THE WAY WE WERE
Culled by Judy Garrison
From August 1923 issues of
The Andes Recorder
100 Years Ago
WEEK IN AND ABOUT ANDES
Events of a week as chronicled by
the Man on the Street
Local schools opened Tuesday with teachers as follow: viz: Ethel Wight, Palmer Hill; Pearl Graham, Gladstone Hollow….In Bussy Hollow, school will not commence for two weeks because the teacher, Evelyn Williams, does not reach the age of 18 until that time, and the authorities are so technical that they would not let her begin.
Mr. and Mrs. Bert Robbins, newly-weds from Brooklyn, who spent the past week at Valley View Farm, were given a surprise and a skimmelton by the other guests of the house last Thursday evening. There was the bride’s cake and all the good things to eat and over the table at which the bride and groom were seated a bell was suspended. There was much merry making and all voted the occasion a most enjoyable one. [Buffy Calvert: Another term for skimmelton is shivaree.]
Ralph Fitzgerald, the express messenger on the Delaware & Northern, who a few weeks ago sustained a crushed pelvis and a dislocated hip when the passenger coach left the track and who has since been in the hospital in Oneonta, is making a good recovery. The fact that he was in the passenger coach and not in the express car, where he should have been, it is stated, precludes him from receiving damages.
The third fall sale held Saturday afternoon at Meridale Farms was one of the most successful events of its kind ever arranged for the Jersey breeding fraternity. A total of 47 animals were sold for a total of $33,435, an average of $711.38…..The breeders and fanciers of the Jersey who attended the sale represented New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and neighboring states to the south and west, as far as California. [Ed: I’ve often heard that Meridale Farms was known far and wide for their Jersey cows. Does anyone have background on the favorite breeds besides Holsteins in Andes over the years, and which farmers favored them? I think our readers would enjoy learning more from a letter to the editor—or an article—on that subject.]
Thomas S. Doig, on Palmer Hill, has had a radio installed.
Miss Lillian Graham has returned to her teaching duties at Port Washington, Long Island.
William Dickson, of Unadilla, who was a native of Andes, and who served in the Spanish-American war, has taken a position under civil service and has gone to Goshen, Orange county as instructor of floriculture in the Vocational School for ex-service men. In this school there are about 12 men who have been mutilated or gassed.
Spontaneous combustion in a pile of horse manure on the farm of Charles Davison at Mundale, nearly caused a disastrous fire last Thursday. The manure was piled near the wagon house and only timely discovery of the smoke and flames saved the building from probable destruction. [Ed: An earlier post this same month attributes a similar cause to a barn fire in Hobart, where bucket brigades were unable to save the barn, but did prevent the spread of flames to the adjacent building: “The cause of the fire is thought to have been spontaneous combustion as the owner had shortly before made hay out of a lot of green oats and had put them on top of the mows.”]
One of the large petrified stumps lately unearthed at Gilboa was shipped to Yale university at New Haven, Conn. last week. The weight of the stump was 2,00 pounds.
It is reported that the Merritt Chemical Company have sold their acid factory and other buildings at Shavertown, together with woodland, etc. to Corbett & Stuart.
One of the large petrified stumps lately unearthed at Gilboa was shipped to Yale university at New Haven, Conn. last week. The weight of the stump was 2,00 pounds.
It is reported that the Merritt Chemical Company have sold their acid factory and other buildings at Shavertown, together with woodland, etc. to Corbett & Stuart.
What is known as the Miner hotel in Arena has been sold to two New York City Hebrews for $9,000 and they will conduct a summer boarding house. The property has evidently increased in value. After C. E. Minder died the place was purchased by Murdock and McGraw for $4,800. They sold the property to Mrs. A. M. Williams for between $7,000 and $8,000, and now she sells it to the Hebrews for $9,000. [Ed: It would have been more informative if we were given years of the sales and whether extensive improvements had been made. Would also be interesting to learn now how much the owners were recompensed by the city when homes and businesses were taken by eminent domain for the construction of the Pepacton Reservoir.]
The water in the Ashokan Reservoir, New York’s main supply, now 57 feet below high water mark, is gradually dropping lower, and it is estimated at the present rate of consumption there is less than three months’ supply remaining. The tunnel through the mountains to the Schoharie is nearly completed and it is planned to erect a temporary dam and send the waters of the Schoharie into the Ashokan Reservoir until the Bilboa dam is finished. The Board of Water Supply predicts that the necessary work can be completed to divert the waters of the Schoharie through the Shandaken tunnel into the Esopus by next December and thus increase the supply of water in New York City, which is seriously threatened by the present shortage. [Ed.: New York City’s drumbeat for more reservoirs is just getting started.]
The work of fitting up the Bohlmann house for a public library has been commenced. Emory Armstrong has the contract.~