HOMETOWN History

May 31, 2019

150 Years Ago

On Sunday afternoon last, Mark Hemstreet, a small boy, went into the barn of Harvey Baker with matches, and soon after the barn was discovered to be on fire. The flames spread with such rapidity among the hay and other combustible material as soon to place it beyond rescue and it was totally consumed with the corn house adjoining.
A barn belonging to D. Rose, another to Abner A. Walling and a small building of Horace McCall’s were also destroyed. The loss of Mr. Baker, in buildings, hay, grain, tools, is fully $1,000; that of Mr. Rose $250; and Mr. Walling’s about $100. A valuable horse of Mr. Baker’s was rescued by engineer LaFountain of the A. & S. R.R. G.W. Ingalls was struck on the head by a piece of falling timber and severely hurt. The pulling down of one or two small buildings prevented the spread of the fire toward the river, and there being no wind it was easily kept from the houses on Main Street by the care and vigilance of the pail brigade wherein both women and men did good service. The old fogy engine reached the ground too late to put out the fire, a sad comment on our stingy village. We need a Fire Department and public liberality to keep it up.

May 1869

125 Years Ago

A few only of the forty-five oil paintings exhibited last week by Professor and Mrs. J.B. Morse of Utica were sold in Oneonta, and none at all at the auction. The pictures were really fine examples of landscape and still life, and should Mr. Morse come again to this town he will doubtless be more liberally patronized.
Some sixty trout, large, speckled, and tempting alike to sight and palate, attracted every eye to the show window of Moore’s drug store last Thursday. The fish were a part only of the catch of Mssrs. D.F. Wilber and George E. Moore, who returned that day from a week’s outing in the Adirondacks with Albany friends.

May 1894

100 Years Ago

National Suffrage for women was endorsed by the House of Representatives for the second time today when the Susan B. Anthony amendment resolution was adopted by a vote of 304 o 89. Supporters of the measure immediately arranged to carry their fight to the Senate, where, although twice defeated the last session, they are confident of obtaining the necessary two-thirds vote. The victory for the suffrage forces today was 42 votes more than the required two-thirds. House leaders of both parties in the brief debate preceding today’s vote, urged favorable action, but many Southern Democrats opposed the measure, as did several New England Republicans. The political division of the vote showed that 200 Republicans, 102 Democrats, one Independent, and one Prohibitionist voted for adoption while the negative poll showed 70 Democrats and 19 Republicans. Speaker Gillett did not vote.

May 1919

60 Years Ago

Presbyterians, always prone to tangle with social issues, received recommendations for action at the denomination’s General Assembly in Indianapolis. The recommendations for action included: 1. Approval of birth control. 2. Condemnation of laws restricting groups seeking racial desegregation such as the NAACP which has been outlawed or penalized in some “deep” South states. 3. Opposition to federal spending which props up local and state patterns of racial segregation. 4. Support for passage of state fair housing legislation, barring racial discrimination in sale or rental of dwellings and greater efforts by the church to rid itself of racial barriers. 5. Disapproval of so-called “Right to Work” laws, now prevailing in 18 states as detrimental to labor-management cooperation, and 6. An appeal for abolition of capital punishment described as useless in reducing crime and contrary to the Christian duty to seek redemption of evil doers and not their death.

May 1959

40 Years Ago

For the second time in two weeks firemen from Garrattsville and Hartwick were turned out to fight a barn fire. A blaze of suspicious origin according to officials completely destroyed a two-story barn on the Clyde Telfer property on Harrington Road in the Town of New Lisbon. Hartwick fireman Mike Basile discovered the fire about 11:30 p.m. and immediately notified his department. They responded with all apparatus and about 30 men. They also summoned Garrattsville firemen who responded with all of their apparatus and about 20 men. A tractor and old wagon were lost. This was the second barn fire the two departments have responded to within the past 14 days. About a quarter mile down the road, a barn on the property of New York City resident Sidney Friedman was destroyed.

May 1979

20 Years Ago

Gun control advocates afraid of losing momentum after successes last week in the Senate asked House GOP leaders Tuesday for votes this week on the measures. Republican replied that they won’t be rushed to vote until mid-June. House speaker Dennis Hastert and Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde expressed support in broad terms for the new restrictions on gun sales voted by the Senate. “We support common sense legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of unsupervised children,” Hastert said in a floor speech.

May 1999

10 Years Ago

A national trend of patients deferring health care is reflected in hospitals and medical offices in Otsego County according to local hospital administrators. The recession has
meant patients think twice about elective care or making
trips to an emergency room. Delaying treatment has a negative impact on revenues for hospitals and health care networks, which rely on income and reimbursements for providing services. “Our revenue is all driven off some sort of patient encounter,” said Mark Wright, vice president for finance at Fox Hospital. “This is unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 25 years.” “We’re okay at the moment,” said Dr. William Streck, chief executive officer at Bassett Healthcare. “But, there are no guarantees.” The two institutions announced in March that talks started last year about sharing services.

May 2009