The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-09-14
OLD-TIME JOURNEY.
Thirty Days Coupled Between Hart

| Thirty Days Occupied Between Hart
ford and st. Louis in 1884.
| Mr.. Wilbur j. Filley has received an
interesting letter from his uncle, Mr..
| Giles +. Filley, in which that elderly
| gentleman now resident of st. Louis,
writes concerning his early experiences.
In 1884, the elder Mr.. Filley started from
Wintonbury, now Bloomfield, for the
distant towns on the Mississippi. 1t
occupied an entire month to make the
trip Much of the latter part of the
journey was over new virgin country.
Leaving Hartford on the steamer Oliver
Ellsworth, Mr.. Filley Travelled to New
York. and thence sailed up the Hudson
river to Albany. From Albany he went
by rail to Schenectady on one of the
earliest railways built in this country.
From the long-named city he proceeded
by the leisurely canal to Buffalo. At
the lake City he took passage for Cleve-
land. Heavy storms delayed the steam
er, which finally laid up for the night at
Erie. II was reported that several ves-
sells were lost in the storm. Arriving at
Ashtabula, Mr.. Filley decided to take
the stage for Wheeling, West Virginia,
whence he proceeded by stage to Gin
cinnati. The agent of the stage line to
Wheeling had assured Mr.. Filley that
there had been heavy rains on THE Ohio
and that there had been no interruption
to navigation. Arriving at Wheeling
he found there had been no rain and
the river was nearly dry, so he had
to take the stage to Cincinnati. Re-
Stunning his journey he went by
boat to Louisville. Continuing down
the river he contended with sandbars
for nearly fortnight The river was
low. On arriving at Cairo, at the
mouth of the Ohio, he concluded that
the troubled days were over, but they
Were not exactly through with. After
run Of forty miles up the river, the
steamer laid at Cape Girodeau for the
night On the morning following she
turned to steam down the river. After
covering twelve miles she stopped-for
the sufficient reason that her boiler ex-
pIoded All of the passengers and the
crew but six were scalded or killed.
Mr.. Filley had his brother were two
of the six. In short time small
steamer came along and took the scald-
ed and dead to Cape Girodeau. In a
few days Mr.. Filley arrived at ST.
Louis
He has seen that city grow from
population of 1900 to population of
nearly 10000. Recalling the thirty
days occupied by himself in travelling
from Bloomfield to St. Louis, Mr.. Fill
ley smiles to himself. IL he hears COM
plants that a train is thirty minutes
late between St Louis and New York
city. In 1884 water power was nearly
the only power in actual use in the
country, excepting on railways.
At the time of the civil war, Missouri
was border state, and excitement
over the situation ran high. Mr.. Filley
was at the head of large stove foun-
dry and drilled in 1t nights company
made up of his employees, who had
volunteered for service In the Union
army. He equipped the men at his
own expense and in other ways was
one Of the few men in st. Louis at that
time to turn the tide in favor of the
north. AT the time of the Chicago
fire when other manufacturers were
taking advantage of the situation, he
sent carload after carload of stoves in
to the stricken city and these were sold
to the fire sufferers at actual cost
Mr.. Fllley suffered a great financial
loss quarter of a century ago by in
dorsing notes for a close friend, the
mayor of St Louis at the time, who
was at the head of a large company |
Mr. Filley had so much confidence in
his friend that he signed notes in blank
allowing the amounts to be filed in by |
the promoter He was Obliged to pay
million and a quarter for this conf
dence, and he settled every note indoors
ed by him.
Mr. Filey is known in all sections
Of the west and south, and has always
been true to Connecticut, his native
state. His stoves were known by the
name of Charter Oak. which has be-
come household word in the west
and south. Mr. Filley Is now in the
leighobrhood of 81 years of age, and