COLUMBUS. The capital of Ohio, county seat of Franklin County„ and the fourth city of the State in population, situated on both sides of the Scioto River, 100 miles northeast of Cincin nati and 140 miles southwest of Cleveland. near the geographical centre of the State (Map: Ohio. D 6).
The city is built on generally level ground at an altitude of 750 feet, and has broad, well paved streets. Among public buildings the most prominent is the State Capitol, a large stone structure fronting on a public square near the centre of the city. The Ohio penitentiary is situ ated here. C'olnmbus, well known for the num ber of its charitable and educational institutions, is the seat of the Ohio State University, founded in 1870 (q.v.) ; Capital University ( Lutheran), established in 1850; Ohio Medical University; Starling Medical College; Columbus Lail,' School, and Columbus Art Institute; and contains five public hospitals—Emergency hospital, Columbus Hospital for the Insane, Deaf and 1)1111111 Asy lum, Blind Institute, Institute for Feeble-minded Youth, and the County Infirmary. In addition to those of the several institutions of learning, there are in the city the State Library and Stato Law Library, City Library, Public School Li brary, and Engineers' Institute and Library. Other features of interest may be found in the State fair grounds, which adjoin the city, and in the public parks, bridges, and monuments. There are five parks, including from 10 to 100 acres each, and numerous smaller ones; several street and railway bridges span the Scioto; and monu ments have been erected in honor of Salmon P. Chase, William T. Sherman, Edwin Al. Stanton, James A. Garfield, Philip 1I. Sheridan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Rutherford B. Hayes.
Columbus is an important commercial and manufacturing centre. It has transpor tation facilities, more than a dozen railroads entering the city. including great trunk lines: the Baltimore and Ohio, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Saint Louis, and roads of the Penn sylvania system. In the vicinity are the coal and
iron fields of the State, an advantage which has contributed largely to the development of manu facturing industries. There is considerable trade in bituminous coal, and the city is an important distributing centre with large wholesale inter ests. It exports extensively its principal manu factured products, among which are vehicles of various kinds, wheelbarrows, scrapers, agricul tural implements, mining, machinery, shoes, uni forms, and regalia. There are also many smaller industries.
The government is administered by a mayor, chosen every two years and ineligible to serve three terms in succession, a unicameral city council, elected by wards, and a board of public works appointed by the executive. This board, composed of directors of law, accounts, public improvements, and public safety, constitutes a legislative body in which all important measures must originate and he approved before action by the municipal council. The director of law is acting mayor in ease of the mayor's absence or disability. Officials of other departments are chosen by the people: the board of education, consisting of a representative from each ward; police judge and clerk: and four civil magis t•ates (justices of the peace). The annual budget of the city approximates $3,000,000.
Population, in 1830, 2435; in 1S50, 1702; in 1870. 31.274: in 1880, 51,647: in 1890, 88,150; in 1900, 125,560, including 12,300 persons of for eign birth and S200 of negro descent.
Columbus was laid out in 1812, the Legisla ture having selected the site for the capital city, and in 1816 it was incorporated and supplanted Chillicothe as capital of the State. It became the county-seat of Franklin County in 1824. In 1833, and again in 1849-50, it suffered greatly from ravages of cholera. Consult Bowe, Histor ical Collections of Ohio (Columbus, 1889-91).