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LAKE CRAFT - CONTINUED

of 1812, took part with us, and afterwards lived to be a very old man at Point an Chene, on the St. Clair River, not far above lake St. Clair.
     1796—Two British armed vessels.
     1797—Schooner of sixty tons, Erie Pa., called the Washington. Cleared from Cuyahoga in the spring of 1806 and was never heard of afterwards.
     1800—Schooner Harlequin, of Erie, lost in October of the same year, and twenty persons, being all who were on board of her.  Also the schooner Good Intent, 50 tons, which was lost off Point Abino in 1806.
     1801—Schooner Adams, 150 tons, United States vessel built at River Rouge, near Detroit.  Also the Tracy, of 70 tons, U. S. transport, wrecked on Bird Island reef, 1809.
     Schooner Wilkinson, 80 tons, Detroit.
     1804—Contractor, sloop, 50 tons, Black Rock, purchased by the United States in 1812; took part in the battle of Lake Erie under the name of the Trip.  Cuyahoga Packet, sloop, 20 tons, Chagrin river.  Schooner Lark, 20 tons, Grand river, Canada.
     1805—A Government sloop of 60 tons, Cayuga creek, where the Griffin was built in 1679.  Ranger, of 50 tons, St. Clair river.
     1807—Schooner Mary, 120 tons, burnt by General PROCTOR in the Thames, 1813.
     1808—Zephyr, Cleveland, burnt at Conjocketa creek, near Black rock.

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     1809—Schooner Catharine, 80 tons, Black Rock.  In PERRY's battle, 1813, as the Somers.  Charlotte, schooner, 90 tons, built some years previous; captured at Mackinaw, 1812, as the Salina.  Became ice locked among the islands in the winter of 1812— 13, and floating down opposite Erie, was stripped and burned.
     1810—Schooner Ohio, 60 tons} Cleveland; became a part of Perry's fleet.

EARLY RIVER MEN.

     As early as 1749 the Cuyahoga was regarded by geographers a point destined to be of commercial importance. [ Douglass's summary.] Franklin pointed to its future value in 1765, recommending that it be occupied for military purposes.  WASHINGTON foresaw its consequence, while discussing a project for water communications between the lakes and Chesapeake Bay.
     POWNALL and EVANS only knew of five rivers on the south shore of lake Erie, but they had the sagacity to discuss the project of a canal, allowing batteaux to pass into the waters of the Shenango and Mahoning from "Cherage," (Conneaut) and from the Cuyahoga river.—[POWNALL's account, 1756.]
     It was this idea which FRANKLIN and WASHINGTON enlarged upon, as the mode, and the route, of the future inland commerce of the west. Batteaux once transferred, from the waters of lake Erie to those of

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CLEVELAND, WEST SIDE.

lost all traces, of what constituted the public buildings of the county during the active life of the present.

OHIO CITY.

     On the west side of the river, opposite St. Clair street, where the Indians had a ferry, a trail led out across the marshy ground, up the hill past the old log trading house, where there were springs of water, to an opening in the forest, near the crossing of Pearl and Detroit streets.  In this pleasant space the savages practised their games, held their pow wows, and when whisky could be procured, enjoyed themselves while it lasted.  The trail continued thence westerly to Rocky River and Sandusky.  Another one, less frequented, led off southerly up the river to the old French trading post, where MAGENIS was found in 1786, near Brighton; and thence, near the river bank, to Tinkers creek, and probably to the old Portage path.  A les frequented trail, existed from the Indian villages of Tawas or Ottawas and Mingoes, at Tinkers creek, by a shorter route, direct to the crossing of the Cuyahoga at the "Standing Stone," near Kent.  The packhorsemen, who transported goods and flour to the northwest from 1786 to 1795, followed this trail, crossing the Cuyahoga at Tinkers creek.
     SAMUEL P. LORD drew a considerable part of the township of Brooklyn, whose son, the late RICHARD

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OHIO CITY INCORPORATED.

LORD, and the late JOSIAH BARBER, became very early, if not the earliest settlers.  The CARTERS, father and son, purchased the land at the mouth of the river, on the west side soon after the survey.  ALONZO occupied this tract living and keeping tavern in the "Red House," opposite Superior lane.  In 1831 the spirit of speculation crossed river.  Lots on the west side began to command high prices.  The Buffalo Company purchased the CARTER farm, where a rival city was expected to arise, covering the low ground with warehouses, and the bluffs with stores and residences.  In 1834-35, water lots on the old river bed, commanded higher prices than they do now.  In the flesh times of 1836-37, land contracts on long time, became a kind of circulating medium, on both sides of the river, daily passing from hand to hand, by indorsement; the speculation accruing to each successive holder, being realized in cash; or in promises to pay.  The company excavated a short ship canal from the Cuyahoga to the old river bed, at the east end, and the waters being high, a steamboat passed into the lake, through a natural channel at the west end.  On the 3d of March, 1836, the village of Brooklyn became an incorporated city.  Soon after, the city made a canal, from the Cuyahoga river opposite the extremity of the Ohio canal, through the marsh, into the old river bed, above the ship channel.  The bridge, represented among the lithographs at the

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THE BATTLE OF THE BRIDGE.

beginning of this book, which stood at the foot of Columbus street, was built by the late JAMES S. CLARK, and an excavation made through the bluff on the south side, at great expense.
     City rivalry ran so high, that a regular battle occurred on this bridge in 1837, between the citizens and the city authorities on the west side, and those on the east.  A field piece was posted on the low ground, on the Cleveland side, to rake the bridge, very much as the Austrians did at Lodi, and crowbars, clubs, stones, pistols, and guns were freely used on both sides.
     Men were wounded of both parties, three of them seriously.  The draw was cut away, the middle pier, and the western abutment partially blown down, and the field piece spiked, by the west siders.  But the sheriff, and the city marshal of Cleveland, soon obtained possession of the dilapidated bridge, which had been donated to the city.  Some of the actors were confined in the county jail.  The bridge question thus got into court, and was finally settled by the civil tribunals.  In 1855 (June 6th), all jealousies and all rivalry between interests, that had never been in reality opposite, were hapily terminated, by an union which did away with the arbitrary and unreal line of separation.
     The following list of gentlemen filled the office of Mayor, during the existence of the Ohio City charter.

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     1836 - JOSIAH BARBER.
     1837 - FRANCIS A. BURROWS.
     1838-9 - NORMAN C. BALDWIN.
     1840-41 - NEEDHAM M. STANDART.
     1842 - FRANCIS A. BURROWS.
     1843 - RICHARD LORD
     1844-45-46 - D. H. LAMB.
     1847 - DAVID GRIFFITH.
     1848 - JOHN BEVERLIN.
     1849 - THOMAS BURNHAM.
     1850-51-52 - BENJAMIN SHELDON
     1853 - WM. B. CASTLE

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