BOUND VOLUMES, May 1, 2014
200 YEARS AGO
Fire! Last Thursday, about one o’clock p.m. our citizens were again alarmed by the cry of fire, which proved to be in the shop occupied by Messrs. Benjamin & Barnard, cabinet-makers. The shop, together with tools, and a quantity of stuff were consumed; but a number of articles of furniture, of considerable value, were preserved, and by the usual activity of the citizens the further progress of the flames, which threatened destruction on either side, arrested. The whole side of Esq. Foote’s dwelling house next the fire was burnt to coal, and the wood house of J. Russell, Esq. was unroofed to prevent the progress of the fire in that quarter. The fire is said to have caught from burnt shavings falling from the stove and communicating with those on the floor. This is the second loss of the kind Mr. Benjamin has sustained within the last 18 months.
April 30, 1814
175 YEARS AGO
Cure for the Cancer – A Mr. Thomas Tyrrel, of Missouri, has been cured of a very inveterate cancer, by the free use of strong potash, made of the ashes of red oak bark boiled to the consistence of molasses, and applied as a poultice, taking care to cover the whole with a coat of tar. Two or three appliances of this nature will entirely remove all protuberances, after which it is only necessary to heal the wound by a common salve. A remedy of this cheap and convenient nature, for the cure of so wretched and often fatal disease, should be borne in mind by all friends of humanity.
April 29, 1839
150 YEARS AGO
The Sanitary Commission – Major Bush, of this village, delivered a lecture on Monday evening at the Presbyterian Church, presenting the claims of the Sanitary Commission. The weather was unfavorable, and as consequence, the audience was small. Mr. Bush made some interesting statements relating to the operations of this worthy organization. He spoke of its several departments, and gave some illustrations of the systematic and efficient way in which its work is performed, in relieving the sick and wounded. At the close of the Lecture, a Society was formed as an auxiliary in the work of the Commission. Similar societies have been organized in nearly all the towns of the county. A committee of 12 ladies of Cooperstown were elected as the Executive Committee for the “Soldiers’ Aid Society” of this town. Mrs. M.F. Foote was unanimously chosen as the manager and also as correspondent and manager for the county. (Ed. Note: In lieu of a government funded Veterans’ Administration, the Sanitary Commission was a national effort to support the physical and social needs of seriously wounded soldiers returning from the Civil War battlefield, and their families)
April 29, 1864
125 YEARS AGO
Death disappoints the fondest hopes by taking the young as well as the old. Willie Everett Murdock was never a robust boy, though of late he had apparently grown stronger, and it was hoped he had outgrown his early tendency to rheumatic troubles; but about three weeks ago he took cold; he had a fourth attack, and this time it went to the heart, which beat its “funeral march” on the night of April 26th. A skillful doctor’s attendance, a tender father’s constant watch-care, could not this time avail, and as the morning was breaking on Thursday, his spirit passed through “the gates ajar” to meet his sainted mother and the two young brothers who had preceded him. Willie was a boy who drew to him the love of all who knew him, in the family circle, the Sunday school, and the Academy, and he bid fair to make a man of sterling worth. He was 15 years and two months old.
May 3, 1889
100 YEARS AGO
The proposition to install an approved fire alarm system in Cooperstown was defeated at the special taxpayer’s election by a vote of 68 against and 40 for. There were 14 blank ballots. The Cooperstown people will pay out in the insurance rate on dwellings during the next three or four years more than the $4,500 required for a new fire alarm while our volunteer firemen and citizens generally will continue to be a loggerheads to know which way to go when the present fire alarm rings. A rumor was current that the new fire alarm would not reduce the insurance. A letter received Monday by the Secretary of the Board of Trade, reiterated the previous statements that it would surely place us in Class A.
April 29, 1914
75 YEARS AGO
The summer-long celebration of the founding of baseball at Cooperstown will get underway on Saturday afternoon of this week with a game between two of New York State’s outstanding military schools, Manlius School and Albany Academy. The game will be played on historic Doubleday Field, named for Major-General Abner Doubleday, who invented the game here 100 years ago. (Ed. note: The Doubleday creation story prevailed in 1939, but has long since been abandoned as a myth rather than historic fact)
May 3, 1939
25 YEARS AGO
An estimated 75 gallons of fuel oil originating from tanks at “Glencrest,” the residence of Bruce Rathbone at 25 Glen Avenue overflowed into Willow Brook which runs through the village and into Otsego Lake. Neil McManus, Town of Otsego Codes Enforcement officer said a “concerned citizen” saw oil in the brook and reported it. The incident occurred when the oil was being transferred from an outdoor tank to a second tank in the basement of 25 Glen. Rathbone was away from the residence when the spill occurred.
May 3, 1989
10 YEARS AGO
A young musician and composer from Cooperstown has been recognized for the second consecutive year by the Child Composer Project at Hartwick College. Chloe Ford, 12, a sixth-grader at Cooperstown Central School, received an honorable mention for her song “Ode to Mommy.” Last year Ford entered a winning melody in the competition titled “Hey Mozart!” Ford is the daughter of Tara Sumner.
April 30, 2004