Year in Review: 1917

Yesterday, HudsonValley360 reviewed 2017 in an editorial: "From Hillary to 'Alice,' 2017 was a wild and crazy year." Among the many notable events of the year mentioned in the piece was this: "The Hudson Common Council created more voter-equitable ward boundaries in a historic redistricting project." In fact, although impacting the aldermen as well as the supervisors, the Council had nothing to do with it. The redistricting was accomplished by a referendum initiated by a group made up mostly of private citizens.

Assuming the retrospection published in the Hudson Evening Register on December 29 and 31, 1917, is generally correct in its account of events, we continue our review of the review, begun on Friday, selecting the most interesting in the lists for each month.

 

Here are Gossips' picks for interesting things that happened between April and November 1917.

April 1--"H" company, 71st regiment, of New York city, arrived in Hudson to guard N.Y.C. property.

April 14--"F" company returned from Orange county and escorted to armory by hundreds of persons.

April 16--Strike on at "H" branch of the Union mill.

May 4--Jeremiah R. Coffey killed by a fall off a scaffold at Atlas cement plant.

May 12--A $10,000 fire occurred at the Atlas Building & Material company's plant in Greenport.

May 14--Knights of Columbus made big hit on opening night with their minstrel show in the Playhouse.

May 23--Sixty-seventh anniversary of A.M.E. Zion church celebrated.

June 1--First circus of season in town, it being Richard's show.

June 11--Benedict Gifford, captain of Hudson Home Depot unit, announced names of many Hudsonians who had joined.

June 12--Common Council appropriated $5,200 for improving State and Chapel streets.

June 20--Police began taking census of dogs in Hudson.

June 24--Mary Howe, William R. Conine, Angela Eigo and Philip Broll comprised the graduating class of St. Mary's Academy.

June 25--Katherine Stinson, 19-year-old aviatrix, passed Hudson on trip from Buffalo to Washington in the interest of the Red Cross.

June 26--Thirty-two graduates, the largest number in the history of Hudson High school, received diplomas at the Playhouse.

July 6--Police Commission decided to have two motor policemen.

July 10--Playground for Hudson children opened with 200 little ones present.

July 16--Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel celebrated by local Italians with fireworks and band concert.

July 31--At 3 o'clock the official thermometer at Athens registered at 96 degrees above zero, three degrees lower than that time yesterday.

August 2--Largest gas generator constructed in the world sent from Gifford-Wood shop for the United States Aviation department; Hudson and vicinity visited by severe electrical storm.

August 19--Katherine Stinson passed part of the day in Athens, as her airship failed to operate properly in a contemplated flight to Sheepshead Bay.

August 21--Daughters of Columbia county started fund to buy an ambulance to be used in France.

August 23--Supervisors empowered committee to secure options on land for tuberculosis hospital in Columbia county.

August 26--Traffic Officers Connor and McNamara, of Hudson police force, made thirteen arrests.

August 27--Boy ran away with about $200 given him by Assessor Frank McDonald to deposit in a Hudson bank.

August 31--Henry Smith . . . smothered to death in bin at Knickerbocker cement plant.

September 1--Gifford-Wood Co. admitted it was considering enlarging its plant.

Sept. 5--Registration in public schools of Hudson totaled 1,557, St. Mary's academy, 355; Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the Chatham fair.

Sept. 10--Much damage in Columbia county was caused by the frost.

Sept. 14--Wildcats reported on Mount Merino.

Sept. 29--Register announced that candidates for an office in Columbia county or Hudson may not be assured of their election or defeat until December 18, because of the soldier vote.

October 2--The Worth House changed hands, Charles B. Miller taking it over from his brother, Harry C. Miller, who was connected with it since 1875.

Oct. 3--Smallest deep-water boat in the world arrived at Hudson dock in charge of skipper Drake.

Oct. 18--Big suffrage mass meeting in the city hall here, at which Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, Mr. and Mrs. James L. Laidlaw and Judge McNamee spoke.

Oct. 26--Aviator dropped bombs upon Hudson, but missiles were filled with Liberty loan literature.

Nov. 9--Register learned that New York Telephone company contemplated making improvements to its system in Hudson, costing nearly $40,000.

And so we end our highlights of the Evening Register's review of 1917 in Hudson.
COPYRIGHT 2017 CAROLE OSTERINK