The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-03-22

did not think very hlghly OF MS lnJru-
sion. We couldn't see to read now,
and we sat up as stiff as stove poker
and dignifed as city coachman. We
meant to freeze him out. After a few
moments reflection he would realize
that he had woke up the wrong passen-
ger-the president of the road-or a
new brakeman-and he would apollo
gise. But he didn't.
He was about 20 years of age, wore
full beard that did not suggest any
special style of trimming, was plainly
dressed, held between his thumb and
forefnger half smoked cigar, keep
ing the other three fingers extended al
though he was afraid of burning them,
and, in general, looked like some fellow
that had forty or fifty dollars and had
started out to buy yoke of steers.
Well it don't pay to hold spite on
q railroad train and we soon cooled
off and decided to see of what kind of
stuff our neighbor was made: so when
we turned toward him and made some
|
courteously, and showed willingness
to meet us half way in being civil.
With the beginning of conversation,
there was q complete transformation
While he was plainly clad, his ap-
parel was neat and clean, his face inn
pressed you with the fact that its own
er had seen much of the world: and as
to conversation, he was just as fa-
miliar with the leading men and events
of the world as bright boy is with
the multiplication table, and as a con-
sequence, the flight of time was un-
noticed until the brakeman called out
'"Toledo," and we took leave of our
seat mate.
From his conversation, | gathered
incidentally that his name is Frank
, Reno. His home is in Chicago. He
was just returning from business
trip to Boston. His father during the
early part of this century lived in We
mango county, Pennsylvania, and was
an extensive iron manufacturer The
policy pursued by the party in power
, in the early forties, SO crippled the
iron industry that his father found the
manufacture of iron no longer profit
able, and removed to the west. One
. soa secured cadetship at West
:, Point, and later became the General
Reno who was killed at the battle OF
), South Mountain in the fall of 1862.
8 Our seat-mate had been personally ac-
quainted with Dan Rice, the great
Snowman who died few weeks ago
down in Louisiana. Referring to
, Dan Rice, William |. Cook says in
=, the Baltimore Sun:-"I remember
we'll his visits with his pig, which he
. had himself trained, to my former
home, Chambersburg, Pa. Four
years ago | met Dan in New York
at the Morton House, and in a talk OF
> fully two hours, chiefly on the show
business / recalled to his mind sew
=, eral incidents in connection with his
> proprietorship of the learned pig.
q He then told me that that was the be-
ginning of his show life. John Ben
der, of this place, remembers when
o Dan had his pig at McConnellsburg.
n The Snowman had small tent on the
lot just above Len Holman $ slaughter
: house. John says, the way that hog
o could play cards was Il caution. Very
;, few of the fellows around the town
;, could beat him." Yes; but that was
v about sixty years ago, and times have
! changed. Nobody runs hog against
: "a McConnellsburg crowd now and
Z especially on Pedro.
He heard Dan Webster make his
, great speech at Buffalo upon the oc-
casion of the opening of the Erie ca
nal. He wore bronze button, and
had gone into Vicksburg with General
- Grant that memorable 4th of July 1868,
and spent most of the time during the
, war in commissary department. He
spoke Familiarity of the development
= of Chicago; and of the growth of the
! fortunes of some of its prominent citi-
zens. He said Potter Palmer, Mrs.
!, Potter Palmer husband, was a con-
vi
- tractor and builder at the beginning
of the civil war; whose financial
standing was considered uncertain.
a With shrewd foresight, Mr.. Palmer
: went to New England and invested all
p his own money, and all he could bor-
: row from his friends, in cotton goods.
Practically only few months elapsed
until cotton goods went away up out
: of sight and Palmer was rich man.
Mr.. Reno is now member OF u
a large navigation company that oper-
ate on the Great Lakes. A few years
ago vessel that would carry 300Otons
Q burden was considered large. Now
n such boats are being discarded as un-
: profitable, and their places supplied
>, with steel vessels that carry from 5000
to 5000 tons. He says it costs no
Q more TO man vessel that carries
S 5000 tons than one that carries half
: that much. Those large vessels, he
said, can be built for from 800
thousand to 375 thousand dollars, and
: are supposed to pay for themselves in
n three years. They make trip for
n the iron mines in northern Michigan
- to Cleveland or Buffalo in about 8
days, and their tonnage amounts to
Il about 20 thousand dollars trip.
y -