The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-09-03
Social Lite a Retrospect Showing How
- People Lioed n tie
0SUC1uv 4GdJS Snst Part Of the Century.
oAgo. sy CHARLES -aosn
By CHARLES PR0SCH.

small families. For drinking and culinary
,v~rnsss people depended on the town
pumps. sumesimes- distant 80 TO GO feet.
sometimes in front Of ones dwelling. TIE
water drawn from some OF these city wells
was distasteful: that from others was 70
pleasant and refreshing that people went
long distances TO procure It. Such was the
water obtained from = well close TO the
rear wall OF Trinity church graveyard.
within twenty feet OF the u,ouldszins re-
mains OF the first families OF Manhattan
island Many q time has the writer
pumped and carried and drank water from
this well, which people from afar ana near
came 70 obtain to stake their thirst
When freezing weather BET in. Ice quick
iy accumulated around the pumps II
gradually thickened and spread. until II
attained Q thickness Of two OF more feet:
getting water then was Always attended
with danger. Not Z day paused without
more or less people falling upon the ice
and arising bruised In spirit. II not In
flesh. II was when stepping away from
the pump. after niling the bucket, that
many slipped and los; their equilibrium
Then the unfortunate one would receive on
his person the contents Of the bucket.
which instantly turned 70 Ice when the
mercury was at zero. Such scenes were
common In winter. and often afforded
amusement 10 spectators.
red In their vicinity. Firemen never hesi-
tated TO break down gates and fences 20
get at the cisterns, with the result that
In large area they were usually sucked
dry. Then there was lamenta,ion and
Erumbiing In many households. Well wat
er must be substituted for rain water.
which involved extra labor. When the
fire was near one OF the water fronts, how
ever. the cisterns were spared. The rivers
Afforded m
was used a. often ~ possible But there
were times when the river water was not
easy to get. Nearly every winter Il froxe
In the basins and slips: then noles had TO
be- cut in the Ice before the nremen could
reach the water. In the winter Of 1850
at the memorable fire which destroyed
property valued at SIS. 10000. the water OBJ
fAined from the river froze In the IRE hose
and thus made abortive the efforts Of the
fremen.
In the summer of ts45 an equally disas-
uous lre occurred, the spreading Of which
was due to several explosions. which In
stant1y placed II beyond the control OF tho
hremen. In the cellar OF the building
where the fire originated, In New street,
near Wall. was stored quantity OF salt
peter, whale oil. etc. "Wil saltpeter ex-
plode?" was for . long period thereafter
a question discussed by leading Journals.
Both fres were Witnessed by the writer.
When locality needed and desired the
protection OF a FIRE engine. Il was ncc~s-
sary TO procure the enrolment OF thirty
young men between the ages Of IS and rs
years II was never difsicut to obtain
tbs requisite number Of yolunteerp for
the reason tina, they were exempt from
jury and militia duty. while tho perils at
tending the fshs!ng Of FIRE appealed 10
their love Of excitement. To this wns add.
ell rivalry as TO which engine should
nrw reach the fire. and which should get
the hrsf stream on II. This led often 10
disputes and fights. which enhanced tho
attraction tho service had for many young
men. who seemed to Join II for no other
| reason than that II Afforded a vent for
Their exubcrant animal spiriia This did
NOT seriously interfere with the work NJ
the hres. which wsFs usually cx,Insuis+e6
before the fighting took place. Some com.
panies had nifty members, thirty was The
minimum fixed by law.
~ was often difficult 10 locate n nr,
"n'cn usually rot vel! under way before
an engine reached H. The city was al.
vided into i've or ax dhvricis ana. when
an alarm was given. the city hall bell IN.
dicated tho locality by striking the mum.
her or the district A church bell f,ii
churches bad bells IN thos. aay., invs1.
ably was frat 20 give the alarm. As tho
nan who struck the city hall hell WIS
governed ny IN" sound NJ ne church bells
or the smoke. he sometimes mtstook thu
dis,rtc, ana led me nremen ss,ray
Among the 'hinss hawked through, thu
city IN carts were white sand from Convey
ialanf and straw. The sand WINS daily
Srrtnkied on the floors of raioons barts,
SHOPS and other public resorts. N. straw
was used i'm dwellings for botd,ng A
FAMILIAR figure In the residence streets was
nm old negro In the center Of a rack on a
with upslNhs nuutf.. -
ni sides. crying Here's your fresh. clean
straw He had no competitors ana was
credited With having made q large for
furo ~ tho business
There were also hawk~rs Of nsh fruit
vegetables and other articles some with
horns. some with bells. ana some with son.
orous yeiis The most notable Of these
were she hawksrs Of shsd. always a "a
vorifs nsh in New York The nrs, init
nation people had hat shaa were IN .ea.
son was the cry or the street ''usr~s
your nice. fresh shaf"
In View ~ the work now being pYo.e.
cuie9 on the Cedar river water system.
u may irtereT Seattle readers 20 learn
somrth hing ~ re New York city water
works After discussing hydraulics Tor
sorSs years publicly ars privately ~.
common council AWARDED contracts for tho
work IN 1873 Thes. involved the c0ns,rtl..
ton - granite reservoir or Murray hig
90 hold 20 na 80 gallons and an aduNsprt
~ substantial masonry. forty miles long,
reaching from Crnton lake IN Putnam
county 90 New York tn. water com.
rntEeinners. IN Inspecting ne work waIket
tho entire distance inside tho anucdurs
July I. iSt.. the wafer vas admitted %
the reservoir, bat no. until October. 'hrs-
usouth. later. were shs Distributing pire.
laid Then this Important event unuarai.
lelsd in the city's history. wss celebrated
~ fireworks ara pFoc~~rors IN which the
entire reputation participated.
Vrtn this century was hai' vvSa, ana
longer the snu-4fskina habit wss very
prevalent ~ least eighty per cent ~
ne adai's m Nov York carried snug.
hoxes charged With the tii'listins powder
Tho preacher sr ths pulpit, iNe Judge IN
che heneh sse lawyer ~ the bar shs
csmp0s'tnr a. "a ease the h'arksmitn
AZ hs snrgs sh~ housewife ", ,he spn.
rinr.wtsei tNe tYesswsker A. ssr s~1y.