Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-16
THE NEW DIRECTORY.
1t Shows an Increase of 1858 In
the Population.
/ VARIETY OF QUEER NAMES.
Troubles the Compiler Has With the Can
yasSers and They With People.
THE BOOKS NOW BEING DELIVERED

The comnilation of the Pittsburg and AL.
lepbenv Directory for 1889 is accomplished,
and about the middle of last week the de.
livery to subscribers was commenced. The
fulflIment of such task, thus disposed Of
in a single sentence, over which the readers
eve may travel without fully appreciating
iIs significance, is no longer regarded as
anything out of the common, and few people
outside Mr.. J. f. Diffenbacher's headquar-
tiers on Fourth avenue understand the labor
and anxiety and attention which must char
aeterize the work, if it is to be complete, OF
compiling the names, residences and occu-
pations of the inhabitants of the two cities.
Mr.. Difenbacher, who has published this
Directory since 1874, has brought the sys-
tenn of canvassing down to the finest point,
but nevertheless each recurring Directory
year, which begins on the first of April,
brings with it its trials with canvassers who
won't canvass, and the corresponding re-
spOnsibility attached to the production of
such necessary work.
The system of obtaining the names is
pretty well understood. Any time prior to
the 1st of April men to undertake the work
of canvassing are advertised for. These are
quickly examined as to their probable fit
ness, and selection made, out of which the
75 men requisite for the work are drawn.
Schools are formed in which the men are in
structed in the system of canvassing, and
finally they are sent out into their respect
i've districts to take down, on a slip of pa
per for each, the name address and business
of every person over age in his walk. This
seems a very simple business, and it is, in
the more intelligent quarters of the city,
but in others it is next to impossible to OBJ
tain accurate information regarding names,
their spelling and the business of their
owners. In every city there is a class which
is chronically in fear of the taxgatherer or
which for other reasons desires to preserve
an incognito, and among such people the
Directory canvasser's life, like that of Sui
livan's policeman, is mot happy one"
He has TO throw
OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS
of family dissension and neighborly feud to
obtain the desired information respecting
each; if he be young man, with anything
approaching a matrimonial appearance, he
must be cautious in asking for widows, and
should he at all look like limb of the law
he will find his work all before him.
II ne eau speak several languages, all the
better for his peace of mind, and before
starting out on his route he must bear in
his company an illimitable stock of pa
thence. His occupation will last about two
weeks, and during that time he will have
worked pretty well as hard as he ever did
in his life.
Canvassing for this years Directory be-
gan on the 5th OF April, and by the 10th the
-lol, 80 Il, -
Mr.. Diffenbacher's emiSsaries. Three days
later A copy" began to go down to the
press, that OF Stephenson & Foster, of Wood
street, who, with their customary dispatch,
soon had the matter in the hands of the
binders, Eichbaum & Co., of Fifth avenue,
and, as noted above, the delivery of the
book to subscribers was begun about the
middle of the past week. Quick work this,
when compared with similar work in other
cities, and such as the undertakers may rea.
sonably be proud of.
This years volume shows an increase of
81 pages over that of last year, containing
!, ,343 pages, and is nearly twice as large as
the issue of '79, which contained but US
pages. Very significant facts are brought
10 light by the annual Directory. Among
them is the computation, which it is possi-
BILE to make, of the increase in population.
Compared with last years, there is an in
crease Of 4, $50 names on which Mr.. Diffen-
bacher calculates an addition to the popu-
lation of both cities of 16, 653 persons, a fact
very satisfactory in itself, and which brings
up the joint population to 373, ,653.
The most noticeable increase in the names
of business men is found among real estate
agents, who increase and multiply in the
land in every succeeding year. The fall
ing off in the names of those engaged in the
liquor business is due, of course, to the ac-
ton of Judge White at the license sessions.
This increase in the ranks OF real estate
men is indicative of two things, namely,
that the value Of real estate property is in
creasing in proportion to the growth of pop
ulation, and that it yields, per Sc, sufficient
emolument out of its handling to induce
men to engage in 1t. Another fact ascer.
tanned through the instrumentality of the
canvassers is that there are nearly twice as
many vacant houses in Allegheny this year
as there were last, and in this regard it
must be remembered that the census was
taken after the annual house-moving,
whilst in Pittsburg the number has dimin-
ished. The figures for last year are,
respectively, 149 and 61S, whilst the num-
Der of tenantless houses for tie present year
are, in Allegheny 323, and in this city 522.
SOME CURIOUS NAMES.
A glance through the pages reveals some
curious names, and suggests variety OF con-
functions in which it is possible to place |
them. For instance, if you Doubt that
Apples and Pears are Good, try Peaches, but |
no Berrys-they Rune to Seed-Orr a
Plate of Jelly, which is Cool and Best. |
Then there are Ashs and Beechs |
and Birchs and Pines; Beer and /
Porter, Sherry and Wines. Several pages |
are occupied with such undertakings as |
Schwartzmeiller, Schlichenmaier, Schler- |
and so on, while there are Sharp |
Bishop and Dull King. There are Grey |
Badgers. Black Beavers and White Bears, |
while the Grim Wolf looks Blue at John /
Babtist's Bigge Pige. But Pen and Ink |
fail to describe the variety of names in the
Book, and it might GLADDEN. the Hart to
know that it contains Angels and Saints,
were it not that it also gives refuge to a
Blank Divel. Perhaps, however, the most /
remarkable of its many features" is in
that 1t mas, under Frank Brow, five Els,
one Notz, with i've Chinns supporting three
Lipps, the whole of which are dependent
for support on one Legge and Foot.
With reference TO the getting mn of the
Mr.. Diffenbacher said: ''I have
been at high pressure up to last Tuesday
and on that day 1 felt thoroughly done up;
but now the work is through and 1 have
only to see to the delivery. The hardest
part OF the work is in getting the canvassers
iown to business. put off 20 men the first
lay as utterly incapable of understanding
what was required OF them.
NAMES BY SOUND.
''I had most trouble with those men who
eemed TO think it sufficient to write names
" their mere sound. It's funny how got
N to them. for can't explain it to myself.
seemed to know intuitively when a man
lad made guess-work of name. The more
,osjtiye his assertions that the name had been