The city of Erie is
located on a gentle slope extending south about two miles and a half from
the bay of Presque Isle. The elevations of the bank along the bay front,
beginning at Parade street and running west on Second, are as follows:
Parade street, 19 feet; German, 58 feet; Holland, 59 feet; French, 58
feet; State, 56 feet; Peach, 59 feet; Sassafras, 63 feet; Myrtle, 63 feet;
Chestnut, 67 feet; Walnut, 70 feet; Cherry, 50 feet; Poplar, 61 feet; and
Liberty, 70 feet. Beginning at Second street and running south on State
the following elevations are given on the map in the water office: Second
street, 56 feet; Third, 65 feet; Fourth, 71 feet; Fifth, 75 feet; Sixth,
77 feet; Seventh, 82 feet; Eighth, 85 feet; Ninth, 88 feet; Tenth, 90
feet; Eleventh, 93 feet; Twelfth, 95 feet. The valley of Mill Creek now
coming in on State, we will cross over to Peach street, where Thirteenth
street has an elevation above the bay of 100 feet; Fourteenth, 104 feet;
Sixteenth, 120 feet; Eighteenth, 126 feet; Twenty-first, 144 feet;
Twenty-second, 157 feet; and Twenty-fifth, 194 feet, while the bottom of
the reservoir on Twenty-sixth street is 210 feet above the surface of
Presque Isle Bay.
The town site was originally covered with a dense growth of timber, and
divided into watersheds by the following streams: Garrison Run, Mill
Creek, Lee's Run, Little and Big Cascade Runs, and Ichabod Run, along each
of which deep ravines extended, affording first class facilities for
drainage. All of these streams emptied into the bay except Ichabod Run,
which was a tributary of Mill Creek, and once furnished motive power for a
brewery, distillery and woolen factory. In the improvement of the city, it
was taken into the sewer on Seventeenth street, and is now out of sight.
The sewer on Sassafras street took in the head-waters of Lee's Run, the
main body of the stream having disappeared with the building of the canal.
An immense ravine ran across the parks in first section, from their
southwest corner to the Ellsworth House, traces of which can be seen at
Second and other streets. People passed form one side of the town to the
other by going into the ravine and crossing a foot bridge that spanned a
stream of water which ran down to the bay. This ravine was gradually
filled up with the growth of the town, and the court house was built over
it where it crossed the West Park.
Erie, originally, was nearly all at the mouth of Mill Creek, and travelers
entered it by Parade and East Sixth streets, the latter intersecting the
lake road near the eastern limits of the town. From Mill Creek, Erie
gradually extended up Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets to
French. On the 29th of March, 1805, the General Assembly passed an act
erecting the first section into a borough, and the little settlement was
now on a fair road to prosperity. In 1808, William Davidson was paid $42
for clearing the timber off the public square, which at a subsequent day
the Town Council saw was an error, and again planted in trees. The growth
of Erie reached State street in a few years, for we find Robert Brown
erecting a stone hotel on the southwest corner of State and South Park
Row, the site of the Dime Savings Bank, in 1811; and there were also
thinly scattered settlements which in after years adopted local names,
such as Cloughsburg, Stumptown, New Jerusalem, Kingtown, Federal Hill,
Marvintown and South Erie.
Cloughsburg was named after Rufus Clough, a blacksmith, who located on the
southwest corner of Sixth and Parade streets, opened a blacksmith shop and
subsequently a grocery. The neighborhood, embracing from the creek to
Parade street and immediate vicinity, was a lively place sixty years ago.
The house of Charles M. Lynch, was the residence of Maj. Clough during the
latter part of his career.
Stumptown grew up during the war of 1812, when troops were called to Erie
in the extreme cold weather of January, 1814. A large number of cabins
were built by them for quarters, extending from Peach street to the gully
of Lee's Run, and that part of Erie was known, as late as 1825, by the
name of Stumptown.
New Jerusalem was christened by William Himrod, who in 1828-29 bought a
large number of lots west of Sassafras and north of Sixth street. At that
time, there were but two families living west of Lee's Run north of Sixth
street, excepting down upon the bank of the bay, where there were a few
scattering houses. Mr. Himrod, who resided on the northwest corner of
French and Second streets, seems to have been a Bible student, as he
called his own home "Jericho," because as he said it was on the
side of a hill, and upon laying off his new purchase named it "New
Jerusalem." It has been claimed that it was so named from the fact
that many of the purchasers of lots were Jews, while Mrs. Gallagher says
"the name of New Jerusalem was given to it because it was so hard to
get to." However, every purchaser had to build and occupy a house in
New Jerusalem as one of the conditions of sale, therefore the addition
soon became a bustling place, but with the course of time as the town
spread out, these local names gradually went out of use.
Kingtown was laid out by Alfred King, on some outlots owned by him a
little southeast of "Garrison Ground," a spot around which
clusters many of the earliest historical events of Northwestern
Pennsylvania.
Federal Hill is the summit of the hill in South Erie, a name given to it
be George Moore, on account of the large number of "Federals"
who resided there. It was quite a settlement as early as the war of 1812,
and there were several public houses and stores located at that point. One
of the hotels was the "American Eagle," from which it also came
to be known as Eagle Village. The village was a great stopping place for
travelers, being the terminus of the Waterford pike and Ridge road. It was
long the voting place of Mill Creek Township, and fifty years ago a mile
of woods lay between there and Erie. Among those who resided on
"Federal Hill" were George Moore, Capt. John Justice, Ira
Glazier, Dr. P. Faulkner, John Sweeney, Simeon Dunn, Dr. Plara Thayer and
other well-known citizens.
Marvintown was the home of Elisha Marvin, who lived at the "Sennett
place," near the junction of Parade street and the Wattsburg road,
had splendid grounds, and owned most of the land around. Being the
intersection of two roads, a small village sprang into existence, and in
1852-53 Mr. Marvin employed Samuel Low to lay out the land in lots. The
lots were sold principally to Germans, and finally Mr. Marvin disposed of
his home to Mr. Sennett.
South Erie grew up in consequence of the building of the Lake Shore
Railroad, which was finished to Erie January 10, 1852, and then called the
Erie & Northeast Railroad, but subsequently became a part of the Lake
Shore & Michigan Southern line. Much of it was owned by Maj. David
McNair, who lived close to his brewery on Turnpike street. He erected the
latter in 1815, added a distillery in 1823, and a grist mill in 1827.
South Erie was incorporated as a borough in 1866, and became a part of
Erie by the extension of the latter in 1870. The interests of all these
local points were identical with those of Erie, and they were, we might
say, suburban villages of the latter during its different periods of
growth, to be absorbed and lost sight of with the extension of the city
limits.
Few cities of the West can compare with Erie in its numerous attractions,
and around none center a deeper historic interest. It is nearly three
miles from east to west, and two from north to south, containing thirty
streets each way, or 150 miles of city highways. All streets running north
and south are the property of the State, and no person can ever gain an
ownership in them; also all east and west streets south to Twelfth; but
those between Twelfth and Twenty-sixth street, running east and west, were
taken from the outlots as originally laid out. East avenue and
Twenty-sixth street were formed from the gores resulting from lack of
agreement in subsequent surveys, growing out of a change in the variation
of the needle. The twelve outlots between Twenty-sixth and Twenty-eighth
streets, and Parade and East avenue, were laid out by Col. Thomas Forster,
without authority, but his survey was afterward legalized by the State
Legislature. Railroad street, on the west side of the cattle yards of the
Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, running southeast to the city limits
from East avenue on the west side of said railroad land, was granted to
the city, on account of the railroad company being exempted from liability
of their lands being crossed by east and west streets south of the Buffalo
road. State, Parade, Sixth, Tenth and Twelfth streets are 100 feet in
width, and the balance principally sixty, though some run under, and
portions of others over that figure.
Twenty years ago, a great share of the business was done around the parks.
The Reed House, Brown's Hotel, American House and Park House, as well as
the largest stores, were there, but with the passing years the business
center has gradually moved south on State street, which is now considered
the most valuable portion of Erie, and the principal thoroughfare of the
city. It is substantially paved, and lined on either side with fine
business blocks, some of which would do credit to a city of metropolitan
pretensions. Besides State street, which is paved from Front to Turnpike,
the following parts of the several streets here named have pavements:
Peach, from Second to Twenty-sixth; French, from Front to Tenth; Parade,
from Sixth to Eighteenth; Turnpike, from State to Peach; North and South
Park Rows; Fourth, from State to Sassafras; Fifth, from State to French;
Sixth, from the park east to Parade with stone, and west to Walnut with
asphalt; Ninth, from French to Peach with stone, and from Peach to
Chestnut with asphalt; Eleventh, from State to Parade; and Twelfth, from
State to Peach. Streets running east and west are numbered from State,
with all odd numbers of the south side of the street, while those running
north and south are numbered from Front, with the odd numbers on the east
side of the street. Between every street there are 100 numbers, so that a
stranger will have no difficulty in finding the location of any given
number in Erie.
Visitors coming to the city for the first time are impressed by the
activity in every department of business. After reaching the fine Union
Depot, located on Peach street, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth, the
business portion of Erie branches out toward the north and south,
extending from Twenty-sixth street to the bay, and presenting a very
substantial appearance. Where State street intersects Park Row are two
handsome public parks, extending east and west to French and Peach
streets, and from North to South Park Row, affording a delightful
promenade and resting-place during the summer months. These parks are cut
into artistic designs by asphalt walks, terminating at a beautiful
fountain in the center of each. These fountains were made in Philadelphia,
and erected in 1868 at a total cost of $3,237.98.
In the West Park and facing State street, is the Monument, erected
"In memory of the soldiers and sailors from Erie County who gave
their lives to save the Union." The bronze group consists of a
soldier and sailor, standing side by side, mutually supporting the
National flag, which hangs in graceful folds between them, the foot of the
staff resting upon the ground, the right hand of the soldier grasping it,
while his left is holding his rifle en traile. The sailor stands with his
left foot upon a coil of rope, his right hand grasping the pommel of his
sword, the point of which is placed upon the ground, while his left hand
carelessly rests upon the right, the scene representing the mutual
relation of these forces in sustaining the one flag. This group stands
upon a granite pedestal, eight feet square by twelve feet high, from the
marble works of Hallowell, Me., while the statuary was executed by the
Ames Company, of Chicopee, Mass., after a design by Ball. The work was
completed in the fall of 1872, and cost about $10,000. On the west side of
the pedestal is inscribed the following memorable quotation from Lincoln's
speech at Gettysburg: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall
not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth
of freedom; and that the government of the people, by the people, and for
the people, shall not perish from the earth." Immediately south of
the monument is a handsome drinking fountain, presented to the city in
1883 by George D. Selden, while across State street, in the East Park,
stands a neat band pagoda, and as a whole these parks add much to the
beauty of Erie.
Among the many fine buildings in the city, public and private, may be
mentioned the Court House and Jail, the Union Depot, the Marine Hospital,
the Custom House and Jail, the Union Depot, the Marine Hospital, the
Custom House, St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent's Hospital, Home for
the Friendless, the Firs Presbyterian Church, First Methodist Episcopal
Church, Park Presbyterian Church, St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church,
St. Mary's Catholic church and Benedictine Academy, and St. Peter's
Catholic Cathedral, which has been in process of erection for several
years, and when completed will be an edifice second to none in this
portion of Pennsylvania. Those of a private character principally
noteworthy are the Reed House, Scott's Block, Downing Block, Park Opera
House, Ellsworth house, Dime Bank building, Noble Block, Rosenzweig's
block, Jarecki Block, Becker Block, Walther's Block, Hays Block, and
numerous others, which all contribute largely to the architecture of the
city. The public schools and extensive manufacturing establishments
scattered throughout Erie might also be mentioned in this connection, but
as the churches, schools, charitable institutions, county buildings and
leading manufactories are fully written up under their respective heads,
either in the county or city history, we refer the reader to those
separate articles for the history of their beginning, growth and present
prosperity.
The city is supplied with good newspapers, many of which have attained
large circulation, and are recognized as strong factors in molding public
opinion. They are as follows:
Erie Gazette, weekly and Sunday morning. Weekly established by
Joseph M. Sterrett in 1820. Sunday established 1875, Republican. W. G.
McKean, publisher.
Erie Observer, daily and weekly, R. B. Brown editor and proprietor.
Democratic. Weekly established by T. B. Barnum, 1830. The Evening
Observer was started by Mr. Brown October 15, 1881.
Erie daily and weekly Dispatch, J. R. Willard & Co.,
proprietors. Republican. Established as weekly at Waterford, 1851; removed
to Erie in 1856; the daily was first issued at Erie, 1861, but it lasted
only a brief period. In 1864, it was again started and has since been
issued regularly.
Lake Shore Visitor, Catholic weekly, Rev. Thomas A. Casey, editor.
Established 1872.
Erie Advertiser, weekly, John M. Glazier, editor and proprietor;
independent. Established April 1, 1876.
Erie Evening Herald and Dollar Weekly. Herald Printing and
Publishing Company, proprietors, Democratic. Established July, 1878.
Erie Sunday Graphic, Jacob Bender, editor and proprietor;
independent. Established in May, 1880.
The Star of Liberty is a monthly, established by H. R. Storrs,
editor and proprietor, April 1, 1882.
Zuschauer, weekly, German, F. G. Gorenflo, editor and proprietor;
Republican. Established 1852.
Leuchtthurm, daily and weekly, German, Otto Luedicke, proprietor;
independent. Weekly established in 1860; daily, October 5, 1875.
Jornal de Noticias, weekly, Portuguese, A. M. Vincent, editor;
independent. Established October 27, 1877.
The Sonntagsgast, Sunday, German; established May 15, 1881, by
Frank Weiss & Co.; independent.
The excellent situation of Erie is a subject of remark, and the general
health is much above cities of similar population. The sewerage of the
city has receive considerable attention since 1868, and much intelligence
and money have been directed toward its perfection. The public sewers take
up about twenty miles of pipe. New improvements are being constantly made,
and the city's sanitary condition is ably looked after by Dr. E. W. Germer,
its present efficient health officer. Nuisances detrimental to the health
of the people are promptly dealt with and soon become a thing of the past.
The city is lighted by 425 gas lamps, the luminous power of each being
described as nineteen candle power, from which we can safely infer that
Erie possesses well-lighted streets, and that she is fairly abreast with
the progressive spirit of the age.
Throughout the city are distributed 213 fire hydrants, and forth-three
miles of water mains. In connection with this we might here state that
Erie is furnished with a first class fire department, which, together with
its incomparable water supply, insures efficient service in saving
property and fighting that fiery element of destruction, that has proven
such a terror in so many poorly protected cities.
Hotels and Public Halls
While there are a great many hotels in the city, they differ widely in the
character of their accommodations, but for the classes to which they cater
probably no city is better supplied. For the benefit of the commercial
class, we enumerate the following as among those calculated to best
satisfy the general public demands: Reed House, Liebel House, Moore's
Hotel, Wilcox House, Union Depot Hotel and Morton House. The Massassauga
Hotel, which was built by Hon. W. L. Scott, some fours years ago, at the
western end of the bay of Presque Isle, known as "The Head," was
destroyed by fire December 1, 1882. The original cost of the hotel with
its adjoining buildings was about $40,000, and it was becoming a very
popular resort for summer guests from all sections of the country. This
may also be said of the Reed House, which has been elegantly refitted
throughout, and offers every attraction to the traveling public that may
be found in any first-class hotel.
The public halls of the city are numerous and well adapted for all public
gatherings. The prominent ones are the Park Opera House, a building which
for stage convenience, seating capacity, acoustic arrangement and general
internal decoration will favorably compare with those of most cities of
similar size in the country; Jarecki's Hall, Becker's Hall, Odd Fellows
Hall, Presque Isle Hall, Zuck's Hall, Metcalf's Hall, Masonic Hall, Grand
Army of the Republic Hall, and several others of lesser note or of a more
private character.
Pleasure Resorts
The fact that one of Perry's vessels, the Niagara, lies sunk in Misery
Bay, makes it an interesting resort for residents, as well as tourists,
and in summer many avail themselves of the steam yachts, Massassauga and
Lena Knobloch to visit it. These yachts are largely patronized, on their
trips to "The Head," and are often in demand by parties wishing
to visit the fishing grounds, Long Point, Port Dover, Canada and other
points of interest. The Emma V. Sutton and J. H. Welch, smaller yachts
than those mentioned, are in constant use on the bay, which in the summer
season is a delightful resort; while dozens of sail and row boats are
continually gliding over its waters with pleasure seekers. The Massassauga
is said to be one of the fastest yachts on the lake, and carries with
safety 225 passengers. The captains of these boats are skillful seamen,
and use every care in the safe transportation of their patrons. The
enjoyment of these excursions upon the bay and lake can be equaled any at
the sea coast. The "Big Bend," on the peninsula, is one of the
well-known pleasure resorts, as are also Cochran's Grove in the southern
precincts of the city, and Wagner's Grove still farther south. There are,
doubtless, other points used as the occasion require, but those mentioned
are the ones best known and patronized.
The climate is notably healthy, and in summer cool and delightful, the
land and lake breezes alternating every day with the regularity of sea
breezes on the coast. The bathing facilities, both in the bay and lake,
are fine and greatly enjoyed, many preferring the fresh to salt water. The
facilities offered for walks and drives about the city are numerous, and
those who prefer land trips can avail themselves of the drive to "The
Head," enjoying the lake breeze from the shade of the original groves
at "Massassauga Point," which at night are brilliantly
illuminated by natural gas. The drives throughout the southern boundary,
overlooking the city, harbor and lake, offer special attractions to the
pleasure seeker.
Railroads and Shipping Facilities
Centering here are the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, a great East
and West trunk line; the Philadelphia & Erie, communicating with the
lumber, oil and coal fields of the State, and the short line to tide
water; the Erie & Pittsburgh, running between the two points from
which its name is derived, and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis, a
new trunk line, which has proven of great benefit to this section. Much
feeling has been indulged in concerning the railroad interests of this
city, ever since the first rail was laid within its limits, but aside from
all disagreement, stand the fact of Erie's existence, as a great
manufacturing point, her natural advantages, and the circumstance of her
lying between two large and densely populated sections, both consumers of
the products of her manufactories, has led to continued progress in the
face of all arbitration against her interests. So long as the enterprise
and ingenuity of her people plan, and their capital executes; so long as
the community fosters industry and thrift, so long will Erie continue to
progress.
The city is well supplied with wharfage, while the Philadelphia &
Erie, and the Erie & Pittsburgh Railroads have branches running to the
water front, and extensive docks, making the trans-shipment of freights
from vessels to the cars, or vice versa, easy and convenient. W. L. Scott
& Co. also have large docks on the bay front. With these advantages,
the shipping facilities of the city by water and rail are unsurpassed, and
that they are availed of is attested by the large quantities of coal,
iron, iron ore, lumber and miscellaneous freights which are yearly
handled.
The "Erie & Western Transportation Company," better known as
the "Anchor Line," handle large quantities of grain, and the
general railroad business to and from the lake is enormous. The
Transportation Company commenced business in 1868, the nucleus being one
small elevator, built at Erie by Messrs. Noble, Brown, McCarter &
Shannon, and from that modest beginning it as grown to its present
magnificent proportions. At this port the company own about forty acres of
the finest dock property on the lakes, upon which it has two spacious,
first-class elevators, with a combined capacity of 625,000 bushels; two
large freight warehouses of sufficient capacity to store 3,000 tone of
merchandise, together with all the necessary racks and other appliances
for handling freight rapidly and cheaply. The "Anchor" fleet
consists of seventeen propellers, one tug, and three schooners, viz.: the
Clarion, Lehigh, Philadelphia, Alaska, India, China and Japan (all iron);
the Juniata, Delaware, Conestoga, Lycoming, Conemaugh, Wissahickon, Gordon
Campbell, Annie Young, Winslow, and Arizona (wood); the Allegheny, Annie
Sherwood, and Schuylkill (schooners); and the tug Erie, a total tonnage of
29,780 tons. During the season of navigation these vessels, both passenger
and freight., leave the "Anchor Line" docks at the foot of
Holland street, on their regular trips to Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit,
Chicago, Milwaukee, and all Lake Superior ports. The effect of these
facilities upon the city's future prosperity cannot be too highly
considered, and must be the means of attracting capital for manufacturing
purposes.
Bay, Harbor and Peninsula
The bay of Presque Isle is about four and a half miles long by one and a
half miles wide, with an average depth of more than twenty-two feet over
the greater portion of it, and no shoal within the deep area to obstruct
navigation. It is entirely land-locked, protected from the heaviest gales,
and has the best character of bottom for anchorage. It is formed by the
peninsula of Presque Isle, a sand-bar, from a few rods to a mile in width,
which just out from the main shore of Lake Erie at Massassauga Point, some
four miles west of the city, runs two miles into the lake and makes an
abrupt turn to the east, sweeping down the lake to the entrance of the
bay, a point opposite the eastern boundary of Erie. As the safety and
welfare of the harbor depend upon the maintenance of this peninsula, much
money has been expended by the Government in closing breaches and
protecting it from heave seas. An erroneous impression exists that the
peninsula is the property of the United States, and that it devolves upon
the Government to protect it so that it shall not be cut away by the sea.
Such is not the case; the United States has never accepted the gift, and
the only object in constructing the works of protection is to prevent a
breach which might endanger the harbor of Erie. No one has a right to live
on it, however, save the keepers of the two light-houses and the crew of
the life-saving station. It is covered with a dense growth of timber,
shrubs and vines, which are not allowed to be cut down, and is penetrated
in every direction by chains of small lakes or ponds connected with the
bay by channels usually navigable for small boats. The peninsula is one of
the finest spots around Erie for picnics, pleasure excursions and
camping-parties, and affords admirable sport for gunners and fishermen.
Wild fowl and fish abound both in the bay, in the peninsula ponds and in
the lake outside, and are carefully protected by the Northwestern
Pennsylvania Game and Fish Association. The result is, that the peninsula,
covering about 4,000 acres, and the bay about 4,000, form a natural
preserve which will last for generations.
The ruins of a large brick house or fort, erected near the east end of the
peninsula long prior to American occupation, were still to be seen in
1795; and in 1813 a block-house was built at Crystal Point, just west of
Misery Bay, to defend the harbor entrance. This bay was so named by Lieut.
Holdup, in 1814, on account of the prevailing gloomy weather and the
comfortless condition of the vessels anchored in it at that time. I is
also called Lawrence Bay, after Perry's flagship, which was sunk in its
waters, but subsequently raised and taken to the Centennial in 1876. Erie
has always had jurisdiction over the peninsula, and in 1833 R. S. Reed was
appointed superintendent of it for five years, and a fine of $500, or
imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, was the penalty for
cutting timber or setting fire to the shrubbery thereon. In 1835, the
borough resolved to proceed against any one who might erect buildings upon
it. The Legislature passed an act, in 1841, imposing of fine of not less
than $10, nor more than $25, on any person who should gather cranberries
on the peninsula between July and October. The 1st of October was
"cranberry day," a great event in olden times. Large parties
would cross the bay the night before and remain until morning. The marshes
were full of cranberries, to a much larger extent than at present, and for
that reason were well patronized by the people of Erie.
Immediately after the war of 1812, the Government asked Commodore Perry
for his opinion as to the feasibility of removing the sand-bar which
blocked the entrance to the harbor, and he reported favorably on the
project. In 1819, a survey was made by the General Government, but nothing
further was done at that time. In 1822, the State of Pennsylvania
appointed Thomas Forster, Giles Sanford and George Moore, of Erie, a
committee to survey the bay of Presque Isle and ascertain the depth of
water in the bay, on the bar, and the anchorage outside the bar, and
expended $15,000 toward improving the harbor. The project was then taken
in hand by the General Government, which has since continued the work. It
is said that in 1821 the peninsula was covered with timber from the
mainland to the beacon light on its southeastern point, but that a few
years afterward the heavy seas washed the timber off the neck, and
subsequently made the breach through to the bay, which remained open for
more than thirty years, partly by the assistance of the United States
Engineers, who tried to made of it a western channel to the lake.
The present project of harbor improvement adopted in 1823, and amended
from time to time as the demands of commerce called for an increased depth
of water, consists of two break-waters extending from the main shore and
from the end of the peninsula at the eastern extremity of the bay, with
parallel piers, 350 feet apart, running from the ends of these beak-waters
to a depth of sixteen feet in the lake, the object being to contract the
entrance, and by the increased velocity of the current to deep the channel
scoured out to the proper depth. In addition to this work at the entrance,
the project also requires the protection of the shore at the neck of the
peninsula of Presque Isle, which by its position forms the harbor of Erie,
and which peninsula has been breached several times during the past fifty
years.
The report of the Chief Engineer U. S. A. for 1881 in an interesting
article says: "The original survey of this harbor under the chief of
engineers was made in 1819, when there was a long, low sand-bar stretching
across the present entrance, the channel being narrow and tortuous, with a
depth of only six feet. By the act of March 3, 1823, a new survey was
made, and a board of engineers consisting of Gen. Simon Bernard and Lieut.
Col. J. G. Totten, submitted plans of improvement which were commenced in
1824. At that time the channel at the entrance was narrow and tortuous,
with a depth of only six feet, and the depth on the present line of
channel was only two feet. By 1827 vessels of ordinary draft were able to
enter the harbor; by 1829, the depth of the entrance was from seven and
half to fifteen feet, and in 1833 there was a good channel with a depth of
twelve feet from the lake into the bay, and this depth was maintained to
1839, when operations were suspended. In 1844, the piers were in a
dilapidated condition; there was a depth of eighteen feet between them,
but shoals were forming at each end. In 1864, there was still a depth of
twelve feet at the entrance, but the channel was narrow and crooked and
had been driven to the southward by the sand drifting around the north
pier. In 1868, the channel was straightened and the depth increased to
thirteen feet, with a width of one hundred feet. The width and depth have
been increased from time to time since 1868, more or less shoaling taking
place in the meanwhile, and at the close of the fiscal year ending June
30, 1880, there was a channel three hundred feet wide, not less than
sixteen feet deep from the lake to deep water in the bay."
The first breach recorded in the peninsula appears to have taken place
near "The Head" during the winter of 1828-29. Its extent is not
reported, but the entire appropriation of $7,390 was used in closing it.
In the winter of 1832-33, another breach occurred at the same point, and
during the summer of 1833 Lieut. Col. J. G. Totten, by direction of the
chief of engineers, examined the harbor. In November, Col. Totten
submitted an elaborate report, wherein he suggested the possibility of
maintaining entrances at both ends of the harbor, but recommended that the
effect of the breach should be studied for a year or two before any
complete plan was decided upon. In 1835, Lieut. T. S. Brown submitted
plans for an entrance at the west end of Presque Isle Bay through the
peninsula. The breach which had commenced in 1832-33 had greatly widened,
so that where threes thickly stood when work began in 1824, there was in
1835 an opening nearly one mile wide and daily increasing, so that the
whole peninsula was threatened. Lieut. Brown's plan provided for partially
closing the breach by crib-work, but left a channel four hundred feet
wide, so that vessels might enter or depart from either end of the bay. In
1836, work was commenced upon the plan of Lieut. Brown; 420 feet of
crib-work break-water was completed, strengthened by piling and partially
filled with stone; barracks were erected for workmen, machinery purchased,
and arrangements made for a vigorous prosecution of the work. Work was
continued in 1837, 1,920 feet of crib-work was completed, making in all
2,340 feet, or one-third of the whole breach. The progress thus far in
partially closing the breach was reported as very satisfactory. In 1838,
under Capt. Williams, of the Topographical Engineers, 1,035 linear feet of
crib-work was built, 570 feet being north of the proposed new channel
piers and 465 south of them. In 1839, work was continued; the break-water
on the south side of the proposed new channel was prolonged 690 feet, and
150 feet of the work built in 1838 was strengthened; 300 feet of crib-work
was placed in position on the low ground at the northeast end of the work,
north of the proposed new entrance, to prevent the lake from cutting
through at that point. No appropriations were made nor work done during
the years 1840, 1841, 1842, 1843. In 1841, an examination showed that the
lake was making rapid encroachments upon the peninsula north of the works
and threatened the destruction of the harbor.
In 1844, the condition of affairs was as follows: The peninsula, which in
1823 joined the main shore, had become an island. To prevent the
destruction of the harbor, an extensive line of crib-work had been built,
and plans had been prepared and work progressed for the purpose of opening
a new channel. Part of this crib-work had answered admirably the purpose
designed, but a portion left incomplete for want of funds in 1839 had been
destroyed. The gap in the peninsula, which in 1835 was over one mile wide,
had been reduced to a width of 3,000 feet, with a depth of from five to
six feet. In 1841, the erosion in the vicinity of the barracks built in
1836 for workmen threatened their destruction, and 470 linear feet of
crib-work was built for their protection. Nothing further was done at this
locality until 1852. An examination made at that time by Maj. William
Turnbull, of the Topographical Engineers, showed that the breach in the
peninsula still existed, and that the crib-work protection built in
previous years had been almost destroyed. In 1853 and 1854, efforts were
made to prevent further erosion by protecting the shore with brush and
stone, with very great success. Operations were continued during 1855-56,
protecting the beach with brush and stone, with such success that there
were strong prospects of restoring the original water line. In September,
1857, Maj. J. D. Graham reported the suspension of work through lack of
funds, and nothing further was done until 1864, in which year Col. T. J.
Cram was assigned to the charge of the harbor. His report stated that the
breach at the west end of the harbor was entirely closed, nature having
completed the work during the interval of seven years of suspended labor,
although about 500 feet of the peninsula was so low that high seas broke
clear across it. This weak spot was strengthened in 1865, and since that
time but one breach of any importance has occurred, viz., during a heavy
gale in November, 1874. This was soon closed, under the superintendence of
Col. Blunt, the officer then in charge, by what he termed "a
bulk-head protection," constructed of piles and plank, the experiment
of planting young trees on the neck of the peninsula resorted to in
1871-72, having entirely failed, nearly all of them being destroyed by the
heavy winter gales. Since that time Col. Blunt's mode of protection,
together with an abatis of brush and stones, has been generally followed,
but it has taken constant vigilance to keep these works in repair. There
are two places where the neck of the peninsula is not more than 200 feet
wide, and the crest only about three feet above the level of the lake, and
where at times of very high seas, the water of the lake rolls across into
the bay.
The winter of 1881-82 was an open one, and the beach was deprived of its
usual revetment of heavy ice. A number of furious gales occurred during
the fall and winter, and upon the opening of the season of 1882 the old
bulkheads were found to be seriously damaged, and the beach to have
suffered more or less from the heavy seas. The water of Lake Erie was
unusually high during the spring of 1882, and on March 21, the level of
the lake was the highest recorded at Erie for a number of years. A strong
northwest gale was blowing at the time, and the heavy seas rolled clear
across the lowest portion of the peninsula into the bay. The erosion at
the time was still not sufficient to excite apprehension of immediate
danger, but some steps were absolutely necessary for protection during the
coming fall and winter. The engineer in charge submitted a project for the
protection of the beach line with piles and plank, but afterward amended
it upon the recommendation of the local engineer, Capt. Adams, and
concluded to drive short intermediate piles between the old poles still
standing, which formed a portion of the bulk-head protection.
The earliest chart in possession of the engineer in charge is that of Maj.
Anderson, made in 1819, which shows that the peninsula then occupied about
the same general location and direction that it does at the present time.
A comparison of Maj. Anderson's map with Maj. McFarland's map of 1878
indicates that for about three miles from Massassauga Point the outer
shore line has receded about 1,500 feet. Some errors are noticed in this
map of 1819, however, and it may not be entirely reliable. A comparison of
Lieut. Woodruff's map of 1839 with McFarland's map of 1878 shows a similar
retrograde movement of the shore line. A comparison of the lake survey map
of 1865 with McFarland's map of 1878 and Maj. Wilson's map of 1879 shows
little or no variation in the position of the outer shore line. These maps
seem to indicate that from 1819 to 1865 there was a general recession of
the outer shore line, while from 1865 to 1882 there has been but little
change in it. A comparison of Woodruff's map of 1839 with McFarland's of
1878 shows that the mass of this part of the peninsula has materially
increased during the interval of time between these surveys, for the
distance from the 12-foot or 15-foot curve outside the peninsula to the
curve of corresponding depth inside was in 1878 about double what it was
in 1839, while no very great change appears to have taken place in that
part of the neck which lies above the water level. This increase in width
seems to have come chiefly from the shoaling of the water inside the
peninsula, but from whatever cause it comes, it indicates that the danger
of the formation of a breach at this point has not increased, but has
decreased, in the last forty years.
Erie Harbor is in the collection district of Erie, Penn., and is lighted
as follows: A fourth order coast light on the northern shore of the
peninsula, flashing red and white; a fixed red of the sixth order on the
outer end of the north pier, and two sixth order fixed white lights to
mark the range for the channel within the bay. There was also a
light-house located on the main land east of the city, which has been
abandoned. There is a fog bell on the outer end of the pier, and the
nearest work of defense is Fort Porter, ninety miles distant. The
following appropriations have been made from time to time for this harbor:
March 3, 1823 |
|
$150.00
|
|
August 30,
1852 |
|
$30,000.00
|
May 26, 1824 |
|
20,000.00
|
|
June 23, 1866 |
|
36,961.00
|
March 25,
1826 |
|
7,000.00
|
|
March 2, 1867 |
|
25,000.00
|
March 2, 1827 |
|
2,000.00
|
|
June 30, 1868 |
|
40,000.00
|
May 19, 1828 |
|
6,223.18
|
|
April 10,
1869 |
|
22,275.00
|
March 3, 1829 |
|
7,390.00
|
|
July 11, 1870 |
|
20,000.00
|
March 2, 1831 |
|
1,700.00
|
|
March 3, 1871 |
|
29,000.00
|
July 3, 1832 |
|
4,500.00
|
|
June 10, 1872 |
|
15,000.00
|
March 2, 1833 |
|
6,000.00
|
|
June 23, 1874 |
|
20,000.00
|
June 28, 1834 |
|
3,045.00
|
|
March 3, 1875 |
|
80,000.00
|
June 28, 1834 |
|
20,000.00
|
|
August 14,
1876 |
|
40,000.00
|
March 3, 1835 |
|
5,000.00
|
|
June 18, 1878 |
|
25,000.00
|
July 2, 1836 |
|
15,000.00
|
|
March 3, 1879 |
|
25,000.00
|
July 2, 1836 |
|
122.80
|
|
June 14, 1880 |
|
25,000.00
|
March 3, 1837 |
|
15,000.00
|
|
1881 |
|
20,000.00
|
July 7, 1838 |
|
30,000.00
|
|
August 2,
1882 |
|
20,000.00
|
June 11, 1844 |
|
40,000.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
Life Saving
Service
The life-saving service of the United States was extended to the lakes
about 187-. Lakes Erie and Ontario constitute the Ninth District, and have
been in charge from the first of Capt. D. P. Dobbins, of Buffalo, a native
of Erie. There are four stations on Lake Ontario and five on Lake Erie.
Those on the latter lake are at Buffalo, Erie (Station 6), Fairport,
Cleveland and Marblehead Island. The surfmen were employed during the
season of 1879-80 as follows: 1879 -- July 1, to December 15; 1880 --
March 20, to June 30. The following is the record of disasters within the
Ninth District during that season: Number of disasters, 55; value of
vessels in trouble, $385,577; vessels lost, 5; actual loss, $71,675; lives
lost, 1; shipwrecked persons sheltered at stations, 54; days of shelter
afforded, 75.
The life-saving station at Erie has a crew of seven men under the command
of Capt. William Clark, making a force of eight men. Their work has been
at times one of hardships, but of great efficiency, resulting in the
saving of much valuable property and many lives, and calls for the
heartiest commendation of the Government and the community, besides a
better compensation in wages.
Erie was a naval station from the time Perry's fleet was built until the
year 1825, at which date it was completely broken up, but as this country,
by treaty with Great Britain, is compelled to maintain a naval force on
the lakes, the harbor has been the station for vessels so provided. The
United States steamer Michigan, and the revenue cutter Perry, both make
this their headquarters, and always winter in the bay. The latter vessel
was sold by the Government in the fall of 1883 to a firm in Buffalo, who
took it in part payment for a new revenue cutter which is now in process
of construction. This will also be called the "Perry," but is
expected to be superior to the old cutter in speed and other important
particulars valuable in a vessel engaged in the revenue service.
The Head
The head of Presque Isle Bay, now the popular resort of the people of Erie
and vicinity, does not extend so far west as when the town was laid out in
1795, the outer shore of the peninsula at the neck having gradually
receded toward the east, while the inner shore kept growing in the same
direction. A narrow sand beach commenced at the mouth of Millar Run on the
Reed farm, one mile above "The Head", and extended down the lake
a similar distance, from which the peninsula jutted out. Much higher up
than now inclosed by the sand beach was a long, narrow pond, entirely cut
off from the lake, up which the scows frequently ran from the bay, as late
as 1840, to gather wood for steamboats. In 1796, some twenty of thirty
Indian families, belonging to the once great and warlike tribe of Senecas,
resided at the head of the bay. The beach was then much larger than it is
to-day, and a heavy forest covered the low land nearest to the shore. The
Indians had corn-fields southwest on the farms owned by J. C. Marshall,
and the estate of E. J. Kelso. This Indian village was the last in Erie
County, but they also gradually disappeared, and after their departure the
site was occupied for awhile by a half-breed negro named McKinney, who
lived by fishing. He subsequently removed to the upper Laird farm, where
he met his death by a fish-bone lodging in his throat while eating. His
daughter married Ben Fleming, who was the last survivor of Perry's fleet
residing in Pennsylvania.
"The Head" was first taken up under the laws of the State, in
1800, by Eliphalet Beebe, a ship carpenter, who looked upon the site as an
available one for a ship-yard. In the course of a few years, it passed
into the hands of Thomas Laird, who died in April 1833, and by whose heirs
it was held until its purchase by William L. Scott at Sheriff's sale. Mr.
Scott erected thereon the Massassauga Hotel, and greatly improved the
grounds, so that it was rapidly becoming a popular summer resort for
tourists, but in December, 1882, the house was burned to the ground, and
has not since been rebuilt.
"The Head" is also called Massassauga Point after the tribe of
Massassauga Indians who once lived in this vicinity, and bore tribal
relations to the extinct Eriez. It is claimed, however, by some writers
that the name sprang from a species of rattlesnake known as the
Massassauga -- a short, thick looking snake that were numerous when Capt.
Bissell erected the forts east of Mill Creek in 1795-96, but which have
long since disappeared before the onward march of civilization.
In 1832, an iron ore bed was discovered on the south one of the Laird
farm, which was used at the blast furnace of Vincent, Himrod & Co., of
Erie, for several years. A furnace at Conneaut, Ohio, fell short of ore
about this time and sent an agent to quarry this ore and ship it at
"The Head". The scow schooners Jack Downing and Olive Branch ran
in the iron ore trade for three seasons, or until the supply became
exhausted. At that period the vessels on their downward trips came through
the western opening in the peninsula, returning loaded by the eastern
channel. The road from the schoolhouse to the shore of the bay, which ran
till lately through the woods and down the side of the bank, was laid out
for the purpose of hauling the ore to the vessels. This road has been used
by the public ever since, though it still remains, as then, private
property. The Jack Downing wintered in 1834-35 about fifty rods above
where the Massassauga Hotel was built, and there tied up to a sycamore
tree, where now the sand beach renders the approach of a vessel
impossible.
Fisheries
When the pioneers located at Presque Isle in 1795, they had to resort to
fishing in the log canoe for the purpose of obtaining food supply, and the
soldiers under Capt. Bissell made a business of laying in a stock of fish
for each season which they preferred to the government rations. Log canoes
for fishing purposes were as much of a necessity to the early settlers
along the lake, as log cabins to shelter their families, and each went
fishing as his wants required. The first man in the vicinity of Erie who
followed fishing as a special business was the mulatto McKinney, who has
been previously mentioned in the article on "The Head," at which
point he resided. He made the business a success, furnishing families who
could not take the time to "go fishing," or who preferred to
purchase their supplies. Upon his death, which occurred by the lodgment of
a fish-bone in his throat, he was succeeded by his son-in-law, Ben
Fleming, who long supplied the citizens of Erie with fish. Prior to 1830,
only the hook and line were used, but in that year Thomas Horton began
fishing with a seine, which proved very successful. He was followed by
David Fowzier and others, but none cared to risk their lives outside the
bay of Presque Isle, and all the fishing was done in the bay.
White fish were not supposed to exist this side of the Detroit River,
where every fall they were caught in large quantities, packed and salted
for the market. The seines were finally tried in deep water outside the
bay and came up loaded with white fish, which was the beginning of the
Erie fish trade that now gives employment to many men, and brings annually
a large amount of money to the city. The following Erie firms are engaged
in the business: E. D. Carter, 12 boats; John Harlow & Co., 12 boats;
Louis Streuber, 8 boats; H. A. Bush & Co., 7 boats; B. Divel, 7 boats;
Henry Divel, 4 boats; total, 5 boats. Each boat averages four hands giving
a force of 200 men employed by these firms. Many outside boats bring their
product to Erie, and the trade is of great benefit to the city enhancing
its commercial importance by thousands of dollars.
Pennsylvania, though consuming large quantities of fishery products, has
no important fishing grounds within its borders. The principal business
connected with the fisheries is the oyster industry, for, though no
oysters are produced in the waters of the State, a large number of persons
are engaged in transporting oysters from the southern beds to
Philadelphia, and others make a business of receiving, shelling, and
packing them for shipment. From this industry $187,500 is realized by the
residents of the State. The sea fishing is confined to the capture of
sea-bass and other species, by a fleet of eight vessels that make
occasional trips to the fishing grounds of Cape Henlopen during the summer
months. Shad, sturgeon, and other less important species are taken in
small quantities in the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers, and lake fish of
different kinds are caught along the shores bordering Lake Erie. From
Table XVIII, which shows in detail the fishing interest of the State, we
gather the following summary:
Persons
employed |
|
552
|
Fishing
vessels |
|
11
|
Fishing
boats |
|
156
|
Capital
dependent on fishery industries |
|
$119,819
|
Pounds
of sea products taken |
|
600,000
|
Value
of same |
|
$36,000
|
Pounds
of river products |
|
1,080,000
|
Value
of same |
|
$53,100
|
Pounds
of lake products |
|
1,253,000
|
Value
of same |
|
$43,450
|
|
|
---------------- |
Total
value of products to the fishermen
(including the enhancement on oysters) |
|
$320,050
|
We copy the above
from the last census statistics. It will be observed that in 1879,
Pennsylvania's lake fisheries located at Erie, gave nearly as large a
product in pounds as the combined river and sea fisheries. Since these
statistics were formulated, the fishing industry at this port has
increased at least 75 per cent, so that the above table does not give the
Erie fisheries the importance they now possess.
|