Religion and Of churches and missions there are 116, of denominations as follows: Methodist, 23; Roman Catholic, 17; Presbyterian, 12; Baptist, 10; Episcopal, 8; Lutheran, 8; Jewish, 7; Congregational, 6; Evangelist, 2; Reformed, 2; Church of Christ, 1; Unitarian, 1; Universalist, 1; Scientist, 1; Seventh Day Adventists, 1; missions, 16. There are 13 cemeteries, of which Oakwood stands first because of its rolling surface. its shading oaks, impressive entrance way and costly memorials. burials were made within the present enclosure of one of these ceme teries nearly a century ago. There are five principal hospitals, namely, the Good Shepherd, Saint Joseph's, Homeopathic, Memorial and Crouse-Irving. Each hospital has its own training school for nurses. The Syracuse Free Dispensary affords medical relief to suffering people and ministers to the need of more than 3,828 people annually, giving 20,373 treatments and 8,584 prescriptions. It is wholly supported by voluntary contributions. The Onondaga Orphan Asylum, the Saint Vincent De Paul Orphan Asylum and the House of Providence are the three principal homes for orphans or homeless children, the first being under Protest ant patronage, the others having Roman Catholic support. The State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children is situated on an ele vation on the western boundary of the city and is under the supervision of a superintend ent and board of trustees. A small farm is connected, with the institution which not only gives easy employment to a certain class of in mates, but produces a considerable quantity of supplies. The buildings are of good architec ture and the grounds in their vicinity covered with a variety of shade trees and shrubs. The unfortunate children are of all ages, and while the condition of the mentality of most of them is hopeless a few manifest some impnovement after long and patient effort on the part of the teachers.
Public Utilities.— Water is brought from Skaneateles Lake, 20 miles away, at an eleva tion of 440 feet above tidewater. The lake is 16 miles long, averaging 2 miles in width and is mainly supplied by springs. The immediate supply is from a reservoir of 17 acres 220 feet above the main level of the city, which give a hydrant pressure of 95 pounds. Almost every part of the city is supplied; the water bureau bears the cost of connections between mains and curbs. There are 226 miles of mains and 3,042 fire hydrants. The bonded debt for the waterworks is $4,100,000. The fire department comprises five gasoline pumping engines and hose carts; two triple gasoline pumping en gines and chemical hose cart; four steam-fire engines — tractor drawn; six gasoline combina tion chemical hose wagons; two horse-drawn combination hose wagons; four hook and lad der trucks— tractor drawn; one hook and ladder truck, horse drawn; one water tower; four district chiefs' auto runabouts; one chief's car; one motor-supply wagon; one horse-drawn supply wagon. It is under the command of a chief, assistant chiefs and the respective cap tains of the several companies. The police force cotnprises 250 men and a special force of de tectives, all under officers of grades from chief to sergeant. The inspections and parades of the body show good drill and discipline and die force is rated as of the best. The sanitary conditions are under the observation of a board of health, the health officer being salaried. Garbage is collected by day labor and is burned in a crematory at a certain contract price. The mortuary statistics show an average annual death rate of 13.1 per 1,000 of population.
Government — The municipal government is organized under the uniform charter for cities of the second class of the State, the executive and administrative control. being vested in a mayor and common coma! com posed of 19 aldermen, representing the same number of wards, and with the mayor elective ever/ two years. A president of the common council, comptroller, city treasurer, four as sessors and eight members of the board of education are also elective. The commissioner of public safety, having control of the fire, police and public health departments and of the bureau of water; the commissioner of pub lic worlcs, the city engineer, the corporation counsel and commissioner of charities are ap pointees of the mayor. The mayor, corporation counsel, commissioner of public works, comp troller and city engineer constitute the board of contract and supply, which makes all mu nicipal contracts and furnishes all supplies to the various departments. The mayor, president of the common council, corporation counsel, comptroller and city engineer constitute the board of estimate and apportionment, which makes up the annual expense budget and fixes the salaries of city officers, subject to the ac tion of the common council. The Municipal Court is presided over by two judges and its cases often number more than 3,000 a year. It is invested with considerable power and authority.
History.— The territory now occupied by Syracuse, also territory both north and south of it, was known to white men, as early as 1620, by the French, and subsequently by the Eng lish, who came up what are now the Oswego and Seneca rivers through Onondaga Lalce, from Lake Ontario, and left present traces of their invasions throughout the central and northern parts and some in the southeastern part. of Onondaga County. Possession of the terntory was senously and successfully con tested by the Indians (mainly the Onondagas), and here and there abundant evidence of the fierceness of battles has been shown by the quantities of stone arrow points and hatchets found. The Iroquois were more or less in %olved in the invasions, but the brunt of re sistance was with the Onondagas, who were in real possession of the lands. The League had been formed probably about 1580, which bound the Six Nations (q.v.) included in it to mutual assistance and some was given. The council fire was with the. Onondagas, they being the strongest of. the Six Nations, and it has always remained wtth them. By treaties with friendly native white people and the State, the Onon dagas from time to time were induced to sur render their possessions, until finally they were allotted a 1(reservationo a few miles south of the city where they were to occupy permanent homes and malces the best of the rocicy hills constituting most of their land. There the
Onondagas, to the number of about 425, still exist, wedded to their habits and traditions. Many of them spealc English and a few attend the Methodist or Episcopal mission and a goodly number of the children attend a school supported by the State. The religion of most of them is essentially pagan, and many of those w-ho profess to be converted to the Christian faith find it difficult to divest themselves of pagan leanings. When emigrants began to come to the locality from New England as early as previous to the Revolutionary War, they were received lcindly by the Indians, even if they recognized the fact that they were in a sense trespassers, so that when the county was created in March 1794 there was a considerable settlement scattered over most of it. As early as 1789 the Salt Springs, long known to the Indians who had produced salt from them, be came known to white settlers, and they, in a crude manner, began the manufacture of salt and sent quantities of it to the Eastern market. The State assumed control of the Springs in 1797 (20 June) and leased lots and privileges to whomsoever might desire them; during the remainder of that year 25,474 bushels of salt was produced and inspected by the State of ficials, the lessees being required to pay a royalty or tax per bushel produced. The an nual product increased rapidly so that in 1810 452,050 bushels were made; (1820) 458,329 bushels; (1830) 1,435,446 bushels; (1840) 2,621, 305 bushels; (1850) 4,268,919 bushels; (1870) 8,748,115 bushels. About 1890 the annual prod uct began to diminish, mainly because of com petition at Warsaw and in Michigan. It was estimated that at one time the Springs gave employment, directly and indirectly, to one half of the population of the city; but with their decadence, more and more attention was given to the development •of manufacturing industries, which have now become very nu merous, having vast capital and being the main support of the wage-earners of the city. Prin cipal among these is the Solvay Process Com pany, whose extensive works are situated just across the west line of the city, on the State Barge -Canal and New York Central Railroad. The company also has branch works at Delray, Mich., near Detroit, which have a capacity of about 500 tons of alkali per day. The amount of capital invested at Syracuse is estimated at $6,000,000 and about 5,200 men enaployed. The principal products are soda ash, bicarbonate of soda, caustic soda and crystals, of which the daily output is estimated at 1,000 tons. This company also makes coke, tar, ammonia, car bohc acid, picric acid and some other coal-tar products. Here again salt becomes both indis pensable and profitable, for it is an essential element in the production of alkali, by the so called ammonia process, whkh is employed here. The company obtains its brine from wells which it sunk near Tully, some 20 miles south of the city, and brings the brine to its works through iron pipes. It was in the sinking of these weds that the source of the brine which for so many years has been utilized in Syra cuse was found, in a mass of solid salt, ex tending, no doubt, for many miles east and west. It was found necessary to discharge fresh water into some wells, when it would become saturated and -then pumped from other wells to the pipes leading to the works. Experiments made at this point in the belief that the -discov ery would verify the source were justified. The supply is supposed to be absolutely inexhaustible, but singularly enough the brine is not suitable for the best quality of salt, which is still pro duced from local wells to the extent of nearly 2,000,000 bushels per year. The company pro cures its limestone from Split Rock, several miles southwest of its works, bringing the ma terial in by means of large buckets suspended on overhead wires and moved by steam power. They run in close connection and continuously and are capable of transporting 1,000 tons in 12 hours. A vast excavation has been made in the great layer of rock, of much breadth and thick ness. Much of the building stone came from this quarry before it was converted to its pres ent purpose. The "waste') product of the works has been used to fill surrounding low lands un til hundreds of acres have been covered to great depths and places of deposit are now so limited that Onondaga Lake will henceforth be used as the place of discharge. The material is white and like marl and possesses no sus tenance for vegetation.
The State Fair is always a feature of the social life of Syracuse, as well as entertainment for thousands of people from abroad. The grounds, situated on the western border of the city, consisting of 100 acres, quite covered with buildings for various purposes, embrac ing a very costly speeding track, are owned by the State, under an act of the legislature making the establishment permanent. Several clubs of large membership, the Century leading and much the oldest, are centres of sociability and places for business conferences among men, while there is one woman's club, the Kanatenah, and many other social organiza tions.
Population.— When the county was created in 1794 the county-seat was established at Onondaga Hill, four miles southwest of the present city centre; hut the construction of the Erie Canal and development of the salt works caused a change of the county-seat to Syracuse in 1827, when the population of the created in 1825 had increased to about 2.000 and to 6,829 in 1830. The population of Syracuse has increased steadily and very rapidly, as follows: 1850 (city incorporated in 1848), 22,271; (1860), 28,119; (1870), 43,051; (1880), 51,792; (1890), 88,143; (1900), 108,374; (1910), 137,249; (1919), estimated 160,000.