Chapter III: Front Matter (3)

GENERAL: In reply to your note of this date, I would say, that
being in command of the Eleventh Indiana Infantry, I was
attached to the First Brigade, Third Division, Army of the
Tennessee, commanded by you, and encamped at Crump's Landing, on
the morning of the first day of the battle of Pittsburg Landing.

At daylight of said day, our command was aroused by heavy and
continuous firing from the direction of Pittsburg Landing, which
led us to believe that a general battle was being fought. I do
not think more than twenty minutes had elapsed from the time
that the battle commenced until our whole brigade had received
orders to hold ourselves in readiness, (with three days'
rations) to march to any point required; and that point all
understood from indications would be Pittsburg Landing.

For the purpose of concentrating the division, our Brigade
marched to Winn's Farm, two and a half miles from Crump's
Landing, where the Second Brigade of the Third Division was then
encamped. The road taken by our division, after concentrating,
intersected the Purdy road (from Pittsburg Landing) at a point
near Snake Creek, and not far from the ground occupied by
General Sherman's division on the morning of the battle, being
the right of the army. _This, in my opinion, was the shortest
and most direct route to the point at which the right of the
army was resting, when the battle began_.

Orders were not received for the division to march to the field
of battle, _until about_12 _o'clock, A.M. and no time was lost
during the march_, as we moved with the utmost rapidity.

In the history of that battle, written by (Badeau) who was not
there and who could not have had personal knowledge of the facts
in relation thereto, serious and gross injustice has been done
you.

Very respectfully,

G.F. McGinnis,
Late Brigadier General U.S.A.

[General Fred Knefler's letter to General Lew Wallace corroborating the statements made by the other members of the staff will be found on page 367--ED.]

Captain Ware to General Wallace:

GENERAL: I submit the following statement in regard to the
movement of your division, on Sunday, April 6, 1862, as far as
came under my observation.

The first intimation I had that an engagement was progressing
was about 6 o'clock, A.M. I heard firing in the direction of the
camps at Pittsburg Landing. Soon after I was ordered by you to
proceed to Adamsville, where the Third Brigade, under Colonel
Wood was encamped, with orders to have his tents, and baggage
train sent immediately to the river, and his command to march
back to the Second Brigade, which was then stationed two and a
half miles from Crump's Landing. I also ordered the First
Brigade, under Colonel Morgan L. Smith, to move out to the same
point. The Second Brigade, under Colonel John M. Thayer, was
also ordered to be ready to move at a moment's notice. I
returned to your headquarters and with you proceeded to the
above-mentioned point. At twenty minutes of 12 an order was to
you delivered, by Captain Baxter, A.Q.M., directing "you to move
your division up and join General Shermans' right," on the road
leading from Pittsburg Landing to Purdy, that being the extreme
right of General Grant's position.

Two Regiments of Infantry and one piece of artillery were left
at the camp of the Second Brigade, to protect the camp equipage
and baggage. I am, General, very respectfully,

Your obedient servant,

AD WARE, JR., A.D.C.

To MAJOR GENERAL LEW WALLACE.

General John M. Thayer to General Wallace:

UNITED STATES SENATE CHAMBER,

WASHINGTON. March 4. 1868.

At the time of the battle of Pittsburg Landing I was in command
of the Second Brigade of the division commanded by General Lew
Wallace, and, with the Brigade, was in camp two and a half miles
out from Crump's Landing, at a place called Stony Lonesome. At
dawn of the morning of April 6, 1862, I heard cannonading in the
direction of Pittsburg Landing. At an early hour I received
orders from General Wallace, through a Staff Officer, to "hold
my command in readiness to march at a moment's notice." General
Wallace came to my camp, soon afterwards, and informed me that
he was awaiting orders from General Grant to move to the
battle-field. I knew he was very impatient to receive such
orders. The Division was kept in readiness to move without
delay. At about half past 11 o'clock an officer rode up to
General Wallace with the expected order from General Grant, and,
in a few minutes, the command was on the march towards the field
of action. As we advanced the cannonading became more distinct.
As we were moving on I recollect a Staff Officer passing up the
column seeking General Wallace. Very soon we countermarched,
with the view, as I understood, of crossing to the river road
leading to Pittsburg Landing, and there reaching the right of
our army, which we reached about dark. According to my
recollection there was no halting while on the march, except to
close up the column.

While waiting in my camp for the order of General Grant to move
to the scene of action General Wallace manifested great anxiety
to move forward, and did move immediately on receipt of the
order. Very respectfully,

JOHN M. THAYER,

Late Brig. Gen'l and B'v't Maj Gen'l of Vols.

General Grant to General Wallace:

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES.

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH, 10, 1868.

MY DEAR GENERAL:

Enclosed herewith, I return your letters from officers of the
Army who served with you at the battle of Shiloh, Tennessee,
giving their statement of your action on that occasion. I can
only state that my orders to you were given verbally to a Staff
Officer to communicate, and that they were substantially as
given by General Badeau in his book. I always understood that
the Staff Officer referred to, Captain Baxter, made a memorandum
of the order he received and left it with you. That memorandum I
never saw.

The statements which I now return seem to exonerate you from
this great point of blame, your taking the wrong road, or
different road from the one directed from Crump's Landing to
Pittsburg Landing. All your subsequent military career showed
you active and ready in the execution of every order you
received. Your promptness in moving from Baltimore to Monocacy,
Maryland, in 1864, and meeting the enemy in force far superior
to your own, when Washington was threatened, is a case
particularly in point, where you could scarcely have hoped for a
victory; but you delayed the enemy, and enabled me to get troops
from City Point, Virginia, in time to save the city. That act I
regarded as most praiseworthy. I refer you to my report of 1865,
touching your course there.

In view of the assaults made upon you now, I think it due to
you, that you should publish what your own Staff and other
subordinate officers have to say in exoneration of your course.

Yours Truly,

U.S. GRANT, GENERAL.
To MAJOR GENERAL L. WALLACE,
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Indiana.

* * * * *

FITCHBURG IN 1885.

BY ATHERTON P. MASON, M.D.

In the January number of this magazine appeared an excellent and comprehensive historical sketch of Fitchburg. It is proposed in this article to portray as briefly as possible, and by the aid of engravings, the present condition and resources of our city.

Old Rollstone and its opposite neighbor, Pearl Hill, have witnessed the transformation of a rude, inhospitable wilderness into a beautiful and busy city. We of the present day, proud of our heritage, are striving to improve it by all means within our power.

Fitchburg owes her growth and prosperity pre-eminently to those energetic and plucky men who founded and fostered the great industries which now constitute her life and soul. Alvah Crocker, Salmon W. Putnam, Eugene T. Miles, and Walter Heywood, have left behind them great and lasting proofs of their toil and perseverance. Of Rodney Wallace, who is now in the midst of a useful and benevolent life among us, another will speak more fully and fittingly in other pages of this magazine; nor would we neglect to give due credit to the energetic men who are now either carrying on business established by their predecessors, or founding new industries which enhance the resources and good name of Fitchburg.

The little river (the north branch of the Nashua) which runs through the township, and which is formed by the confluence of several large brooks in the westerly part of the town, first invited the manufacturer to locate on its banks. Its water-power is still used, but steam is now the chief motor that propels the machinery, looms and spindles that daily pour forth products which go to the markets, not of this country alone, but of the world.

Perhaps no place of its size can boast of a greater diversity of industries than Fitchburg. In such an article as this attention must necessarily be confined to the chief among them, and but few words devoted to the description of separate establishments.

Machinery takes the first rank among the manufactures of Fitchburg. The pioneers in this business here were two brothers, Salmon W. and John Putnam, who, in 1838, established the firm of J. & S.W. Putnam. In 1858 S.W. Putnam organized the Putnam Machine Company, which now has a wide and enviable reputation. Mr. Putnam was President and General Business Manager of the company until his death in 1872. Two of his surviving sons are now actively engaged in carrying on the business, Charles F. Putnam being President and Manager, and Henry O. Putnam Superintendent of the department in which special machinists' and railroad tools are made. There are six other departments devoted to special kinds of manufacture which are superintended by able men. Mr. Putnam's two other sons founded, in 1882, the Putnam Tool Company, located on Walnut street, of which Salmon W. Putnam is President, and George E. Putnam Treasurer, and is owned entirely by the Putnams. This company manufactures machinery, railroad and machine tools. The present location of the Putnam Machine Company, corner of Main and Putnam streets, comprising over twenty-six acres, was purchased in 1866, and the buildings were immediately erected at a cost of over $200,000. The works were built from plans designed by the late President, and are arranged with special reference to the variety of machines manufactured, consisting of railroad and machinists' tools, steam-engines, water-wheels, and shafting. They comprise machine shops, foundries and forges, and rank with the oldest and largest establishments of the kind in the United States.

The Putnams are descendants of Gen. Israel Putnam of Revolutionary fame.

The Fitchburg Machine Works occupy a large and convenient brick building on Main street, near its beginning, and manufacture machinists' tools principally. Opposite is the handsome brick building occupied by C.H. Brown and Company, manufacturers of the "Brown" automatic cut-off steam-engines, which have gained a wide reputation. A little further up on Main street is located the Simonds Manufacturing Company. This company was organized in 1868 with a capital of $150,000 and manufactures machine knives and the well-known "Simonds" Circular Saw.

On Water street are three machine shops to be noticed. The Union Machine Company makes paper machinery. The Rollstone Machine Company, manufactures the "Rollstone" Lathe and other wood-working machinery. The Fitchburg Steam Engine Company, whose business was established in 1871, manufactures steam-engines and boilers, making a specialty of the "Fitchburg" steam-engine, the great merits of which are everywhere acknowledged. The company, notwithstanding its comparatively recent organization, has a firm foothold in this country, and abroad also.

D.M. Dillon manufactures boilers and paper machinery. A.D. Waymouth and Company, and C.W. Wilder manufacture respectively the Waymouth wood-turning lathe and Wilder's patent lathe.

In 1866 Charles Burleigh of Fitchburg invented the Burleigh rock drill, and the next year the Burleigh Rock Drill Company was organized with a capital of $150,000, to make and sell this machine and the Burleigh Patent air-compressor. These drills have completely revolutionized the business of rock-tunneling. They were first used in the Hoosac Tunnel and, proved highly successful. Since then they have been employed at Hell Gate, in the Sutro Tunnel, and at various points in Europe.

The Rollstone Iron Foundry, the Fitchburg Iron Foundry, and M.J. Perault, manufacture castings of all kinds. W.A. Hardy operates a brass Foundry on Water street. There is no space to indulge further in details regarding machinery. In addition to the above are numerous individuals and firms here engaged in the manufacture of mowing machines and agricultural implements, boiler makers' tools, electric machinery and apparatus, files, grist and flouring-mill machinery, hay, straw, and machine, knives, wood-working machinery, machinists' tools, water motors, watch tools, paper machinery and the like.

The paper manufacturing interest in Fitchburg is valuable and extensive. The credit of successfully establishing this industry here belongs to Alvah Crocker, who, in 1826, built a paper mill of his own. Paper had, however, been made here to some extent previous to that time. In 1850 the firm of Crocker, Burbank and Company was formed, of which Mr. Crocker was the head until his death in 1874. The present members of the firm are C.T. Crocker, S.E. Crocker, G.F. Fay, G. H. Crocker and Alvah Crocker. The firm now operates five large paper mills in West Fitchburg. A sixth, the Snow Mill, was recently destroyed by fire. About 32,000 pounds of news, book and card paper are produced by these mills every twenty-four hours.

In 1865 the Fitchburg Paper Company was organized. Rodney Wallace, having purchased the interests of the other three original members of the company, is now the sole proprietor. He operates two large and well-equipped mills in West Fitchburg, which produce from 15,000 to 18,000 pounds of card and hanging paper every twenty-four hours.

In 1864 George W. Wheelwright and Sons built a paper mill, and in 1880 the G.W. Wheelwright Paper Company was incorporated with a capital of $100,000. The mill is located on Fourth street and produces about 7,000 pounds of news paper per twenty-four hours.

In 1884 a number of capitalists purchased the building long known as Richardson's scythe shop, situated on Scythe-shop road, South Fitchburg, and converted it into a paper-mill. It is now operated by the National Paper Company and produces manilla and hanging paper.

The chair business is represented in Fitchburg by an establishment which is one of the largest and best arranged in the world. Walter Heywood really founded this industry here in 1844, though chairs were made in Fitchburg on a small scale some years previously. The Walter Heywood Chair Company was organized in 1851 and incorporated in 1869 with a capital of $240,000. In July, 1870, the company's buildings on Water street were completely destroyed by fire, and a lot on River street, comprising nine acres, was immediately purchased for the erection of new works. These buildings, each three hundred feet long, fifty feet wide and two stories high, besides store houses, offices and sheds, were soon ready for occupation. A private track connects the works with the Fitchburg Railroad. The Company has a very large trade, both foreign and domestic, and employs three hundred men. The chair stock is prepared at the company's mills in Barton, Vermont.

The manufacture of cotton and woolen goods is extensively carried on in Fitchburg. The Fitchburg Cotton Mill is a fine brick building at the upper end of Main street; carpet warps, batting and twine are here manufactured. The Fitchburg Duck Mills in South Fitchburg produce cotton duck. The Parkhill Manufacturing Company (John Parkhill, President, and Arthur H. Lowe, Treasurer), occupies what was formerly Davis' chair shop, situated on Circle street, and manufactures gingham. The building has been greatly enlarged and additional buildings have been erected since the company was organized a few years ago. Excellent goods are manufactured and find a ready market.

The factory of the Fitchburg Woolen Mill Company, in Factory square, has been long established and its products are well known. The company was organized in 1843, but the factory itself has been in existence much longer, being one of the oldest brick buildings in town. It was originally used as a cotton mill, but in 1822 it was made into a woolen factory. Since that date it has been enlarged several times. William H. Vose, recently deceased, was Treasurer and Manager of this mill for about forty years. Only a few months ago Mr. Vose wrote a concise history of the factory since 1822, which is interesting and valuable. James Phillips, Jr., is a prominent woolen manufacturer and operates the three following concerns: a large woolen manufactory in West Fitchburg, producing suitings, etc.; the Star Worsted Company, and the Fitchburg Worsted Company, producing yarn and worsted. Mr. Phillips has met with marked success, and his goods take high rank in the best markets. There is a woolen mill in Rockville, a village in the westerly part of Fitchburg, operated by James McTaggart, Jr.

The firm of E.M. Dickinson & Company is the only one in the city engaged in the manufacture of shoes. This firm occupies a handsome brick factory, recently erected on Main street, next to the Simonds Manufacturing Company, and has a large trade both in New England and the West. In connection with E.M. Dickinson & Company, and located in the same building, is the Sole Leather Tip Company. The Fitchburg Furniture Company has a large manufactory on Newton Place. A number of concerns carry on an extensive lumber business and operate establishments where doors, sashes, blinds, and ornamental wood-work are made. J. Gushing & Company and Washburn & Woodward operate large grain elevators and flour mills. The first named firm occupies the "Stone Mill," one of the old land-marks of Fitchburg. In addition to the above there are numerous individuals and firms engaged in the manufacture of confectionery, crackers, tin-ware, toys, soap, wood pulp, carriages, harnesses, marble and granite monuments, bricks, beer, cigars and matches. In fine there are over one hundred concerns here engaged in manufacturing on a large scale, and considerably over one hundred establishments where occupations akin to manufacturing are carried on.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

* * * * *

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° and 71° of North latitude, and the parallels of 82° and 168° 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° to 40° 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.

Gold was discovered in Russia in 1743, near Nertschinsk, alluvial deposits having been observed in that year in the Ural mountains. The mines extend over that parallelogram of the earth's surface, comprised between the parallels of 50° and 60° of north latitude, between the Volga and Amoor rivers. They were not generally explored until 1810. In 1816 their product was but $80,000; at the close of 1823 there was a large development. In 1830 the annual product was $4,000,000. About that time the deposits of Siberia were discovered, and at the close of 1840 they yielded a greater production than those of the Ural. In 1843 the total annual product of both regions was $18,000,000. In 1853 it attained to $36,000,000, but since that date it has gradually declined to $22,000,000. The total product of the Russian goldmines has amounted to $805,000,000. The annual product of gold in Europe is $24,000,000. The total product of gold in Europe, from the earliest times to the present day, has amounted to $4,145,000,000.

Gold was discovered in Australia by Edward Hammand Hargreaves, on the twelfth day of February, 1851, in the Bathurst and Wellington districts, and the mines extend from 18° to 38° of South latitude. Their annual product has decreased from $75,000,000 in 1853 to $26,000,000 at the present time. Their total product has amounted to $1,453,000,000. The finest gold was obtained at Ballarat, and the largest nugget was dug up at Donolly, and weighed 2,448 ounces, valued at $46,000. The New Zealand gold mines were discovered by Messrs. Hartly and Reilly, on the twentieth of August, 1861, in the Otago district, on the Molineux river, on the 45° of South latitude. Their annual product has decreased from $10,000,000 in 1863 to $4,000,000 at the present time. Their total product has amounted to $176,000,000. The annual product of gold in Asia (including Australia, New Zealand and Oceanica) is $32.000,000. The total product of gold in Asia, from the earliest times to the present day, has amounted $2,065,000,000.

Gold was considered bullion in Palestine for a long time after silver was current as money. The first mention of gold as money, in the Bible, is in David's reign (B.C. 1056) when that king purchased the threshing-floor of Oman for six hundred shekels of gold by weight ($4,500.) The Lydians were the first people who coined money. The word "_money_" is derived from the temple of Jupiter Moneta, where the Roman mint was established. Croesus (B.C. 560) coined the golden _stater_, which contained one hundred and thirty-three grains of pure metal. Darius, son of Hystaspes, (B.C. 538) coined the _daric_, which contained one hundred and twenty-one grains of pure metal; it was preferred for its fineness, for several ages, throughout the East. It is supposed to be mentioned in the Old Testament under the name of _dram_. Very few specimens have come down to us. Their scarcity may be accounted for by the fact that they were melted down under the type of Alexander. Next were some coins of the tyrants of Sicily; of Gelo (B.C. 491), of Helo (B.C. 478), and of Dionysius (B.C. 404). Specimens of the former two are still preserved in modern cabinets. Gold coin was by no means plenty in Greece, until Philip of Macedon put the mines of Thrace into full operation, about B.C. 300. There are only about a dozen Greek coins in existence, three of which are in the British Museum; and of the latter, two are _staters_, of the weight of one hundred and twenty-nine grains each. About B.C. 207, a gold coin was struck off at Rome called "_aureus_," four specimens of which are in the institution before alluded to. Its weight was one hundred and twenty-four grains.

Gold coins were issued in France by Clovis, A.D. 489. About the same time, they were issued in Spain by Amalric, the Gothic king; in both countries they were called "_trientes_." The "_mouton_," worth about nine dollars, was issued in 1156. Gold coins were first issued in England in 1257, in the shape of a "_penny_," of the value of twenty pence; only two specimens have come down to us. "_Florins_" were next issued in 1334, of the value of six shillings. The "_noble_" followed next of the value of six shillings and eight pence; being stamped with a rose, it was called the "_rose noble_." "_Angels_" appeared in 1465, of the same value as the latter. The "_royal_" followed next in 1466, of the value of ten shillings. Then come for the first time the "_sovereign_," in 1489, of the value of twenty shillings. The "_crown_" followed in 1527, of the value of ten shillings. "_Units_" and "_lions_," were issued in 1603; the "_laurel_" 1633, and "_exurgats_," in 1642; all of the value of twenty shillings. The "_guinea_," of the value of twenty-one shillings, was issued in 1663, of Guinea gold. In 1773 all gold coins, except the guinea, were called in and forbidden to be circulated. The present sovereign was issued in 1817. The United States "_half eagle_" was issued in 1793.

Gold, to the amount of $2,171,000,000, was obtained from the surface and mines of the earth from the earliest times to the commencement of the Christian era; from the date of the latter event, to the discovery of America, $3,842,374,000 was obtained; from the date of the latter event to the close of 1847 an addition of $3,056,000,000 was obtained; the triple discovery of the California mines in 1848, the Australian in 1851, and the New Zealand in 1861, has added, to the close of 1884, $5,558,626,000; making a grand total of $14,628,000,000, of which $5,818,626,000 has been obtained since 1843. The average loss by abrasion of coin is estimated by Professor Bowen at one-twentieth of one per cent. per annum, and the loss by consumption in the arts, and by fire and shipwreck, at $4,000,000 per annum. A cubic inch of gold is worth, at 3£ 17s. 10 1-2d., or $18.96 per ounce., $193; a cubic foot, $333,504; and a cubic yard, $9,004,608.

Gold to the amount of $1,081,000,000, is estimated to have been in existence at the commencement of the Christian era. At the period of the discovery of America it had diminished to $135,000,000; after that event, it gradually increased, and in 1600 it attained to $154,000,000, in 1700 it reached $398,000,000, in 1800 it amounted to $1,156,000,000, in 1853 it attained to $3,332,000,000, and at the present time the amount of gold in existence is estimated to be $8,166,000,000; which, if melted into one mass, could be contained in the basement of Bunker Hill Monument, which is a cube of thirty feet. Of the amount of gold in existence $6,000,000,000 is estimated to be in coin and bullion, $1,000,000,000 in watches, and the remainder in plate, jewelry, and ornaments. Of the amount of gold in existence $2,374,000,000 is estimated to have been obtained from North America, $1,739,000,000 from South America; $1,858,000,000 from Asia (including Australia, New Zealand, and Oceanica), $945,000,000 from Europe, and $1,250,000,000 from Africa. The amount of the precious metals now in existence is estimated to be $13,670,000,000.

Gold, as compared with former periods, in regard to its annual product, has attained, within the last forty-two years, to enormous proportions. At the date of the discovery of America it was but $100,000; after the occurrence of that event it gradually increased, and in 1800 it was $17,000,000, and in 1853 it reached its acme, when it was $236,000,000; it soon afterwards gradually decreased, and now it is but $98,000,000.