OTTERBEIN OWEN. 



117 



califomica of the Pacific coast, and even one or more 

 of the rather numerous but imperfectly known South 

 American species of otter, as mere variants of the 

 species. The common otter is chiefly hunted in win- 

 ter, when its fur is at its best. It is fond of the 

 amusement of sliding down-hill upon the belly, an 

 amusement which it practices in winter upon the snow 

 and ice and In summer upon some steep bank which 

 slopes into a pool or deep stream. Unlike some of 

 the other otters, it is a swift runner. It lives upon 

 fish and is seldom seen far from the water. It is cun- 

 ning in pursuit, and when brought to bay will fight 

 with great courage, often proving itself a formidable 

 antagonist to a dog or man. It is generally taken in 

 steel traps. Besides the interesting and little-tudied 

 otters of South America allusion may here be made to 

 the yapock ( Cheironectes ynpttck) of South America, 

 failed the "little otter" in British Guiana. It is de- 

 cidedly otter-like in its habits, but in reality it is only 

 a semi-aquatic opossum, being one of the most 

 strictly aquatic marsupials anywhere known. It may 

 be added that a certain proportion of the otter skins 

 of commerce are furnisnea by the strongly aberrant 

 species which are found in Southern Asia, but their 

 skins are usually small and the pelage is said to be 

 poor. (c. w. a.) 



OTTERBEIN Pnrup WILLIAM (1726-1813), the 

 founder of the Church of the United Brethren in 

 Christ, was born at Dillenburg, Germany, June 4, 

 1726. He was ordained as a minister of the Reformed 

 Church at Herborn in 1749, but in 1752 followed the 

 call of Rev. Michael Schlatter to become a missionary 

 to the German settlers in America. He took charge of 

 the church at Lancaster, Pa., but being disheartened 

 by the prevailing indifference to religion he was led to 

 join with Christians of other denominations in religious 

 meetings held in the groves. In 1758 he removed to 

 Tulpehocken, Pa., and afterwards to Frederick, Md. , 

 and to York, Pa. In 1 774 he took charge of an in- 

 dependent congregation at Baltimore. He had sought 

 fellowship in his spiritual views among the ministers 

 of other denominations, and he fraternized especially 

 with Asbury and with Martin Bohrn. In 1784 he 

 assisted Dr. Coke in ordaining Asbury as the first bishop 

 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1800 a con- 

 ference called by him at Baltimore was attended by 

 thirteen ministers, who formed the Society of the 

 United Brethren in Christ. Although this eventually 

 became a separate denomination, Otterbein is said 

 never to have left the communion of the German Re- 

 formed Church. Meantime he and Bbhm were rec- 

 ognized as its superintendents and have been called 

 bishops, though tnat title seems not to have been used 

 till after Otterbein's death. He died at Baltimore, 

 Nov. 17, 1813. See Life of P. W. Otterbein, by 

 Rev. A. W. Drury, D. D. 



OTTUMWA, a city of Iowa, the county-seat of 

 Wapello co. , is on the Des Moines river, 76 miles W. 

 of Burlington. The county was opened for settlement 

 by the removal of the Sac and Fox Indians in 1843. 

 Ottumwa was incorporated as a city in 1857 and then 

 occupied a narrow strip of flat land between the river 

 and the bluffs. This land is now covered by solid brick 

 business block?, while the residence portion of the 

 town spreads out over the bluffs which attain an aver- 

 age elevation of about 150 feet. The town originally 

 lay entirely east of the river, but in 1884 the city limits 

 were extended and the west side has a population of 

 about 1 501). The length of the city along the river is 

 about three miles. Its population in 1885 by the 

 State census was 10,506. It is well supplied in the 

 way of transportation facilities, being on the main line 

 of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad, also 

 on the Kansas City branch of the Chicago, Milwaukee, 

 and St. Paul Railroad, and is the terminus of the 

 Central Iowa and Wabash roads. Its other roads are 

 the Keokuk and Des Moines branch of the Chicago, 

 Hock Island, and Pacific aud the UttumWa aud Kirk- 



ville, a short coal-road. A Union passenger depot has 

 been built at a cost of $125,000. This point of the 

 Des Moines River was known to the Indians as 

 " Ottumwa-e-npch," signifying "swift water ford," the 

 river at that time falling six feet over a rock bottom 

 in the course of a half mile. In 1876 advantage was 

 taken of this fall, and at an expense of about $150,000 

 extensive dams were put in and abundant water-power 

 obtained. The other advantages of the site, cheap 

 coal (bituminous), excellent building stone, and the 

 railroad facilities, have given an impetus to manufac- 

 turing. Among the industrial works are a starch-mill, 

 linseed-oil-mill, 2 iron- and brass-foundries, a ruffler- 

 factory, 2 machine-shops, plow-, cutlery-, and screen- 

 factories, planing-mills, 2 furniture-factories, 2 boiler- 

 works, 2 cooper-shops, 2 flour-milis, mining-drills, and 

 bridge-works. There is also located here the second 

 largest pork-packing-house in Iowa, killing 150,000 

 hogs a year. Ottumwa is also the centre of a large 

 jobbing trade. 



The public school system of the city comprises 4 

 buildings on the east side and one on the west side, 

 erected at a cost of $125,000. There is also a large 

 Catholic academy, a normal school, and a business col- 

 lege. There are 15 churches, 2 opera-houses, 3 national 

 banks, 6 hotels, and 2 daily and 6 weekly papers. 



The city has excellent water-works, affording excep- 

 tional fire protection, gas, and arc and incandescent 

 electric lights. There are six miles of street railway, 

 operated oy three companies. The system of sewer- 

 age is very complete._ 



The assessed valuation of city property is $3,000,000, 

 about one-third its actual value. The debt is $54,000, 

 and the expenses of the city in 1886 were $40,378. 

 Ottumwa is in the heart of the Iowa coal-fields and is 

 built over a 4J-foot vein of coal. (A. H. H.) 



OtJSELEY, SIB FREDERICK ARTHUR GORE, an 

 English musician, was born at London, Aug. 12, 1825, 

 being the only son of Sir Gore Ouseley (1768-1844), 

 ambassador to Persia and Oriental scholar. He grad- 

 uated at Christ Church, Oxford, in 1846, took orders, 

 and was curate of the Church of St. Barnabas, Lon- 

 don, in 1849-50. He had also devoted himself to the 

 study of music and received the degree of B. Mus. in 

 1850 and that of D. Mus. in 1854. For the latter he 

 prepared an oratorio, The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp. 

 He was made precentor of Hereford Cathedral in 1855, 

 and also professor of music at Oxford, succeeding Sir 

 Henry K. Bishop. From his means he built the 

 Church of St. Michael, at Tenbury, of which he was 

 first vicar. He is also warden of St. Michael's College, . 

 which had grown out of his labors as choir-master. 

 He is noted for his attainments in music, and has pub- 

 lished many anthems, the oratorio of Hagar, and 

 standard treatises on Harmony (1869), on Fugue and 

 Counterpoint (1869), and Form in Mime (1875). 

 He has also edited valuable collections of cathedral 



UHIU. 



OWEGO, a village of New York, countv-seat of 

 Tioga co. , is on the Susquehanna River, at the mouth 

 of Owego creek, 37 miles east of Elmira. The Erie 

 Railroad is here crossed by the Southern Central and 

 connects with the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western. 

 Owego has a fine court-house, 2 national banks, 8 

 churches, an academy, and graded schools, 3 weekly 

 newspapers. The industrial works comprise a piano- 

 factory, carriage-works, flour-mills, and manufactories 

 of soap, leather, etc. Its population in 1880 was 

 5525. 



OWEN, DAVID DALE (1807-1860), geologist, was 

 born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, June 24, 1 807. He was 

 a son of the socialist, Robert Owen (1771-1858), for 

 whom see ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA. David was 

 educated with his brother at Fellenberg's school at 

 Hofwyl, Switzerland, and in 1825 settled with his father 

 at New Harmony, Ind. He afterwards went to Ger- 

 many to study natural science, and in 1833 returned to 

 Indiana. In 1837 he was appointed by .the Legislature 



