Time Machine Trip to July 1888

Hello Fellow Time Travelers,

Well it’s time to fire up the old “Time Machine Chair” and travel back in time to July of 1888.

For today’s trip Karen Nelsen, will be sitting in the front seat operating the Time Machine. The big wheel is spinning and the years are clicking back in no time, we are back on Wisconsin Avenue on Kaukauna’s Northside.

Charles Raught, Times owner and editor, has left the newspapers on the chair out front.

Your old newsman - Lyle 

July 6, 1888

The Republican National convention nominated Gen. Benjamin Harrison, of Indiana, for president.

The rain Tuesday came just when needed the most. Vegetation was beginning to show the effect of dry weather.  The rain will be of incalculable value to the farmer. It will doubtless be the savior of some property, as everything was so dry that firecrackers in the hands of small boys, had the conditions been unchanged, would have proven dangerous.

The Oshkosh baseball nine got here yesterday morning. They brought along a mascot named “Chris”. They came to play and came to win. The Kaukauna players said “Sorry to the mascot, but Kaukauna wins today.

   

A lady customer came into a store Friday and insisted that she always traded with the proprietor and not with mere clerks. “But the proprietor is not in,” she was told by the clerk. “Oh well,” was the reply. “I’ll sit right down here and wait for him” After sitting for a half hour she grew impatient, “When will he be back?” “In about four weeks’ madam. He’s on a business trip to Montana.”  She then traded with the clerks

  

July 13, 1888

Carl Leigh while crossing the gates of the first lock this morning fell into the canal and narrowly escaped from being drowned. Not being able to swim he immediately sank and had not assistance been near at hand would have perished. John Renter, Peter Reuter, and Nick Wirtz fortunately happened to be near and hearing his cry for help rushed to the rescue and caught the drowning man as he was sinking the second time. When taken from the water he was completely exhausted.

There is not an idle man in Kaukauna who is not idle from choice, and the demand increases for laborers of all classes.

A young lady named Take seems to open a great many letters belonging to other people. She is perfectly honest about it, however, and writes on the envelopes: Opened by Miss Take.

July 20, 1888

Oliver Davis, an employee of the Badger Paper mill was injured quite severely by being caught in a belt while trying to put the same on a pulley that was in motion. He was carried once around the shaft but fortunately escaped without serious injuries. His bruises are of a nature that will confine him to the house for a short time.

Seventy-five more laborers were added on Monday to the list of men employed at the improvement near the combined locks. Liberal wages are paid and they labor with a good will and the work is moving along rapidly.

Eight hundred coal miners are entombed at the Kimberly mine in Africa on the 11th. It is believed that five hundred died in the fire. Many of the victims imprisoned in the mine are white people. The work to rescue began at once and continues today. 

Friends in this city have received a cablegram from Oscar Thilmany who just arrived in Europe stating that his son Walter died during the voyage across the Atlantic of diphtheria.

The Oshkosh Times gives the following account of the game played in that city on Wednesday. The Kaukauna Club brought about one hundred followers to see them mop the earth with a local nine. But seven innings were played and the visitors gave an excuse that they desired to catch a certain train. The real reason was that they were tired of trotting around the bases.  Kaukauna won 10 to 4.

July 27, 1888

Street Commissioner Hyland has been doing some good work on the upper end of Wisconsin Avenue. This road is being gradually graded up from the sides and sewer pipes placed under the road crossings leading from the avenue. When dirt that has been thrown in the center of the road gets leveled down, it will present a better appearance than formerly.

Hundreds of people visited our city on Sunday last. They came on excursions from various places. One of the excursion boats came from Sheboygan, another came from Green Bay setting in at Eden Park along with several smaller boats from up and down the river stopped here. Trains brought in 800 visitors many to witness the Oconto Kaukauna ball game.

A boy’s curiosity, “to see if it would burn” on the 16^th, set the Chicago River on fire. It occurred near the stockyard where the river has long since ceased to be water and is really nothing but grease and animal fats which have found there way from the slaughter houses. A lighted match soon has the river blazing for several blocks. Damage has resulted to several docks at a loss of $500.