The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-16
GreeISy's first Appearance IN New
York.
ESOnl ReoolIectioH OF a BtGsy LIE, by Horace
Greeley, Pubsiihed IN the ". Y. Ledger.


ney on the "raging canHI"-Idebarked
about q z. M, and took the turnpike
for Albany. Think Il railroad between
the two cilies first and last named was
completed soon afterwards; but not u
mile OF iFOntrRck was then operated in
the State, II lin fact) anywhere in
America, save the little affair con-
strncted to freight granite from the
quarry at Quincy, Massachusetts, to
Boston. Night fell when was about
half way over; so !. sought rest in one of
the many Indifferent tHVeEns that then
lined the turnpike in question, and
was directed TO sleep in an ante.room
through which people were momenta
rily passing; declined, and gathering
up my handful OF portables, walked
on. Half mile further, 1 found an
other tavern, not quite so inhospitable,
and managed to stay in IL till morning,
when l rose and walked on to Albany.
Having never been in that city before,
L missed the nearest way to the day
boat, and, when / reached the landing,
il was two or three lengths on its way
to New York, having left at Z A. NJ. L
had no choice but to wait for another.
which started Rt 10 A. NJ, towing a
barge on either'side, and reached next
day the Emporium, where l, after
good view of the city as we passed it
down the river. was landed, near
w nlIendllY at U a. 1s
New York was then about one-third
her present size; but her business was
not one fourth so great AS now: and her
real size, counting her suburbs, and
considering the tens of thousands who
find employment in, and earn subsist-
enee here, though sleeping outside of
her chartered limits-was not one-tifth
that of 1867. No single railroad point
ed toward her wharves. No line of
ocean steamers brought passengers to
her hotels or goods to her warehouses
from any foreign port. In the mercan-
tile world, her relative rank was higher,
but her absolute Importance was scarce
ly greater, than that of Rio Janeiro or
San francisco is to-day. Still, to my
eyes, which had never till yesterday
gazed on u city of even 10000 inhabit-
ants, nor seen a sea-going vessel, her
miles square of mainly brick or stone
houses, and her furlongS of masta and
yards, afforded ample Indictment to II
wonder and admiration not unlike to
awe. ss. r rL-.
IT was. il I recollect Alright, the 18th
of August, 1881. l was 20 years old the
preceding February tall, slender, pale
and plain, with 10 dollars in my pocket,
summer clothing worth perhaps as
much more, nearly all on my back, and
decent knowledge of so much of the
art of printing as boy Will usually
learn In the Office of country news
UHOer, But / knew no human being
within two hundred miles, and my un-
mistakably rustic manner and address
did not favor that immediate command
of remunerating employment which
was my most urgent need.
However, the world was all before
me; nv personal estate, tied up in
pock ct handkerchief, did not at all en-
Cumber me; and l stepped lightly of
the boBt and away from the sound of
the detested hiss of escaping steam,
walking into and up Broad street In
Quest of boarding-house. | found
and entered one at or near the corner
of Wall but the price OF board given
me was six dollars per week, so did
not need the giver's caudidly kind sug-
gestion that l would probably prefer
one where the charge was more mode
rate. Wandering thence, cannot say
how, to the North River side, halted
next at 1853 West street., where the sign
cot ssboardingo on Il humber edihce Tx
ed my attention. l entered, and WAS
offered shelter and subsistence ut 81 80
per " eek, which seemed more rational,
and / closed the bargain.
NV host was Mr.. Edward McGlorick;
his place quite AS much grog shop AS
boa riding house; but it was quietly, de-
Gently kept while stayed in 1t, aud he
and his family were kind and friendly.
l regret to add that liquor proved his
ruin not many years afterward. My
first day in New York was "a Friday,
and the family being Roman Catholic,
no meat was eaten or provided, which
| uuderstood; but when Sunday even
ing was celebrated by unlimited card
playing In that same house, my tradi-
lions were decidedly Jared. do not
imply that my observances We're better
or worse than my hosts but that they
were different. - -
Having break tasted, began to ran
sack the city Tor work, and, IN my total
iguorauce, ,traversed many streets where
none could possibly be found. In the
course of that day and the next, how
ever, l must have visited fully two
thirds Of the printing Offices on Man
haitian Island, without gleam of
success. 1t was midsummer, when
business in New York is habituany
dull; and my youth and unquestion-
able air of country greenness must
have told against me. When called
at the journal 3J commerce. lts eqitor,
Mr.. David Hale, bluntly told me was
a runaway apprentice from somecoun-
try office which was very natural,
though mistaken, presumption. L re-
turned to my lodgings on Saturday
evening, thoroughly weary, disheart-
ened, diBgusted with New York, and
resolved to shake its dust from my feet
next morning, while could still leave
with money in my pocket, and before
its alms-h6use could foreclose upon
me.
But that was not to be. On Sunday
afternoon and evening, several young
Irishmen called at Mr.. McGolrick's, In
their holiday saunterings about town (;
snd, being told that L was young
printer in quest OF work, Interested
themselves in my effort, with the sPon-
taneous kindness OF their race. One
among them happened to know place
where printers were wanted, and gave
me the requisite direction; SO that, on
visiting the designated spot next morn
ing, readily found employment; and
thus, when barely three days resi-
dent, / had found anchorage IN New
York. 90
The printing establishment was John
IT. Vests, over McElrath & Bangs
publishing house, No. 6S Chatham
street, and the work was at my call,
simply because no printer who knew
the city would accept 1t. II was the
composition of very small (32mol
New Testament, In double columns, OF
agate type, each column barely twelve
ems wide, with a center column III
pearl. barely four ems wide; the text
.thfcIiy studded, with references by
Greek and superior letters to the notes,
which of course were preceded and dis
crimtnRted by corresponding iuuIces'
with predatory and supplementary re-
marks on each book, setin pearl, and
only pnid for as agate. The type was
considerably smaller than any to which
/ had been faccustomedi the narrow
measure and fhickly-sowu italics of
the text, with the strange characters
employed as indices, rendered u the
slowest and by far the most difficult
work 1 had ever undertaken; while
the making up, proving, and correct
ing twice and even thrice over, prePar-
atSyv 10 stefeotypinR, nearly doubled