100 Years Ago
In 1912, in New York, Mrs. Julian Heath, national president of the Housewives' League, announced she would start a crusade having for its object the unloading on the market of apples that were held in great quantities for an increase in prices. "The apple market is going to move and it's going to move rapidly," Mrs. Heath said, "and if the dealers do not unload the league would be obliged to enter into competition with apples of its own. We do not want to do this if we can help it but something must be done to place on the market the apples that are being held back. In a western city recently ten carloads of apples were destroyed because of the oversupply. Speculators were not permitting apples to reach the consumers in any great quantity and everything is being done to keep up the price."
In Cherry Creek, Rumsey Aldrich and son went out to work in the woods and on their way they were surprised to find the remnants of a balloon in the top of a tree. They thought it was some child's plaything but the balloon had an aluminum cup attached and the young man climbed the tree and brought it down. Attached to the cup was a card asking the finder to notify the director of meteorological service at Toronto, stating that this was an instrument for measuring the upper currents of air. They sent the instrument to Toronto and received a letter and small reward. It was not known how long the balloon had been in the tree top but evidently some time. It was 102 miles in a direct line from Toronto and this showed how far a balloon would travel.
75 Years Ago
In 1937, the child care classes of the Jamestown High School Home Economics department entertained the very much younger set at two Christmas parties in the department's living room at the school on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. About 18 children were in attendance at each party. Christmas carols were played over the school's public-address system. Jingle bells ushered in Santa Claus in the person of Theodore M. Peterson of the high school faculty, who presented each child with a gift. For many of the youngsters it was the first time they had seen St. Nicholas in person or attended a real Christmas party.
Selecting for its president a man who had traveled over 1.4 million miles in carrying the story of Jamestown-made furniture to dealers, the Jamestown Furniture Market Association held its annual meeting with Edward J. McGee, of Prendergast Avenue, succeeding Earle O. Hultquist, president of the Jamestown-Royal Upholstery Corporation, as leader of the organization. McGee was one of the original members of the association. He was said to be the first traveling salesman carrying a furniture line out of Jamestown to cover his territory by automobile.
25 Years Ago
In 1987, when President Reagan signed a pair of bills raising taxes and restraining government spending, it might have paved the way for relatively sedate budget politics in election year 1988. In a brief ceremony in the White House's Oval Office, the president signed the two 6-inch-high stacks of legislation. One bill enacted $23 billion in taxes over the next two years, including $9 billion this year and billions of dollars in cuts in benefit programs such as Medicare and farm supports. The other provided $600 billion for federal agencies to operate this year but included $7.6 billion in reductions from projected increases in expenses. Reagan said the legislation was "a first step toward placing our country on a reliable and credible budget course."
The ski resorts were hoping the highway departments were neutral and snowblower sales outlets could use a little more business. It all hinged on your outlook regarding the white stuff that was supposed to cover the landscape at Christmas and contribute the final touch to the holiday season. Peek'n Peak Recreation near Clymer was only in its seventh day of skiing this season. At Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, a spokeswoman said the resort was in its 15th day of skiing. They were making their own snow at every opportunity. Linda Johnson, public relations rep at Cockaigne Ski Center near Cherry Creek, said it snowed lightly there overnight but was not quite cold enough to make snow.