Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1915-04-28
An Old Newspaper.

at the time. He states that he secured
the copy at Festus, where he visited
recently, from Mr.. W. A. Camel, who
found it while having the old Camel
home there remodeled.
The paper is fairly we'll preserved,
though half a page is missing, and
the print as clear as the day it came
of the press. 1t is a column smaller
to the page than the Potosi Journal
OF today and the subscription price
twice as big. The advertising rates
were double what the papers here are
charging now, but the butcher, the
baker, the candle-stick maker all had
their little ads in the paper, which is
different from the local business spirit
of our time.
The editorial leader OF the edition,
under the hes ding-"A Gloomy Pros
pect"-coulo we'll be served up today
and it would fttingly hit off indus
trial conditions as we view them. 1t
is groan over the depression Of the
lumber business and glut of the mar
ket. 1t says that if the times did not
get better in hurry, the thirteen
lumber mills shipping their product
from this station would be compelled
to shut down, throwing some 400 men
out of employment and bringing prob
able destitution on three times that
number OF people. "In this connec-
tion," the editor says, I'VE would
earnestly advise careful husbandry
of individual means, in anticipation
OF the worst" 1t was some calamity
howl.
And that wasn't all. When we turn
to the market report we find that the
high cost OF living in those days
has its prototype OF the present era
looking like cheap skate. Flour
was $12 and $15 q barrel, corn $1.25
per bushel and cornmeal 81 80 to 81 40;
sugar, the sticky, brown kind of that
time, Is to 20 cents per pound; COM
mon molasses 75c to $l.25 q gallon,
while "golden syrup was $1.6O; coffee
80 to 80 cents per pound, lard Is cents,
salt $3.50 to IS a barrel, tea $1.60 to
$3.50 per pound, eggs 20 cents, butter
20 and 25 cents. A dressed chicken 80
cents; fresh meat, beef and mutton,
10 to 1917 cents, hams IA and Is cents,
side meat the same. Hay was 50 per
100 and so was bran, while wood was
$3.50 cord. That was in the good,
old days we still sometimes hear
hear people boasting Of, when one
could live so cheap.
In the mining news, We are told of
the discovery of cave in the "Rough-
and.tuck" diggings, in the vicinity OF
Lumpkins mill, by T. G. Mothers
head and Marion Baker, 40 feet long
and 7 or 8 feet high with a complete
surface of lead ore. 1t was estimated
that the ore in sight would amount to
20, 900 pound.
The editor was making a kick for
an improvement of the sanitary con-
ditions of the town to ward off another
cholera panic. He said there were
foreign and putrescent substances
enough in the wells about town, and
pecifies the one in front of the post
flee particularly, to sicken a young
nation, and accuses a well-known
citizen of maintaining such filth in
the alley in the rear OF his home that
he had doubts as to whether a respec.
able hog would condescend to wallow
there.
Among the advertisers we note such
names as James Long, Andrew Casey,
Hafener 4 Harris, J. L. Caldwell,
Firmin Desloge, Connolly & Carrigan,
Dennis Kelly, Holland & Bro, John
Teasdsle & Co., all general mer-
chants. DR.. L. T. Hall had a drug
store, and announced that he had a
large stock OF ice on hand; Peter Helm
rich ran meat market; W. J. Slais,
saddlery; L. w. Casey, livery stable;
Capt. Hunter, land and tax agent.
Jos. C. Bass and Mrs. Margaret Wish
art conducted hostelries, the former
the St. Louis House, the latter the
Potosi Hotel. Gus Geske was car
penter and builder, Gardner Hemen-
way dealt in furniture, 8. w. Walker
was the tailor, and r. D. Prendergast
painter. All these people, with two
or three exceptions have passed into
the great beyond.
Potosi in those times was apparent
ly an important legal center. Many
} lawyers, local and distant mad their
cards in the paper.
Railway and mail facilities were
poor, only one train and one mail
each way day, except Sunday
There was only one star route mail in
, the county then, from Potosi to
Fourche Renault, once week, Sat.
urday. Geo. w. Wallis was postmas.
, ter.
The pastors Of the various churches
were-Presbyterian, Rev. T. @. Bar.
rett; Methodist, Rev. A. Peace: cath.
olic, Father NJ. O'Reilly.
, The "dry" spirit had begun to work
. in Potosi then and they had a Good
Templars lodge with regular meet.
ings, but the town was very wet, even
the general stores handling wines and
Z liquors,
People evidently did not go journey.
ing often in those good, old times, o,