Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-12-21
SHOPPING IN SLUSH.
A GREAT RUSH OF BUYERS ON TIE STREETS
LAST EVENING.
A Perfect Crush at the Retail StOres-HundredS Of
People from Every Surrounding TOwn-BuSl-
ness at the P. 0. Looking Up.

The rush OF holiday shoppers iaii! SN'
in Yesterday, ard last evening, although
the streets werc shocllingly muddy ana
the sidewalks not much better there was
tremendous crowd out of doors, and many
thousand dollars was passed over the
counters of the retail stores, in exchange
for Christmas presents. There was par
ticularlv large number of country people In
during the day. sleds and sleighs OF every
imaginable sort, from the crude affair COM
posed of two bent sapplings, with square
box on top, to the elaborate two horse fam
ilv affair being seen by scores all over the
city. The sleighing is reported very good
in the country, and some of the visitors
came long distances on both sides OF the
river and many a horse was seen toillng
homeward as evening drew on, with very
much larger load than he brought TO town.
AS rnle the country buyers were made
M of little parties of two-man and VIE
and the way they carried off all sorts OF
shaped packages BODIED well for children
and others left at home.
In the late afternoon when the country
people began to get out OF town, the city
people. and their cousins from the sur
rounding towns, took possession oil the re-
tail streets. and from six O'Clock untll
eleven the scene was lively one FROM
Tenth street to the creek the crowd was
terrific, but it was especially so along Main
street, on the hill, and on Market between
Twelfth and Fourteenth. Solid masses
of people swirled aud eddied around the
corners. blocked the entrance to the Dig
stores, and in many instances one had TO
n ctIflpnla Opt lnt0A store.
and once in, it required the patience Of Joo
and the leisure of millionaire TO be COM
bined in the person of the customer, so
long was the period before the eye OF
clerk could be caught, or his services Sc
cured This, too. with the slush foot
deep on the streets, and the sidewalks so
slippery that it req uired no little skill TO
keep ones feet, while the sky threatened
rain every moment.
II was a study to stand on prominent
corner and watch the people as they rushed
by. The faces of the ladies especially were
fairly beaming with excitement, and they
would pull and haul each other around,
with hurried exclamation TO "look here"
and look there" while the air was filled
with ripples of laughter. The men as a
rule wore a more sober look, as though
they were trying TO mentally figure out
how much it was all going to cost, but still
there was enough of iollity and the general
spirit of Christmas tide about even them to
add materially to the joyousness of the sea-
son. The crowd which surged up town,
and which poured over the bridges,
down the cross streets, and coming from
the North End, was empty handed
as it invaded the retail district, soon after
dusk. bent on devoting the evening to shop
ping, but the stream set in the other
way. about nine o'clock, and from that
hour on until eleven and after, about nine
out of every ten individuals were laden
with from one to half-doZen packages of
every conceivable size, color and shape,
while OF objects too large TO be tied up by
any amount of paper and cord, there was
an infinite variety, made up of mammoth
dolls, hobby horses, wagons, drums bicy-
Giles. and so on without apparent end. 1t
was a regular saturnalia OF Christmas
buyingi and it was common remark
among those who observed the rush of the
evening, that had the weather been fine
and the earth dry, there would have been
more customers on the streets than double
the number of retail stores at present in
Wheeling could have accommodated.
The rush has set in at the postoffice and
the boys are groaning in spirit, at though
of the loads they will have to carry through
the streets ana the mountains OF DunQleS
they will have handle within the building
Postmaster Cowden was asked, last even
ing about the situation, and he said:
1.-THE usual avalanche of packages and
bundles - registered matter - has been
somewhat delayed by TIE bad weather,
and the consequent delay of trains, but il
is coming in to-day in great shape, and
from this on during the week we
will have all we can do, and the
interior of the postoffice will
look like a prosperous express office.
We will keep the registry department
open an hour later all during the coming
week, or until six o'clock every evening,
for the special accommodation of the pub
lie, in the hope that all the business offer
ing can be accommodated. A great deal of
matter of this class came in to-day, and
Monday the carriers will have noticed the
increase of business, without doubt"
The business at the express offices is
looking up" and the employees will have
about double duty, or worse, to perform
for the next week.