Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-08

lcet. luty ustu III one year S,OUU OUU 1cet
of lumber, Il, 500, 010 tons of straw board and
paper for boxes, 1000 pounds phosphorus,
go tons of birthstone. But alas, they too
have fallen from grace and joined the match
syndicate. the sole object of which is TO
make the people pay higher prices for the
useful little articles.
The Northwestern Fair Association hold
an annual fair on their grounds, just outside
the business portion of the city, where there
is some good trotting on an excellent mile
track. One of the two insane hospitals and
one of the four normal schools in the State
are located in Oshkosh, and one daily with
four weekly newspapers, including one
German paper, furnish scanty means of
subsistence TO the proprietors who live only
TO provide the news for never. satisfied
and always-growling public A large num-
Der oil wealthy men, most OF whom have
made their fortunes in numbering, reside
there, and as a result there are many hand
some residences. Oshkosh has long been
noted for its pretty girls and its fires. AS
to the correctness of the former part of that
assertion the readers of the FREE PKRss
will he obliged TO take the word of your cor
respondent that it is proper that such dis
tinction should be made; some statistics
will prove the latter. Oshkosh has had
more severe trials IN losses by fires than any
other city of her size IN the United States.
The first fire of any note occurred IN the
10th of May, 1859, when the whole business
portion of the city was destroyed. In May,
1866, another great fire desolated more than
the business portion. The third took place
ON the 9th Of May, 1874, destroying con
siderable property, and was followed in July
by II much more serious loss. On the Sth
of April 1876, the entire business portion of
the city and hundreds OF residences, many
of them among the finest in the city, were
swept from the earth. involving loss of
S3,O00000, with half that amount of insur-
ance After each fire, however, the city has
been rapidly rebuilt, the citizens showing
wonderful pluck and energy.
a moonlight sail on Lake Winnebago dis
closed sheet of water thicbly studded with
camps and Summer cottages, and we at
once pronounced 1t one of the finest lakes
we have ever seen, always excepting of
course, dear old Lake Champlain with
its mountainous coast and unequaled
scenery.
Among the pleasant acquaintances which
your correspondent made in the city, was
Mr.. Joseph Boles, Jr., formerly of st. Johns
bury, and known to a number of Burlington
people. He is engaged with his father in
the merchant tailoring business.
One morning we decided to run down TO
Waupun, some thirty miles south of Osh-
kosh, expecting to find Mr.. j. d. Tanner,
well-known in Burlington. Arriving there
we proceeded to the drug store OF X. w.
Wells, a brother of the druggists by that
name in Burlington, only to learn that Mr..
Tanner had left the morning before for
Grundy Centre, Iowa, with some intention of
purchasing drug store and locating there.
The next train back to Oshkosh was not due
for two hours, so that in order to improve
the time II visit to the State Prison was de-
cided upon. The prison proper and the
workshops adjoining are of stone and are
securely enclosed by Il wall of the same sub
stance, surmounted by high iron fence. 1t
was located ut Waupun on account of the
abundant supply of the material necessary
for its construction, in 1851. The prison at
present contains $50 inmates nearly all of
whom are employed in the manufacture of
boots and shoes The convict labor is leased
to Chicago firm for the sum of forty cents
per day for each workman. and the amount
received from this source pays the running
expenses of the prison. The cost of sub
sistcncc for each convict is about eleven
cents per day and the balance is consumed
in the salaries of the officers and other cx-
penses. The number Of persons who have
been confined there since the organization is
-oo~i vi WHICH NUMBER there are u VINO
claim the Green Mountain State as their
birthplace. Vermont is everywhere
represented throughout the West.
The days which our limited amour, of
time has enabled us to devote to Oshkosh
passed all too quickly and with most pleasant
recollections of the place, coupled with
firm determination to visit it again when we
can remain longer, we leave early Thurs
day morning for st. Paul After an unin-
teresling journey, for the most part through
the words, we find ourselves here at 8
O'Clock the same evening. To-day we ex-
pcct to "do' Lake Minnetonka while for the
remaining few days of our stay here, we
have enough marked out to more than keep
us busy How well We succeed in our race
against time we will tell you later, and in
the same connection speak of the seasons
yield Of grain in the Northwest BEN.
st. Paul, Mimi, Aug. 2j 1882.