The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-03-08

aid not receive any such lettcr--not
from New Orleans--for the market
was gluttcd with ilour and away down
In price on the arrival of the super
cargo. But the supercargo was equal
To the emergency. There WAS no time
to telegraph the Wheeling partner
and no telegraph in existence. even II
he had had the time. He had, there
fore, like "0ld Hickory" mt the same
city on the Sth day of January iSi5, 10
assume the responsibility" Hearing
OF n clipper that was just putting out
for Kingston Jamaica, he concluded
to transfer his hour at once from the
deck OF the steamboat 10 the hold OF
the vessel. which he did. and after put
ting up 81 30 per barrel more for
freight, and adding some more inSur-
apcN money, he set sail down the MIS-
sisslppi and across the Gulf OF McNi-
co, out Into tho tropical spanish main.
He VAS twenty long days on the route,
having encountered all sorts Of wealth
or. and between his hopes amt hts
fears. remembering the fate OF Mr.
Yarncll. he all the time felt good
deal like Sheridan when On route io'
Winchester. that something was going
on OF possible serious moment and he
a thousand miles or more away. II
was the price ~ -four dropplnq AT
Kingston that he seemed 90 hear all
tho time through the roar of the bill
lows that swept over the deck And
sure enough. the price had dropped
four dollars per barrel In those twenty
DAYS, or from Sl6 10 81. but even nt
Sc he wns enabled To get ont Of his
venture. after paying port charges and
all expenses. with net profit Of two
dollars per barrel. So. after selling his
cargo, and converting his funds into
New York exchange. he made his sa-
liam to the alcalda OF the town and
took passage on a schooner for SaNan-
nah. Ga, from whence he EiE-zaSged
up the coast on his way north, first TO
Charleston. S. c.. and then to VII
mlngton. y. c.. and from thence on
almost the arst train OF the newly
completed road between Wilmington
and Petersburg, and from thence on
TO Baltimore. ard. tinally. from there
BIZ staNe Cprice SiSl. 10 Wheeling All
this ana much more for the sake OF
the thousand dollars net that fell TO
him as his share OF the profit on the
thousand barrel shipment OF Hour.
Men "tuEEcd at the oar a good deal
in those days Ia make thousand
dollars, and considering the novel time
that he had had. and the additional
experience he had gained, he did not
bcErudGe all that he had passed
through, which included about three
months Of time and n sight OF worry,
seeing that ut last he was safe back in
the old town once more and thou
sand dollars ahead Of the game. How
ever, he had by this trip about salts
fed his ambition for an aquatic lie.
He did not care TO be an arGonaut any
more. He concluded TO WOO fortune on
dry land, which he did by embarkinS
In tho retail grocery business ana pros:
ecuting It successfully Tor number OF
years. emerging finally Into whole-
sale establishment.
An EnVIabIe Period or LIEe--A Great
Century In history.
AT 90 years OF age Mr.. Botsford looks
back in retrospect over the long road
that he has Travelled. and, in common
with mankind generally secs many
things that he could do differently and
better II he was permitted to re-travel
the distance. but he has no desire TO
rctrace his steps and is satisfied With
his modest and honest achievements.
He Is reconcilcd to he on the retired
list and delights IN "reminiscences of
the three generations through which
he has nearly passed. beginning away
back with the visit OF a British crui-
ser to Long Island Sound in the war OF
IL. when he was child OF five years.
That Is his earliest recollection, and,
Just 90 think OF Il. It goes back over
four subsequent wars-vIZ.-the Semi
nolo war OF Florida, the Black Hawk
war of the west. the Mexican war, and
the war OF the Great Rebellion. 1t also
goes back over mighty sight else of
great pith and moment In the his
tory OF this country and the world.
His century Is the most remarkable
for achievements IN the arts and
science since time began, In II steam
and electricity have been brought to
their development-almOs lnvented,we
may say-certainly born again" II
was In the year ~ his birth that Fulton
launched his experimental steamboat.
He was over thirty years old when the
first steamboat crossed the ocean. He
was thirty-twu years old when the
first tGlegraphic wire was strunu and
when the famous Morse message.
what wonders hath God wrought.
flashed over the line. He was nineteen
years OF age when yet lingering
gigner OF the Declaration Of lndepend-
ence, In 1896. broke ground for the orig
InnI ten miles OF the Baltimore
Ohio railroad. There was not n mile ut
passenger railroad In the world when
he came to Wheeling. There are now
200 900 miles in the United states
alone. There was no such II thing as
n cut nail machine when nc married In
1884. There may be again no such thing
as a cut nail machine ere he goes
hence. Who kn0wsl The grain OF this
valley was cut with sickle when he
was a boy, and the wheat was thrcsh-
cd. as In the days OF B1aZ and Ruth,
with fail III "threshing floor" The
Spinning Jenny came In with his
birth, and the commercial world was
BROUGHT under the dominion of king
cotton" But 100000 or the people OF
the United States lived In cities when
he was n boy; now their number Is
"a, 900, 900 st the time Of his birth,
John Jacob AatOr was a fur trader In
tho far west, where rolls the distant
Oregon" and there was not ouch n
thing as millionaire IN America
Common "CallcoGs" sold at ilftv cents
qrys" at one dollar. Kentucky jeans
AT the game, "Coucstoga boots" Mt six
dollars. and "hircd help" on the farm
worried from sun tn gun at eight dol
lars per month and found" All this
IN The good old days" $50 called
when he was yet In his swHddllns
clothes,
Life Ia the Pan Handle Two Centurles
Ago.
Life was pleasant In this Pan
Handle country when Mr.. Botsford
came to Wheeling, and especially in the
days thereafter when he went cour-
-