125 YEARS AGO

The News and Free Press

April 24, 1885

To Our Readers: We thank the public of Mackinac and adjoining counties for the liberal and generous patronage extended to the News since its first appearance; and take this opportunity of informing our friends and subscribers, that with last issue we changed our name, and desire to be in future known as The News and Free Press. In this connection we beg leave to state, that we endorse the present Democratic administration, both here and at Washington. We wish it distinctly understood, that although pledging our adherence to Democratic principles, we nevertheless remain free and untrammeled, and possess exclusive control of the paper; being answerable to no one for the opinions expressed or the views promulgated. We seek to serve the public as a distributor of news, and a chronicler of passing events, and in such capacity shall faithfully expose officials, who prove recreant to their trusts or disregard their obligations. We shall therefore endeavor to expose political turpitude under whatever form it lurks; under whatever disguise it seeks to conceal itself, or under whatever party name it tries to elude the public gaze. Having by a strict and conscientious regard to the wants of the public, and by having the welfare of the community irrespective of party at heart, taken our position as the acknowledged leading newspaper of Mackinac County, it is our desire that no act of ours, shall alienate the respect and confidence which the citizens of St. Ignace have been kind enough to repose in us in the past. The gratifying evidences of recognition bestowed on us recently, are merely a result of the inexorable law of “the survival of the fittest.”

Again, it is a well-known fact that Republican editors injure the cause which they espouse, by ridiculous exaggeration of the merits of their party; and by wholesale denunciation of their opponents for the slightest variation from the paths of rectitude. In a blind mistaken zeal, which they consider necessary for the support of their cause, arrogance, untruthfulness and vituperation play a prominent part.

All sensible Republicans are willing to admit, what nobody has the temerity to deny, viz: That the major part of the virtue and honor of their party is buried in the mossgrown sepulchres of Lincoln, Sumner and Seward, and to institute a comparison between the former and Brady, Dorsey and Elkins, would be a grim burlesque on political morality and time-honored statesmanship.

Everybody acknowledges that the press is a power for either good or evil. It promotes good by disseminating religious ideas, by championing virtue and by being inimical to immorality; it encourages evil by pandering to the vitiated tastes of the public, by winking at licentiousness and official corruption, and by lending its columns to eastern swindlers, who grow fat on the credulity of their country cousins.

We assure the public that we propose to follow the plain path of duty marked out for us, and that it behooves officials of all grades, from the county treasurer to the ward constable, to walk in paths that are straight and to first seek the welfare of the public, before bestowing too much attention to their own interests. As a natural consequence of the position which we assume, every grievance of a public nature, in which the people at large are interested will be received for insertion, provided that it is not made a vehicle for the gratification of private malice or personal vindictiveness.

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It is reported that all the bridges between here and Sault Ste. Marie are washed away.

The railway track between here and Marquette is said to be covered with water in several places.

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Lou Ryerse took the mail to Naubinway on Tuesday last, in place of George Smalley. He reports the roads in a dreadful condition, but says it is splendid traveling on the ice.

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The road between the furnace side track and Frank Hulbert's residence, is impassable, owing to its being flooded with four feet of water, covering an area of about five acres. This trouble occurs every spring, and we think that it is high time the authorities took the matter in hand and did something towards remedying it. People in the vicinity have to use rafts to enable them to get out of their homes.

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From Newberry: All snow is nearly all gone and bare ground again visible, much to the satisfaction of all.

All our merchants are watching and waiting patiently for the Algomah to transfer their merchandise across the straits, as they are running short of goods.

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From Grand Marais: Nester & Sullivan broke camp last week. They have put in from 85 to 90 thousand feet of square timber of excellent quality, for boom purposes.

The Morley is in fair condition. A wrecking crew of seven men arrived yesterday, who brought a rotary pump from Marquette. They will commence pumping ad taking wheat out to-morrow.

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From Naubinway: Garfield has only 42 officers, and still they growl about the expense of running the township. They appoint the officers and then step back and fund fault. Verily, verily.

The Black River shingle mill is now running full blast. “Bob” Tait is in charge.

The Black River saw mill will start up next Monday.

•••

J. J. Nunn and Charles Connor started for the Cheneaux over the ice on Monday. After walking about three miles they turned back, meeting with too much slush.

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A large flock of wild geese alighted on the ice near the oar dock last Tuesday evening. They were disturbed by shots from revolvers and flew away north.

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From Dollarville: The “City of Tahquamenon” is to start as soon as the ice in the river breaks up. She is chartered to tow logs. Her capacity for such a job is great, having lately been thoroughly repaired by our efficient engineer, John Robinson.

125 YEARS AGO

The News and Free Press

April 28, 1885

Brown's hall is to be converted into a roller skating rink at once. A new hardwood floor is to be laid and all other necessary improvements made to make it a first-class one.

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The captain and men of the schooner Harvey Bissel, that went ashore near Marquette last fall, passed through here yesterday morning, accompanied by divers and paraphernalia for raiser her.

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A car-load of dynamite passed through this city yesterday for Ishpeming. Too late to get frightened now.

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Subscribe to the News and Free Press. Issued every Tuesday and Friday; subscription price, $2.00 a year.

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The tug Charles West had steam up yesterday and was apparently trying to get out, but didn't make it.

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From Newberry: Our village fathers have been to work pretty much every night this week arranging by-laws and ordinances. G. A. Cady, of St. Ignace, acted as village Attorney. Already a batch of their labors are posted in the different public places and are to take immediate effect.

••• From Newberry: The lumbermen have all gone back to the woods to open the drives. Wages for this hard labor is lower this season than ever before, being only $1.50 to $1.60 per day. This is poor compensation for such dangerous and laborious work.

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About 60 ore cars loaded with gravel were sent up the line yesterday morning to be used in raising the track and filling in wash-outs, caused by the spring freshets.

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A new mail route will soon be opened to Manistique, a daily stage and mail being run from Reedsboro, on the D. M. & M.

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Prof. I. N. Collins, principal second ward school, was arraigned before Justice Cadieux on Saturday, charged with assault and battery on Arthur Warren. The trouble occurred in school. Mr. Collins was honorably acquitted.

80 YEARS AGO

The St. Ignace Enterprise

April 24, 1930

The many friends and relatives of Capt. John McCann of St. James were shocked at the news of his death on Monday.

Capt. McCann has not enjoyed good health for some time and had been warned by his physicians to be discreet. He was a man of energy and his temperament could not be held down. He ventured out of Charlevoix with his tug Venus, the first of the fishing fleet to leave port, battling his way to the Beavers. The extra work and exertion proved too strenuous for him in his poor health with serious results. The Capt. Passed away with apoplexy Sunday.

Numbered among relatives here are Mrs. J. F. Darby and the Murray families.

•••

The Arnold Line steamers are now operating between St. Ignace, Mackinac Island and the Snows on schedule.

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Tourists crossing the straits of Mackinac this summer will be warned against carelessness with fire on days when the forest fire hazard is bad in either the lower or upper peninsula.

Small tags will be attached to the steering wheel of all cars crossing on the ferries on such days bearing the warning “An extreme forest fire hazard exists today. Be careful with your burning tobacco and your campfire.

The tags will be printed in colors in the form of a torch of fire shooting upward through the green crown of a tree and it is believed by the state conservation department which is sponsoring the idea, that in addition to carrying a warning of special fire hazards the tags also will do much to arouse interest among tourists in forest fire prevention.

•••

An honest confession is good for what ails you, and the Republican-News evidently has come to such a conclusion. In its current issue the News in a column screed frankly acknowledges that as a political organ, it is a failure, a fact that the general public became acutely aware of long ago. It says that the dock question was not an issue and that it did its darnedest to bring about the success of the Republican ticket, which was defeated by the Democrats, a party that is largely in the minority in the city.

The Enterprise commends our contemporary for its frank acknowledgment of its impotency.

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The reconstruction of the Mackinaw City ferry dock and the building of the new dock on the St. Ignace side will be completed during the present season, according to Grover C. Dillman, State Highway commissioner. The Mackinaw City dock is to be extended 250 feet. It will terminate in a fan shape structure which will accommodate three ferries at once, one at each side and one at the end.

The St. Ignace dock, to be built on the “old furnace” site, about a mile and a half nearer Mackinaw City than the present dock, will accommodate two ferries at one time, an angle in the dock will enable it to form its own harbor. Tentative plans call for a timber cribbing fitted with rocks and concrete decks. The docks on both sides will be of double deck construction, allowing the loading of the upper and lower ferry docks simultaneously.

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A temporary, experimental fish hatchery has been erected on the Days River near the US-2 highway bridge, in an attempt to propagate wall eyed pike, commonly called dory. Previous eggs have been sent to the state hatchery at Thompson for hatching, but the belief that a hardier fry will be obtained by hatching in native water prompted the experiment. The fish battery consisting of 48 four quart jars arranged on double shelves with trays and tubes beneath, are housed in a tent. An electric motorized pump furnishes the continual supply of water necessary for propagation. Each jar is equipped with a spout and as the eggs hatch the fry overflow into the trays.

•••

A notice of the Board of Education appears in this issue calling a meeting of the qualified electors at the city hall May 8th for the purpose of voting on the bonding of the city for the sum of $35,000 for erecting and furnishing a new school building. The board has estimated the cost of the building at $45,000.

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Mr. and Mrs. George Davis (Darlene Hagen) reached home Saturday after a two week's honeymoon spent in the east.

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Since the nineties it has been the custom for the successful candidate for mayor following the spring election to entertain the Thirdwarders with a supper and dancing, a custom that still prevails. The affair this spring was held at the home of Mr. And Mrs. Archie Paquin and was most enjoyable to the large number attending. Mayor Mulcrone did the honors and short talks were made by P. M. Brown and Mr. Paquin. Music was furnished by Messrs. Eli and Frank LaJoice.

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Judge and Mrs. David W. Murray are entertaining Mr. James Dennany of Kalamazoo, whose marriage to Miss Loretta Murray will be an event of early summer.

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Alfred Trombley left for Cheboygan where he has a position on the state ferry, St. Ignace.

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Here's a puzzle that puzzles: Take the number of your living brothers, double the amount, add to it three, multiply by five, add to it the number of living sisters, multiply the result by ten, add the number of deaths of brothers and sisters, and subtract 150 from the result. The right hand number will be the number of deaths, the middle number will be the number of living sisters, and the left hand number the number of living brothers. Try it.

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Mackinac county marriages during 1929 shows a decrease from the preceding year. The number in 1928 was 78 and in 1926 29. There was an increase in the number of divorces granted, the noose being taken off 10 in 1928 and 20 in 1929.

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From Mackinac Island: The Temple Theatre was opened Sunday night for the first show since last fall.

The steamer Elva made her initial trip to Cheboygan Saturday. On the passenger list were Robert and Alex Gillespie and Charles LaComb.

The steamer Fred W. Green came into the Arnold dock on Sunday evening for the purpose of coaling.

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Capt. Walter G. Marshall, lighthouse keeper for more than 40 years prior to his retirement in 1919, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. H. W. Meyers, Grosse Pointe Farms, Wednesday morning, following a two days illness with pneumonia. Capt. Marshall was 81 years old. He was born on Mackinac island, May 16, 1849.

Capt. Marshall was one of five brothers who found their way into lighthouse service. His father, an officer of the United States Army, was in charge of the island for some time and one of his brothers was keeper for many years, of the mackinaw City light. When he was 16, Walter ran away to become a sailor on the Great Lakes. After spending seven years before the mast, Capt. Marshall entered the United States Lighthouse Service in 1872, serving at first on a tender. It was on this ship that he helped to haul the stone of which Spectacle Reef Light was built, 24 miles from Mackinac. In 1882 he became third assistant keeper there. He was keeper at Detour from 1888 to 1898. During his service a the latter station he was forced to spend 87 hours without relief, firing a furnace so that the foghorn might not cease blowing all that time.

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The fire department was called to the home of James F. Keightly, Church Street, Tuesday forenoon, but a fire which had caught in the roof. The damage was confined to a small hole which it was necessary to cut through the roof and which would have been much greater had it not been covered with asbestos shingles.