The Heritage Corner, Springhill Record
October 10th, 2016
Aug. 13, 1890 – The Springhill News – 1890 Springhill’s Turbulent Days
The publisher was Mr. H.A. McKnight and the paper cost “$1.00 strictly in advance; $1.25 if not in advance.” The advertising rates were 60 cents for one insertion and 25 cents for each subsequent ad. Local ads were 10 cents per line and “transient advertising” were warned they “must pay in advance.
The Editor was blasting the powers-that-be about the Junction Road. “Mr. Amos Hunter is at work on it with a number of men, and we believe he has the authority to spend $200. When this is exhausted this will make a total of $700. Expended on a road where at least a larger sum, to be of any practical benefit, should have been spent at the beginning. The road is unfinished and has only been turnpike on one side. In some places the road is almost impassable, now in the driest month of the year-what will it be like in Spring and Autumn? He urged that “Mr. T.R. Black, the dispenser of local government patronage in this country, be advised of the importance of this road and be made to realize that the people of Springhill are not to be trifled with.”
An article was reprinted from the St. John “Sun” discussing the seriousness of the strike in Springhill and how it was affecting an order for the Grand Trunk and Intercolonial Railways for a contract for 170,000 tons of coal – “half the annual output of the Springhill mines.” The article concluded with this note: If the difficulty between the Company and the men cannot be settled within a day or two it will not be settled for months, perhaps not for years, and in the meantime work will be suspended, the mines will be injured and the village will be ruined.”
On a more cheery note, the editor said, “The opening of the railway has made Pugwash an easily accessible summer-resort. All the hotels and boarding houses of the village are crowded and already preparations are being made to entertain visitors. One hotel is being enlarged, and another will be opened at an early date in a convenient location for boating and bathing. Undoubtedly Pugwash is just coming into prominence as a watering place. It may yet be the Saratoga of Nova Scotia.
An interesting news note in this 1890 paper says “from July 1 to July 31, 17,082 immigrants arrived from the old country. Of this number, 12, 193 settled in Canada and 4889 in the Western States. Those remaining in Canada brought about $750,000 into the country.”
Down at River Philip, James Conn was building “a fine blacksmith shop at the corner of Windham Road.” George Gillespie and son had secured employment at the Experimental Farm in Nappan.
Glancing through the old paper we listed the businesses in Springhill which were advertising: F.C. Faulds, Groceries, Boots and Shoes; R.H. Langille’s Men’s Store; D.S. Ross, Clothing; U.J. Weatherbee, L.B. Donkin, dealers in Stoves, Ranges, Stove Fittings, Dairy Fittings, Churns, Creamers, oil cans, etc.; C. McKay, Custom Boot and Shoemaker; Halifax Banking Company, Springhill, C.H. Lee, Agent; G.L. Nelson, Groceries, Fruits, Confectionary, etc.; Theophitus Breau, artistic paper hanger and ornamental worker; Clement B. Hewson, Victoria St., dealer in hay, oats, feed, etc.; Dr. Hayes, Physician and Surgeon on Main St., Springhill; Michael McPherson, 99 Main St., dealer in Drygoods, Groceries and Hardware; Herrett and Smith, 133 Main St., gold and silver are taken in exchange for country butter, fresh eggs, fish of all kinds, vegetables, plate beef, clear pork, apples and all other goods; J. McNaughton, opened a shop on Elgin St. next to J. Taylor’s Livery Stable, and will keep a full line of team and driving harness equipment. We manufacture our own leather and due to the low price of hides we can give our customers great bargains; Cole’s Cheap Cash Clothing Store, 114 Main St., McNutt’s Block near Royal Hotel; John Taylor’s Livery Stable opposite the Royal Hotel – his teams will meet all trains and convey passengers to and from hotels at 25 cents return trip; Fitzpatrick and Langille, Barristers and Solicitors, offices over Post Office in Springhill; E. Gilroy and Co., Main St. opposite Post Office – dealer in beef, cornbeef, pork, sausages, mutton, lamb, poultry, etc.; R.B. Murray, Insurance Agent and Real Estate Broker; W.E. Heffernan, Furniture Warehouse, wholesale and retail, Hewson’s Building, Main St.; J.E. Simpson, Carriage Builder.
This paper carried an item named “Springhill Wholesale Market Prices, which were changed every Tuesday. Oats were 50 cents a bushel, hay $10 per ton, potatoes 65 cents a bushel, butter was 18 cents a tub and 20 cents a new roll, eggs were 13 cents a dozen, turnips 30 cents a bushel, onions 5 cents a pound, beets 40 cents a bushel, flour from $6 to $7 a barrel, oatmeal $5.50 to $6 a barrel and cornmeal $3.00 a barrel.
We’d like to close this review of an old paper with the Editor’s description of “What Editing a Paper Is: “Editing a paper is a pleasant business – if you like it. If the type is large it doesn’t contain much reading matter. If we omit jokes people say we are nothing but fossils. If we publish original matter they blame us for not giving us selections. If we give selections people say we are lazy for not writing more, and giving them what they have not read in some other paper. If we give a complimentary notice, we are censured for being partial. If we don’t, everyone says we are unjust. If we remain in our office, attending to our business, folks say we are too proud to mingle with other fellows. If we go out they say we don’t attend to our business.”
