BOUND VOLUMES, June 5, 2014

200 YEARS AGO
Dispatch from Charleston, S.C.: Valuable Prize – Arrived at this port yesterday, the large and elegant British ship Pelham (late Capt. Boyd), Alexander Taylor, prizemaster, prize to the privateer Saucy Jack, Capt. Chazal, of this port. Her cargo consists of dry goods, hardware, &c, and is invoiced at 13,000 pounds sterling. The Pelham was captured on the 30th April, off Cape Nicholas Mole, after a well contested action of upwards of two hours. She was finally carried by boarding after her crew had made a stout and gallant resistance of from ten to fifteen minutes on her own decks. We learnt on board that the officers and crew of the Pelham behaved throughout the action in the most heroic manner, and did not yield until actually overpowered by numbers. The Saucy Jack had her first lieutenant and one man killed, and second lieutenant, captain of arms, and seven men wounded. On board the Pelham were four killed and eleven wounded – among the latter Capt. Boyd, dangerously in the breast. He, along with the passengers, landed at Port au Prince. The Pelham is 540 tons, coppered to the bends; mounts ten 12-pound carronades, and long 6s, and had a complement of from 35 to 40 men, exclusive of several passengers. Her cabin is hung round with a great variety of large and elegant colored naval prints in rich gilt frames.
June 8, 1814

175 YEARS AGO
Lamentable Occurrence – On Sunday morning, about 10 o’clock, six persons – Abraham Walter, Catherine Walter, Nancy Walter, Caroline Barringer, Charles Hardendorff, and Celinda Walter, attempted to cross Lake Summit, situate in the north part of the town of Springfield, in a small, leaky boat. Before they had reached half the distance they were alarmed at the increase of the leakage and commenced bailing out the water, the women using their shoes for that purpose, but to no effect, as it increased rapidly in depth, and the boat filled and sank in about fifteen feet of water and thirty rods from the shore. The five first named were drowned. Celinda Walter, aged about fourteen years saved herself holding onto the boat, which came to the surface bottom upwards, and was rescued by a person who came to her relief in a boat, having heard the cries of the sufferers from a half mile distant.
June 3, 1839

125 YEARS AGO
An appalling catastrophe is reported from Johnstown, Cambria County, Pennsylvania, the meager details of which indicate that the city of 25,000 inhabitants has been practically wiped out of existence and that thousands of lives have been lost. A dam at the foot of a mountain lake eight miles long and three miles wide, about nine miles up the valley of the south fork of the Conemaugh river, broke at four o’clock this afternoon and the whole tremendous volume of water swept in a relentless avalanche down the mountain side. The flood swept onward to the Conemaugh like a tidal wave, over twenty feet in height, to Johnstown gathering force as it tore along and quickly swept everything before it. Houses, factories and bridges were overwhelmed in the twinkling of an eye and with their human occupants were carried in a vast chaos down the raging torrent. The great calamity exceeds anything of the kind that ever afflicted any portion of our country. Upwards of eight thousand lives were destroyed in an hour.
June 7, 1889

100 YEARS AGO
An excellent piece of Macadam pavement is being laid on Chestnut Street from the railroad crossing south to the corporation line. It will be completed this week and is being constructed in Michael Mack’s best manner under the supervising eye of Mayor Burditt. There is a 10-inch base of crushed stone beneath the surfacing material. Several of the poles are to be removed from the vicinity of the crossing and the street widened at that point, doing away somewhat with the curve. The trolley company is cooperating to the extent of raising its tracks and filling in between them at the crossing.
June 3, 1914

75 YEARS AGO
The Centennial lid comes off completely in Cooperstown June 12th. That’s the day when Cooperstown, where baseball was born a century ago, climaxes the nationwide celebration of the game’s centennial with the dedication of the Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame and the Cavalcade of Baseball at Doubleday Field. The events are in two parts: The dedication of the Baseball Museum and Baseball Hall of Fame and the dedication of Doubleday Field, named for Abner Doubleday, originator of the national game.
June 7, 1939

50 YEARS AGO
A highlight of the New York State Historical Association’s open house at The Farmers’ Museum will be the preview opening for Cooperstown area residents of the new church on the grounds. The Farmers’ Museum acquired the church in Cornwallville in 1962. It was moved to Cooperstown piece by piece and re-erected at the south end of the Village Crossroads overlooking a small pond. It will be dedicated officially on July 12.
June 3, 1964

25 YEARS AGO
Rolf Beutelspacher of Morelia, Mexico will be the Cooperstown Rotary club’s youth exchange student in the coming school year. Beutelspacher is the son of Moises Beutelspacher and Sigrid Veronika Hirsch, both veterinarians. He was born in Germany but has spent most of his life in Mexico. He is 16 years old and enjoys swimming, skateboarding, collecting key chains, listening to music and helping his parents in their animal clinic. This will be the 25th year that the Cooperstown Rotary Club has participated in the international exchange program.
June 7, 1989

10 YEARS AGO
Everything is a “go” for the concert with music legends Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson at Doubleday Field on Friday, August 6. With a crowd of 10,000 to 12,000 expected concerns were raised about the number of police officers required to ensure public safety. The concert contract calls for 20 state troopers and two supervisors at a cost of $20,000.
June 4, 2004