The Jersey City news., 1902-11-10
QUEER
HAPPENINGS.
Old Timer Tells Of Strange
Events in the History Of
New Jersey.
BLIZZARD OF 1887
An Old Half Breed Who Ate
Snakes "A Perilous
Banter.

paper man the other day about some Of
the queer things that happened back In
Jersey" half century or more ago, says
the Newark Sunday News"
'srhe year came to Washington" he
said, was an eventful one. 1t was the
year of the great panic. Cord wood.
usually So, sold then for as high as $1S.
This was also the year in which the
great fre occuprred which destroyed
nearly half of New York city.
During this year also occurred the big
snow. The blizzard of '88, which is still
fresh in our minds, wasn't marker to
that. 1t was hard driving snow and
was paced so that we were unable to
drive with four horse team on top OF
the snow banks which covered the fences
and small buildings.
'sThe Morris canal had not long been
built when came to Washington. fol-
from Mauch Chunk to Jersey City. The
boats were taken across the delaware
River at Easton through the old State
lock, which was torn away only few
years ago. They use eighty-ton boats on
the canal now. remember when there
was a general curiosity to see the graf
ly advertised boat that first came through
with guaranteed tonnage of "a tons and
200 pounds. The biggest boats then car
ried only tewenty tons.
"The mails and passengers were car
ried solely by stage coach. The stage
reached here daily from Easton about Z
o'clock in the morning, went to Norris
town and got back here about o'clock
in the evening Fresh horses were sup
piled here, at Schooley's Mountain and
at Morristown.
..OLD JIM"
'.In my time there We're no Indians
about here, but occasionally we saw a
/ half-breed One of them was an old
fellow who went by the name Of old
Jim He lived in the forest north: Of
the canal and / personally know that
he ate snakes. He had very .intelli-
gent dog. One day Sarah Davis. whe
was a sister of Jobie' Davis, while going
through the woods, was attacked by
wildcat, and she would doubtless have
been killed had not Old Jim's dog come
to the rescue. The two animals had
great battle and the dog got the best Of
the argument.
Preachers had tough time getting
along In those days. They used to travel
altogether on horseback and got here
every other Sunday The salary they
received was very meagre and they could
not have existed at ali had not the good
people of each neighborhood extended
hospitality. am referring now to Meth.
odist clergymen in particular. Different
church members contributed according
to their means, the contributions for the
main part from each member Of the
charge averaging about seventy-fye cents
or 81 q year.
The women of each neighbsrhood kept
the reverend gentlemen supplied liberal
" with home-knit socks and mittens, and
furnished them with meals. Preachers
did considerable business in the peddlins
line in the way Of lerature, and most al
ways had their saddiebags filed with
hymn books and Bibles, which they sold
in the various towns they visited.
II remember well when Clark Bowers
conducted cabinetmaker's shop and
undertaking establishment where Cor
| nish's factory now stands. He got his
power for running the turning lathes,
| ETC., from a large wheel which was kept
| going BY couple of dogs.
"In iS40 the gold fever broke out and
several from this section went to the gold
fields Of California. One of these was
Henry Hamican, cousin of Mrs. Lucy
Doolittle, and he struck it rich, becoming
Immensely wealthy. When he visited
here years afterward he told me of some
of the hardships they were obliged to-;
undergo for time He said they had to
make their clothes out Of the sacks that
| came about the -four.
| NO WEDDING TRIP.
He did some draying in California,
and ther was one period when the prices
for this kind of work were 30 high that
he received the enormous price of $40
for carrying trunk iWth single
team of horses in one night he, claims
to have taken in $1,000.
when a man got married there was
no such thing as q wedding trip. All
there was to 1t then was simply to get
'spliced' one day and resume work at the
usual hour the next morning OF course
calithump was rendered them, but the
bridegroom got OF easily by passing
around the cigars.
Cigars then generally used were what
we now cali cheroots. They cost $3.50
thousand. Apple whiskey sold for
three cents by the glass and ten cents
BY the quart. It was guaranteed to be
i at least seven years old. Besides the
tavern in town, there was another hotel,
which was located at the cross roads
near the Washington Cemetery.
This was known as the Butlertown
Hotel, and was the same building now oc-
cupied as d residence by Thomas pickel.
There was no beer drunk then, and but
very little porter. Rye whiskey was
scarce, and nearly verybody who drank
| were satisfied with pure apple whiskey.
Hard cider. commonly called stone fence
was responsible for a good many drunks.
! Zone bitter rold night there was =