The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-02-14
AT THE TWICE FIVE,

earliest days of Hooking county, the
commercial interests OF her borders
was blank. From its inception a
county to the completion of the
Hooking canal, the resources in this
line were very meagre, the dealings
and enterprises of her people being
limited to the crudest forms Of pion-
eer trade, interspersed with slight
trade in game, tobacco and other
kindred articles over the hills by
wagon to Chillicothe or Lancaster,
or points along the Ohio river. The
early settlers were not drawn to these
rugged hills, the "Alpin district of
Ohio" by any idea Of the deep wealth
of her minerals and the consequent
unlimited possibilities of her COM
mercial resorses but for years they
exercised only the cruder notions
and functions of farming and graz
ing, all unmindful that around and
beneath them rested the latent forces
which were destined to push Hook
county, her history, and her name,
beyond the limits of her boundarys
conspicuous and widely known
factor of the coal and other interests
of Ohio.
Her growth, while as rapid as most
counties during those early days was
not prompted by any particular in
fuence, until the agitation of the
Hooking canal and its subsequent
completion. This great enterprise
was begun in 1886, sanctioned by an
act of the legislature in 1888, the
purchase of what is known as the
"Side Cut" was made for $6l 600 and
the final completion to Nelsonville
in 1910. In the month of September,
1910 the first canal boat came out OF
the valley laden with coal. No loco
motive ever created much more cur
iosity in an initial voyage than did
this curious monster among the
Haweaters along the borders of the
canal and to those who do not eat
them, further up the line.
The cost of this enterprise was
81, 100000. In 1871 it was extended
from Nelsonville to Monday Creek
and Athens. 1t had thirty one locks.
thirty four culverts, one aqueduct
and eight dams, all of which have
been abandoned long since.
This enterprise aroused the citizens
of Hooking county to new notions of
her worth. The problem was simple
and they early grasped the situation.
Here were the rich deposits of coal,
clay and iron ore, and here was the
outlet for all this production. Why
not utilize all these advantages by
the erection of bat fulsrnaces? This
idea was soon followed out. The
first furnace in Hooking county was
erected by Moore and Bird in 1852.
Another called the Logan Furnace
was built i'm 1853. About the same
time "Five Mile Furnace" in Starr
township. Afterwards known as
Union Furnace. The stock holders
were, Robt. Wright, Daniel Dunn,
VIM. Montgomery and John West
enhaver.
The iron ore which was first dis
covered in 1913, has not come up to
the expectations Of the earlier en-
thusiasts, either in quantity or quail
ity which fact has resulted rather
disastrously to this much of the COM
mercial interests of the county.
The other furnaces built in the
county were the Winona, Crafts,
Lee, Helen and Gore. Winona and
Gore are in Falls Gore, Crafts In
Green, and Lee in Monday and
Helen in Orbiston of Ward township.
All were concentrated into what Is
known as the g. II. G. & ]. Co., all
are clad in death never to be resur-
rected. They have absolutely no
promise for the future and there Ia
no reason to believe that any Of them
will ever be used where they are. In
fact most have already been torn
down and those still standing would
require nearly as much in repairs as
a new one would cost. The reason
for this as intimated is the inferior
quality and liT tied quantity of the
ore and it requires the importations
of larger quantities of foreign ore to
mix with the native ore and it is q
very simple problem to determine
that furnace in the Hooking VAL
ley which must shipin its ore from
distant places and reship its product
to distant markets cannot compete
with a furnace which divides the
distances, ships it's ore half as far,
its coal, a much higher product the
same distance and has the finest
product produced at or near the
market.
Turning from the iron ore whose
future is not very promising we mo-
tice next the clay and clay manu-
facturies, and industries or CONNER
cial possibility unlimited I'm its ex-
tent and promise. Just how much
and of what quality the entire coun-
ty promises In the way of clay has
not been fully determined. New
fields are being constantly discover
ed. But it seems already that we
have a great and lasting industry In
these CLAWS unlimited In extent and