USA > Rhode Island > Bristol County > Bristol > Sketches of old Bristol > Part 25
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St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York" the late J. P. Renwick) for a long enough time to "become a resident". Everyone realized that it was a form of cheating-but a legal form, and many think "if it's legal that makes it all right".
Old timers told me that I missed Uncle Tom's very best ora- tion. That was given when they voted to build the Byfield School -and he called upon "Heaven, Hell, and the dark blue sea" to witness the offence. He had "been a scholar in the Old Academy; and if it was good enough for him and all his boyhood friends, etc." Remember "the Academy"? It used to stand on the Com- mon just north of the Byfield, a two story frame structure with a cupola atop it. I think that I remember it was moved elsewhere for dwellings. The cupola became a "summer house" on the front lawn of the residence of the late Bishop M. A. DeW. Howe on "the Back Road" as it was then called.
HON. JONATHAN RUSSELL BULLOCK, 1815-1899
HON. JONATHAN RUSSELL BULLOCK, one of Bristol's most prominent sons, died at his residence on High street May 7, 1899, at the age of 83 years and 8 months.
Judge Bullock was born in this town September 6, 1815. He was the son of Nathaniel and Ruth (Smith) Bullock. He entered Brown University when he was 15 years of age and graduated when he was 19. He then entered upon the study of the law in the office of his father and was admitted to the bar at Newport two years later. Soon after this he removed to Illinois and settled at Alton, where he commenced and continued the practice of his profession until the year 1834. That year he returned to Rhode Island and associated himself in practice with Hon. Joseph M. Blake, later Attorney General of the State. In April, 1844, he was elected representative to the General Assembly from Bristol and again in 1845, 1846 and 1853. In May, 1849, he was ap-
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pointed by President Zachary Taylor, collector of customs for the district of Bristol and Warren and upon the death of President Taylor was reappointed by President Fillmore. This office he resigned March 4, 1853, the day of the accession of Franklin Pearce to the presidency. In April, 1859, he was elected to the State Senate and in April, 1860, chosen lieutenant governor. In December, 1861, he was appointed by the governor special commissioner to adjust the account between Rhode Island and the United States growing out of the expenses incurred by the State in raising and forwarding troops to suppress the Rebellion. In September, 1862, he was chosen an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island. He remained upon the bench of the Supreme Court until March, 1864, when he was appointed by President Lincoln judge of the United States District Court for the district of Rhode Island. In September, 1869, he re- signed this office and thereafter remained in private life.
Judge Bullock was one of the most able and astute attorneys in this State. His soundness of judgment, together with a thorough knowledge of the law, was long ago recognized by the most prominent members of the legal profession in this and other States. He came of New England ancestry, his forefathers hav- ing taken active, and some of them prominent part in the struggle of the Revolution. At one time he was in business in the west with the late Horace M. Barns. He had a number of fine resi- dences constructed in Bristol years ago, including the Renwick cottage on Ferry Road, the house now occupied by the Misses Wyatt on State street, the Barns homestead on Hope street, and the fine house at the corner of High and Walley streets, where he resided. The latter was built in the year 1879.
Judge Bullock was one of the oldest members of the Rhode Island Bar. Probably no one was more familiar with Rhode Island history than Judge Bullock and he was regarded as one of the best authorities on the history of his native town. He was author of several works of history and geography.
The father of Judge Bullock years ago was a prominent attor- ney in this town. He represented Bristol in the General Assembly
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for many years and was United States collector of customs for this district when Bristol was a thriving seaport.
Judge Bullock in his early days was a Whig; later he was a Republican. When in good health he attended our town meet- ings, taking an active part. About 20 years ago he served for some time as a vestryman of Trinity church in this town. In 1840, he married Susan Amelia, daughter of Prof. John and Sylvia (Griswold) D'Wolf; she died in 1866. In 1868 he mar- ried Miss Emma Wescott of West Roxbury, Mass.
BURNING OF THE EMPIRE STATE
THE steamer Empire State which was lying at the Bristol Rail- road Co.'s wharf was discovered to be on fire a few minutes after I o'clock Saturday morning, May 14, 1887. A general alarm was sounded and the fire department was soon after at the scene. The flames spread rapidly along the entire length of the vessel and the bright blaze lighted up the harbor and town as it never before had been at night. The flames reached the long car house which stands on the wharf, scorching it badly, but fortunately the steamer's hawsers burned off and the burning vessel drifted from the landing, her stern bringing up against the old pier which was formerly used by the New York steamers, where she burned to the water's edge. The firemen then continued their labors to saving the car house and other property nearby, the damage was not very great. The two ship-keepers that were on board had a narrow escape. They were asleep in staterooms aft and were nearly stifled with smoke on waking up. Each grabbed his clothes and went down the steamer's side into a yawl and from thence to the landing where they hastily attired themselves and gave the alarm. The steamer was insured for about $40,000, distributed among several companies.
That early morning so many years ago a little girl of seven, wrapped in an old grey shawl with red stripes and held in her father's arms, witnessed with terror the roaring flames as they
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shot up into the black heavens above and turned night into day for miles around. "I was terrified and burrowed my face into my father's shoulder to shut out the awful sight. It was one of the most vivid memories of my childhood; I shall always remember the intense light and the roar of the flames. For a long time after, several years if I remember correctly, the shore was strewn with wreckage. We children used to go over on the shores of Poppasquash and play on the timbers, all of them charred, that lay for an incredible length of time on the beach before the tide finally carried them seaward."
THE BRISTOL PHOENIX-A HISTORY
I HAVE before me a brief historical account of the press in Bristol, written by Bennett J. Munro, who was the editor and publisher of the Bristol Gazette back in the year 1833. The old editor, born in the year 1809, died in 1888. His long life covered a period of the town when it was a flourishing seaport. Mr. Munro was always interested in the early affairs and history of Bristol; the many accounts of its early days and the old inhab- itants appearing in the Phenix years back were from his pen.
Mr. George L. Millard, of this town, a grandson of the old scribe, has in his possession many papers and notes belonging to his grandsire who for years was the local correspondent of the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin. This account, written in 1878 about the early press of Bristol, is not only a matter of history but is also of interest.
"The first newspaper printed and published in Bristol was started January 3rd, 1807, entitled The Mount Hope Eagle. It was printed by the late Golden Dearth; the late David A. Leon- ard was editor. Mr. Leonard at that time was the postmaster of Bristol. The Eagle survived but one year. The printing office was located in a building which stood on the very site of the office of the Bristol Phoenix.
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"The Bristol Gazette was started in September, 1833, by Bennett J. Munro as editor and publisher, and the late William H. S. Bayley as printer. In the January following Mr. Bayley purchased the establishment and became editor and publisher. The Gazette was published for four years and was then dis- continued.
"After a lapse of two weeks the Bristol Phoenix was published from the same printing office by Mr. Bayley, who continued its publication until his decease in March, 1862. After his death, the establishment was purchased by Chas. A. Greene, who is the present proprietor.
"The Phoenix is issued every Saturday morning; is a thirty- two column paper, always contains an interesting story, good miscellaneous selections, general intelligence and full reports of local news. In January, 1878, the Phoenix entered upon its 42d volume.
"In May, 1840, a small newspaper entitled The Bristol Eagle was published by Mr. Greene, the present editor of the Phoenix and F. E. Rutherford. The Eagle was published for one year only."
BRISTOL GAZETTE
Open to all - Influenced by none
Vol. I Bristol, R. I. Saturday Morning, Sept. 14, 1833 No. I
B. J. Munro, Proprietor W. H. S. Bayley, Printer Is published every Saturday morning on State Street opposite Horton's Hotel.
Right smack on the front page of this initial number is a long article about-guess what-the Intellectual Capacity of Fe- males. And right below it is this little gem:
"Matrimony-Choosing a wife is like dip- ping into a barrel filled with 100 snakes and one eel-ninety-nine to one you pull out the eel."
The first number of the Bristol Gazette, Vol. I-No. I, came out on Sept. 14, 1833, published every Saturday morning on State street opposite Horton's Hotel. Terms $2.00 per year. Single paper six cents each, to be had at the office.
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Nov. 23, 1833, Vol. I-No. II, the plant was removed to Hope street, 2d door south of Post-Office. Jan. 1I, 1834, Vol. 1-No. 18, the paper changed ownership, Mr. Bayley be- came Editor and Proprietor. Oct. 10, 1835, the plant was re- moved to the 2d story of the brick building on Thames street. This was the three-story Bank Building on the west side of the street. "Thames street, 2d door north of the market" was the new location as it appeared in the paper. Sept. 6, 1834, the name was changed to Gazette & Companion. The editor had been down to Boston and picked up some progressive ideas and also a lot of new supplies, all of which he felt would go far towards improving the sheet. This is the heading of Sept. 2, 1837-
"Vol. IV-No. 52 and the Last."
The editor had struggled along for four years, the subscribers had been remiss in their payments, those who used the column for advertising their wares were likewise in the arrears, and what was worse, folks were passing their copies along, making one copy do the work of two, three, or perhaps four-and thereby depriv- ing the sheet of one of its chief sources of income.
An old account of those days has this to say about the local paper and its struggle for existence at that time:
"It was then that Mr. Bayley gave up the book-printing portion of his business (at that time he was doing the printing for John Gladding & Co., book publishers, who were located on Bradford street) and as the circulation of the Gazette was not large (only 400 of the 500 families in the town were subscribers) he decided to remove from the town and was making the necessary prepara- tions to return to New York; then several of the wealthy and influential men of the town feeling the need of a local paper in the community, prevailed upon the editor to remain and start a new paper, they to guarantee its financial success.
"Our present Phoenix is the outcome of this arrangement and the editor, Mr. Bayley, remained here as long as he lived, passing on to the next world a quarter of a century later, in the year 1862.
"The men who were responsible for this were James D'Wolf, Hezekiah C. Wardwell, father of Ex-Lieut. Gov. Wm. T. C.
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and Sam'l Drury Wardwell, Jacob Babbitt, James DeWolf Perry, William R. Taylor, Nathan Warren, Henry Wardwell, J. Nelson Miller, Dr. Jabez Holmes, Crawford Easterbrooks, William B. Spooner, Allen T. and Thos. J. Usher, Francis and Philip B. Bourn, Rev. Dr. Thomas Shepard, and Prof. John D'Wolf; the two last contributed off and on to the columns of the new paper."
The first edition of the new venture came out Saturday morn- ing, Sept. 16, 1837. The name was The Phoenix. It was pub- lished at the same location as its predecessor, Thames street, 2d door north of the market. Vol. I-No. I. The next issue, Sept. 23, 1837, Vol. I-No. II, the name was changed to The Phenix. Sept. 8, 1838, it changed its location. "The office of The Phenix has been removed to the room over the store of Mr. Wm. R. Taylor, two doors north of its former location." "Thames street, 4th door north of the market" was the new location as it appeared in the paper. Sept. 23, 1843, it again moved, this time to No. 7 Bradford street. "The office of the Phenix will this day be re- moved to the building on Bradford street formerly occupied by Bourn & Church." "Bradford street, between Hope and Thames streets" was the new location as it appeared in the paper.
Sometime later this was changed to read: "Published every Saturday morning at 7 Bradford St." In 1850-"Single copies 4 cents to be had at the office." In March, 1862, the editor, Mr. Bayley, died; that year Col. Charles A. Greene purchased the plant; he continued to run the paper for a period of thirty-one years, to Oct. 14, 1893, as its manager and editor. March 25, 1865, the office and plant were moved from No. 7 Bradford St. to "No. 69 Hope St., Phenix Bldg." March 13, 1869, the name was changed back to the title as of Sept. 16, 1837-The Bristol Phoenix-
"Published every Saturday morning Office-Phoenix Bldg., Hope St. C. A. Greene, Editor and Proprietor." "Single copies 5 cents each."
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From 1865, up to the year 1893, the year Col. Greene sold the plant, the office and plant were located in the Phoenix Bldg., on Hope St .; this was the small building located in the rear of his residence.
I remember as a very young boy of my mother wrapping very securely a $2.00 bill (the large size type that was in circulation in those days; it had a picture of one of the famous Civil War gen- erals on it) and pinning it to the inside of my pocket (I must have had the habit of losing things when I was young); I was sup- posed to go up to the Phoenix office, give the money to Mr. Greene, for our subscription to his "family paper" and get a receipt (whatever that was) and be sure that I didn't lose it. That was the first and only time that I remember of setting eyes on Col. Charles A. Greene, and all that I can recall about him is that he was quite short and thick-set.
In October, 1893, the establishment was sold to the Herald Printing Co., publishers of the Pascoag Herald; they ran the paper for nearly a year at 35 Bradford street; the last issue under their management was of Saturday morning, Oct. 27, 1894. They sold the paper to the Farrally Bros., William H. and Joseph F. The new management changed it to a semi-weekly sheet. Friday, Nov. 2, 1894, the first number under their man- agement came out.
THE BRISTOL PHOENIX Semi Weekly Farrally Bros. Editors and Proprietors
In 1901, William H. Farrally, one of the proprietors, died; the surviving partner, Joseph F. Farrally, took over the business and continued as editor and proprietor up to the time of his death in 1927. For a while the business was continued under the man- agement of William H. Bradford as Business Manager, there being no editor at that period.
In 1928, the present efficient editor, Roswell S. Bosworth, a graduate of Brown University, started as reporter for the paper;
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and a year later, 1929, became its editor. January 2, 1930, the enterprise was incorporated under the name of the Bristol Phoe- nix Publishing Co. and Mr. Bosworth became its editor and manager.
During its one hundred and five years of service the location of its plant and office has changed many times. These several changes of location have been carefully followed through and checked up to the time Col. Greene acquired the paper in 1862.
When Farrally Bros. bought the paper in 1894, the plant was located at No. 5 Bradford St .; May 2, 1905, they moved to new quarters at 547 Hope street, in the building next north of the Hasbrouck Block, formerly occupied by the old Boston Store. They stayed there 18 years, until Sept. 28, 1923, when they moved back to Bradford street. "The new location at No. I Bradford St. is next door to the building where the Phoenix was started in 1837." This is where it is located today (1942).
In the year 1895 there appeared in the columns of the Phoenix a very interesting sketch of an old-time printer, who years ago was employed in the office of the old Gazette. He has left for us some very valuable information concerning those old days and the early paper.
"Mr. Noel A. Tripp, the oldest printer and compositor in Fall River, who celebrated his 87th birthday recently, was in the years 1835-36, employed as type-setter in the office of the old Gazette. In later years he often visited Bristol, and was always a welcome visitor at the office as well as the fireside of his former employer, Hon. Wm. H. S. Bayley, who had purchased the Gazette of Bennett J. Munro, who started the paper.
Mr. Munro was a gentleman of high literary attainments, and during his lifetime held many public offices in the town. For years he was a regular and valuable contributor to the columns of his old paper; the many shipping reports and custom house clearances, of which there were a large number in those days, were all gathered by him. Mr. Munro was for many years the Bristol correspondent of the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin.
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Bristol at that time, 1835-36, was in her commercial glory, the wharves were piled high with merchandise from every clime, and thousands of barrels of oil were brought in by her whaling fleet. The office of publication was then in the three-story brick building at the head of Paull's wharf on Thames street, the entire two upper stories being leased for the purpose, the proprietor, Mr. Bayley, residing in the third story. In the lower part, the commercial office of Capt. James D'Wolf was situated, on the south side; the late Gov. Byron Diman being his office and busi- ness manager at the time. The Bank of Bristol of which Capt. D'Wolf was president had its quarters on the north side."
Concerning the location of the Phenix plant in the year 1838 -"over the store of Mr. Wm. R. Taylor"-this is the old build- ing next north of the Seth Paull Co.'s coal office, now connected with the office and used as a salesroom.
And now before closing, a word as to how our local and valu- able sheet gots its name.
Rev. Harry Howe Bogert, a former Bristolian, now of Hunt- ington, N. Y., sometime ago wrote me as follows: "You may be interested to know that it was my grandfather, George Howe, who gave the name 'Phoenix' to the successor of the Bristol Gazette."
Webster has the following to say: "Phenix, written also Phoenix-(Greek mythology) a bird fabled to exist single, and to rise again from its ashes, and hence used as an emblem of im- mortality."
Many years ago an old-time newspaper man* wrote a very in- teresting account of the early days of the Phenix. The times he wrote of were just about 100 years ago, 1842.
"I have a tolerably distinct recollection of the Phenix as it appeared in its early years, more than a half century ago. I re- member, too, its founder and publisher, Hon. W. H. S. Bayley- tall and spare of frame, grave of countenance, remarkably delib- erate in speech, and, withal, one of the kindest of men. The
*Geo. H. Coomer.
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sheet was somewhat smaller than at present; for, where other local papers had failed, the prospect was uncertain at best, so that the garment had to be cut according to the cloth. The publisher pulled the old fashioned press-for the 'outside' on Mondays, and for the 'inside' on Fridays, and set types the rest of the week.
"On Bristol Neck, where our family lived at the time, almost every household subscribed for the new paper; and on Saturday mornings the fresh, damp sheets would be left, one after another, at the various farmhouse gates, by the driver of one of those quaint old stages that plied between Bristol and Providence. And that weekly printed visitor was of vast consequence to us then! I remember how the stageman would rise up in his seat to toss it out to us, and how we children would run to pick it up and hurry with it into the house. It was like being the first to secure a freshly laid goose egg all warm from the nest! Then it would be opened and read, and read, and read-editorials, locals, deaths and marriages, ship news, advertisements and all.
"The young people of to-day cannot realize the importance then attached to a village newspaper. It was through this, almost wholly, that the general reader obtained his news of the week. There were no morning or evening dailies sold about town as at present. Copies of the Providence Journal were to be found at the several banks, and at the Phenix office, but elsewhere the specimens were rare indeed. So the local paper was the paper of the people.
"It would appear strange to-day, upon taking up a country paper to see in it three or four columns of Congress news, perhaps a fortnight old, set in 'solid' type, and giving all the details, just as they occurred, of some stale and tedious debate. But fifty years ago such matter occupied a large portion of every weekly sheet. Now it is summed up in a dozen lines-and quite often this is more than any one cares to read.
"Most of the news items in the Bristol and Warren papers were credited, 'Providence Jour-' for the Journal was an indispen- sable 'exchange', and they would hardly have known how to go
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on without it. At this day such items are read by every one long before the weekly paper can get hold of them, and thus its de- pendence must be wholly upon local matter-a kind of matter of which the old-time publishers made very little use.
"The Phenix gave the standing time tables of the old stage coaches, driven by John Chadwick and Nathan Warren, set off with cuts of those rocking, lumbering vehicles and their prancing four-horse teams; which seemed to be getting along a great deal faster on paper than they could possibly do on the ill-kept roads of that slow-going period. And as we youngsters looked at the pictures, we could imagine the stageman throwing out the damp weekly sheet at our gate, and ourselves running to pick up.
"There also figured the advertisement and cut of that small, old-time steamer, the King Phillip, that came daily puffing and paddling through the ferry and up into the harbor, on her route between Fall River and Providence-seeming to us as if she were the only steamboat in the whole world. She was, in fact, the only one which we had ever seen close at hand.
"The ship news was an important feature of that early Phenix- especially to those of us who had friends at sea or who intended to go there ourselves as soon as our young growth would permit. There were merchantmen reported that had taken onions and potatoes and hoop-poles from the bustling Bristol wharves; and there was announced the whereabouts of the whalemen when last spoken. There would be a long string of New Bedford and Nantucket 'blubber hunters,' as reported by some late arrival; while, here and there, in the solid lines of small type, would ap- pear the name of some Bristol ship, always set in full capitals, that it might the more readily catch the eyes of those interested in her.
"And so the Phenix often brought glad tidings to some wait- ing, anxious household, that had, perhaps, a bright boy on the Corinthian or in the forecastle of the old General Jackson.
"I have no copy of the paper before me of so early a date; but had I one, I should feel, while looking over it, as if I had entered the gateway of a cemetery. Oh, the names that then were living
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names, which are now only memories! How few of the old cor- respondents, the old advertisers, or, in fact, of the old readers, would to-day answer to the roll call! How unspeakably melan- choly are the advertising columns of an old newspaper of two generations ago-once bright with fresh ink and overflowing with fresh hope!
"Since then, under the excellent management of Colonel Greene, the dear old Phenix has gone bravely on, keeping pace with the changes of the times, as a faithful chronicler of local events. Think of a town without its newspaper! A body without a tongue? No matter how many metropolitan dailies or how ex- cellent, the local paper must always remain a necessity that can- not be put aside."
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