October, 1919 
FOREST AND STREAM 
631 
Above the noise and confusion, blowing 
of whistles, escaping of steam, could be 
heard the rhythmic refrains of negro 
deck-hands and roustabouts as they 
loaded or unloaded freight, sometimes 
from the same boat. They were encour- 
aged or abused by the mates in order 
to put more speed and energy into the 
hurried work. 
After becoming settled in our new 
home my father was quite desirous that 
I should go to college, but I pleaded for 
a little more time, so that I could look 
about me, not having decided as to my 
future course. In the meantime I was 
offered a position as a proofreader in an 
establishment where stereotype plates for 
books were prepared. I was considered 
very proficient in correct spelling, so 
after a thorough trial by the superinten- 
dent, who seemed to have all the hard- 
est words of the English language on 
the tip of his tongue, he was satisfied 
that I would do, and very willingly 
offered me the position, which I accepted, 
temporarily, after conferring with my 
father, and gaining his consent. 
At this establishment books on every 
conceivable subject, embracing science, 
art, letters and fiction, were produced, so 
that my position as proofreader was by 
no means a sinecure; but on the other 
hand I soon discovered that it would be 
quite an education for me, possibly a 
better one than a few terms at college 
would provide, especially for the prac- 
tical affairs of life. 
As I had many spare minutes* from 
my duties as proofreader, I naturally 
became interested in the work of the com- 
positors, and it was not long until I 
learned the “cases” which held the types. 
I also soon learned the different fonts, 
and the various sizes of type, as long 
primer, bourgeoise, brevier, minion, non- 
pareil, agate, pearl and diamond; these 
indeed were words to conjure with, and 
they appealed to me very strongly. 
Then, at my request, I was given a 
daily task at composition, when it did 
not interfere with my proofreading, and 
for this I was given extra pay. I was 
soon on familiar terms with the compos- 
ing stick, rule and galley, and later with 
chase, furniture, quoins, mallet and block 
of the imposing stone. Beyond taking 
proofs of the pages of the books there 
was no printing done; it was clean, in- 
teresting work, much in accord with my 
inclination, and I became very fond of it. 
During my connection with “the art 
preservative of all arts” at this estab- 
lishment I worked on books of all de- 
scription, and on a multitude of sub- 
jects. Among other books, which I liked 
exceedingly well, was a series of school 
books, comprising McGuffey’s six read- 
ers, an arithmetic, an algebra and a 
geometry. The type-setting of these 
books required unusual care and techni- 
cal skill. There were also music books 
of various kinds and sheet music, in- 
cluding collections of sacred music for 
^urches, of secular songs for schools. 
One collection of songs used “patent” 
notes, the head of each note being either 
round, square, triangular, diamond, etc., 
which corresponded with do, re. mi. fa. 
sol, etc., and required some care in setting. 
It happened that there was but one 
man in the concern who could set music 
type. Owing to my love of music, and 
also as a matter of curiosity, and more- 
over, being encouraged by the music com- 
positor mentioned, I became quite famil- 
iar with the many types used in music, 
of which there were several hundred, oc- 
cupying several cases. It happened, also, 
that there was a sudden influx of music 
work, and an additional music compo- 
sitor not being available, I was asked if 
I knew anything of music, and replied 
that I had a little knowledge of it; the 
foreman then suggested that I learn the 
cases and set music. He was somewhat 
surprised when he learned that I knew 
the cases and could set music. There- 
after a great part of my work was pre- 
paring pages of music books and sheet 
music. My wages were now double, and 
I was reading proof overtime. 
At that time Cincinnati was the center 
of the pork-packing industry and was 
known as “Porkopolis.” As the “Queen 
City” it was the chief manufacturing city 
Out where the big fellows are 
of furniture and carriages. One-half of 
the city lying north of the canal, or 
“over the Rhine,” was peopled entirely 
by Germans, and naturally, was the prin- 
cipal manufacturing city of lager, or 
cellar beer, as it was stored in cellars 
during the winter and drunk the next 
spring and summer. Nowadays, when it 
is made at all, it is ready for consump- 
tion in a week or two, owing to rapid 
chemical methods. The beer that made 
Milwaukee and Cincinnati famous will 
never be known again. 
The beautiful river on which I had 
sailed from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati 
dwindled during the winter to the pro- 
portions of an ordinary creek, and was 
being waded, near the city, by adventur- 
ous boys. A cold wave occurring about 
Christmas resulted in freezing the river 
for hundreds of miles. On the follow- 
ing Sunday I skated up to New Rich- 
mond, about twenty miles. 
I HAD now formed the acquaintance of 
a small coterie of congenial friends 
about my own age. Four of us, being 
musically inclined, formed a string 
quartette and also a brass quartette 
in which I played second violin and 
B-flat comet respectively. We spent 
most of our evenings in diligent prac- 
tice, and in the course of time we were 
said to produce pretty fair music. At 
all events our services were often in re- 
quisition for social functions, especially 
as they were offered without the hope of 
reward or other emolument, except the 
mutual pleasure and amusement of our 
friends and ourselves. 
We had some friends just over the 
border in Indiana, by whom we were in- 
vited to attend a reception and dance 
on a Saturday night. There happened 
to be a wild pigeon roost a few miles 
away, and our friends invited us to view 
the wonderful sight on the following day. 
We went in wagons and on horseback, 
and on reaching the place it proved to 
be, indeed, a wonderful sight. 
The roost covered a space of several 
miles, and the branches of the immense 
trees were occupied by thousands and 
thousands of nesl.= while the ground was 
strewn with brok . n limbs and branches, 
torn nests, cripp’^d birds and helpless 
squabs, which were being devoured by 
numerous hogs. About sundown we were 
aware of a rushing sound, like the surf 
of a heavy sea, which soon increased to 
a roar, and the sky became darkened, 
as with the swiftness of the wind the 
old birds in vast hordes came darting 
to their nests. 
As the squabs were being fed many of 
them were crowded out of the nests and 
fell to the ground, when they were 
picked up and put in sacks. Crowds of 
men and boys and some women were 
now flocking to the scene, and with long 
poles and short clubs were knocking the 
nests and old birds from the lower limbs. 
Fires were kindled and lanterns lighted 
and still the old birds continued to swarm 
in, regardless of the tumult, turmoil and 
uproar. When our curiosity was satis- 
fied we were glad to leave the horrid 
scene and the remorseless and merciless 
slaughter. 
This roost was quite a small one when 
compared with those described by Audu- 
bon and Wilson many years ago, which 
were said to extend for forty miles and 
several miles in width. It is, indeed, 
sad to reflect that the beautiful pas- 
senger pigeon, the most shapely and 
swiftest that ever existed on the Amer- 
ican continent, has, through the greed, 
cupidity and wantonness of man become 
entirely extinct. The millions upon mil- 
lions that in days gone by winged their 
way over our vast forests in countless 
myriads, engapd in the peaceful pro- 
creation of their species, have been swept 
from the face of the earth by human 
and inhuman agencies. It is a reproach 
to the manhood, integrity and intelligence 
of the nation. 
general manager of the Cincinnati Zo- 
ological Garden, for the following in- 
teresting history of “Martha,” the last 
and sole survivor of the once numerous 
race of passenger pigeons. 
“In 1878 we purchased three pairs of 
passenger pigeons, which were then quite 
common, paying two and a half dollars 
per pair. They bred regularly in the 
cages Martha was hatched on Septem- 
September 1, 
iyi4, twenty-nine years of age. She was 
presented to the Smithsonian at Wash- 
(CONTINUKD ON PAGE 550) 
