MISCELLANEOUS PAGE 12
FLOODS AND STORMS

Floods Jan 5,1915
Montour Falls flooded
Montour Falls was visited again by high water last Thursday morning, doing much damage in various parts of the village. The continued rain of Wednesday and Wednesday night with the heavy layer of snot that was on the ground soon converted Catherine creek into a variable river. The creek broke up about 3 o’clock. Wednesday morning. And the ice jammed against Owego street bridge, backing up the weather so that it flowed in great volume over either bank, flooding Main Street from the Hendy house down to the bridge, also Owego and Henry streets. Several houses on the latter street were flooded with water from one to six inches and one house on Tracy street was flooded, as well as the assembling shop of the Shepard Electric Crane and Hoist co. east of the railroad. On Catharine Street the first floors of one or two house were under water, also the basement floor of the sanitarium. On Main Street the water flowed through the Raymond block and the kitchen of Mrs. Addie Callahan. Nearly all the furnace fires in the houses on south, main, Catherine and Lee Streets were extinguished by water, necessitating the occupants to resort to oil or gas heaters to keep warm. The glen route cars were unable to run farther than the Mulford crossing on account of the depth of the water. In the afternoon Superintend Marshall, with permission from the village trustees, took a gang of men down the creek and with the use of dynamite, saws and axes, succeeded in breaking up the ice sufficient to start the jam, and the water quickly receded allowing the cars to resume their running schedule. It was the most disastrous flood that has occurred in years.
__________________________________________________________
July 26,1915
A destructive Storm
Monday evening at six o’clock the worst hail storm that ever visited this section  passed over Catharine valley about three miles south of Montour Falls and wrought destruction to all crops that lay in its path.
Hail fell to the depth of several inches, making a mass of ice that did not melt away until Tuesday afternoon. Benj.  McClernan a farmer of southern Montour brought a stalk of rhubarb to this office which was pounded almost to ta pulp by the hail, his corn was stripped of its leaves and oats and other crops were laid low and will result in a total loss. Farmers living in western and southern Schuyler whose crops are wholly or partly ruined are: Frank Frost, George Ely, Frank Ganung, Leo Burris, John and Floyd Roloson, Benj. McClernan, Edward Doolittle, Jay Stone, George Frost,  C L Frost, Mrs. Mary T Couch, Ralph Beardsley.
_________________________________________________________
Why Leaves changeTheir Color Explained

“Frosts hasten but do not cause the coloration of leaves in autumn”, says Dr. Henry F. Meier. head of the department of forest botany at the New York State College of Forestry, Syraouse, N. Y. The riot of colors in the leaves of many forest trees at this season of the year is due to a mixture of four colors-green, red yellow and brown.
‘‘WIth the coming of autumn with its attendant changes of light and temperature, the leaf ceases to manufacture green pigments (chlorophyll). The chlorophyll already present soon fades and the yellow pigments (corotin and Xanthopyll) which are always present with the green pigments, become visible.
“The red color is due to a pigment known as orythrophyll or anthocyan. Some plants normally have a large amount of this red pigment dissolved in the liquid part of the cells of the leaves as in Japanese maples and copper beeches. The red pigment in autumn leaves, however, is produced luring the fading of the green pigments. This fading lets the light bring about the chemical reactions between the sugars and the tannins and possibly other substances that roam the red pigments. That light does play an important part is suggested by the fact that the red coloration is most abundant in sunny climates and bright seasons; also by the fact that if a leaf is intensely shaded by other leaves, it will not [urn red. The yellow pigments are wesent in all red leaves but are not isible because the red outshines the yellow. The oaks, maples and sumacs have either large amounts of sugar or tannin or both in their leaves and consequently show the most brillant reds,
“Brown is due to several sources’ says Dr. Meier. “Yellow pigments mown as flavones break down and give rise to brown coloration; probably oxidation of other substances like tannins in the cell wall brings about the same brown color which occurs in wood when exposed to light  a long time. Autumn coloration most brilliant where transition from summer to autumn is rather abrupt as in New England where we find autumnal coloration as beautiful as anywhere in the world.
________________________________________________________
Heavy Rains in State
The tropical storm that crossed Long Island on September 21 and moved northward caused heavy rains over most of the state; lowlands long the Mohawk and upper Hudson were flooded, according to the report or the week ending September 27 it the weather bureau of the U. S. Department of Agriculture ar Cornell.
High winds also caused much damge in central and eastern New York. Wheat seeding has been delayed by wet grounds, but recent rains have improved pastures. In a few areas potatoes are a failure, but in others the crop is fair to good. Apple picking has been delayed, and some damage is reported. Some buckwheat still remains to be cut, and cabbage yields are good, the report says.
________________________________________
Some of the news itews on the Review of October 11, 1911
At the Republican county convention held in McKeg’s opera house. Montour Falls, the following nominations were made: Member of assembly, S. D. Bolyen; county clerk, P. H. Bissell; county treasurer, P. P. Birge; superintendent of poor, Chas.M.Pronson; district attorney, Geo. M.Velie; coroner, Dr. I. L. Chapman.
Rev. P. J. Williams came to the pastorate of the Watkins M. P. Church from Canton, Pa.
The first frost occurred Sept. 14th. [n some parts of the county ice rormed and vegetation was killed.
The Prohibition party made the iollowing nominations: Member of ~ssemb1y, 3. W. Arnold; county 2lerk, C. S. Gano; county treasurer, I M. Weed; superintendent of poor. 3riffln Smith; coroner, Dr. C. D. Clawson.
W. N. Herrick of near Perry City raught a freak animal. It was pure white and about the size of a woodrhuck. It had the head and tail of a woodchuck, but the feet resembled those of a skunk. The skin was while and with the exception
afew scattering white hairs on the face entirely bare with no mdi~ation of ever having been covered with hair.
Miss Sarah Jane VanDuzer died Oct. 3rd at the home of her sister, Mrs. Marvin Benham. in Reading. aged 73 years.
Fcur pound baskets of Concord
grapes were selling for fiffty cents. In trays, the price was $25
to $30 a ton.
Frank Sreeves of Watkias Was ill with typhoid fever.
L. C. Peck fell flearly 30 feet and landed. on a concrete sidewalk while picking apples at S. H. Palmer’s on Decatur street. He was rendered unconscious, but no bones were broken.
The total yearly receipts of the Watkins Union School District were $22,716.85, and the total expendiLures $13,518.29.
Hazel M., 13-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Van.Gelder of Pine Grove, died Oct. 3rd.
Samuel Couch of Odessa died Oct. tth.
______________________________________________

-While Eugene Lyon was driving - cattle on his far msouth of this village one day last week, a high-yelocity bullet of large calibre whizzed - past him, missing him by inches. Then an automobile which was stand-’ ing in the highway, moved away rap- - idly. Mr. Lyon thinks the hunter  shot at a potato crate near him mt the field, believing it was a wood- I chuck. He thinks the shot was fired from the highyay.-Naples Record.
_____________________________________________

Items of General interest in
Neighboring Counties
[ca 1938]
-Resigning last week when he arranged to take over the management of a local restaurant, Trooper Abram Ryder, one of the most popular and efficient members of Troop D, New York state police, decided the following day that he would rather be a trooper than a restauranteur, and asked Captain McGrath to be permitted to withdraw his resigaatior. The request was quickly and gladly granted.-Skaneateles Press.
************************************ *
-Last week Lewis C. Williams sent from Middlesex valley an ear of Sweepstakes corn grown on the Gray Brothers farm and containing 736 kernels. This week Milton Shaw of Crystal Springs brought in an ear of the same variety containing 772 kernels, in 14 rows averaging 55 kernels each. The beautiful ear is a foot long and was on a stalk 13 feet and 9 inches tall.-Penn Yan Chronicle-Express.
**************************************
-Mrs. Charles Hartley of Keuka street received a letter Tuesday from her daughter, Miss Florence Hartley, who is studying voice in Austria, Mrs. Hartley says that Florence does not seem to realize the danger they are in and that she is of the opinion that the papers have exagerated the foreign situation a great deal-Penn Yan Chronicle-Express.
**************************************
-Two Penn Yan persons have been honored by having their names placed in the “Who’s Who in America, for 1938, published every two years by Marquis Company, Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Walter A. Hendricks, 217 Main street, whose work for the Seneca Indians at Tonawanda Reservation, has been recognized by the federal government, and Lawrence S. Armstrong, son of Mrs. H. K. Armstrong, 312 Main street, at present United States consul to Mexico are the two local names in the book of famous personages-Penn Yan Democrat.
____________________________________________
-In response to a request for police service at Interlaken, State Troopers W, C. Keeley and M. G. Dean of the Waterloo substation paid a visit to this place Sunday afternoon and evening. They arrested four motorists in the village and one in the town of Fayette on the way here.-Interlaken Review.
_____________________________________________
-While trimming berry bushes at his home one day this week, Joe Dibble discovered that some of the bushes were growing a second crop of black caps, being well covered with both ripe and green berries-Interlaken Review, September 28.
* ********************************************
-George H. Weatherby, welfare officer for the town of Addison has resigned his position. Ill health has forced him to relinquish the position which he has held for several years. Mr. Weatherby suffered a heart attack recently and retired to his home in Maple street to recuperate, which he is doing at the present time. However, he deemed it best to relinquish all duties and hence presented his resignation to the members of the town board-Addison Advertiser.
 * * * ****************************************
-Two service stations in the viilage are undergoing changes and improvements this week. Wednesday morning workmen began the foundation work for a new ‘island’ at the Standard Oil Company station on the Four Corners and forms for the foundation of an entirely new service station were set up at the Texaco station on south Main street. The new Texaco station will be 16 by 22 feet in
size and will include a display room, storage room and rest rooms.
The building will be located further  from the sidewalk than the present building and will have three gas pumps in front on a 14-foot islands Hugh Sproul, the manager of the station, is considering moving their present building back near the creek and remodeling it for a tourist cabin. The new island at the Standard station, managed by Mrs. Mary Carkwill bring the three separate pumps  to one place in front of the station, and will result in a more usable drive in area Dundee Observer. -
*  * *******************************************

-While Eugene Lyon was driving  cattle on his farm south of this village one day last week, a high velocity bullet of large calibre whizzed - past him, missing him by inches. Then an automobile which was standing in the highway, moved away rapidly. Mr. Lyon thinks the hunter  shot at a potato crate near him mt the field, believing it was a woodchuck. He thinks the shot was fired from the highyay.-
Napies Record.
____________________________________
-The request of the village of Waterloo for a WPA project to make additions and improvements to the present sewage treatment plant at an estimated cost of $6,634.20 has been approved and an allotment of $3,754.10 has been made by the WPA, according to Carlisle Pontius of Elmira, field director. The contemplated work will enlarge the capacity of the plant and bring it up to date. Work will be provided for twenty - men for a period of tbree months.-
 Seneca County Courier-Journal.
_____________________________________
-Drilling for water and discovering a flow of gas caused some excitement at the Dr. J. M. Ward farm property in Bath road Wednesday, noon. Barney Moravec, local well driller, had been in charge of drilling, operations on the Ward farm for the past several days, and Wednesday after the drill had penetrated to a depth of 135 feet, a natural gas vein was uncovered. The property has been in the Ward family for more  than a hundred years and it was the contention of the late Charles Ward father of the present owner, that gas existed on the farm. However, never until Wednesday has that contenion been verified. “Of course, we wanted the well, but if we find gas which can be used for fuel and lights, then of course, we can try again for the well. say the Wards-Penn Yan Democrat.

______________________________________________