the consumer perhaps five cents per pound. In the Atlantic Cities it is one hundred to one hundred and fifty per cent. higher; and the com- parison is wider apart with fruit and other luxu- ries. But this is not all; nor the most important part of the subject. The means of earning and saving are greater here, wages being higher and more steady, and other expenses lighter. Not fif- teen years ago, spare ribs, such as no resident of New York or Philadelphia can purchase in the market houses of those cities, were emptied by cart loads into the river Ohio, as I have repeat- edly seen, and with deep regret, knowing what a luxury they would have been alike to rich and poor elsewhere. We can now consume our spare ribs upon our tables, it is true, but even yet, a dime will get a half bushel basket filled at any of our pork houses with what is not barreled for sale.
There is another reason for the difference. There is a much more abundant supply of fresh fish as well as of better quality, there than here, and of course salt fish, also, is more extensively consumed. But the main difference is caused by the higher price of meat, compelling the mass to resort more freely to vegetable diet.
It would be curious and instructive to institute the comparative consumption of Cincinnati with some of the cities of Europe, but the materials are wanting which would do the subject justice. I observe, however, that the consumption of Paris for the half year of 1845, expiring the 30th June last, is-Beeves 40,531, Cows 9,049, Calves 40,763, and Sheep 226,476. As every live ani- mal driven into Paris for market pays the Octroi, these statistics must be accurate. In Cincinnati, during the same period, the consumption was- Beef Cattle 19,450, Cows and Calves 10,245, Sheep and Lambs 50,472, Hogs 226,750. This to be sure comprehends pork put up for exporta-
sumption in a city of one fifteenth the size of Paris, must be one third of theirs. It is true there are 966 Bulls, 32 Goats and 53 Kids, and 760 Horses, to put into the Paris catalogue du- ring the same dates; but this would not vary the proportion greatly.
It seems then that the average consumption of animal food to an individual in Cincinnati, is five times that which his fellow being in Paris uses. The difference in France is made up in soups, vegetables, and bread, of which last enormous quantities are consumed in that country. Fruit, especially grapes, constitute a share even of breakfast, there, also.
CORRESPONDENCE. Cincinnati in 1794.
MR. C. CIST:
Sir,-In reply to your enquiry what kind of timber first covered the scite of Cincinnati, I can state my recollections, which are very distinct on the subject.
The bank of the river had a heavy growth of beech trees, many of them very large. At Hob- son's Choice, on the river, west of Western Row, the encampment of Gen. Wayne, they were cut down and the stumps dug out, over so much of the bank as to make a parade ground; some of the largest being left standing adjacent, for pur- poses of shade. Where the swamp came in be- tween the river bank and foot of the hill, was a growth of white walnut, soft maple, white elm, shellbark hickory and white ash. On the second table of Cincinnati was spread a variety of tim- ber, such as beech, ash, black walnut, hickory, black and red oak, generally of vigorous growth. Here and there white oak and poplar inter- spersed the rest. A space of perhaps one hundred and fifty acres north and west of Barr's dwelling, down to Stonemetz's ford, on Mill Creek, was filled with poplar and beech. Of the latter there is, as you know, a small grove still stand- ing, and called Loring's woods. This is the only relic of the original growth of Cincinnati, except scattered trees. An abundant growth of spice wood was the undergrowth. They grew so thick that out at North Bend after cutting off the bush, and digging the roots loose, I have not been able, unassisted, to lift the clump out of the ground. For three or four years prior to the year 1794, there had been a large scope of out lots, as they were called, in a worm-fence enclo- sure extending from about Sixth street north to Court street, and from Main street west to the section line, which nearly follows the line of what is now John street. There was hardly a building on that space. I recollect but one-a sinall frame building on Main st. on the St. Clair
158
square, between Seventh and Eighth. This had | should exhibit an increase of white male inhab- been put up by Thomas Gowdy, a lawyer of that itants six times as great as reported. period, as an office, but was not occupied as such, Taxation in Cincinnati. being found too much out of town for business purposes. In May of that year one of the occu- pants of the enclosure, being engaged in burning brush at the west end of it, the fire accidentally spread over the whole clearing, fastening on the deadened timber which had been girdled and In another aspect of the subject, it furnislies evidence of the rapid growth of Cincinnati. 1826-Corporation and) Townsihp, $3,157 39 was by this time as dry as timber could become. The wind was from the west, and was very high, which was what first caused the conflagration, School, 1,578 69 $4,735 08 and the sap wood as it burned pealed off in very large flakes, spreading the fire farther and farth- er east until it reached to the Main street front. 1828-Corporation and/ 3,738 84 It may easily be imagined what a magnificent Township, sight was presented by more than one liundred 1829-Corporation, acres of dry timber in flames. The whole popu- School, Township, lation was engaged as far as practicable, in saving the rails, of which in fact, but few escaped. On 1830-Corporation, 8,191 35 Gowdy's office three or four men were stationed, School, Township, 3,071 75 11,263 11 while buckets of water were handed up to them 1831-Corporation, 9,199 50 School, from time to time. As this was the first fire in 12,661 29 Cincinnati, so it was the most extensive as re- Township, 16,127 36 spects the space it covered. It compelled the set- 1832-Corporation, School, 3,473 27 Township, 5,375 78 16,127 46 tlers to clear the out lots much sooner than they would have done to get rid of the partially burnt 16,466 93 timber left standing unsafely, or lying on the 16,466 93 ground in the way of putting in the corn crop, 1834-Corporation, School, for which they were preparing at the time. 21,724 95 16,401 80
Yours, JOHN MATSON.
North Bend, Oct. 4th, 1845.
Population of Indiana.
New York and Indiana have been making an enumeration of their population, or rather of their white male inhabitants, over twenty-one years of age. The final return has not yet been made, I believe, in New York; but that of Indi- ana, as officially reported by the Auditor of State, is 154,169 ;- in 1840, by the United States cen- cus, 142,128-an increase in five years of only 12,041.
This would indicate an aggregate population in Indiana of 743,972. As the census of 1840 gave a result of 685,866 for the population of that State, this would be an increase of not quite nine per cent., or less than twenty per cent. for the decade ending in 1850. This is manifestly in- correct and falling far short of the truth, the ratio of increase from 1830 to 1840 being one hundred and one per cent., and the sources of increase nearly as copious in the present decade as the last. I cannot account for the causes, of what I have no doubt is a gross error somewhere. No intelli- gent man can believe that the male inhabitants of Indiana have increased within five years only 12,041, when the increase of population for the previous ten years was 354,284, a ratio which
As there is no feeling so deep and general as that which lies in the pocket, the following ex- hibit of the increase of our city taxes will interest, and may well startle our tax payers.
1827-Corporation and? Township, 3,692 30 School, 1,846 15 5,538 45
School, 1,869 35 5,607 19
22,257 46
22,526 31
25,334 26
1833-Corporation, School, Township, 8,233 46 41,167 42
Township,
13,527 63
51,654 39
1835-Corporation, School, 19,166 38 Township, 18,856 40 69,721 20
1836-Corporation, School, 21,137 73
Township,
15,592 61
69,599 52
1837-Corporation, School, 21,137 73
32,969 18
Township,
15,922 25
70,056 90
1838-Corporation,
37,011 28
School,
26,917 29
Township,
16,823 31
80,771 88
1839-Corporation, School, Township,
19,686 77
19,686 46 98,963 61
49,325 87
1840-Corporation, School, Township,
18,497 20
86,320 37
1841-Corporation, School,
15,107 13
Township,
19,459 07
98,352 05
1842-Corporation, School,
20,965 15
Township,
27,953 53
City Road,
5,191 28 148,453 04
1843-Corporation, School,
20,965 15
Township,
29,165 73
City Road, 5,041 43 146,201 50
School,
20,835 84
Township,
27,781 12
City Road, 3,472 64 149,323 54
1845-Corporation,
102,171 50
School,
28,602 02
Township, 24,521 16 155,300 68
50,590 38
18,497 20
63,785.85
94,343 18
94,106 74
1844-Corporation,
97,233 94
37,630 50
31,718 42
32,969 18
159
New York Two Hundred Years Ago.
New York-then New Amsterdam-had its first town watch appointed in 1653. It consisted of six persons. In 1658, a permanent system of watch police of eight men was established. These were divided into two reliefs, of four at a time for duty, and relieving each other from sun rise to sunset.
The first fire police was established in 1648. Fire wardens were appointed in 1650, and ordi- nances regulating buildings were passed between 1650 and 1656.
In 1659, it was resolved to send to Holland for two hundred and fifty leather fire buckets; but on account of the length of time which must elapse till they could be made and sent out, an effort was made by the authorities to have the buckets manufactured in New York. Proposals wcre issued, and the whole shocmaking craft-four in number-of the town were required to hand in offers for the contract.
After the delay of some months, answers were given as follows :- Coenrad Ten Eyck " was not minded to undertake the work." Peter Van Haalen had no materials. Finally, Remoute Remoutgen, the principal shoemaker of that day, agreed to make one hundred of the buckets at six guilders and two stuyvers. Andreas Van Laer agreed for fifty more at the same price. For one hundred and fifty years after this date, every housekeeper was compelled to have buck- ets in his house, which were given out to the citizens or carried to the spot in case of fire, on the ringing of the bells; and on the morning after the fire, were regularly collected at the old City Hall, and redelivered to the housekcepers.
Post Office Balances.
Every body recollects Rev. Obadiah B. Brown, who was once the " Nick Biddle" of the Post Office. Brown's accounts, of which he could give no account intelligible, and his balances, which could never be made to balance, are facts in American History, which, with Governor Marcy's breeches, have passed into proverbs and are enshrincd in immortal remembrance. Brown was once at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., in the fash- ionable season when this place was crowded, and on the lookout, as the Atlicnians of old, for the latest novelty. A slight of hand man arrived at this juncture, and attracted immense houses. Among other exploits he balanced several ¡dishes and plates edgewise, in so remarkable a manner as to excite general astonishment. Brown, wlio had taken a dislike to the performer, addressing him, observed that he had seen a man once bal- ance three sticks, one over the other, which was still more extraordinary than the present per . formance. " Well," said the slight of hand man,
piqued by Brown's remarks, " You have not yet seen what I can do: I will balance anything on the spot any gentleman present will show me, except the post office accounts; and I'll balance them too, if Mr. Brown will produce what will make the balance."
Post office balances now-a-days are different things from what they once were, being at the present time scales for weighing letters under the new laws of postage.
W. B. Smith & Co., have received and are scl- ling a remarkably convenient and portable arti- cle, which, unlike O. B. Brown's balances, or like Nick Biddle's, may be kept in the pocket, either of the breeches or the vest.
John Randolph of Roanoke.
In the midst of one of his finest tirades on the extravagance of the existing administration, and while the eyes and ears of his audience in and outside the Hall of Representatives were riveted on him with breathless attention, he suddenly paused a few seconds, and as abruptly began,- " Mr. Speaker, I have found the philosopher's stone!"-again he paused,-no man better un- derstood stage effect-" it is composed of four words, PAY AS YOU GO."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.