The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-02-16

But in the early years of our COM
munity, '37, '38, '39 and 40, to land
freight and passengers on shore was no
boys play. When the sails were fly
Ing and a vessel of any kind was seen
directing it's course to our beach, the
cry was raised long and loud, Vessel
ahoy,' and it was the common law here
that every able bodied man must man
the ropes of our lighter. After fore
| noon service of a Sabbath the watch
| word was proclaimed abroad, Steam
| boat comingp The arrival of steam
boat was always exciting, friends were
expected and the greater portion OF
| freight of buyers for the lower lakes
was by steamboat. Our lighter was
manned and pushed to sea to take pas
sengers and freight to shore. The sea
was rough and we were forced to wade
the lake and thus get our passengers
| friends on shore as best we could.
shall never forge6 the time when
Judge Hale and myself took good fat
woman in our arms am brought her
safe to land, six or eight rods. We
came near, more than once, of having a
splash in the water, that if it had pre-
sented ludicrous scene by its occur
renee, it could not have been pleas
ant ducking to us or to the lady. But
many wife and daughter, both sparse
and corpulent, were landed in similar
manner
Excuse me if | give you in this
connection a dog story. Good old
Deacon Whitney in those early years
was our landlord. He brought his
favorite dog Boss along with him. The
dog was soon led to understand the cry
to man the lighter. The cry of Steam
boat would call out Boss and while we
cried out for help, Boss would rush to
the streets and bark most Justify, and
whenever his master started for the
the lake the dog would go with him.
The dog would bark and the deacon
would boiler, and when we got hold OF
the two ropes to launch our boat, Boss
would always seize the rope and pull
equal to any man. Honor to the mem
ory and peace to the ashes of good old
dog Boss.
"Tn these enterprises all the men
and boys OF any size were called to take
a part. We had just one dandy in our
number and the fear he INDUCED that
he should dirty his hands or soil his
broadcloth made him very anxious to
be excused. But excuses were unavail-
ing. At the risk of soiling his kid
gloves the lpoor fellow had to pull at
the boat rope. One time number
gathered round him and insisted that
he should divest himself of his kids.
He begged and almost cried and lightly
as esteem dandy, must confess he
called forth my sympathy. But those
were days of active life, and the dandy
soon left us for other fields to display
himself"
"Pioneer settlements must always
be accompanied more or less land the
ladies would say more) with priVations
and sacrifices. In the memorable days
of '36 two ladies met at a public house,
one going west and the other going,
with her husband and children east.
1t was then a rare occurrence to meet
a family going east, though hundreds
and thousands of all classes and con-
ditions could be seen on western trains.
| why do you return eastY said the one
bound west. Did you not find Illinois
good country?' The answer was: I
found it a heaven for men and horses,
but hell for women and oxen When
initiated into the privations, tolls and
perplexities of the settlement of new
country you could feel the force of the
returning ones reply"
The uncertainties and difficulties of
a merchants life in those days were
great, and yet knowledge of these
things helped to bind the community
together in strong ties of mutual help
| fulness. This i9 illustrated by an
incident recorded by Mr.. Deming.
"Messrs. Hale. Bullen and Durkee
and myself had each shipped stock
| Vi ROOuSs l. u0 lOoo VI q NO00OA OAhb w y
had hoped to meet at Buffalo to convey
our effects to Wisconsin, deranged our
calculations. With difficulty we ship
ped from Buffalo TO Chicago and not
without enormously increased expenses
did we reship from Chicago here.
Freight, instead of being twelve to
fourteen shillings per hundred, as we
had reason to expect, had advanced
upon our stock to over 81 per hundred.
Instead of So or So freight and charges
which could meet, must raise over
81, 900, and if misery loves company
had it in Judge Hale. Banks to dis
count ever so responsible paper were
beyond our reach. The mass of the
community knew little about as, what
related to our pecuniary responsibility
or our integrity of character. We made
our embarrassment known and such
was the interest taken in our embar-