History of the hometown
February 9, 2023
135 years ago
Local News – The electric light company has decided to build a building and supply its own power. A lot on Prospect street, opposite the freight house, has been secured from Moody and Gould, and work will soon be commenced on a new brick building, 60 x 80 feet. Four steam engines will be used, for which steam will be supplied from a boiler of 250 horse-power. A duplicate set of arc and incandescent dynamos will be placed, and placed in reserve in case of accident. Plans for the building are being prepared in New York and the company hopes to have it completed in 60 days.
February 1888
110 years ago
TJ Gendron described the virtues of the Standard Oil Company high pressure road oil sprinkler for the benefit of members of the Board of Public Works and City Engineer Gurney with Commissioner Elwood in attendance. Using a high quality product known as Oil No. 4, the oil is applied not by gravity as before, but by the use of a high-pressure sprinkler which forces the oil into the dirt and macadam at a pressure of 85 pounds per inch square with a cost of 1.2 cents per square meter. The company is ready to inform the public about the benefits of street oil. Mr. Gendron estimates that he would oil Elm Street by this process for a length of 3,048 feet by a width of 24 feet at $97.52, compared with an actual cost of something like $350 according to the method employed last year . The proposed contract would require a guarantee to use at least one large oil tank here, enough to oil about 20 streets like Elm. Mr. Gendron showed photographs of many streets in Massachusetts that have been treated with pressure oil, claiming that street maintenance costs have been reduced by 60 to 80 percent while eliminating the problem of powder
February 1913
90 years ago
Arthur Jansen, 45, 1745 Railroad Avenue “B,” Schenectady, a former resident of Oneonta, succumbed at Ellis Hospital, Schenectady, Saturday morning after being critically burned in a fire that destroyed the cabin of D & H engine no. 1116. Jansen, a veteran engineer, was operating a “pusher” engine on a Mechanicville-Binghamton freight train when a draft from the locomotive’s firebox suddenly engulfed the interior of the cab. At the time, the train was just south of Crescent Tower about five miles north of Schenectady. The explosion of flame set fire to the interior of the cabin and also to the engineer’s clothes. Jansen jumped out of the taxi with his clothes on fire. His plight was discovered by other crew members who extinguished his burning clothing. However, little hope was given for his recovery and he died at 7:30 am. Jansen was well known in railroad circles and for several years kept a “run” at Oneonta.
February 1933
70 years ago
Final arrangements are practically complete for the serving of about twelve thousand pancakes, with sausage and fixings, all for the benefit of the Fox Hospital, on Thursday. The pancake supper will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Oneonta Grand Warehouse Power Center and all proceeds will go to the hospital. The event is organized under the auspices of the Oneonta Kiwanis Club, which hopes to raise at least $1,000. Mrs. Edith Rich, manager of the Health Bar, will supervise the making of the pancakes, sausage and coffee. Mrs. Ursel Beach of the Power Center is in charge of table arrangements and service. Kiwanians will serve as bartenders throughout the day. Flour and syrup have been donated by Pillsbury Pancake Mills, milk and cream by Meridale Farms, Inc., and Oneonta Dairy Co. Coffee is the gift of Sexton Co. and Standard Brands. Hudson Falls Paper Mills provides paper plates, cups and napkins. Towels are provided by Abelove’s Laundry. The American Legion Post is lending the irons and the First Methodist Church is providing tables and silverware. The entertainment will be provided by the Waltones, a quartet of barbershops.
February 1953
50 years ago
A 10-page report compiled by the State Federation of University Teachers (SUFT) shows 33 faculty members and 10 administrators earn salaries of $20,000 or more. However, a cover letter accompanying the report states that SUCO is, overall, “the lowest paying of the state’s four-year colleges.” Union leaders say the information shows wage abuse exists and claim many people are being paid salaries that are disproportionate to their grades and experience. The sources said this is especially true for professors who do not have doctorates and also for many women. “They know they can get away with less pay because these people won’t leave,” said one SUFT member. The Department of Education has the most staff over $20,000 with 11 of 57 members in that range. The report notes that the salary of the university’s vice president, Cary Brush, increased by $9,000 over two years to $31,925.
February 1973
30 years ago
Local poet Carol K. Frost has won a $20,000 federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, making her a two-time recipient. Frost said the award for the 1993 calendar year is a vote of confidence in his work. The work Frost submitted to support his application includes several 11-line poems written in a complicated form of his own invention. The Otego resident was chosen from about 2,500 applicants in poetry and fiction. Some 89 grants were awarded.
February 1993
20 years ago
The price of gasoline is on the rise. The price of a gallon of regular unleaded rose to $1.69 on Thursday, up seven cents from the previous day at a station in Cooperstown. At Stewart’s store in Oneonta, a gallon of regular unleaded was $1.63 Thursday afternoon. That same morning, the price at the same pump was $1.59. “I’ve never seen it this high before ($1.59), and it looks like the sky’s the limit so far,” said Don Scanlon, Red Barrel’s district manager. “It’s going up every day. Two weeks ago, regular unleaded was $1.55.
February 2003
