Excerpts from the Hamptons Union, June 24, 1899

Volume I - No. 2

Miscellaneous Notices

[Only some are reprinted below. Click here for critera for inclusion]

N.J. Norton is building for J. Wesley Dearborn a heavy lumber wagon.

George H. Fisk has entered the employ of Irving W. Marston as tonsorial artist.

Congratulations are extended to Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Shaw, on the birth of a daughter Wednesday morning.

A part of fifteen are expected at J.J. Mace's on July 1st to spend a few weeks at his popular house.

A new fruit and confectionery store has been opened in the building opposite the Gale shoe factory.

Irving Marston has received a new barber's chair of latest pattern and is soon to employ a first-class barber.

Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Tewksbury of Haverhill have opened and are occupying their cottage, "The Palestine," on the beach.

Miss Cora Chase of Haverhill has been on a visit to relatives here, and has made practical use of her time by learning to ride the bicycle.

Postmaster and Mrs. Cole spent last Saturday and Sunday in Portsmouth, Miss Merrill having charge of the postoffice during their absence.

Among the many who have far advanced gardens for home supply is J.J. Mace. He has a field of potatoes in full bloom, ripe peas, and corn the most forward of any.

Jenkins' cafe, Hampton beach, a cut of which is found on the first page, is starting in this season with every prospect of a brisk business. This cafe is already popular and will be one of the most desirable places on the beach for a lunch or light drinks.

A telephone exchange box was set up in the office at Hotel Whittier, Saturday.

The pavilion is progressing rapidly in spite of delay from non-arrival of lumber.

There was a good attendance and a delightful evening at the social dance in the town hall Thursday evening.

Clarence Dearborn, who is the agent for the Victor bicycle, is having a good opening for the summer business with several sales and much repair work.

Sleepers, rails and posts for the extension of Hampton beach street railway to the North Hampton line, are being carted this week and the work is progressing rapidly.

S. Wesley Dearborn is one of the busiest of contractors at present. He has men employed from Birch hill to the beach with several new buildings in process of construction and a large number of alterations and repairs.

Curtis DeLancey & Son have the contract for constructing and grading the new park and ball grounds at Hampton beach for the street railway company. It will cover about one and three-fourths acres.

Providence seems to be supplying the Franklin house with meat, a live turtle having been deposited on the front steps during the heavy rain last Tuesday, which, it was declared, actually rained down.

The following pupils have been promoted from the primary schools to the grammar: Albert Brown, Forrest Mason, Byron Redman, Hale James, Mildred Batchelder, Florence Brown, Gladys Young, Ada and Jeanette Thurlow, Ruth Gilman.

The first half-tone photo of Cutler's hotel ever made for newspaper work appears in this issue. Nearly every one knows of Cutler's, and every one who dines there is thoroughly pleased. His shore dinners have long been famous on this beach.

A local telephone circuit has just been completed which connects the hotels and most of the stores in town and not only enables them to converse with one another, but also saves the necessity of going to the central station to reach other towns and cities. The exchange office is at Hotel Whittier, and a handsome oak booth has been erected in the office for that purpose.

The funeral of Mrs. [Mary Ann (Carr)] Marston, whose death on Friday evening last, under the saddest of circumstances, shocked and bereaved the community, was held on Sunday after noon at Mrs. E.D. Berry's. Rev. J.N. Bradford officiated, and paid a beautiful and well-merited tribute to the life of the deceased. The burial was in Hampton cemetery. Chester, the only remaining member of the family, has the sincere sympathy of the entire community.

Anti-Saloon League

Rev. Mr. Tenney of Swampscott
Addresses Large Audience

A second meeting of the anti-saloon league was called by the agitation committee and held in the Advent chapel on Sunday evening, June 18. It was a union meeting and the church was crowded. It had been stated that the pastor who supplied the advent pulpit would speak in the evening. Of course the Advent people knew, but the rest of us did not know the treat in store for us in hearing the Rev. Mr. Tenney of Swampscott, Mass. He is an earnest temperance worker. Most people call such addresses dry and uninteresting, but this was sparkling with wit and humor from beginning to end, and, although the meeting was two hours long, no one realized it and many were sorry when he closed.

Mr. Tenney used blackboard illustrations and also painted pictures illustrating his talk. There is no half-way talk with Mr. Tenney; he believes what ought to be done can be done; he said that people say the liquor business cannot be stopped, but instead of spelling it can't, they should spell it w-o-n-'t, and this I am afraid is the way that it has been in Hampton; but it will not be much longer. It has been said that first, public opinion must be aroused, and it has been aroused, as was testified. The town authorities having failed to stop the sale of liquor in town, as was voted to have done at town meeting, it was voted at the meeting, Sunday evening, to employ the county officials to lend a hand.

Mr. Tenney's address encouraged the people to go forward and said that he was surprised that the sale of it was allowed in our beautiful town. We all hope to hear Mr. Tenney again at an early day. His address bristled with bright says and anecdotes. One was, that some one, upon being asked why the lions did not eat Daniel, said, that it was because he was one-third grit and the other two-thirds backbone. These are the kind of men we want -- men of grit and backbone, not men like old Uncle Pete in another story he told. But some of our men are getting a stiffer backbone and we shall soon see the effects of it, and we hope that when they are called upon to help that they will not do as Uncle Pete did.

Electrical Disasters

Lightning Causes Much Damage in Hampton

All the buildings and some of the contents, including three horses and part of the household goods of Clarence T. Brown [who lived on Drakeside Rd.] were destroyed by fire Tuesday afternoon. The cause was from a stroke of lightning which struck the barn in the middle section near a quantity of baled hay, while the family was at supper.

Flames were first discovered by Samuel Towle and the neighborhood was at once aroused and an effort made to save the house, but without effect. The fire was so thoroughly under way when discovered that the horses could not be loosened, nor the flames prevented from reaching the house by the eight or ten men who responded to the call for help.

It is thought that if there had been a fire department with suitable apparatus in town, the house at least could have been saved by tearing down the connecting shed from barn to house.

In two hours, scarcely a vestige of the fine buildings remained. Such of the property as was taken out was carried to Mr. Brown's mother, Mrs. Jacob T. Brown, where the family is now living. There was a partial insurance placed through a Portsmouth agency.

The lightning struck in two other places in that vicinity during the same shower the elm tree in front of the schoolhouse and the barn of John A. James, which was slightly injured.

At the beach, one of Weare's horses on a fish team was struck and injured.

Joseph L. Leavitt's barn was struck, the saddle boards on the roof removed and one timber splintered.

In Hampton Falls, Ed. Janvrin's shed was slightly injured.

Peculiar Accident

Fred Newbury, the fireman on engine 18 that draws the gravel train from the Hampton pit east, was struck by lightning during the heavy thunder shower Tuesday afternoon, yet escaped any very serious injuries. The engine was standing at the platform taking water. The instant that the valve was opened and the huge stream reached the iron on the tender a complete circuit seemed to be established between the rails and some invisible source of electricity. There was a sharp click--then a crash and Mr. Newbury, receiving a portion of the voltage, was thrown in the air twice and thence to the earth, between the rails of the rear of the engine. For a few moments only was the gritty fireman helpless, and in five minutes was at his work before the fire box. He did not remain long, however, for, after coaling, he was taken with a fainting fit and was carried to Portsmouth.