The Bay State Monthly, Vol. II, No. 6, March, 1885 by Various

V >> Various >> The Bay State Monthly, Vol. II, No. 6, March, 1885

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But Fitchburg is beautiful as well as busy. Handsome churches, business
blocks, public buildings and private residences greet the eyes of
strangers in our streets.

[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF CHARLES T. CROCKER.]

There are eleven churches in town. The First Parish (Unitarian) Church
is the oldest. The present edifice is a plain and substantial brick
structure at the head of the upper common, and was built in 1837. In
1883 the interior was entirely remodeled and stained windows put in,
thus making a handsome auditorium. Rev. W.H. Pierson is pastor of this
society.

The First Methodist Church is on Main street, opposite the lower end of
the upper common, and was built in 1840. Rev. W.J. Pomfret is pastor.

The First Universalist Church stands on the corner of Main and Rollstone
streets, and was built in 1847. Rev. F.O. Hall is pastor. This society
proposes to erect a new church, further down town, before long.

On the opposite corner is the Calvinistic Congregational Church, built
in 1844. Rev. S.L. Blake, D.D., is pastor. In connection with this
Church is a handsome and commodious chapel.

Further down Main street, opposite the Post-office, is the First Baptist
Church, a large and imposing structure, built in 1854. Rev. I.R.
Wheelock is pastor.

A little further down, and on the opposite side of the street, is Christ
Church (Episcopal). This is built of granite and has a very attractive
appearance both within and without. The society has no settled rector at
present.

Towards the lower end of Main street is situated the Rollstone
Congregational Church, a fine brick and stone structure, built in 1869.
In connection with it is a handsome chapel, the gift of the late Deacon
David Boutelle and named after the donor. The Second Advent Chapel is on
the corner of North and Cherry streets; no pastor is at present settled.

[Illustration: MILLS OF THE FITCHBURG PAPER COMPANY.]

[Illustration: THE WALLACE LIBRARY AND ART BUILDING.]

The St. Bernard's Church (Catholic) is a costly and handsome brick and
stone edifice on Water street. Rev. P.J. Garrigan is pastor, and Rev.
D.F. Feehan is assistant pastor. In 1878 a fine Catholic Chapel (Church
of the Sacred Heart) was built in West Fitchburg, and is now under the
charge of Rev. J.T. Donohoe. There is also a very pretty Methodist
Church in West Fitchburg, of which Rev. W. Wignall is pastor.

[Illustration: WHITNEY'S OPERA HOUSE BLOCK.]

The Fitchburg Savings Bank block, on Main street, up town, is the
largest and finest in the city. It was erected in 1871, and is of brick
with a handsome and costly front of fine, white-grained granite. The
ground floor is divided into four stores, which are as commodious and
well-appointed as any in Worcester County. On the second floor are the
banking-rooms of the Fitchburg National and Fitchburg Savings Banks, the
office of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and several law
offices. The two stories above are mainly occupied by the Free Masons,
whose rooms are among the finest in the State.

[Illustration: THE "SNOW MILL," RECENTLY BURNED.]

The Safety Fund National Bank has rooms in Crocker Block, a handsome
brick and stone structure further down on Main street. The Windsor Club
(social) has attractive rooms in this block.

[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF MRS. EUGENE T. MILES, BLOSSOM STREET.]

The Rollstone National Bank has rooms in the Rollstone Bank block, a
large and fine brick and sandstone structure, on the south side of Main
street, down town. The rooms of the Worcester North Savings Institution
are also in this block, and the Odd Fellows and E.V. Sumner Encampment,
Post 19, Grand Army of the Republic, have commodious apartments in the
upper portion. The Wachusett National Bank has a brick banking house on
the corner of Main and Day streets.

[Illustration: E.M. DICKINSON & CO.'S SHOE MANUFACTORY]

Whitney's Opera House block contains the only theatre in town. The stage
is of good size and well-appointed and the auditorium neat and
attractive. Good companies appear here throughout the season, and are
well patronized by citizens of Fitchburg and neighboring towns. Other
blocks worthy of mention are Belding & Dickinson's, Coggshall &
Carpenter's, Hatch's, Wixon's (not yet completed), and Stiles'--all on
Main street, and Union and Goodrich on Day street.

There are eight hotels in the city, the Fitchburg Hotel and the American
House being the two largest.

The City Hall, on Main street, nearly opposite the Savings Bank block,
is a large brick building. The entire upper story is devoted to a large
hall, called the City Hall. It is the largest in the city. There are
about a dozen other halls of various sizes in different parts of the
city. On the first floor of the City Hall are the various city offices,
rooms of the Mayor, Aldermen and Common Council. The entire rear portion
is occupied by the Public Library, containing over sixteen thousand
volumes, which will soon be removed to the new and elegant "Wallace
Library and Art Building," now in process of completion. Mr. Wallace's
generous gift to the city is fully described in another article.

[Illustration: THE L.J. BROWN BLOCK, MAIN STREET.]

[Illustration: FITCHBURG SAVINGS BANK BUILDING.]

The Post-Office occupies the lower floor of a neat and substantial brick
edifice opposite the Baptist Church. The letter-carrier system was begun
here November 1, 1884. In the upper portion of this building are rooms
occupied by the Fitchburg Board of Trade and the Park Club (social).
Just below the Post-Office is Monument Square, in the centre of which is
a handsome soldiers' monument, designed by Martin Milmore, and costing
about $25,000. It was dedicated June 26, 1874. Four brass cannon,
procured through Alvah Crocker while a Member of Congress, stand in the
enclosure. In the rear of the square is the Court House, a stone
building of noble proportions, built in 1871.

Fitchburg is located on the Hoosac Tunnel route, and hence has extensive
railroad facilities. The Fitchburg Railroad runs eleven passenger trains
to Boston every week, day and five to Greenfield and North Adams. The
Northern Division of the Old Colony Railroad terminates here and
furnishes four trains daily to Boston, and also to the principal cities
of southern Massachusetts. The Fitchburg and Worcester Division affords
ample means of communication with our sister city. The Cheshire Railroad
furnishes four trains daily to points in New Hampshire and Vermont. A
route for the proposed Fitchburg and Manchester Railroad was surveyed
last summer. The Union Passenger Depot, used by all these roads in
common, is a commodious building and an ornament to the city. Not far
from the depot is the "L.J. Brown" store, a large and handsome building
with a brown stone front, which is certainly worthy of mention, both as
a sample of the business blocks in town, and as a memorial of the late
L.J. Brown.

Fitchburg is well provided with school houses. The High School on High
street is a large and convenient building, and was erected in 1869. Mr.
R.G. Huling has been the Principal since 1875. There are three large
Grammar school buildings in the city proper, and one in West Fitchburg,
besides a dozen or more buildings occupied by lower grades in various
localities in town.

[Illustration: THE "STONE MILL."]

There are two newspapers published here. The _Fitchburg Sentinel_
occupies the entire upper portion of one of the oldest brick buildings
in town. The structure has been raised and enlarged since it was first
built. The first number of the _Sentinel_ appeared December 30, 1838,
and on May 6, 1873, the _Daily Sentinel_ began its existence. Both are
still published and enjoy a large and increasing circulation. The
_Fitchburg Tribune_ is issued weekly. This paper has been established
only a few years, but under the present proprietor is acquiring a goodly
circulation.

[Illustration: FITCHBURG SENTINEL OFFICE.]

Our city is fortunate in possessing an abundant supply of excellent
water derived from Scott, Shattuck and Falulah Brooks. Three reservoirs,
Overlook, Scott and Marshall, were constructed at the time the
water-works were first put in operation, a dozen years ago. These are
located on the high land north-west of the city. In 1883 a fourth
reservoir was constructed and named Falulah from the brook by which it
is supplied. Overlook is the largest and most elevated, being four
hundred feet above the railroad tracks. More than eighteen miles of
service pipe are now in use, and there are over two hundred fire
hydrants at various points. The city is equipped with a fire alarm
telegraph, having thirty-one signal boxes, and maintains an efficient
and well managed Fire Department. It is thus easy to understand why
Fitchburg seldom has a fire that amounts to much.

The Wachusett Electric Light Company began to light the principal
streets in the city proper in 1883, and still continues to furnish
agreeable illumination.

The Fitchburg Gas Company, organized in 1852, has works a little below
the Union Depot and is in prosperous condition.

[Illustration: THE "HANNA MILL."]

The Fitchburg Divison of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company
comprises this city, Leominster, Lunenburg and Westminster. There are
nearly four hundred subscribers.

The Fitchburg Roller Skating Rink is an institution very attractive to
the public and well patronized. There is also a skating rink in West
Fitchburg.

The Massachusetts Mutual Aid Society, an organization for life
insurance, was incorporated in 1875, and its members now number several
thousands.

The Fitchburg Co-operative Savings Fund and Loan Association was
incorporated in 1877. Monthly payments are made by share holders and
money loaned on real-estate.

The Worcester North Agricultural Society was incorporated in 1852, and
has extensive fair grounds and a trotting park in the easterly part of
the township.

The city owns two cemeteries. Laurel Hill Cemetery is large and has been
in use for at least seventy-five years. It occupies a hill overhanging
the river, and is truly a city of the dead overlooking the city of the
living. Forest Hill Cemetery is on the Mount Elam road, two miles south
of the city, and is of more recent origin. St. Bernard's Cemetery, in
the easterly part of the town, is owned by the Roman Catholics.

Fitchburg hospitality is well known, and Masonic or other organizations
are always sure of royal entertainment and a grand good time when they
visit their Fitchburg brethren.

Art, literature and music have always been cultivated here. Though there
is no organized art club in town, there are not a few artists here of
merit whose skill with crayon and brush is fully appreciated.

[Illustration: LAUREL HILL. RESIDENCE OF CHARLES MASON, ROLLSTONE
STREET.]

The Fitchburg Literary Club was organized some fifteen years ago. Its
membership has been large and its meetings interesting. Mr. R.G. Huling
is now the President of the club. Several writers of prose and verse
reside in town.

In proof of musical talent we refer with just pride to the Fitchburg
Military Band, G.A. Patz, Director. The band, under the faithful and
skillful management of the late Warren S. Russell, attained almost the
highest rank among the musical organizations of New England. Mr. Russell
was a most estimable man, of rare musical ability, and his death in
March, 1884, was a sad blow to the members of the band, and to the
citizens of Fitchburg as well. At his funeral, March 18, 1884, the
floral tributes from many musical organizations in New England, the
presence of Mr. D.W. Reeves, always a warm friend of Mr. Russell, with
the American Band of Providence, Rhode Island, whose members voluntarily
tendered their services for the occasion gratuitously; the great
concourse of citizens and the general suspension of business throughout
the city, showed better than any words the estimation in which he was
held. In April, 1884, Mr. Patz became the leader of the band. That he is
eminently qualified for the position is shown by the fact that the band
still maintains its high rank and bids fair to surpass in the future the
successes of the past. In the upper common is a very handsome
band-stand, erected by means of the generosity of certain citizens, and
down town in Railroad Park is another, not quite as ornamental. The band
gives a concert at each place nearly every week during warm weather, and
large audiences appreciate the music. Nor are we lacking in vocal
talent. Several of our residents, some of whom have perfected themselves
abroad, have acquired, or are acquiring, reputation as singers.

[Illustration: RESIDENCE OF HENRY A. GOODRICH, HIGHLAND AVENUE.]

There are many handsome residences and fine estates in and around the
city, a few of which are represented in this sketch. It is to be
regretted that the residence of Mr. George F. Fay, of Crocker, Burbank &
Co., cannot be shown. It is in process of completion, and when finished
will be the finest in the city.

Fitchburg is situated in a pleasant valley, extending nearly east and
west, through the southern portion of which runs the little river. Main
street is just north of this stream, and, in a measure, parallel to it.
This is the principal business street in the city and from either side
of it branch off streets most of which eventually climb up a hillside.
The city tends to increase along the course of the valley mainly, though
now the surrounding slopes are fast becoming covered with dwellings. The
streets (with the exception of Main) are unpaved, but are carefully
looked after by the city and always kept in good condition. Good
sidewalks, plenty of shade trees, and the general appearance of thrift
and neatness on the part of citizens, make a stroll through the streets
of Fitchburg very agreeable. Such, at least, is the opinion of the
writer who, as a native of the place, may be allowed to express
pardonable pride in the general appearance of prosperity, neatness and
intelligence in the community.

[Illustration: THE "LYON AND WHITNEY" MILL.]

This sketch would be incomplete without some slight allusion to the
surrounding country. The most marked topographical feature in this
region is Rollstone Hill, a rounded eminence, composed entirely of
granite. It is just southwest of the city. Its top is bare rock, but the
sides are covered with a thin layer of soil, which furnishes support for
quite a forest. Several quarries are worked during warm weather, and an
immense amount of granite has been taken out without any apparent
diminution in the size of the hill. It may be of interest to state that
the Fitchburg Railroad depot, in Boston, is built of granite taken from
this hill; and there are several other large stone structures in the Hub
built of the same material. On the very summit of Rollstone is perched
"the Boulder," a round mass of rock, forty-five feet in circumference,
and weighing at least one hundred tons. The rock of which it is
composed is totally unlike any rock formation within a radius of thirty
miles or more, and it is probable that this boulder was brought to its
present position by ice. The view from the top of this hill is well
worth the slight trouble taken in ascending it. At the feet of the
observer lies the city, forming almost a semi-circle. Wooded hills arise
on all sides. Wachusett, twelve miles distant, rears its imposing pile
in the south, while Big Watatic overtops its brethren in the northwest.
Almost opposite Rollstone is Pearl Hill, which is also well worth a
visit.

[Illustration: THE "BRICK" MILL.]

There are many pleasant drives around Fitchburg, which are thoroughly
appreciated by the citizens. But we must not dwell longer upon Fitchburg
or its environs. Let those who are strangers to our city come and see
for themselves. They will be welcome.

The writer is aware that much has been omitted in this sketch which
ought to have been spoken of; but in a magazine article, intended simply
to give a general idea of the place, such must of necessity be the case.
Much space might, for instance, be most justly devoted to the business
men and merchants of Fitchburg, who, by hard work and fair dealing, have
acquired honorable names in the community. It would be quite possible to
fill several more pages with such matters, but it is probable that the
readers of the "BAY STATE" will coincide with the opinion that it is
about time to stop.

[Illustration: Fitchburg seal]

* * * * *

THE PAST AND FUTURE OF GOLD.

BY DAVID M. BALFOUR.

Gold, from the earliest times to the present day, has been regarded as
one of the most precious of metals. Next to osmium, iodium, and
platinum, it is the heaviest of metals, being nineteen times heavier
than water. Next to iron it is the most extensively diffused metal upon
our planet. It occurs in granite, the oldest rock known to us, and in
all the rocks derived from it. It is, however, much more common in
alluvial grounds than among primitive and pyrogenous rocks. Nine-tenths
of the gold which has been produced has been obtained from alluvial
beds. Gold mines are generally situated at the extreme limits of
civilization. Herodotus notes the fact and he is confirmed by Humbolt.
It is first mentioned in Genesis ii: 11. It was found in the country of
Havilah, where the rivers Euphrates and Tigris unite and discharge their
waters into the Persian Gulf. Gold is never found in mass, in veins, or
lodes; it is interspersed, in threads or flakes, throughout quartz or
other rocks. It is the only metal of a yellow color; it is easily
chrystallizable, and always assumes one or more of the symmetrical
shapes,--such as the cube or octahedron. It affords a resplendent
polish, and may be exposed, for any length of time, to the atmosphere
without suffering change, and is remarkable for its beauty. Its
malleability is such that a cubic inch will cover a surface of eighteen
hundred square feet; and its ductility is such that a cube of four
inches could be drawn into a wire which would extend around the earth.

Gold in its relative value to silver has varied greatly at different
periods.

In the days of the patriarch Abraham, it was one to eight; B.C. 1000, it
was one to twelve; B.C. 500, it was one to thirteen; at the commencement
of the Christian era, it was one to nine; A.D. 500, it was one to
eighteen; in 1100, it was one to eight; in 1400, it was one to eleven;
in 1545, it was one to six; in 1551 it was one to two; in 1600, it was
one to ten; in 1627, it was one to thirteen; in 1700, it was one to
fifteen and one-half; it held the latter ratio, with but slight
variation, until 1872, when it began to rise, and in 1876 it rose to one
to twenty; it soon afterwards gradually declined, and now stands one to
nineteen and one-half. The supply of silver beyond a legitimate demand
for financial purposes, the decrease of the export of silver to the
East, and the demonetization of silver by the principal countries of
Europe, have induced a tendency in the ratio of the two metals to again
advance. Gold was extremely abundant in ancient times. It was
plenteously furnished by the rivers of Asia. The sands of Pactolus, the
golden fleece conquered by the Argonauts, the gold of Ophir, the fable
of King Midas, all tend to show the eastern origin of gold. It was
abundant in Cabul and Little Thibet. It abounded in the empire of the
Pharaohs, as is attested by the traces of mining operations, now
exhausted, and by the multitude of objects of gold contained in their
tombs. Dennis ("History of the Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria," vol.
II, p. 50) states that "gold ornaments, whose beauty and richness are
amazing, abound in the tombs of the Etruscans, who were undoubtedly one
of the most remarkable nations of antiquity, and the great civilizers
of Italy. In a single tomb in Cerveti, fragments of breastplates,
earrings, and brooches, sufficient to fill more than one basket, were
found crushed beneath a mass of fallen masonry. A gold chain, with a
number of pendant _scaraboei_, was found in a tomb in Vulci,
transcending anything before seen by him. Bieda, Chiusi, Canosa,
Casuccini, Perugia, and Veii belong in the same category." Schlieman
("Ilios" p. 253, et. seq.) states that they had an abundance of gold,
bordering, as they did, on Phrygia, and nearly touching the valley of
the Pactolus, so famous for its auriferous sands. It was very pure and
therefore easily worked. In a tomb a single vase was found containing
eighty-seven hundred small objects of gold. Ornaments of gold are very
abundant in the tombs of Mycenae. In remote antiquity the bulk of gold
was brought by the Phenicians from Arabia, which had twenty-two gold
mines. It was the ancient El Dorado, and proverbial for its wealth of
gold in all antiquity, down to the Middle Ages. "Arabia sends us gold,"
said Thomas A. Becket. Sacred ornaments of gold abound in churches,
temples, pagodas, and tombs, throughout the Eastern hemisphere. The
Homeric poems call Mycenae a city rich in gold. Gold abounded in the
Levant, and it was obtained in considerable quantity in the island of
Siphnos, and also from Pangaeus. It was found in abundance in
Turdeltania in Spain; it was brought down by the rivers Tagus and Duoro;
and it was plenty in Dacia, Transylvania, and the Asturias. Caligula
caused his guests to be helped with gold (which they carried away),
instead of bread and meat. The dresses of Nero were stiff with
embroidery and gold; he fished with hooks of gold, and his attendants
wore necklaces, and bracelets of gold. The Egyptians obtained large
quantities of gold from the upper Nile, and from Ethiopia. Among them it
was estimated by weight, usually in the form of bulls or oxen. In the
centre of the continent, upon which so much light has been recently
thrown by Livingston, Stanley, and others, rocks are to be met with
quartz veins containing gold, and thus auriferous alluvium has been
formed. Western Africa was the first field which supplied gold to
mediaeval Europe. Its whole seaboard from Morocco to the equator
produces more or less gold. This small section of the continent poured a
flood of gold into Europe, and until the mineral discoveries of
California and Australia, it continued to be the principal supply to the
civilized world. In eastern Akim gold is said to be as plentiful as
potatoes in Ireland. The Fanti gold mines are far more valuable than
Ashanti, and the Wassaw and the Nquampossoo have gold nuggets in
profusion. The King of Gyaman became immensely rich by the product of
his gold mines; his bed had steps of gold. The French claim that they
imported gold from Elmina in 1382. The Portuguese discovered gold in
1442, upon the borders of Rio de Ouro. Mungo Park, in 1797, drew
attention to the existence of gold in the provinces of Shronda, Kinkodi,
Dindiko, Bambuk, and Barabarra. Caille, in 1827, reported an abundance
of gold in the valley of the Niger. The gold mines of Boure were first
visited by Winwood Reade in 1872. The inhabitants of Western Africa have
worked their gold fields for centuries to very little purpose. Their
want of pumps, of quartz-crushing machinery, and of scientific
appliances, has limited their labors to scratching the top soil and
nibbling at the reef-walls. A large proportion of the country is
virtually virgin ground; and a rich harvest has been left for
Occidental science, energy, and enterprise. It is fast becoming evident
that Africa will one day equal half a dozen Californias. The annual
product of gold in Africa has declined from $17,000,000 in 1471 to
$3,000,000 in 1816. Since the latter date it has gradually declined to
$2,000,000. The gold product since 1471 has amounted to $3,500,000,000.

Gold, after the discovery of America, was produced in large quantities,
principally in the Antilles, and chiefly in Hispaniola, and the western
coast of the Gulf of Mexico. America is pre-eminently the land of
metals. Gold is found in greater or less abundance throughout its
Pacific coast from Alaska to Patagonia. The New World furnishes nearly
two-thirds of the precious metals annually produced. The export of gold
from the United States since 1848 has amounted to $1,548,564,852. The
gold mines of Peru were revealed to Europe by Pizarro in 1513. The gold
mines of South America extend throughout its entire territory. Its
richest mines are about Huylas and Turma, Most of the rivers of the
Andes bring down auriferous sands. Before the arrival of the Spaniards
the Indians had gathered from the river sands large quantities of gold
in Peru, Chili, and along the whole western coast of South America.
Brazil has yielded, from 1513 to the present time, $876,000,000 of gold.
The annual product of gold, in South America, at the present time is
$8,000,000. The total product, from 1513 to the present time, has
amounted to $2,176,000,000. The gold mines of North America extend from
Costa Rica to Alaska, between the parallels 8 deg. and 71 deg. of North
latitude, and the parallels of 82 deg. and 168 deg. of West longitude, comprised
between the Caribbean sea and the Arctic ocean, and the Rocky mountains
and the Pacific ocean. The Mexican gold mines were discovered by Cortez
in 1526. Their annual product has decreased from $3,000,000 in former
times to $1,000,000 at the present time. Their total product to the
present time has amounted to $652,000,000. Gold was discovered in
California by William Marshall, on the ninth day of February, 1848, at
Suter's mill on the American fork of the Sacramento river, and the mines
extend from 34 deg. to 40 deg. of North latitude. Their annual product has
decreased from $81,000,000 in 1853 to $14,000,000 at the present time.
The annual product of the gold mines of Colorado, Dakota, Nevada,
Montana, Idaho, Arizona, Oregon, and other parts of the United States,
at the present time, is estimated to be $16,000,000. Their total product
has amounted to $200,000,000. The annual product of the gold mines of
British Columbia is estimated to be $2,000,000. Their total product has
amounted to $52,000,000. In estimating the gold product of California
Messrs. Hussey, Bond and Hale, of San Francisco, (Hunt's Mer. Mag., vol.
XXVII, p. 43) state,--"that there should be added to the amount
exhibited upon steamers' manifests fifteen to sixty per cent, for the
amount carried in the valises and pockets of returning passengers,
overland to Mexico, exported to Chili, and retained in California for
purposes of currency." Fenton (Tasmania, p. 430) states,--"that the
product of gold, $850,000, in Tasmania, in 1883, does not include the
value of gold which left the colony by private hands, when it is
considered that the alluvial auriferous deposits are worked by men who
are constantly on the move and who sometimes take with them, to the
other colonies, the product of their washings, without leaving behind
them any record of the weight or value of the gold thus removed." This
rule should be applied to Australia, Russia, New Zealand, and all
countries which are producers of the precious metals. The annual product
of the gold mines of North America is $32,000,000. Their total product
from 1513 to the present time is estimated to be $2,764,000,000, of
which $2,164,000,000 have been obtained since 1848. The annual product
of gold in America is $40,000,000,--more than one-third of the entire
annual product of the world. The total gold product of America, since
the hills of Hispaniola were revealed to the eyes of Columbus, has
amounted to $4,940,000,000--one-third of the product of the world since
the earliest times.

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