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The Traveler… times at odds… three shots, but not dead…
July 11, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I decided to travel back a little further than I have been of recent. Within the “The Post Boy” dated July 10, 1711, I found that it seemed that most of Europe was at odds with each other. The news from Paris, Lisbon, Genoa, Turin, Milan, Warsaw, Vienna and Hague all were dealing in some type of army and/or war activity.
A correspondence from Dover is of which a Privateer “had 3 small Shots in his Body, but was not dead; that only 3 of the Privateers engag’d him, and a great many are kill’d on both sides, the 3 Privateers had 300 Men each.”
Even with all that is occurring in our lives today, I’m thankful that we don’t live in the 18th century…
~The Traveler
The Traveler… permission to buzz the dome… if things could be redone…
June 20, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today’s travels found the front page of The Christian Science Monitor dated June 20, 1911 with a nice variety of articles. Harry Atwood was resuming his across the country flight in his Burgess-Wright biplane, carrying different passengers on each leg of the journey. While in Concord, New Hampshire, 
“Atwood glided down toward the dome of the New Hampshire state capitol and circled three times about the capitol building.” I wonder if he had permission to buzz the dome? There are additional articles pertaining to the raising of the U.S.S. Maine which had been sunk in Cuba and also of the celebration of President Taft’s silver wedding anniversary.
I found within the issue an article “See Philippines Passing As Naval Base for U.S.” The article identifies which state-side naval bases would remain open and which would be considered for closing. They also referenced Pearl Harbor calling it the “Gibraltar of the Pacific”. It further mentions it would be the base of operations for the Pacific… “no foreign power would be able to land a large force of men in the Philippines.” Interesting to see how this statement played itself out over time.
~The Traveler
The Traveler… “The Little Belt Affair”… Bonaparte putting up a “smoke front”…
June 6, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today’s travels landed on a nice surprise! The Middlesex Gazette dated June 6, 1811 carries a lengthy letter by Commodore John Rodgers to the Secretary of the Navy dated May 23, 1811. This 
was referencing a confrontation between his frigate and a Britannic which at first would not identify itself, and then was revealed to be Little Belt. This incident furthered the tension between Britain and the United States which led to the War of 1812.
Also in this issue is the reporting that Bonaparte had established a public Manufactory of Tobacco and Snuff. This would be carried on by “a particular committee for the benefit of the public chest, or in other words for his own benefit, and that no private individual shall in future be concerned in the manufacture of these articles…” He would control what type and where all the tobacco would be purchased, etc. Does it sound a little self-serving??
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Standard Oil dissolved… now that makes sense…
May 16, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I traveled into The Christian Science Monitor dated May 16, 1911 and found that after being in court cases for over four and a half years, the Standard Oil case had been ruled on by the U. S. Supreme Court with the decision being for the dissolving of the company due to anti-trust practices. This issue includes a photo of the Supreme Court justices and a text block with the charges against the company.
Another article in the issue dealt with need for new street lamps in Florence, New Jersey. The election for the gas commissioners and appropriation for the lamps were to be held in May, however, there was no board to conduct the election. How’s that for politics?
~ The Traveler
The Traveler… election time of the year… Standard Oil anti-trust case…
May 2, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
As I began to venture into my travels, I remembered that we are also heading into a lot of the preliminary voting times. This led me to The Woman’s Journal which, as stated underneath the title, was the “Official Organ of the National American Woman Suffrage Association” founded by Lucy Stone and Henry B. Blackwell in 1870. The issue I selected was not for today’s date, but for May 27, 1911 when they announced that they would be hold their National Suffrage Convention in October. It was not until 1920 that women received the right to vote. Fifty years of persistence paid off!!
Also within the issue is an article pertaining to the recent ruling of the Standard Oil anti-trust case which dissolved Standard Oil. An interesting statement was.. “The Standard Oil trust, nominally dissolved, will no doubt recombine in a slightly different form and continue to do business at the old stand, and will raise the price of oil enough to cover its law expenses.” Shocking, right?!?!
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Madison Square Garden being sold… big shoes to fill…
April 7, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, by means of the Christian Science Monitor dated April 7, 1911. I was very surprised to find a photo headline “View In Madison Square Garden, Just Sold” with the article “Dispose of Madison Square Garden for Big Skyscraper Site”. Since I have personally visited Madison Square Gardens in my travels, I had to do some Googling for more information on this matter. I have found that there have actually been four Madison Square Gardens!! This was the second location and was located where the current New York Life Insurance building is located.
A second page article entitled “No ‘Famous Man’ for Princeton” caught my eye. “Princeton University has been searching the country for some ‘famous man’ to succeed Governor Wilson as president, but most of the famous ones ‘are already taken up.'” I guess when succeeding the Governor [and yet to become the US President!] those are big shoes to fill…
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Booker T. Washington facing court… “Reach out, reach out and touch someone”…
March 24, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
A few days ago I traveled to New York City through the New York Tribune dated March 21, 1911 (I’m running a little behind schedule). The front page of the issue carries the report of “Dr. (Booker T.) Washington Too Ill To Go To Court”. I found that this was an interesting assault case between Dr. Washington and Henry A. Ulrich, re: who attacked whom. I had to google this case to find the verdict. What I found was that this case/verdict has become known for extreme injustice due to Mr. Ulrich acquittal. However, he was re-arrested in the courtroom for desertion of his wife!
Also in this issue is the reporting of the funeral for John B. M’Donald, the builder of the subway system in New York… I guess he made his final stop.
Do you remember when you actually were able to talk with a “live” operator when calling information? When Henry McGinn reached the operator and conversation ensued, he found that the operator was his sister whom he had not seen or heard from for seventeen years! A reunited relationship occurred from the “reach out, reach out and touch someone…” archives.
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Maine becoming a state?… the horses know the way!…
March 10, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week’s journey found me with the Middlesex Gazette issue dated March 7, 1811. This contained a headline “Another New State” in which the District of Maine (a part of the state of Massachusetts) had held a Convention in Boston and voted 56 to 18, that “it is expedient to take the sense of the people on a separation from Old Massachusetts.” However, they did not obtain their statehood until nine years later as part of the Missouri Comprise.
An amusing story (see below) is of a Coachman, who while fetching some straw for his seat, found his horses leaving without him. They proceeded to the next place (with the coachman in chase) and stopped as they would normally do. A countryman entered and called “go on!” and the horses took off again at full speed to the next place, four miles away. Early auto-pilot?
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Black Beard, somewhat live… “Wonderful Woman”…
February 24, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This journey found me traveling to Boston via The Repertory dated February 22, 1811. I was instantly attracted to the front page of this issue when I spied “BLACK BEARD — The Pirate” front and center. I knew the time frame for his name would not 
be fitting which made me look even more so! I found that this was actually a five-act comedy musical about this monstrous pirate, of which they took some liberty in the story line as stated in the article. Inside the issue is an advertisement of the play.
Two headlines in the advertisements attracted my attention, “The Wonderful Woman!”, which I thought would have been unusual for that time period. The one was of a book being available about the life of Ann Moor, Tutbury, England, who had for more than three years lived entirely without food. The other advertisement was of a correct likeness, in wax, of Mrs. Moor, that was just added to the Columbian Museum. Was this the early beginning of the liquid diet fads or what??
~The Traveler
The Traveler… traveling to Rio de Janeiro… part of the “health test”??
February 10, 2011 by The Traveler · 1 Comment
I decided to take my travels a like further back in time and to a place that always intrigued me. Through letters from Boston and Philadelphia, The London Gazette dated February 12, 1711 reported on a vessel that had been shattered from Rio de Janeiro. The French had landed and were being beaten off with the reinforcement of eight thousand men from the mines… the French retreated.
In my readings, I see numerous “An Act..” within newspapers, but found this one quite unusual. “An Act to enable John Lord Gower, Baron of Stitnham, an Infant, to make a Settlement upon his Marriage.” I wonder what the terms of the settlement were??
Last, the back page had an announcement about “The Corporation of the Amicable Society for the Perpetual Assurance-Office” for the Affidavit of the Health. The way the announcement read, this may have been part of the qualification testing… if you understood it all, then you were in good (mental) health.
~The Traveler