Knox County, Ohio - Chapter 24: Railroads, Telegraph and Express Companies, 1881

SANDUSKY, MANSFIELD & NEWARK RAILROAD - First TRAINS - AGENTs- -CLEVELAND, MOUNT VERNON & DELAWARE RAILROAD - FIRST THROUGH TRAIN - THE OHIO CENTRAL - A COAL ROAD - TELEGRAPH - ITS MIGRATORY OFFICE - TELEGRAPH AS A DRTECTIVE - EXPRESS ComMPANIES.

NOX county contains a portion of one of the oldest railroads in Ohio, the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark (now the Lake Erie division of the Baltimore & Ohio). That portion lying north of Mansfield was chartered March 12, 1836, as the Mansfield & New Haven railroad, and extended from Mansfield to a point a short distance west of the village of New Haven, in the southern part of Huron county. Prior to the building of this railroad, a charter, dated March 9, 1835, had been granted to the Sandusky & Monroeville railroad, running from one city to the other. This latter road, thirteen miles long, was completed prior to the former road (the Mansfield & New Haven).

The purchase of the Monroeville & Sandusky City road by the Mansfield & New Haven road, gave the latter corporations direct control of a line from Mansfield to the lake. The road as consolidated was fifty-four miles in length, and had a busy traffic. Prior to 1853 the road enjoyed a monopoly of the grain trade of this part of Ohio.

The construction of the road-bed was solid, if a multiplicity of timbers could make it so. First a ''mud-sill"" was laid down lengthwise of the road; strong cross-ties were then spiked on this ''mud-sill;' into these, ''gains,'' as they were called, were cut, which received the wooden rails, sawed to fit the '' gains," These rails were about five inches wide, broadening out as they entered the ''gains,"' and were about seven inches high. On them the ''ribbon" was spiked, being a strip of hard-wood about two anda halfinches wide, by one inch thick, and on this the strap-iron rail was laid. Spikes were driven through the strap-rail and the ribbon into the large wooden rail underneath. The heads of the spikes were sunken into ''eyes" in the straprails, leaving a smooth surface for the wheels. This superstructure required three times as much timber as the present system of ties and iron rails.

An extension further south than Mansfield began to be agitated before the road was put in running order. Considerable opposition was, however, exhibited among many classes of citizens of Mansfield, who firmly maintained the opinion that a prosperous railroad town must be a terminal point. A charter for a road, known as the Columbus & Lake Erie railroad, was granted March 12, 1845, and, five or six years after, a road was built between Mansfield and Newark, where it could connect with a road to Columbus, known then as the Ohio Central railroad, now a part of the Baltimore & Ohio, and which was completed in 1854, so that transportation was begun. That part of this road running through Richland county, south from Mansfield, was mainly built by Mr. Frederick M. Fitting. He began the work in January, 1850, at Mansfield, doing the grading, furnishing the ties, and laying the iron. By August he had the road in running order, and his construction train running to Lexington. He went on south in the construction of the road, doing the entire work from Mansfield to a point about six miles south of Bellville. The part through Knox and Licking counties was built at the same time, so that, by January, 1851, the cars went on to Newark. The two roads - the Mansfield & Sandusky City and the Columbus & Lake Erie - continued under separate organizations until November 23, 1853, when they were consolidated and took the name of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark railroad. Each corporation was burdened with debt and judgment, and had hoped by uniting, to establish a road :that would meet the past liabilities and maintain itself in the future. This did not prove to be the case, and underan act of the legislature, passd April 8, 1856, the road and property were sold and the company reorganized. Owing to various delays, the deed of conveyance from the old to the new company was not made until March 29, 1865, several years after the sale had been made, and after the new company had taken charge of theroad. This organization remained the same until February 13, 1869, when a contract was entered into by and between the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark, the Ohio Central, and the Baltimore & Ohio railroads, whereby the first named came under control of the last named, and is now operated by that extensive corporation.

During the month of June, 1847, the work on the'south end of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark railroad was put under contract from Newark to the Richland county line. The work was not commenced until about the first of August the same year. Of the contractors the names of but a few can be given at this late date. Mr. Joseph M. Byers, then of Newark, in company with Mr. A. Channell and Mr, A. J. Haughey, obtained the fifth, eighth, fourteenth, and nineteenth mile, the latter contract ending at Hunt's Station. Mr. Peter Davis had a mile contract near Utica, and Mr. Frederick Bumphus the contract near Mt. Vernon. During the fall of 1850 the construction train made its appearance at Dry creek. The bridges over Dry creek and the Kokosing were being rapidly pushed to completion. The work on the north end was being hurried. In the Banner, of December 3, 1850, the following notice appears: 'Hereafter the Newark, or eastern mail, will arrive in the cars at nine o'clock in the morning, and go out at four o'clock in. the evening. The Columbus mail will be sent via Newark in a short time." And in its issue of January 7, 1851, the Banner says: "The whole railroad line between Newark and Sandusky city is finally completed, and last night (January 6th), a train of four cars passed Mt. Vernon, presenting quite a fine appearance." The connecting of the two ends of the road was effected January 5, 1851, thus giving to Mt. Vernon its first complete railroad.

The first building used for depot purposes was the brick residence formerly owned by the late Daniel S. Norton, now owned and occupied by James Worley. The following gentlemen have peen agents of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark railroad and the Lake Erie division of the Baltimore & Ohio company, as it is nowstyled: T. C. Mc- Ewen, James Blake, Captain Ingram, and Joseph M. Byers. Mr. Blake was agent many years; and was succeeded by Messrs. Patterson & White, John W. White, P. H. Burke, D. P. Wooten, and J. C. Patterson.

March 17, 1851, by authority of an act passed February 17, 1851 (49 O. L. 464), "to amend an act to incorporate the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad company," passed March 14, 1836, "the Akron branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad company," was organized as a separate and distinct company to construct a branch railroad from Hudson, Summit county, via Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, to Wooster, or some other point between Wooster and Massillon, to connect with the Pennsylvania railroad, and any other railroad running in the direction of Columbus.

The act of March 24, 1851 (40 O. L. 542), authorized the commissioners of Summit county to subscribe one hundred thousand dollars to the capital stock of the company.

The road was constructed from Hudson to Millersburgh, Holmes county, sixty-one miles, and was known and operated as the "Akron Branch" until, by order of the court of common pleas of Summit county, entered at the March term, 1853, the name of the company was changed to "Cleveland, Zanes. ville & Cincinnati Railroad company." Certificate filed in the office of the secretary of state, March 17, 1853. (Record of corporation No. 1, p. 1 59).

county common pleas court, for foreclosure of mortgage and sale of the road, a receiver was appointed in the case, by whom, under the direction of the court, the road was operated until November 2, 1864, when, pursuant to order of the court, the entire road, property and franchises of the company were sold at public auction for three hundred thousand dollars to George W. Cass and John J. Marvin, who, on the first day of July, 1865, following, conveyed the said road and property thus vested in them by deed to the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway company, who owned and operated it until they, by contract dated June 27, 1869, leased in perpetuity to the Pennsylvania Railroad company to take effect July 1, 1869, its own railway proper, including the Cleveland, Zanesville & Cincinnati railroad and its leased lines.

The Pittsburgh, Mount Vernon, Columbus & London Railroad company was incorporated by filing its certificate of organization in the office of the secretary of State May 11, 1869 (Record of Corporations No. 6, p. 314), road to be constructed from a point in Wayne county, on the line of the Pittburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago railway, at or near Orville, through the counties of Holmes, Knox, Licking, Delaware, Franklin, through Columbus, to Madison county, at or near London.

November 1, 1869, this company acquired, by deed from G. A. Jones, trustee, etc., all that portion of the Springfield, Mount Vernon & Pittburgh railroad (being only partly graded), extending east from Delaware, through Mount Vernon, in the direction of Millersburgh, forty-three miles, which was by him purchased at judicial sale August 31, 1857, under proceedings in Knox county common pleas court. The consideration for this conveyance was one thousand shares, of the par value of fiftythousand dollars, of the capital stock of the said Pittsburgh, Mount Vermon, Columbus & London Railroad company.

'November 4, 1869, the Pennsylvania Railroad company and the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad company, sold and transfetred by deed the entire Cleveland, Zanesville & Cincinnati railroad, extending from Hudson to the coal mines southwest of Millersburgh, a distance of sixty-five miles, and all its machinery, rolling stock, equipment, fixtures, etc., to the Pittsburgh, Mount Vernon, Columbus & London Railroad company, the consideration being twenty-two thousand shares of the fully paid up capital stock of the company purchasing, the par value of which was one million one hundred thousand dollars, the latter company assuming the payment of a mortgage debt on said conveyed premises of one hundred and forty-three thousand dollars.

On the same day an assignment was made to the company - being one condition of the sale and purchase aforesaid - of the lease of the Massillon and Cleveland railroad, extending from Massillon to Canton, twelve and a half miles, which had passed into the possession of the Pennsylvania Railroad company July 1, 1869, with the property and other leased lines of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad company.

December 6, 1869, George W. Cass and wife and John J. Martin and wife executed to the Pittsburgh, Mount Vernon, Columbus & London Railroad company a deed of confirmation of the Cleveland, Zanesville & Cincinnati railroad, thereby vesting any title or rights in said road possessed by said parties in said Pittsburgh, Mount Vernon, Columbus & London Railroad company.

December 20, 1869, the name of the company, by decree of Knox county common pleas court was changed to Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Delaware Railroad company. Certificate filed in the office of the secretary of State December 22, 1869.

December 17, 1872,a supplemental certificate was filed for constructing a branch from the main line in Holmes county, through Coshocton county, to a connection near Dresden, Muskingum county, with the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis and the Cincinnati & Muskingum Valley railways, thirty-three miles. Report of June 30, 1874, shows seventeen miles graded on the Dresden branch, and an expenditure, including rails, etc., of over two hundred thousand dollars.

The Ohio Central railroad passes through Hilliar township, It is, or will be, a coal road. But few if any of the financiers of the county are interested pecuniarily. 'The people of Centerburgh and Hilliar township are the most deeply interested in this road. Centerburgh has already felt its influence by the increase of business. During the past year over thirty dwellings and stores have been erected.

The line now known as the Ohio Central railroad, owned by a powerful syndicate of wealthy capitalists, and which is on the eve of completion between one of the most wonderful deposits of coal and the northern lakes, has had an eventful history. The enterprise had its origin in a project for building a road from Pomeroy to Toledo, which was first agitated in 1868-69. Hon. V. B. Horton was''for a time president of the company, which was known as the Atlantic and Lake Ene. Nothing was done of any consequence, however, until General Thomas Ewing, of Lancaster, was put at the head of the corporation. Under his management an immense amount of money was spent on the Moxahala tunnel and the difficult portion of the road near its southern terminus, and the rails were put down as far as Union Station, a short distance west of Newark, where the road crosses the Pan-Handle. Just then the panic came on and the company was left with an uncompleted section of road, no rolling stock worth speaking of, and a_ solitary locomotive, which the excursionists, as they inspected their property last week, saw dumped beside the track, near Moxahala tunnel. Rusty and dismantled, the worn-out iron monster was a fitting monument for the financial ruin that overtook President Ewing and the great majority of his associates who first set out to build the line.

The track lay rusting, and the ties rotted in the rain, for several years unused, when the property was sold out under the order of the Crawford county court of common pleas, by Daniel Babst, master commissioner, and bought in by J. T. Brooks, solicitor for the Pennsylvania Centralinterest. Since the original projectors had started in to build the road, the Hocking Valley railroad interest had completed its own line, known as the Columbus & Toledo, to the lakes, and was in successful operation. The incentives for completing the Atlantic & Lake Erie to Toledo were not promising, as the coal trade, which was almost the sole dependence of the line, had been much depressed for years; and established companies were scarcely earning more than their expenses. Under these circumstances, the road was an elephant on the hands of the purchasers at the Bucyrus sale, even if they got it at about the price of the iron rails. In the spring of 1879 Governor Foster, who had been associated with Ewing in the Atlantic & Lake Erie failure, and a number of capitalists met here, and, after a briefconference, satisfied themselves that they could turn the incomplete road into a bonanza for themselves by diverting itto Columbus. All that was necessary for them to do was to build twenty-six miles of new line between this city and Bush's Station, take the Atlantic & Lake Erie track trom there to Corning all ready for the cars, and the thing was done. The finished road-bed was procured for a song, as compared to its cost to the Ewing syndicate, and the iron on the part north of Bush's, which was not to be operated, could be utilized in laying the track on the twenty-six miles to be built, so as to bring the road into Columbus. The company organized as the Columbus & Sunday Creek Valley railroad, and there was never perhaps in the history of Ohiorailroad construction a larger bonanza than fell into their hands almost without effort. They had scarcely closed their contracts for the supplies and rolling stock necessary to get their road running before the business boom which followed the panic set in, and in addition to a tremendous rise' in the value of the assets of the Atlantic & Lake Erie they had the benefit of a tremendous rise in railroad property of all kinds. There were but seven or eight men in the original Sunday Creek company, and before this road was completed, after an interval of but a few months, and without having risked scarcely any money, they were able to sell out at an individual profit of $75,000.

Governor Foster had with him in the original Sunday Creek Valley syndicate Calvin S. Brice, of Lima, long associated with him in the Lake Erie & Louisville road ; General Manager Caldwell, of the Pan-Handle, General Thomas, of this city; Josephus Collett, president of the Evansville, Terre Haute & Chicago road, and the firm of Perkins, Livingston & Post, of New York, who were the main reliance of the syndicate in the sale of the bonds of the new corporation: Collett and the New York firm dropped out of the arrangement as soon as it was fairly on its feet.

Had the capitalists who invested in the Sunday Creek Valley enterprise confined themselves to the original idea of a coal road between Corning and Columbus they would have had a line costing but a fourth as much as the Hocking Valley, with every prospect of an income nearly as good; but they had underestimated one item, and that was the cost of completing the Moxahala tunnel. Governor Foster told the writer some time ago that, had they known what it would cost to finish the work on the tunnel, he and his associates would never have entered into the Sunday Creek enterprise. As he put it, they had not enough miles of road to bond, if they confined themselves to the Columbus coal road idea, and an extension was necessary, so as to float more bonds. The result was a reorganization of the Sunday Creek Valley company and the formation of the Ohio Central in its place, which change was made early last winter. The original intention at that time was to make the northern terminus at Fostoria, and the lake port for the road at Sandusky, which could be reached by joining with the Lake Erie & Western road. After some delay it was decided to push on to Toledo, and but ten miles more of track remain to be laid until that isdone. The general office of the company will then be removed from this city to Toledo. A large tract of river front has been purchased there, and it is the intention to begin the erection of buildings for terminal facilities at an early day.

The shipments of coal over the Ohio Central, according to Superintendent Hadley, are fifty carsaday. There was some falling off on account of the strike in September. The road is receiving large numbers of coal-cars from Detroit and Lafayette, and new engines from the Brooks Locomotive works, and a large increase in business will follow as soon as the company can handle it.

The road is being extended south from Corning, so as to penetrate eighteen miles further into the coal region. This will be done by going down the valley eight miles and returning on another fork of Sunday creek to within three miles of Corning. In this way an immense amount of fresh coal territory will be opened.

At the time this sketch was written, the Ohio Central had reached Fostoria. Since then work has been pushed forward rapidly, and the rails ure

In 1849 a few years prior to the advent of the railroad, a telegraph office was opened in Mount Verron, and Mr. John W. White was placed in charge. Two young telegraph experts, of Zanesville, Ohio, Messrs, Kent and Garlock, had undertaken to put up a line of wire from Zanesville to Sandusky. The line ran along the dirt road from Zanesville to Mount Vernon, dropping an office at Irville and Nashport, in Muskingum county; Newark and Granville, in Licking county, and to Mount Vernon via Alexandria, Homer and Brandon, leaving no office between Granville and Mount Vernon. The first office in Mount Vernon was opened in a room in Hosmer Curtis' brick block, north of the public square. It was immediately over the present bakery of W. A. Tathwell, where it remained several years. Its next abiding place was the room occupied by the meat shop of Winterbotham & Co., and then in the room now occupied by Scribner's drug store, in what was then known as the

Booth building. There it remained a number of years. From the last named place it was removed to Abernethy's drug store (now Beardslee & Barr's), where it tarried about one year. The room now occupied as a law office by Abel Hart received it next. In1861 Mr. Buckingham offering Mr. White a book-keeper's position in his foundry, the telegraph office was removed to his counting room, where it remained until 1865, when it was taken to the depot of the Sandusky, Mansfield & Newark railroad, Mr. White having been appointed Mr. James Blake's assistant in the railroad office.

By the time Kent and Garlock reached Mount Vernon from Zanesville, Mr. J. H. Wade, of Cleveland, had reached Mansfield with a line of wire from Cleveland, on his way with it to Columbus and Cincinnati. Mr. Wade visited Mount Vernon and made overtures to Messrs. Kent and Garlock for the purpose of purchasing their line. A sale was effected, and the Zanesville company was turned over to the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati telegraph company. On a new organization being made, Mr. Wade became its president, and Mr. J. W. White its secretary. Mr. White retained that position a few years, or until the Wade lines became united to the Speed and Cornell eastern lines, when the secretary's office was removed to Rochester, New York. The Wade, the Speed and

Cornell and other eastern and western lines united and became widely known in after years as the "Western Union telegraph company." In becoming a part of the union, the Wade lines were put in at twelve dollars a share (the shares being fifty dollars each). Those stockholders of Mount Vernon who owned four shares thought themselves lucky in receiving one share in the Western Union. The small shareholders lost all, and there were quite a number of them.

Many interesting incidents occurred in connection with the telegraph office here, during its' early days, one of which, at least, appears of historical importance.

The older citizens of Mount 'Vernon doubtless remember the Hinton mail robbery. It occurred in the days of Neil, Moore & Company's stage line. Mr. Hinton was the superintendent of the stage line running from Newark to Cleveland via Mount Vernon. Money letters were so frequently missed, that the general post office department placed detectives on the track. A detective visited every post office on the route on the arrival of the mail stage. The losses were sustained between Mount Vernon and Wooster. Another remarkable fact was made known, that all losses occurred on the occasions that Hinton accompanied the stage. Then it took about thirty-six hours to perform the trip; the night driving occurred between Mount Vernon and Wooster. A. J. Smith, then a banker at Newark, ascertaining that Hinton would pass over the route ona certain day, prepared a large decoy package for that day's mail, directed to Cleveland. Arrangements were made at Newark by Smith and General Jones (then United States marshal), at Mount Vernon, that they should have exclusive control of the wire that night after eight o'clock. Smith prepared a complete description of every note in the package, the letter, the number, the bank and denominatior. All bills were of small amounts, so as to make the package as large as possible.

Smith had forgotten to furnish Jones with this descriptive sheet - hence the wire came in use. The message received that night was probably the longest local message ever passed over the wires at that early peyiod in the history of telegraphy. At ten o'clock that night Thomas Jones, a brother of the marshal, started on horseback for Mansfield with that message in his pocket. At Mansfield he took the train for Cleveland, arriving there at daylight. Hinton was arrested, and bound over for trial By some means he escaped from the clutches of the law. A few years since, a traveller reported that he met Hinton in Cuba, and recognized him. He bore another name then.

Express companies followed naturally the advent of the railroads. The American was the first to establish an agency in Mt. Vernon, the office being at the depot, and up to 1873 the ticket agents were also the express agents. The United States established an office here some years ago, and a company called the Merchant's attempted to do some business about 1866, but failed. Upon the advent of the Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Columbus railroad, the Union express company opened an office in Mount Vernon, placing Mr. W. J. Horner in charge, who subsequently became the only express agent in the city.

A few years since the Baltimore & Ohio company determined to control the express business on that road and opened an office in Mount Vernon, placing it in charge of John W. Stephenson who retains the office at present.

George B. Potwin, in the prosecution of his produce business, was one of the largest shippers by express from Mount Vernon. It was not unusual for him to ship in this way at one time fifty barrels of eggs and a hundred firkins of butter to the New York market. Perhaps the most valuable shipment ever made from the Mount Vernon office in one day, was made by the banks during the war, when fifty thousand dollars in coin was sent to the New York market.