100 - HISTORY OF ROSS, COUNTY not being kept in coops, took to the woods, and it is said that chickens were to be found wild in that neighborhood for ten years afterwards; Dray always claimed that the man who traded his horse did the trick. FAMOUS OLD BOATS "Perhaps you may care to hear the names of some of the old boats that sailed the canal in this section. The following are a few selected from a list of several hundred : The Ark, Aristocrat, Black-Strap, Banty, Blooming Youth, Cat of Camp Creek, Cupid, Corn Crib, Diver (a bad name for canal boat), Darby Ram, Eden, East Wind, Flying Cloud, Floating Artist, Forest Rose, Hurricane, Josh, Locomotive, Meteor, Midnight, Ocean Queen, Palace, Pawpaw, Pugtown, Rat of Portsmouth, Saloon of Yellow Bud, Saw Log, Shadow Catcher, Wild Horse of Mill Creek, War Eagle of Roscoe." GARFIELD GETS IN FIRST One boat, The Blue Bird, was known among canal boatmen as the "Sunday Boat," because the captain, Parkhurst, was very religious, and would not run on Sunday, but always tied up anywhere he happened to be at midnight Saturday. This same Captain Parkhurst, of Circleville, once witnessed a fight at Lock No. 1, Akron, and a heavy set, muscular boy, the driver of the canal boat Evening Star, on the side-cut canal. The former's boat reached the lock first, and a taunting remark by a member of its crew caused the boy driver to take the black-snake whip from around his neck and pitch into the fellow, knocking him down, with the result that his boat entered the lock first. Fighting was such an every day occurrence among canal boat men that this little scrap would not be mentioned here were it not for the fact that this boy afterwards became President of the United States. This was Garfield. ROCKEFELLER'S WAGES RAISED "And this reminds me that Captains Bart Conley and George Watson, both still living in this town, well remember when their papers and freight receipts were signed by one of the clerks in a Cleveland forwarding house, which same clerk is still living in that city, but no longer works for 'about forty dollars a month.' He was John D. Rockefeller. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 101 GOOD OLD CANAL DAYS "In conclusion, I will say that the many talks I have had with canal boat men have given me much pleasure, and I have found them glad to talk about old times on the canal. Time has dulled their recollections of the hardships, but they fondly recall the pleasant and humorous experiences, and some are hoping that the good old days on the canal may come again. " One old boat man said that his idea of a good time—what he would rather do than anything else—would be a ride on horseback along the towpath once more, clear to Cleveland, resting at all the old stopping places, recalling the incidents and happenings at each place where he had driven his team of mules for so many years, and then he'd be content—well, content for anything that might happen—after that. "That you may see that this sentimental view of the canal is not overdrawn, I will quote in conclusion one stanza from the Carrier's Address, published soon after the completion of the Ohio canal: " 'I gaze into the face of the canal, That laughs in promenade around the state, Circling the brow, serene, of Chillicothe, With crystal coronet that glistens bright; Strange thoughts pass o'er me, as I oft survey The wealth of this and ocean climes remote, Borne on her breast a stream continuous. Oh Venice ! in the Adriatic thrown Like a base seaweed ; arise in thy beauty, Like thy young sister of Ohio!' " DESTRUCTIVE FLOODS IN THE SCIOTO VALLEY Since the settlement of this section of the country numerous floods have come upon the Scioto Valley, and along the banks of the beautiful "LaBelle Riviere," destroying a vast amount of property, tying up all commercial activities for weeks at a time and even causing the loss of human life. From the first settlement of the county in the year 1795 to the year 1820 they seemed most frequent and persistent. The floods in the Ohio gave the river a rise and fall of about sixty feet, but February 15, 1832, it rose to sixty-three feet and produced immense injury to crops, fences and bridges. The Scioto poured in its flood, and the valley for miles, from hill to hill, was a vast inland sea. 102 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY After that flood the Ohio bottoms were not inundated until the winter of 1847, during which the water was four times at forty-five and once at fifty-three feet above low water mark. These heavy floods submerged all the lowlands up to the second plateau, which rises from the banks of the river, and they covered all of the City of Portsmouth located upon the first terrace. A steamboat was once made fast to the old hotel building which stood upon the site of the latter. The flood of 1858 occurred in May, and the Scioto and its tributaries were bank full with the raging waters. The loss to crops was not so great, but the corn and the meadows suffered severely. The rains continued, a heavy storm coming up on the night of the 5th of June, and by the 7th the waters had reached their greatest height. On June 11th came another storm, and this before the waters had subsided, which again swelled the river until it equaled the height of 1847 and exceeded that of 1852. The damage was to meadows, crops, fences and bridges, which were covered with a heavy coating of mud and debris. Something over $100,000 was a computation of the loss by this disastrous flood. The next serious flood was that of 1873. The rain commenced falling July 3d, on Thursday, and continued until Saturday, the 5th, and the valley was inundated from above Chillicothe to the river's mouth. But the flood of 1875, because of its coming in a summer month, was perhaps the most disastrous (although nearly seven feet lower than the great rise of 1832) to the people of the Scioto Valley as well as those living along the Ohio River. This flood destroyed fully 10,000 acres of grain in the Scioto Valley and along the Ohio River. Fences, bridges, etc., were carried away. The loss on the Ohio River and the tributaries of the Ohio and Scioto in the county swelled the actual destruction to over 10,000 acres of corn, and a total loss to the sufferers by the flood of over $500,000. Perhaps the freshets of earlier years might have been as expensive had the country been as well settled, but this flood and a rise some two weeks earlier proved among the most destructive since the valley has been settled. The flood of February, 1883, was the highest known for over a quarter of a century, and but two previous rises were higher—that of 1832, when it rose sixty-three feet, and that of 1842, when it rose to sixty-two feet seven inches, the rise of 1883 being sixty-two feet. It commenced February 7th to give unmistakable signs of a great flood, but coming in the winter season, while very destructive to the winter wheat and meadows, it did not cause the loss to the corn and potato crops which accompanied the flood of 1875. It was to many in the valley a very serious loss, for everything that could float was carried off. HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 103 The flood of 1884, which culminated also in February, was particularly disastrous to Ironton, Lawrence County. Half of that town—all of West Ironton, in which were several of the large furnaces and manufactories—including the entire business district, was from one to eight feet under water. On the 11th of that month all of Portsmouth from Fourth Street (the virtual boundary between the business and residence districts) to the Ohio River, and from the lower end of town to the hills, was a seething sheet of yellow water, with boats plying the flood to transport business men to and from their waterlogged stores and factories, or to rescue villagers who had been caught in their homes on the lowlands. Portsmouth also suffered considerably by the flood of 1884, but not to the extent of Ironton, and the adjacent country. THE GREAT FLOOD OF 1913 But the greatest of all the floods was that of March-April, 1913. At dusk of March 25th the waters of the Ohio commenced to rise at Portsmouth and by the 28th had reached a height of sixty-seven feet and ten inches above low-water mark, or more than fourteen inches above the highest point of 1884. Before it commenced to fall, on the 31st, the entire business district had been flooded to a depth of from ten to fourteen feet, and 75 per cent of the residential sections, on higher ground, had been covered from one foot to twelve feet. Only two deaths occurred—and those not caused by the violence of the flood—although the destruction to property was great. As Ironton did not have to contend with the full strength of the Big Scioto flood, the Ohio did not show any marked rise until the 7th of April, when the backwater from Rachel Creek began to appear on the cross streets and to submerge the lower end of West Ironton. Many of the poor people in that district fled to the courthouse situated on the high ground along Sixth Street. During the following five days there was a steady, and, at times, a phenomenal rise of the waters, until by the 12th they had reached a point eighty-one inches higher than the mark of 1883, and fourteen inches above that of 1884. At that time a yellow, murky, foaming lake tossing wreckage and boats, covered West Ironton, filled the Storm Creek Valley, blanketed the old Fair Grounds and the lowlands back of town on either side of the Iron Railroad, stretched up the Tenth Street Valley, and was unbroken from Fourth and Fifth streets to the Kentucky shore. During that period of excitement and suffering, several deaths occurred from exposure, and the property loss at Ironton ran well toward $200,000. 104 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY At Chillicothe, the flood reached high-water mark and the height of its fury on the 26th of March, and for an etching of what was a veritable casualty to that city we cannot improve upon the account given in the special "Picture Story" issued by the Gazette. " Time was," it reads, " when all local history dated from the big fire which destroyed almost half of this city, April 1, 1852, but from now local events will be measured from the time when the Scioto river, swollen by heavy rains for four days, with a precipitation ranging from 11.9 inches at Bellefontaine, to six and a half inches here, rose out of its banks and enveloped seventy-five per cent of Chillicothe in a muddy raging torrent, on March 26, 1913. "There had been warnings issued from Columbus that the river was ten feet higher than ever before, but Chillicotheans never imagined that the river could sweep four feet over the Kite Track, the site of old Camp Logan, and hurl its torrent of waters over the B. & 0. embankment, which cut off the old bed of the river and allowed the city to have a beautiful park and lake, nor that the tide of water would surge down Paint street to a point in front of the court house, and down Park street and spread over a section running from High street half way to Paint street east of Walnut; nor that Hickory street would be a Niagara in miniature, whose force tore out the paved street from Fifth street to a point ninety feet south of Main street; that this flood of water would be a wide expanse from just east of the canal to the foot of Mt. Logan ; yet it came and caught so many unaware that 2500 houses were under water and 1800 of them were damaged to an amount equalling $345,000. "The water came up with a rush. At half past 10 the night of March 25th, the water had just begun to creep over the Columbus pike, where a stage of 17 feet is required to carry it over. The water really reached a stage a fraction less than 40 feet. "The raging waters carried eighteen persons to death, while several more were added in the succeeding days resultant from the shock of the flood. "The list of flood victims is as follows, and all of them have been recovered up to April 26th but one, Sam Vanscoy : James C. Baxter, aged 61, 137 North Poplar street; Mrs. Jennie Baxter, aged 59 years, his wife ; Harrison P. Lowrey, aged 57, North Poplar street; Ralph Lowrey, aged 14, son; Alba Lowrey, aged 12 years, son; Cordelia Lowrey, aged 8 years, daughter; Charles Carnes, aged 47, East Main street; Bertha Florence Carnes, 38, his wife; Elsie Carnes, 11, daughter ; Minnie Carnes, 17, daughter ; Orley B. Carnes, 16, son; Silas Pyle, 40 ; Charles C. Limle, aged 70 ; Charles Nolze, Circleville; Mrs. Margaret Corrigan, aged 76, Columbus HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 105 street, exposure ; Wm. Baxter, aged 15, son of J. C. Baxter; David Nolze and Sam Vanscoy, employes Standard Cereal Co. "While the flood was at its crest at noon, Wednesday, March 26th, the work of rescue could not be taken up except under the extremest difficulty and danger, and hundreds of hair breadth escapes are registered and many heroes will go unsung for their services rendered during the trying time. "As quickly as possible the members of the Elk Lodge opened their club house, started the fires in their kitchen and had their members out in boats getting the water bedraggled citizens out of their homes making them warm and dry and giving them hot food, a demonstration of the strength of order and true fraternity. St. Paul's Church and Trinity M. E. Church were also opened and the flood stricken given cheer and comfort. The city was stricken as never before, but the Elks continued their work until the crisis was over. There was no fuel at hand, for the natural gas pipes were washed out, and seventy-five per cent used gas for fuel; the electric light and power plant was out of commission, the artificial gas plant was flooded and the city water station was under twenty feet of water. It was a trying time, with no lights, heat or water, yet the citizenship responded nobly and homes were opened and men and women laid aside all business and rushed to the relief of the flooded ones. The Elks' Club was made the central supply station for relief, and a citizens committee, comprising Richard Enderlin, Alexander Renick, Dr. G. E. Robbins, Rev. R. G. Noland, F. A. Stacey, W. Allen Scott, C. W. Story and H. W. Chapman, was named to take charge of the work of relief and appoint whatever sub-committees were needed. " The Finance Committee comprised Rev. Father M. A. Heintz, pastor of St. Peter's Catholic Church; G. W. C. Perry and Chas. Z. Erdmann. " Other committees named were : Information, H. H. Bennett, E. S. Wenis and A. R. Wolfe. Relief, Robt. D. Alexander, George Litter, Dr. C. W. Mills. Clothing, H. V. Hopkins, D. H. Roche, jr., C. A. Sulzbacher. Provisions, C. M. Haynes, Wm. Korst, Wm. Stocklin, L. A. Sears, J. C. Anderson. " The work of relief was continued for a month. The supplies being given to 5,000 persons the first few days and dwindling down each successive day until but a few were left who would not be able to make their own way, when other means were brought to bear to aid them. "The Red Cross Society established a station here, with Dr. G. E. Robbins as representative, and the general relief committee superintended the distribution of funds. Meanwhile supplies came in from Greenfield, Frankfort, Washington C. H., Circleville, 106 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Kingston, Hillsboro, Xenia, Jamestown and other places, in such quantities that the great number of homeless and stricken citizens could be fed until they had a chance to get on their feet again. “When the Johnstown, Pa., dam broke twenty years or more ago, local Elks sent a fund to aid there. This year, when Chillicothe was flooded, the people of Windber, Pa., ten miles from Johnstown, remembered and sent a car-load of provisions in return—bread cast on the waters. "The Red Cross sent in supplies of food, and the Chicago Board of Trade sent in 400 mattresses. It was a grand outpouring of humanity from all around us, and Chillicothe reaped the harvest of good deeds which she had sown in the past, and all of it was needed to assuage the grief and heartache caused by the flood, which broke up families and homes. "Some of the pranks played by the flood were strange. The Norfolk & Western had a span of its bridge swept away, and the 20 ton girder was carried down the river six miles. The big wooden bridge at Main street was swept away and landed on the Rittenour farm south of the city. The Higby bridge was swept away, roads and streets were washed out, a deep ditch on Hickory street twenty feet deep ran to Fifth street from Main, Ewing street had a similar treatment from nature. Forty houses were swept away from their moorings and demolished in the east end of the city. "The city's loss was estimated at $1,000,000, and that of the county at $1,250,000. A record of all property losses in the city was secured for future reference. "The railway companies were hard hit, and Chillicothe was isolated for three days until the Baltimore & Ohio put in a temporary track and the traction company was able to run cars to a point a mile north of the Bridge street bridge. "The flood in itself brought out heroic traits among the people, stamped men at their true value, developed the heroism of women and made the world at large pay tribute through its officialdom to the ability of Chillicothe to rise from chaos into action, care for herself and her citizens in an orderly, sane manner and determined to make a bigger, better and grander Ancient Metropolis than was ever before builded." WORK OF THE MILITIA AT CHILLICOTHE Capt. Louis S. Houser made the following report to the adjutant general of Ohio on the flood duty performed by his company during the calamity of April, 1913. It is dated the 16th of that month and reads: "The recent floods which were general all over the State of Ohio were undoubtedly the greatest calamities the city of HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 107 Chillicothe ever experienced. For ten days previous, excessive rainfall had filled the banks of every stream in the vicinity and the Scioto river and Paint creek were rapidly approaching the danger mark. However, no alarm was felt until the night of March 25th when Paint creek began to flood the southern part of the city. "Meanwhile the Scioto river was rapidly rising and at about 6 o'clock A. M., Wednesday, March 26th, overflowed its banks and flooded three-fourths of Chillicothe, anywhere from a few inches to twenty feet of water. This put the Chillicothe Electric Light Company's plant out of commission, and for eleven days, all, or part of the city was in darkness and without street car service. The pumping station of the Chillicothe Water Works Company was flooded with twenty feet of water, and the city was without sufficient water for domestic use and fire protection for several weeks. By this time Chillicothe was practically isolated from the rest of the world ; all of the railroads leading into the city were washed out and for three days one lone Bell Telephone wire to Cincinnati was the only means of outside communication. "Even the small part of the city not actually flooded was very much handicapped in the relief work. "No water that could be used (excepting a very few wells), electricity and gas, both artificial and natural, were shut off; very few gasoline or oil stoves to be had, and a very small amount of coal, gasoline and oil available. Practically all the bakeries in the city were using natural gas for fuel, and when this was cut off it was several days before their ovens could be rearranged and sufficient fuel procured ; this, together with the enormous demand for bread at this time, made the suffering acute. "Such was the state of affairs Wednesday morning, March 26th, when I received the order from Mayor James A. Cahill directing me to assemble my command at once and report to him for duty. I wish to emphasize the fact right here that not during fifteen years of service has a call for duty been made under greater difficulties, under circumstances more trying, than at this time ; yet never was a call answered more cheerfully or more promptly. "It being impossible, on account of the water which covered almost all of the city, to notify the men by messenger, and the telephone system being out of commission, the only way to notify the meh was by sending the riot alarm on the city bell by hand, which was done. "There were a number of instances where the men waded knee deep in water, or left their homes by boat to report for duty. As soon as the men reported at the armory, they were ordered in uniform and sent to the flooded districts where, working under the 108 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY direction of their officers, they rendered very good service in manning boats, rescuing and relieving flood sufferers and assisting in every way possible. Numerous incidents could be cited of thrilling rescues, of hair-breadth escapes, of saving of livestock and the protection of life and property, but these things are incidental to our military service. Suffice it to say, however, that while the men were new to this kind of duty, they acquitted themselves creditably and, when occasion demanded, showed a resourcefulness that was truly amazing. "In the meantime a gasoline stove had been procured, also necessary supplies for the subsistence of the men, and the armory converted into a temporary barracks, where the men were fed, rested and slept. "By evening the water began to recede slightly, but the current in the streets and alleys was so strong and dangerous that it was deemed best not to use the boats until morning, as everyone in immediate danger that could be reached had been removed to safety. "The duties of patroling and guarding the rest of the city then occupied our attention. The making of coffee and sandwiches, and issuing the same to flood sufferers, as far as the limited cooking facilities would permit, was also one of the features of the first few days' duty. "As a brief summary of the damage done by the flood in Chillicothe, will state that 18 lives were lost, almost 3,000 houses flooded (probably 200 ruined), over 5,000 people rendered homeless, and a conservative estimate of the loss in the city is placed at $1,000,000. "As the water gradually receded, the flooded districts were practically turned over to the military, with instruction to take such steps as might be necessary for the proper protection of life and property." RAILROAD RELIEF It was the danger from floods, and consequent interruption to the usual activities of transportation and communication, that made the advent of railroads so welcome to the people of the Scioto Valley ; even the Grand Canal was not proof against their ravages. The railroads were the most efficient agents to meet such emergencies, besides being of superior advantage in normal periods. Ross County was the center of many important movements connected with canal transportation, the first steps in the good roads propaganda, which is still in motion, and the pioneer struggles to establish railroads as practical agents in the development HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 109 of the Scioto Valley and its people. The old Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad was the first noteworthy outgrowth of these struggles. THE BELPRE AND CINCINNATI RAILROAD In March, 1845, a charter was granted to the Belpre & Cincinnati Railroad Company, with power to construct and maintain a railroad with double track, commencing at any eligible point on the Ohio River opposite Parkersburgh, Virginia, or at Harmar, in Washington County, thence by the most practicable route up the Hocking Valley, by way of Athens and Chillicothe, to some point on the Little Miami Railroad between Plainville, in Hamilton County, and the mouth of O'Bannon Creek in the County of Clermont. The capital stock of the company was fixed at $1,000,000. Subsequent legislation authorized the increase of the stock to $6,000,000 ; the adoption of a route from Harmar to Athens, other than that up the Hocking Valley, and the extension of the road westwardly to Cincinnati and eastwardly to Bridgeport, Belmont County, opposite Wheeling, and also provided for a change of the name of the company to that of the Marietta. & Cincinnati Railroad Company. The provision for the change of name was to become effective on the acceptance by the company of certain subscriptions of the County of Washington and the towns of Marietta and Harmar. The change was effected August 13, 1851. MARIETTA AND CINCINNATI RAILROAD ORGANIZED The company was organized at Chillicothe, August 18, 1847, and elected, as directors, William P. Cutler and Noah L. Wilson, of Washington County; David Richmond, of Vinton County ; Felix Renick, William H. Price, William Ross, John Madeira, John L. Green and W. Marshall Anderson, of Ross County ; and Allen Trimble and William O. Collins, of Highland County. The board of directors organized by electing Felix Renick, president ; William Ross, treasurer, and Seneca W. Ely, secretary—all of Ross County. Mr. Ross resigned the treasureship within a month of his election, and Col. John Madeira was elected in his place. President Renick was accidentally killed a few months after the organization of the company, and on March 9, 1848, Allen Latham, also of Ross County, was elected president. Mr. Latham served as president until August 21, 1850, when William P. Cutler, of Washington County, was elected to the office. The presidency was retained by Mr. Cutler to September 11, 1854, when he resigned it in consequence of ill health, and Noah L. Wilson, who was then in Europe on business of the company, was elected to the place. During the absence of the president-elect, the duties of the office 110 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY were performed by William S. Nye, president pro tempore. On the return of Mr. Wilson he assumed the presidency, and retained it up to the time of the dissolution of the company, in 1860. A reconnaissance of a route from Chillicothe to the Ohio River, at Belpre, Washington County, had been made before the organization of the company by Prof. John W. Allen and William H. Price, and on the election of Mr. Price, in March, 1848, to the office of engineer, other explorations and surveys were begun with the object of ascertaining the most practicable route for the location of the road. To the acquiring of information for the selection of the route, and the raising of means for the building of the railroad, the attention and efforts of the company and its officers were steadily directed for three years before the work of construction was commenced. RIVAL ROUTES During that time an active competition for the road sprung up along the different routes which stimulated the friends of each to subscribe to the stock of the company, with the condition that the road should be located and built on the route favored by the persons making the subscription. The rivalry between the friends of different routes was particularly strong in relation to the two routes surveyed between Chillicothe and Hillsborough, Highland County, one of them by Bainbridge, Ross County, called the Paint Valley route, and the other called the Frankfort (Ross County) and Greenfield (Highland County) route. The Paint Valley route was 2 1/2 miles the shorter, and of better grades, but was estimated to cost $26,000 more than the Frankfort and Greenfield route. To counterbalance the advantages of the Paint Valley route, the friends of its rival made large stock subscriptions, and more than doubled those made for the route by Paint Valley. The directors, in May, 1850, decided to make Greenfield a point on the line of the road and directed President Latham to procure an engineer and proceed to locate and prepare for letting the contracts for the construction of that part of the road lying between Greenfield and a point eleven miles east of Chillicothe. The services of Capt. Archibald Kennedy, who had previously been engaged in constructing railroads in Vermont, were secured, and in the fall of 1850 he began the final location of that part of the road. Captain Kennedy continued as chief. engineer of the company to August, 1854. Hillsborough, though not named in the charter, had been, by common agreement, considered as a point through which the road would pass, and the citizens of that town had taken an active part in the formation and organization of the company. The decision to make Greenfield a point was probably not designed to change the HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY - 111 settled plan to build the road by Hillsborough, yet it soon became apparent to every one that the best route from Greenfield to Cincinnati lay to the north of Hillsborough, and that the road would be located on that more northern route. The adoption of the route by Greenfield, therefore, soon led to a withdrawal from the Belpre and Cincinnati Company of the interest the citizens of Hillsborough had previously felt and manifested in its success, and was followed by an angry rivalry that caused great loss to both of the parties engaged in it. The Hillsborough and Cincinnati Railroad Company had been organized about the same time as the Belpre and Cincinnati Railroad Company, for the purpose of building a railroad between the points named in its title, and was then engaged in constructing that part of its line lying between Hillsborough and Loveland, Clermont County. Negotiations had been in progress for the merging of the two companies into one, and uniting their roads at Hillsborough, but these were broken off, and the Hillsborough and Cincinnati Railroad Company determined on building an independent line from Cincinnati to Parkersburgh, by way of Hillsborough, Piketon and Jackson. The Belpre and Cincinnati Company which, before this time (1852), had, by change of name, become the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad Company—on its part decided to construct its own line to Cincinnati through Blanchester, Clinton County, and Goshen and Milford, Clermont County. The Hillsborough and Cincinnati Company completed its line from Hillsborough to Loveland, and spent nearly $450,000 in the abortive attempt to build a road from Hillsborough to Parkersburgh. The Marietta Company located and put under contract its line from Blanchester to Milford, but fortunately changed its determination before any money was expended on construction west of Blanchester, and connected its road at that place with the Hillsborough and Cincinnati line. THE ACTUAL BUILDING In 1854 the rivalry ceased, and a contract of union was made by which the two companies agreed to unite their roads and to consolidate the companies. Since then the completed portion of the Hillsborough and Cincinnati Railroad, being that part of the line lying between Hillsborough and Loveland, has been operated as a part of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad. In March, 1851, the construction of the first division of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad extending from Greenfield, Highland County, to eleven miles east of Chillicothe, was put under contract; and in the fall of the same year, contracts were made for the construction from Greenfield to Blanchester, and for twelve additional miles east of Chillicothe, between Londonderry Station, Ross County, and Byers, 112 - HISTORY OF ROSS COUNTY Jackson County. The construction of the seventy-five miles between Byers and Marietta was placed under contract in September, 1852, and in July, 1853, contracts were made for the construction of the western division, from Blanchester to Milford, and of the eastern divisions, lying between Marietta and Wheeling. Before work had been fairly begun on the western division the contractors were ordered to suspend operations, and nothing was done on that division. The divisions lying between Marietta and Wheeling were actively worked until the summer of 1854, when work was suspended and has never been resumed. The different sections of the road were completed and opened for use as follows: From Chillicothe to Greenfield, May 1, 1854; from Greenfield to Blanchester, October 1, 1854; from Chillicothe to Byers, in the summer of 1855 ; from Hamden, Vinton County, to Big Sand Creek, January 1, 1856 ; and Big Sand Creek to Athens, Athens County, April 1, 1856, and from Athens to Harmar, April 20, 1857. It was not until the bridge over the Muskingum River was rebuilt, in the year 1873, that trains were run into the Town of Marietta. By a contract with the Little Miami Railroad Company, the trains of the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company were run between Loveland and Cincinnati over the Little Miami Railroad. The opening of the road to Harmar, in April, 1857, therefore, gave the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company a line from Harmar to Cincinnati. The company also had control of the part of the Hillsborough & Cincinnati Railroad extending from Blanchester to Hillsborough. Previous to 1852 the constitution of Ohio permitted counties, townships, and municipal corporations to subscribe to the capital stock of railroad companies. Up to the time of opening the road to Harmar there had been subscriptions to the stock of the Marietta & Cincinnati Railroad Company, as follows :