Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-12-24
NO Dull TIMES HERB.
TEE HOLIDAY SHOPPERS SURPASSED TEEN
SELVES LAST NIGHT.
The Streets So Crowded as to Be impossible al!
Some Points, and Stores TANNED With Buyers.
Business Men Report a Large Trade.

There we're no symptoms OF dullness
in trade in Wheeling, yesterday, and
talk about business depression didn't go
IN this particular city worth a cent.
Things in the retail trade were boom
ing. In fact, booming is hardly strong
enough.
There was a multitude Of buyers
upon the streets, and they iammed up
the sidewalks until the crowd flowed
out into the streets, swirled around
corners with a currentw which no amount
OF muscle could make Roadway against,
packed the stores until those on the
outside couldn't get in, and those in
side could MT either be waited on or get
out, and in general there was every
sign Of prosperity, and a mad desire
for Christmas presents.
Business men who felt, a week ago,
that the season was going to be a fall
ure, found themselves suddenly con-
fronted with a condition and not a
theory, and found that their stores
were not morethan half large enough,
that their force Of clerks was grossly
inadequate, aud that they hadG't tbs
stock they ought TO have. And this
morning about one or two o'clock, when
they looked over the business OF a day
which extended a good way into Sun
day, they found the Christmas trade
has not been so awfully bad after all,
and that they would not, in many in
stances, be so very far behind other
years.
Things took an upward turn in the
retail trade on Thursday, improved
very much on Friday, and reached the
high water mark yesterday and last
night. Last evening especially, was al
most phenomenal In the number OF buy
ers who were abroad, and at points on
Main aud Market streets, the scene
was one to make a hOwlerOf hard times
think be had been drinking. In front
o. certainMain street stores the sidewalk
was completely blocked during most OF
the time between seven and half-past
nine o'clock, and many persons DESTROYS
OF going up or down street had TO take
the middle Of the way. About the
Opera House corner, Market and Six.
teenth streets, Twelfth and Market,
Eleventh and Market, Main aud Bridge
Place, and other prominent corners,
the tide of travel was very strong, aud
the west side of Market street, between
Twelfth aud Sixteenth, looked as though
some interminable procession was wend-
ing its way along. 1t was a sight not
often seen in this city, and many a man
who's looked upon the buLdle-laden
throng thought with a good deal Of
satisfaction that times could not DO so
very bad, after ali.
Many Of these people were from out
Of town. The cars from the Ohio towns
and from BenwoOd came along In the
early evening, filed TO their capacity,
and again late In the evening, when
these suburban crowds wanted TO go
home, the crowdiGg was repeated, and
a good many who wanted to ride had to
walk.
Reporters for the REGISTER inter
viewed a number OF the leading busi-
ness men, about midnight last night,
and found them all to be In a very
happy mood. Several thought the
DAVIS sales had been up to anything
tkey had ever done in the past,
aud two said they had taken in
more actual cash than they ever did be-
fore on the last business day before
Christmas. One retail merchant, when
asked how his days sales stood, pointed
TO his riddled and depleted show cases
10 silence, and another said he could
have possible sold more goods In the
same time in one day than he did, but
never wanted to have to do it with his
nrasent facilities.