New Britain herald., 1916-01-27

pointed out today to visitors to Gettys
 burg.
 The amount expended by the town for bounties, premiums and support of families was $45,628.OO. It is also
 estimated that the amount paid by in
 dividuals for bounties to volunteers and substitutes was $49, ,400.00, mak- ing a total of $95, 5,O2S00 The grand
 list of the town in 1864 was $26O8,-
 00O.00.
 It would take too long to recount the many interesting incidents con- nected with the men who went to the front. The first soldier killed in the war whose body was brought to New Britain was Orville Campbell, the son of the Advent minister. He was killed at Antietam. His body lay in state in the South church and High school boys acted as a guard of honor the night before the funeral. It is interesting to note that the average age of volunteers from New Britain was less than twenty-one years Joe Boole when fourteen years old en- listed as a drummer boy and was credited with having captured two rebels in the peninsular campaign.
 Life in the town during these war years was far from normal Nearly all the factories in town had war or ders and most of them ran nights. Cavalry equipment was made by North & Judd, Horace Butler & Sons, and O. B. North & Co. Bayonets and other military equipment was made by Russell & Erwin Co. The women and girls organized to prepare hos pital supplies. Day and Sunday
 lint bandages. High school boys had a military company, Ofticered and drilled by a returned volunteer. At the age of twelve, I was myself cap tain of a company of ZOuaves.
 The town had no daily paper, but a weekly paper, ''The True Citizen" was published Saturdays. The office of the paper and the telegraph office were in the basement of the old Bap- tist church.
 In the columns of this weekly paper were printed the names of the killed and wounded from Connecticut
 During war times nearly every house had it's flag flying. The chil- dren of the different schools ralsso the money for the flags that heW over the school buildings. re1neii- Der distinctly the day we Hlgh school boys raised our flag staff ana swung out old glory. Bunting was hlgh ana hard to get, so our flag though a large one was made of cotton cloth ana one boy remarked when it was unfurled, Red, White and Pale Blue.'
 The general effect of the war upon New Britain was to very largely in crease it's prosperity. Wages from 1862 to the close of the war and for sev- aral years after the war or up to 1878 were at the highest rates that had ever been known in New Britain. The manufacturers almost without excep- ion made a good deal of money and with the earnings they developed their ines of business, increased the size ,f their plants and the town grew luite rapidly. Real estate advanced n value and land that had been used or farms near the center of the city vas cut up for building lots, new treets were opened and new houses quilt in all parts of the town Under . borough administration, stone walks were laid on most of the pricipal treets and the town began to take m the appearance of a thriving young ity, although the city was not in- until 1871.
 The most striking and valuable re- ults were the encouragement and stimulus that was given to the man. lfacturers by reason of their unusual profits during the war. They became conscious of their own ability and extended their lines of manufacture and widened the territory in which hey sold their goods. Not only that out it stimulated a pride in the growth and future of New Britain and en- abled the people by reason of in creased incomes to take a hopeful view of what the city ought to be and encouraged the disposition to improve the town in various lines, for at the close of the war, the South church removed their old wooden building and built the fine stone struc- ture that now stands on the old lot. The Baptist church also tore down it's wooden building two years afterwards and built the brick church that stood on the West Main street corner. The old South church was bought by of the leading men of the town, a corporation formed, and a good hall for public purposes, known as the Union hall, was built out of the remodeled South church.
 New industries were established. the Berlin branch railroad was built by New Britain manufacturers, the Union Works and Wire Web Bed com pany both being incorporated inn meditely after the war, as was also the American Hosiery Go. and Land CTS, Frary & C1arks which absorbed the old Landers & Smith Mfg. Co.,, and built the cutlery works on it's present location. It is perfectly safe to say that had it not been for the war and the accompanying prosperity, it IS quite question whether New Britain would be the city that it is today. The Story Of the Natural History of
 New Britain.
 Since the length of time for this presentation is limited to about ten minutes, I shall limit this paper