Copyright USGenNet Inc., 2013, All Rights Reserved U.S. Data Repository Please read U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on this page: Transcribed and submitted by Linda Talbott for the US Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ ========================================================================= U.S. Data Repository NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization. Non-commercial organizations desiring to use this material must obtain the consent of the transcriber prior to use. Individuals desiring to use this material in their own research may do so. ========================================================================= Formatted by U.S. Data Repository Chief Archivist, Linda Talbott All of the above information must remain when copied or downloaded. =========================================================================== A Memoir of the Late William Hodge, Sen. Bigelow Bros., Buffalo, N.Y. - 1885 (61-77) ROADS, TRAVEL & TRAFFIC -------- The year 1825 forms a noticeable dividing-point between the earlier and later history of Buffalo, by reason of the opening then of the Erie canal. This, and the previous formation of the harbor, by opening Buffalo creek, created that great water thoroughfare which really built the City of Buffalo; with which, however, the Railroad develop- ment has come into competition, by reestablishing the through land- route between the east and the west. But the earlier stage of this great progress by roads through the wilderness, by wagons for travel and traffic, and later, stage-coaches as means of passenger transit, must not be forgotten. In this paper I give a description of these roads, east and west of, and through, Buffalo. To this I add something concerning the stage-coach, the early predecessor of the railroad of to-day, and a brief account of the opening of Buffalo harbor. First, then, I present some facts in reference to the roads by which traffic and travel were, in the infancy of Buffalo, carried on through it between the east and the west. From my recollection of some of the old road-marks and log houses along the way, I give the following description, commencing on "The Plains," about five miles east of the port of "Buffalo Creek," at ATKINS' tavern, now the "Old Homestead." Coming westward, thence, the road bore a little to the left of the present main road, keep- ing on the "limestone ridge" for about one mile. Then it crossed the present road on " Flint Hill," about sixty rods east of the present parkway, still following, or nearly so, the rocky ridge, to Conjock- ety's creek at the old fording-place, now in Forest Lawn cemetery. By descending a steep bank, of about twenty feet, and turning immediately to the right, the creek was reached. On this bank, or bluff of high ground, there was a log building called the LYON house. Mr. LYON lived there as early as 1806; but I do not know whether he or the Indians built the house. Near the traveled track, at the bottom of the hill, and before it crossed the creek, was a spring of good water; and near the house were several apple trees, planted by the early white set- tiers, if not by the Indians. When I first saw them, more than sixty- seven years ago, they were quite large. And I remember, by the way, several apple trees which stood on the same (the north) side of this creek, near its mouth, where the Indian chief, CONJOCKETY (whose name it bears), had his dwelling-place. The Indians may have planted both these clusters of trees. They however disappeared long ago, through neglect, or by the ruthless hand of the white man. Crossing the creek, and continuing a short distance on the "flat," and passing a beautiful spring of water, the road, after a westerly course of thirty or forty rods, ascended to high ground, and turned southward. Soon it crossed the old "Gulf road," now Delavan avenue. This road took its name from the deep gulf caused by the running water from the "Jubilee" spring, and the "Staley" spring. The gulf was bridged as soon as the Holland Land Company's lands were surveyed, and about the year 1804. This Gulf road was the first and nearest one from our Main street (in the vicinity of Conjockety's creek and "The Plains") to Black Rock. But it was little traveled, at an early day, and only in a dry time, or in winter when the ground was frozen. The old Guide-board road mentioned below, was the principal traveled road to Black Rock ferry from the east. After crossing the Gulf road, the old main road followed about the course of the present Delaware street, passing close by the Jubilee spring. Just north of this spring was a second log house, on what we used to call the "REMINGTON" lot, or farm, SHADRACH REMINGTON and family having come and occupied this farm, before the war of 181 2. To the south of this Jubilee spring was a third log house, which was, I well remember, occupied by JOHN MAINS, and afterwards by George Wormwood. The road still following nearly the course of Delaware street, crossed lot No. 58, lying on the north side of the present Utica street; on which lot was a fourth log house, occupied by CHRISTJOHN STALEY. Down the hill, east of this house, was a fine large spring of water, which I remember visiting as early as 1810. The spring is still in the same place, and looking very much as it did more than seventy-four years ago. Near the present Utica street the road bore a little eastward, and after crossing this street, continued about parallel with Dela- ware, crossing lots 57, 56 and 55, (the "COTTON" lot); then bearing a little westward again, it crossed lots 54 and 53 to the old Guide- board road (now North street). Here, turning due west, the Guide-board road was followed to the point in York street where it has become Porter avenue. Thence bearing southwestward, along the line of the latter (and leaving the Guide-board road), the old main road went down to the river at the place formerly called Sandytown, —which will be described in the following paper. Here it struck the beach road from Black Rock to Buffalo creek, which was for a long time the direct one between Black Rock and Buffalo, —indeed, in 1809, the Niagara street road was but lately opened, and hardly yet in common use. In passing, I may say that the Guide-board road, from the point where the main westward road left it, went northwesterly, to "Black Rock" (which lay at the foot of the bluff, between the present site of the Niagara street car-barns and the river) and there communicated with "The Old Ferry." From Sandytown, the main road continued along the lake (or river) beach, to the mouth of Big Buffalo creek, following up the north bank of this creek to the entrance of Little Buffalo creek (the present canal junction, at the foot of Commercial street) and thence up the west bank of this creek to the place where now is the Main street bridge over the "Hamburg" canal, which occupies the original site of the creek channel, and then ascending the Terrace bluff, reached the center of the village. I have no personal recollection of a communication in the earliest times by wagon-way from the point above-mentioned where the old main road entered the Guide-board road, to the village; but from descriptions, I think there must have been a foot and bridle path, nearly direct, passing that noble spring of water on the premises now owned and occupied by the Cornell White Lead Company, on the northeast corner of Delaware and Virginia streets. In a new country such paths usually go from one watering-place to another, and this course would be less than half as far as the wagon-track by way of the beach. But, in fact, in those days the road from the Cold Spring to near CONJOCKETY'S (or GRANGER'S) creek, consisted of a log-way or causeway; and I have seen much of this road many times in the spring and fall of the year flooded with water. And after the road from WALDEN Hill to the Village was opened and became the main road, it was many times impassable for loaded teams. There was in those early times a slough- hole where Chippewa street crosses Main street. That was the natural course for the water to take from the wet and swampy lands adjoining, on the east side of the road, where Chippewa Market now stands. The village lot on the southwest corner of Main and Chippewa streets, where PHILIP BEYER'S store is, was a bog-hole some six or eight feet in depth. This lot was offered to BENJAMIN HODGE, Sen., by JOSEPH ELLICOTT, for ten dollars, but he refused to take it, as he did not consider it worth anything. It should be noted that before the Gulf road above-mentioned was opened and the gulf bridged, those who lived in the vicinity of "The Plains" used to reach Niagara river by following the north bank of CONJOCKETY'S creek. Many continued to do this for years after the Gulf road was opened, as it was better traveling. People from the neighborhood of the Cold Spring reached the river by going through the woods on the north side of lot No. 58, starting in about where Utica street now is, and keeping on the high ground; passing neax STALEY'S house and spring, and keeping on in a nearly direct course to the river. As an incident illustrating the way things were done in the line of traffic over these roads from the east into Buffalo, I give the following: At one time, soon after the close of the war, there was no flour to be obtained in Buffalo. My father heard of a wagonload coming in from the east, on the Batavia or Williamsville road, and sent a man named JEDEDIAH JACKSON out to meet and buy it, which he did, at fifteen dollars a barrel. At this time, and later, until 1825 or 1826, large "Pennsylvania wagons," painted blue and having white tow-cloth covers and wheel-tires six or eight inches in width, the teams drawing them consisting of five, six or seven horses, traveled the road from Albany to Buffalo, transporting merchandise. I remember the names of ROBERT (or BOB) HUNTER, and EPHRAIM GILBERT and others who made a business of transporting goods for our mer- chants. DANIEL H. COTTON, who resided on "The Plains" was for some time in this business. The price paid for transportation was six dollars per hundred pounds. Coming into Buffalo from the east, travelers all passed my father's house of entertainment, from the time when he first began to shelter and feed them, and they were as yet "few and far between," —journeying in their own conveyances, —till the growing and prosperous times when the four-in-hand mailcoach became the speedy and sure means of transit. But in those and in earlier as well as in later days, Buffalo was in fact a gate-way to the Great West. I am now to say something of the road-way from Buffalo into that then so little known, so largely undiscovered region. It may be truly said that though Buffalo was thus a gateway, its creek, the natural feature which became the making of it, and the nature of the roads beyond, for a number of miles, really offered great obstructions as well as helps to travel, as will be presently seen. The journey west from Buffalo began at or near the point where the Mansion House now stands. The first part of the road was for years that which has already been described, along the west and north banks of Little and Big Buffalo creeks to the mouth of the latter. In those days this stream was of little practical importance (even when commerce had begun) except for the use of flat-boats and smaller craft at favorable times, on account of the sand-bar across its mouth. And until the year 1809, this sand-bar was the crossing-place for those westward-bound; what little there was of the creek, there, being forded. Indeed, in those days we could sometimes leap across the mouth of the stream, which had its outlet not directly into the lake, as now, but some distance further north, except when the channel was enlarged by a swollen current, forcing its way through the bar. By thus fording the creek the "peninsula" on the other side was reached, which then (and indeed as late as 1820 or 1825, I think I may even say 1840) was covered with a heavy growth of timber. The road then followed the lake beach westward. In 1809 this beach-road was made more easily accessible by a ferry. This was established by SAMUEL PRATT, about a mile above the old fording-place, considerably above Little Buffalo creek, and a short distance above Dead creek (now the Ohio basin) near the place where Ohio street joins the foot of Louisiana street, and crosses Buffalo river. From this time the road westward from Buffalo Village followed the present Main street, southward—across Little Buffalo creek, to Big Buffalo creek. There, near the foot of Main street, it turned east- ward, following the north bank of the creek, to the ferry. The road ran quite near the bank, and in 1823, one of Mr. PRATT'S daughters, driving with some others, passed too near, and the wagon was upset, precipitating them all into the water. A traveler hastened to their aid, and rescued all except Miss PRATT, who was drowned. Later, in 1827 or 1828, this road was changed to its present location (Ohio street) farther from the bank, the space between road and bank becoming afterwards occupied by warehouses and wharves. From the ferry, the road followed up the south bank of the creek, fifty or sixty rods, and then, turning to the right, reached the lake beach, and followed it, at a point three-quarters of a mile from the ferry. This was the only road west, till 1833, when the "turnpike" was built by O. H. DIBBLE, from the place where the Ohio street bridge now crosses the creek (or river) to the "BARKER place," about six miles distant, on the lake shore. This turnpike was made through the alder swamp, a short distance back from the beach. On the way to BARKER'S, and about four and one-half miles from the ferry, travelers were compelled to ford "Smoke's creek," over which I think there was no bridge until during the war of 1812-15. No bridge, however, could long remain there, as the water of the lake, forced by the high winds over the beach, would wash the structure away. The fording of the creek was always dangerous on account of quicksand; and in times of high wind this danger was greatly increased. I have crossed on horseback when the horse barely succeeded in getting through; sinking so deep that it seemed to require all his strength to get out of the quicksand. I remember that a number of years before the turnpike was built, a young lady was drowned in attempting to ford this stream in a wagon with other persons, during a high westerly wind; and that a traveler on horse-back was found frozen to death on the beach between the LEECH farm, which was near the beach on the way from the ferry, and Smoke's creek. About a mile beyond "BARKER's" was DANIEL CAMP'S tavern, seven miles from where the road struck the beach. In then going along the beach westward to ABBOTT'S, three miles, and thence to JACKSON'S, three-quarters of a mile, there were several bluff points to "round," as it was called. These consisted of a bold shore, the rocky bank being from twenty to forty feet in height, and nearly perpendicular. In a still time the water would be from one to two feet deep, around these points; and when the wind was blowing from the east, the beach would be quite bare for the space of a rod or more between the rocky bank and the water. If the wind was blowing even but moderately from the west, however, the water would be up to the horses' breasts. There have been instances of travelers' being here submerged, with their wagon-loads of household goods, and sustaining much loss; but I never heard of any loss of life from rounding these points. It is now many years since I last traveled over that road; and nearly or quite fifty years since I have been down to the beach near those points. When I was last there, I noticed several large boulders lying in the water near the shore; and can well remember now, that when a boy, I used to wade out and get upon them, as they were then only slightly submerged. The water had even then encroached upon the narrow beach; so much so that the travel had entirely ceased on the beach road between CAMP'S and ABBOTT'S taverns. I am not aware of any record being kept of the rise and fall of the water of Lake Erie, but this much I do know, —it is somewhat higher at this end than when I was a boy, seventy-two years ago. My father was one of the three Commissioners appointed to lay out the road on the shore of the lake. He wanted to run it, as nearly as practicable, on the direct line from BARKER'S to JACKSON'S, which would have taken it back quite a distance from the lake. The other Commissioners, —I do not remember who they were, —disagreed with him. They were for laying it out to accommodate every one whose farm it crossed, by running it near to each man's house, and all had built their dwellings near the shore of the lake. The Commissioners necessarily, therefore, made many angles or crooks in the road to carry out their plan. As it has proved, since, it would have been much more for the interest of the owners of the farms, as well as for that of the public, to have placed the road at a greater distance from the lake. In clearing up their farms the land-owners had left a strip of woods next to the lake shore, as a screen for protection from the winds; but these woods long since disappeared. At the JACKSON place the old road left the beach, as it now does. There was no more rounding of points above here, the water being too deep. The road continued upon the high bank, and bore off from the lake, as it crossed the " Eighteen-mile" creek, and went on to and through "Cattaraugus woods, or, as they were also called the "Four- mile" woods. These were a terror to all travelers in those early days. Immediately after the war of 1812-15 many families left the New- England States and moved west into the northern part of Ohio, which was then called the "Western Reserve," or "New Connecticut." All journeyed by land, with their own teams and covered wagons. There have been as many as twelve wagons loaded with household goods and accompanied by their owners with their entire families, at one time "putting up" over night at "HODGE'S brick tavern on the hill," the whole of them bound for the Western Reserve. They had all heard of the terrible road through the Cattaraugus woods, but it could not be avoided; and therefore they would go in company, and make calculation to enter the woods in the morning that they might lessen the chances of remaining there over night. it is a literal fact that stage- passengers were not only obliged often to walk through the "woods," but also, sometimes, to carry rails or poles on their shoulders to pry up the stagewagon or coach, whichever it might happen to be. Speaking of the coach, —the old four-horse carry-all, —it was indeed one of the great "institutions" of that period. All paid it due deference by stepping out of the way, and giving it the whole road whenever it was met. And how cheery and inspiriting were the far- reaching blasts of the driver's tin horn, sounding merrily over hill and dale, and at last reaching the expectant ear of the keeper of the hotel or tavern. He had anxiously awaited the sound, as, by a pre- concerted arrangement with the driver, it signified to hirti the number of hungry passengers, who in a few minutes would be clamoring for a hot breakfast, while the horses were changed. In a few moments the steaming teams, followed by the lumbering coach, appeared on the crest of the distant hill, or at the first curve in the road. The sight of their accustomed stopping-place, where they knew that they would find rest and provender, gave the animals new courage, and, pricking up their ears, they would come up to the door in fine style, the old coach creaking and straining at every joint. The passengers, hurriedly dismounting, would hasten into the tavern, and endeavor, while the horses were being changed, to satisfy the cravings of their appetite. The fresh spans would be standing ready, and it would be the work of but a few moments to put them into the places of those that had already done their duty; and when the cheery but peremptory cry of "all aboard" was heard, the unfortunate passengers, who had taken just about enough to aggravate their hunger, would rush out and tumble into the coach, and the fresh "team" with the "Commodore" already on the " box," would start off at a spanking gait, while sharp cracks from his ninefoot lash were heard sounding over the leaders' backs! But, as the years passed and Buffalo grew, and the Great West loomed up more and more attractively, commerce and passenger transit by the lakes rapidly increased. Then came the strife between Buffalo and Black Rock as to which should be the "port" at this most important point in the great route westward. From 1818, steam navigation was established; and at the same time the vast project of a canal to con- nect the ocean and the lakes in one great water thoroughfare began to take shape. To all this, the opening of Buffalo creek was believed necessary, and it was accomplished. On account of that sand-bar at its mouth, vessels and steamboats could not come into the otherwise commodious natural harbor, but must lie off in the lake or bay, or at anchor under Bird Island during the transfer of cargoes and passengers by means of small boats. But it was determined that Black Rock must yield to Buffalo in the fierce commercial strife, and that bar must be re- moved and a harbor formed. So, "in April, 1818, at the instance of citizens of Buffalo, an act of the Legislature was passed, authorizing a survey of the creek, at the expense of the County of Niagara, which then included it, with reference to determining the feasibility of constructing a harbor; and WILLIAM PEACOCK made the survey in the following summer, gratuitously. Although the report of this survey was favorable, neither the General Government nor the State would assume the work. But the latter, in 1819, by law, agreed to loan $12,000 for its construction, on being secured by bond and mortgage for its repayment. OLIVER FORWARD, CHARLES TOWNSEND, GEORGE COIT and SAMUEL WILKESON gave the required security in the fore part of 1820, and a stone pier was forthwith commenced. It was prosecuted and finished under the superintendence of SAMUEL WILKESON, in 1821, in two hundred and twenty-one working days, and extended into the lake for about eighty rods, into twelve-foot water."* In constructing this pier to make or improve our harbor, it was necessary to have a large cast-iron hammer, or something very heavy, to drive the piles to keep the timber-cribs in their places. There was no iron-foundry in Buffalo at that time; no pile-driver had ever been used here, and there were no facilities for procuring one. Mr. WILKESON tried to get one from a furnace in Ohio, but did not succeed. There were no railroads then in this western country, nor was the Erie canal in practical existence until some eight years subsequently. To procure a pile-driver from Albany or the interior of Pennsylvania, or anywhere else where there were iron foundries, was quite out of the question. Then was demonstrated the ------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Publications Buffalo Historical Society, vol. i., p-379. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- truth of the proverb that "necessity is the mother of invention," by the contrivance which was produced to drive those piles. SAMUEL WILKESON had undertaken to improve Buffalo harbor, and was determined to succeed. There was in the village "lying around loose," yet very heavy and quiet, a castiron mortar that had been used against the British in the War of 1812-14, and with this Mr. WILKESON believed he could do the needed work. One of the trunnions of this mortar had been broken off. To fit it for its new purpose, the other must be broken off also. The services of WHIPPLE HAWKINS, a well-known black- smith, who resided outside of the village, at the corner of (the present) Main and Utica streets, were called into requisition to do this, and rig certain wrought-iron fixtures to the mortar for the purpose in hand; and thus it was actually made to do good service in driving the piles necessary in making Buffalo harbor. And this was "continued in office," as a pile-driver in this harbor for many years. This old and, at least to a few still living, familiar, object, can be seen, minus some of the wrought-iron fixtures, still standing guard at the corner of Main and Dayton streets. Truly it is like an old soldier whose early services were powerful and effective; and afterward, in time of peace, still more useful in helping to facilitate and improve the commerce of our country. And so now, after the lapse of more than fifty years, this old mortar's former position, both in war and in civil service, having been filled by improvements which are better calculated to do the work required, it has been retired, and stationed where it can be looked upon with the admiration and respect it so well deserves. JUDGE WILKESON died July 7, 1848. It was only a few months before his death that I was standing on the sidewalk at the corner before mentioned, conversing with him, when he pointed to the old mortar and said: "Some of these days I am going to give them an inscription to place upon it;" but he did not say what it would be. I inferred from what he did say, that it would relate to its having been the first pile-driver used in Buffalo, or in Western New York. But the work of opening the harbor was only in part completed when this pier was built. Up to this time, the obstructing bar of sand was twenty rods wide, rising seven feet above the lake, and sixty rods long. The effect of it had been to turn the course of the creek north- ward, nearly parallel with the shore, for a distance equal to the length of the bar. The thing now done was to make the creek work its own way through the bar straight out, alongside the pier, into the lake, and to deepen the channel thus formed by digging out sand and gravel. The first was done by ingeniously damming the creek at the right time and letting the current do the rest. The last was done by dragging the sand and gravel out of the bed of the creek with a great log scraper, after the fashion of those used in early times for smoothing road-ways. Thus a channel deep enough for small vessels was opened, and Buffalo harbor from a wish and a plan had become a fact. Yet even then the crowning success was to come. For when, in 1822, a second steamboat was to be built, to succeed the wrecked Walk-in- the-water, a strong pressure was brought to bear from Black Rock against its being built at Buffalo, on the ground of the insufficiency of the harbor. But a promise was made by Buffalo not only to furnish timber at a quarter less expense than Black Rock would charge, but, under judgment-bond, to pay the builders one hundred and fifty dollars for every day the new craft should be kept from sailing out of Buffalo harbor, by obstructions in it, after May 1, 1823. And so the Superior was built on the shore of Buffalo creek (or the new Buffalo harbor), a short distance above the foot of Main street. "The completion of the harbor, such as it was, had given force to the general considerations in favor of continuing the Erie canal to Buffalo; and the decision of the Canal Board to that effect in the winter of 1822, was published in the report of 1823, to the great joy of the care-worn and anxious inhabitants of the village."* But, as so often happens with human enterprises, not all was "plain sailing" yet. The spring freshets of 1823 were still depended on to help Buffalo to do its part of the bargain, and escape paying the penalty of a violated bond. And it so came about that instead of helping, they hindered. An ice obstruction drove the outrushing waters back, and a deposit was spread thus in the channel, so nearly filling it that it must be removed, or failure would result. Equal to the emergency, Buffalo citizens at once subscribed an amount sufficient to do the clearing-out work necessary, and it was done. The subscription- list then made has fortunately been preserved, and is an interesting bit of Buffalo history. Though it has been occasionally published, I present here the list of names and the amount subscribed to improve Buffalo harbor in 1822, copied from Cutting's Directory of Buffalo for the years 1848 and 1849: EBENEZER JOHNSON, in goods at cash price................. $110 00 SYLVESTER MATHEWS, in bread.................................25 00 JAMES READ..................................................12 50 ELISHA WILLIAMS, in labor and goods by H. B. POTTER........ 50 00 WILLIAM MASON, in beef .................................... 5 00 JOSEPH STOCKING ........................................... 25 00 S. G. AUSTIN .............................................. 12 50 G. and T. WEED, including a subscription a few days since . 20 00 O. NEWBURY ................................................ 20 00 EZEKIEL FOLSOM, in meat from the market ................... 12 50 SAMUEL WILKESON .......................................... 100 00 TOWNSEND & COIT .......................................... 100 00 H. B. POTTER, cash $50; bricks $25 ....................... 75 00 E. F. NORTON ............................................. 50 00 MOSES BAKER, in labor and blacksmith work ................ 50 00 THOMAS C. LOVE ........................................... 25 00 JOHN G. CAMP, in cash or labor ........................... 50 00 WILLIAM KETCHUM, $20 cash, $30 in hats ................... 50 00 JOHN A. LAZELL ........................................... 25 00 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * Publications Buffalo Historical Society, vol. i., p.380. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LUCIUS GOLD, in labor .................................... 50 00 SAMUEL A. BIGELOW, in goods or labor ..................... 25 00 WILLIAM FOLSOM ........................................... 25 00 JOHN ROOT ................................................ 25 00 JABEZ GOODELL, in labor, provisions, etc ................. 25 00 H. M. CAMPBELL, in hats or labor ......................... 25 00 HART & CUNNINGHAM, in goods .............................. 50 00 SHELDON CHAPIN, in goods ................................. 50 00 J. D. HOYT, in boots and shoes ........................... 50 00 A. JAMES, in goods........................................ P. G. JENKS .............................................. 5 00 R. B. HEACOCK & Co., horse $15, goods $35 ................ 50 00 THOMAS QUIGLY, in labor .................................. 12 50 TIMOTHY PAGE ............................................. 5 00 THOMAS MORE .............................................. 2 00 MARTIN DALEY, in labor ................................... 6 25 A. BRYANT, in goods and clothing ......................... 50 00 H. R. SEYMOUR ............................................ 50 00 NATHANIEL VOSBURGH, saddlery ............................. 12 50 F. B. MERRILL, in labor .................................. 25 00 JOHN E. MARSHALL ......................................... 25 00 D. M. DAY ................................................ 12 50 Z. PLATT ................................................. 6 25 E. WALDEN, in goods ...................................... 100 00 J. GUITEAU, in labor or cash ............................. 12 50 CYRENIUS CHAPIN .......................................... 100 00 JAMES DEMAREST, in saddlery .............................. 5 00 D. HENNION, 100 lbs. pork when called for ................ W. T. MILLER, in fresh meat at market in Buffalo Village . 50 00 SELDEN DAVIS ............................................. 5 00 WILLIAM HODGE, in labor or materials ..................... 25 00 VELORUS HODGE, in work or materials ...................... 5 00 BENJAMIN HODGE, in lumber ................................ 5 00 WILLIAM LONG, a certain brown cow with a white head, to be appraised by commissioners of Harbor Association .... ROSWELL HOSFORD, in produce or provisions ................ 5 00 W. W. CHAPIN, in team work ............................... 10 00 ZACHARIAH GRIFFIN, 10 bbls. lime to be delivered in Buffalo 6 25 ALVAN DODGE in team-work and manual labor ................ 10 00 H. A. SALISBURY, in produce and hats ..................... 12 50 HIRAM PRATT, in goods .................................... 25 00 ERASTUS GILBERT, in goods ................................ 25 00 " " bbl. pork ............................................ 10 00 " " cash ................................................. 2 50 OLIVER COIT, one crowbar $3, cash $5 ..................... 8 00 JOSEPH DART, Jr., in hats ................................ 10 00 BENJAMIN CARYL, in pork .................................. 25 00 This subscription amounted to $1,361.25, exclusive of the cow and pork, the whole of which was paid except $110. The provisions and goods were paid to the workmen without loss, but on much of the other property (which was sold at auction) there was an average loss of about thirty-seven and a half per cent. Vigorously using the aid thus furnished, the citizens had their harbor ready before the time named in their bond expired; and the steamboat Superior, launched April 16, 1823, was forthwith piloted out of Buffalo harbor, in triumph, and taken to the dock at Black Rock and there fully fitted out; and she sailed thence on her first trip to Detroit, April 23, 1823, seven days before the time named in the citizens' bond had expired. And thus was fulfilled a remarkable prophecy, which stands recorded in the Buffalo Patriot of that date, April 23, 1823, as follows: "Prophecy. —The following is taken from a communication published in the Buffalo Gazette of January 2, 1816, headed 'New Years Vision.' After alluding to Buffalo, the future Emporium of the West, then come the words: 'We saw the steamboat Superior approaching with majestic grandeur, her decks crowded with passengers, and her smoke ascending in undulating columns through the air, which heightened the scene around her.' "This was written seven years before the event, and two before a steamboat was on Lake Erie. In the last week in June, the Superior entered Buffalo harbor on her third or fourth return trip from Detroit, having till then made Black Rock her stopping-place. From that time, her port was Buffalo. And now Buffalo was all ready, when the canal should be finished and opened through to Buffalo harbor, to set out on that new career of prosperity which, with the variations incident to all human progress, has been so remarkable, to the present day. ===========================================================================