The Ruffner Papers

The 1814 Navigator overview of Cincinnati and Newport, Kentucky.

The Navigator, pages 111-113 AUGUSTA, Is a handsome village very pleasantly situated on the left bank of the Ohio, with an extensive and rich bottom in its rear, and in its front, a fine view of the river, with a clean gravelly, beach for its landing. It is the seat of justice for Bracken county, Kentucky, contains 40 houses, some handsomely built with brick, a court-house, jail, two stores, two taverns, and a handsome brick school house. On the opposite side of the Ohio are also some handsome brick buildings, and fine farms. Bullskin creek, right side, Channel one third over from the left shore.-Half a mile below this creek is a sand bar on the left shore, the channel is near the right shore. Bear creek, right side, Big Indian creek, right side, Little Indian creek, Cross creek, right side, Muddy creek, right side, Little Miami river [l] right side, (M. D.) Just below the mouth of this river a small sand bar puts out on the right shore.-The channel is on the left shore about half way to Columbia, one mile below the mouth of Little Miami, then it crosses the river about two-thirds over towards the right shore-thence to Cincinnati, the channel continues near the right shore. Crawfish creek, right side, Between this and Deer creek, a large sand bar puts out from the left shore, which makes it necessary to keep well to the right shore below Columbia until you pass the bar. Deer creek, right side, Licking river, left side, (M. D.) This is a considerable river of Kentucky, navigable for 70 miles with small crafts. [m] NEWPORT, Stands just above the mouth of Licking, having a fine view of the Ohio, and of Cincinnati, opposite. It is a thriving village, with a number of handsome brick and other buildings, all fronting the Ohio. The United States' arsenal, or place of deposit for arms, and other munitions of war, fronts the river, and is a large brick building. There are also barracks for several companies within the public square. The town contains about one hundred and fifty souls, and is in Campbell county, Kentucky. The bottom above and below Newport, is extensive, fertile, and contains some fine farms on it. These, combined with the beauty of the river, and the two towns in view, give a very handsome prospect of the country. CINCINNATI. [n] (see appendix, below) Mill creek, right side, A large sand bar, The channel close to the right shore is safe, but it is very narrow. North Bend, There are some fine farms and improvements at the North Bend, and a town called Cleves, was laid out some years ago, but has not improved much in buildings. The ground here commands a handsome view of the Ohio, rising gently from the river to a considerable elevation, something in the form of half an amphitheatre. It is but a mile across from Cleves to the nearest part of the great Miami. Great Miami river, [o] (M. D.) At the mouth of this river is a sand bar, channel on the left shore; about 300 yards below is another sand bar on the same side, channel midway between the bar and the right shore. Here ends the state of Ohio, the division line between that state and Indiana, strikes the mouth of the Great Miami, and thence runs a due North course to 41 degrees 40 minutes N. lat. thence a due east and West direction, striking lake Erie on the one hand, and touching the most southerly part of lake Michigan, passing on in the same direction to the Mississippi on the other, which line also forms the north boundary of Indiana and Illinois territories.

Appendix, pages 250-253

[n] CINCINNATI is handsomely situated on a first and second bank of the Ohio, opposite Licking river. It is a flourishing town, has a rich, level, and well settled country around it. It contains about 400 dwellings, an elegant court house, jail, 3 market houses, a land office for the sale of congress lands, 2 printing offices issuing weekly gazettes, 30 mercantile stores, and the various branches of mechanism are carried on with spirit.- Industry of every kind being duly encouraged by the citizens, Cincinnati is likely to become a considerable manufacturing place; it is 82 miles N. by E. of Frankfort, and about 380 by land S. S. W. of Pittsburgh, N. lat. 39' 5' 54' according to Mr. Ellicott, and W. long. 85' 44'. It is the principal town in what is called Symms's purchase, and is the seat of justice for Hamilton county, Ohio. lt has a bank issuing notes under the authority of the state, called " The Miami Exporting Company-"-The healthiness and salubrity of the climate; the levelness and luxuriance of the soil; the purity and excellence of the waters; added to the blessings attended on the judicious administration of mild and equitable laws; the great security in the land titles; all seem to centre in a favorable point of expectation, that Cincinnati and the country around it, must one day become rich and very populous, equal perhaps, if not superior to any other place of an interior, in the United States. The scite of Fort Washington is near the centre of the town; it was a principal frontier post-- it is now laid out in town lots.

Two considerable cotton manufactories have been lately established in Cincinnati, one by -Mr. Hurdus, and another by Messrs. Baum & Co. and others are about to be established by an extensive company forming for that purpose. The citizens of Cincinnati, and those of the adjacent country seem to have a large share of a public and enterprising spirit, which is bent at this time towards the establishment of domestic manufactories, and the forming of companies for the collecting and transporting to market the surplus produce of that extensive and fertile country. A Company of this kind has already formed itself at Hamilton on the Big Miami, and one on the Little Miami, and another extensive company is about forming at Cincinnati for the same purpose. According to the census of 1810, Cincinnati contained 1,217 males, 1,006 females -total 2,223 souls.

There have been lately added to Cincinnati another bank, under the name of the Farmer's and Mechanic's Bank. It has already formed a good credit, and does business to advantage. A steam mill is about to be put into complete operation, of seventy horse power, erected and owned by Messrs. Ormsby and Stanley, and others. This mill is designed for grinding grain, and for moving machineries for various kinds of manufactories. Two Breweries have been lately erected, and make excellent beer and porter, in quantities sufficient for home' consumption and for exportation. Two bookstores and a bookbindery have been recently added to Cincinnati. Doctors and Lawyers are plenty, Cincinnati wanting as few of these if not less, than any other part of the union,. the inhabitants being pretty much in the habit of doing their business - in their own way, and the climate so healthful that few drugs are wanted, other than those produced by the gardens of the town and adjacent country. Religion is not neglected here, for a fine large church has been, recently erected. Schools are numerous and under tolerable regulations, public houses are well accommodated, and afford a good and cheap living. The streets, some of the walkways excepted, are unpaved, and of course very muddy in wet weather. Mud, however, is as common in the streets of the western towns as sand in New Jersey. What occasions bad roads here, rain, there it makes them good.

Major Buskirk, a respectable farmer near Louisville, informed me he assisted in building a blockhouse on the spot where Cincinnati now stands, and immediately opposite Licking river, in July, 1780, it being the first attempt to settle that part of the now state of Ohio. On the 6th August following, a battle was fought between 1000 Virginia and Kentucky militia, and the Indians, at Piqua on Mad river.

Cincinnati was laid out by judge Symms, in May, 1788, who, the same year brought out from New England and New Jersey, a number of settlers who seated themselves in the vicinity of the new town, between the two Miamies.

The blockhouse was enlarged by the United States, and kept as a frontier post; called fort Washington, until Wayne's treaty with the 12 nations of the northern Indians, whom he defeated, August 20, 1794. The treaty was signed at fort Greenville, on the western branch of the Great Miami, shortly after the defeat of the Indians. After this the town of Cincinnati and the country around began to improve rapidly.

The district of country formerly called the "North Western Territory," was erected into a territorial government under the old Congress. After the adoption of the new and present constitution in 1789, Congress accepted that territory into the union as a sovereign and independent state, by act passed 3d March 1803, when it was organized under the name of the State of 0hio. Cincinnati was the seat of the territorial government, and the state government continued there until 1806, when it was moved to Chilicothe, thence to Zanesville, and again back to Chilicothe.

What adds to the commerce of Cir.cinnati is the line of barges running regularly from that place to New Orleans, descending loaded with the produce of the country, and returning with cargoes of sugar, coffee, rice, hides, wines, rums, &c. and dry goods of various kinds, and cotton from Natchez. Messrs.Baum and Perry and Mr. Riddle, have a line of barges constantly engaged, and some others are also employed in this business. These barges carry about 700 barrels, and are long in proportion to their breadth, 9 men conduct them down, from 24 to 32 upstream, oars and poles are the principal dependence, they have sails also that are frequently useful. Cordelling, where the water is too swift to be stemmed by the force of the oars, or too deep for the poles, is the only alternative and a bad one it is. They descend from Cincinnati to New Orleans in about five weeks, unless they run day and night, when half the time serves, but with much risk. An instance occurred in February 1813, when a barge descended from the falls of Ohio to Natchez in 14 days and five hours-nothing ought to induce such running but a case of life and death. They ascend in about 80 or 90 days, sometimes much longer. The part the most indifferently managed about a barge are the sails. Few of the bargemen are sailors, and without one on board, the sail had better be thrown overboard. A fine barge was upset in the river opposite Natchez in a gale of wind and hail on the 17th March 1813, owing, it is presumed , to a failure in the proper and timely management of the sails, which were all spread to drive her up stream. Four men were drowned, and a valuable cargo of groceries) &c. lost, a few bales of cotton excepted. It is with the sails of a vessel, as with the tools of a shop, it requires a master to work them to advantage. Any strong able bodied man, can soon learn to pull an oar, or heave at the pole, and if he makes a mistake with either it is of little consequence; not so with sails, the elements operate upon them, and much care and knowledge are required to manage them with safety and benefit. Owners of barges ought to see to this point, and not leave their barges to the mercy of heedless headstrong crews, who care for nothing but their wages, and whose ignorance is as liable to run them on a sand bar as to hit the main channel. By a neglect of the pattroon for five minutes in the cabin, I have seen a full loaded barge grounded on a sand bar, and detained two days.-The crew saw the bar, but it was not their business to prevent the accident!

It would, however, be well how soon the barging business, propelled by manual forces, could be got rid of, and the steam power substituted. And this would be done soon no doubt, but for the overwhelming patent of Fulton and Livingston, which secures to them all the navigable rivers in the United States for fourteen years, for all boats propelled by the steam power, NO MATTER ON WHAT PRINICIPLE THE STEAM OPERATES.

The Navigator overview of Charleston.

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