M 



OHIO 



in 1897 in the State 69,073 births and 29,180 

 to* The number of deaths was 30,818. Th.-r 



..aluraliied in 1SS7 in the State 5729 voters 

 <>t iheM 3188 were native* of (Jcruiany. 601 natives 

 of Ireland, and _>** natives of Austria. 



Pkyaau Fealxrm. Since the year 1K84 a new chap 

 ter has to be added to what was then stated regard 

 ing the physical features and resources of Ohio. The 

 natural resources of the State are now known to in- 

 clude a bountiful supply f the combustible kid 

 known as natural gas. Since the town of Findlay, 

 Hancock oo.. in the north-western part of the State, 

 was first settled natural gas was known to exist there 

 in small quantities. The spring-water was charged 

 with sulphuretted hydrogen, and in 1836 a vein of 

 gas was struck at a depth of ten feet in excavating for 

 a well Although this readily ignited, no thought of 

 using it for economic purposes resulted in any further 

 search for the gas until, in March, 1884, a company 

 was organised at Findlay to bore for natural gas. In 

 the first successful well gas was found in large quanti- 

 ties at a depth of 1092 feet below the surface, flowing 

 in a volume of from 200,0(10 to 300,000 cubic feet a 

 day. The record of the drilling of this well is given 

 as follows : 



Drift. 8ft. 



Upper limestones 237 " 



Shales, red, gray, and brown 847 " 



Lower limestone or gas rock 1092 " 



This was the first discovery of the fact that gas was 

 stored in the Trenton limestone beneath Findlay in 

 sufficient quantities to be of great value as fuel for 

 manufacturing and domestic use. This was rapidly 

 followed by the sinking of other wells, one after an- 

 >t her proving successful, and a sufficient supply of gas 

 soon being tapped to furnish fuel for the nouses and 

 factories of a metropolis. 



The excitement attendant was similar to that on the 

 discovery of petroleum in Western Pennsylvania. 

 Real estate advanced in value, new manufactories were 

 projected, and in a few years the population of Find- 

 lay Increased from 5000 to nearly 20,000. The Find- 

 lay gas-field extends a dozen miles north and east of 

 the city. 



But the Ohio supply of natural gas is by no means 

 e'infined to the Findlay field. Bowling Green, C:iivy. 

 and many of the other towns in the same part of the 

 State were nearly as successful as Findlay in drilling 

 fur i ho natural gas, the history of Findlay being sub- 

 stantially that also of other towns in North-western 

 Ohio. In other parts_of the .State, in fact in every 

 part of it, wells have since been drilled with more or 

 less success. In North-western and Western Ohio 

 success has, as a rule, attended these efforts. In 

 Central Ohio Lancaster obtained a good supply of gas. 

 A system of piping the gas to cities, whose efforts to 

 secure it by drilling have been unsuccessful, has been 

 inaugurated. 



The great merit of the natural gas as a fuel is its 

 cheapness and high quality as a neat-yielding com- 

 bustible. In localities where it is present it has super- 

 seded coal, as the cost of obtaining it after the first 

 drilling and piping is almost inappreciable, and it can 

 be furnished to consumers at a very slight expense. 

 Supposed at first to be stored in the Trenton lime- 

 stone, it has since been found in the Clinton limestone, 

 and at some points in Berca grit. 



The specific gravity of the Ohio natural gas is .566. 

 The depth at which it is found beneath the surface 

 varies in different fields, the successful wells in the 

 Findlay Gelds varying from 1 100 to 1650 feet in depth. 

 The strongest wells obtain their gas in Trenton lime- 

 stone. At Cleveland the nutural gas was obtained 

 after drilling over 1800 feet Scientists differ as to the 

 likelihood of the supply becoming exhausted, but Ohio 

 welk from which gas has been buroed in quantities for 



two or four years still flow with unabated pressure. 

 Its discovery has given a new impetus to manufactur 

 ing industries in ( Ihio. 



At Lima Allen co., drilling for natural gas in the 

 spring of Isv'i resulted in developing new oil-field.-, 

 petrol, '11111 ruining from the Trenton limestone in larti- 

 quantities. This was the openin,, of the development 

 of the Lima oil-field, which has since proved very pro- 

 ductive. 



Affriculturr.. There are at least two-fifths of the 

 persons engaged in any occupation employed in agri- 

 eulture. the leading industry of Ohio. There are 

 about 10,000,000 acres cultivated, and in 1886 nearly 

 .tii.iKin.ii:i i l.ushels of wheat. '.HI.IKHI.IKKI bushels of 

 corn, and in the neighborhood of 1 90,000, 000 bushels 

 of all cereals were produced in the State. The average 

 production of wheat for the last five years has been 

 tadufa per acre, and of corn 33.8 bushels per 

 acre. The products of orchards and dairies are also 

 prolific. The annual production of wool in 1886 and 

 I ss;. though slightly less than in preceding years, was 

 about 20,000,000 pounds, Ohio holding the first rank 

 in the wool-producing States. The number of sheep 

 in 1887 was 4,105,177, and in 1S8S was :;.739,449. In 

 1888 the number of horses was 786,549; cattle, 

 1,612,726; mules. 25,189; hogs, 1,629,616. Ohio 

 ranks next to Illinois in thoroughbred cattle, and 

 is one of the largest pork-producintr States. Agricul- 

 tural implement manufactories in this State turn out 

 one-fourth the annual product of the United States. 



Mim^befNrw. Ohio is one of the leading States 

 in the number of manufactories, the amount of an- 

 nual manufactured product, and number of men em- 

 ployed in manufacturing industries. The manufactur- 

 ing concerns of the State include nearly every form of 

 ioanstrial enterprise, from rolling-mills to glass-fac- 

 tories. In Cleveland are located many large rolling- 

 mills and iron-factories, the immense works of the 

 Standard Oil Company employing three thousand 

 men, with a capital of millions invested, and numerous 

 other large factories of different kinds. In Akron, 

 Canton, and Springlield are large agricultural machine 

 and implement concerns, also employing thousands of 

 men. This State furnishes at least one-fourth of the 

 agricultural implements of the country. In Findlay. 

 in the north-west, in East Liverpool, and in other 

 portions of the eastern part of the State are large 

 glass-factories, the latter region being also the seat of 

 many large potteries. Columbus has immense car 

 riage-factories, rolling-mills, and agricultural imple- 

 ment works. Cincinnati has many large manufac- 

 tories of different kinds, besides being one of the 

 leading cities of the country in the pork-packing in- 

 lii-tiy. There are over 7(XX) industrial establish- 

 ments in Ohio, employing 200,000 men and 30,000 

 women, with a capital of over $200,000,000. The 

 value of the annual product of these manufactures is 

 $400,000,000. Statistics show that the number of 

 weeks in which these manufactories are in operation 

 during the year averages 47. 



Rmlttcuu. Ohio is covered with a net-work of 

 railways, all the principal towns and cities in the State 

 being now on the lines of railroads and all the eighty- 

 eight counties being crossed and recrossed by railroad 

 lines. In the twelve years between 1870 and is<.> 

 4000 miles of new railroad track were laid in the 

 State. Ohio has now over 10,000 miles of railroad. 

 In_1887 there were reported to the State Board of 

 Railroad Equalization 73f>5.<>;"> miles of main track 

 and 1968.06 miles of sidings, which were valued for 

 taxation at $93,869,782. 



Several trunk-lines cross the State from east to 

 west and now have branches extending into nearly all 

 parts of the State. 



There are also several roads traversing the State 

 from north to south, and these, with the shorter 

 tributary roads constructed and under process of con- 

 struction, enable Ohio people and the products of 



