Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-07-25

1
until they had taken my life.-New York
| Sun.
One Hundred Years Ago.
There were few postal facilities then.
The fast coach between New York and
Philadelphia was known as the Flying
| Machine" because it made the journey IN
two days. 1t was not until after the re-
volt on that semi weekly mail coach
was put on between New York and Bos-
| ton, which made the trip in six days.
making two mails a week between the
cities. There was a mail "from Phlla-
delphia and New England but once a
| fortnight in the winter season" But let
| tiers meant something in those days.
| Writing paper was often very scarce
and postage was costly, and when a
person wrote there were long letters.
| The rate of postage on letter written
on single piece of paper was: Under
| forty miles, 8 cents; under ninety, 10
cents; under l50, 1212 cents; under 300,
II cents; under 500, 20 cents, and over
| 500 25 cents. These rates continued I'M
til 1916. In 1890 there were only seventy
five postoffices, and the whole amount
received for postage was $37, 1886, which
gave the government net revenue of
$5,795.
Iucifef matches were unknown IN
those DAYS. In fact it was not until 1884
that they came into use as household
convenience. If the fire went out the
boy was dispatched to the nearest neigh
boris for a brand, but this was rare oc-
currence for the last thing done In the
house at night was to bury the Goals IL
the fireplace under a thick covering Of
ashes. In cases where neighbors were
far apart the family had a tinder~box.
This was a small box of wood or tin,
which contained flint, bit of steel,
and few pieces of punk. This punk
was a spongy piece of decayed wood,
usually the sugar maple, thoroughly dried.
1t was quite soft and of a rich, yellowish-
brown color. To use it a piece as large
as bean was picked off and placed UNI
der the flint and the two were pressed
firmly together between the finger and
thumb of the left hand. The flint was
| then struck with the steel and the ELECTED
spark fell on the punk, which instantly
| took fire. It did not blaze but made a
| hard coal, which was placed on the kind
| Iings and the flame was started by blow
ing with pair of bellows. These finder
boxes were very common in New Eng
| land farm-hou5es forty years ago.
There were gaIIants and sweethearts in
those days, but counting was very diff
ferent thing then from now. There was
little of the mingling of sexes among the
young people. Ice-cream had not been
thought of and balls and parties, which
are now such powerful adjuncts IN
match making, we're few and far between
then. story is told Of Gov. Matthew
| Girls void that illustrates how different
a proposal was then from the modern
offer of marriage. Having fallen des-
perately in love with his second cousin,
Ursula Walcott, he had neither the cour-
age .snor the resolution to declare him
self nor yet the skill to hide the fact of
his deplorable condition. The young
lady, who seemed to have returned his
love, was provoked by his procrastipa-
ton. Meeting him on the stairs one day.
she determined, if she could, to bring
matters to climax "WhaG did you say,
Cousin Matthe~?" she asked the timid
youth. 81 did not say anything" was his
reply. A few days later, meeting him
again, she repeated the question in the
same way and received similar answer
A third time meeting him, Ursula ask ed
'sWhat did you say, Cousin Matthew
and again he replied: ST said nothing
's1t is time you did," she then responded
and so the ice was broken and marriage
resulted in due time.
| There was not daily newspaper In the
United States until 1884. There were in
1875 only thirty seven papers published
in the whole country. OF these sever
were published in Massachusetts, one in
New Hampshire, two in Rhode Island
four in Connecticut, four in New York
nine in Pennsylvania, three in South
Carolina, two each in Maryland, Virginia
and North Carolina, and one in Georgia
All we're weekjies, except one in Pennsyl
vania, which was issued twice week. In
1884 the Daily Advertiser was started ano
was published continuously until 1887. IL
this daily were accounts of occurrence:
in Boston of eight days before and il
New York of two days before. The lates
news from Montreal was a month old
while news from Charleston was twenty
days old when published. There are
now nearly 1900 daily papers published
in the United States, which issue 5, 49,
$50 papers each day, or ,7S2,690,00(
papers a year. The total number O.
papers and periodicals. issued each yea
is 1853, 566, 500. The papers issuing
over one hundred thousand daily are thu
Chicago Daily News, Boston Globe ant
Herald, New York News and World, ant
Philad elphia Record and Item.