Cheri L. Farnsworth - Historic North Country Disasters

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.com

Copyright 2020 by Cheri L. Farnsworth

All rights reserved

First published 2020

E-Book edition 2020

ISBN 978.1.43966.902.0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019951840

Print edition ISBN 978.1.46714.500.8

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

I dedicate this book to my first grandchild, Benjaminmy heart and my inspiration. You light up this world with an energy that extends far beyond your pint-sized frame. Leaving blessings and joy in your wake, you are the ultimate antithesis to the disaster and despair I speak of here. Shine on, sweet boy.

PREFACE

While every effort was made to obtain original photographs or sketches of each locale or disaster described in this book, in some cases, it was necessary to improvise and use images of similar events from the period that best depict what I believe the details of the stories I wrote to be. The credit line will indicate from whom or which source the image was obtained. Where original photographs and photo postcards Ive collected over the years were used, the credit line says simply Authors collection.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Id like to thank my acquisitions editor, J. Banks Smither, for his enthusiasm and expertise. And many thanks to Abigail Fleming, my copyeditor, for keeping me on track and making me look good. Appreciation also goes to Crystal Murray, senior sales specialist, and Cameron Haines, who designed the impressive cover.

I always know Im in good hands with The History Press and Arcadia Publishing.

Many thanks to Tom LaClair, Clayton historian, who was especially helpful with my Christmas Eve Munitions Plant Explosion story, since two of his great-uncles were among the unfortunate victims. The suggestions and assistance of Carol Haber, researcher, Adirondack History Center Museum; Sharron Hewston, town of Jay historian; and Clifton town historian Mark Friden were all very useful. Much appreciation goes, as well, to Kimberly Hayden, records management specialist/historian at the Jefferson County Clerks Office, for her kind offer of assistance; and to JeanMarie Martello, archivist at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, for her willingness to help me track down local disasters. MaryEllen Casselman of the Massena Museum (the Celine G. Philibert Memorial Culture Centre & Museum) was so generous in locating and providing images, as were Ellen Odair of the Brockville Museum; Don Smith of the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Historical Society; and John Gleed of St. Lawrence Piks. I appreciate you all so much.

Much of the research for this book came from old newspaper articles digitized by the NYS Historic Newspapers project online. What an incredible resource to have at our fingertips! I am so grateful for their efforts to preserve our history in this way. For researchers and historians, its truly a treasure-trove.

It goes without saying that the support and enthusiasm of our loved ones sustains us all. In my case, a simple thank-you hardly seems adequate, considering what my family has seen me through the past couple years, but I extend a full-hearted thank-you, nevertheless, to my husband, Leland, and my four beautiful daughters: Michelle Revai; Jamie (and Benny and Dan) Beaudoin; Katie Revai and her fianc, Kyle LeFevre; and Nicole Revai. You guys are my heroes and my blessings. Thank you for keeping me tethered and grounded when I find myself drifting a bit too far out there. Please dont ever be afraid to reel me back inin fact, Im counting on you for it.

With undying gratitude, I lovingly acknowledge my late father, Thomas Raymond Dishaw. Dad used to tell me about some of the disasters Ive included here. I think he would have liked this book. Also counted among my dearest blessings is my beautiful mother, Jean; my brother, Tom Dishaw; and my sisters, Cindy Barry and Chris Hargadin, along with their wonderful, expanding families. Life goes on, against all odds, weve learned. Havent we?

I thank God and my lucky stars for this precious family of mineeach and every one of them. Too often, I immerse myself in the past doing research for regional history books, but family has a way of instantly snapping me back to the present and promising an absolutely, positively, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious tomorrow. Right, Benny?

INTRODUCTION

There were many times, while penning this book of doom and destruction, that I spoke of fate and destiny or of Lady Luck looking favorablyor unfavorablyon someone. His fate was then sealed.Lady Luck cast her fair hand.It was a situation destined to repeat itself As it turns out, I was on to something there without even realizing it until just now as I scribble down my intro (last, as always). An obsolete definition of disaster is an unfavorable aspect of a planet or star. Indeed, the old Italian word disastro comes from the Latin dis, meaning a negative effect, and astro, star. If that definition of disaster is taken at its wordthen disasters (and the role we play in them) are already predetermined. In other words, unless its not our appointed time to die, we will die at a specific and inescapable time (whether by accident, illness, old age, disaster or countless other scenarios).

Whether you subscribe to such pseudoscience or not, the fact is that when we have a date with disaster, we may find ourselves among those being saved by heroes, or we may play the role of hero; we may be among those who stand by helplessly, forced to bear witness; or we may be among those who never stood a chance of surviving. We may feel somehow prompted to step outside for a smoke just seconds before the old tinderbox we call home goes up in flames, or we may be the poor soul who hesitates for too long at the third-floor window with its curtains in flames. We may happen to be on leave the day the freighter that employs us explodes, or we may happen to be on our very first day of work on that same doomed freighter when it tragically goes down in flames. When disaster strikes, we may live, or we may die; we may bear witness; we may save the day; or we may simply hear about it and shake our heads sympathetically. But eventually, our time, too, will comewhether gently in our sleep or not so gently as we play or work. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously said, Thy fate is the common fate of all; into each life, some rain must fall. You will see those words in action repeatedly throughout this book. Ultimately, we all share a common fate (death). All that differs is how, where and when we will face it.

The following stories of disaster depict a wide range of tragic events that befell our ancestors. Most of them will not be personally recalled by those younger than seventy-five or eighty years of agesince they took place between 1845 and 1947but the children and grandchildren of those involved may remember hearing the tragic stories retold in hushed tones at family gatherings. I found the sheer volume of calamities our forefathers faced to be astounding, and I touched on only a handful of them. As in my previous works, I lean toward resurrecting stories that have long been forgotten by many so that new and future generations of North Country residents will learn of our past tragedies and triumphs and know of the tough stock we northern New Yorkers come from. Our predecessors had a great sense of community, faith and determination that carried them through the unthinkable dangers so prevalent during their lifetimes. Their legacy has been left in all that we see around us today. Weve inherited their estates, their farms, their factories, their camps and their towns and cities. And I believe we also inherited their strength and determination and that it will hold us in good stead, should we ever experience the unimaginable as they did.