Union City Briefs
Ashtabula Weekly Telegraph, May 13, 1865, p. 3
Oil at Union Mills.
The well which has been going down at Union Mills, Erie County, for some months on Tuesday morning reached a depth of 770 feet when the drill passed through a cavity or crevice some two feet thick which was so heavily charged with gas, water, and oil that a column was ejected into the air to a height of some 30 feet. The indications for a twenty barrel well are excellent.
Locked up in Union City- 1880s
Union City constables faced a problem after they captured criminals in tow. Where were they supposed to lock them up? One of the options the constable had was taking the criminal or criminals to the jail on West High Street.
One of the first jails in Union City Borough was located between the corner diner and the Bisbee Implement Company on West High Street. It was a small building about 12 x 15 feet with a fireplace and a large flue. One night a Union City constable jailed a citizen who had been a guest in some of the best jails in Erie County. He locked the prisoner in the Union City jail with the promise of food and lodging for the night.
William Gillett, the great-grandfather of William Gillett and the father of the William Gillett who played in Coleman's Band for many years said the man was "not much in love with this jail."
The prisoner then took matters into his own hands. Taking advantage of his slender build, the prisoner shimmied up the smoke flue and then jumped down to the ground and freedom. It was not a clean jail break as he was a "much soiled bird" by his tight squeeze in the flue.
Oil at Union Mills.
The well which has been going down at Union Mills, Erie County, for some months on Tuesday morning reached a depth of 770 feet when the drill passed through a cavity or crevice some two feet thick which was so heavily charged with gas, water, and oil that a column was ejected into the air to a height of some 30 feet. The indications for a twenty barrel well are excellent.
Locked up in Union City- 1880s
Union City constables faced a problem after they captured criminals in tow. Where were they supposed to lock them up? One of the options the constable had was taking the criminal or criminals to the jail on West High Street.
One of the first jails in Union City Borough was located between the corner diner and the Bisbee Implement Company on West High Street. It was a small building about 12 x 15 feet with a fireplace and a large flue. One night a Union City constable jailed a citizen who had been a guest in some of the best jails in Erie County. He locked the prisoner in the Union City jail with the promise of food and lodging for the night.
William Gillett, the great-grandfather of William Gillett and the father of the William Gillett who played in Coleman's Band for many years said the man was "not much in love with this jail."
The prisoner then took matters into his own hands. Taking advantage of his slender build, the prisoner shimmied up the smoke flue and then jumped down to the ground and freedom. It was not a clean jail break as he was a "much soiled bird" by his tight squeeze in the flue.
WILLIAM E. LOOMIS
PVT. CO.A 16 PA.VOLS.
1878 ~ 1952
He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Union City
PVT. CO.A 16 PA.VOLS.
1878 ~ 1952
He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Union City