Summit County, Ohio - Chapter 8: Transportation Facilities, 1908

At the present time the steam railroads of Summit County are subsidiary lines of the four great railroad systems of Eastern United States, viz: The Baltimore & Ohio, represented by the Cleveland, Terminal & Valley, the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling, the Akron & Chicago Junction, and the Pittsburgh & Western. Allied to the Baltimore & Ohio, is the Pennsylvania Company, represented by the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus, and the Cleveland & Pittsburgh. The Erie is now the successor to the historic New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, while the great Lake Shore system finds expression in the solitary Northern Ohio and the latest line, the Lake Erie & Pittsburgh. In addition to these is the Akron & Barberton Belt Line, now generally understood to be a Pennsylvania property, and sold in the open market only a few years ago for the sum of $1,000,000.

To write of the sale of a road for a million tells why the history of any railroad in this day ceases to have any strictly personal side, for such a story is no longer the culmination of struggles and sacrifice on the part of hardy pioneers but is rather the result of a correct reading of the broker's tape. The many millions involved in railroads represent as many varied peoples and interests as the number of dollars. Their owners live far from the line of their property, so that in Summit County to-day it is literally true that the profits from the above lines return to owners in every state of the country, and in countries as far distant as Holland and Belgium.

First in point of time in this county is the Cleveland & Pittsburgh EaiLroad, running from Pittsburgh to Cleveland and entering Summit on the east at Hudson. Projected and started in 1836, retarded by the panic of 1837, and finally completed in 1851, this road is one of the wonders of the financial world, in that it has never defaulted a payment on the interest of its bonds and since 1854 has paid a steady and unfailing income of 6 per cent on the investment to all stockholders. It has been lately double tracked from Alliance to Hudson and over that stretch of territory is a model line in physical equipment.

The road now known as the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus, also Pennsylvania property, possesses local interest, in that it started with "The Akron Branch Railroad," which in 1851 was planned as a feeder to the Cleveland & Pittsburgh. At that time, through the enterprise of Simon Perkins, an amendment was made to the charter of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh, extending that line from Hudson to Akron and by popular vote this county subscribed for stock in the Company to the amount of $100,000.00. By the middle of 1852, the road was completed to Orrville. Like all railroads it had its ups and downs, and after various litigation, in which the name was changed from the "Akron Branch" to Cleveland, Zanesville and Cincinnati, later to Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Delaware, and finally to the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus, the road prospered till it was de- clared fcy McCrea of the Pennsylvania Company in 1893, this road was the bright spot in that system. The casual reader will do well to observe that this road arose through the aid of the people of the communities through which it passed, and took its life and nurture from the legislature creating it, and the county which burdened itself with taxes to maintain it. Not a dollar was paid this county in dividends, but the county took its reward in the increased wealth incident to improved transportation facilities.

The Akron and Barberton Belt Railroad, opened in 1892, extends in and around the city of Barberton and is thirteen miles in length. This line represents one of the most modern phases in railroads in that of itself it carries nothing to any distance, but is simply a feeder to the railroads centering in Akron and drawing its revenue from the factories which it touches, but carrying no passengers.

The Baltimore and Ohio system, we speak of it as such, for it does not exist as a railroad, comprises the roads of its system already named. There is no Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in Summit County, for that railroad does not own a mile of road in the state of Ohio, and does not operate a mile. That system, incorporated under the la^vs of We-st Virginia and Maryland, owns the stock by majority holding of the various roads set forth, and by such arrangement maintaiins uniformity in the general officers of the various constituent companies. To be specific, a passenger going from Cleveland to Wheeling, arrives in ^Vkron at Akron Junction over the Cleveland Terminal & Valley, from there he passes over the P. C. & T., also called the Pittsburgh and Western, to the Union Station, whence he passes over the Akron & Chicago Junction to Warwick, from which point he completes hi? journey to Wheeling over the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling. All these roads are part of the Baltimore & Ohio system.

The Cleveland Terminal & Valley is the successor to the Valley Railroad Company, a railroad which will ever hold a pleasant place in the memorv of this countv, because of the many local people whose life and hopes were bound up in its completion. Starting in 1869 as the Akron and Canton Railroad, under Mr. D. L. King, it became the "Valley" in 1871. To raise the money, a public meeting was held at the Academy of Music in Akron, in January, 1872. Committeemen from every township were appointed to rouse sentiment on the road. Sufficient money was raiser to start construction in March, 1873, and much work was done. But the panic of 1873 tightened the money supply, and in 1875 Mr. King sailed for England to interest the English capitalists. In this he failed, and returning to America the bonds of the company were finally disposed of, and the first train was run over the line from Cleveland to Canton, January 28, 1880. The Cleveland, Terminal and Valley corporation was organized in 1895 and secured the A'alley property at foreclosure sale. The majority of the stock of this corporation is owned by the Baltimore & Ohio.

The Pittsburgh & Western was projected in 1881, and in 1891 became part of the Baltimore & Ohio system by lease. The story of this road is bound up with that of the Akron & Chicago Junction. In 1890 two construction companies were building in Akron MeCracken & Semple were building the P. A. & W., while Ryan & McDonald were at work on the A. & C. J. Both claimed to be the builders of a Western and Eastern outlet to Chicago and Pittsburgh, but finally it developed that the Akron & Chicago Junction was a Baltimore & Ohio proposition. The acquisition of the Pittsburgh & Western with the Akron & Chicago Junction gave the Baltimore & Ohio a direct line from Chicago to Pittsburgh. The Akron & Chicago Junction is merely a right of way from Chicago Junction to Warwick. Thence it proceeds to Akron over the Cleveland. Akron & Columbus, and from Akron it terminates at Akron Junction. The method of transfer to the Baltimore & Ohio is of some interest. In 1890 it was leased to The Baltimore and Ohio and Chicago Railroad, one of the Baltimore & Ohio stool pigeons, for 999 years renewable

As to the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling - this is the latest acquisition of the Baltimore & Ohio. The main line passes through the southern corner of the county and in 1902 the Baltimore & Ohio secured a majority of its stock. On the books of the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling this stock appears in the name of a resident of Baltimore, Md., but it is voted as B. & O. stock.

The history of the Erie now a continental road and a so-called "trunk line," starts with the secret plans of Hon. Marvin Kent of Kent, Ohio, to form a continental line from east to west. In the words of another, "he conceived the idea of forming a direct line from New York to St. Louis, nearly 1,200 miles, by connecting with the Erie road at Salamanca, on the east, and by the Dayton & Hamilton with the Ohio and Mississippi at Cincinnati, on the west." A liberal charter was secured and he started in. Opposition developed in Pennsylvania, and instead of constructing a new road through Pennsylvania, he and his associates bought the Pittsburgh and Erie road. This charter authorized unlimited extension and subsequently the State of Pennsylvania and New York permitted the chartering of separate roads in each State, and finally there was developed the historic Atlantic and Great Western Railway Company. The road was completed in 1864, after eleven years of labor on the part of Mr. Kent. The road ran from Akron to Dayton, and after various litigation became known as the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Railroad Company. It was finally leased to the Erie Railroad under which it now operates. Probably no one road ever passed through the litigation of this road, for, from December, 1874, down to 1879, its lawsuits were continuous and apparently unending. Even at the present writing, litigation is pending as to the ownership of bonds of the road deposited in the county treasury to the credit of unknown English and Dutch owners.

The Lake Shore Railroad, or more properly the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, is represented in Summit County by the ill- .starred Northern Ohio and the promising Lake Erie & Pittsburg. These two roads represent the extremes of railroad construction; one is poverty-stricken and wretchedly equipped; the other with no trains running as yet, has abundant means and every facility for rapid gro\\i:h. Originally the Northern Ohio was called the Pittsburgh, Akron and Western, and was designed by the late Senator Brice to be a connecting link in his world-wide road from China to New York. The death of that eminent Democrat stopped its growth, and it is now a mere line running from Akron to Delphos, a distance of 165 miles. It was incorporated in 1883 and trains began in 1891. It passed into the hands of the Lake Erie & Western, and that small system passed into those of the Lake Shore. The Lake Erie & Pittsburgh, now under construction, is designed as an important feeder to its parent system. Originally it started at Lorain, and for a long time the exact owners of the road were unknown. Finally the Belt Line of Cleveland was made a part of tlie scheme, and it passed from the hands of the contractors who projected it into the possession of the present owners.

A^arious other roads have been planned in and through Summit County, where the immense shipping done by the various factories has inspired the avarice or the ambition of promoters. To recount them all in detail would only be calling the roll of failure, at no time an elevating task. Among them are the Clinton Line, the Clinton Line Extension, the Hudson & Painesville, and the New York and Ohio. The last unsuccessful project was advanced by the versatile Charley French, who planned great things for the railroad maps of the country, and in his organization included the A.shland & Wooster, and finally the Lake & River Route. This scheme failed and at the present time no further changes are proposed in Summit County railroads.

This Union Station was originally the site of the Bates homestead and was opened for use in 1891. Before the Valley became part of the Baltimore & Ohio system, it had a station on West Market Street, now replaced by the packing-house at the corner of Canal and West Market. For a long time the Erie maintained a separate station on the ground of the old Union Depot, but finally made peace with the Pennsylvania and occupied with it the present Union Station.

The conclusion to be drawn from the railroad situation in Summit County is the same conclusion to be drawn from the railroad situation throughout the Nation. We have no pressing need of further transportation facilities from steam roads. We have reached the intensive stage in their development, and that means that original grantors of the rights to these roads, the people of this county, look to the road for repayment. This repayment must take place in fair passenger and freight rates, in decent payment of taxes, and in equipment insuring safety both to passenger and highway traveler. The people of this county owe the railroads nothing; the railroads owe them the above moderate and honest returns. It is fair to say that any such organization as is now maintained by the Baltimore & Ohio in this County, as above detailed, is a menace to the fulfillment of any of the above conditions. For example, the Baltimore & Ohio as such, does not pay a dollar of taxes into the treasury of this county, and any attempt at competition in freight rates is impossible under the present arrangement. The solution of these matters is no part of an historical article, but it is fair to say that the final determination of them will occur when honest County auditors and pro-secutors who are sufficiently intelligent to grasp the situation occupy the offices. That means intelligence and efficiency on the part of the electorate, and so far at least individuals may meet the situation.

At the present writing, the canals of Summit County are in a transition state and the average resident looks on them as a doubtful luxury. This is due partly to the great outlay of money required to maintain them, with .<o little result locally, and partly to the feeling that the day of the canal is past. Certainly the present physical features of the canal are not inspiring, for in Summit they consist of a race running through Middlebury, and along the southern border of the Fair Grounds, and terminating at Main Street, where the canal goes underground along Main Street, and finally flows into the main canal. The sole purpose of this muddy and dirty stream is to supply power to the mills of the Quaker Oats Company, and the .stream itself is owned by the Akron Hydraulic Company, a private corporation. The main canal, officially known as the Ohio and Erie Canal, passes through the townships of Northampton, Boston, Northfield, Portage, Coventry and Franklin. This canal is at present valuable to the owners of the various rubber factories in Akron, and aside from furnishing transportation for various canoe parties, has no other worth. What the future holds for this canal, and every canal in Ohio, is to be tested in the light of the results to be seen from the plans now on foot. These plans embrace large expenditures of money and seem a part of a con-sistent effort to demonstrate the feasibility of canals as water transportation. This chapter will discuss the story of the canals of Summit in the light of that plan.

The history of Akron begins with the .story of the Canal projected by Dr. Cra«by, and as this canal brought biisiness and manufacturing enterprises to the community, it would seem that the canal miist always stand forth as a blessing. Previous to that, however, it may be profitable to look at the history of these canals in the whole state. The desire for extensive internal improvements found expression in New York in the construction of the Erie Canal, and in the divi- sion of political parties on the need of further interniU improvements. In 1825, Ohio asked of the Federal government aid in the construction of the canals. The Government responded by a grant aggregating 1,230,521 acres. From the sale of these lands has been realized about two and one quarter anillion dollars, and there remains at this time of this imperial grant only land to the amount of $100,000.00. Wo have still many miles of canal in Ohio, and as bearing on their future, it may be instructive to bear in mind the decision of the United States Supreme Court, construing the terms of the above named federal grant. In Wakh vs. Railroad, etc., U. S. Supreme Court reports. Vol. 170. P. 469, the conclu.'iion was reached that the State of Ohio has the right to abandon its canals and to permit their use for a purpo.^e analogous to the canals; but the right to abandon the canals entirely and to permit the use of them other than that as common carriers is doubted.

The Ohio and Erie canal, as above referred to, -was begun Julv 4, 1825, and completed in 1833, and cost the sum of $7,904,971.89. The net results of this construction were beneficial, for it was said that the facilities of transportation from the interior of Ohio to the markets of New York were such "that wheat commanded a higher price at Massillon, one hundred miles west of Pittsburg, than at points sixty mil&s east of it." The building of this canal, with a summit near the present site of Akron, naturally brought many workers to this vicinity, and it became clear to Messrs. Perkins and King that it would be profitable to anticipate the founding of a city. But Mr. King was not content with an outlet to the Ohio; he desired one east and, accordingly, set on foot the Ohio and Pennsylvania canal. To aid him in hLs project he first .secured a charter from the legislature, and to secure this there were raised funds to pay "expenses." A paper to raise such funds read as follows: "We, the subscribers, citizens of ]\Iiddlebury and Akron, aud their vicinity, confident that inestimable advantages Avould remit to our villages, and this section of our country generally, from a canal connecting the Ohio canal, at the Portage Summit, with the Pennsylvania canal at Pittsburg, and anxious that an act should pass the legislature of Ohio, at their present session authorizing the construction of such canal, will pay the sums annexed to our respective names, to John McMillen, Jr., and Peter Bowen, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of delegates from the aforesaid villages to the legislature to assist in procuring the passage of such act. Payment to be made at the time of .subscribing."

It would seem from the foregoing that the "Third House" had an early history even, among the untutored forefathers. The canal was got uaider way, and it was originally designed that the course should be through the then rival village of Middlebury. However, wires were pulled and, instead, it pa.ssed through Akron. Dr. Crosby, in the meantime had started a cross-cut below and to the North of Middlebury, and with this influx of water, additional power was secured for the mills at Akron, and the first step taken toward Akron's ascendancy over Middlebury.

The completion of the Ohio and Pennsylvania Canal was the call for a grand celebration all along the line from Pittsburg to Akron. The accounts of that carnival, a? taken from contemporary records, furnish an interesting sidelight on life in the '40's. At each town and village preparations w'ere made to receive the distinguished party on board the first boat. Both the Governor of Ohio and of Pennsylvania were invited, and at each landing place new visitors were taken on board till the terminus, Akron, where the preceding festi\'ities wound up with a banquet on the site where now stands the Clarendon Hotel.

As a financial proposition, the state had invested in the canal $420,000.00 in stock, and there had been raised by other subscriptions from private sources $840,000.00. Dividends were declared for a time and the increased freight and passenger service from Cleveland to Pittsburg, via Akron, added to the pre-itige of the City of Akron. From

1852 till 1856, the tolls collected at the port of Akron raii from six thousand to eight thousand dollars. But then, as now, the menace of the railroad was at hand, and this time it was not Mr. Harriman or Mr. Hill, but the forgotten Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad. By precise!}' the same means as has been pointed out in the case of the Baltimore & Ohio in the chapter on Railroads, this creature of the legislature proceeded to settle the career of the canal. The stock was bought in open market by this concern and a policy of jockeying began to depreciate the rest of the stock owned by the state. The whole block, amounting to $420,000.00, was sold to Charles L. Rhodes, of Cleveland, in 1862, for $35,000.00, and the ruin and debasement of the canal was complete. The canal, a queenly maiden among the commercial highways of the world, became a wanton and a by-word among the people, for Mr. Rhodes was vice-president of the railroad, and the stock was used to enrich the treasury- of his railroad. Improvements stopped, and finally a petition was sent to the legislature demanding that it be abandoned. Several times the canal bed was cut and the water permitted to escape. This local feeling arose largely because of the stagnant condition of the water and the consequent endangering of the health of the community.

Any article on the canal? of Summit County would be incomplete without mentioning the ambitious attempt to found Summit City along what is now the "Gorge." Dr. Eliakim Crosby conceived the idea that a great mill-race could be constructed alone; the site of the Gorge, and to that end designed the canal at that point. So great a man as Horace Greeley became deeply interested and wrote a glowing account of the propo.sed metropolis of the West. Interest was roused over the entire coimtry, and great quantities of money flowed in from the Ea.«t. A nominal capital "stock of $5,000,000.00 was proposed, and work was begun. So confident were those interested that one of the Rochester shareholders offered to pledge his entire fortune on the ^supposition that the lots surrounding the city would shortly be as valuable as the highest priced lot in Rochester. Below and around what is now the CTorge an immense city was laid out, and part of the labor was paid in scrip redeemable in these lots when the City should be complete. This scrip was sold all through the East and supplies of raw material were taken in exchange. At one time the promises were so great and the prospects so alluring that it was proposed to make this the County seat. The engineering difficulties that beset the projectors were simply enormous. Great blocks of stone were to be hewn through, and fills and cuts that would daunt the best equipped engineer of to-day were to be met. Dr. Crosby rose to every occasion. On May 27, 1844, the first water was sent through the race, and the day of realization seemed at hand. But dissentions arose among the stockholders; money was hard to secure, and at last protracted litigation settled this project. Finally in June, 1850, the entire property which had cost in the neighborhood of $300,000.00 was sold for some $35,000.00, and the dream of the "Lowell of the West" was over.

At the present writing, the one tangible asset of value remaining of all the canals of Summit County, is the property of the Akron Hydraulic Company. This flows along the southern line of the Pair Grounds and furnishes the water-power indicated before.

It would be vmprofitable to leave a discussion of the.se water-ways without commenting ,on the cause of the failure and indicating a safe line of future action. In his report to Governor Nash in 1903, Engineer Perkins discusses the causes of past failures and lays out the future. From this report it appears that from 1827 to 1860 inclusive, the latter date being just prior to leasing to a private corporation, gro.^s receipts amounted to. some $14,000,000.00. From that time on a steady decrease set in and, the war coming on, the interest of the State was diverted to other channels. Bearing in mind that the Legislature of the State bad leased the canals to private corporations, it is difficult to .see how thev came to the conclusion that to retain them would be bad business. Space will not allow a further discussion of that report. It is now proposed to rehabilitate the canal system, and to build new locks and widen the channel and increase the supply of water. To this end the reservoir in Summit County is being greatly enlarged and it is proposed to increase it so that there will be flooded 166 acres of land, and that will contain in reserve about eighty million gallons of water. New conditions of transportation have arisen and among these is the celebrated electric mule, this being a kind of trolley car run along the tow path to draw the canal boat It is expected that the canal will form a convenient means of carrying raw material and other merchandise, in which time is not a factor in the delivery. The sane conclusion of the matter is a confident reliance in the plans mapped out, and an ever constant reminding of the career of the Ohio and Pennsylvania canal, now abandoned beyond redemption. The Federal government has shown interest in the project; of a ship canal from lake to river, and it is possible, if the present administration shows wisdom in its action, that once more the boats of Summit County may go from the town of Coventry to New Orleans.