The Portland daily press., 1882-04-19
New York Fifty Years Ago.

In asmall pamphlet printed for private cir
culation, James W. Auten of New York city
has recorded his "reminiscences of New York
as it was when he first entered it in 1881, and
of the changes he has since seen made on Man.
haitian Island Some of his recollections, which
seem strangely out of date in the hurly-burly
of 1882, are as follows
have seen many aud wonderful changes
in this city. From goodly-sized town of 200,-
600 inhabitants, it now numbers more than
1,250,000 of souls. 1 have seen it rebuilt in
most parts twice, and in many the third time,
and extend its northern border from Canal
street to far beyond the Harlem river. In 1880
we had no Croton water, little anthracite coal,
except Rhode Island coal, which successfully
resisted every effort to burn it; little or illu-
minating gas, the city being mostly lighted,
publicly and privately, by OIL ETC.: no railroads
no express companies, no sunlit pictures, no
friction matches, no land telegraphs, no ocean
cables, no petroleum, and not a steamship to
cross the ocean; nearly all our foreign mails
coming monthly or fortnightly by the famous
old Black Ball or Black Star and other lines of
Liverpool packets. The arrival of European
mail in that day was great event in shipping
and mercantile circles. The packets were
to share in 'the first delivery" of letters was
the object of every merchant. as none cocld af-
ford to be much behind his neighbor in the re-
ception of commercial news. Extras were
usually issued, often causing great excite ment.
California, Alaska, and other remote parts
of our country were then unknown, except by
name, aud the whole vast territory west of the
Mississippi river was laid down on the maps as
"unex plored regions In that day we had lit
tie or 10 small coin except the Spanish and
Mexican shilling, and sixpence and "pista-
reen;' aud our rates of postage were st, 129,
1Sa and % cents, according to distance. Ii IL
be asked what did the citizens do for water for
the extinguishment of fires and for domestic
use the answer is, they had the North and
East rivers, the old pumps and cisterns, and
Knapps spring water delivered at the doors at
SO much per gallon, and that furnished by the
Manhattan company. The old flint and steel
and finder box supplied the place OF matches;
pure whale AID sperm oil and candles, the
place of gas; hard woods and Virginia and Jef-
sey pine and bituminous coal, the place of an
thracite; the lu.nbering omnibus served for
"rapid transit" and Kipp and Browns stages
running from the corner of Pine and Nashua
streets to Greenwich village, fare one shil-
ling-were well patronized. But the rush up
town at the close of business was not SO fierce
as in our day, for very many of our merchants
lived near the Battery, around the Bowling
green, in Broadway, in State and Greenwich
streets, and nearly all below Chambers street,
many of them over their own place OF business
For the transportation of merchandise we had
the usual horse and cart, and fine body of
carumen, nearly all native born, and each at
tired with a ''frock, . neat and clean every day.
The volunteer fire department" of that day,
though in some respects nuisance and dis
grace TO the city, used to boast that fire rarely
extended beyond the building in which it origi-
mated
1 we'll recolecet the steamboat which first
brought me to the city, Capt Vanderbilt's
splendid new steamer, Nautilus, built in
1881, the pioneer of the steam marine OF that
day. She played her part well, carrying safely
hundreds daily to and from Staten Island, for
the modest sum of % cents per passenger. The
boats on the ferries to Brooklyn and Jersey
City we're then known as horse boats" being
propelled by horse power only, one horse and
driver to each boat the latter armed with a
whip, by which greater speed was promptly Sc
cured. Well, they did not go very fast, but
they were safe, a shipvreck never having been
heard of on those raging seas.