Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-01-22
II BISMARCK IN OLDEN TINES X
By Allen G. Ridge

unload while the duck that had tn
golden egg was in his midst. Amon
the latter was Frank Rowles, al
employee OF the Tribune, who owne
a shack on what as ! remember wa
Fourth street. One of the party tool
a fancy to this place and was willin,
to buy aud DR.. Bently, who was ON
Of the steering party, delegated m,
to look up Rowles, make him an OF
fer and then unload at a handsom,
profit. knew Rowles by sight an.
after time located him. We dick
! cred until the price ran up into tn,
/ thousands and l became afraid, know
ing that if my word was given it wa:
better than many of the notes Of TIKI
present day. Frank saw visions O.
untold wealth and hedged. This was
my opportunity and asked for an op
ton for an hour. This was granted
and | legged for Doc and explained
the situation. We sounded our tend
erfoot and learned what he was will
ing to give and found that it exceeded
our expectations. When I again
found Rowles he had concluded that
his $500 shack was worth $4,000. and
to ~lis day I believe his wife con,
| WINGED him it was. Like others that
day, he raised the anti too high,
gummed the cards and lost and has
kicked himself ever since. More
than one of US on that occasion made
enough to buy more than one stack
OF reds and CLUES without putting out
a sou of our own, even if we had had
it to put up.
Truth is stranger than fiction. and
if you could only call an old timers
convention and get them to comb the
alkali out of their old hides they
could. if they would, tell stranger
things than those have related and
make some of your present citizens
sit up and take notice. In my minds
eye I can see the old coal oil barrel
that was a necessary adjunct to all
the wei regulated and up-to-date no.
tells in your city in those days and
the look of CONSERVATION and disgust
that came over the tenderfoot's face
when told that therein was the drink
ing water, and if it did not suit his
fastidious taste he could waltz to the
bar and liquor. On the day the Viii
lard party was doing the town a. few
of them strolled into the old Mer-
chants hotel and one of them, desir-
ing a drink of water, no doubt 1lav
ing been warned of the "forty rot
sold at most territorial bars, was d.
rected to the barrel that stood on
your right as you entered the office
from Main street and against the par
tition that divided the office from the
bar. The barrel had at one time con-
tanned coal oil, had been burned out
leaving the interior a charred and
blackened mass; this was filed with
water drawn from the river in a
street sprinkling cart, and on the top
floated loaf of bread to settle the
same. A tin cup attached to a chain,
that would serve to hold pair of
steers or bucking bronco set on
the cover to the barrel; alongside
the barrel was the sink, running
from the window to the door that
lead to the bar. Our English cousin
glided toward the barrel, lifted THE
cover and giving one look inside and
then at the sink, wherein was float
ing yellow soap, dirty water, etc.,
lifted the bread from the barrel.
turned to the crowd and in good, old
cockney English remarked: "Oi
don't want to clean me boots; OF
want summit to quench me thirst. y!
believe If "Baldy Sours" had not
caught Dennis Ha1mifin about this
time he would have toppled backwards
through the window into the street.
as it was he was doubled up with
laughter.
It might be we'll here to explain to
your present citizens that in the early
days There was no city water, few
wells that were not so strong with
alkali that they were unfit for drink
ing purposes, and therefore most all
water was hauled from the
river and put in coal oil barrels, the
same being filled at Is cents per bar
rel, and I have seen more than one
tenderfoot stick his finger in the
same and expect to find hole when
he removed it, More anon.