The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-12-17
STREET SIGNS.
Peculiar Signs Seen Upon the Streets
How Cinnamon Mark Their
Goods.

GOOQS.
Denver progressive in all things, shows
its ability to keep up with the times in
nothing less than the signs which appear
upon the places of business along the
bustling streets.
There have been almost as many
freaks of fashion shown in the different
stages of the march of civilization in the
matter of the announcement of trades
and professions at certain localities, and
the fact that certain followers of them
are to be found there as in any of the
other matters of everyday life.
And yet while this city shows all the
modern devices in the matter of signs
upon It's business houses there are almost
all the arious styles employed during
The last forty years, and in one or two
instances the very old customs of Eng
land even further back of the period
named are employed.
As an illustration OF the last statement,
there are several hotel signs which bear
the likeness of some animal. the name of
which the hostelry bears. There is the
Red Lion Inn the name of which is
very English, and the sign of the estab-
lishment reminds one fOrcibiy of the old
inns of which Dickens and other En-
glish novelists wrote. The American
Eagle Hotel is another of similar style,
although the bird thus immortalized is
anything but English in its significance.
There are the regulation signs upon
all of the business buildings about the
city. and hosts of them. There are all
of the modern signs, large, small, and
middle-sized, and the only noticeable
difference between them and those of the
eastern cities in the almost total absence
of signs depicted in script letters. the
Roman capitals being almost universally
employed here.
As advertising and the announcement
of the business of firms or individuals
are indications of enterprise, so Denver
business people are the most enterprising
in the land, as their signs are very nu-
merouS.
There is hardly an individual or firm
in the city, with the exception of lawyers
and doctors, who are contented with the
simple announcement of name and busi-
ness, but there are score or more of
smaller signs which accompany the large
ones.
A grocer, dry goods dealer, or any
similar merchant will generally have the
name of the proprietor in the center of
the building over the door, and then
minor references to the line of business,
excellence of the quality of goods, and
that sort of thing, made upon smaller
signs placed at the base of the show
windows, upon the doors, or on placards
or on transparencies inside the windows,
or upon the pavement in front of the
establishment
Once in awhile a sign will appear in
black letters upon white ground, or
the reverse, but this is mostly employed
in very large announcements placed up
on the walls of buildings close to the
roof, and designed to be seen for long
distance.
As a rule gold prevails, and the myriad
of signs placed upon almost every square
foot OF the large buildings make a most
glorious appearance of glitter when the
sunlight or the electricity shines upon
them.
Of peculiar signs there are many, and
one of the most striking to the new
conner of three or four years ago was re-
Gently wiped out of existence. That
was the immense railroad map which
covered the western wall of the Burling-
ton block on Seventeenth street, and
tracing the course of the Burlington
route to the east
The Wells-Fargo Express Company
has sign gilded with letters in the
Chinese language, or SO it is supposed to
be. There may be some doubt about the
truthfulness of the legend, however, as
limitations of Chinese inscriptions have
sometimes been made upon tea stores
and similar establishments, which, while
they added an oriental effect to the APP
pearance of the store, were utterly un-
decipherable by any Chinaman who could
read his own language.
An amusing instance of that sort OF
thing occurred some time ago. An Amer
lean painter was busily engaged in letter.
ing in Chinese the front of store. In
front OF the artist were standing two
Cinnamon, watching the operation and
laughing in great glee. As each new
character in the inscription appeared the
Johns would shake their heads and ex-
claim: NO! nor and burst into an ad.
ditional fit of hilarity.
The Chinese iaundrymen all employ
very economical signs, They are usually
black lettered upon white ground, al
though occasionally there appears a
white letter upon a sign of glowing red,
Very seldom docs Chinese hierogly-
phio appear, and when it does it is usual
ly upon bit of red cardboard, and is
intended as communication to their
fellow oountrymen. The Cinnamon cater
for the trade, not of their countrymen
but OF the white people, and they use
English methods of communication. The
only allegorical or figurative display
which they make is that of an occasional
pictured fat-iron in repose.
The old rows of tin plug hats which
the hat dealers use back in the east are
not seen here, but in their place are
large gold hats, hats of transparent imi-
tation jewels, and the ike. Dogs, horses,
guns, keys, saws, pistols and similar de-
vices, are very common, and the greater
number of them are in gilt BARRIERS
SIUnS are the Same hIIt mora aIa bo,-a t,,