Culled by Judy Garrison From March 1914 issues of
The Andes Recorder 100 Years Ago
Week In and About ANDES
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Events of a Week as Chronicled by the Man on the Street
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With commentary by Jim Andrews
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The roof of William T. Hyzer’s large livery barn in Andes village was crushed beneath the weight of snow Sabbath evening. Those living in the vicinity heard the crash but did not find the cause until daylight. The building was 38×70 and was formerly the old skating rink. A few years ago Mr. Hyzer purchased it and took it in sections and re-erected it on his lot. The building spread and is a wreck with only the rear wall standing. The front wall lies flat and the whole looks as if a cyclone had stuck it.
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The barn was rented by Anthony Banuat who conducts a livery and the building that was wrecked was used for wagons and sleighs. The horses are kept in a barn built against the end of the other building and this was not damaged. Nearly every wagon or sleigh was damaged and some are good only for kindling wood. Mr. Banuat’s loss is estimated at nearly $400, and Mr. Hyzer valued the building at $1,000. He will rebuild at once, but will only make the building half the length of the one wrecked. [Jim Andrews: This was located on the site of the barn behind the house now occupied by Dana Leal (formerly the Bill Groom house). The old skating rink was a very large structure located next to my house and stretched across the brook to the wall on the other side. It ran from High Street straight back and the brook ran underneath part of it. It might have been possible that Bill Hyzer was able to move the sections across the brook since the barn was constructed just up the creek above the former Armstrong’s Mill.]
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WORST BLIZZARD SINCE 1888
…In Andes and vicinity at least 18 inches of snow fell, but accompanied as it was by a high wind, it is hard to estimate.Coming as it did on top of a deep snow of a fortnight ago and being piled in huge drifts, it completely blocked all roads and only a few near the village were able to get in with the milk on Monday. The D&N was unable to move trains Monday… The Andes-Delhi Stage did not make its trip until Thursday.
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Roy Davis wandered up the track from Pepacton Wednesday afternoon and to relieve that tired feeling lay down across the tracks for a nap. He was laying thus when a cruel engineer on the D. & N. struck him with the pilot [JA: cow catcher?] of the engine and rolled him over and over in the snow. The engineer did not see him quick enough to avoid hitting him but had slowed down. The deep snow saved Davis and the only damage done was a cut over one eye.
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A Spook Social will be held at the home of Mrs. C. L. Wakeman Tuesday evening, March 10. The auction of spooks will begin at 7:30, after which will be served a Ham and Pancake Supper, including butter, maple sirup, pickles and coffee. Music by Andes orchestra. Violin solos by Mrs. E. W. Palmateer….[JA: Mrs. C.L. Wakeman lived in an Italianate house located on the site of the swimming pool.]
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John Verpak, of Arena, has leased the rooms in Union Hall block, formerly used by Nick Calvi and opened a shoeshop therein this week. He comes very highly recommended as doing first-class work.
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John C. Fowler will tear down the old Kaufman creamery on his place on the Tremperskill. W. T. Hyzer is getting some of the lumber to re-build his livery barn, which went down under the weight of snow on the evening of March 1. [March 13 edition][JA: Kaufman’s creamery was located on the left hand side just past the Fowler farm along State Road. The property is now owned by Joe Eisele. Kaufman’s creamery was serviced by the D & E Railroad but wasn’t in existence very long. The creameries in the village and in Shavertown were bigger and more efficient. Some of the foundation walls are still there. The ice pond associated with the property was filled in.]
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David Ballantine is having the interior of his banking office re-decorated and papered. [JA: Ron Guichard’s realty office]
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Dr. John Laing Leal died in the St. Joseph’s hospital at Paterson, N. J on March 13, from diabetes, in his 57th year.
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Dr. Leal was a son of Dr. J. R. Leal and Mary Laing and was born in Andes, NY. He graduated from Princeton in 1880, and from College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1884. He commenced the practice of medicine in Paterson and early became prominent….In 1912-13 he was president of the board of health and had also been on the medical board and visiting surgeon of the Paterson General Hospital. He became an expert on sanitation in water supply and was a recognized authority on the detection of pollution in water-sheds and methods of securing potable water for municipalities. He had acted in an advisory capacity for the installation of water plants in a number of the largest cities in the country, including New York. His father was head surgeon of the 144th Regiment during the civil was and the family left Andes in the fall of 1865. One son, Graham Leal, survives him. [Ed.: Notice the familiar local names. Quite the success story. I calculate he was about 9 when the family left Andes.]
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We understand that the V. I. S. [JA:Village Improvement Society] expect to buy three more boulevard arc lamps for the village streets. [JA: These replaced the kerosene street lamps and were much brighter and would burn longer. The editor is voicing his opinion about how long the lamps should be allowed to burn.] One will be placed near the creamery, another at the foundry and the third near the center of the village. We but voice sentiment of our citizens, when we say that all lights should burn until at least 11 o’clock. Just when most needed the lights are out.
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Harry M. Holden, representing the firm of Rehm & Co., of New York, who have the contract to furnishing the awnings for the large summer home of Robert L. Gerry, in southern, Bovina, was in Andes early in the week, enroute to make the measurements for the awnings.
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The house on the John Whitson farm, which is now owned by Robert L. Gerry, is undergoing extensive repairs and improvements. It will be occupied by Mr. Carpenter the landscape gardener.
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The Andes Book Club organized for the coming year last Saturday by electing Mrs. David Ballantine president and Miss Floreta Chamberlain, secretary and treasurer. The club voted to allow only late books to be put in.[Ed.: Does that mean they are only reading contemporary authors?] [JA: Sounds right to me. Quite progressive, don’t you think?]~