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Newspaper
Bristol Phenix
Location
Bristol, Rhode Island, United States of America
Date
Jan 13, 1855
Page
2
In a rural community, a respected figure faced moral decline but supported reform that benefited locals. His final hours were brightened by blessings from several village families as dawn rose, marking a mixed legacy amid a fertile, productive period.
Correspondence from Phenix reports plummeting imports and falling sales in January 1855, signaling economic strain but optimism for reform. It notes Wadsworth and Sheldon failure easing money markets, new municipal discipline cutting alcohol venues, and charity drives for the poor. Also mentions a theft at Irving House and readers turning to Bible study amid labor shifts and immigration tensions.
The article notes construction of a brick depot and a two hundred by fifty-five foot brick structure in Bristol, aiming to open travel by May. It urges capital investment in a substantial hotel to serve a growing population and railroad traffic, calling Bristol a prime site for investors and visitors seeking accommodation.
The colored Sabbath School plans an evening exhibition at the Court House to raise funds for its library. The children have been trained and should please the audience, with organizers hoping for a full house.
The Rev J N Hobart pastor of the First Baptist Church resigns due to health, after three harmonious years of service. The church notes his esteem in the community and unanimous grief at his departure, pledging to uphold the bond of their pastoral relation until severance is required by divine will.
Rev. D. Knowlton, pastor of the South Christian Church, has dissolved his connection with the society and moved to Maine. He was a faithful teborer and beloved by his church and all who knew him.
The steamer Bradford Durfee has been thoroughly repaired and is back on her old route. She looks as bright as a new dollar.
A large Methodist Church audience Wednesday evening waited for Mr. Webster to speak on temperance but he did not arrive. It is believed illness kept him away, disappointing attendees.
An 1854 Warren record notes 46 total deaths that year and mentions Mr James Hoar owning a three year old rooster that transformed from black to pure milk white feathers this season with no sign of its prior color. The remark questions if such color changes are remarkable.
Mr H H Brown issues a compact almanac and directory for 1865 listing business names and locations in Providence Newport Bristol Warren Westerly Woonsocket and Pawtucket plus clergymen banks and local institutions. A few copies for sale at 25 cents each.
January issue received by G W Easterbrooks features Andrew Jackson Napoleon Bonaparte The Dead Sea Sodom and Gomor Captain Obstinate Memoir of the House of Romanoff A Tragedy in Married Life The Newcomes The Lady's Revenge and more.
The article argues for completing a telegraph line using Union Telegraph Company assets and a $1500 investment. It praises the offer of gratis access to existing lines in New England and frames the project as vital commerce, comparing electric wires to national arteries and nerves.
A governor denounces foreign-influenced political clubs and calls for nationalist measures while noting the ongoing equity suit between Massachusetts and Rhode Island over their boundary. The court has ordered Rhode Island to answer by the next term, with hopes for a speedy adjudication.
Governor Gardner frames immigration as a central threat to republican government, arguing for restricting alien franchise while preserving worship freedom. He cites rising foreign population numbers and links to beggary crime and public costs, urging state action within the Constitution to steer immigration and protect national allegiance. He warns against church control of the state and stresses the need for spiritual freedom, free Bible, and free schools to sustain independent voters and stable governance.
New York reports the steamship North Star from Aspinwall arriving with 200 passengers and gold valued at 1.219 million, carrying California mails to December 16. Other vessels including the John L. Stephens and Golden Age reach San Francisco with later weather and wreck reports. Earthquake tremor noted in San Francisco and whaling oil supplies described as disappointing.
The Norfolk Herald reports nearly five hundred men were discharged from the Navy Yard, including most workers from the Sabine and other mechanical departments. About eight hundred remain employed at the yard.
In the New York Marine Court last week, a carter named Van Holland was fined $209 after he ran his cart wheel over the fore-foot of another carter Sweet's horse. The injury was so severe that the horse had to be shot.
The U S sloop of war Falmouth put into St Thomas on the 26th after encountering heavy gales on the coast. She is badly strained and healing from the voyage. The voyage faced significant weather challenges along the coast.
A $25,000 shortage of specie was discovered in Merchants Bank vaults on Wall Street. It is believed stolen but no one is implicated. Officials suspect delivery error and offer a $3,000 reward for recovery of the property.
The Rob bins and Lawrence Company of Windsor Windsor have executed for the Royal armory at Gol wich Eng an order for machinery valued at 80000 dollars. The machinery is for manufacturing Minie rifles. Buck of Lebanon New Hampshire has also completed a large machinery order for the English Government.
On Saturday morning Gideon Jenckes of Smithfield died when seas tossed him from a Propeller wharf team wagon. The forward wheel passed over his head causing immediate death. He was a young man with a good reputation and leaves a wife and child.
A report from Deee Island notes the Benjamin Franklin was detained a day for repairs after a disturbance blamed on a night pass. An English lady and a sad child were in a state room when a ball passed through, prompting questions about port activities and port authority actions.
A fierce Jan 1 gale swept through Dunkirk causing partial roof destruction at the New York Central passenger depot, Lake Shore depot, and a new shop owned by Dunkirk Locomotive Company. No buildings finished.
A Pawtucket resident, seventy, was found dead yesterday in an owl-house near his home. The death resulted from inhaling gas from a charcoal furnace used for self destruction. Letters to a neighbor and his family indicate deliberate act and reasons. He was formerly a Central Falls manufacturer and leaves a wife and several children.
The Black Stone Bank of Uxbridge was entered on a weekend night. Robbers forced the building doors and two outer vault doors. The inner door with a combination lock was displaced so it could not be opened by five oclock Monday afternoon. No details yet on any stolen items.
A New York correspondence summarizes a dispute between Major General Wool and the Secretary of War regarding his management of the Pacific coast division. The Oct 13 1845 letter and the Dec 13 reply discuss perceived rebukes and questions over Wool’s actions and movements. Col Davis offers a measured review of Wool’s official acts, citing expounded explanations and awaiting further clarifications.
The Newport Mercury lists 36 residents who died in 1854 in Newport with an average age of 81.5. One aged 99 and three others over 90. In Middletown five deaths average 80, in Portsmouth five average 95, and in Tiverton seven average 62.
The Steamer State of Maine, returning from New York, collided with the schooner Sarah Sparke at Hellgate. The schooner shipped a hole in her amidehipa and capsized, four crew rescued, three remaining men rowed away in a small boat. The steamer suffered light damage and witnesses criticized the schooner’s officers while praising Captain Jewe and the Maine crew for prudence and steadiness.
The N Y Messenger reports a beggar in New York who elicits charity yet secretly owns two brick houses in Brooklyn. It also notes that last week Mr. RP Perry, a hardware dealer, was found to have forged notes totaling $12,000 amid schemes to raise money for unspecified causes.
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