Fifty Years a Newspaper

from The Evening Guide  1928
It seems hardly possible that The Evening Guide has been published every day for fifty years and it is nearly one hundred years since Wm Furby began the Weekly Guide in Port Hope, but it is true.

Under the heading 'Salutatory' in the first issue we reprint 'The very flattering reception which has been given to The Guide under the present proprietory during the past year, together with the necessary importance of Port Hope and surrounding country, has encouraged us to make the venture of a daily issue. We have frequently asked ourselves 'Why should not Port Hope have a daily paper?' and have never been able to satisfy ourselves that one was not required. Many events happen between the issues of a weekly paper which lose their chief importance from the lapse of time. Whilst our course in the past must be the best guarantee of what we are likely to be in the future, still it may not be out of place to say whatever is for the best interests of our town and country we will most unflinchingly advocate.
Whether we shall achieve success we know not, but one thing is certain we 'shall do our best to deserve it'.

When our senior, Mr George Wilson, with the help of his boys began publishing daily, the office was in the building then owned by the late R E Sculthorp on the south side of Walton Street opposite the present Guide Office and now occupied by Mr H M VanAlstine. Father, mother and the boys and girls lived over the office.

The printing office and home overhead were heated by steam from a small upright boiler, the water for which was obtained from a barrel in the dirt floor of the cellar through which a small stream of water flowed. This was pumped by hand to a tank beside the boiler from which it was forced into the boiler - for be it remembered that this was before the days of water works for domestic purposes.

There was, however, a pump operated by a turbine wheel that forced water into the few water mains when the fire bell was sounded in Port Hope.

The writer well remembers having to turn out of a warm bed long before daylight [on] cold winter mornings, rush down and get up steam in order that the office would be warm enough to work in and the home comfortable. Then when the fire was burning well and steam up it was no trouble to 'sleep like a log' on the hard feed board of the press until the men came to work at seven o'clock. Linotype machines were not in use and all the type was set by hand in those days and cold fingers couldn't pick the type from the cases into the sticks so the first necessity was heat.

Usually the present editor of The Guide goes to bed and sleeps - can sleep the clock around and [then] some; has had to lose sleep when there was trouble, night after night sometimes. But the other night he was sleeping the sleep of innocence and a clear conscience when something roused him and started has thinker on the days gone by. Of the people living then what a procession has moved to the great beyond. Father, mother, sisters and other loved ones - and this applies to most families too.

Our readers may not realize it but Mr F W Wilson has been connected with The Guide longer than any other person in Canada has been with any other newspaper. He might have made more money elsewhere or even here if he had been without mercy or had accepted, say liquour advertising, payment for which would have been many thousands of dollars.

When The Evening Guide was started there was no daily in Peterborough, Lindsay, Oshawa or elsewhere in this district. Some years afterwards, however, there were three in Peterborough, two in Lindsay (now one in each) and there were also three in Port Hope, but the dear old Guide is the only one that continued every day excepting Sundays and holidays since 1878 to now.

When The Guide first issued daily there were no telephones in commercial use, electric lights, radios, waterworks, linotypes, presses printing from the roll, autos, electric motors and other machines and conveniences we accept use of today without thought. The idea of a paved highway would have been laughed at then when even the sidewalks were of plank - now an accomplished fact.

At the time Port Hope had an immense trade in barley which was in great demand in the United States - but our southern neighbours boosted their tariff wall so high that Canada couldn't get over the obstacle, so our farmers quit growing barley and the Yankees quit drinking beer made from the best barley grown in Canada. What the clever chemists substituted to make the then legal drink we do not know - the fact remains the growing of barley ceased.

Our white pine lumber was coming from our northern forests by the trainload and the schooner captains contending for dock room to load lumber for Ogdensburg and other US ports. The steamer Norseman made daily trips to Charlotte and there was a steamer of the Royal Mail Line calling here bound east and west every day. There were four trains east and four west on the Grand Trunk Railway while the trains on the Midland left for the north at 6 and 10 in the morning and four in the afternoon for Georgian Bay - not Toronto - for at that time the Midland was independent - trains arrived from the north at 8:20 am 3:30 and 6:30 pm. The post office was east of the bridge on the south side of Walton street.

The business cards announced - John Wright, Smart & Smith, (David Smart and Seth S Smith) J G Hall as Port Hope barristers; D E McMillan, attorney-at-law, Newcastle.

In those days it was not considered an offence for doctors to announce that they were ready to serve suffering humanity. We find the names of Dr S Corbett (where Dr G A Dickinson lives), Dr W L Herriman, (John street where Dr S B Kelly lives), Dr Hamilton (Walton above Brown street) and Dr J B Oliver, Newtonville, Dr S W Davison (Walton street opposite John street). Of this number our old friend, Dr L B Powers alone remains in his original place, with added years, skill and experience, beloved by a huge circle of friends and patients. J Galbraith, civil engineer. And George Wilson was government agent for the sale of marriage licenses at The Guide Office. T Singleton gave lessons on the organ and piano, Bedford street; and S B Burnham offered his services for the same purpose, Queen Street. The Queen's Hotel was conducted by A A Adams the St Lawrence by Wm Mackie; American Hotel by John E Lynn; St George, Cavan street, by J H Hawkins; Port Hope restaurant (with its side door) by Martin Griffin, 'Oysters at all reasonable hours' and Martin knew how to cook them, too. J H Brown, photographer, wanted a boy and The Guide wanted ten boys to become paper merchants, by selling the Guide.

We have had a fine lot of boys and girls, too, who have helped distribute The Evening Guide and we hear at frequent intervals from those who now hold responsible positions in Canada and elsewhere. Good luck and success follow you is our wish for all of them.

John B Oke wanted 2500 barrels of good hand picked apples.
William Miles advertised for a 'small snug cottage'.
A Scott advertised a canoe for sale.
W H Parsons & Co advertised 'Grip' pictures.
G B Salter as President of Hope Reformers called a meeting in the interests of Lewis Ross and there were meetings called for Port Hope for the same.
Wm Fraser advertised for a lost whip and someone else a purse to be left at The Guide office.
Moore Fanning was advertising for a note of hand for $46.50 which was lost. Lewis Ross was asking for re-election to the Dominion Parliament.

Among the advertisers were:
J R Mitchell, Druggist; McLennan & Curtis, pork packers; John L Irwin, insurance; J W Wallace, planing mill; J J Turner, sail, tent and awning factory; Arthur Morrow, house for sale; Henry Wade, seed grain for sale; Jessie Palmer, Elizabethville, farm for sale; Henry Wade had money to lend and for part of 1878 was agent for the Midland Loan & Savings Co as well as Fire Insurance to offer; J A Smith advertised that he was still alive (after the flood that swept away the brick building he occupied on the north side of Walton St, the bare rock is still vacant) he offered for sale fish, oysters and conducted a first class lunch room in the premises formerly occupied by J C McNaughton, Queen Street.
H Gilmour, organist of St John's Church, agent for pianos and organs and instructor in vocal and instrumental music.
Robert Varco had established a new bakery formerly conducted by Charles Knight; James A Montgomery, practical watchmaker, jeweller and optician, Walton street, opposite Music Hall.
Mr Montgomery has now one of the finest jewellery stores and businesses on the Pacific coast at Los Angeles, Cal, USA.

The County High School, Adam Purslow, BA, LLB, Head Master, Brown street, there were four teachers on the staff.
Thos R Hagerman advertised his farm for sale at $8,101.
The Department of Public Works at Ottawa were advertising for tenders for deepening, enlargement and completion of the Lachine Canal.

John Mitchell, grocer, was advertising 'pure, fresh farmer's milk' (presumedly from cows).
John B Oke had fruit and ornamental trees for sale and John Welch, Pine and Walton streets, cleaned clothes.
The Lion dry goods store, N Hockin novelties, just received; Fred Lockwood, grocer - 'celebrated for choice teas'; S Lelean, dry goods, was offering 'the new and popular Gossimer Waterproof Cloak'.
J Little & Co, dry goods, had 'black lusters [ulsters?] as a specialty' opposite Queen's Hotel. R Dunn & Co stoves and tinware; J D McLennan, family grocer, Cavan and Walton Sts., while Mr G B Salter (for a long time now a resident of Norfolk, Neb) offered to pay the best price for wheat and coarse grain at Canton Mills and at the Port Hope mill.

So much for the first issue - later in the year we find Hugh Ross, dry goods, carpets a specialty.
Lewis Ross, dry goods, groceries, etc.
Mr Geo Strong had a coal gas economizer which claimed to save on gas bills.
The steamer Norseman advertised for soft and mixed wood - that was before coal was generally used for steamers; Capt George Wright advertised his 'New Coal Depot'; F J Mancha of Dover, Delaware was booking Delaware farms for sale and quite a number left from this vicinity and took up peach growing and farming in that state as a result.

Hope Agricultural Society did some advertising in The Guide [in] those days. Rae Dickson was Sec-Treasurer; there was also the East Durham Agricultural Society.
John Foott was Sec-Treas, George M Furby, afterwards manager of the Midland Loan & Savings Co, was at that time representing the Canada Permanent Loan & Savings Co, office Robertson's Buildings, Walton St. The Midland Loan & Savings Co had a permanent space under the management of Stanley Paterson.
Irwin's photo studio was at the corner of Walton Street and the railway.
Wm Hardy conducted the City Laundry.
Fred Hobbs was bill poster and distributor.
James Reynolds announced his New Barber shop, Queen's Hotel, while his rival in business and sport, Peter Brunette advertised the 'Old Reliable Barber shop - with baths. Bath tickets good for 1 year $8; 5 baths $1, single 25¢ children 15¢'.
Be it remembered that there were no bath rooms in Port Hope and a bath was a luxury not a necessity as today. No wonder the boys had a competition as to who would take the first plunge into lake or river in spring.
The Port Hope sanitary was not turning out thousands of enamelled bath tubs, in fact, even in the cities bath rooms were not universal.

Thomas Vanhorn did blacksmithing and horseshoeing at his shop on Cavan street; Edward Budge had a big display telling of the New York and European fashions; James Craick, direct importer, sold good drygoods cheap.
John Carson had room paper and Family Groceries, south side of Walton street near railway.
James Dyer had a general store and Hope Woollen Mill at Garden Hill and employed a first class cutter - 'A sure fit or no pay'.
John McElroy Jr, had a planing mill and lumber yard at Garden Hill.
Edward Peplow offered money to loan from English and Scotch Companies.
Wm Sisson advertised a 100 acre farm for sale.
Mrs Coats announced the removal of her shop to over the old post office where she would make up ladies suits from $1.50 upwards.
Miss Smith fashionable dress and mantle maker, Bloomsgrove avenue.
Mulholland & Brown announced the arrival of cutlery direct from Joseph Rodgers & Son, England.
Prof William's Walton street barber shop advertised toys and fancy goods as well as shaves. 'Sign of the Indian Maiden'.
Those requiring stove pipes were advised to go to Reel's tin shop (where the Bell Telephone exchange now stands).
Does any one remember the old gray horse?

Frank Foster, butcher, wanted 500 dressed turkeys and likely he got them - they were not so scarce then. Peter McCabe advertised best spring wheat flour $1.90 per 100 lbs.