Seven Hills High School - Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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when the water was above nine feet, but many when it was below. A census was taken, and it was decided that a plan for improvement must be adopted, that the Ohio River should be canalized by means of fifty-four locks and movable dams. When these were completed, the depth of the water would never go below nine feet, thus assuring navigation the length of the Ohio River at all times. The work was begun, and the first dam, just below Pitts- burgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela unite, was completed and ready for use in 1885. It was such a great undertaking, and the cost amounted to so much, that it was thought if the work could be hurried it would be better. This could not be done, however, because at one time funds were lacking. lt took fifty-five years to complete the work. Now that the river has been improved, and the boats to an even greater extent, it is hard for us to realize all the dangers braved by those tiny canoes and flatboats. It can truly be said that navigation has progressed as much as industries. It may have taken a long time, but it was worth it. PATSY Poem-3, 1941 Early Private Schools After the more material needs of the settlers of Cincinnati had been ac- complished, such as erecting homes and other buildings and providing fortifi- cations, the community naturally turned to the establishment of schools. It was in the early part of the nineteenth century that the first private schools of Cincinnati were founded. The children whose parents could not afford these advantages did not receive instruction. Primitive as all this may seem, Cincinnati, until the Civil War, continued to be the center of learning for the West and Southwest, and well deserved to be called the Queen City of the West. One of the first private schools for boys was established by Robert Stubbs, an Englishman, in 1800. It was called HThe Classical Schoolw and taught such subjects, as Greek, Latin, Geometry, and Rhetoric. A year or so later, a Mrs. Williams opened a school for girls on the same order. The best ex- ample of a private school of this time, however, was that of Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter. This school was held in a 10g cabin not fifteen feet square, in the district which was later known as Sedamsville. From 1810-1812, three or four other small schools started in the down- town district around Sixth and Main. These were for boys, and each school had about forty pupils. It was at these establishments that the boys learned the method of obtaining a holiday. At noon the school master went out for his lunch. On returning he would sometimes find himself barred from the W mm, 193 9 1881

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the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at what was then Ft. Duquesne, now Pittsburgh. It joins the Mississippi River at Cairo. After the English captured Ft. Duquesne and the Ohio Valley, they, unlike the French, wanted to settle. It was a diflicult task getting over the moun- tains, and when once over, the Ohio River was the only way to travel west. The families built llatboats and then floated down the river. Ethel C. Leahy describes them very well in the book HWho's Who on the Ohio River. They were built like both the Ark and the Barge. Their length was always more than eighteen feet, since a family and possessions had to be carried. On the top of a timber raft, a house was constructed of thick, heavy, square timber. There was a guarded entrance, and a trapdoor on the roof. The only guid- ance was given by long oars or sweeps, and the current did the rest. There the families wgere, on boats which might fall apart at any minute, floating down a strange river. They could never be sure of what lay ahead, falls, rapids, or ambushes of Indians. When their destination was finally reached, since there was no way of getting the flatboats back upstream, they were chopped to pieces, and the wood used to build houses. Thus the Hatboat served two purposes. Ethel Leahy also tells of the keel-boat. This boat had almost every means of operation except steam. It was pulled by the cordelle, 'fa line nearly a thousand feet long, fastened to the top of the mast, which rose from the cen- ter of the boat to a height of about thirty feet. Then from shore men pulled this. The task of pulling required from twenty to forty men on just ordinary parts of the river. Therefore, on difficult stretches it was almost impossible to travel, and often men had to be sent ahead on shore to clear the way. An- other dilliculty that might arise was a low channel. Before the keel-boat could resume its journey, it was necessary to deepen the channel. The pass- engers also had to help do this. Things couldn't go on as they had. Some- thing had to be invented to take the place of man-power. Finally, after much labor, Robert Fulton and Robert M. Livingston completed a steamboat, the 'LOrleans.7, It made its maiden voyage from Pittsburgh in 1811, the first steamboat on the Ohio River. A year later it went from Pittsburgh to New Orleans in fourteen days. Thus, navigation took a great step ahead in the use of steam. After routes had been chartered and boats improved, people began to take an interest in the rivers for pleasure, as well as for business and trade. This brought on the glorious days of the Packet boats. A party of people could have a fine time over the weekend on a boat. At first, since there were only a few rooms on a boat, they were named after the states. Later though, there were more rooms than the number of states, so since then the rooms on boats have been called staterooms. The Packet boats were, in these days, at the height of their glory,, but now there are few left. For many years, though routes had been charted, there were still diffi- culties to overcome. At certain times of the year, boats were unable to navi- gate because of low water. From 1895 until 1904 there were few times Winona, 193 Q l87l

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school by the boys, who had provided themselves with provisions, in case a long siege was necessary to obtain their demands. The holiday was usually granted with a treat of apple cider and cakes. Until 1823, the curriculum of these schools consisted largely of instruction in the languages, mathematics and some rhetoric. At this time the method was slowly changed, as was shown by the 4'Cincinnati Female Academyii under Dr. John Lock. He had liberal and enlarged opinions on Hfemalei' education and introduced the higher branches of Science among the pretty creatures who assembled there. One lovely girl took a degree in mathe- matics, another in moral philosophy. They blushed so sweetly and looked so beautifully puzzled and confounded, that it was difficult for many to de- cide how far they merited a diploma? This school was of high rank and extremely popular, in fact, the daughters of the most distinguished citizens were enrolled there. Dr. Lock showed great zeal and devotion for his work, and at the same time had perfected the system of upouring oil on the troubled watersf' lt is amusing today, to read in the paper the advertisement of the Joseph Herron Academy, which appeared in 1850: 4'School for boys situated on the north side Sixth Street between Walnut and Vine, out of the business part of the city and surrounded with line private residences and shaded by beauti- ful trees. About 1855, Mr. Chickering came from the East and established a school in Avondale. It became necessary, however, to have a larger building, so it was moved to the hall of The George Street Engine House between Central Avenue and Plum Street. These private schools continued for many years to prosper and enlarge, forming the foundation for our public schools of today, and strengthening themselves for their long existence through the years. NANCY MCLAUGHLIN, 1940 Cincinnati A Literary Center uCincinnati more than any other Middle Western city, has been,', writes Henry Howe in his uHistorical Collections of Ohiof, ua literary center-a great book-publishing, book-selling martf' The bookstore of Robert Clarke and Company was one of the few literary focuses before the Nineteenth Cen- tury. Here one met the most eminent of social, literary and musical com- pany. This unusual popularity for books is credited to the integrity of our Winona, 193 9 i891