Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-02

TONS was governor, elected by a coa,i-
ton of democrats and free sellers in the
| I.egislaturc-the people, as in our last
State election, having failed to elect.
Since then the Free Press has successfully
and successfully supported twenty-scven
Of his successors In the office. being
more than half of the total number of
Vermont governors since the organiza-
ton of the State.
in 1855 Solomon Foot and Samuel S.
Phelps were the United States senators
from Vermont. and James Meachar, An
drew Tracy and Avah Sabn-almost for
gotten namcs-represented the State in
the House. From a village with n popu-
lation of less than 1000 in 1853. without
paved streets or water works, or street
cars or telephones or public Libraries.
Burlington has become city of 10000 in
habitants with these and many other
facilities and improvements. In 1858 the
first gas works had just been built and
the people were burning whale oil and
burning fluid for light in their dwell
ings. The town hall was then in process
of erection, and an object of more pride
than it has excited in later years. OF the
school houses and college buildings OF
that day none are now standing.
The Daily Free Press in April, 1853,
was small sheet of four pages, having
five columns, IS inches long, to a page.
One page was chiefly devoted to reading
matter divided into a column Of editorial
three columns of political and general
news, culled from city exchanges; half
a column of state and local news. with
: some days not a local item-and about n
: hundred words, as often less as more. of
Geographic news. The other fifteen col
umns were filled with advertisements
most of them standing ads''-and lists OF
5 uncalled for letters, advertised by the
postmaster. The list for April q, am
nounced by Postmaster l.. i. Blodgett
t filled column and half and contained
5 nearly 400 names of persons who had not
called at the office for their letters
a glance at the advertising columns OF
: the daily at that time shows the names
, of the two leading wholesale houses Din
flour, grain, salt etc) Of }. x J. IL Peek
? & Co. on the square; Follett q Co, in the
T stone building at the head Of the south
wharf and Curtis u Walker, corner OF
King and Water streets, w. IL. wilkins
x co. and John Smith also advertised
grain, etc, at the south wharf The dry
goods merchants who so claimed atten-
ton were Edward Lyman, |. u. Bixby &
Co, +. *. Nichols and j. w. Odel. The
leading retail grocer and wag of the adj
Vertising columns was \. S. Dewey, OF
the west side OF the square, who an
nounced hams and cigars. smoked and
unsmokcd" choice figs under the head
ing "A fig for your cents-ability," "a
couple OF fresh eggs" and "a pound and
half of good butter to arrive; and un
der The downfall of Greece" a lower
price for his lard. The book sellers wcr,
Adkins and (E. Al Fuller S. Is. Nich
OILS and Warren d Co; the druggists, r
n. Peck and G. L. Sanhorn d Co.: lum
hey, ii. L. Simonds and Benjamin KctCh
UNI; furniture, y. Parker; hats, ]. w
Barnum and y. Allen & Co.; boots ant
shoes. James A. Walker. clothing, Charlie.
Benns; watches and jewelry, II. V. Hor
: ton: stoves and agricultural implements
r. Bronson; hardware, Albert G.. Strong
crockery and wall papers, q. W. BaXte
N Co. uhc company being :. S. Brown
= auction and commission merchant, j. ]
Duncklee; confectionery. l.. }. Gibson
carpenters. Hoocy Brothers and A. W
Aubery; shoemaker. George Cooley
painter, II. II. Nichols; butcher Amas,
Drew, insurance c. f. Davey. A. At
water advertised shingles at Ward
wurths yard" Moses l.. Church olferu,
$ Concert hall Tor dances. Mrs. \. II. Full
O Ter had Ladies' saloon corner u
l. Church and Main streets. The adverts
Il ing millinors We're Mrs. Rice on Churc
G street and Mrs. l.. Allen on College street
L three doors from Church-the latter hu
r morously Offering caps to captivatc" an
d hats which subtract Il wrinkle from tn
l brow Of care" Miss l.. Il. Stacy had
t select school where A. T.. Joncs's inca
20 market now is, and s. A. Howard an in
J. teligcnce office on College street, west Q
y LeaVcnworth block. There were sixty
= merchants and thirty manufacturers /
& Burlington at that time but most c
u them got along somehow without advoi
= Using their business. There were forty
= three lawyers here but the only one VIII
II had a card in the paper was William {
r Shaw. or the men and women mentione
IS above. not one, 50 far as the write
d knows. is now living.
1t was a day Of small things /
e the Free Press office. The entire outfit q
~ the paper, editors sanctum countin
room, and newspaper printing and 80
IL office occupied but "A single floor, 9TH
~ second) in the Free Press building. the
" but half as deep and 4 story less
u height than now The mechanical plar
J" when the Bcnedicts took possession cor
}" sisted of one Washington hand press.
- small card press and a few fonts of typ,
~ The force OF hands comprised a fore
- man (who besides making up the paper Sc
" the horse and auction hand bills, and bill
tt heads which constituted the bulk of III
IL job printing; a pressman. two or thrc
10 compositors and an apprentice. The Ben,
'o diets, however soon increased the siz
T. of the daily and weekly sheets. employe
" more printers; put in the first power pres
u in use here and we believe the first use
w in the State the motive power being
III first "a stout Irishman, succeeded later by