“Short Takes.” from the December 4, 1884 Door County Advocate
SHORT TAKES.
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—Cordwood is being brought into this city in large quantities and sells at $2.25 to $2.50 a cord for maple and beech.
—Henry Reynolds has leased the Forest hotel at Voseville, and he will henceforth be the proprietor of that establishment.
—The steambarge Smith landed thirty tons of salt here Sunday for use in Martin’s refrigerator, some of it was in barrels and a part of it bulk.
—The several stages centering at this point have been making good time since the roads froze up and became smooth by constant wear.
—This city possesses a young man who just arrived at his majority that tips the scales at 297 pounds avoidupois, and he has not got through growing yet.
—For some reason or other our Bailey’s Harbor letter was not received until after the paper had been printed twenty-four hours, and that is why it did not appear in that issue.
—Aleck Collard has removed his family from the upper story of the old ADVOCATE building and now occupies one of Leathem & Smith’s tenants situated near the flouring mill.
—There are upward of thirty-five tons of fresh fish stored in the refrigerator at this place at the present time and the owners expect to make a handsome profit on their stock during the winter season.
—Bleisner’s band was out serenading in various parts of the city last Saturday night, and the music produced was very good considering that most of the members have been in practice less than a year.
—Skating has been good since the freeze-up, especially above the upper mill, at which point large numbers of boys and girls congregate every evening for the purpose of indulging in that exhilarating exercise.
—It will be well for people in this city to remove their portable property to a place of safety at the approach of night. On Monday night some prowler entered the premises of L. A. Larson and carried off two breadths of carpet which had been put out to dry by the servant girl during the day.
—Among other freight landed at this port by the propeller Depere, on Thursday night last, were two car-loads of iron and other hardware for Tifft & Hay. As their store and warehouse were already about as full as they could conveniently be, it will be interesting to learn what Mr. Hay is going to do with his last invoice.
—The wigwam which was erected in the court house square during the late political campaign, is now being torn to the ground and the material removed to the upper mill yard. The republicans and democrats both used the structure for their mass meetings and the expense incurred for this account was about $140.
—Allen Bradley is lying very low at his son Huron’s since Saturday, and the announcement of his death will not be a surprise at any moment. The old man, who has been very feeble for a long time, slipped and fell a few days ago since which time he has been unable to articulate or recognize those around him.
—The roads are now in fine condition for wheeling, the cold weather of the past week having frozen the ground solid and barring the few rough places, all the main thoroughfares in this county are as smooth and hard as though they were macadamized. A snow fall of three or four inches would make superb sleighing.
—A field of clover on the farm of John P. Simon, town of Nasewaupee, was so wet that it could not be cut during the summer, but a mowing machine was set at work last week and on Monday the last load was taken into the barn. This is the first time in the history of Door county that haying has been done in December.
—C. Feldmann has made special preparation for the holidays by ordering a large invoice of goods for the children, embracing toys of all kinds and also amateur tool chests and other useful articles. These goods will be placed on exhibition in a few days, and Mr. Feldmann will give our readers full particulars next week.
—The ice in this bay where it has not been broken up or disturbed is five or six inches thick and travel would be perfectly safe if the channel, which extends the entire length, could be bridged over in some manner. The ferry is still in operation and makes landings on this side at the upper mill wharf pretty regularly when the weather is not been too cold.
—Ed. Haskell will run a lumber camp in the town of Egg Harbor for the Sturgeon Bay Lumber Co., it being the same one carried on by Amasa Shaw last winter. It is expected that about 400,000 feet of pine can be banked during the ensuing winter, but active operation is to be postponed until sleighing sets in, the roads and skidways being all complete from last year.
—From present appearances it looks as if a large number of our people will engage in gill-net and hook fishing through the ice during the ensuing winter, work in the lumber woods being scarcer than heretofore. This is an advantage possessed by this city and county that but few sections can boast of. If one branch of business is a failure or stagnant the people can always turn their attention to something else.
—The annual election of officers of Peninsula Lodge No. 320, I. O. of O. F. takes place on Friday evening next on which occasion all members are requested to be in attendance if possible. The lodge is in a most flourishing condition having already attained a membership of forty-five, though organized only since last March. It will be hard to find an institution in Wisconsin that can make a better exhibit than this in the same length of time.
—Adam, Henry and Charles Stevenson, who have been fishing at Chippewa Point during the past season, returned home last Saturday morning via Menominee. They report the catch light and made only wages while thus employed. Cyrus, Albert and Daniel, who wore also operating at the same place, returned to their homes at Little Sturgeon about the same time, having taken the cars at Escanaba to Green Bay whence they came on by stage.
—Wm. Marshall, jr., met with a serious accident last Saturday evening near Henry Martin’s out in Sevastopol. He attempted to jump on a wagon while the horses were going at a high rate of speed, but he slipped and fell and the wheels passed over the lower part of his legs. The young man was picked up by John E. Marshall and B. F. Sawyer, who were in the wagon, and conveyed to this city where the injuries were attended to, but fortunately nothing more serious than several bad bruises and cuts followed, no bones being broken, strange as it may appear.
—If any person doubts that Henry Sporland has manufactured a ton of candy for the holiday trade, that doubt will be removed by a visit to his confectionery and bakery establishment on Cedar street. These candies are made entirely of the best sugar, no terra alba, flour, or other adulterants being used, as is the case with much of the candy commonly sold, while Mr. Sporland sells his goods as low or lower than those who make inferior articles. Santa Claus has indorsed the high quality of Mr. Sporlan’s candies by ordering a large amount for holiday use, as will be seen by the advertisement which appears in our paper to-day.
—George Pinney devotes much attention to the culture of improved varieties of potatoes for seed, having grown during the past season from thirty to forty different kinds. A portion of his crop is sold to Chicago seedsmen and elsewhere, and the remainder is sent direct to farmers and market gardners by express and mail. The best seed potatoes are those grown in northern localities, and Mr. Pinney’s trade in this article has become quite large. It has happened that when persons in this vicinity have sent abroad for new varieties of potatoes they have received some that were shipped from the fields of Mr. Pinney. Two years ago a number of gentlemen residing in this town wanted to obtain some seed of a new potato. They could have purchased from Mr. Pinney for a dollar and a half a bushel, but imagining they could not procure the genuine article so near home they sent to Mr. Vaughn, the Chicago seedsman, who filled the orders with potatoes sent him a few days earlier by Mr. Pinney. They paid Mr. Vaughn one dollar a peck and also the freight, but having got their seed from headquarters they were doubtless well satisfied with their bargain.
—Stephen Decanter, jr., of this city was the victim of quite a serious accident a week ago Tuesday. He was employed on the steambarge Smith and while down in one of the coal bunkers a deck-hand threw an arm full of slabs through the hatch way, several of which struck Stephen on the head and knocked him senseless. He was brought up when it was discovered that he had received a cut about two inches long on top of the head and the upper part of his body was badly bruised. The accident occurred as the steamer was about going into Chicago harbor, and upon the arrival there the injuries were promptly attended to and he is now nearly well again.
—A valued subscriber residing in the western part of Minnesota, near the Dakota line, has the following good words for THE ADVOCATE, in ordering the address of the paper changed from one post-office to another: “THE ADVOCATE is received regularly and it is a most welcome visitor, conveying, as it does, all the news from our old home in Door county. The paper arrives on Saturday and in the evening we all gather about to learn what has transpired since the last week, and no one prizes it higher than do we since it is better than a letter from a place where we have lived so long and enjoyed so many pleasant days.”
—In weighing anchor on Tuesday of last week the schooner Ruby broke the telephone cable which was lying at the bottom of the bay between the upper mill wharf and the pier on the opposite aide, and all communications between this city and Bay View were cut off except by the slow and tedious processes which have been in vogue since the ice interfered with navigation. On Thursday the repairer arrived here from Milwaukee, and on the following day this end of the broken cable was “fished,” but the other end could not be found, and on Saturday work was begun on the Bay View side and by overhauling the two ends were finally spliced and communications re-established the same evening with the Bay View house, the other wires having been effected by the break, but this has since been remedied.
—The entertainment projected by the students of the senior department of the high school for the purpose of obtaining funds to buy an organ will take place at Lawrence’s hall to-morrow (Friday) evening, December 5th. A supper has been prepared by several ladies, and the tables will be spread from six o’clock until half-past ten. This is the only feature of the entertainment for which a charge will be made, and business men and others can obtain an excellent supper and assist the enterprise by taking their evening meal at the hall. Tickets will be offered for sale to-day and to-morrow by scholars authorized for that purpose. Art appropriate exhibition will be given, beginning at half-past seven o’clock. Confectionery of all kinds will be for sale by young ladies who engage in mercantile pursuits for this occasion only.
—John Leathem’s valuable carriage horse was drowned at this place last Thursday morning while being placed on board a scow prepartory to being conveyed to Leathem with a number of other horses belonging to Leathem & Smith. A blanket had been put over the animal’s head which was removed after it had been got aboard the craft. The change undoubtedly so affected the horse that it immediately began backing and before any of the men which were engaged in the work of loading could prevent it, the steed had backed off the after gangway and overboard. Being harnessed and checked the poor brute was unable to help itself, and before a boat could be got out and go to its assistance it was drowned. The horse was a great favorite of Mr. and Mrs. Leathem, it being as gentle and docile as a lamb and for this reason it was prized so highly by its owner.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles written by Frank Long
https://doorcounty.substack.com/t/frank-long