In 1914, there were men of high rank in the United States Navy who had given a great deal of careful attention to everything pertaining to Panama. They had privately declared that the canal was a menace rather than an asset to the United States from a military point of view. These officers pointed out that the United States, without the canal and the fleet in both oceans, was practically impregnable against attack by a foe either in the Pacific or Atlantic. They said that now we would be obliged to maintain a large army in the canal zone and a powerful squadron if not a fleet at each end of the canal to protect it if war should be declared upon this country.

That the recent electrical storm caused more damage in western New York and Pennsylvania than any previous storm this season, was shown very conclusively. Mina was again visited by one of the worst electrical storms of the year and during the height of the storm, lightning struck a barn owned by Warren Thorp. The barn adjoined another barn and within a few minutes both were in a mass of flames. Through quick work, the stock and most of the tools were saved. In Chandlers Valley two barns on the Carlson farm were destroyed by fire. Dr. Stocker, the medical examiner, received a telephone message from Springville that James Flynn, a farmer, had been struck and instantly killed by lightning while at work in his fields. In French Creek, a cow and two yearlings were killed by lightning.

In 1939, two fish tugs operated out of Dunkirk port by the Booth Fisheries Company, the New York, out of Cleveland and the Junior out of Sandusky, Ohio, were tied up at the local municipal dock because of a strike against the company by Ohio unions with which the crews were affiliated. The strike was declared when the company sought to put into effect a new scale which would have decreased the share coming to the crews of the Booth fish boats, one of the men said. With fair catches of herring being made, a lengthy continuation of the strike would cause considerable loss to the company and to the crews.

Lipman’s men’s and boys’ clothiers and furnishers, 36 N. Main St., Jamestown, would, in mid-September, after extensive alterations were completed, occupy its new store at 206 N. Main St., just north of the Bank of Jamestown, which for a half-century was the location of the Proudfit Clothing Company and during the past decade, other concerns. The front would be refaced up to the second floor, the new front being of modernistic design. The interior of the store would be entirely remodeled with the latest type lighting fixtures and new display cases installed.

In 1964, Charles Delbert Jacobson, 75, of Maple Bay, Lakewood, member of a well-known old Jamestown family and one of New York State’s finest speed ice skaters at the turn of the century, died on this morning. Jacobson, with his three brothers, Floyd, Frank and Elmer, were widely known not only for their ice skating ability but also raced bicycles, ran foot races and competed in about every sport available for young men in the old days. The brothers raced at Celoron when the old 12-lap-to-the-mile course was one of the most popular winter sites in the area. Jacobson won the Ohio-Pennsylvania-New York title at Cleveland in 1908, showing with some of the best skaters in the East.

Jamestown Family Service and a restaurant owner assisted a family of five in dire circumstances following an investigation by Ellicott Town Officer Elmer H. Widlund. Hungry, and with little gasoline in their car, Robert Reynolds, 47, a painter, from Downers Grove, Illinois, stopped at Mallare’s Restaurant, Route 17J, to inquire how he could obtain help. Wanda Corbran, owner of the restaurant with her husband, Henry, notified Widlund. Meanwhile, Corbran discovered the Reynolds family included his wife, Lois, and their sons aged 14, 12 and 10, had not had anything to eat for nearly two days. The Corbrans fed the family which was en route home from New Jersey where Reynolds had been a patient in Neptune Hospital for treatment of a back injury. Family Service provided the family with sufficient money so they could reach home. Corbran purchased a tank of gas for the Reynolds’ car.

In 1989, Gov. Mario Cuomo said he would propose funding for 150 new state police narcotics officers in his budget for the following year, additions he said would give New York the nation’s largest state trooper force. Aides to Cuomo said the new troopers would cost from $5 million to $7 million the first year. The governor also said he would propose building a new State Police laboratory in Albany at a cost of about $8 million. The current lab was not suited to handle the increase in drug cases and technological advances in police work.

Stephanie Proukou was using brains, brawn and personal initiative to keep three generations of the family in the restaurant business. “My main inspiration came from my grandmother and, of course, I got my start working for my dad,” Proukou said. She was turning the former Gamecock Inn on Jackson Run Road between North Warren and Chandlers Valley into Proukou’s Brown Trout Inn, Restaurant & Bar. Proukou hatched a plan to divide the one large room at the inn to separate the bar and dining room.

In Years Past

• In 1914, one of the most violent electrical storms ever noted in this section swept over Jamestown and southern Chautauqua County about 1 o’clock in the morning. For over an hour there was an incessant rumble of thunder, punctuated with sharp flashes of lightning which outside the city illuminated the surrounding hills very vividly. Soon after the storm started, other and more terrifying illuminations were noted. These were caused by burning buildings. An observer from the high hills of Jamestown could see the ruddy glow of a fire in the Town of Carroll, far south of the city. Another fire was in the township of Busti and still another on the Ellery hills on the opposite side of the lake. Rain fell in torrents but did not check the fires appreciably.

• The Child Welfare station, which was recently established in a room of the Visiting Nurses Association in the Market building of Brooklyn Square, Jamestown, was rapidly developing from an experiment into a permanent institution in this city. The physician in charge had under his attention 32 cases. It was deeply interesting to visit this dispensary and get in touch with what was being done there. The treatments had included vaccination, feeding, care of skin diseases, correction of bow legs, dealing with Pott’s Disease and various other minor ailments with which small children were often afflicted.

• In 1939, Mrs. Gerald Stelley, Gowanda, landed the largest fish ever caught by a woman in Chautauqua Lake when she caught a 30-pound muskellunge while fishing with her husband and Carl Raecher on Thursday. Mrs. Stelley proved herself most capable as it required 40 minutes of tense maneuvering to land the fish which was 46 inches long. It was the second largest fish to be caught in Chautauqua Lake this season, sportsmen reported.

• William G. Johnson, 62, of Hamilton Street, Jamestown, for many years operator of amusement enterprises here and on Chautauqua Lake, died suddenly at the WCA Hospital. Surviving was his wife, Mrs. Annabel Firster Johnson. Mr. Johnson had been a resident of Jamestown for 45 years. He served for 20 years as superintendent of ways and structures for the Jamestown Street Railway Company and for 22 years operated the concessions at Midway Park. At the time of his death he was in charge of concessions at Celoron Park including the Old Heidelberg Restaurant.

• In 1964, it was stated that because of the Computer Revolution, factory or office employees would be working only a four to five hour day and a 20-30 hour week within 15 to 20 years. Workers would spend much of their leisure hours learning how to use the time constructively or retraining themselves so they could perform efficiently while on the job. Because of the upheaval being created in all areas by the Computer Revolution, business executives will no longer waste one-quarter to one-third of their time in exhausting travel to and from the office and business conferences. Because of the Computer Revolution trends will reverse and families will move from crowded, frenzied cities and suburbs into small economically and culturally self-contained communities. Many of the present day’s psychological and physical tensions will be eliminated in the new way of life. The computer will become a silent partner in virtually every activity. It will give you the equivalent of 5,000 brains.

• A 24-year-old passenger, sitting in a wheel chair, was injured when the middle doors of a 1964 Volkswagen bus flew open and the wheel chair, with the man in it, rolled out onto Route 17J, about 200 feet south of the Mayville line, near the boat yard. The victim was identified by the police as Barrett Smith of East Detroit, Michigan and the operator of the vehicle was Maria Smith, 22, his wife. The VW bus was traveling north. Mayville village officials took the injured man to the offices of Dr. Robert Kummer, where Smith was treated for lacerations and abrasions of the knee arms and head.

• In 1989, although a decision would be made soon on how to spend $9 million earmarked for the Southern Tier Expressway, no new part of the road would open before 1993 or 1994. Within three months, state Department of Transportation officials would decided how to spend $9 million on the unfinished part of the expressway in Chautauqua County, according to Robert Russell, DOT’s Region 5 director. “We’ve gone through all the options and we’re trying to hone in on the final thing,” Russell told The Post-Journal.

• Researchers at Penn State University were looking into why drunken-driving fatalities had increased in recent years at the same time arrests for driving under the influence had risen. Stephen D. Mastrofski, an associate professor of administration of justice was studying the effectiveness of different law enforcement efforts in urban, suburban and rural police departments. The state Department of Transportation was sponsoring the 18-month, $150,000 study.

In Years Past

In 1914, the Villenova picnic, held Friday at the old stand, Deckers Grove, lived up to its former reputation of being one of the largest and most enjoyable picnics held in the county. Villenova picnic was held under the auspices of the Villenova Historical Society and started out as a big picnic fourteen years previously and had been growing in size and interest ever since. Decker’s Grove was a beautifully located place for a gathering of this kind. It lay level and was a piece of nearly virgin forest, cleared only sufficient for the purposes of a picnic gathering.

The summer colony at Lakewood was provided a little unexpected excitement about 9:30 Saturday evening by an alarm of fire which had started at the home of Mrs. Huldah Starr located on Chautauqua Avenue on the main street of the village. It was not a particularly serious fire as fires go but there was an alarm, a jangle of fire apparatus and hustle and bustle and confusion and all the accompaniments of a village fire. People who in their city homes would watch the passing of fire apparatus and crew with great indifference turned out as interested as any and made a good sized crowd that watched with keen interest the work of the firemen. A chemical engine soon disposed of the fire but during the excitement E.J. Daugherty, one of the firemen, was temporarily knocked out. He was thrown against the wheel of the hose wagon and rendered unconscious for a few minutes.

In 1939, the weather became a major concern to 52,000 soldiers of the First Army at Plattsburg, N.Y., as they took the field to “fight” the second of a series of minor engagements leading up to the big push that would conclude the war games next week. To the doughboys, pelted with rain and hail which swept the 45-square mile battle area it was primarily a question of personal comfort. To the men of the mechanized artillery and cavalry units, however, the weather held the threat that a drenching rain might offer a stern test of their high speed equipment which had yet to prove, in these maneuvers, what it could do under unfavorable conditions.

A neighborhood party and perhaps Jamestown’s first “block” party was given Wednesday evening by residents of Andrews Avenue and a section of Hallock Street. A total of about 60 persons in that vicinity gathered in a group in Andrews Avenue and held an evening of games and sports. The street, which the police blocked at both ends to prevent vehicles, was well occupied by both old and young. Supper was enjoyed previous to the program of sports.

In 1964, the Jamestown Telephone Corporation’s directories would have a new look as they heralded the start of “all number calling,” due to begin on Sunday, Nov. 1. The new directories would combine into one alphabetical listing all telephone subscribers in the free service area, comprising Jamestown, Bemus Point, Ellington, Frewsburg, Gerry, Kennedy, Lakewood, Panama, Sinclairville and Stedman. All Number Calling was necessary to provide the additional telephone numbers which would be required throughout the country. Officials said that each day there were about 13,000 new telephones installed in the United States.

A 56-year-old man and his 14-year-old daughter were injured about 5 p.m. the previous afternoon when they fell from an amusement device at Midway Park. Edward Samuelson and Annette Samuelson, both of Main Street, Sinclairville, were listed in “satisfactory” condition in WCA Hospital in Jamestown. Mr. Samuelson suffered a lacerated forehead and a possible hip fracture, while his daughter sustained abrasions of the leg, abdomen and foot.

In 1989, local legislators were working toward setting a 15-mph speed limit at night for boats on Chautauqua Lake and a 5-mph limit at all times in the Bemus Point area. The speed limits were being considered at the request of Sheriff John R. Bentley. Bentley said that since most serious boating accidents occurred at night, the 15-mph speed limit should be set on all the lakes in Chautauqua County where there was a need for regulation. On Findley Lake, for example, the speed limit at night was already posted at 5 to 10 mph.

The chance of excessive water runoff from improvements to Route 394 was a source of concern for local government officials, who said the state Department of Transportation had not studied the problem sufficiently. A letter from Celoron Mayor Ronald Johnson to Ellicott Town Supervisor Frances Morgan expressed concerns about potential increases in runoff in the area of the road widening project, especially for creek bridges on Fifth, Seventh and Ninth streets in Celoron. Johnson’s letter said the state did no studies on the potential for runoff and asked if the town had done any such studies. Runoff and erosion were serious problems in the area, Johnson said. “We’re losing the creek now with erosion and with the loss of trees and added pavements. How will the small creek bridges handle this?” Johnson asked.

In Years Past

In 1914, all Germans and Austrians attempting to leave Canada would be arrested as prisoners of war by the Canadian immigration authorities. Acting Chief Immigration Inspector, Walter Hooman of Niagara Falls, said that he had received instructions to search all trains leaving Canada for Austrians and Germans and to arrest those he found aboard. The bridges were also guarded by armed men to prevent Austrians or Germans from either leaving or entering the dominion. More than 150 Austrians, reservists anxious to leave Canada that they might join their colors, had gathered at Falls View. They were from various places in the Niagara district. The immigration officials believed there was a plot hatching to smuggle the Austrians into the United States where they would be free to leave for Austria. As a result, the river was being patrolled.

The automobile patrol received a call several nights ago to a barn on South Main Street near Cole Avenue in Jamestown, where it was reported several men had been holding a celebration and were sleeping it off. Upon arrival they placed two men under arrest and one more got away. He left in such a hurry that he left his coat. He evidently heard the patrol and jumped through the rear window. The men arrested gave their names as A. Carlson and J. Erickson. They were arraigned before Police Justice Maharon and Carlson was sentenced to serve 10 days in the county jail at Mayville. Erickson’s sentence was suspended.

In 1939, pickets around two large upstate milk plants were reported to have barricaded roads and dumped hundreds of gallons of milk in the first major violence of the Dairy Farmers union boycott to raise prices. Sheriff Daniel Carhart of Rensselaer County said he sent four deputies to Buskirk, N.Y. after about 100 pickets had blocked roads leading to the Gold Medal Farm plant and dumped hundreds of cans of milk. An unidentified farmer brandishing a pitchfork was the only person to pass the picket lines. The plant had a normal capacity of about 85,000 pounds of milk a day. James Gray, superintendent of the Dairymen’s league, Mt. Upton plant, one of the largest in the state, said 200 pickets surrounded the property and used planks with large spikes to halt trucks and then poured milk on the ground.

Rep. Bruce Barton (R-N.Y.) said in an address prepared for delivery before the Niagara County Pioneers Association “the New Dealers, by their constant reference to the lost frontiers, have blasted the hopes of youth, helped to destroy self-confidence and foster self-pity. The Republican party reverences the pioneers of the past but it believes that even greater achievement lies waiting for the pioneers here and now.” Barton said, “Under Republican rule, the pioneer has been encouraged. This is a very real and deep difference between the parties. The Republicans have recognized that if there are to be new industries, new jobs, new opportunities, there must be pioneers willing to take a chance, ready to run extraordinary risks in the hope of a more than ordinary profit.”

In 1989, cuts in state and federal funding of the Chautauqua County Office for the Aging might result in a cutback in services despite the increasing needs and numbers of the elderly, according to Mac McCoy, office director. The department needed $60,000 to maintain services because the same amount of anticipated government funding was recalled by the state, McCoy told the County Legislature’s Human Services Committee. “The state told us we were going to be awarded between $50,000 to $60,000. The state, after three months of telling us to start spending all this money, notified us that the money was not coming through,” McCoy said.

The opening of the Sheraton Harborfront Inn represented the first big step toward turning the Dunkirk waterfront into the city’s crown jewel. The economic impact of the project was huge, according to Mayor Madylon Kubera. “It did have a great economic impact on us, even during construction,” Kubera said. She said construction workers and electricians were busy during the hotel project. The money generated by the project included $30,000 yearly payments to the city in repayment of a $2.7 million Urban Development Action Grant awarded to Dunkirk. The hotel would also mean about 130 full-time jobs once it was completed.

In Years Past

In 1914, Otis Brant of Frewsburg was seriously injured Thursday evening when he fell in getting off of a Jamestown-Warren streetcar. Mr. Brant was returning from Jamestown. When the car passed at the corner of Pearl and Institute streets, Brant endeavored to alight from the car while it was in motion and as a result landed on his head and shoulders. He was picked up unconscious and hurried to the office of Dr. C.H. Clark, where he was attended by Dr. Clark and Dr. Smith. On examination it was found that no bones were broken although his head was seriously hurt. He was taken to this home and had only partially regained consciousness. Doctors said he was not yet out of danger.

Earle Stevens, a farmhand, 35 years old, from Batavia, was reported to be dying from hydrophobia or rabies at the Batavia Hospital. He was bitten on the hand by a strange dog, which was believed at the time to be mad. This was on July 2 on Elmer Williams’ farm. His condition had gradually grown worse and there was no hope for him as the disease had progressed too far. Stevens was advised to take the Pasteur treatment after the bite, but the man refused, insisting that he was in no danger. So many unmuzzled dogs in Batavia were captured in the afternoon that the officers had to stop catching dogs until they could find a larger place to impound them.

In 1939, British Oak, a new line of furniture developed by the Jamestown Lounge Company, was a farther step in bringing to the American people an unusual treatment, in a modernized manner, of an old furniture wood and a new adaptation of old furniture designs. The Jamestown Lounge Company was long noted for its beautiful treatment of oak in its comprehensive line of Feudal Oak pieces used throughout the country. Richard Swanson, manager of the company said: “British Oak is definitely modern in style. From the standpoint of degree of modernity it represents a more subtle treatment than we have known in the modern field in the last few years.” British Oak had already attained some prestige nationally. House and Garden immediately gave its seal of merit and had illustrated it in room settings. House Beautiful had also endorsed it.

Frederick Larson, well-known local flier and operator of a flying school at the North Main Street airport in Jamestown for the past seven years, sought a three-year lease on the new $300,000 municipal airport in a proposal submitted to city council. Council cleared the decks for acceptance of Larson’s offer by formally canceling an agreement to lease the airport to the White Aircraft Company, Inc. It was learned that Larson had the backing of virtually all the city’s aviation enthusiasts in making his proposal to the city.

In 1964, a certificate of death by accidental drowning had been issued for Dr. Leland Stoll, 57, of Salamanca. Stoll apparently fell from a rowboat he had rented for one of his occasional fishing trips to Lime Lake, the previous day. Officials theorized Stoll might have fallen from the boat while trying to don a raincoat during a rain squall. They said his body was entangled in the raincoat when found. Stoll had practiced general medicine in Salamanca for about 25 years.

Theft of a mink stole valued at $650 from the Jamestown Fur Company, 205 N. Main St., was under investigation by Jamestown police authorities. Disappearance of the garment was discovered by the proprietor of the store, Jack Haber, when he returned from lunch Friday at noon and noticed that a hanger which had held the stole was empty. The stole was described as being of a color known as autumn haze.

In 1989, Southwestern Central School would change specifications for its construction project to keep it under the $665,000 budget. That was the amount district voters approved for the project earlier in the year. The modifications would cut about $70,000 from the district’s bill for the projects, according to data from Habiterra Associates of Jamestown, the project’s architects. Contractors would reconstruct the football field and bleachers, track, soccer-softball field and tennis courts.

A cameraman took a break after filming a multiple car crash scene for “Gone In 60 Seconds, Part II,” Toby Halicki’s new movie. Halicki was a Dunkirk native who had made a career out of smashing hundreds of cars in his films. The movie was being filmed on location in Jamestown.

In Years Past

In 1914, the Rev. Mr. Smith, pastor of the Baptist Church at Sykesville, was traveling Saturday last and had occasion to stop at Falls Creek while changing cars for his destination. At the same time, Miss Simmons, stenographer, was also traveling to visit friends. The reverend and Simmons were strangers to each other, but their suitcases were exactly alike. When Smith’s train arrived, he gathered up a suitcase and departed. Simmons did likewise. When the reverend arrived at his destination to fill a Sunday appointment, he opened his case and was considerably surprised to find it filled with women’s wearing apparel, none of which he had any use for. Eventually the mixup was cleared up and everybody was happy.

Friends of Overseer of the Poor John G.W. Putnam of Mayville, the victim of the Beardsley shooting, would learn with regret that his wound was again seriously troubling him. Putnam acted as secretary of the meeting of overseers of the poor at Dewittville but suffered considerably, requiring assistance to get from the hall where the meeting was held, to the dining room in another building. The wound was low in the groin and the bullet shattered a bone so now pieces of the bone were coming out. The condition, while not critical, was serious because of Putnam’s age.

In 1939, the first division of the regular army reported this day the first “casualty” of the war games for which 55,000 troops were massing at Plattsburgh, N.Y. Assigned to kitchen police, Private August M. Mikalow of the 18th Infantry, Fort Hamilton, N.Y., became entangled in a meat chopper and medical officers found it necessary to amputate one index finger. His condition was reported as “good.”

Members of Upstate New York’s Dairy Farmers’ union, seeking immediate higher prices for their product, prepared this day to withhold milk from all dealers the following morning. The union, which claimed membership of 15,000 dairymen, voted the strike Saturday night and said it would be “the most bitterly fought” strike in state history but gave assurance “no human suffering” would result. In Albany, Laurance Clough, a spokesman for the state division of milk control said, “we don’t think the strike will be very serious because we don’t believe enough farmers will join in.”

In 1964, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had assigned additional agents to assist area police agencies in an intensified search for a lone gunman who robbed the Clymer office of the Bank of Jamestown of about $4,500 Wednesday afternoon. Victor Turyn, special agent in charge of the Buffalo FBI office which was correlating the search, said, “I feel we will do some good real soon.” He pointed out, however, that police still had no definite clues as to identity or whereabouts of the individual being sought. No recovery had been made of a car answering the description of the one in which the robber made his getaway, Turyn said. Police were considering the possibility the gunman was the same person who robbed a McKeesport, Pa., bank the previous day.

A public auction of Shearman Brothers, a former upholstery factory in Jamestown, failed to materialize the previous day for lack of bidders. The auction was scheduled for 11 a.m. When no one appeared after two hours, Lew Bronstein, Buffalo auctioneer, called it off. Only the buildings, owned by John Shearman, were scheduled to be sold. The factory closed about two years ago. It was one of the oldest upholstery plants in the United States, established in the early 1880s by Shearman’s father and uncle. The city operated a parking area in front of the factory located in Shearman Place, off south Main Street.

In 1989, a perfect stretch of uniformly green grass – unmarred by dandelions, clover or bugs – might be a suburban homeowner’s dream but Ward Stone would rather see some variety in the front lawns of New York state. The chemicals used to help New Yorkers keep their yards up with the Jones’ could kill songbirds, said the wildlife pathologist for the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “What you perceive as a nice lawn is the question,” said Stone. “In advertising, we see one kind of grass on the lawn – the wall-to-wall carpet kind of idea. If you’re an American with a nice lawn, you get the impression that this is what you should have, not something with dandelions in it.” But a lawn left in a more natural state was “undoubtedly a safer place and a more interesting place,” said Stone.

A Pennsylvania man was treated for first and second-degree burns and released from WCA Hospital following a boat explosion on Chautauqua Lake at 1:35 p.m. Saturday. Jeffrey A. Cox, 38, of Titusville, was injured when his 30-foot cabin cruiser exploded about 400 yards off shore near Colburn Road. The deck gave way and Cox fell into the bilge area, where he was surrounded by flames. He jumped from the boat and swam to safety. Sheriff’s deputies said Cox was pulled from the water by other boaters.

In Years Past

In 1914, Major Hugh A. Rose, who was in command of the 44th regiment, part of the force of troops guarding the Welland Canal from attack by agents of powers at war with Great Britain, received orders to take steps to protect Ontario’s source of electrical supply at Niagara Falls and the transmission lines that carried Niagara current to the province of Ontario. A squad of 20 men was at once sent to guard the plant of the Ontario Power Company, from which the government got its supply of current. Other squads were detailed to protect the lines from attack. Interference with the source of supply or with the lines would seriously cripple the business of the province, for in most of the cities supplied with Niagara power, the current was used not only for municipal purposes but to operate factories and run street cars. The locks of the Welland Canal, too, were operated by Niagara power.

Claiming that he did not purposely fire the shot which killed his wife on Liberty Street in Oil City, Pa., Monday evening, John Brandon, who was found guilty of so doing by the coroner’s jury, gave a signed statement to Coroner McElroy in which he asserted that during a heated argument with his wife, who had pulled a gun on him, the weapon was discharged while the two were grappling for its possession. On the night of the murder, McElroy questioned the imprisoned husband if he had any statement to make in regard to his connection with the shooting, or his reasons for so doing. Brandon told him that he had no inclination to say anything at that time but that he might make a statement later.

In 1939, the 42nd annual Stockton Town Picnic, the daddy of all such events, was to be held the following Wednesday in the big grove near Stockton. Clifford Pierce, president of the picnic association, announced that the speaker was to be Roswell P. Rosengren of Buffalo, former president of the United States Chamber of Commerce. His subject for his talk would be “America Through a Windshield.” Stockton’s town picnic had long afforded a gathering place for Republican political leaders, great and small.

Satan’s Bowl of Death on the Big Tree-Sugar Grove Road would hold another star-studded program of 11 events on this afternoon, starting at 3 o’clock daylight time. The 15-lap feature race would highlight the program which would include a novelty event in which the drivers must put on and remove two skirts while completing a lap of the obstacle track. There would also be obstacle races. Donald Okerlund, Jamestown, lead the field in the point standings with 2,475 points against 2,100 for Adrian Walker. Sam Conti was third, Billy Williams of Mercer, Pa., was fourth and Carl Conti, fifth.

In 1964, two teenage boys were rescued and their overturned sailboat recovered from Chautauqua Lake Tuesday by Sheriff’s Department deputies. The youths were identified as Gordon Rappole, 13, and Robert Rappole, 16, sons of George Rappole, 39 Lakeside Drive, Chautauqua. Both were in the water when Sheriff’s officers arrived. The boat sail was ripped and the wind was blowing toward Mayville from Chautauqua at the time. Deputies reported one of the youths was becoming exhausted from holding on to the upset boat at the time of rescue.

Police in three states were continuing intensive efforts to apprehend a dapper gunman who made off with between $4,000 and $4,500 after robbing the Clymer office of the Bank of Jamestown the previous afternoon. The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, first to be notified of the crime at about 2:10 p.m. yesterday, pressed all available men into the search and notified all law enforcement agencies throughout the area within minutes after the report was received. Bank teller, Mrs. Homer Loomis said the robber entered the bank shortly after 2 p.m. and began inquiring of her about bank services. He courteously stepped aside to allow a woman customer to be served before he began his inquiries, the teller said.

In Years Past

In 1914, Mrs. Fred Pollard of East Second Street, Jamestown, and her daughter, who were the only Jamestown passengers aboard the British liner Cedric, which was forced the past week to take refuge in Halifax Harbor instead of making the direct trip to New York City, reached home this day, after a delay of over a week. Pollard was wearied and worn by her journey of 12 days on the water and her night trip home. She arrived here at 4 o’clock in the morning. “I am glad to be home,” she said, and her words were heartily echoed by her 11-year-old daughter who made the trip with her. “When we left England,” said Pollard, “there was no news of war, although the impression was general that the trouble was serious and might result in international difficulty.”

A Ford touring car, owned by Elof Wicander of East Second Street, Jamestown, was damaged by fire at about 9:30 in the morning. As the machine was being driven from the garage, it backfired and soon was in a mass of flames. A call was sent in to the fire department and the auto truck, stationed at the City Hall, started out in answer. A punctured tire, however, soon stopped its flight and the truck stationed on Winsor Street was sent to answer the call. The cushions of the car were destroyed.

In 1939, the Federal Works Agency reported funds totaling $8,105,934 had been allocated for 53 projects in New York state under the $130 million federal building program authorized by Congress. Money for the new Jamestown post office had been allocated from these funds. The project called for an expenditure of $725,000 but the project was not ready to advertise for bids as yet.

With its military band playing a stirring march, Company E, 174th infantry, Jamestown’s National Guard contribution to the First Army maneuvers in the Plattsburgh area in the far northeastern corner of New York state, was leaving the state armory the following afternoon at 3:50 p.m. Jamestown time on its rail journey of some 560 miles, making the longest trip of any unit of the state military forces.

In 1964, firemen from four departments were fighting a blaze which had all but destroyed Peacock Lodge No. 696, F.& A.M. on Erie Street in Mayville. Dozens of firefighters directed by Chief Roy Hunt poured tons of water into the top third story of the blazing structure but without much apparent effect. The rear half of the third story wall collapsed about 11:30 a.m. with some outfall landing on the rear of the Hotel Holland roof. The roof collapse also damaged Shearer’s Mens and Boys Clothing Store adjoining the structure. The Hotel Holland was evacuated as a precaution. It was believed the fire started when a lightning bolt struck a transformer near the rear of the building.

Trees and power lines were knocked down and roofs blown off buildings Tuesday night during a series of wind-whipped thunderstorms that battered the area. The U.S. Weather Bureau, which forecast a few showers for the day in the Western New York area, measured wind gusts of up to 45 miles an hour Tuesday night. In Eden, south of Buffalo, an employee of a dog shelter said that, while he was working, “all of a sudden I looked up and the roof wasn’t there anymore.”

In 1989, many New York state agencies treating Vietnam veterans for problems related to combat experience weren’t even aware their clients served in the armed forces, a state report concluded. That was both because many service agencies were not trained to deal with battle-related stress problems and some veterans were reluctant to admit they served in Vietnam because of a lingering stigma attached to the war, said the Temporary State Commission on Vietnam Veterans. The failure to treat the adjustment problems of veterans “results in a tragic waste of resources and lives,” the final commission report said.

Several local people who were too young to experience the Woodstock rock festival 20 years ago planned to make the trek to the reunion concert to be held the following week. As many as 13 people from Jamestown would participate in round two of peace, love and music as volunteers at Woodstock revisited in Swan Lake, a resort in the Catskills. Gary Bauman, one of the volunteers, said he and his friends would perform concession and facilities work just to “help to be a part of the backbone of the event.”

In Years Past

In 1914, Jamestown, a typical American manufacturing and industrial city, was feeling this day what was perhaps the typical effect of the great European war, which effect was general throughout the United States. This effect was felt already not only in the cost of living in every home in Jamestown, although the war had been in progress hardly two weeks, but it was also being felt in the Jamestown industries, not acutely at present, but with effects which, if long continued, would require readjustment in many lines.

The bridges over the Niagara River were being protected by armed guards to prevent them being blown up by sympathizers of Britain’s foes. As soon as the news of the blowing up of a bridge on the Lake St. John railway, near Quebec, was received at the falls, guards were stationed at the international bridges. The bridges would be guarded night and day until the end of the European war.

In 1939, announcement had been made by the state education department that 27 applicants for special state scholarships provided for children of soldiers, sailors or marines who enlisted from New York state and who died while serving in the armed forces of the United States, had been awarded scholarships as the result of examinations conducted in June. The scholarships entitled holders to $200 a year for the next four years in any approved college, university or normal school within New York state. Among those who would receive these scholarships were: Elizabeth Litchfield of Mayville; Lois Munson of Palmer Street, Jamestown and Ephraim R. Smallman of Ellicottville.

Those roller skating at Midway Park Thursday evening were given a real treat in music by the Children’s Band of the Randolph Home under the direction of Enfield C. Strickland of Little Valley. The band of 38 pieces gave a concert in the afternoon at the county home at Dewittville and stopped at Midway Park to enjoy the various concessions when the invitation was given to play at the roller skating rink. The girls wore navy blue sweaters, white skirts and white hats. The boys wore blue sweaters, white trousers and white hats. They were accompanied by the superintendent of the home, Harry Colwell.

In 1964, one of the most extensive year-round recreational areas in Western New York was to be developed in central Chautauqua County. Massive plans for the multi-million dollar four-season recreational center three miles long and a mile wide on Sinclairville-Ellington Road were revealed to a crowd of several hundred persons at Cassadaga Valley Central School. Backers of the project outlined the proposed plans, locations and the steps that had already been accomplished. It was anticipated that the skiing portion of the extensive program would be ready for the coming season.

Dogs on the loose and misuse of the village dump were the chief issues of discussion at the Celoron Village Board meeting. Mayor Edward Keller sounded a warning to dog owners – take care of them or in two weeks time the dog ordinance would be strictly enforced. As to the misuse of the village dump, the village officials pointed out the village had a burning dump and not a dump for disposal of garbage, which could be covered. Residents had two weeks to use the dump properly or it would be open but one day each week, Saturday, under police surveillance, instead of every day of the week without supervision.

In 1989, lunar astronaut Michael Collins was no great fan of the moon. He was a lot more concerned about fragile planet Earth. “Unless you’re a geologist, I don’t think you’d love the moon,” Collins told a large audience at the Thursday morning lecture in the Amphitheater at Chautauqua Institution. The speaker said the moon looks even more inhospitable, with its color varying from shades of gray to tan, depending on the angle of the sun striking it. “By contrast, the earth is such a beautiful, gorgeous planet,” Collins said.

Richard A. Pacitti of Gerry would have more than a passing interest when he attended the air show at Buffalo International Airport in the coming weekend. Among the participants would be his son, Marine 1st Lt. Christopher Pacitti, pilot of a large twin-propeller transport helicopter. The older Pacitti said a co-pilot and two crew members would accompany his son with the Marine Corps aircraft. He said it would be on static display, meaning it would be there to be observed but would not be flying in the show. “I’ll be there for sure,” Pacitti said, noting he had not seen his son for six months.

In Years Past

In 1914, the attendance of the eighth annual convention of the New York state council of the United Brotherhood of the Carpenters and Joiners of America, which opened in Jamestown at the Eagles Temple at 10 in the morning, was not as large as was hoped for but an earnest and sincere body of men were in session to consider various matters for the welfare of this large branch of organized labor in the state. The attendance was affected somewhat by the near approach of the international convention to which many of the delegates would go in preference to attending this convention and, still further, by the fact that Jamestown was not a central location.

The police committee of the Jamestown Common Council was busy in the forenoon taking testimony in the case of Policeman Clarence Turner, charged with neglect of duty as traffic officer on July 23-25 of the present year. The charges were prepared by Chief of Police Frank A. Johnson. The case was being tried by Corporation Counsel, Cheston A. Price before Alderman Leander Johnson, chairman of the police committee and by Aldermen H.M. Hansen and Charles Garrity, also of the police committee. The charges were that on the above dates, Policeman Turner neglected his duty at his post at Brooklyn Square and Market Street, not being there all the time.

In 1939, “Comparing the panic you think you are going through in this country with the panic of European countries, you are having a marvelous time and don’t know it,” said Miss Nexhmie Zaimi of Tirana, Albania, student at Columbia University, New York and the Chautauqua Summer schools, in an address at the Kiwanis Club luncheon at the Masonic Temple in Jamestown. Miss Zaimi, who was the first girl from Albania to receive an education in this country, traced the history of Albania, its periods of suppression by Turkey, the freedom which was short-lived and conditions leading to the annexation of Albania by Italy. “You who have never lived in a country under the suppression of another country have no idea what it means,” she said.

Miss Clara Livingston and Miss Rachel A. Miller flew to Jamestown Wednesday afternoon in Miss Livingston’s plane, following a flight from Puerto Rico to the west coast and back, totaling over 8,000 miles. They carried with them a collection of Puerto Rican needlework from a gift shop there which they had exhibited in leading cities. The work would be on exhibit Friday and Saturday at the Hotel Athenaeum in Chautauqua.

In 1964, George Sherman, 9, of Buffalo, was in good condition at Brooks Memorial Hospital at Dunkirk where he was taken Sunday with head injuries suffered in a 20-foot fall from a cliff at Point Gratiot Park. His father, Robert Sherman, was treated and released for a leg injury sustained in an attempt to rescue his son. Witnesses said Mr. Sherman, after being summoned to the scene, started climbing down the cliff side when an overhang hindered his decent and he leaped to where his son lay on a slate landing covered by shallow water at the base of the cliff. The Dunkirk Fire Dept. emergency crew using a rescue basket lifted the boy to safety and, with the aid of ropes, helped Mr. Sherman up the cliff.

A crowd estimated at 4,800 saw the Crusaders Drum Crops from Hilton, N.Y., take top honors Saturday night in the seventh annual Bugler’s Holiday at Falconer High School. Second place went to the Brigadiers of Syracuse and third place went to the Commanders of Toronto, Canada. The Commanders were also awarded first place in the color guard competition. An added attraction was an exhibition by The Alpine Girls, known as “The Sweethearts of the Drum Corps World.” The sell-out crowd braved threatening rain, wind and 50-degree weather for the show which was sponsored by the Falconer Fire Department.

In 1989, a dream that Nikolay and Olga Zajtsev had since 1981 to live, work and practice their Christian religion in the United States became a reality when they landed at Chautauqua County Airport. The refugees from Druzhkova, U.S.S.R., with their five children, arrived at the airport in Jamestown to cheers from a group of about 30 people from the Evangelical United Methodist Churches of Youngsville and Erie. The refugees were sponsored by the Episcopal Ministries Northwestern Diocese in Erie. The Zajtsevs would live with Chris and Barbara Derr of Youngsville until they become settled.

Gerry was in the midst of its 45th annual rodeo. “We’re the oldest and largest rodeo in the East,” said Gerry Fire Chief Charles Lawson. Some 10,000 man-hours went into preparing the grounds for the event. “If you live in Gerry, you help out,” said Douglas Barmore, volunteer fireman. “The only pay is community spirit.” The Gerry Rodeo was “the major leagues” according to producer and stock contractor Bob Barnes.

In Years Past

• In 1914, Frederick Kohmann, proprietor of the Hotel Frederick of Jamestown, who was arrested on a charge of keeping a disorderly house, was discharged by Justice Maharon. The trial of the defendant was completed Friday afternoon and the case was adjourned the previous day’s forenoon. On the convening of court, Attorney John Wicks, representing the defendant, made a motion that the defendant be discharged. His motion was based on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient to convict. Frank Jenks who conducted the prosecution, of course made a strenuous objection and the two attorneys spent some time in argument. At the conclusion of the argument, Justice Maharon sustained Mr. Wicks and ordered the discharge of Mr. Kohmann. It was a serious matter for Mr. Kohmann for if he had been convicted his liquor tax certificate would have been canceled and he would have been practically put out of business.

• The Times of London editorially expressed the profound satisfaction of the British people that the cause for which they were fighting had the sympathy of their American kinsmen. The Times added that the American people “are now beginning to appreciate that the rise of Germany to the power and influence hitherto enjoyed by Great Britain would be a development inimical to American interests and a menace to the freedom of the Unites States as a world power.” Referring to President Wilson’s offer of mediation, The Times said that there was much stern work to be done before any government was likely to avail itself of the President’s proffered services.

• In 1939, war rumblings abroad, a high state military authority said, had sent enlistment applications in the New York National Guard to the highest point in years. A few days before the United States army’s huge war games at Plattsburg, in which approximately 14,000 New York National Guardsmen would take part, State Adjutant General Walter G. Robinson indicated the tread of marching armies in Europe had spurred citizen interest in the National Guard. “There has also been a marked increase in re-enlistments,” he added.

• Troops from nine states, representing virtually the entire combat strength of the eastern seaboard, were headed to Plattsburg for a two weeks field test of the latest weapons the nation would use against foreign invasion. The troop movement, which began Aug. 1 when the mechanized Seventh Cavalry brigade left Fort Knox, Kentucky, on a 1,000-mile cross country trek, would be virtually completed by Sunday with more than 50,000 men of the regular army, National Guard and reserve units encamped along the shores of historic Lake Champlain. Five full infantry divisions, two separate brigades and some 30 auxiliary units would combine to make the concentration the largest in the country’s peace time history.

• In 1989, Bush Industries planned to increase production at its Little Valley plant site and the village would increase electrical service to accommodate the local company. Electric supervisor Robert Milks recommended the village provide the labor needed to increase the 3,000 amp electrical service requested by Bush. “This expansion will be good for Little Valley – more jobs, business and tax revenues. We can help with the labor needed to install the transformer equipment. This will help Bush as well as us,” Milks said.

• Congressional re-regulation of the cable television industry would “definitely” be opposed by cable owners and operators, according to Thomas Kinney, general manager of Paragon Cable in Jamestown. Kinney’s comments were made in response to a statement by Richard Kessel, executive director of the New York State Consumer Protection Board. Kessel had urged Congress to restore state and local government regulation of cable television rates and services. “Once the cable companies were relieved of governmental oversights, virtually guaranteed perpetual renewals of franchises and protected from meaningful competition, they raised rates at will, transferred programming from basic packages to premium channels and used their monopoly power to control which programming reaches consumers,” Kessel said.

In Years Past

In 1914, the Harmony town picnic arrangements had been completed and promised to be one of the most eventful of the history of picnics in the township. The address of the day was to be delivered by Hon. Leslie A. Pease of Dunkirk. The Ashville Cornet Band would furnish the music. The athletic events offered attractive features, sure to attract the large crowds they merited. There would be a 50-yard dash for boys. First prize would be $1 and second prize would be 50 cents. There would also be a 50-yard dash for girls with the prize money the same as for the boys. The 50-yard dash for men would have $2 for first and $1 for second. In the 50-yard dash for women, first prize would be $1.50 with 75 cents for second. The pie-eating contest would give $1 for first and 50 cents for second.

Survivors of the 112th New York infantry and Seventh company of sharpshooters would learn with regret that the annual reunion of these organizations would not be held at Silver Creek as previously announced. It was supposed that the matter was settled and the people of Silver Creek seemed to be enthusiastic over the idea of entertaining the veterans. After a rather heated discussion, it was decided that the cost would be too great and the village was not in a position to go on with entertaining the 112th. The reunion would, of course, be held on Sept. 12, according to custom and the place would probably be Lily Dale on Cassadaga Lake.

In 1939, cracksmen worked for several hours in an effort to smash open the safe of the Lundquist Hardware Company at Brooklyn Square in Jamestown early the previous morning and were apparently on the verge of success when a tear gas bomb exploded in their faces and drove them away. In their flight they left $600 of potential cash loot behind them, according to police. Burglars tapped the same safe on Nov. 27, 1936 and made off with approximately $1,135 in cash. The tear gas bomb exploded when the thieves attempted to drive in the pin which controlled the safe lock.

Announcement in the previous day’s Journal that city court actions were being brought against 377 Jamestown dog owners who had failed to secure licenses for their pets resulted this day in one of the busiest days the city clerk’s office had all year. Service of summons on delinquent dog owners – or those whose dogs had died or strayed since 1938 without the fact having been reported to proper authorities – continued unabated. Dog Warden Kenneth Beebe had expressed the belief that nearly 200 of the unlicensed dogs in the city were owned by families that were receiving relief. These dogs would probably be shot, a Journal reporter was told.

In 1964, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation had not reached any final decision about locating a $100,000 office and storage building in Lakewood, Charles Wick, administrative vice president of the Western Division of the company, said. There were rumors in the village that the company would not locate there or any place in the town of Busti. Wick said there would not be any official announcement from the company regarding the location of the building until Aug. 13.

The international friendship banner flew over the Girl Scout Camp Woodelohi at Cassadaga as the campers were hosts to a visiting Girl Guide from France. She was Jeanne-Therese Viellard-Barron, the leader of Troop 123, Paris and a student at an extension college of Sorbonne University, where she was preparing herself to teach physics in high school. Although Girl Scouting in France was more a part of the church than here, it had the same laws, purposes and promises. “For this reason and the fact that everyone is so friendly, I feel right at home,” was Viellard-Barron’s comment.

In 1989, callers dialing for operators reached recordings in 15 states and the nation’s capital as workers from three regional telephone companies settled in for what many expected would be a long strike. The companies urged people to dial direct whenever possible to avoid tie-ups. No major delays were reported for those calling numbers without an operator’s or manager’s assistance. “We do have minor delays in directory assistance,” said Bob Chez, a spokesman for Nevada Bell, part of Pacific Telesis. “People are having to wait a little longer. But other than that, things are going smoothly.”

A new parking ramp in Jamestown was one step closer to reality now that “the essential last piece of property” had been bought by the city. City Council members learned that negotiations with property owner Larry Foe had been completed. The purchase price for the land on the corner of Fourth Street and Prendergast Avenue was $150,000, according to Samuel Teresi, Jamestown’s director of development. Two pieces of land owned by the U.S. Postal Service were needed before the ramp could be built.

In Years Past

• In 1914, the wide ramifications of the European war situation were shown in the cancellation of Melville E. Stone’s engagement at Chautauqua, received at a late hour. Stone was general manager of the Associated Press and was scheduled to speak at 11 o’clock Friday morning in the amphitheater on The Associated Press. In a telegram to Director Arthur E. Bestor of the Chautauqua Institution, Stone said that present conditions, due to war developments, made it impossible for him to leave New York.

• Crops throughout Warren County had been seriously affected by the drought of the past two months. As a result, farmers said that prices probably would be high and the demand would exceed the supply. Dispatches from other parts of the state and from many sections in the east said that conditions were similar. June and July were the driest months on the record of the weather bureau for 41 years. It was not doubted that the situation was facing an era of want unless rain fell in large quantities in the immediate future.

• In 1939, legal actions against 377 dog owners or former dog owners resident in the city of Jamestown were begun this day as process servers started out to round up that many persons who had either failed to secure licenses for their pets or had disposed of their dogs without making a proper report. The actions were being brought under the State Agriculture and Markets law pursuant to a demand by Albany officials that local court authorities take action against the recalcitrant dog owners. In each case, the summons sought a punitive judgment of $10 as provided by the law, plus $4 court costs, plus the cost of the dog license.

• At Corning, workmen began the ticklish task of moving the world’s first 200-inch telescope lens six blocks and setting it up as a museum piece. The lens, once destined as the “eye” for the world’s largest telescope under construction at Mount Palomar, California, would be moved from the Corning Glass works where it was cast, to the city’s public square. It would be housed in a dome-shaped building erected through popular subscription and admission to view it would be free. The trip to its new resting place would take four days. Owned by the Observatory of Mount Palomar institution, the lens was relegated to the role of a “spare” for the giant telescope as the result of a mishap pouring it on March 25, 1934. A new lens was cast and was being installed in the observatory.

• In 1964, an explosion rocked a propane-gas plant in suburban Lancaster, near Buffalo, and police immediately evacuated homes in a 1-mile area. An Erie County sheriff’s department spokesman said no persons had been reported injured. Police and firemen were unable to approach the plant because of fire and possibility of further explosions, police said. A total of 30 area fire companies were at the scene. State police said travel in a one-mile radius was restricted. The Impact Container Corporation was the scene of the fire.

• Thousands of nails scattered on Foote Avenue from Cole Avenue to the Jamestown city line created near havoc for motorists this day as police and City DPW employees worked to remove the hazard. The nails, in three sizes up to about two inches, dribbled from three broken kegs on a truck about 10 a.m. Public Works crews armed with brooms and a street flushing machine were removing the nails as police directed traffic through safer lanes in the street.

• In 1989, it was about 3:55 p.m. July 19, when members of the staff at Marian Health Center in Sioux City, Iowa, heard the “D-plan” announced over its public address system. Among those reporting to their specified areas to wait for assignments was Jamestown native Brian Damon. At first Damon thought it was a drill. “We learned there was a plane in distress. We knew it was in the Sioux City vicinity and was going to attempt a landing.” The psychiatric social worker was on duty when a DC-10, United Airlines Flight 232, came to disaster in a cornfield on the edge of the airport runway. “We were able to look out the windows and see the smoke from the airport. It’s approximately six miles away,” said Damon.

• A large backhoe was used to right a tipped-over endloader at the site of the former Triangle Restaurant at the intersection of Routes 394 and 474 near Ashville. Employees of the contractor were preparing the right of way for a Route 394 widening project. The old restaurant was recently demolished to make room for the widened highway.

In Years Past

In 1914, two large audiences attended the performances given Wednesday afternoon and evening by Miller Brother’s and Arlington’s 101 Ranch Wild West Show. The show was a typical Wild West show and there were the usual cowboys, cowgirls, Indians, Russian Cossacks, horses and buffaloes. Throughout the performance the life of the westerners was pictured, showing the sports of the cowboys and girls, real rough riding, bronco busting and early days in the west. The show was unusually good for a Wild West show and the spectators were treated with something exciting and thrilling every minute during the two hours performance. The program opened with a grand entry of all the performers, among these being Chief Irontail of the Sioux nation, whose profile appeared on the new nickel. Two clowns kept the audience in good humor during the performance with their funny stunts. There was also an exhibition of fancy shooting and the program closed with the burning of a prairie schooner by the Indians.

Unless ocean transportation with Europe remained disrupted for longer than a period of two months, Warren refiners would not have to curtail their output nor discharge men, according to officers of the leading refineries. Although the cutting of the European market had come so quickly that the companies scarcely knew what to do with their oil ready for shipment, most of them were in a position to store oil for at least a month. In fact, the refineries would continue their regular output and depend on the home market as well as a speedy conclusion of the war to help them out of the difficulty.

In 1939, Timothy Morse, 78, who lived on a farm near Limestone, N.Y., died en route to the WCA Hospital in an ambulance about noon the previous day several minutes after he was reported to have either jumped or was knocked from the Waterboro bridge, below Kennedy, into Conewango Creek by a passing Erie Railroad westbound freight train. Morse was fishing with his cousins, Herman and Clarence Pinkerton, both of Limestone, when the accident occurred. Morse had gone across the bridge to fish from a different location when the freight train went by. Morse fell into the creek at a point where the water was fairly deep. He was rescued by Herman Pinkerton while clinging to an abutment of the bridge. The WCA Hospital authorities said that according to a report given to them, the engineer stopped the train and he and his crew assisted in taking the injured man out of the creek.

Members of the Falconer Fire Department had completed arrangements for a horse-pulling contest which would be staged on this afternoon at the Falconer circus grounds. The committee had erected a tier of grandstand seats and made arrangements for a record attendance. The contest had attracted many entries from Western New York and Pennsylvania and Millard Hare, general chairman of the affair, announced that the competition would be keen. A pulling ring of 225 feet by 150 feet had been prepared and the department had made arrangements for concession stands for the afternoon. The contest was sponsored by the State School of Agriculture.

In 1964, Jamestown had landed the New York State Volunteer Firemen’s Association bowling tournament, local spokesman and state director Harold “Tip” Casler said. About 400 teams between 2,000 and 2,500 bowlers, were expected to visit Jamestown to compete in the 1966 meet at the Fountain Bowl lanes. The exact dates were to be announced. It would be the eighth annual tournament of state firefighters. The 1965 meet was scheduled for Elmira. Last year’s tournament was in Buffalo. Jamestown would be playing host to the tournament for the first time.

Cecil E. Cleveland Jr., director of the James Prendergast Free Library announced the library had installed a new self-service, coin-operated photocopy machine. Cleveland said the library had long felt a need for a photocopying machine and hoped that it would be of value to the many students who used the library daily in doing research in their studies. For a small charge, students, businessmen and other patrons could make clear reproductions of articles, letters, photographs or complete pages from books. The photocopying machine offered an efficient and completely private method for the quick duplication of any type of business or personal document. Since there were no dials to turn and nothing to set, it was virtually impossible to get a wrong exposure. The machine was self-service and fully automatic.

In Years Past

In 1914, England joined in war against Germany, and King George called for volunteers for the army. The British public showed some anxiety about food supplies which brought reassuring statements from the government. The Japanese premier, Count Okuma, expressed his regret that the United States had not been able to mediate in the European conflict, which he said, if it continued, meant the destruction of western civilization. Japan, he continued, would have been happy to join the United States in mediation but her possible participation in the war as the ally of Great Britain made her an interested party. The premier said that Japan, if she were reluctantly compelled to intervene, would protect the British colonies but under no circumstances would she send a fleet or an army to Europe.

Jamestown would probably be represented in the great European war by several young Englishmen who had still several years to serve in the British reserves and who had been notified to return to their native land. They would return via Montreal. There were others, The Journal was informed, who intended enlisting in the Maple Leafs of Canada. The war spirit, however, was not particularly strong in Jamestown and it was quite likely that a good many would disregard the orders of their governments to return to the colors. So long as they remained in America, they were safe from any military orders.

In 1939, a lesson in preparation for modern warfare would be offered the people of Chautauqua County when the Seventh Cavalry brigade of the regular army, made up of 2,300 officers and men, with 532 motor vehicles, would pass through the northern tier of towns along Lake Erie, en route from its home station at Fort Knox, Kentucky to the Plattsburgh, N.Y., area for maneuvers of the First Army. Flying ahead in wartime reconnaissance would be a squadron of observation planes. The long column, stretching out over 15 miles of highway, was due to arrive in Dunkirk at 7:05 a.m. (8:05 a.m. Jamestown time) the following morning.

Upstate dairymen drafted a petition to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace, asking for an increase in milk prices after acting Governor Charles Poletti appealed to President Roosevelt for federal aid for the state’s dairy industry. Frank Lent, attorney for the Metropolitan Milk Producers Bargaining agency, said he was drafting the petition, calling for $2.65 a hundredweight for September milk in the face of opposition by New York distributors who claimed the rise was not justified by drought conditions.

In 1964, five young boys had been charged with malicious mischief in connection with an incident the past Saturday morning when a Celoron street was barricaded and the barricade set afire. Village Patrolman Lyle Gleason charged the boys with setting up a barricade on East Livingston Avenue. The street was blocked with an old refrigerator, brush, boards and papers. The litter was then set ablaze. Three boys were juveniles and would be petitioned to Family Court. The other two, both 16, were scheduled to be arraigned in justice court.

Jamestown’s municipal beach at Burtis Bay was officially open but remained fairly isolated. Officials, however, were not worried, stating the weatherman was to blame for the lack of bathers at the beach. The weatherman, who hadn’t cooperated much since the beach opened on Sunday, was expected to change his tune the following day, calling for sunny skies and mild, dry air. Russell Diethrick, director of the Jamestown Recreation Department, said the weatherman held the key to the crowds. He predicted “we’ll be turning them away when the weather breaks.”

In 1989, “The United States is one of the youngest and most successful nations in the world but with problems,” according to Dr. Wassily Leontief, Nobel Prize winner in economic science in 1973. The Russian-born economist was the speaker at the lecture at the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater during observance of Business Week. The speaker said the United States used to have the world’s highest standard of living but now was eclipsed by West Germany and the Scandinavian countries. He said that in this country, “there is a problem with the distribution of income. In recent years, the distribution of income has become worse between the rich and the poor.”

Hundreds of volunteer firefighters were spending the weekend living in garages in the village of Falconer. The firemen and women were in town for the 31st Annual Southwestern Volunteer Firefighters Association Convention. This was the first time since 1949 that the convention had been held in Falconer. The garages where most of the firefighters were staying were called “dugouts,” though no one could explain why. Sixty dugouts were scattered around the village, housing anywhere from 10 to 30 or more conventioneers. A dugout was a private homeowner’s garage used as the headquarters for one or two fire departments.

In Years Past

In 1914, at Meadville, an order received from headquarters in New York City closed down the Erie Railroad shops for the entire week; and the fact that they were closed also on Saturday made practically 10 days of no employment for the entire force of men at the shops. The order, it was said, was received shortly after work had begun for the week, and the men were allowed to work the balance of the day. Many, speaking of the order, were greatly disappointed because of the present high cost of living which made every day’s work count.

The following day would be “early rising day” with a very considerable percentage of Jamestown’s budding population. There was a reason. That was the day the circus, the Miller Brothers & Arlington’s 101 Ranch Wild West Show, would come to town. Before the town was fairly awake, the long trains used to transport the paraphernalia of the big show would have rolled into Falconer, been shunted into the railroad yards, the scores of wagons and floats and the hundreds of horses unloaded and hustled into the Jamestown show grounds, early coffee served to the army of workers, the first tents erected and arrangements made for the picturesquely historical and uniquely unusual free street parade which would precede the performance of the big show.

In 1939, a hearing in the compensation case of Walter Sweeney, 17, of Frewsburg, was adjourned by Referee Charles K. Blatchley at Jamestown City Hall when Blatchley decided that the Frewsburg Furniture Company should state its position with reference to the allegation that Sweeney was being unlawfully employed when he recently lost his right eye in an accident at that plant. Blatchley had already awarded compensation to Sweeney for 100 percent loss of use of the eye. During the hearing, it developed that the accident occurred while the lad was working at night, contrary to the state labor law. If it was substantiated that the lad was unlawfully employed at the time of the accident, he would be entitled to double compensation, according to Blatchley.

John George’s 75th birthday celebration ended literally with a bang Wednesday night at Silver Creek when shotgun shells stored in the attic exploded shortly before midnight. The loud reports brought almost the whole village to the scene. The resultant fire caused damage of several hundred dollars to the George home on Robinson Street, as firemen hacked holes in the roof to get at the stubborn blaze. The George family had retired after a day and evening of celebrating. Mr. and Mrs. George slept beneath the attic room where the shells exploded. With the help of neighbors they sought to extinguish the fire with a garden hose but the fire department was needed to bring the fire under control.

In 1964, the Gustavus Adolphus Children’s Home, one of the agencies assisted by the Jamestown Community Chest, was undertaking a major analysis of the time and cost of its services. Under the direction of the U.S. Children’s Bureau and the Child Welfare League of America, the study was developed at the University of California. Results would be fed into an electronic computer at Berkeley, Calif., with the results expected next spring.

Most army worms in Chautauqua County had run their 20-day feeding cycle, reported Glenn Cline, county agricultural agent. Some worms, hatched last, were still active, he said, but on the whole, they had run their cycle. Cline said his office had not received a new report from county farmers in over a week. “It’s too early to ascertain the extent of the damage caused by the worms but it’s safe in stating that most damage occurred in oat crops,” he said. At their peak, several weeks ago, the worms were reported to be in between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of oats. Damage to other crops was slight.

In 1989, residents of Love Canal in Niagara Falls, N.Y, where the torch of environmental concern was ignited a decade ago, had passed the flame to another Niagara Falls neighborhood. “Love Canal was the first, and Forest Glen won’t be the last manmade environmental disaster,” said Toni Rychel, a former Love Canal resident. Rychel was among about 50 people at a candlelight vigil outside a boarded-up church in the largely abandoned Love Canal neighborhood. Toxic chemicals had recently been found in Forest Glen, a nearby trailer park.

Josephine Cameron’s oldest son, Donald and his wife, Cathy, of Phoenix, enjoyed creating latch-hook rugs. “It’s the one hobby we do together,” said Donald Cameron, who visited his mother’s home on the Gerry-Levant Road in Falconer the past week. Donald brought his mother a picture of their three-story red brick family home in an early-winter setting, made into a latch-hook rug that measured 7 feet-by-5 feet. A widow for almost 20 years, Mrs. Cameron had to sell the house five years ago because she couldn’t keep it up, said her son. She said one time she had 300 people for dinner at the house. “Every room was full,” said another son, Joe Cameron. “I felt like the king of Italy. I served so much spaghetti.” The house stood across the road from Mrs. Cameron’s present home.

In Years Past

In 1914, much interest, in view of the disturbed conditions of travel in Europe due to the impending war, attached to the Jamestown people who were abroad. It was extremely fortunate that a large number of the Jamestown travelers were visiting points in northern Europe, thus far removed from the scene of the conflict. Many of even the Scandinavian peninsula visitors, however, sailed on steamers whose port of sailing was in England. The state of war preparations in that country was beginning to make sailing from there extremely dubious.

An attempt was made to blow up with dynamite, the home of S.G. McClure, owner and publisher of the Youngstown, Ohio, Telegram, at midnight. The damage to the house was not great and no one was injured. There was no clue. The Telegram had been active in furthering the anti-saloon cause and in demanding a reorganization in the Youngstown Police Department.

In 1939, Jamestown had its first glimpse of American might in the air at 3:35 the previous afternoon when the 17th Pursuit squadron of the United States Army Air Corps – comprising 18 pursuit or combat planes – roared over the city in fighting formation. The appearance was part of the nationwide celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Army Air Corps. The ships which flew over Jamestown came from Selfridge field, just north of Detroit and prior to their appearance, had flown over Wheeling, W.Va., Washington, Pittsburgh, Franklin and Oil City and a number of smaller communities.

The final day at the Jamestown Health Camp in Allegany State Park was completed the previous day when members of the Jamestown Rotary Club arrived at camp to transport the children back to Jamestown. A successful season was completed under the direction of H. Jack Love of Duke University, Durham, N.C., who acted as camp director. Gains in weight and general health of the children were noted by Miss Lucille Anderson, camp nurse.

In 1964, Jamestown’s municipal beach at Burtis Bay opened the previous afternoon at 2 o’clock and with the reluctant cooperation from the weatherman, a good crowd was reported on hand. A light rain fell during the morning but by mid-afternoon the sun began to shine. Free entry to the beach might have had some bearing on the crowd. Beginning this day, there would be a 25 cents per person admission charge or $1 for a ticket for the balance of the season. The decision to reopen the beach, which had been closed since July 13, 1963, because of a high pollution, came when City Council allocated $1,800.

Two men were burned when a Pleasant Township oil well erupted over top of the rigging and caught fire on Saturday afternoon. William Wilcox, 25, was in critical condition in the Warren Hospital. Herbert Wentz, 56, was in good condition in the same hospital with superficial burns. According to police, the two men were working on a well that was fractured and began erupting gas. Wilcox was reportedly using a torch to cut pipe about 75 feet from the well, when a spark ignited the gas and the well exploded. The well rigging was owned by Clair Wilcox, father of the seriously burned worker.

In 1989, singing by a Finnish-American group from Fairport Harbor, Ohio, an illustrated lecture on Finnish architecture and a concert of Scandinavian music would be heard in the 23rd annual Scandinavian Day on Saturday at Chautauqua Institution. Sponsored by the American-Scandinavian Heritage Foundation of Jamestown, the program would be in Smith-Wilkes Hall and was open to the public. Following the singing of Finnish folk songs by the nine-member group, “The Stubborn Finns,” the illustrated lecture on “Toward a More Humane Architecture” would be given by Martin Price of Arlington, Texas, internationally recognized authority on Finnish architecture.

First-time home buyers either had it great locally or they had a terrible problem in the market, depending on who was asked. Local realtors, responding to Post-Journal questions, disagreed on whether first-time buyers were helped or hurt by lending institutions. A first-time buyer could buy a home for under $30,000 with little or no down payment because of programs offered them by state lending institutions, said Roger Bender of Bender Real Estate. Peter Kote, of ERA-Kote Realty seemed to see the opposite fate for first-time home buyers. “I think it’s very bad. I’ve said all along I’ve always been against the banks charging points the way they do,” Kote said.

In Years Past

• In 1914, Friday, the second day of the convention of the Art Metal Construction Company’s salesmen, was occupied by a demonstration of salesmanship in Plant No. 1 and a banquet served at 8 o’clock in the Hotel Samuels’ dining room. The banquet, which was attended by about 80 of the salesmen and the heads of the local departments, was a fine example of the friendship and good business relationships which existed between the salesmen and the Art Metal Construction Company. The great esteem in which B.C. Couchman, the sales manager of the company, was held by the salesmen, was made manifest at the banquet, when he was presented with a gold watch and a beautiful silver loving cup as a token of the salesmen’s appreciation of him

• C.M. O’Connor and James Williams of the Emery Pipe lines were driving toward Bradford, Pa., in an automobile when they discovered a forest fire in the vicinity of Howard Junction. Dismounting, they at once made efforts to extinguish the blaze and were shortly spurred to renewed efforts by the discovery that nitro-glycerin magazines and barn of the American Glycerin Company were in the immediate neighborhood and were threatened with destruction. A battle of this character was not usually sought but as there was also danger in retreat, the fight was continued until the fire was beaten out and the property saved.

• In 1939, truck drivers and operators resumed negotiations at Syracuse in an effort to avert a statewide tie-up of the over-the-road trucking industry. The meeting at which a state labor mediator was expected to take part, was a continuation of a five-hour meeting at which representatives of the truck drivers, chauffeurs, dock workers and helpers union (AFL) and the Associated Trucking Industries Inc., representing the operators, failed to agree. Union officials then postponed for 48 hours the deadline for a strike, which would bring the new deadline to midnight this night.

• The Kendall Service Station on East Main Street at Fredonia was minus the sum of $42. A holdup at the point of a gun the previous night, resulted in the loss. D.V. Hogan, the station manager, was checking the days business and stood at the cash register with his back to the front door when a man with a blue handkerchief covering his face, except his eyes, came in and came close to Mr. Hogan, saying, “Stick ’em up or I’ll drill you.” He then ordered Hogan to the corner of the room, keeping him covered with his gun all the time. The burglar then rifled the cash register and took all out including one Canadian dollar bill. The police were called and all surrounding area was searched by flashlight but no clue was obtained.

• In 1989, in an effort to clear city streets of illegal drug use, the Jamestown Police Department had made 44 arrests of alleged drug users in the past six days. “Street checks have quadrupled in the last month. When you do that you are going to have an increase in arrests,” Capt. William MacLaughlin told The Post-Journal. The increased patrols and arrests had made a marked difference in drug use and loitering on city streets so far, MacLaughlin said. The push was in response to citizens’ and local merchants’ complaints about loitering and blatant drug use in public.

• Local party leaders were split over what impact Gov. Mario Cuomo’s campaign bank account would have on the 1990 gubernatorial race. So far Cuomo had $5 million but hadn’t said whether he would seek a third four-year term as governor. “It’s quite a war chest to have. It will make it difficult for the Republicans,” Warren I. Gertsch, Chautauqua County GOP chairman, said. “It’s a hell of a head start, let’s put it that way. I wouldn’t mind having that much,” Gerard Fitzpatrick, Cattaraugus County GOP chairman, said. But the Democratic county chairmen had a different view. “That isn’t a lot of money,” said John Dillenburg, Chautauqua County Democratic chairman.

In Years Past

In 1914, four persons were instantly killed 1 mile south of Renfew, Pa., on the Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad when an automobile in which they were riding was struck by a northbound passenger train. The dead were Vance McKee, 30, of Butler, Pa., driver of the automobile; George S. Oliver, 50, of Great Belt in Butler County; Dora Oliver, aged about 50, wife of George Oliver; Miss Oliver, 16, daughter of George and Dora Oliver. Mr. Oliver hired the automobile to take his family for a ride and McKee went along to drive the car. The party went out the Three Degree Road and was crossing the tracks when the passenger train struck the auto in the middle, hurling the occupants several feet.

Ray Jones was arrested in Jamestown on a warrant sworn out by his uncle, Robert Jones of Falconer. The uncle missed about $35 during the latter part of July and on the day in question, young Jones happened to be the last one in the house and his uncle had a warrant sworn out by Squire Howe of Falconer. The warrant was given to Constable Sweet. Sweet, however, could not find young Jones and he notified the Jamestown police to watch for him. Jones was arrested in Jamestown and taken to Falconer. He was arraigned before Howe but was discharged on account of lack of sufficient evidence to hold him.

In 1939, Donald G. White, president of the White Aircraft Company, Inc., appeared before the Jamestown Airport committee at the office of Mayor Harry Erickson and announced his decision to relinquish his lease on the Municipal Airport on North Main Street Extension. The gathering in the mayor’s office was augmented by representatives of the Civic Airport committee, who had been urging that some definite action be taken to make the city’s $300,000 airport available for use. White told the group that he had been unable to secure the financial backing he had anticipated for the plane manufacturing enterprise he had proposed to locate at the airport.

A woodpile 4 feet high and 3 miles long, 2,000 cords of it. That was the size of the supply of wood for cooking and heating water for the 50,000 troops who would take part in the First Army maneuvers at Plattsburgh, N.Y. for two weeks beginning Aug. 13 and including Company E, 174th New York infantry of Jamestown. This large stock of wood to be moved came to light with the announcement by Major General Hugh A. Drum, commanding the First Army, that actual movement of supplies into the “battle area” would begin at once.

In 1964, elegant and spotless was the description of the Hotel Jamestown when present plans for rejuvenation were completed. The new owners, the CeeJay Developers Inc., announced elaborate plans of remodeling and renovating that would start immediately with a change in the hotel entrances. A cafeteria would also be added. Revolving doors on the Cherry Street side would be removed and doors to correspond with those on the Third Street entrance would be installed by the Ellison Bronze Company of Falconer.

David Colander, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Colander Jr., of Cole Avenue in Jamestown, would spend a year in Germany as Jamestown’s first American Field Service student to go abroad for a whole year’s study. Up to this time, the AFS students from here had gone to various countries only for the summer months. Colander, who had completed his junior year at Jamestown High School, would stay with the Albert Witt family in Sottorf, near Hamburg. He would attend school there for a year and return home for his senior year at JHS.

In 1989, Gov. Mario Cuomo, in an attempt to force the state Legislature’s hand, said he would bring lawmakers back to Albany to let them try to override his death penalty veto if they don’t come back on their own. Cuomo told reporters that a special session would force the Legislature to decide once and for all whether it wanted capital punishment restored to New York’s books.

The former Afro-Lecon Inc. at 335 Harrison St., Jamestown, had been dissolved as the result of action in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Buffalo but was expected to be reorganized as Watson Industries Inc. The report was made by David G. Dawson, administrative director of Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, which had a vital interest in the firm. Dawson said that dissolution of the former company also released its assets from bankruptcy. He said this meant its secured creditors owned it, with the state Job Development Authority as the major creditor and owner in principle.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Email(Required)

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)(Required)

Daily Newsletter

Breaking News

Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?(Required)

Yes

No

Community

Mental Hygiene Expands Youth Services With New Satellite Site

Rio Is NCCR Dog Of Week

Jamestown Man Sentenced To Prison

Santos Santiago, 49, of Jamestown, who was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, was sentenced to serve 132 months in ...

Cassadaga Cemetery Association Hosts Meeting

CASSADAGA - The Cassadaga Cemetery Association met recently with the officers and trustees to discuss the equipment ...

Celebrating Independence

The Fourth of July is a moment for our nation to reflect on the Declaration of Independence and our independence as ...

Southwestern Seniors Take Trip To Boston