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Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Aug 18, 1889
Page
11
The dispatch lists average net circulation for the Sunday Tax Dispatch and asks for readers to mail manuscripts with stamps for return if rejected. It details postage costs for various formats and urges voluntary contributors to keep copies, noting editors accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.
An 1892 letter urges Congress to honor Christopher Columbus by proclaiming the hemisphere United States of Columbus and shifting emphasis from Americus Vespucius. The writer argues Columbus deserves recognition across the Western Hemisphere beyond small towns bearing his name.
A thief robbed the yacht Manatee party hosted by Mr. Disston of Philadelphia with Matthew Stanley Quay present. The writer argues the culprit was a Mugwump, noting Quay’s pocket funds affected and Fassett’s larger sum missed. The piece mocks party organs and speculates on the political implications and lost wagers.
Boston observers praise the presence of at least one conscientious man in their city. The comment marks a notable pride for the Hub, highlighting the unusual virtue as a boastful rarity among contemporaries.
A Boston merchant wins a commission as Justice of the Peace but resigns after swearing to obey laws because his personal vices like poker clash with duty. The piece questions his true conscience and criticizes Boston society for tolerating such easy virtue, spotlighting public wear before private indulgence.
The sudden death of William Thaw in Paris removes a leading Pittsburgh financier famed for railroads, philanthropy, and public benefaction. He shaped early railroad growth, built immense wealth, and funded numerous institutions. His legacy lies in bold energy, broad generosity, and social improvement.
The piece advocates extending the rapid transit system by rebuilding and adding bridges. It notes the Smithfield street bridge addition for the Southside Traction line, plans to replace the Ninth street bridge with an iron bridge for the new electric road, and suggests replacing Hand street with a modern span linking Pittsburgh to Allegheny. It calls for Fifth street bridge and elevated connections over rail lines.
The Dispatch presents the Peers' Manual statistics for 1888, noting total U S railroad mileage of 156,082 and 154,276 lines returning data, gross earnings at 966,256,270 dollars, net earnings down nearly 10 percent, record freight tonnage at 589,298,317 tons, and rising capital and debt. It discusses capitalization, stock value per mile, and implications for earnings relative to official costs.
The report cites earnings at 63 percent and total interest and dividends at 6 percent. It notes railroads have suffered a lean period but argues that eliminating watered capital would lift their returns above the average for other businesses.
A mid 19th century column weighs in on electricity used for executions and broader public safety. It cites recent killings in San Diego Covington and Arlington and critiques rail and postal policy while skirting sensational detail. The essay catalogues social woes from theater giveaways to political turnarounds and notes regional fires and market dynamics amid playful asides on Yellowstone and geysers.
A Pittsburg reader reports disappointment with the Paris Exposition and mocks the American exhibit. The piece praises Mrs. James G. Blaine Jr and details Mr. Thaw’s extensive charitable work, including support for the School of Design. A poem titled A Signature closes the column, signed by HEFIUEN JONNS.
A miscellany notes Jay Gould aging, Dawn Pratt on Congress men and book interest, and a Robert E. Lee statue pedestal dispute. It mentions Newport cottage bids by Leiter, Alphone Daudet’s marriage, and Latrobe family ties. Mrs Mackay’s ascent in Paris society is sketched with lavish details. Local campaign noise in Licking County closes the column.
Mrs Mary Edna Hill Gray Dow rose as president of Dover New Hampshire's horse railway, negotiated a sale of her stake to M. E. P. Shaw, and aided by a Thomson- pasted Electric syndicate she secured a charter amendment in Concord. She later sold her interest and retired, wealthier and wiser.
A New York telegram reports English capitalists plan a Book Trust to buy out American cheap literature publishers. The proposed syndicate, led by Guggenheimer & Untermeyer, envisions a $10 million deal to take control of publishers including Lovell, Jobe, Ivers, and Norman Munro, with promises of a 15 percent first year dividend.
Indignant Kentucky belles protest stingy beaux in Canovum. They publish a pledge denying any man who does not attend events access to escorts, ice cream suppers, or churchgoing outings. The document condemns absent sponsors and calls for mutual support and accountability.
August 17 report from Philadelphia hints at a possible pneumatic tube system for mail collection. Experiment would start in business district, extending citywide if successful, amid debate over feasibility and cost.
Frederick Stern, a colored doctor from Scottsboro, Alabama, claims to cure chronic diseases by laying on of hands producing a mild electric sensation. The story notes mixed reactions from other doctors and newspapers. A related piece references the Marquis of Lorne’s poetry and a royal marriage joke.
Omaha dispatch reports the death of Congressman James Laird of Nebraska's second district at Hastings his home. He died this morning after a period of unconsciousness following a seizure related illness two hours prior.
The East Twenty sixth street elixir factory shuts down indefinitely after daily patient visits to Loomis laboratory. Dr Harry P Loomis ends all local tests and withdraws from further testing while preparing his conclusions for publication. He notes none of the tests showed benefit and will not express an opinion until the paper is ready.
The Doctor says newspaper chatter linking him to tests and the Brown Sequard matter has flooded him with letters. He notes none of the test subjects report clear harm, but he won’t confirm any benefits. As reputable physicians drop the craze, unscrupulous quacks may push doses to applicants, with one Sixth avenue dealer already selling wholesale.
A Washington dispatch notes blood poisoning reports from Brown Sequard injections causing alarm. Leading physicians planned experiments with sheep and patients but cancelled due to the alarming outcomes. The item frames the revival serum as an epidemic threat to the public.
A Cincinnati dispatch reports a man plans to sue for 5000 dollars after blood poisoning from a telegraphed elixir. Felden Weir, first subject of early experiments, is bedridden with hard lumps and delirium. Dr Longfellow says he lost faith in the elixir and claims the local paper funded initial trials. Dr Langinveck warns the preparation is dangerous after an hour and poisonous after two hours. The episode is described as a craze with alleged indiscriminate workhouse trials.
Delaware City August 17 The great industry here is catching sturgeon for Russian caviare. Three firms harvested 4 700 sturgeons weighing about 370 000 pounds valued at 22 560. Roe fish totaled 2 820 yielding 72 kegs of caviare at 140 pounds each worth 19 440 shipped mainly to Germany with some returning in cans to boost value.
John Manning and Arthur H. MacQwan publish a 40 page pamphlet in Philadelphia tracing newspaper advertising ideas. It stresses originality in ad matter and style and notes how publisher influence affects advertiser returns, citing routes to select profitable papers including THE DISPATCH.
A Rochester fisherman landed the largest brown trout ever caught on the continent at Spring Creek Mumford. The fish weighed over six pounds and two ounces with perfect proportion. It is among the largest trout, born from German stock and raised at the New York State hatchery, with a noted origin in February.
A nostalgic verse recounts a warm summer scene with a young girl in pink, reflecting on a late August moment. The speaker recalls calm blue skies, bright sun, and light talk about weather, hinting at intertwined fates and moving toward life's mysteries.
Early this morning a well dressed man drunk entered a Thirty-second Street house and caused a violent scene. He fought with a second man who claimed to be a detective, slashing through a lengthy struggle in the hall and street. Both men suffered severe wounds. one neared death and both gave bogus names. Investigations await their recovery.
Eben Allen former president of the Forty second Street and Grand Street Ferry Railway Company was sent to Sing Sing to begin six years at hard labor for fraudulently selling stock in the firm. He wept as he packed belongings before leaving. Allen’s health is poor and friends doubt a long prison term.
Al Daggett wins a government contract to supply 2 000 000 000 postal cards for about 800 000. Ex Postal Service head James doubts profit, Warner Miller questions feasibility and bond ability, while Commercial Advertiser claims Daggett lacks plant and funds and acted as a middleman using inside bids.
The Sal va tion Army's Commander Ballington Booth and Mrs Booth join Thomas N Waller Charles B Trail and United States Consul to Marseilles for a European voyage. Senator William M Evarts and family depart amid calls about his eye operation and vacant federal posts. Evarts and Hiscock share appointment power over US Marshal and US District Attorney jobs. The trip follows a year of deteriorating eyesight for the senator and signals political maneuvering.
A Lady Tecrists report says jewelry worth 00 and a purse with 10 were stolen from her stateroom when her trunk was broken into this morning. At the Pennsylvania Railroad depot an excitable French woman named Mrs. De La Vere of Chicago claimed a satchel with money, diamonds, and a first class France ticket was lost after Dodds Express checked two trunks. She reported the trunks reached New York side but the satchel vanished containing 0 in money and diamonds valued at H10 along with her steamer ticket.
In Crna O August 17 a dry local option at Shane's Crossing led saloon men to establish a beer garden on an island riverbank. They used a dummy elevator to ferry farmers over the state line to buy liquor, then sailed a float rigged boat along Mary's River daily, anchoring at Main Street each night.
An Alta California tale reports a California bear misstepping into its own hind quarters while following a pine tree. The bear claws at an assumed rival and only realizes its blunder after swallowing itself down to the ears, a true-feeling anecdote the teller swears by.
A Franklin man at the depot displayed a rattlesnake in a glass box and was intoxicated. Perry Pethtel of Green County Pennsylvania killed a large garter-head snake surrounded by others. Miss TuexLa Stiever of Philadelphia testifies to a breached betrothal and a suit for breach of promise. Daniel Minnich is 84 and has held Masonic membership 64 years. A retriever from Conshohocken stole roast veal from a dining table. A nurse’s quiet entrance aided an invalid man. A Wellsburg WV man rescued a small-drowned chicken. An Obie girl becomes baldheaded.
A collage of oddities and curiosities recounts tales from Williamstown to Cincinnati. Anecdotes include a man’s daughter with no eggs, hogs fed cider going drunk, a ball umpire parading with a cutlass, a gas well accident, and a soap mine discovery in San Diego. The piece also notes a Kingston absent minded man, Schliemann’s Troy debate at Vienna, a moving rock in Lakeville Connecticut, a Boston rat heist, and a padded Minneapolis directory listing a watchman named Baxter.
A collage of jokes and quips from various papers including Harper's Bazaar and York Weekly. Items lampoon daily life, love, misunderstandings, and social foibles with short exchanges and humorous mishearings. The tone remains light, newspaper-bridge humor with quick wits and comic misunderstandings.
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