The Portland daily press., 1891-11-03
PORTLAND IN 1870.
How the Forest City has Improves
In Twenty Years.
re. P. Mayo in Fairfield Journal.l

lE. r. mayo In Fairfield Journal
1t Is the custom Of many ''oId chapsn who
have passed their days of usefulness to wr,ta
or tell their membranes of the past. II is
so often the sure sign that mans acti,a
days are over when he delights to muse over
the past that am reluctant to write of the
Gays OF yore lest be counted back number
But 10 spite OF danger which l never krew
mu3h about am inclined to recall Portland
OF twenty years ago. 1t was Just twentv-ono
years ago this month that 1 first vis,tad tha
city of Portland. While there last waaL
dropped into the PRESS Office and the con-
versatio1 fell upon those who had been there
the longest and found to my surprise that
there were only two compositors in the wbola
establishment who were there when en-
tered the office to learn something of tho
mysteries OF the printing art twenty one
years ago. They are Geo. Lefavor the night
foreman who was then night compostor
and good one too and Mr. French the shin
news man who then as now gathered and
set all the marine intelligence. All the rest
Oh tnem are gone-many of them dead. some
oi tnem nave advanced while a few are not
IN ~ TO DAY having dropped out of the fast
moving, never hating procession.
When entered the office on that cold first
Monday of December there was great hnstle
ana stir. for President Grants message was
Deing received and In those days the setting
Oh residents message was a great event.
All otner news was sidetracked and every
posslole compostOr was pressed into service.
ny nrst duty was to carry note to Deputy
GoIiector smith who then as now was most
nrao. as well as genial official at the
sioab STONE custom house. The note asked
Ior copy OF the report of the Secretary of
Tue treasury which it was desired to print
IN connection with the Presidents message.
Inc report had been forwarded in advance
TO De given out to the daily papers when
word was received from Washington that the
president had sent his message to Congress-
l received the message from Mr.. Smiths own
9ands and from that hour he and have been
Irlerds. Ihat was great day for me. All
was new and mysterious and II ever see as
much In one day as l did in that | will write
itup.
AT that time Mr.. George Clifford, ma
i've OF Vassalboro, was editor ofthe PRESS.
His health was poor and he spent but little
time in the office. His editorials were the
charm OF my youthful mind as in fact they
were TO many mature minds. He could
write the Kings English with the best of
'em. He is now consul to France where
| the genial climate has benefited his health
| greatly. Mr.. Clifford was ably assisted by
| Col. H. A. Smith then secretary of the Re-
| publican State Committee and an ardent.
| Republican of the most pronounced stripe.
| AS Il WIlt6 IcChil d ptUopCCbuo no WTOI6 LOT
| the PRESS. The heading printed In red ink
from large block letters was "Red Hot for
the Right. That heading represented Col.
Smiths whole warm, intense nature better
than any words of mine. He was the fa
vorite of all as he was the friend of all In
the whole establishment. There never was
man who was more willing to help me
than he nor one who would say harsher
things to me when blundered, as l often
did. But say what he might his heart was
in the right place and can only recall him
with the utmost pleasure and satisfaction.
He Is now one of the chief editorial writer's
on the Indianapolis Journal where he is
highly priced.
George Merrill who afterwards went to
Boston and died, was city editor. He was in
many respects an able man but exactly the
reverse of Col. Smith and naturally was not
a tavorite with the boys in the office.
Royal Lincoln or bob" as he was af-
ffectionateiy called was proof reader and
religious editor. Each Saturday he pre-
pared religious column but no one ever
thought OF him as particularly religious
unless some one carried him in a bad proof.
Then there was deep, rumbling. 1 can see
him now as he would come out of his room
and standing in the door way leading to the
Composing room, proof in hand, looking
over his glasses he would ask "who is No"
indicating the number of the slug at the
head of the proof. Suffice it to say the
compositor who had set the poor proof
wished he had never been born. These
four men made up the entire editorial and
reportorial staff of tie paper in those days.
In the counting room w. Ii. Conant, Esq,
now Treasurer of the Portland q Rochester
railroad, presided to the entire satisfaction
of all who came in contact with him. Among
the many ways in which he endeared him.
self to all who had to do with him was his
treatment of callers. No one ever entered
that counting room when he was present
but that he greeted them with pleasant
word. If they wished to see any emplOye,
however humble, he went himself with them
to the spot where the employe was whether
busy man he always had time to be gentle
man. He was assisted by Ed. Whitney, who
died some years ago. A. P. WEIGH was then
foreman. He is now successfully running
job office Ia the city. That made up the
neads of the different departments in that
office.
Ia the Argus office Col. Adams was then.
as now, editor and proprietor. Geo. Gosse
was then his assistant, and Henry Smith.
now of the navy, was city editor. Mr.. With
am was business manager, and .. H. Wish,
now the successful head of the business de-
partment was his assistant. Wish and used
TO room together and get out at four O'Clock
In the morning and mail the papers. There
was this advantage in the arrangement. 1t
one of us oversight and the mail was missed
both papers were in the same box. but we
didn't miss very often. Wish had big
alarm clock, and after had got to sleep he
would put it right up to my ear SO as to be
sure to arouse us. can hear it go off now!
Over to the Advertiser office the late 81.
w. Richardson was editor, and l.. III. Cobb,
now editor-in-chief of the PRESS. was his
able young assistant. l.. Clifford Wade,
now city editor of the PRESS, then occupied
the same position on the Advertiser. This
made up the workers on the daily papers of
the city. Enoch knight was running the
Star, then the only Sunday paper. Enoch
was brilliant, but lazy, ana accordingly the
w n q oh
item about those times that was thoroughly
read and made sensation. In those days
the city fathers used to go out to the Poor
Farm every month and Inspect" 1t. In
other words they used to go out and have a
big supper and a fine time. they invited
their friends and 1t was quite a society event
On one of the visits among the guests was
Miss Mary Deering, who was shocked at
such spread in the midst of poverty ana
suffering. She came home and wrote it up in
her most graphic style. She published the
menu and then gave the rations served the
paupeIs at the same hour. several of whom
were well known Portland people who had
seen better days. The item made sensa-
tion and the swell poor house suppers were
thing of the past.
Portland was not the popul0us thriving
city IT is today. Ii was just after the war
and business was dull and but little enter
prise was exhibited. Electric lights, tele-
phones, fast mails and thousand and one
things now enjoyed were not dreamed Of
The beautiful Deering Park was rough COW
pasture. The whole expanse between the
bridge and Woodfords Corner was pasture
land and streets and house lots such as are
seen there now were not even thought Of
The horse car service in the city and in
the DeeTing line was poor aud unsatisfac-
tory. The little bob tailed car drawn by
enc old horse did the business on the Spring
street line when the horse did not balk
which was by no means an unknown or an
unusual event. All passengers from the
east or from Boston were then landed at the
Commercial street station and the vicinity of
the present Union station was a neglected
waste of land. All passengers had to pay
fifty cents hack fair or walk. Now they can
reach most any part of the city for five cents.
Quite difference
Surely twenty years have made great
change and Improvement In Portland looked
at from any point of view.