The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-06-09
FIRST THINGS.
fhe Curiosity Hunter Searches the Recordi
Of Several Articles-


rhe Curiosity Hunter searches the Records
Of several Articles
The first bell rung in America was
erected on the first church ever built
In this country, early in 1894. Column
bus landed at Isabella, in the island Of
San Domingo, in December, 1893, and
soon built church Shortly after
ward new city was begun in the royal
plain Of La Vega, and was called La
Vega, or the City of the Plains. The
church, with its bell, and all the other
houses OF Isabella, was then moved to
La Vega In 1912 the new City of the
Plains was destroyed by an earthquake.
About quarter Of century ago. in
the branches Of fig tree which had
grown up among the ruins of the BEL
fry tower of the church, bell was
seen, which proved to be the original
bell In question, and this historic bell
is now in tho city OF Washington 1t is
OF bronze, eight inches by six and
half, bears the letter T in, old Gothic
characters, and has the image of San
Miguel on its surface.
The first drops. ofbsblood she in the
war Of the rebellion, 1t has been de-
clared, are at the present Time In the
possession Of Col II. F. Hawkins, of
the pension Office in Washington. They
were shed by Col B. f. Kelley, who
commanded the federal forces at the
i. battle of Philippi, the first battle of
the war. One of the first bullets fired
pierced Col Kelley's lung an ! stained
his vest which was preserved. Col
Kelley did not die, although the
surgeon pronounced his wound mortal
The first printing press in the
United States began its civilizing work
at Cambridge, Mass, in Harvard uni
versity, in l6s9+.ri.h be first Americanmad
illustration, it is believed, is in Tully's
almanac. OF Boston, in 1893. The first
American copper plate POI trait pub
lished in this country was In Increase
Mather's "Ichabod," published in 1903.
The first three engravers were Paul
Revere, Benjamin Franklin, and Isaiah
Thomas who distinguished himself at
the battle of Lexington.
The first porterhouse steak was 50
named in New York city, in the famous
cd tavern of Martin Morrison, at 1877
Pearl street This was a favorite re-
sort of seafaring men. A steak being
called for by an old pilot one. night,
Morrison said he had no steaks, but
would cut and broil for him a thick
slice from the sirloin which had just
been prepared for roasting the next
day. Morrison's place was known as
the Porter house in the neighborhood,
and its frequeaters soon got to talking
about the Porter house steaks. Morri-
son finally told Gibbons, his butcher in
the Fly market, to cut up sirloins for.
him thereafter
The first mirrors or which there is
any rec I'd were In use among the Is
raelites at the time OF Moses, and were
made of bra IS. When the Spaniards
first landed in South America they
found mirrors of polished black stone
in use among the natives, The first
mirror of solid silver was made by
Pasiteles in the time of Julius Cesar.
In the fifteenth century the first glass
mirrors were made in Germany by a
blow-pipe, and were convex. The first
mandatory of glass mirrors for sale
was established in Venice early In the
sixteenth century.
The first match was the product of
the ingenuity of John Frederick Kom-
erer, who early in this century wis i'm
prisoned in the penitentiary at Rohen-
asperg. in Germany. He invented the
lucifer match while in his gloouy dun
geoa. The German government for
babe the manufacture of mathes on
the ground of pablo policy. because
some children playing with them had
caused fire. Kcmerer was r,ined by
viennese competition when he was re-
leased from prison and died q pauper.
Up to 1862 the Viennese manufacturers
controlled the match business OF the
| entiresworld IN. Y. Sun.