davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
Ocean tsRats.N

They are built in the British yards by
contract of poor materials IN the great
est haste. They are built in the cheap
est way possible. They have low-power
engines put in them. They are manned
with as few men as possible. They pay
the lowest wages. They are sent to any
freight rates. Then another cargo is
taken, and so they run hither and
yonder, always short-handed, always
overloaded, and always with just enough
provisions on board to last them through,
and no more, so that if they are delayed
by broken machinery they must either
starve their men or beg from a passing
ship. They cut under rates to get car
goes, and then skimp in every quarter
to get dividends. Since 1877 an enor-
nous number have been launched at the
Glasgow yards. Money brings very low
interest over there, and capital found a
better return in a certain class of freight
steamers. These steamers are built
plain, but strong; the model is for a
large carrier instead of for a quick pas
sage. They ordinarily vary in size from
nine hundred to eighteen hundred tons
net register. They will carry nearly
fifty per cent. more tons of dead weight
than they register. The engines for a
steamer Of twelve hundred tons would
probably be of two hundred nominal
horsepower. The power is great enough
to give the vessel a speed of nine knots.
They spread enough canvas to keep
them steady when in a gale. They CON
sumo twenty tons of coal \ day, where
an ocean greyhound will burn two hum
dred aud sixty. Here is a list of the
crew of a vessel that registers twelve
hundred and t~wenty-nine net: She has
twenty-seven men all told. The mate
gets forty dollars a month, the second
mate thirty dollars, the chief engineer
eighty dollars, the second engineers
thirty-five dollars, the firemen about
twenty-one dollars, the cook twenty
three dollars. There are six able seamen
at eighteen dollars. They have four
small sales to handle.-Gath, in Cimcim-
natl Commercial.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
Marrying Man.

.Tventy-three hundred and four last
nioht." answered Squire Mayes, who
was found comfortably seated in an ele-
yant armchair at his residence in West
1Iexander. in response to a query put
hy vonr correspondent. Mr.. Mayes is q
Justice of the Peace, and the number
twenty-three hundred and four meant
he had married that many. couples.
West Alexander, the home OF the joiner,
is a small town of five hundred souls on
the line of the Great National Road, De-
tween Cumberland, Nd, and Terre
Haute, Ind. Joseph Finley Mayes, the
name of the celebrated knot-tier, is
probably sixty years Of age, tall. but by
no means a heavy weight. Within .
veal or two he has taken unto himself q
third wife. His father joined together
eighteen hundred and sixty happy souls.
He. too, was a Justice of the Peace. A
record of all the marriages solemnized
by him is in the possession OF his son.
The latter received his commission in
1862, and at the end of the first term of
five wears had Joined together in the
holy bonds of wedlock two hundred and
ninetv-three couples; the second term,
Gnree nuuuitud anu SlACy-AiACi onS oAAAA"e
five hundred and seven; the fourth. and
up to the present time, eleven hundred
and thirty-ive, making q grand total
of twenty-three hundred and four
couples. A glance at the 'Squire's
record shows many curious facts and
incidents. Up to 1865 the fee allowed
by law was two dollars; during that
year it was increased to three dollars.
The least he ever received was ninety
cents; generally the regular fee was
paid. One happy groom left a twenty
dollar bill with the Squire. No license
is required in Pennsylvania. West Vir-
ginia and Ohio, being so close, furnish
much of the marrying timber; though
nearly every section Of the United States
is represented. About thirty couples We're
of African descent; fifty Of the grooms
bore the name of Smith. On N occa-
sion four couples were upon the
floor ready for the ceremony to begin.
when a ring at the door-bell announced
other arrivals, who came on the same
mission. Instead of the four couples,
six were at the same time pronounced
husbands and wives Washington (Pu.)
Cor. Chicago Tribune.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
ssBroke' on 'Change.

A very seedy, yet extremely dignified,
elderly individual emerged from an adj
jacent bucket-shop and Joined the crowd
of excited spcculars collected in Gam
blers' alley.
"That man." said a habitue of the To-
cality to a reporter, ''was rich a few
years ago. He had cash in the bank,
real estate and securities enough to
make him worth $500 600. Now he
hasn't a dollar, 1 verify believe. How
did he lose it? The same way he made it
speculation, and a good deal of whis-
ky mixed in to quicken the process of
getting rid of his wealth.
He is a fair type of a class we'll rep
resented around here" the speaker con-
tinued. ''There are about a dozen of
them who at some time have been posi-
lively rich, and numberlcss others in
the different grades of well-off to COM
fortably-fixed and independent. To all
alike q f%ive-dollar bill is now a rarity
seldom possessed. There is one who
less than five years ago made $140.0 900
in a single deal but never saw a dollar
of. He hung on to make more, and
when the market turned lost not only
every penny of that big profit but all he
possessed besides, and his membership
certificate in the board also. The shock
affected his mind q little. Another had
1925, 900 and lost all in a few months.
Another, two years ago was q big COM
mission merchant, rich and influential,
now a wreck. Another drew $4,000
every month from his commissions and
lived nearly up to it; now he hasn't a
dollar. There are plenty of them, cid
er]y men generally, too old to begin
anew.
Casually liquor is as much to blame
for their present state as the change in
their luck. They hang around the
game they can no longer play. Its
fascination is just as strong as in the
days Of their good fortune. Still pos
sessing a large circle of acquaintances
amongthe commission-men, they are the
bette noir of brokers' lives. One of them
will walk into his old brokers' office and
beg him to make a trade for his account.
For the sake of old times he does so.
Usually it's loss and the broker has to
pocket it. But that doesn't deter the
broken-down Spectator. He repeats
the request again, and of course is re-
fused, although it's unpleasant and hard
to the commission-man to say no.
"They rarely recover lost fortune, or
any part oft. Their luck might change,
but their habits never do."-Chicdgo
Tribune.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
Stranded Whales.

A dispatch to the Halifax Herald,
from Windsor, Nova Scotia, says that
the school of blackfish and porpoises
that came into the basin of Minas about
q month ago was much larger than
first reported. For several days the
flsh were seen sporting about in the
water OF the basin, feeding. Then
they appeared to have lost their reck-
oning, and many got stranded on the
bars at the entrance of the Avon River.
One afternoon the school headed up the
town on the flood tide, presenting a
magnificent and novel sight as they
passed the Windsor wharves. They
were pursued by boats and steam-tuss,
and everybody who owned a gun or
could borrow one joined in the chase.
A good deal of powder and lead were
wasted, but the number of fish obtained
IN that way were few. The school re-
turned with the ebb tide and for three
days the same thing continued. until
not one fish is said to have escaped to
tell the tale. The largest portion of
them were stranded on the mud flats,
where they were left high and dry to
perish. Altogether, it Is said. some
three hundred of these monsters Of tina
deep We're secured on the Avon and St.
Crolx, the largest number of which
were black fish, which is a small
species OF whale. Some were an enor-
nous size and would weigh nearly two
tons each. A dozen or more were tied
to a wharf at Windsor n morning;
5ne largest measured twenty-five feet IN
length. The blubber of these animals
yields an enormous quantity of valuable
OIL, and it it has all been taken care of
VIII prove quite a source of profit. Al
together, at least fifteen thousand pal-
IONS OF oil must have been obtained from
the three hundred fish secured. which
'nouio yield a profit of about $1O, 900.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
How q Buxom Widow Got Married.

A widow, young, good-looking and
lively had many admirers, but she was
so impartial that when, just about a
year from her husbands death, she
gave public invitations to her wedding,
nobody could tell whether the favorito
n was a certain widower, a bachelor
or n of two young men, and, to keep
the secret, she declared she would be
The minister, too, entered into the spirit
OF the affair, and to mystify the people
still the bride entered the barn
alone at one door and the groom at an
other. There were at least two hum
dred present. The ceremony proceeded
in darkness, and at it's close the crowd
broke for the bride and carried her
home in triumph in q chair. But here
began the trouble, the widower, the
bachelor and the two young men each
swore that he held the Widows plump
hand and was married to her; the crowd
could not decide, the minister didn't
know and the widow was puzzled, for
all claimed to be engaged to her, for al
though the widower was her choice, he
might have been jolted aside; indeed,
he acknowledged that somebody tried
to choke him in the dark, The four
men fought, but Unfit didn't settle it.
The guest du cked two OF them in the
brook, but still no light. Finally, the
widower compromised with the others
by giving them n hundred pounds
each, and reigned as her lord. The af-
fair has never been explained. One of
the young men is married, but still de-
clares he was married to Widow Dods-
worth in the big barn. The other also
protests that he is her lawful husband.
The bachelor is dead, but maintained to
the end: II married her-I ought to
have er."-London World.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01

cited him, and assured him that he had
acted wisely, and that the Sergeant's
heroism atoned for his crime. Only q
few days after this, on coming to the
Office, Vidal handed me a newspaper
folded in such a way as to allow
only a certain article to be read;
at the same time. he whispered SOL
elmnly:
what did 1 tell your"
l took the paper and read the follow
ing:
Zone More Victim of Intemperance.-
Yesterday afternoon, on the Boulevard
de Grenelle, one named Mallet, nick
named La Soft, Sergeant in the Zouaves
of the Imperial Guard, who, with two
comrades had drank immoderately in
the neighboring saloons, "a seized with
a fit of delirium tremens, on seeing
some ragged uniforms which hung be.
fore the shop of an old clothes mer-
chant.
Becoming quite mad, this sub-officer
drew his sword and took to his heels,
scattering the frightened people in his
path. The two soldiers accompanying
him had the greatest difficulty imagina-
bic in controlling the frantic man, who
never ceased shouting in his madness:
Il am not a murderer! I took an Aus
trian flag at Melegnano!'
1--WE have, in fact, been assured that
Mallet was knighted in recognition of
this martial feat, and that his inyeterate
habits of drunkenness have alone pre-
vented his becoming an officer.
..Mallet was taken to the military
hospital of Gros Gallon, whence he will
soon be transferred to Clarendon, for it
it is doubtful whether this uDaestnnaae
man will ever recover his reason"
AS 1 handed back the paper to Father
Vidal, he gave me a look of profound
conviction, and said:
Captain Gentle was a Corsican.
He is avenged!"- Translated from the
French, for the Detroit Free Press.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01

"A correspondent of the London
Telegraph calls attention to the utter
want at many railway stations in Eng.
land Of shelters for passengers, who
have nc protection against the bitter,
frosty air and piercing blasts of cold
wind which sweep through the cheerlass
openings.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01
CHRISTENING THE HOME.

CHRISTENING THE HOME.
The final blow was struck to-day,
The final nail was driven;
The last young worklnan's got his pay,
Picked up his screws and chfsels-nay,
Just touched his cap and gone away,
And left us here, thank Heaven!
It's bare, but We'll dispense tonight
With %hangings and stamped leather;
I'll start a blaze and strike a light,
And bring. our basket for a bite,
And you shall spread the board Alright,
And-well, we're here together.
That bench is just the seat for two
Be careful while l move it;
I'll fold my cot across for you
T PGnre NINA MRat 2 c a5t11s p pid Go ane g1se do
(Forgive meU to improve it?
And SO it's done-it's really done,
Past making or refusing;
Another widening life begun,
And all our doubtful fancies run
To solid walls in wine and sun,
Our own and OF our choosingI
Imagine this in gold and gray,
The happy heart a-glitter,
Thick stuffs to keep the cold away,
Deep shelves of books-in vellum, say
And beaten brasses, fgp0ussc,
Instead of chips and litter!
Here VIC shall sit, and leave the town
To languish-Heaven befriend her!
You in your most bewitching gown,
] with my ~paper-upside down
And toasting both my slippers brown
Before me on the fender!
A cottage stood here long ago,
knee-deep in grass and clover
On this same spot. lISthctic? No.
A cabin, maybe, matched and low,
A little maid i'll calico,
A clever-handed lover.
How life, unerring, comes and goes,
The very same-Or nearly;
Like us, they dreamed of these and those;
They ate and drank, and planned and chose,
And loved?-a little, l suppose;
But oh, not half SO dearly!
No doubt they saw the splendor die,
Night ~coming-they must bear it
Youth, hope and passion slipping by,
The laughter spent, the tears run dry;
But did they lore. as you and /?
No, never! l coul swear it!
Who ever loved a wife like mine?
Have done with vain denying!
To-morrow's sun is sure to shine,
And why should happy youth repinc?
Come, pledge our future in the wine,
And make an end of crying!
Dora Read Goodalc, IN Harpcr's Basar.
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01

-shakespeare's gloves, which were
r. fe St, 1y the Mayor and Corporation
=. S'iatlord TO Garrick in 1869, are now
~ nc possession of Miss Florence BEN
son, OF london. They are made Of SUBJ
stantlal leather, without any ornspsnt.
and have seen much wear,
Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-02-01

AAS AASkLlS4 VII u
for trial a few days ago. but wa settled
by the defendant paying the plaintiff the
sum demanded -B9falo Express.
In olden times, before matches were
in existence, it was common for neigh
bors to borrow fire Of each other. A
learned philosopher was visited by a lit
tie girl who asked him for some fire.
''But,' says the Doctor, .'you have
nothing to take it in" The little girl
stopped down to the fireplace, and tax
ing some cold ashes in one hand. she
put live embers on them with the other.
The astonished Doctor threw down his
books, saying: "With all my learning.
l. should never have found out that ex-
pedient. "-Boston Post.
Owing to the scarcity Of satisfacto-
ry trees, lamp-posts, etc., a mob of
lynchers near Albuquerque, New Next
co, took their prisoner to a fat-car, and
proceeded to erect a rather unique scat
fold: A crib of ties was built up hioh
on the 1at-car, and two ties were run
straight out from the crib, the inside
ends OF the two ties being fastened to
the crib by lashing with ropes so that
they were held securely in place. The
prisoner. with the rope on his neck. thu
other end OF which was fastened to thu
ties, was made to mount the oallows
whea ne was pushed off. the fail prov.
Ing OF sufficient height t. break hi,
neck.
Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-23
Staple Drugs.

Bark, Cinnamon, per pound, iS@--c; bark
Peruvian, per pound. 300: borax per 10
lag: bi-carbonate OF soda per n, ShfSt: cop
cinchonida, per ounce, 70Glsoc.: CASTLE SOAP
tmottled), per n, se9s; cream tartar. Q. p, per
pound, 4OGis; chalk, lump, per pound, 2@S
English, per pound. lo6sl Is; chloral n.y.
drate, 5h9l f5 chloroforin, I'll 100; com
position powder, 2tso30; dovers powders, Is;
pound, 50; gum camphor. TO-: morphine
per ounce,k3 25d3 20; machine oil, golden, IS
aS40 quinine, r. a w, per or. 500; .quinlne,
German. per oS.. S56l IS; potash, bromide,
40l145. iodide, l IS; chlorate. 221o25 Alum, ic
Spirits turpentine, Boo; Linseed oil, 67@,2c.
Flour sulphur, ia5c.; Essential oils, 81. Louis
medicines, rebate on list; P.D. fluid extracts
IS per cent OFF; Prescription Walls, per case
30 and 10 per ct. of; do broken so per CT. OIL
Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-23

SKIRTIN--No. California sklrting, pei
roll, 40lSc., No. California skirting per side,
42hc.; No. l fair hemlock, cleap.sood stock
4oc.; No. . fair hemlock, no oil, ssc.; No.
oiled hemlock, clean flesh, S',xc.; No. oiled
hemlock, Csc.
HARNESS LEATHER..-No. Ohio medi.
um aud heavy weight, &c.; NO. OHIO me
dunn and light, S5c.; No. hemioc6, &c.; NO.
hemlock, Soc.
BLIND BRIDLEs.-No. 4, Il COM, sewcd
n. iper dozen, IS so; No, 10, X bike. In, pigeon
wing, per doc, Sill %; No. 10, 4 do, SIS o..
RIDING BRiDLES.---si In. blk. or fair doub,
head curb bits. slO 40: x do. fancy mont do,
ei2 90; Il in. long rein do, SIS 90. x In. doub,
and stitched front do, extra curb bit, SIG so
FILINGS ~ In. short rein, blk. or fair
| IS so, x do, blk or good, $40 50.
| SADDLES.--No. stock cheyenne, Llama
pockets, $40; Number ~ ditto, less the
| pockets, $50; No. loose laced, coarse still
| tree, SO; No. . loose riyited do, $50; No;
Colorado, genuine short Friesekeyree, SIS; Nc
10, tied, coarse, sl2; No. 20 do, still tree SIS
| No. 80, stitched, full rig, rose tree, 80 co.. No
IS, tackled, do. do, 90; three.quarter and hal
| rigs mems, s56DS; do, boys, S3@,5.
| HARNESS, WAGON.--lA, IL and IN Incl
long tug, complete collar, brides, lines
etc.5. s2tS22@28; ~ Inch, machine, .shor
tug, complete, BIG oo;. ~ inch, hand, oal
stock, short tug, complete, sl7; 2k inch fla
| tug complete, $i8 SO.
SPURS.-Eureka No. 3, chased, per dozen
81 Is; Indianola, blued, per dozen, 81 W
Mexican, two to three-inch rowels, 81 26ep4 10
| LE6GINS.-No.l l, Cal. style, calf, IS; No.
| Cal. style, kip leggin leather, 50 so; No. do
IS No. 2. old style kip do. "a co.
Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-23

BAR IRON, 50 CO. Norway, &c.; No, y D
sheet iron, 40, No n Q sheet iron, sc;
galvanized sheet iron, 99l0lsc.; No. Hs9da
l7c.: No. n do, l5c.; 2Jx2s ROOD ng I'm. w o.
@i5 80: l4xs0 and l0xH pat. do, 81 1btgS ~
timers wire, 30 per cent. off. timers STOCK
forty per cent. of; cook stoves, with ware
40 bltdp25 90: do, with trimmings, 3li bkgtOoO
WOOD WORK. Wagon axles. Oc. gu w;
toneres gOcG1S1 90; singletrees, 81 10 holsters,
Soc: spokes 90 75Np3 %; fellOes, 81 $500 ~
Doubletrees, g. 25eDf 90: neck yokes, G0C@
$50; pillow beams, bDc165c.; pillow handles, si7e
@2BD: handles, 81 1902 50.
NAILS. 50 IS key, basis l0d.--Burden morse
shoe, per keg, % so; Perkins do, W loi Walk
er do, IS 90; Burden mule, e. "; Norinwsst
ern horse shoe nails, No SOC, No 3; 2Se.' NO
!. 45c., No. s. 95c., No. q ~, No. 2c.' 10. Z Z
XXFs9K X, per dozen, 90 5o9I0 90; Lakes
90 COOS 80; Hackensack, % 5Oo7 0oi boys
Handled, 81 6O0ss 50. 1850
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Z Climax, sl7M
No. 9, DO, sls5O No. do, sSs; NO. : do- 90
M ANEoUs-Trace chains. ~ 70
pair, 4a7c; pillow singletrees, per doz., W 70 =,
Ri9Iw s % per cent OH door locks, ss25ss %
wood screws, so and 10 per cent. of; LP cas-
| door butts, 40 .and 10 per cent. on; cur an,
| tinned tacks ~ per cent. off; coffee mills, .
ner cent. Off: blind hinges. 80 and 10 per cent
an: carriage bolts, IS and 10 per cent. on
pillow bolts, IS per cent. of; piece TIN WaIe
O Der cent. OF; deep stamped ware. 0 pc
| cent. of: shallow stamped ware " per con-
of; japanned ware, Uper cent ON.
Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-23

LunsxR--Rougb lumber. boxing, y none
and under, fnt-clsss, 81; stripping. HxS. "
boring and flooring, clears, elb: thick cleafa
IL and TX, ~; rough lumber seconu GLASS
III: tOisi and scantiing, culis, 40. -. :.
SrpINo--First common white pine. w ~
second do, 90 third do. vs.; poplar. t26 W9
n So: native pine u; ~ W DO ~ W nstivs
nI nnEasED LunBKR--B Boxing IL inohss ano
uiider. eW O0Nb4 co. do kx5, oB oo@I 70
10 "; ooa5 %; boxing over u inches: yse 9, q
81 %: thick cleArs, ~ toby and = ~ WeN !"
second class. any kind. vi Q91 h.
DRxAsKD AND MATCHED FLooRfHa-flrei
class, G28; second class, va.
WHITE PINE FURHIBHIN0 LUnHgnc--lAs -
and Inch white pine, 30; inch do, et6.
cYILIHO--BEADED on PLAIE-FiTsL con-.
mon white pine, X, e32.6D. "a do, ~; 70 dot "
poplar, X. I'd 80 poplar, X. ts2108 %
native pine X, e22.60; DO, X, US. -.
POPLAR LphBsR.-lM. N and incn, W
sHiESLEs--whits pine A, %: DO shaded a
H.25. do extra No: $50 cypress. eesL. an an;
sawed heart, St.S5 saps, e3.x5.
PICK Ers.--White pine. dressed and heades
square Or fiat,b4; yellow pine DO. %; lai'
lLIHE, CExKrf. ETo.--Lims, Austin, Y
| uer Dbl. Cement. Louisville or R0senale, "
per bbl.; Portland. St75 per Dbl. Plaster rari
New York OF Michigan. - 90 per Dbl fiAsu
BsicE. yire-proof. o. 50 per y.