The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-12-04
FIFTY YEARS AGO
OUR FATHERS KNEW LITTLE OF TO
DAYS COMMENCES.
Some Discoveries and Inventions WhiSa
Have Come to Modify Our Ways g
Working and Living Within the
Last Half Century.
Detroit Free Press.l

Last Half Century.
Detroit Free Press.1
The changer that the last half century has
brought to the commercial, social and dc.
nestle life of the world ara remark ole. II
seems in Iced, in looking back ever recent
inventions and discoveries as though man
kind made no great stride in all the 40
year. that succeed ii the invention OF print
ing. Fifty years ago there wa not reap
ing or moving machine to be heard in any
field, nor there q seed planter to be seen
or any labor-saving apparatus for doing
farm wark except suca as had exist61 fol
generations
FIREARMs-PHOTOS-R
In 1885 t1e farmers shot squirrels with
hint-lock towing pieces, Springfield mus
kets. or some of the innUmerable. "queon's
arms that were said to have been picked
up on tao Cell of Bunker Hill. Percussion
cap locks Ind not como into vogue, and flint
lock, were retained in botl the militia and
regular service for many years thereafter.
The first breech-loading needle gun was
made in 1886 and in tho same year Samuel
Colt patented his revolving pistol.
Fifty years ago such a thing as
a photograph had never been imag-
inei. Daguerre's process, long since
abandoned, was first announced to
tho French Academy OF Sciences
by Arago in 1889. Portraits were painted
in oil for those who could afford them;
miniatures were taken in water colors upon
ivory, and for thu rest tuere was nothing
better than silhouette profile, cut in white
paper with pair of scissors, and placed
over piece OF black silk.
1t was in 1895 that Charles Goodyear took
out his first patent for an India rubber
cement Before that time the few gum"
overshoes that vera worn came from the
crude manufacture Of the Indians of Brazil.
Garden hose, waterproofs aud all the multi
farious list of hard and soft rubber goods
belong to the last half century.
PINS, PENS, FUEL AND LIGHT.
In 1886 the first successful machines for
making pins were put into operation i'll New
York, but these were the kind with wire or
spun heads" which had a way OF slipping
down toward the point and leaving the
upper end of the pin to go into the thumb
or finger The process of making pins with
solid heads such as are now in universal
use, was not patented until 1870.
People wrote their letters with quill pens
in 1855, and there was no note paper, little
ruled paper of any kind, no blotting paper,
no envelopes and no stamps. Fine sand
was used to take up the surplus ink, and
only one sheet or piece of paper being al
lowed to 60 by mail at a single rate, fools
cap was largely used for correspondence on
account OF its size. till it was replaced by
large, square sheets of letter paper Steel
pens were not in common use then, nor for
long time afterwards, for they wera
neither cheap nor good.
The use of anae5thetics was practically un-
unknown till the effect of ether in rendering
tic patient insensible to pain in surgical
operations was announced in 1916. Coal
was hardly known fuel in thi, country
fifty years ago Everybody burned wood
luciier matches were not cften seen or
smelied in those days; fire wa kindied with
the tinder-box, and candles ard pipes were
u5ually lighted with live Goals frosn the fire
place. There wa no ga for lighting streets
or houses in this country. Whale OIL lamps
aud tallow dips We're tho universal reliance
Burning fiuii larl oil and campaaae came
later and it was years before the discovery
OF petroleum and the manufacture OF kero-
seue.
HOUSEKEEPER--CARPENT
The housskeeper Ia no canned fruits
whatever, and no pre- 'ervel meat, soups or
vegetables; She could got no c,nlonsed
,ailk, no cocoa, and but little chocolate.
Sac would have had to look long for ba-
mana, and a q imported fruit wa scarce.
She would as soon of thought OF putting q
raw squash on her table as a tomato in any
form. Ice did not rattle in her water
pitcher and she had no refrigerator. Soda
water and ice cream were not at hand to
cool the palate in summer, aud lager beer
was n fluid whose name was naver pro-
nounced on these shores. The first really
practical sewing machine had not been in,
vented, and the household linen was spun
AMI woven at home.
The carpenter prepared every piece of
woodwork that went into the construction
of 81 house He hewed the siils, j9sts.
beams, posts, rafter5 and braces; pianed
and matched the boards shaved the shingles
in the woods and made the sash and doors
at his bench IN winter Women knit their
stockings. for the stores held no Balbriggan
hose, and the only elastics they could buy
wero made of silk inclosing several small
coils of brass wire.
ELECTRO-PLATE AND STEREOTYPE.
The process of electro-plating was
unknown in those days, and consequently
the cheap plated ware Of recent times
could not be had. Forks wers made OF
steel and with but two prongS
Everyb 1dy put food to his mouth
with tho knife, and tho bnndana spread
upon the knees was the predecessor OF the
napkin. Individual batter plates had not
appeared. Stoves wers by no means in uni
yersai uss and the capacious brick ovens
still lid service on baking days.
In 1885 caer3 vera probably about 200
nsvspapars in the Unite States; now there
ars five t,me, rs many. Tie paper machs
process Il stereotypng was first ussl on
Now YORK newspaper in 1861, AMI electro
tipping dates back no5 more taan tlirty-fve
Joars ago.
lord Fsxrou's not, TxrC