Wayne Township (part 3 of 3)

In view of the conditions aforesaid, and the further fret of the special notability i of the place as embracing the site of ancient Ke-ki-ong-a, of the French, English J and American forts, where, from a period of a century and a half in the past to i the present, the aborigines and their successors had met and counseled for the perpetuity of their respective customs and the maintenance of their rights - i it is not strange that there was a spirit of rivalry giving impulse and energy to I the motives of purchasers. At this first sale, John T. Barr, of Baltimore, Md., and John MeCorkle, of Piqua, Ohio, were the most extensive purchasers, the prin¬ cipal tract being described as 41 the north fraction of the southeast quarter of i Section 2, Township 30 north, of Range 12 east," upon which they subse- i quently laid out the original town of Fort Wayne, embracing 118 lots. The | " Old Fort" grounds were not then subject to sale, having been reserved for the use of the Indian Agency, including some forty acres. j

Alexander Ewing was also a principal purchaser at this first sale, entering the east half of the southwest quarter of Section 2, which lies immediately j west of the Barr and MeCorkle tract, and upon which Ewing's and Rockhill's Additions were afterward laid out. The tract known as the " Well's Pro- J eruption," lying in the forks of the St. Joseph's and St. Mary's rivers, having I been by act of Congress, May 18, 1808, set apart as a pre-emption to Capt. ! Wells, who was authorized to enter it, when adjacent lands should be subject to 1 sale, at $1.25 per acre - was purchased by his heirs, the Captain in the mean- | time having lost his life at the massacre of Fort Dearborn, on the 15th of i August, 1812. These constituted the principal first purchasers, and cover a i large proportion of the territory now occupied by the city of Fort Wayne. The j offices continued to be located here during a period of twenty-one years.

The following persons filled the positions of Receivers and Registers in this | office from its Original opening until its final close and removal hence :

1823, Joseph Holman, of Wayne County ; 1829, Gen. Jonathan McCarty, of J Fayette County ; 1831, John Spencer, of Dearborn County ; 1837, Daniel Reid, of Wayne ; 1841, Samuel Lewis, of Allen ; 1841, I. D. G. Nelson, of Allen.

1823, Samuel C. Vance, of Dearborn County : 1829, Robert Brecknaridge, of Franklin County ; 1837, James W. Borden, of Wayne County ; 1841, William Polke, La Porte County; 1843, William S. Edsall, of Allen County.

Artesian Well

This well is one of the notable features of Fort Wayne, attracting the atten¬ tion of all, inviting the multitude to partake freely of its waters, which are boun¬ tiful in their character, and possess medicinal virtues in high repute among the many who partake of them. With whom the enterprise originated does not now appear to us, but as early as 1869, the matter was agitated quite extensively among leading citizens. In the spring of 1S70, the question was considered in ^ the Common Council of the city, and subsequently referred, to the Board of County Commissioners, as shown by the following action had by the Board on the proposition, June 6, 1870 :

"in the matter of an artesian well, as presented to the Board by a com¬ mittee of the Common Council of the city of Fort Wayne, the Board authorize the boring of an artesian' well on the public square, and authorize the appropria¬ tion of one-half the cost of said well, payable out of the county treasury."

Notwithstanding the question continued to be agitated with considerable spirit, but little progress appears to have been made in boring the well, or even the location of it, during the succeeding two years. With a persistent determination, however, to make it a certainty, the County Board, on the 9th of September, 1872, took further and more definite action, and made the following order, which appears of record :

" Ordered by the Board of Commissioners of this county, that there be appro¬ priated out of the county treasury the sum of §1,0U0, for the payment for the digging or boring and tubing of an artesian well, on or near the southeast corner of the public square, in the city of Fort Wayne, Iud.,. the same to be paid to J. S Goshorn, when he shall dig or bore and tube a well at said point, of the dimensions of not less than seven inches in diameter, with a flow of water there¬ from that shall equal a height of not less than four feet above the surface of the ground at said point. Said well to be commenced within three months from date."

Again, on the 9th day of January, 1873, the following additional proceed¬ ings were had, showing the earnest purpose of those interested to make the prob¬ lem a certainty. At that time, it was "Ordered by the Board that the Auditor be and the same is hereby directed to advertise for sealed proposals for boring an artesian well upon the southeast c'orner of the public square, in the city of Fort Wayne. Said well to be at least four inches inside diameter, piped to the bed-rock with good wrought-iron pipe, and to be sunk 500 feet below the surface of said square, unless a flowing well should be obtained before reaching that depth, aud provided, also, that the City Council shall agree to pay for one-third of said work as it progresses, the remainder to be paid by the county." Subse¬ quently, on the 5th of March, following, notice having been previously given, further proceedings were had, to wit : The Board opened the several bids for boring the well, and awarded the contract to Ackerly & Hopkins, and the Auditor was ordered to notify them, so that a contract could be closed at once. They accordingly appeared on the 10th of April, when a contract was entered into pursuant to the aforesaid order, the terms of which were, that J. Hopkins . aud J. W. Ackerly agreed to bore a well five and one-half inches in diameter, five hundred feet in depth, and furnish everything, for $1,800. If water was not obtained in sufficient quantities for a flowing well at an elevation of four feet above the surface of the ground, they were to drill until they got it, providing it was not over 1,000 feet, for S2.50 for each additional foot. Under that contract, those gentlemen sunk it -to the depth of 1,000 feet without reaching water. Under this contract, the extreme depth contemplated being only 1,000 feet, another contract was necessary. Accordingly, on the 2d of May, the Board entered into an agreement with J. Hopkins and J. W. Ackerly, of Ashtabula, Ohio, for the drilling of the well, and ordered the agreement to be entered upon the miscellaneous record in the Auditor's office.

About this time, the location of the well was changed from the southeast corner of the public square, to the northeast corner, in consequence of the fol¬ lowing subscriptions, payable on condition that such change of location was made. Those subscribers were: Thomas W. Swinney, $500; Henry Burgess, $100 ; Ulrick Slots, $50 ; George Fox, $50 ; Henry Monning, $50.

The terms of the new agreement were entered into by James W. Ackerly, of tbe first part, and Messrs. Morgan & Meyers, on behalf of the City Council,

1 of Fort Wayne, and the Board of Commissioners of Allen County, of the sec¬ ond part - to drill the well upon the public square, to the depth of 1,500 feet,

1 500 feet deeper than it is now, for $6 per foot for the 500 feet. If flowing water is not obtained in that depth, and the material or rock is of no worse character or harder to drill than the strata through which it has been drilled to this time, then he will sink an additional 500 feet for $6 per foot for the last 500 feet.

On the 12th of August, 1874, 1,500 feet had been bored and yet no water had been found ; hence, further proceedings were necessary. At that time, the Board, reflecting public opinion upon the question, gave the project a further impulse. . The record discloses the following: Come now, "members of the Grand Jury and other tax-payers of the county, and present a memorial asking the Board to have the boring of the artesian well continued, if need be, to the depth of 2,500 feet. And the Board, after having conferred with a committee appointed by the City Council, consent and permit that Messrs. Ackerly & Hop¬ kins may continue the boring of the artesian well for an additional 500 feet, at the price of $7 for the first. 100 feet, at $8 per foot for the second 100 feet, at $9 per foot for the third 100 feet, at $10 per foot for the fourth 100 feet and $11 per foot for the fifth 100 feet - the county to pay two-thirds of the above amount and the city one-third." When the full depth of 2,500 feet had been reached, there was yet no water, and some doubts were entertained in reference to the propriety of further appropriations for the purpose of reaching a I greater depth.

Mr. Hopkins, on the 18th of June, 1875, submitted a proposition to drill the well 500 feet deeper, for $11.54 per foot, the city to pay $4.21; and the county. $7.33 per foot, which offer was accepted, and the work continued to pro¬ gress with all the rapidity practicable, for a considerable time without satisfactory result.

From all that appears to the contrary, this agreement was literally carried out; and yet the anticipations of the projectors were not fully realized, though the well had been sunk to the depth of more than three thousand feet. How¬ ever, on the 22d day of January, 1876, the following proprosition was submitted by Mr. Hopkins, for the consideration of the Board. The proposition is thus ! stated :

"Comes now J. Hopkins, and proposes to the Board thatdie will, at his own expense, tube the artesian well, for the purpose of ascertaining if the water will flow by so doing; aud, if by tubing, he fails to get flowing water, he will then test the well for gas - provided, however, that, if he obtains gas in sufficient quantity to make it profitable for illuminating purposes, then the said Hopkins shall have one-half of the benefit arising from the .use of said gas; but, if he obtains flowing water, he shall have no interesLor benefit in it whatever." This proposition was accepted by the Board, on condition that the city of Fort Wayne would accede thereto.

Fort Wayne Gas-Ligiit Company

was organized in the summer of 1855, and commenced operations October 15 of that year. The original stockholders, as near as c.in be ascertained, at this time, were John Hough, Joseph Stratton, Comparet, Hubbel#& Co., Hill & Orbison,

John Brown aud John Drake, of Fort Wayne ; Elijah Barker, Barker & Noble, Mrs. H. M. Haskell, Harvey B. Spelman, Silas Merchant and J. L. B. Cobb, of Cleveland. The original capital was $225,000.

On Tuesday, May 4, 1858, an election was held to decide the question as to whether the streets should be lighted with gas, which was decided in the affirmative.

In 1873, the contract terminated, and a contract was entered into with the Globe Gas-Light Company to light the streets with kerosene for two years. On the expiration of that contract, a new one was made with the Gas-Light Com¬ pany for five years, which has not expired as yet.

Globe Gas Light Company

was organized for the purpose of lighting the suburbs of the city, outside of where the gas mains are laid, with kerosene. Under a contract with the city, which expires in May, 1880, they now light 260 lamps.

Water-Works Of The City Of Fort Wayne

On August 5, 1879, the citizens of Fort Wayme authorized, by a majority vote, the construction of a system of Water- Works, and at the same time, the following gentlemen were chosen as Commissioners to execute their construction : Charles McCulloch, Henry Monning and Chris Boseker. Afterward, J D. Cook was employed as engineer, to superintend the construction, at a salary of $2,500 per annum. Subsequently a salary of $150 per annum was affixed for each of the Commissioners on October 21, 1879, the following contracts were let:

The whole amount now foots up at $236,865.36. Mr. Co ik's estimate was $270,000, and deducting the aggregate contracts from the estimate of Mr. Cook, there is $33,134.36 to fall upon for contingencies.

At this time, October 22, the first ground is being broken and all necessary preparations are being made to prosecute the work on to completion.

City Scrip

On January 1, 1863, the city of Fort Wayne authorized the issue of a series of city scrip, of the following denominations : 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents, 5 cents. These were all on a white paper and were 6] by 21 inches in size. They subse¬ quently changed the issue and put out a new one of the same denominations, but reduced to 51 by 21 inches. This scrip was finally redeemed, having been circu¬ lated only to meet the demands of a scarcity of small change, occasioned by the drawing out of silver during the rebellion.

City Hospital

This Hospital was established in the autumn of 1868 ; the first location was on the southwest corner of Main and Cass streets (old residence of William S. Edsall). They remained here,«however, but a very short time, when they removed to their present location, on the southeast corner of Hanna and Lewis streets, this, a very convenient two-story brick building, commodious enough to meet the demands, has been secured for a number of years. We append below the present Trustees : L. M. Winde, William Maier, Henry Tons, D. B. Strope, O. Hanna, A. F. Sieman, C. L. Smith, M. L. Albrecht, J. F. Thieine.

And Firemen For 1879 Police Force

In May, 1873,. the police force of th|fcity of Fort Wayne was established, with a chief and three subordinates ; a was fitted up on the east side of Court street, south of Berry, LotBp, original plat. This building con¬ tinues up to the present time as headqutmers, is of brick, two stories high, and about twenty feet front; has an office in front about 18x20 feet, and cells in the rear, consisting of iron cages, two in number. The following are the regular order of the chiefs, with the names of the present force :

Fort Wayne Sentinel. - The Sentinel, which is, with one or two exceptions, the oldest paper in the State, and, in fact, one of the oldest in the West, made its first appearance on the 6th day of July, 1833. The publishers were Thomas Tigar and S. V. B. Noel, two men who did their full share toward laying the foundations of Fort Wayne's present greatness, and who were honored and respected by all who knew them. Mr. Tigar was a Democrat and Mr. Noel a Whig ; hence, the paper, when first issued, was neutral in politics. It was, of course, small in size and very primitive in appearance, but its publication was an event of great importance and benefit to Fort Wayne, which then had a popula¬ tion of less than three hundred. The resources of the Sentinel were small, and, of course, it had a hard struggle to live, but it managed to survive, and has passed through many trials and vicissitudes, until now, at the age of nearly fifty, it is one of the most prominent aud prosperous journals in the State. The firat number of the Sentinel was issued from the old Masonic Hall building, which was then located on Lot 154, original plat, on the north side of Columbia street, east of Harrison. Mr. Noel's connection with the paper was brief, and in a few months he retired, disposing of his interest to Mr. Tigar. Under this gentle¬ man's management, the Sentinel became an avowed Democratic organ, and it has ever since that time, with the exception of a very brief interval, been a firm and steadfast supporter of the Democratic party.

Mr. Tigar labored under the disadvantages which were inseparable from journalism in those days. He labored manfully and hopefully, however, and managed to issue the Sentinel, with considerable regularity, until 1837, when he disposed of it to the late Hon. George W. Wood, who made the paper a Whig

Mr. Wood conducted the Sentinel three years, and, in 1840, it again changed hands, the Hon. I. D. G. Nelson, father of one of the preseut proprietors, becoming its owner. Mr. Nelson made the Sentinel again a Democratic journal, but he carried on the paper only until January, 1841, when he sold it to Mr. Tigar, one of its founders, who remained its sole proprietor for nearly a quarter of a century.

The struggles of Messrs. Tigar, Wood and Nelson to establish the Sentinel, are plainly indicated by an examination of its. early files. Its leading editorials were usually appeals- for money from delinquent subscribers, or if money could not be given, then for wood, produce, provisions, etc. Mr. Nelson, in. his valedic¬ tory, complained bitterly of the meager support the paper received. Mr. Tigar was endowed liberally with those desirable faculties - patience, perseverance and industry - and altough he found the road a long, weary , one, lie plodded faithfully along, and finally achieved success. Slowly but surely, the Sentinel gained in circulation, in influence, and in general business. It wys. under his management, a reliable exponent of Democracy, and a faithful champion of the moral and material interests of Fort Wayne. It advocated every measure calculated to improve and benefit the city, and its growth was inseparably connected with the progress of Fort Wayne.

Under Mr. Tigar's management, the Sentinel gradually, but steadily, im¬ proved as a newspaper. From time to time, its size was enlarged, the amount of reading matter increased, the mechanical appearance of the paper improved, and its facilities expanded. On the 1st day of January, 1861, Mr. Tigar took a long step forward, by issuing the first number of the Daily Sentinel. He had seen the rise and fall of a number of opposition papers. In 1865, when he retired from journalism, the only other papers in the city were the Gazette and flic Times.

Mr. Tigar disposed of the paper to W. H. Dills and I. W. Campbell, who were the proprietors of the Times, which they had purchased a short time pre¬ viously from the late Hon. John W. Dawson. The two papers were merged under the name of the Fort Wayne Times and Sentinel.

On the 15th of January of the following year (1866), Messrs. Dills A Campbell sold the Times and Sentinel to E. Zimmerman, now proprietor of the 1 Valparaiso Messengei and Eli W. Brown (now proprietor of the Columbia City

Post). These gentlemen dropped the name of Times and Sentinel , and substituted I that of Democrat. Among othe d^iprovements they introduced was steam power. Mr. Brown retained his pHil ownership of the Democrat until the sprin" of 1868, when he disposed >>qHs interest to Judge Robert Lowry. The firm name then became Lowry & ZimSrmun. In the fall of the same year there was another change. Mr. Zimmermaa retired, and the publishers were K. L). Dumm, L. A. Brunner and Jnd;;e rjwry, the Ann beiug known as Dumm, Brunner & Cu. Mr. Brunner withdrew from the firm early in 1870, his inter¬ est having been acquired by Hon. William Fleming, now Treasurer of State, who shortly afterward bought Judge Lowry s interest. The firm was It. D. Dumm & Co. , _ .

Early in 1870, the Democrat was purchased by a firm known as Burt & Tucker, who, however, only published it for a few issues, when it reverted to It.

D Dumm & Co. John W. Henderson and Frank Finste held for a time an interest in the paper. It. D. Dumm & Co. issued the Daily Democrat for a brief period as a morning paper, but the experiment proving unsatisfactory, was soon abandoned, and publication iu the evening resumed.

On the 30th of January, 1873, there was another change. The time-hon¬ ored name of Sentinel was restored, and Dumm & Fleming became the name of the firm. Under this proprietorship, the paper was published until the 1st of April, 1874, when it was purchased by the Sentinel Printing Company, a corpor¬ ation including among its stockholders Hons. A. H. Hamilton, 11. C. Bell, and William Fleming, S. B. Bond, M. Hamilton, F. H. W<Jlke, and other well-known citizens.

The next change was in the spring of 1877, when the paper became the property of the Hon. William Fleming, \vho conducted it until the 16th of April, 1879, when it was purchased by the present proprietors, W. R. Nelson and S. E. Morss. The consideration was 830,000. The firm name is Nelson & Morss.

The Sentinel has been issued from five different locations. Its first removal was to a building on the corner of Clinton and Columbia streets, since destroyed by fire. In 1850, it. was removed to the Phoenix Block, which was its home until 1868, when it was removed to the Wolke Block, corner of Calhoun and Wayne streets. The present building was erected in the spring of 1875, aud is located at No. 107 Cdhoun street. It is one of the neatest, handsomest and best arranged newspaper buildings in the State. It's of brick, 25x70 feet in size, three stories high, with a basement. In the basement is the engine and press room. The first floor contains the counting-room and book-bindery ; the second floor, the job printing department, and the third floor, the editorial and composing rooms. The building is lighted with gas, heated by steam and supplied with all the modern improvements. The motive power is furnished by a large steam engine. The presses are five in number. The newspaper is printed on a large d mble cylinder Hoe press, racing a capacity of 5,000 sheets per hour. There -are two Gordon presses and two Taylor presses in use in the job .department.

The Daily Sentinel has an average circulation of 4,500 copies, which is constantly increasing. This is larger than that of any other daily paper in the State, outside of Indianapolis. The weekly edition is 2,200 copies, and is also increasing. The daily is a folio 22x31 iu size ; the weekly, a quarto, just twice the size of the daily.

The Sentinel, 'in both editions, prints a large amount of reading matter, including the Associated Press Telegrams. The paper is conducted with marked ability and enterprise, and need uot fear comparison with any journal in the State.

In the various departments of the Sentinel, sixty-three hands are employed, not including those engaged in distributing the daily in the various towns and villages where it is circulated.' The several departments are in charge of the following foremen : Job Department, R. A. Mears; Composing-Room, W. E. McDermit . Bindery, Joseph Strickland ; Press-Room, Frank Keith ; Counting- Room, E. W. Cook and A. C. Katt ; Circulation, E. L. Cotterell ; Advertising Department, Frank J. Wolf.

When we compare the Sentinel of 1879, with that, of 1833, note the differ¬ ence in the size and style of the paper then and now, contrast the double cylinder Hoe press of 1879, wi*h its capacity of 5,000 sheets per hour, and the primitive Stansberry wooden press of 1833. which could only turn off a few scores of po >rly printed sheets in an hour ; when we note the number of hands employed now, and think, that in 1833, one man, witli occasional help from a small boy, did the entire work of the office ; when these comparisons are made, we can but admit that the Sentinel has kept fully abreast (if not a little in advance) of the progress of Fort Wayne.

In May, 1843. Thomas Tigar commenced the publication of a German paper called Der Deutsche Beobachter von Indiana ; Dr. C. Smitz, editor; Thomas Tigar, printer.

A German paper was published here, begun in 1856, called the Fort Wayne Democrat. E. Engler, editor. The paper, however, was irregular in its issues.

The Evening Transcript , office southeast corner of Calhoun and Columbia streets. This paper was published by William Latham and Henry Cosgrove, and the first number was issued Jauuary 1, 1859 ; it was a daily sheet, and suspended in about one month.

. The Indiana Freemason, a monthly; Sol. D. Bayless, editor. Its publica¬ tion began in January, 1859, but was soon discontinued. It was again revived in 1876-77, but was again discontinued after the issue of the second number. R. C. F. Rayhouser was the printer.

The Casket was issued from the Methodist College, being made up of con¬ tributions by the students. It was commenced in 1851 and was printed in the Sentinel office.

The Plow Boy, an agricultural pamphlet of six sheets and a pink back, 10L\71, with the motto ou the outside, " Cultivate the mind and the soil," continued about two years ; II. D. Turner, editor and proprietor.

The True Democrat began in 1852, published by R. C. F. Rayhouser ; con¬ tinued only a few months when it was merged with the Laurel Wreath, a liter¬ ary paper, Thomas Cook, editor, continued until 1854, when it was. sold to D. W. Burroughs, and the Standard and Weekly (Abolition), started in its stead.

In November, 1854, the first daily appeared, published by Mr. Cook, and called the Daily Standard. In March, 1856, Mr. Cook sold to R. D. Turner, and the daily was discontinued and the Fort Wayne Jeffersonian started in its stead, with Mr. Turner as editor and proprietor. In March, 1858, the last num¬ ber of the Fort Wayne Jeffersonian was issued.

In the closing and beginning of the years 1855-56, a literary paper, called the Summit City Journal, was smarted, at the instance of the Young Men's Lit¬ erary Association ; it was discontinued in March of the same year.

In July, 1856, the Fort Wayne Journal began (a campaign -paper), Wood & Kimball, editors; discontinued at the close of the Presidential cinvass.

In May, 1858, the Fort Wayne Weekh/ Republican, P. P. Baily, editor ; on the 1st of January, 1859, he started the Fort Wayne Daily Republican. On March 28, 1860, Mr. Baily sold to John Dawson, and it was merged to the Fort Wayne Times.

The Fort Wayne Times, a Whig paper, was established in 1841, by George W. Wood. In 1842, he sold to Henry W. Jones, who continued it without change until the end of the year 1844. In March, 1844, Mr. Wool commenced a campaign paper called the People's -P/'ess.and continued it through the President¬ ial campaign, when it was merged into the Fort Wayne Times and People s 1 ress. In March, 1848, T. N. Hood and Warren II. Withers purchased this paper and continued it without change until August 31, 1849, when Mr. Withers retired and George W. Wood was admitted. Messrs. Hood & Wood continued until September 7, 1853, when Mr. Wood leased his interest to John W. Dawson and T. N. Hood for one year. Messrs. Dawson & Hood changed the name to the Fort Wayne Times and continued for a few months, when Mr. Hood sold his interest to Messrs. Dawson & Wood, who continued without change until Sep¬ tember 1, 1854, when Mr. Wood retired and Mr. Dawson continued. On July 16, 1854, he besan issuing the Fort Wayne Daily Times , and continued it until the 16th day of July, 1856, when he discontinued it. On February 1, 1859, it was revived, and continued until October, 1864. The office and press-room were located on the northeast corner of Columbia and Clinton streets, second and third stories, known as the " Times Building," which was Durned March 28, 1860, and rebuilt immediately. In 1865, Henry Dills and Isaac W. Campbell, purchased the Fort Wayne Times office of J. W. Dawson. They did not, however, con¬ tinue the is>ue of the paper, running only the job office. This they continueduntil 1866, when they merged it in the Fort Wayne Sentinel, and called it the Times and Sentinel, which they at that time purchased. In 1866, Messrs. Dills & Camp¬ bell moved the office to the northwest corner of Main and Calhoun streets, third story.

In 1852, R. C. F. Rayhouser started the True Democrat , which he con¬ tinued for a few months, when he sold to Thomas Cook, who, in May, started the Laurel Wreath, a literary paper, which he continued until in June, 1854, when he sold it to D. W. Burroughs, who started the Standard, with Charles Case, and John Hough, Jr., as editors ; this, a weekly, was continued in the advocacy of Abolition, Free School and Prohibition Doctrines. In November, 1854, he began the publication of a daily called the Daily Standard, continuing both unril in March, 1856, when he sold to R. D. Turner, who discontinued them and founded the Fort Wayne Jeffersonian. The paper was familiarly known as the " Zebra," (on account of the heading being in striped letters) ; this he continued until in March, 1858, when it was discontinued.

The Fort Wayne Gazette. - The Fort Wayne Daily Gazette was established in 1863, by D. W. Jones, who was induced to move his printing materials from Grant County, Ind., to Fort Wayne, and commence the publication of a paper in the interest of the Union people of Allen County. On the 4th day ot May, 1863, the first number was issued from its office, at the northeast corner of Col¬ umbia and Clinton streets. It was published as an evening paper, being a sixcolumn folio, D. W. Jones, editor and proprietor.

A few months later, Hon. Isaac Jenkinson purchased an interest in the con¬ cern, and became editor. The office was, soon after this arrangement, removed to No. 23 West Columbia street, next door to Hill & Orbison's commercial warehouse, occupying the second floor of the building. A new drum cylinder printing press and a portable engine were added to the outfit of the office, and on the 2Uth of October, same year, the Gazette was printed by steam-power, the first successful steam printing house in Fort Wayne.

In March, 1864, Mr. Jones, owing to ill health, retired, disposing of his interest in the paper to Homer C. Hartman. The new firm of Jenkinson & Hartman enlarged the paper to a seven-column folio. The business was carried on by this firm until 1867, when Mr. Hartman retired, and Mr. Jenkinson became sole proprietor. In October, 1868, Mr. Jenkinson sold a third interest to James R. Willard, and a third interest to Amos R. Wright, and in the spring ot 1869, he sold his entire interest to the above parties. The office of the Gazette was about the same time removed to Calhoun street, opposite the Court House. On November 1, 1869, the G-zette was changed from an evening to a morning daily, and Mr. Wright became sole proprietor. Some years later, the concern was leased by Robert G. McNice and D. S. Alexander, for a term of years. At the expiration of the lease the Gazette became the property of a joint-stock company, managed in turn by D. S. Alexander and J. J. Grafton. The stock was pur¬ chased eventually by J. B. White, who sold a half-interest to Gen. Reub Williams

July, 1876, the Gazette was purchased by the Keil Brothers, who have greatly enlarged the materials and machinery of the coucern, an improvement needed to enable them to meet the increased demands in the job and news department. The Gazette Company is now printing, in addition to the daily and weekly Ga¬ zette, over one hundred papers on the co-operative plan, distributed through the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky. The Gazette Com¬ ply employ sixty-three men and boys in the different departments connected with the establishment. It has four steam newspaper presses, and six steam job presses, with the necessary machinery to carry on the work of publishing. A stereotyping machine is also in successful operation, by which much of the matter used is stereotyped daily. The power is furnished by a twenty horse-power engine. 1 he Gazette is the leading morning daily paper in Northern Indiana ; advocates the Republican ideas in politics ; favors a sound currency, based on coin, as the only safe and honest currency. It had no sympathy in the least with the Green¬ back idea, and in that respect stood almost alone in the State, combating the futile ideas advocated by those drawn into the Greenback craze. Under its present man¬ agement, the Gazette has gained a prosperity not previously enjoyed. Tile daily has recently been enlarged to an eight-column folio, and the weekly to a sevtncolumn quarto, being one of the largest weekly papers in Indiana.

The Dispatch is a weekly newspaper, issued every Thursday by Mitchell & Co. Janies Mitchell, editor; Frank Orff, business manager. Tile Dispatch was founded by its present editor, who i-sued the first number on the 10th of September, 187S. In January, 1879, Frank Orff became a partner with James Mitchell in the publication of the paper. The Dispatch is National Greenback in politics, and has already attained a large circulation in Allen and adjoinin'' counties.

Branch of the State Bank of Indiana. - The Fort Wayne branch of this bank was organized in August, 1835, and commenced business in a small brick building on the south side of Columbia street, west of Clinton, Lot 50, original plat. They continued here until in the spring of 1838, wheu they removed to the southwest corner of Main and Clinto-i streets, Lots 1, 2, Branch Bank Sub. The following were the first officers elected, Allen Hamilton holding the office of temporary President until the election of a permanent one: Allen Hamilton was elected President November 2, 1835, and continued in office until July 13, 1841, when he resigned and Samuel Hanna was elected. Samuel Hanna, Presi¬ dent; Hugh McCulloch, Cashier. Directors - Hugh Hanna, William Rockhill, William G. Ewing, Samuel Sowers, Joseph Morgan, Francis Comparet, Isaac Spencer, Joseph Sinclair, Jesse Vermilyea, Asa Fairfield, Samuel Lewis,' David Burr, Samuel Edsall, Allen Hamilton. The organization continued business until the expiration of their charter, January 1, 1856, when it was re-organized as the Branch of the Bank of the State <>J Indiana. - This organization continued in the same place, and elected the following officers and Directors: Hugh McCulloch, President ; Charles D. Bond, Cashier. Directors - Hugh McCul¬ loch, Oehmig Bird, William Mitchell, Pliny Hoagland, Melancthon W. Hubbcll, Hugh B. lleed, B. W. Oakley. In 1865, it was merged into the

Fort Wayne National Bank. - The following officers and Directors were elected: Jesse L. Williams, President; Pliny Hoagland, Vice President; Jared D. Bnnd, Cashier. Soon after this organization, Charles D. Bond was elected President, vice J. L. Williams, resigned. Mr. Bond continued in office up to the time of his death in December, 1873. S. B. Bond was elected President in Jan¬ uary, 1874. The following are the present officers and Directors: Stephen B. Bond, President; Pliny Hoagland, Vice President; Jared D. Bond, Cashier ; James C. Woodworth, Assistant Cashier. Directors - Jesse L. Williams, Pliny Hoagland, Oliver P. Morgan, Montgomery Hamilton, Stephen B. Bond. The capital stock of this bank is 8356,000 ; surplus fund. $125,000.

Allen Hamilton Co. - In 1853, Allen Hamilton, Hugh McCulloch and Jesse L. Williams formed a partnership and organized the above-named company to prosecute the business of discount and deposit. These gentlemen continued this business without change, on the west side of Clinton street, south of Colum¬ bia, Lot 57, original plat, until in 1855, when Stephen B. Bond was admitted, and further until I860, when Charles McCulloch was likewise admitted as a partner. Thus they continued until in 1862, when, after having consummated the neces¬ sary arrangements - furnishing capital, etc. - with the heirs of George Depler, deceased, for the construction of a suitable building, they moved to their present location, and here enlarged and continued the business as Allen Hamilton & Co. until June 1, 1874, when the firm was dissolved. Immediately upon the disso¬ lution, a new organization was effected under the banking laws of the State of Indiana, with the following officers and Directors, and under the name of Hamilton Bank. - Charles McCulloch, President; John Mohr, Jr., Cashier; Joseph D. Mohr, Assistant Cashier. Directors - Charles McCulloch, Jesse L. Williams, Montgomery Hamilton, William Fleming, Frederick Eckert, August Trentman, Edward P. Williams, Report of the condition of the Hamilton Bank at Fort Wayne, Ind., at the close of business November 6, 1879 :

This i organization, with n capital stock of 8200,000, enjoyed a daily average deposit of $350,000, and had a surplus of 836,000. In November, 1870 this bank was merged into

ID Wwjk"nt*' National Bank. - (Discontinued.) - Organized March 15 1865; chartered May 1, 1865. The first location of this bank was on the northwest corner of Berry and Calhoun streets, Lut No. 106 original plat; it was afterward removed to the northwest corner of Main md Calhoun streets, Lot No. 77, original plat, where it remained until discon¬ tinued.

Bai ey, President and Vice-President ; Dwight Klinck, Cashier ; Directors, P. P. Badey S. D Bayl.ss D. F. Comparet, G. L. Little and John Studebaker in July, 1866, S. C. Evans was elected President. On Dec. 13, 1865, Dwight Klinck resigned; and in July, 1866, Dr. John I. Irwin was elected to fill the vacant cashiership, and continued until February, 1873, when he resigned - and January, 1874, C. M. Dawson was elected. Mr. Dawson was appointed Assist¬ ant Cashier to serve in the interim. The following is an exhibit of the bank, prior to us closing: Authorized capital. $300,001) ; paid-up capital, 8100,000- deposits for 1874, $75,000; surplus capital, in 1*874 $11,000. S. C. Evans' President; R. S. Robertson, Vice President ; C. M. Dawson, Cashier. Directors' S. C. Evans, R. S. Robertson,. H. C. Manna, N. P. Stoekbridge and C. M.' Dawson.

f irst Notional lianit. - ' The First National Bank of Fort Wayne was organized in May, 1803, with an authorized capital of 8560,000. Upon the organization the following officers w.-nt elected : .Joseph D. Nuttmim President Samuel Hanna, 'Vice President; William B. Fisher, Cashier; J. D. Nuriman' Joseph Brackenridge, John Brown, John Orff', John M, Miller, A. S. Kvan.\ W. II. Withers, Fred Nirdlinger, A. D. Brandriff, Directors. Paid-up capital' 8100,000 ; increased July 1,1863,850,000; July 1, I860, $50,000; Dee. 1, 1871, SI 00, 000; May 1,1874, 850,000; $50,000. Total, $400,000. Paidup capital was afterward reduced 25 per cent, the business continuing on a capi¬ tal of $300,000 up to the present time. In July, I860, Samuel Hanna died, and John Orff was elected to fill the vacancy of Vice President. In August, 1871, Lem Hartman was appointed Assistant Cashier. In December, 187 f, he was elected to fill the office of Cashier, vice William B. Fisher, resigned. The following are the present officers of the bank: J. D. Nuttman, President; O. A. Simons, Vice President; L. H. Hartman, Cashier; J. D. Nuttman, 0! A. Simons, A. D. Brandriff, J, M. Miller, A. S. Evans, B. D. Miner, .J. II. Bass, Fred Eckert, J. M. Nuttman, Directors.

John M. Miller Post Office, Postmasters And Mails

The first Postmaster was Samuel Hanna, appointed in 1822 ; his office was one door east of Colerick's Hall, on Lot No. 36, original plat. He was succeeded by Henry J. Rudisill, Sr., who kept the office in a frame building on the north side of Columbia street, between Calhoun and Clinton, on Lot No. 43, original plat. He was succeeded by Oliver Fairfield, who was located in the same build¬ ing. He was succeeded by Smallwood Noel, who still remained in the same place, until he was succeeded by William Stewart, in 1845, who removed it to his own lot, on the west side of Calhoun street, between Berry and Main, on Lot No. 102, original plat. In 1849, Samuel Stophlet was appointed, and lie removed the office to the east side of Calhoun street, between Columbia and Main, on Lot No. 7b, old plat, about three doors north of the corner of Main street. At the burning of the block immediately opposite, he removed to the southwest corner ol Main and Calhoun streets, Lot No. 80, original plat, the present site of Mengel's new block. In 1853, John G. Maier was appointed, being the first appointment made by the President, prior to which they were appointed by the Postmaster General, not requiring the consent of the Senate. During Mr. Maier's administration, he received the first letters by railroad ; they were three in number, addressed as follows : 11. W. Taylor.

The office was located first on the south side of Columbia street, about three doors west of Clinton, on Lot No. 57, origiual plat. He subsequently moved around the corner on Clinton street, west side, north of the alley, south of Colum¬ bia street, Lot 57, original plat. In 1861, Moses Drake ^was appointed ; he remained in same office for a short time, and then removed to Robinson's Block, near Robinson House, on Lot No. 563, Hanna's Addition. He again removed it, after having refitted and inaugurated the present box S3'stem, etc., to its present location, on the east side of Court street, Lot No. 85, original plat.

Mr. Drake, while serving out a second term, died, and Peter P. Bailey was appointed to serve out the unexpired term ; afterward, Jacob Kamm was appoint¬ ed, who continued until a successor was appointed. During Mr. Kamrn's admin¬ istration, the office was enlarged to meet the growing demands of the mail, as well as more convenience in office room, the building was continued through to Clinton street. Subsequently, the carrier system went into effect, with general re-arrangement of the office, such as a stamp department, money order and regis¬ tered letter office, etc.

Early Mails

" The first regular mail was in 1822 or 1823; Maumee mail once a week by horseback from Maumee and Piqua, Ohio. The mail carriers had to camp out one night on the route ; the trips were made regular, but frequently came through with empty mail bags. The Chicago mail came through by Fort Wayne on foot, and was carried one^trip by a Mr. Bird, some years dead, who lived in Pleasant Township on the Bluflton road. Wm. Suttentield took the first contract to carry the mail (Maumee mail); John Ohman was carrier. In 1845, the Maumee mail was transferred to the packets on the canal. In 1855, it was transferred to the railroad.''

Packet Line. - In 1848, Doyle & Dickey run a daily line of packets, leav¬ ing La Fayette Monday, March 27, 1848, at 10 o'clock A. M., arriving at Fort Wayne at 6 o'clock P. M. A daily line was run from Covington, Ind., to Toledo, Ohio. The line was continued in 1851, as Doyle & Co.

Stage Line. - July, 1851, Doyle &, Hoskinsou established a tri-weekly stage line to St. Mary's, Ohio, with a four-horse coach, connecting with Samuel Doyle's line of packets, to Dayton and Cincinnati, Ohio. Office in the Hedekin House.

George Phillips continued a daily line to Maysville, Allen County, carrying the mail in 1849 - the last of the Mohicans. Asa Fairfield came here in 1834 ; in June, 1835, he rau the first canal-boat on the canal from Fort Wayne to Hunt¬ ington. This was called the Indiana.

The first omnibus line was started in February, 1857, by James Walker ; the office was in the city bank, on Clinton street; present office with F. P. Randall.

Hack lines were subsequently run to the following points : Daily to Bluffton until completion of Muncie Railroad mail ; daily to Decatur until completion of Richmond Railroad mail ; daily to Kendallville until completion of Grand Rapids Indiana Railroad mail ; three times a week to Butler until the com¬ pletion of Jacksonville & Southeastern Railroad mail ; mail over route on horse¬ back to Liberty Mills until E. R. V. Railroad ; mail over route via stage to Marion until about 1853-54. Zanesville and Maysville hacks and mail still continue.

Canal Notes. - The first sale of canal lands was at Logansport, in October, 1830, and at Fort Wayne in October, 1832. Legislature appropriations was in the winter of 1831-32.

The commission of W. and E. C. met at Fort Wayne February 22, 1832, to carry into effect the provision of the Legislature, which required work to commence on or before March, 1832. A large concourse of people assembled on the ground west of town, when C. W. Ewing delivered an oration, after which Jordan Vigus, one of the Commissioners, with raised pick, said : "I am now about to

In the spring of 1834, the feeder canal was finished from the dam on St. Jo to the town. Water was let in in June, 1834. F. P. Tinkham built a boat and launched it in the feeder, and took a pleasure party to the dam on July 4, 1834.

Mail Routes - In 1849, Maumee route, three times a week, packet; Lo¬ gansport route, three times a week, packet; Piqua route, three times a week, stage; Elkhart route, twice a week, stage; Winchester route, twice a week, stage, Whitley - route, once a week, stage; White Pigeon route, once a week, stage; Coldwater route, once a week, stage ; St. Jo route, once a week, stage; Bluffton, once a week, stage. In 1858 - Sturgis route, daily, stage ; St. Marys, three times a week, stage; Bluffton route, twice a week, stage; Auburn route, twice a week, stage ; Goshen, twice a week, stage ; Winchester, twice a week, horseback ; St. Jo. Ohio route, once a week, horseback ; Liberty Mills, once a week, horse¬ back ; Hicksville, once a week, horseback ; Marion, once a week, horseback.

The First Daily Mail. - On Saturday evening, September 2, 1S43, the cit¬ izens of Fort Wayne held a meeting at the American House (Spencer House) for the purpose of securing a daily mail line between Toledo and La Fayette, via canal, in winter on horseback. Samuel Hama, Chairman ; S. C. Newton, Secre¬ tary; L. S. Chittenden, J. L. Williams and Hugh McCulloch, Executive Com¬ mittee. 4 '

March 19, 1847, a memorial to Congress was presented to establish a daily mail between Fort Wayne and Toledo, Ohio, by packets in summer and horse-back in winter.

Fort Avayne Saengeiibund

On the 8th day of February, 1869, the above-named organization was effected, with the following members and officers; John M. Koch, George Hare, Julius Kabish, E. Heinlein, Jack Hehs, E. F. Haberkorn, Frank Ott, Nicholas Huber, Christian Raquett, Andrew Foster, William Hahn, C. C. Gates, H. Haberkorn, Henry Lapp, Louis Hartslein, G. T. Brubeach, Samuel Freeman, Christian Hoff¬ man, Valentine Linker, Louis Wolf, Christian Wenninghoff, Otto Cummerrow, Herman Hertung, Charles Draeger, Henry Elbreght, George Strodel, Fred Michaels, George Biemer, Louis Bender, Herrman Shnure, Fred Uebelhuer, C. W. Jacobs, Christian Hettler, William Leuhrinan, A. Ruth, Gotleib Unger. John M. Koch, President; P. Raquett, Secretary; Julius Kabish, Treasurer; J. J. Weber, Musical Director.

The organization was effected in Kabish's Hall, on the north side of Main street, west of Calhoun, third floor, Lot 78, original plat. In 1870, they removed to Immel's Hall, on the south side of Berry, near Court street, Lot 110, original plat, and, in 1872, they removed to their present location, over George Strodel's, south side of Main street, between Clinton and Barr streets, Lot 60, original plat, La Fayette Hall.

On the 16th day of December, 1873, they were chartered as the Fort Wayne Saengerbund, with the following officers and members: William Hahn, Jacob Hehns, Frank Meyer, Emanuel Heinlein. J. M. Josse and John M. Koch as charter members. Emiel Haberkorn, President; Charles Drager, Recording Sec¬ retary ; Henry Lapp, Financial Secretary ; George Strodel, Treasurer ; P. Medler,

The following conventions have been attended in a body : North American Saengerbund in 1870, C. Raquett and Jack Hess, Delegates, Cincinnati, Ohio ; Toledo, Ohio, 1871; Cleveland, Ohio, 1875; Louisville, Ky., 1877; Cincinnati, Ohio, 1879.

Martial Bands

Fairfield's Band organized in 1846. John Fairfield, Charles Edwards, snare drummers; James Humbert, bass drummer; Steven Sythens and David Lunsford, Fife Majors. The organization was disbanded in 1864.

Chamberlain's Band - This was the first band here of any kind ; was or¬ ganized in 1840. Orff Chamberlain and William Chamberlain, snare drummers; Henry Chamberlain, bass drummer; Henry Smith and John Waters, Fife Majors.

Business Directories

Propr. i remnnt House Barber Shop Mnfr. of flarncss, Dealer in Saddles, Whips, etc. ; Every Style, Cheap as the Cheapest- !r. in China, Glass & Queensware Mnfr. and Dealer in Pu liolesale Denier in Liq impr., Whol. & Ret. Dir. in Breech & Muzzle Loading Guns, Revolv¬ ers, Fishing Tackle, Ainmunitior nsurance, Real Estate & Loan Agl Dir. in Wines, Liquors and Choict

Dealer in Dry Goods and Millinery Plumber, Steam & Gas Fitter. Dir. in Iron & Lead Pipc.Wnslistands, Bath Tubs, Brass Goods, Etc... Street Commissioner, Ft. Wayne. Manfr. & Dealer in Pearl Cigars.. Supt. South. Div. G.R. & I.R K Dealer in %s, Paper Stock. Hides. Pells, Furs,