Look Around: Around the world, through Parkersburg

Historical newspaper excerpts from the Wood County Historical Society

Missing ship

The British barque (sic) Thalla, sailed for Cork, Ireland, for Boston, on the 5th November last, with 200 immigrant passengers, since which time nothing has been heard of her, and there is but very little doubt that she has gone down at sea with her living cargo.

The Parkersburg Gazette

April 26, 1848

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Legendary

The word Boh, still used to frighten children, was the name of a fierce barbarian General, son of Odin, who was the terror of his enemies.

The Parkersburg Gazette Courier

Feb. 10, 1849

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Editorial pencil points

Akron, Ohio has 110 saloons.

California is enforcing the Sunday liquor law.

Kansas is seeking to eject tobacco from the precincts.

Like Justice, the Attorney-General of Florida is blind.

There are over 750 oyster saloons in New York City.

A thousand American girls are being educated in England.

New York has fair health through 100 lady doctors.

The use of opium in this country has increased during the past year at the rate of 1,000,000 ounces per month.

H.W. Beecher doesn't believe in whipping children [even] if they do laugh and snicker during prayer, as the latter is not injured thereby.

A million immigrants arrived in Liverpool from America last month - they were oysters.

The sickness of Brigham Young hints at a probability of 13 widows and 117 orphans.

To gather the cranberry crop of Berlin, Wisconsin, required 5,400 hands, or half as many persons.

Vicksburg bids fair to rival Constantinople in the number of mangy, barking, snarling, homeless dogs, which infest its streets.

The Parkersburg Orthopolitan

Jan. 15, 1872

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The terrible printers

A writer in Pittsburg describes one of the city fathers as "a noble old burgher proudly loving his native State." Judge of his horrors when he was made to say by the compositor, "a nobby old burglar, prowling round in a naked state."

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The Michigan paper mills are suspending for the want of the usual supply of rags. People are now wearing their old clothes. [Newsprint and paper for important documents were primarily made out of cotton rags until the late1800s. Paper made primarily from cotton fibers has been known to last for centuries.]

The Parkersburg Weekly State Journal

Jan. 29, 1874

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SALT LAKE, July 5 -- A special correspondent of the Helena (Montana) Herald, writes from Stillwater, Montana, July 2: Muggins Taylor, a scout for General Gibbon, got here last night, direct from Little Horn river. General Custer found the Indian camp, of about two thousand lodges, on Little Horn, and immediately attacked the camp. Custer took five companies and charged the thickest portion of the camp.

The Indians poured in a murderous fire from all directions, and, besides, the greater portion fought on horseback.

Custer, his two brother, nephew and brother-in-law, were all killed, and not one of his detachment escaped. Two hundred and seven men were buried in one place, and the number killed is estimated at 300.

The Indian loss can not be estimated, as they bore off and cached most of their killed.

Excerpt from the Parkersburg Daily State Journal

July 13, 1876

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Photography in banking

It is said that the Bank of France has an invisible studio in a gallery behind the cashiers, so that at a signal from one of them any suspected customer will instantly have his picture taken without his knowledge. The camera has also become very useful in the detection of frauds, a word or figure that to the eye seemed completely erased being clearly reproduced in photographs of the document that had been tampered with. Scientific American.

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Quiet London

London is now one of the quietest cities in the world in consequence of the prevalence of wood or asphalt pavement in all the chief thoroughfares.

The Parkersburg Daily State Journal

February 1885

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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical Society. Would you like to help preserve our past for future generations? The society offers informative monthly meetings and an interesting, 20-page quarterly newsletter. Dues are just $20/year. Send to: WCHPS, P.O. Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.