Fort Wayne sailor recalls Taku forts and long sea voyage
Capt. John G. Kensill, a Fort Wayne landsman and veteran of the Minnesota, recounts the 1858 bombardment of the Taku forts at the Pei Ho river and a three year cruise to Nagasaki Shanghai Manila Hong Kong Singapore and back to Boston. He notes timing differences with The Sentinel account and preserves his aged logbook as proof.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sentinel
Fort Wayne
United States
Minnesota
Taku
Pei-Ho
Tien Tsin
Pekin
Uncle Sam
Capt
Kensill
Smithereens
John GC
Pennsylvania
the Sentinel
Captain Kensill
Holman Street
United States Navy
Philadelphia
Dupont
William B. Reed
Buchanan
China
Reed
Cape of Good Hope
Cape Town
Island of St. Paul
New Bay
Portsmouth
Pei Ho
Nagasaki
Japan
Shanghai
Manila
Hong Kong
Singapore
Straits of Malacca
Bay of Bengal
Ceylon
Point de Galle
Columbo
Cape Cormorin
Hindostan
Malabar
Bombay
Suez Canal
Arabian Sea
Muscat
Arabia
Gulf of Oman
Zanzibar
Mozambique Channel
Atlantic
Boston
Mr. Kensill
150Th Pennsylvania
Josiah Tatneall
Powhatan
Tatnall
Confederacy
Beaufort
Miss
Dynamite used to trap chinchilla for fur trade in the Andes
A historic account describes South American Indians using dynamite and nets to force chinchilla from burrows for skins valued up to 38 dollars each. Ferrets assist the hunt, meats are eaten, and tribes trade furs with European houses, with agent George Herzig noting an eighty thousand dollar native money payment last year.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chinchilla
George Herzig
Varied Climate Mystery on Saghalien Island
The Newcastle Chronicle reports Saghalien off Siberia shows a curious climate anomaly. Low coastal areas face Arctic conditions with dense forests while higher inland zones reach temperate to sub tropical flora despite surrounding icy winds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Saghalien
Siberian
Siberia
Europe
Newcastle
Eng
Kansas City worker patents chicken feather plucking device
A packing house employee in Kansas City has devised a machine that plucks feathers from chickens using air currents and electrical force. The invention aims to speed processing and reduce manual labor in poultry operations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas City
Senator Morgan Advises Brassel To Stop Stillhouse Plan
A dated letter from 1852 to Mr. Brassel, written by a young Thomas Morgan in Tal ladega, warns against building a stillhouse. Morgan, a friend, suggests turning the property into a stable or sheep fold and promises to send a cow. The Birmingham News published the note.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Morgan
Brassel
Talladega
Birmingham News
Bill
Odd Wagers and Strange Tasers of Old London Shops
A review of odd bets and curiosities from history. Tradesmen offered cheap silver and gold trinkets to lure buyers, yet none purchased. A Scottish shop ran a similar stunt with francs and twenty-franc pieces, followed by a crafty buyer. Whaley earned £20,000 by offering valuable diamonds at a guinea each after challengers doubted their value. A London house, cheap to rent, drew no tenants until the owner moved in, revealing a bare nominal rent set by a distant relative.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Seymer
Placer
Marylebone
Iit
Tia
France
Oater
Whaley
Constantinople
London
Rarest Queen Victoria Diamond Remarked in Chronicle
The Chicago Chronicle notes a green diamond among Queen Victoria’s collection praised for its beauty. The article also mentions German use of pine needle fibers for textile products and therapeutic bath resorts near pine needle processing sites.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Germany
Chicago Chronicle
Queen Victoria
Grean
Unclaimed fortunes in English chancery lure American heirs
London letter details widespread American schemes chasing vast fortunes in English chancery. Officials report the real value at about 5 million dollars across more than 1,060 estates, many under a threshold of 750 dollars. Ambassadors issue warnings and forms to deter swindlers while noting a heavy trail of affidavits and estate records in Chancery Lane.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Alnesterie Otty
America
United States
George Guscotone Howard
Avter
Charmecery
Tota
Chancery
Koplish
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
Chich
Dielteds
Law Courts
Tidia
Pacific Islands
Rockies
Jones
Duke of
Also Mentioned on This Page
Kensill Saw II
Coromandel
Robinson Crusoe
Pie-Ho
Trench
Tatnalis
John C. Kinsill
Uncle Sea's Navy
John T. Morgan
Senator Morgan
Russell Lowell
Ain
Spain
State Department
Agendine
Betaid
Behawe
Yasreid
Amelie
Royal Courts Baily
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!