USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > The city of Cincinnati : a summary of its attractions, advantages, institutions and internal improvements, with a statement of its public charities > Part 4
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TOUR TO THE MAMMOTH CAVE.
A brief allusion to the Mammoth Cave may not be out of place here. No tourist to the West should fail of visiting this wonder of the world. It is situated in Ed-
·
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
mondson County, Kentucky, ninety miles south of Louis- ville. A stage ride of ten miles from Cave City, which is nine hours' ride from Cincinnati, on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, brings one to the Mammoth Cave. It is within half a mile of Green River. The cave is dry and exceedingly conducive to health. The most timid need not fear to enter it. It is visited by many invalids for the purpose of inhaling its air. The uni- form temperature in the cave the year round is 59º. It has been explored ten miles in an advancing line, and probably over fifty miles, including the lateral branches of its avenues.
So bracing is the air and exciting the novelty of the trip, that even ladies accomplish the eighteen miles without fatigue.
No description can do justice to the beauty and grandeur of this most wonderful cavern of the globe, with its avenues, domes, cataracts, rivers, immense chambers, and beautiful calcareous formations.
WATER WORKS,
on East Front Street, near Little Miami Depot. Few persons who have not visited these works have a cor- rect idea of their magnitude. The capacity of the pres- ent reservoir is five millions of gallons. The quantity required for the city daily is about eight millions. Thus, it will be seen that the supply has to be replenished
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
nearly twice each day. To furnish this the ponderous engine is but leisurely at work, its pumping capacity being eighteen millions of gallons each twenty-four hours. A clearer idea of the immense power of this machinery may be obtained by reflecting that, at each revolution, it lifts two thousand gallons of water, making, at present speed, six thousand gallons per minute, while it has the capacity of lifting sixteen thousand gallons.
CINCINNATI WESLEYAN FEMALE COLLEGE.
From "The Ladies' Repository" are taken the follow- ing items relative to this noble institution. It is located on Wesley Avenue, between Court and Clark Streets :
The foundations of the College were laid in the sum- mer of 1867, and on the 26th of September an immense congregation assembled on the grounds to witness the laying of the corner-stone, and the dedication of the new grounds and uprising buildings.
No description could give a better idea of the ele- gant, commodious, and durable structure than is given by the engraving. Its internal arrangements and finish are in keeping with its external appearance, and in its adaptations to all the purposes of a female college, both for the residence and for the instruction of the pupils it would be difficult to conceive any thing more perfect. It is claimed that the Wesleyan Female College, of
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Cincinnati, was the first institution in the land, for fe- males, bearing the high privileges conferred by a college charter. Among its founders were Bishop Morris, L. L. Hamline, Charles Elliott, J. L. Grover, G. C. Crum, W. H. Lawder, Adam Miller, William Nast, T. Harri- son, L. Swormstedt, J. P. Kilbreth, and William Herr. They were wisely directed in the selection of a first Pres- ident. Rev. Perlee B. Wilber was chosen, and for sev- enteen years, with the assistance of his estimable and efficient wife, most energetically and successfully con- ducted the educational interests of the institution. But few teachers succeed in so thoroughly impressing them- selves upon the minds and hearts of their pupils as did Mr. Wilber. His name is yet fragrant among the Alum- næ, and his power and influence are yet felt in the des- tinies of the institution.
In 1859, Mr. Wilber died, and was succeeded by Rev. Robert Allyn, D. D. He was followed by Rev. R. S. Rust, D. D., who for three years energetically, and with in- creasing patronage and prosperity, conducted the insti- tution till it became necessary to retire from the old college buildings, and to suspend the school till the erection of the new college.
YELLOW SPRINGS
may deserve a mention here. It is seventy-four miles north-cast of Cincinnati, and is thus easily accessible by
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
rail. Here is located Antioch College, which is in- timately associated with the memory of Horace Mann. Adjoining the college plat, on the east, is a highly romantic and picturesque ravine, affording all the scenic variety of overhanging cliffs, waterfalls, isolated rocks, and numerous gushing springs, deeply embowered, and climbing vines, and clustering evergreens, threaded with varied walks, and inviting to their cooling shade. Yel- low Spring is about half a mile north-east of the col- lege. It discharges from a crevice in a limestone rock over one hundred gallons of water per minute.
In the neighborhood is an enchanting spot called Clifton, which affords some of the most beautiful scen- ery in the West. Here the Little Miami River, in the course of a few miles, falls two hundred feet. These falls have cut a narrow channel, to a great depth, through solid rocks of limestone. The banks are cov- ered with hemlock, cedar, and other evergreens.
There are excellent hotels at Yellow Springs, and, in the summer season, no place in the country is more worthy of a visit. The Neff House is well known.
PALACES OF TRADE.
A tour among the notable places of the city will com- prise the magnificent retail stores of Cincinnati. These are, with some exceptions, on Fourth Street, west of Main. Shillito's, Hopkins', DeLand's, Boutillier's,
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Lewis & Livingston's, and Wilson's establishments will display a profusion of fabrics which are the peculiar delight of womankind. The rich treasures of art will meet the eye at Bonte's and Wiswell's, where can always be seen productions of Cincinnati artists, who have a national reputation. At McGrew's, Duhme's, Smith's, and Owen's, are ranged in all their tempting beauty and costly array, the fascinations of the jeweler's art.
Leininger & Buhr, and the St. Nicholas, are ever ready to cater to the appetite of the hungry tourist.
The principal carriage stand is on Vine Street, south of Fourth. The banks of the city open at nine o'clock and close at three. At the end of this volume will be found the routes of horse-cars and other information of use to the stranger.
CHAPTER IV.
CINCINNATI AND ITS FUTURE; ITS GROWTH, INDUSTRY, COMMERCE, AND EDUCATION.
ATURE has given Cincinnati a situation which is at once beautiful and attractive. If one should in imagination go back eighty years, and stand on the site of old Fort Washington, he would see the Ohio flowing gently through an amphitheater surrounded by hills. This amphitheater is a broad, expanded plain, which the Ohio enters on the north-east and passes out on the south-west. This natural plain is about twelve miles in circumference, and is almost exactly bisected by the river. Looking up from this plain, the hills seemed to bound the horizon on every side; but they are only apparently hills-hills really to the plain be- low, from which they rise rather abruptly, but, in fact, only on the level with the great interior plain which descends from the lakes of the North to the Valley of the Ohio. This great interior plain is cut through by the river; and this is a great advantage to Cincinnati, for on every side there are interior valleys which make the outlets of its internal line of commerce. Opposite
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
is the mouth of the Licking; on the sides are the two Miamis ; on the south of the present city is Millcreek; through a ravine at the north runs Deer Creek; and thus the circling hills were pierced by nature, as if for the very purpose of opening out those lines of commerce which were to make the arteries of a great inland city, and which, as they interlocked to the north, made nu- merous summits and vales-the future sites of palaces and gardens. Looking from the plain at the surround- ing hills, they present none of the gloomy or rugged aspects of Alpine grandeur; on the contrary, they are soft, and beautiful, and picturesque. Nature presented neither the sublime nor the monotonous, but formed the gentle and diversified hills to represent the temperate clime, the genial soil, and the well-watered land of this bright and fruitful region. At the time we spoke of, the flag of Fort Washington was floating gracefully in the western breeze, but all around were the native for- ests. An old Indian chief said that he had often looked down from the eastern hill (where the Observatory now is) to see what the white people were doing in the fort. Soon the red man cast his last look upon the Ohio; the fort, the Indian, and the forest disappeared to- gether; civilization came with its burning force, de- stroying the natural face of creation, but instituting new features and elements, growing by the vigor of new forces, and presenting new forms of beauty.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
We shall not trace the history of Cincinnati, but pro- ceed to inquire what right it had to be a great city- what its growth has been-and what prospects it has in the future. Why did Cincinnati grow so rapidly ? what are its elements of growth? and why should it not grow with renewed vigor? These questions involve an analysis of what the city is, and what it may be-an analysis which may be useful to both the citizen and the coming immigrant.
1. The first element in the success of Cincinnati which is permanent, and, without a revolution in nature, must forever continue, is its position. Perhaps no city was ever more fortunate in this particular. Cincinnati is central to the Ohio Valley. From the junction of the Monongahela with the Alleghany (which is the real Ohio) to the Mississippi is nine hundred and sixty miles. From Lake Erie to the sources of the Kanawha and the Tennessee (in Virginia and North Carolina) is five hun- dred miles. The average breadth of the valley is three hundred miles. Taking from this a strip on the lakes, and the district immediately round Pittsburgh and Wheeling, and there is remaining a country of two hun- dred thousand square miles in surface watered by the Ohio and its great tributaries, and fruitful with every product, of which Cincinnati is the geographical center, and to which all its products and resources must tend. It is thus by nature made a great central mart of trade
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
and industry. Situated one thousand five hundred miles from the ocean, it is yet connected by navigable waters, not only with the ocean, but with that immense interior river coast, which runs interlacing the whole country from the Rocky Mountains to the Alleghanies. Vast as is this great region, if it had been like the steppes of Asia or the plains of Africa, Cincinnati might yet have failed of greatness, but the Valley of the Ohio is the very garden of nature. There is no need of recounting its resources ; for every traveler who de- scends the Ohio sees in the smiling vales and forest- crowned hills the evidences of great natural wealth. Nor need we recite how, in the bosom of the hills and under the sandstones of the valley, there lie those in- exhaustible beds of mineral riches which may employ the industry of men through future ages. The geolo- gist describes them, the miner digs them, and the cun- ning artificer in the work-shops of Cincinnati employs them in all the forms and purposes which civilized man demands.
We may answer now the question, What right had Cincinnati to be a great city ? It was like the right of man to use his faculties. God gave to this position and these resources not only the right, but the neces- sity of creating a city which must be one of great magnitude and power. It is true, this city might have been a few miles above or below its present site, but
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
even that is doubtful; for it was attempted to found the city at both Columbia and North Bend, but the attempts failed ; and the city seems to have been built here almost by a decree of Providence. At any rate, so far, Providence has favored both the sagacity and the in- dustry which have here raised up the Queen of the West.
Such were the advantages of Cincinnati by its natural position and resources, and we shall now see how it grew, and what is its present magnitude and strength. Here the first element is its growth in population. How- ever great the riches of nature, it is Man which brings them out and makes them useful. To Man, then, we must look as the artificer of cities. The growth of Cin- cinnati was for many years extraordinary, but in the last ten years has been slower. The same temporary lull in activity and growth has happened to all cities at the same period in city life. It happened to New York and to Philadelphia, and, of itself, means nothing, but the very obvious fact that iu cities, as in men, the vigor of youth can not always be kept up at the same rate. But the great question is, whether, like New York and other great cities of the world, its vigor shall revive after this period, and its growth be continued in pro- portion to the extent and resources of the magnificent country of which it is the center? That question we shall consider; but, first, we must see what its growth has been, and what it is.
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
The growth of population may be shown in two simple tables-one its actual growth, and the other its growth compared with other cities:
In 1810, .
2,320
In 1820, .
9,602
In 1826, .
16,230
In 1830, .
24,831
In 1810, .
46,382 Increase, 85
150
per cent.
In 1850, .
115,436
In 1860, .
. 161,014
39.51
In 1869, .
· 230,000
43
In the last line is included the northern suburb, which is now as much a part of the city as any ward in it. The population, by the census of 1870, will proba- bly show an increase of forty-five per cent., and be an increase in the preceding ratio.
The following table will show the increase of New York and Philadelphia at the same period of their growth, beginning with one hundred thousand inhabitants ; thus :
NEW YORK.
PHILADELPHIA.
In 1820, .
. 123,706
In 1820, . . 137,097
In 1830, .
. 202,581
In 1830, .
188,961
In 1840, .
. 312,710
In 1810, . . 258,037
It will be seen that from 1820 to 1830, New York in- creased sixty-three per cent., and from 1830 to 1840, but fifty-four per cent-but little more than the ratio of increase in Cincinnati since 1850. Philadelphia in-
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
creased, from 1820 to 1830, thirty-nine per cent., and from 1830 to 1840, but thirty-seven per cent. Thus, Philadelphia increased, at the same period of its growth, less than Cincinnati has in the last twenty years; yet New York has one million of inhabitants, and Phila- delphia has seven hundred thousand. This fact proves that great cities grow, not by sudden and temporary causes, but by the continual development of their natural resources.
· The original elements of population in Cincinnati were chiefly from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, a people remarkable for thrift and industry. A few families of Germans came out, and settled at an early period, and were among the best class of citizens. But the German immigration did not come in very strongly till 1830; but from that time till 1860, the German cur- rent has set toward this city with great force. The pro- portion of this element to the whole population may be seen in the following table taken from the census :
Citizens of German birth in 1830,
5 per cent.
66
" 1840,
28 4 66
66
66
" 1850,
27
66
" 1860,
30
It will be seen that the German citizens continue in nearly the same proportion, a little more than one-fourth the whole number. In 1860, there were one hundred and sixty-one thousand and forty-four persons within
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
the city limits, and it may be curious to see in what manner, as to nationalities, they were composed. The proportions were as follows :
Americans, . 87,430, 54 per cent.
Germans, .
. 48,931,
30 “
Ireland,
. 19,375,
12 4 66
All other foreigners, 5,308, 4
Now, in 1869, the proportion of nationalities has not materially changed. The Germans are still next to the Americans in number and weight. Of native Ameri- cans, three-fourths are natives of Ohio, showing that the native population is rapidly rising up, and the period is not remote when the population of Ohio will be nearly homogeneous. The children of Germans and Irish are born here, and soon outnumber the natives of Europe. It may be remarked, that one-fourth the whole foreign born population of Ohio is in Cincinnati; showing that relatively much the larger proportion of foreign born people go into the towns. The reason of this is, that the rural population of Europe emigrate much less than the artisans and laborers, and the latter seek the towns for employment. The effect of this upon Cin- cinnati has been decided and favorable. The German population contains many mechanics and artisans whose skill and industry increase the thrift and wealth of the city. This brings us to another element of society, the OCCUPATION of people. The census of 1860, showed
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
that there were in Cincinnati THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY (340) different occupations. Of these, two hundred and thirty were mechanic's, artisans, and manufacturers. This simple fact speaks volumes for the industry of the city, and shows the real foundation of its prosperity. Almost every conceivable human art is carried on here ; and this is a conclusive evidence of the great advan- tage to artisans and manufacturers, settling in Cincin- nati. For it is a settled principle, proved by much ex- perience, that it is a great help for all kinds of artisans to be where there is a great variety of arts carried on, because there are all the material and workmen which are necessary to aid and carry on every branch of arts or manufactures. Beyond doubt, this has been one reason why so many workmen and mechanics of all kinds have actually come to Cincinnati for the last twenty years.
In this respect there has been both cause and effect, for an examination of the occupations in Cincinnati for the period between 1850 and 1860, shows that in ten years there was an actual increase of fifty kinds of occu- pations which did not exist before. In 1860, there were twenty more occupations in Cincinnati than in Chi- cago, and fifty more than in the State of Indiana. The tendency of these facts is to make Cincinnati the great central market and distributor for the whole Valley of Ohio, and to make it what Paris is remarkable for, the great emporium of all kinds of arts needed, used, and dis-
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
tributed through a great empire. The United States is now of imperial dimensions ; but what the United States now is, the Ohio Valley alone will be in a few years.
Having now glanced at the number, composition, and occupations of the people of Cincinnati, let us look at the products of their industry. In that must at last be found the sources of wealth and prosperity. A city does not feed itself. It must go outside of itself to find bread, and therefore must have something to exchange for it, and what is above this constitutes its increasing wealth. What it exchanges for food must necessarily be the products of its industry. While the commissions on merchandise imported may be large and profitable, making many engaged in commercial business wealthy, the great body of the people can pros- per only by the results of industry. This is true even of the City of New York, the most commercial city in the country. We have seen that Cincinnati is remark- able for the variety of its occupations and arts; let us see what they have produced.
2. The second element of Cincinnati is its industry ; and the progress of industry, represented in money values, may be thus expressed :
In 1840, value of products, $17,432,670
In 1850,
50,000,000
In 1860, 66
56,000,000
In 1869, estimated,
60,000,000
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
These results are, no doubt, very imperfect, because all canvasses of the manufacturing elements of the country are imperfect, from the want of a proper skill and discrimination in taking them. But the above totals are sufficiently near for the purpose of comparison. If it be asked why there was so moderate an advance in the last few years on the production of 1850, it may be answered, that four or five years of war, by draining off able-bodied men, actually diminished the products of manufactures; and it may be added, that for three or four years prior to the war, the continual agitation and ill-feeling had diminished the demand in the South- west for the products of Cincinnati. These causes have all ceased, and a new era is opening for the industry of this city.
The main branches of productive industry in Cin- cinnati are very nearly as follows:
Iron, of all kinds, . $5,500,000
Furniture, of all kinds,
1,700,000
Meats, of all kinds, 9,000,000
Clothing, of all kinds, 4,500,000
Liquors, of all kinds, . 4,500,000
Soap and Candles, . 1,500,000
Oils, Lards, Resins, etc., 3,000,000
Mills, of all sorts, 2,000,000
These are only approximations, but are sufficiently near to show what are the great branches of manu-
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
facturing industry in Cincinnati. The export of these products is mainly to the South and West, and, it is quite obvious, must increase in proportion as popula- tion is increased in those directions. The pacification of the country, the restoration of confidence, and the rapid extension of population, are all in favor of the manufacturing industry of Cincinnati. In the year 1860, the relative industry of the Western cities was as follows, taking the counties in which they lie as the proper rule of comparison :
Alleghany County (Pittsburgh), $26,563,379
Cook County (Chicago),
13,555,671
St. Louis County (St. Louis), 27,610,070
Jefferson County (Louisville), 14,135,517
Hamilton County (Cincinnati), 46,995,062
It will be seen that, nine years ago, the products of industry in Cincinnati were several million dollars in value greater than those of Chicago and St. Louis put together, and greater than those of St. Louis and Lou- isville put together. No doubt, these proportions have considerably changed since 1860, Chicago having grown greatly, and Louisville being prosperous ; but it is plain that, as a manufacturing place, Cincinnati is much su- perior to any other Western city. It is also superior in manufactures to any city of the United States, ex- cept New York and Philadelphia. Perhaps no fact can better prove the great advantage of Cincinnati for arti-
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
sans and laborers; for, unless this large class of citizens felt themselves well off and prosperous, no such advance in industry by so young a town could possibly be made; and unless there were extensive and profitable markets for the products, the manufacturers could not sustain them- selves. But here, in this center of the Ohio Valley, there is cheap food, abundant material, and markets for the products, extending through the immense region from Central Ohio to Northern Alabama, and from the Alle- ghanies to the Rocky Mountains. It is not strange, therefore, that so many kinds of arts and manufactures should have risen up here, nor that they will continue to extend till this great and fertile region shall be filled with people, and its towns glow with the industry of untold millions.
3. With industry comes COMMERCE. Commerce is the creation of labor, for there must be something to exchange before any thing can be got. A city, how- ever, filled with arts and manufactures need not be con- fined to its own productions. On the contrary, what the country produces must come to the city for a market, and the country must there buy what it needs. The city, therefore, in addition to the actual production of its citizens and workmen, is also the exchange for the commerce of both producers and consumers. Cincin- nati is the great exchange for the whole Ohio Valley, and has grown as largely in commerce as it has in
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THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
industry. The annual reports of the Chamber of Com- merce, compiled with great care, show this fact in vivid colors. The value of the principal articles of imports and exports for the period from 1854 to 1864, were:
Imports.
Exports.
Total.
In 1855, value of $67,095,741
$38,777,394
$105,873,135
In 1860,
" 103,347,216
77,037,188
180,384,406
In 1864,
" 389,790,537
239,079,825
628,860,362
The average value of gold in 1863-'4 was 55 premi- um; so that the aggregate value of imports and ex- ports in that year when reduced to gold was $314,430,- 181. The proportional value of 1855, 1860, and 1864, were represented, respectively, as 105, 180, and 314. Thus, in ten years the aggregate commerce of Cincin- nati has increased 200 per cent. This may have been exceeded in ratio by new and small towns, but no large city in the country increased at a greater rate in the same period of time. This rate of increase was three times that of population in the same period; and hence, as we shall presently see, an equal growth in the wealth and resources of the city. It proves, in fact, that the citizens of Cincinnati had in that time been prosperous, and increased largely in capital and in the profits of trade, as well as in numbers. From 1860 to 1865, the war actually reduced the commerce of Cincinnati in many things; but, on the other hand, a great deal of new business sprung up to supply this deficiency. The
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