Opinion - Adirondack Journal - 7
www.adirondackjournal.com
February 2, 2013
100 Years Ago - February 1913 Bad luck revisited Mrs. Susan Woodward, 75, while walking in Warrensburgh on Mountain Avenue in Warrensburgh, on Jan. 29, 1913, in company with Elizabeth Crandall, fell on the ice and striking with great force on her left hand broke both bones of her arm in the wrist joint. This is the second time that the member has been broken in nearly the same place. The other wrist was also previously broken near the joint. Mrs. Crandall assisted her to the home of her son, J.H. Woodward on upper Main St. where she resides. Two years before, while suffering an attack of vertigo, Mrs. Woodward fell down a steep flight of stairs at the Woodward residence and sustained injuries from which she has never fully recovered. Last August, 1912, she had yet another severe fall from the piazza of her son’s house. She is enduring her current suffering from her latest injury with great fortitude.
Fell head first William Austin, while driving Orson R. Wilsey’s team on King St., Warrensburgh was seized by an attack of vertigo and fell unconscious from the wagon into the street. Otto Fish saw him fall and ran to his assistance. Austin was carried to his home and remained there unconscious for quite some time.
Illness and trouble abound Charles Payne of Indian Lake suffered a stroke of paralysis and high school teacher Julia Cross has the grippe. Wilbur Perkins of West Stony Creek is suffering severely from a lame back. Connie Baker of Fort Ann is staying in North Thurman. About two weeks ago he had two of his fingers cut off and two others severely mangled in a corn-husking machine. Kenneth Duell of Horicon fell on the ice and cut his head quite badly. Mrs. Alfred Duell of Bolton Landing is ill with pleurisy. George Daggett of Bolton lost a pig Jan.
27, 1913. The animal was taken sick and died in less than an hour. Peter Baker of South Horicon also lost a fine pig, a serious loss to his family.
Married and settled down Robert C. Wood, a former Warrensburgh boy better known as Cassius, has completed two terms of service in the U.S. Army, seven years altogether, and received an honorable discharge at Fort Sheridan, Ill., near Chicago. Cass married during his last enlistment and is now working as a railroad fireman in Chicago.
Mild winter continues Navigation records enduring for 80 years have been broken on the Hudson River. Trips of the river boats from Albany to New York marked the 288th day of the season that navigation was possible and broke the record of 30 years. The trip later taken on Jan. 13, 1913 shattered the 80-year record and the boats are still running. Last year the closing date was Jan. 3, 1912. (Note; Local people, feeling leery, were hoping that when the snow would eventually come, it would not all come all at once in a blizzard as it did on Feb. 20, 1908 when 12 inches of snow fell accompanied by damaging high winds.) Never in the memory of our oldest residents, nor has records been found, to show that Lake George ever remained open for the entire month of January and now into February before this current year. (Note: in 2012, the lake didn’t freeze over for the entire winter, which was the first time in recent history for such an occurrence.) Walter E. Harris of Lake George, accompanied by his dog, “Duffy,” made a remarkable trip the length of Lake George to Baldwin in his Naptha motorboat, Jan. 26, 1913 and after a cigar and chat with George Loomis, made the return home.
Fort William Henry Hotel Under the new management of Albert Thieriot, the Fort William Henry Hotel, owned by the Delaware and Hudson railroad company, is assured of the brightest possible future. Mr. Thieriot was for many years in charge of Delmonico’s restaurant in
New York City and he is considered to be the top man in his profession as he is skilled in providing for the wants of the fastidious public. (Note: Albert Thieriot lived in Chestertown, in a house still standing on what is today Thieriot Avenue, with his wife, Phebe Watson, a native of Warrensburgh. Her father, Godfrey T. Watson, owned a grocery store in the building that now houses the Alexander-Baker funeral home. A wellloved man of indomitable energy, Thieriot served for many years as executor and trustee of the Rosa Delmonico estate. He died of the after-effects of pneumonia in 1915 at home in Chestertown.)
No ice fishing on Lake George Fishing through the ice on Lake George, known as “Old Horicon” by locals, is a thing of the past under the state’s new uniform fish and game law. The law prohibits fishing through the ice for brook, rainbow, red, spotted and brown trout which were planted there years ago by the former culturist A.N. Cheney where they are continuing to thrive. Heretofore an exception has been made in favor of those who wanted to fish for perch, of which the lake once boasted some of the finest in the country and hundreds of pounds were taken out each winter and they always found a ready market. Complaint was made by the cottagers that this form of winter fishing so cleaned up the lake that it was impossible to get a mess of yellow perch during several seasons past, although they were formerly one of the most plentiful of summer fishes. (Note: Because he was besieged with complaints about this new law from area residents, state Sen. James A. Emerson of Warrensburgh used his considerable influence in Albany to pressure the state conservation officer to rescind this new law for the winter of 1913, both in Lake George and Schroon Lake and to not allow Game Protector Burnett to prosecute or “molest” and person who indulged in this sort of fishing.) This law would have forced the Fort William Henry Hotel to stop advertising “comfortable” ice fishing for their guests as
Over the fence by Kathy Templeton 623-2967 feidenk33@yahoo.com
Groundhog folklore is fun Groundhog Day is celebrated on Feb. 2 — and many people in the region, young and old, enjoy the quirky tradition. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks. This logic has confused me for years, If one “sees” their shadow it means it’s sunny out, therefore we would be having warmer weather than usual for February. And, if no shadow is seen then it would be overcast and hence having seasonal weather for February. However, sunny conditions generally indicate clear weather in winter, which routinely is accompanied by colder temperatures. Annually, thousands of people show up at “Gobblers Knob” in Punxsutawney, Pa. to see whether Punxsutawney Phil could see his shadow. Also, each year the topic of groundhog prognostication is a top internet inquiry, according to search engine data. According to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil's weather predictions have been correct 39 percent of the time. The U.S. National Climatic Data Center asserts that the statistics gathered for years show Punxsutawney Phil has no predictive skill. Well, we up here in Thurman don’t hold it against the groundhogs.
Woolly bears and Edith Bills A better way to predict the winter in Thurman has historically been the prevailing colorations of the woolly bear caterpillar. Old-timers in Thurman remember that for years, Adirondack Journal columnist Edith Bills annually measured the black and brown bands on the creature to predict how rough the upcoming winter would be. If the woolly bear caterpillar has a big brown stripe in the middle and smaller black stripes on each end, winter will be mild. But if the creatures tend to have a small brown stripe in the middle and bigger black stripes on the ends, winter will be harsh, according to prevailing folklore. While science indicates that the width of these bands is related to the age of the caterpillar, old-timers remember well that Edith Bills’ predictions were most likely to prove accurate!
I’ve observed that Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently proposed to expand solar energy in the state by investing $150 million more annually into solar initiatives over the next 10 years. Let’s hope a good amount of the money goes towards assisting rural upstate residents become energy self-sufficient! The Town of Thurman has decided to name the celebration of Warren County Bicentennial as Thurman Old Home Days to be held June 14 and 15. Thurman’s celebration of the Warren County Bicentennial will feature such activities as a town-sponsored parade, children’s games, live music and entertainment, a military encampment and fireworks. Anyone interested in creating a float or participating in the parade should contact Evelyn Wood at 623-9649. Jim Desourdy will take your orange bags of trash to the transfer station for only $5 per week, and only charges for the week he picks up. To contact Jim, call 623-4254.
Activities and events in Thurman The PTSA Spaghetti Dinner and Auction fundraiser is to be held Feb. 9 at the Haskell Brothers VFW Hall on Main St. in Warrensburg. Scheduled for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the event is to raise money for the Warrensburg Elementary School playground, which is in great need of renovations. The menu ingredients are being donated by the VFW 4821 Men’s Auxiliary, and its members have volunteered as chefs — and we hear the PTSA appreciates their generosity. The fee for dinner is $7 for adults and $5 for children. For details, call Eddie Bates at 260-1212. To join the PTSA, stop into the Elementary School and pick up a membership form, Adult membership is still just $7 and a student membership is only $4. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so don’t be caught without making those dinner reservations. Or, if you are dining at home, make sure to stock up on your sweetheart’s favorite food items. Have a lovely Valentine’s Day! The Thurman Fire Co. will be holding their next monthly meeting on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. in the firehouse. The county-sponsored Senior Bus service which takes local residents over age 60 to Glens Falls for shopping and various other stops, will run Friday, Feb. 8. To reserve a seat, call Norma at 623-9281 by Feb. 6. The Thurman Quilting Group holds their meetings every Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the town hall. For more information, contact Myra at 623-2633.
Your memories, artifacts sought The John Thurman Historical Society is now seeking your stories about bygone days in our rural town. Any topic you would like to write about is fine, according to the Society representatives. One topic already being pursued by several local residents deals with ice jams, floods and bridges. If you have memories or pictures of this topic, the Quarterly staff would like you to phone or email to let them know. Also, the Society members are gathering reminiscences of old sayings local residents heard in their youth
the hotel had made plans to set up many fishing huts with heaters, tip-ups and holes in the ice and so far this season they have not yet done so because of the unusual winter weather which has caused only six inches of ice to form on the lake. The ice races on Lake George have been postponed until Feb. 18, 1913.
News roundabout According to the almanac there will be five eclipses this year, three of the sun and two of the moon. On Jan. 11, 1913 the first sedan-type automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th Annual Auto Show in New York City. On Feb. 25, 1913 an amendment was ratified authorizing income tax. It will take effect March 1, 1913. The new American rage for young and old is the insertion of a prize in a Cracker Jack box for the first time. “Babe” Ruth, the up-and-coming young baseball player, celebrated his 18th birthday on Feb. 6, 1913 and is looking forward to good things to come his way. (George Herman Ruth, known as the most famous player in baseball history, was signed up the next year by the minor-league Baltimore Orioles. He died in 1948.) James Shannahan is seriously ill at his home on the Thurman Road known at “Cat’s Corners.” (Note: This area, directly on the east end of the Thurman Bridge, is sometimes also called “Katz’s Corners and many wonder about the name’s origin. Call me at 623-2210 if you have any information.) F.W. Hall, who has associated with Edson Granger in the Warrensburgh Automobile Garage on lower Main St., has moved his family here from Granville and is occupying Walter Pasco’s tenant house adjoining the Baptist Church on the corner of Main St. and Mountain Avenue. Supervisor Fred Rogers of North Creek has just butchered a pig that weighed 650 pounds dressed. Will Harris of Athol shot a silver gray fox. A hand-powered clothes washing machine is on sale for $4.98 at Bickley Brothers store at 172 Glen St. in Glens Falls. Readers are welcome to contact Adirondack Journal correspondent Jean Hadden at jhadden1@nycap.rr.com or 623-2210.
— the kinds of things parents and grandparents used to say to children to mold their character or teach them about life. The deadline for submitting memories and sayings is Feb. 14, and the magazine will be published in March. Stories and photos may be sent via email to: PersisGranger@aol.com or via U.S. mail to: Persis Granger, 7460 SE 51st Way, Trenton, FL 32693.
Line up items now for town sale The winter months are a great time to accomplish some household organizational tasks. In advance of spring cleaning, gather up your unwanted items to sell in the Thurman Townwide sale to be held Friday May 17 through Sunday May 19. The sale is routinely held the weekend after Mother ’s Day and was first launched in 1996. Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!
Jack Wax party plans progressing The famed Thurman Jack Wax party is just 35 days away, so reserve the date for this delicious all-you-can eat buffet. Plans call for a wide variety of dishes, including entrees of ham, and turkey. One outstanding offering slated for the event is macaroni and cheese by the renowned Nettle Meadow Farm. Of course, topping off the meal will be the dessert of genuine Jack Wax. Hoddy Ovitt & The Warren County Ramblers will be providing the musical entertainment from 3:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This will be 54 years the event has taken place and all the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Incidentally, we hear that representatives of the American Cancer Society will be attending the party to recognize the Jack Wax party’s longevity. Note that a Facebook event page named Jack Wax Party 54th Annual has been set up where people can sign up to donate food items or volunteer their time — or you can contact me, Kathy Templeton, at 623-2967 or via email at: feidenk33@yahoo.com .
Special days for Thurmanites Celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on Feb. 7 are Bob and Peggy Florance. Best wishes to them from all of us on this very special occasion! Celebrating Birthdays this week are John Anthony Kuczmarski, Makayla Griswold and Ethan Schmidt on Feb. 2; Tegan Castro, Jamiee Millington Haskell, and Irene Hall on Feb. 3; Dan Shoemaker and Andy Knoll on Feb. 4; Laura Cameron and Dot Maxam on Feb. 5; Jill Galusha and Jason Baker on Feb. 6; Kevin Bender on Feb. 7; plus Vonda Beattie, Jim DeSourdy, and Kayden Breault on Feb. 8.
Send your news items and letters to Thom Randall at thom@denpubs.com.