100 Years Ago
In 1912, this night would be the last chance for people to see the splendid bill at the Lyric Theater. The indoor circus as presented by Gus Sun had proved one of the big features of the season. The circus furnished four clever acts in one. Dave VanField, juggler; the Garcinetti Brothers, acrobats; Harry Clarke and his trained giraffe, Gargo and his dog Buster; Jack Wolfe, foot juggler and upside down dancer; and Sawyers and Delyna, balancing trapeze artists. The last half of the double bill was presented by The Temple Girls' quartet, four young ladies who constituted one of the finest musical organizations ever seen in Jamestown.
The Ladies Aid Society of the Celoron M.E. Church met in the church parlors on Friday afternoon, with a large attendance. Some time was passed on working on quilts. The business session was opened with the usual devotional exercises after which arrangements were completed for a bazaar to be held Oct. 29-30. Three new members were received into the society. A social hour was passed while refreshments were served.
75 Years Ago
In 1937, Fire Chief John Valentour said that approximately $75,000 damage was caused by a blaze which swept through the third and fourth floors of the Holgate Brothers toy factory, five blocks from the business section of Kane, Pa. Fire companies from Mt. Jewett and Kane, aided by equipment brought from Bradford, battled for five hours before the blaze was brought under control. Chief Valentour said that he was convinced the blaze was caused by a spark which shot from a spray gun in the dipping room of the plant, where large quantities of highly inflammable lacquers and paints were stored. All employees escaped the building without injury. The plant was operating at near capacity, preparing for the Christmas toy season.
Falconer officials announced that no definite word had been received on the grade crossing elimination sought for the South Work Street crossing of the Erie Railroad. A public hearing was held at the Jamestown City Hall in September when the village, the County highway department and the state presented evidence. The crossing elimination had been sought for some time and many fatalities at the crossing were listed at the recent hearing. The village, county and state claimed that poor vision on both sides of the track was responsible for so many accidents.
50 Years Ago
In 1962, Sweden's musical comedy star who would sing this night at the Viking Temple in Jamestown, said that in Sweden both the state-owned as well as the private theaters were prospering through the country's great love for music and drama. Miss Harriet Forssell, who played Eliza in "My Fair Lady" 240 times in 90 theaters in her home country, would sing songs from that musical and from the Swedish opera, "The White Horse," as well as folk songs. She would appear with the Norrland Male Chorus of Sweden which was touring the country in concerts that had been enthusiastically received by large audiences. "My Fair Lady" was performed in the Swedish language and as Eliza, Miss Forssell substituted a Stockholm slang for the cockney in the English version.
A combination of a little boy, a bicycle and wet leaves resulted in a trip to Jamestown General Hospital the previous afternoon. Six-year-old Craig Ellis, of Stafford Street, was unconscious for several minutes after falling from his bicycle when it skidded on wet leaves at Dexter and Second streets. He was taken to the hospital and admitted for observation following an X-ray examination. He was listed in good condition this morning.
25 Years Ago
In 1987, little more than a month after a fire destroyed a calf barn and hay storage area on the Hans Block farm near Lander, Pa., just over the state line from Kiantone, a new structure was rising from the ashes. Three Amish workers were assisting in the reconstruction. The Sept. 2 fire destroyed a barn which housed 50 cattle and kept firefighters from both states at the scene for more than 10 hours.
"Sure, we've had nibbles but we haven't been able to hook one." Chautauqua County Director David G. Dawson was referring to attracting a buyer for the bankrupt Roblin Industries, which included a steel plant in Dunkirk. The assets of the Dunkirk plant were scheduled to be sold at an auction Oct. 29 unless a buyer was found before then - which seemed unlikely.