Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1894-01-25
Correspondence.
Hard Times Out West.

the limit so far. Oae morning when 1t
was 20 degrees below, the air was very
moist, and could almost fancy was back
in Hancock county but, as a rule, the cold
Is not so dlsagreesble here as east, as the
ali Is much more dry.
The business outlook is not much. IL any,
improved. ln many branches of business
1t Is getting worse. as 1t is almost impossi-
BILE for the merchants to make collections,
and the patience of the creditors gets ex-
hsusted after a while and suits are com.
menced. followed 10 very many cases by
an assignment for the benefit of creditors; :;
which Is poor way to collect debts, as
the assignee can seldom pay any large
dividend
had occasion to Investigate one of the
lsrgest furniture and carpet furnishing
houses in the city, a short time ago They
carry a stock Of about $50 900, had about
Sl9 600 good accounts outstanding. and
owed about 81 900 for stock.
They, Ia common with a great many
other similar houses, carry everything
necessary to furnish a house from cellar
to attic, from coal hod to damask cur
tsns, and sell on the installment plan.
few days ago they were sued by wire
mattress company on an account for
1888. The house has been in business for
eight years, and was meyer sued before.
Their accounts are all secured by the good,
sold, aud In ordinary times they would
have no trouble In paying everything as
fast as 1t matured.
Their paper has been discounted at the
bank to the extent Of $50. 900, and they
can get no further accommodation there
There l. much destitution among the
lahoring class, very many Of whom are
out Of work, or working only a part of
the time. during the summer and fall, and
now are compelled to ask help. Every
;@;:.g possible l. being done TO relieve
them. by furu,.HIng them work to do; but
much suffering Is fen n spite Of all, as If
there is work for 250 men tu.. week. there
are 600 men with families who want a
one squad gets work one week. another
squad the next week, so as to give all a
chance 70 earn something. In some OF
the large grocery stores, good bread ha,
been selling for weeks at two cents for
pound loaf; then one house cut IL 10 one
and a half cents. and now 81 it for one
cent loaf But II person hasn't the
cent-what then? and many haven't the
cent
Capt Isaac Merrill used to say The
destruction Of the poor Is their poverty;
this is very true in city Ike this.
In groceries one can save car fare
often more-by going to one OF the large
groceries 10 spend 81. The smaller gro.
ceries feel the loss Of the trade very serl.
ously, and the man who is compelled to
trade with them and pays every Saturday
night gets far less for bis hard eaI ned dol
lars than he would in some other places
For instance, strictly fresh eggs are
twenty five cents dozen yet Ia small
dairy near where live they sell for twenty
eight cents. There is as much. or more,
difference in the price Of butter Wood or
coal in small quantities costs twenty-five
cents Lad extra for hauling Meats are
IN about the same proportion, and usually
Of an interior quality.
The largest grocery store in thi- city.
has large bakery in connection with its
store, AZ sells q very large amount Of
bread, rolls pies, cake. cookies, and
doughnuts. buy all the doughnuts use
Of them-eight cents dozen, and good
ones at tta', fresh two or three times
day. Good pies ten cents each; cookies
ten cents dozen. This j. a great advan-
tage for many Savers, but is hard on the
small bakeries
In connection with the grocery store Of
this house is one of the largest retail meat
markets in the city, where hrst-class meat.
at bottom prices, IS 10 be found Pork
roasts or chops, ten cents. pork sausage
ten cents, sirloin steak, twelve and one
half cents, beef roasts, from eight to
twelve and one-half cents, round steak,
eight To ten cents.
just now the Scotch in the city are all
taken up with curling not their hair,
or mustaches but game for men, for
which Is required piece OF clear, hard,
smooth ice, polished granite stones weigh
ing fifteen to twenty pounds with a handle
something like the crank OF griudstone
men with brooms to sweep every particle
of ice or snow from the playground, and
men with muscle, skill and clear head to
set the stones sliding over the ice to the
goal at the other end. 'ris said to be
rare sport. | have never seen a game,
though there are many played on the river
every day, Eight men make a set for a
game, each side having four men, who
compose the rink" and the leader is
called the skip"
Wood is getting little cheaper than in
December; the best maple can now be
bought for So 50 per cord, spot cash, but
the most of Us could pay 81 last year
easier than So 80 this; but 81 so is well
worth saving this winter.
Among the every day sights here, are
soldiers in uniform on the streets-some
who have been in the service long time,
and Others who have not got used to the
uniform. Fort Smelling, half an hours
ride by the electric car. is garrisoned by
several companies of the 81 infantry L.
S. A. and a detachment OF cavalry, all
under the command of Col Edwin C.
Mason, whom all the 7th Maine boys will
know about. lie is Christian gentleman,
and an elder in the House of Hope Pres
byterian church in this city.
The Farmers Alliance has recently held
its annual convention in this city, and Ig-
natius Donnelly is once more at the top
OF the hesp-so far as it Is concerned. He
is man of great ability, but deficient In
backbone. unstable in his convictions
when his interest leads in another di-
rection.
year or two ago one of the papers in
the city made some very serious charges
against his character he promptly sued
them for libel, claiming $50 900 damages.
After long trial the jury found the
charges were not true, and gave him 81 as
damages. He is known all over the west,
and Is very smooth, easy. forcible speak