“Thieves entered the spring house of John Hamilton at Ginger 
Hill, on Thursday evening and took the week’s make of butter and also milk buckets to carry it in. The marks of nippers were plainly visible on the door staple. The same party had visited Joseph Gamble’s spring house, and forced the door, but Mrs. Gamble had removed the butter to the house ceilar [?] that evening, ready for market, and as it was “butter they wanted” nothing else was disturbed.”
This Day In:
This Day In 1882: Jellied Cow At The Monongahela Paper Mill
According to The Daily Republican March, 13, 1882:
A cow which had entered the paper mill straw yard one day several weeks ago, in search of food, was observed to eat her way towards the steam tubs, but the workmen were too busy to drive her out. A half hour later they looked for her, but the Ramshackle had disappeared. The owner had hunted his cow in vain. On Saturday the men were cleaning
out a steam escape, and digging down under the straw to where the hot liquor is drawn off from the bottom of the tub, came across the cow. She had slumped through the wet straw and sank to the bottom, outside the tubs. It was all up with Shackle; she was cooked to death, for after soaking in hot lime and soda water, and being parboiled in hot steam for two weeks no ordinary cow could be expected to stand the racket, and so when found she was little more than jelly and horns.
This Day In 1864: Remarkable Case Of Petrifaction
The Monongahela Republican contains the following: “Parties engaged in exhuming the bodies of the MERCER family for removal from the old graveyard to Monongahela City Cemetery on Friday last, found the body of Mr. J.B. MERCER in a singular state of petrifaction. The graves of Mrs. MERCER and the two children on each side were about sixteen inches lower than that of their father, yet while their bodies had returned to dust and were perfectly dry, his grave was filled with water, and his body turned to stone. Continue reading
A Gushing Invitation – From Monongahela City In 1868
I usually try save these old articles and post them on Lost Monongahela on the same date as they were published decades ago but I just couldn’t wait with this piece. It was written by the publisher and editor of the Monongahela Republican, Captain Chillion (Chill) W. Hazzard and was published in the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette and Advertiser. Hazzard’s intent must have been to encourage readers to visit Monongahela for the July 4th holiday but since the river was low (ruling out travel by packet boat) and the railroad didn’t reach Monongahela City yet, it would have been a major undertaking to travel from Pittsburgh to Monongahela by any other means.
from the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette and Advertiser – July 3, 1868
A Gushing Invitation
Who can withstand this gushing invitation from the editor of the Monongahela Republican, addressed to our citizens. He says:
“Come up here, ye who dwell upon that baked biscuit, hot and puffy, where the streets smell like a furnace flue, and the air is
filled with dust and coal tar, ye smoked and tired dwellers in Pittsburgh, come up here and see us. Come up the Monongahela, where groves are breezy and cool; where bright streams braid their silver chains along the vales, where hills rise rugged, woody, majestic, frowning, but inviting with green smiles the brave-hearted to their gracious solitudes; where torrents flash and foam, where wild flowers peep from mossy banks; where the partridges drum and the quails whistles in quiet spots where great elms swing their graceful boughs, where the sugar maple sheds her liberal blood in spring; but none the less heaps up her magnificent pyramids of verdure, pile on pile in the summer, or when the pine tree shakes her beautiful green hair, tossing her murmurous cones in the morning breeze, and scents all the groves with her fragrant breath, where there is a meeting-house or two, with ambitious spires struggling up towards the heavens; where there are old-fashioned Sabbath bells, and clean, shaded streets, and plenty of village maids – Yes, come and see us!”
Just think, all this invitation at a time when navigation is closed on the river, and Monongahela City is beyond the reach of the other world.
Now wasn’t that awesome!
This Day In 1904 – A Game Of Cards, It Resulted In Murder In A Pennsylvania Mining Town
Monongahela, Pa., Sept. 19 – A game of cards resulted in murder Saturday at Hazelkirk, a mining town, but was not reported to the police until Sunday. When George Nazok won $3 from George Kopko, the latter accused the other of cheating. Nazok made an angry reply and left the room. Kopko followed and fired three shots, killing Nazok almost instantly. The murderer escaped. Nazok’s wife and child are on the ocean expecting to meet the murdered man here next week.
~ The Evening Bulletin, Maysville, KY
This day in 1864: A Fearful Scene
from the Gallipolis Journal – August 14, 1862
A Fearful Scene – During the late exhibition of Van Amburg’s menagerie at Monongahela City, Pa. a fearful and exciting scene occurred. It appears that shortly after the audience had assembled, a terrific storm arose, which tore the canvass into rags, and threatened serious injury to the spectators.
While the Storm King roared and revelled, one of the huge tigers got out of his cage which added terror to the scene. The vast assembly swayed from side to side, first to that part of the tent which has been blown off, and then to the main entrance, Some jumped from the top of the seats out through the opening between the top and the circular inclosure; others cut themselves a passage through a canvass, and all rushed with alarm for any place of escape, preferring to brave the storm to taking their chance for life amid the crushing timbers and furious wild beasts. Women shrieked for help, and children cried; strong men looked pale, and taking the confusion of the multitude and the raging of the storm, the scene was fearful and appalling. The keepers of the animals stood by the cages of these wild denizens of the woods and jungles with anxious looks. The man who kept the elephant Hannibal stood in front of the huge brute, with his hands upon his tusks as pale as a corpse. One of the lions had partaken of the excitement, and by his glaring eyeballs, erect posture, and extended and flowing mane, gave an idea of how he looks in his native forest.
The tiger which had escaped from his cage was driven back by Mr. Van Amburg into a cage with this lion, and the king of the woods had put his huge paw upon him, and was holding him tight upon the floor, Nature, grand and terrible, was on exhibition at the show.
After some moments of fearful confusion the storm ceased, and the audience separated, but not until several had been injured from being trampled on and bruised in the general confusion which prevailed.
100 Years Ago Today: Cincinnati Mine Disaster – Day 2
The following article is from the April 24, 1913 edition of The Daily Republican. The lead story was about the huge explosion at the Cincinnati Mine in Courtney PA, just 2 miles from Monongahela. I didn’t have time to transcribe this article but the image should be pretty easy to read:
