New-York tribune., 1882-04-08
AEW-YORE FIFTY YEARS. AGO.

In a small pamphlet. printed for private circula-
ton Mr.. James W. Auten Of this city. has recorded
his "reminiscences of New-York as ii was when he
first entered it III 1881 and of the changes he has
since seen made on Manhattan Island. Some OF his
recollections which seem strangely ont of date IN
the hurIy-bury of 1ss2, are as follows:
have seen many and wonderful changes in this
city. From gOOdly sized town OF 100000 in
habitants ii now numbers more than a million and
a quarter of souls. j have seen it rebuilt III most
extend its northern border from Cana-st. to far be-
yond the Harlem River. In 1880 We had no CrOtOn
water, little anthracite coal, except Rhode Island
coal. which successfully resisted every effort to
burn il A; little or no Illuminating gas the city
being mostly lighted, publicly and privately, by
oil. etc; no railroads no express companies no
sunlit pictures 10 friction matches, no land tele-
graphs, no ocean cables no petroleum, and not n
steamship to the ocean nearly all our foreign
mails com ing monthly or iortnlghtly by the famous
old Black Ball or Black STAR and other lines
of Liverpool Packets The arrival of a European
mail in that day was great event in shipping and
mercantile circles. The packets were sometimes
out thirty to sixty days, or more; and TO share In
l." the first delivery" of letters was the object of
every merchant as none could AFFORD to be much
news. Extras" were usually issued, often caus-
ing great excitement.
California Alaska, and other remote parts of our
country were then unknown, except by name, and
the whole vast territory west of the Mississippi
River was laid down on the maps as uneXplored
regions" In that day we had little or no small coin
pence and d" "uistareen y; and our rates OF postage
were GA, 12l2 lS3i and 20 cents according to
distance. If it he asked what did the citizens do
for water for the cXtinguishment of fires and for
domestic use, the answer is they had the North ana
East Rivers, the old pumps and clsterns, and
Knapp's SpIig Water delivered at their doors at
so much per gallon, and that furnished by the Man
haitian Company. The old flint and steel and
tnder box supplied the place of matches; pure
whale and sperm oil and candles the place of gas;
hard woods and Virginia and Jersey pine. and btu
minous coal the place OF anthracite; the numbering
omnibus served for "rapld transit" and kipp *
Browns stages running from the corner of Pine and
Nassau sts. to d" Greenwich Village fare
shilling-were well patIonzcd. But the rush up
our day. for very many OF our merchants lived near
the Battery around the Bowling Green, IN Broad
way in State and Grecnwich-sts. and nearly all
below Chambcrs-st., many OF them over their own
places of business For the transportation of mcr-
chandise we had the useful hoI5c and cart, and a
each attircd with frock," neat and clean every
day The Volunteer Fire Department of that
day though in some respects a nuisance and a dis
grace to the city. used to boast that a fire rarely
extended beyond the building in which 1t origin
ated.
well recollcct the steamboat which first brought
me to the city-Captain Nan'cr'iiits" splendid new
steam of that day. Snc laycd her p.r well.
carrying safely hundreds daily {, aud ifom staten
Island for tie lcs' sam ct - cc.ts per seen
ger The boats ou t.c icr e. II B:url,lya aaG Jci-
sey City we've tien known - IloToe BUatA ueng
propelled by HORSEPOWER oLlN. rnc hos" and a
driver to each hoat thc iattcr armed with whip
by which greater speed Was promptly stcu.cd.
Wcll they dil not 20 very f,,t nut they \, re
safe shpwrcck never having bcsa hfard OF m
those raging seas.