Turner's Public Spirit, April 29, 1922
A look back in time to a century ago
By Bob Oliphant
“Center. Mrs. Eva Pyne Courchaine is out with a new Ford sedan.
“Ralph T. Cutting met with an accident while at his work on a circular saw last Saturday. Mr. Cutting cut his hand quite badly, the wound requiring several stitches.
“The fire department had a busy day on Wednesday, answering three calls, two of which were for brush fires and one for a chimney fire.
“About Town. W. R. Taylor has a new Studebaker touring car.
“The Abbot Worsted Company have a large new auto truck of bright red which is busy all the time running between [their mills at] Forge Village and Brookside.
“The weather still continues to register in the morning much of the time only 20 degrees above zero. If it continues to play this tune on this key long enough it may make a difference in fruit blossoms.
“On last week Thursday it appeared to be trying to countermarch back to March. It rained and hailed and blew and the snow squall flew. We apprehend that acreage of growing crops that was stripped by the hail was not very large. The only crops in the Stony Brook valley that were up enough to get riddled by the hail was a row of peas on the Morning Glory farm eight rods long that we spent part of one whole day helping to plant.
“Last week delegates from the various societies which make up the New England Federation of Natural History societies met for their annual exhibition and business meeting at the museum on Jarvis street, Cambridge. In the list of Principal exhibits we noticed there was mentioned first of all ‘numerous specimens of plants developed from seeds gathered in wool waste by Miss Emily F. Fletcher, of Westford.’ Miss Fletcher has a fine collection of these ‘imported plants’ imported in the wool waste which she has found here in Westford….
“William R. Taylor and F. A. Snow had the pleasure of attending the dinner of the Lowell Rotary club at the Vesper Country club, Tyng’s Island, Tuesday evening….
“While the weather has not been favorable the past week for growing crops, yet at the Old Oaken Bucket farm they grew half an inch of ice last week Thursday night, visible the next morning….
“Some folks are worrying for fear that the half an inch of ice has killed all the apple buds. Go slow, brothers and sisters, with your fears and don’t make a landing with them until you get there. The half-an-inch morning registered 18 above zero while about 365 ½ days ago it registered only 5 above zero and the apple blossoms promises were fulfilled in May but were cut down in the prime of promising youth by the severe May frost, so please recant your fears and try something else. As for peaches we don’t know, the other fellow raises ours—ask him.
“Last Saturday morning one of those self-starting railroad fires burned over several acres worth of the Morning Glory farm which lies along the Stony Brook railroad track; also, some growing woodland on the W. R. Taylor farm, estimated to be a cord to the acre.
“100th Anniversary of Birth. Thursday was the 100th anniversary of the birth of General and ex-President Ulysses S. Grant. President and Mrs. Harding, General Pershing, Princess Cantacuzene and various congressmen and diplomats journeyed to Cincinnati to commence a two-hour pilgrimage up the Ohio river to Point Pleasant, an Ohio village of eighteen houses, where General Grant was born in a little humble two-room house 100 years ago….
“While one generation in the family recalls General Grant, another generation has met and talked with his granddaughter, Princess Cantacuzene, who is working so hard now to help the Russians. She married a Russian nobleman and lived in Russia until forced to leave during the war….
“Graniteville. Many people from this village attended the soccer football game at Shawsheen village on last Saturday when the Abbot Worsted team defeated the American Woolen Co. club 4 goals to 0. By winning this game the Abbots capture the championship of the Industrial league. On this Saturday the Abbots will play the Falcos of Holyoke at Quincy for the state championship….
“Rev. William E. Anderson, recently reelected pastor of the M.E. church here, will be tendered a reception in the church parlors on this Saturday evening at 7:30 o’clock. The reception will be followed by a donation party….
“The Abbot Worsted Co. baseball club open the season at Graniteville, where all the home games will be played, on Saturday, May 12….
April 27, 1922, marked the centennial of the birth of President Ulysses S. Grant. Courtesy Photo / Wikipedia.com.
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