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The Traveler… first land, now from the sea… just skating by…
January 27, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I decided to travel to the 20th century and found The Atlanta Constitution dated January 27, 1911. In this issue was coverage of the first American seaplane. This marvelous feat took place in San Diego and was flown by Glenn Curtiss, landing it lightly on the water in front of the hanger-on shore.
Another article of “transportation” that made big front page news was “Skaters, Beware! How About Autos?” which featured a large cartoon illustration. It seems that side-walk skating by the children in Atlanta was against the law and the police had been threatening to arrest them. The children took matters into their hands, writing to the Mayor expressing their concerns on the terrible auto driving that was occurring but nothing being done about it. The Mayor was introducing a revision to the ordinance so that the children could skate again. Look what happens when youth put their minds to it!
~The Traveler
The Traveler… the wanderer…
January 13, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today’s journey has landed me in the Connecticut Mirror, dated January 14, 1811, with discussion on West-Florida and a bill before Congress pertaining to the welfare of seamen. The front page of the issue carries important documents between the United States and France, with a message to the House of Representatives signed in type: JAMES MADISON.
There is also an intriguing advertisement, “A Female Wanderer” (see below), which is of a young lady who came into a village about three months prior and was “of mental derangement”. She since has recalled her name (Mary Stevens) and those of her family and past information… but could not recall how she arrived at the village. This ad was being published in hopes “that her friends will lose no time in relieving those individuals, who are protecting and supporting her.”
~ The Traveler
The Traveler… greetings… and something to chew on…
December 30, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
As this year draws to an end, I traveled back 100 years to December 31, 1910. The Christian Science Monitor that day contained a variety of articles on the front page from aeroplane flights records being broken to Chicago having a record in new buildings to the fall off in Alaska gold production to the discovery of a new star! A nice automobile ad is also present.
However the article that intrigued me most was of “Taft Greeting to Army and Navy.” It had been a New Year’s custom for the officers stationed in Washington to call on
the President as commander-in-chief, however there would be change this year. President Taft had arranged to have telegrams or cablegrams sent to every navy yard, naval station, army post, fleet or detached vessel he could reach. The message was brief, but was a Presidential greeting sent around the world.
As you are celebrating New Year’s with your pork and sauerkraut, consider the additional article I found in this issue, “Alfalfa As Food Served Guests” where the entire meal and beverages consisted of alfalfa, including the toothpicks being made from the alfalfa straw…
Wishing a blessed New Year to you and yours.
~The Traveler
The Traveler… West Florida and fencing…
December 16, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This weeks travels brought me to the Connecticut Mirror dated December 17, 1810 where I found the second page to contain numerous articles pertaining to the independence of West Florida. Included is President James Madison’s message including the proclamation in which a portion states “Now be it known, that I, JAMES MADISON, President of the United States of America in pursuance of these weighty and urgent considerations, have deemed it right and requisite, that possession should be taken of the said territory, in the name and behalf of the U. States…” Letters from both the Florida and West Florida’s are in this issue as well.
This issue carries numerous advertisements – one being illustrated. It is an unusual one of a Fencing Exhibition being held by Mr. P. Thomas with an admission price of 37-1/2 cents!
~The Traveler
The Traveler… up the canal… ready to sign on the dotted line…
December 2, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
It is so hard to believe that I am now traveling into the journals for December already. I found The Christian Science Monitor of December 2, 1910 to be very interesting, but I’ll highlight only two articles. The front page reports the sailing of the first vessel up the Panama Canal. This was a three-masted steam 17-foot yacht, Visitor II, owned by Commodore W. Harry Brown of Pittsburgh, which sailed to the Gatun lock and returned.
The other article is found on the sports page, “Soon to Sign Contracts for New N.Y. Stadium”. This was to be a $500,000 stadium which President Frank J. Farrell of the New York Americans plans to build at Kingsbridge. After doing quite a bit of internet researching, it isn’t quite certain if this may have been a stadium that existed prior to the earlier Yankee Stadium or not. It is noted that Mr. Farrell and William S. Devery were the first owners of the New York Highlanders, now the New York Yankees.
~The Traveler
The Traveler… Tolstoy and Johnstone… smile please!
November 18, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
In today’s travels, “The Call” from San Francisco dated November 18, 1910, carried articles on two interesting men in history. The first is well known to most, that being Count Leo Tolstoy in which the reporting of his life was wavering with the doctors believing he was fighting his last battle. It would be only a couple more days when the papers would be reporting of his death. The other may be one that is less know, Ralph Johnstone. He became a Wright Brothers exhibition pilot, set flight altitude records and the first pilot of the Wright team to die. Johnstone fell 500 feet to his death during a flight in Denver which is reported in this issue.
I also found that the Post Office was facing problems at that time as well. Be careful of how much time you spend at the post office as you just may be asked to say “cheese”!
~The Traveler
The Traveler… election time… one horse tail…
November 4, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Our elections have been over for a couple of days, however I found that not the case 100 years ago. In the November 4, 1910 issue of “The Call” from San Francisco, the governor race was heated with the report of a rally of 7,000 people. “Johnson Hurls Lie Direct in Teeth of Detractors and Lays Bare True Meaning of Battle” is one of the sub-headlines. It seems that politics has not changed…
But the deceit and lies does not stop in the political arena. A man traded a mule under the guise of a “shaved tail” horse. Afterward he began to laugh about it, to the point he could not stop laughing. This continued for hours to which a physician was called in. Finally after 12 hours of laughing, they resorted to electric shock therapy which did stop the laughter. This may truly be a case of who really got the last laugh in this deal!! ~The Traveler
The Traveler… coffins… do they really have an expiration?
October 21, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Take me out to the ballgame… It’s the reporting for Game Three of the World Series between the Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago Cubs in the October 21, 1910 issue of The Allentown Morning Call in which it is reported, “The Combat to-day was a slaughter with the final score Philadelphia 12 – Cubs 5″. Just a Wikipedia tidbit of information — in 
Game 2, all nine Philadelphia players in the line-up got a hit, the first time in World Series history.
The reporting of Dr. Crippen’s murder trial is also on the front page as well. This was the first murderer caught via wireless communications.
An unrelated article caught my eye as I was quickly scanning through inside pages… “Three Years For Coffin”. It ends up being about a man with the last name of Coffin who was being sent to Leavenworth on counterfeiting charges. At a quick glance, it makes one wonder if there were was an expiration date on “coffins”. I thought they were to last an eternity. 🙂
~The Traveler
The Traveler… a hatchet and… a slap in the face…
October 9, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week I ventured off the date just a bit, but staying within the current week. I began reading through the October 3, 1810 issue of Thomas’s Massachusetts Spy, or Worcester Gazette when a lengthy front page article entitled “An Island of Savage Cannibals” caught my eye. This was from The Fejee Islands, and after reading the article, I have decided that this would definitely not have been on my vacation agenda! For some reason, a part of ransom requested by these people was twelve hatchets??!!
Inside the issue was a small article entitled “Real Bravery” which read “Little Algiers has declared war against France. The independent States of America dare not.“ Now, talk about a slap in the face…
~ The Traveler
The Traveler… can’t you just go outside and play???
September 23, 2010 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week bring us to the reporting of the gubernatorial nomination for New Jersey. The front page of the September 23, 1910 issue of The Christian Science Monitor has the headline of “Believe Wilson May Have Career Like Cleveland” “Gubernatorial Victory in New Jersey for Princeton Man, It Is Said, May Lead to Presidency”. Do you think that they were possibly setting his next goals for him before he even got this one accomplished?
Also on the front page of this issue was a picture of a bi-plane and a young man standing beside it with a simple headline “Fitchburg Has Its First Aeroplane”. This intrigued me to read on, only to find that this a bit more unusual in more ways than one. “Fitchburg’s first aeroplane has been built and its wings tested in several short glides, according to its inventor, Edward W. Macy, 17-year-old… who had labored in secret on his free glider since early in February. The youthful inventory recently took the machine apart for the purpose of perfecting one or two points that the trials had brought to his attention…” It was noted that he was also intended to equip it with a motor. So, when your children get very quiet… watch out, you may not believe what they may be up to!!!
~The Traveler