Auto safety glass, pregnant cows and hot housing

The following excerpts from The Millerton News were com- piled by Kathleen Spahn, Vivian Sukenik, Nancy Vialpando and Rhiannon Leo-Jameson of the North East-Millerton Library.

91 years ago: May 18, 1933

Safety Glass Required on Automobiles: Laws applies to Buses, January 1, to All Cars in 1935. A new law effective in part Jan. 1 next and in full a year later requires that safety glass must be used in the windshields, doors and windows of all automobiles operated in this State.

Measles Close Schools in Millerton: High School Students Rebel at Enforced Vacation. An epidemic of measles, which to date has produced 114 cases out of 280 pupils, has caused the closing of both the high and grade schools of Millerton this week. Not only has the spread of the epidemic been very rapid and very wide, but many of the cases are extremely severe, several of the sufferers having had temperatures of 104.

[...] In the Fall there were many cases of chicken pox [sic], a slight scarlet fever scare came in January and February and, during the Winter, there were an unusual number of colds.

Realizing that the work of the school year could not be satisfactorily completed under these conditions, Principal Francis E. Wood closed school on Friday [...]


50 years ago: May 16, 1974

Millerton Personals: Mr. and Mrs. Adam Snyder celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary on Saturday, May 11, with dinner [...] Enjoying the occasion with the Snyders were Mr. and Mrs. Harold Conklin, Mr. and Mrs. Allan [sic] Brown, Mr. and Mrs. John Marshall, Lydia Crawford, Lloyd Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Synder, Joy Snyder, Carol Anderson, and Richard Finkle.

Mr. Snyder presented his wife with a beautiful orchid. All joined in singing “Happy Anniversary” to the guest of honor. [...]

Health Officials Reject Webutuck Septic Systems: The Dutchess County Department of Health has rejected the entire area of the present septic system at Webutuck Central School for sewage disposal. [...] The septic system, located under the girls’ athletic field, has been flooding since last year and will not be able to serve the 800 people expected at the school next September. [Mr. Rindsberg] said that the decision was not unfair considering the results of the latest digging by the engineers.

25 years ago: May 20, 1999

Hairy Ride for Six Pregnant Cows: North East – A one-car accident on McGhee Hill Road Monday afternoon left two men shaken up and six pregnant cows wandering the hillside before being captured by their owners. Along with passenger Bruce Chase, driver James Perotti was heading east on McGhee Hill on a mission to deliver the cows to the Booth Farm, whose pastures Mr. Perotti’s brother, John, rents.

But when James Perotti got to the top of the hill, he found his brakes were not operable. So his pickup truck and cattle trailer continued down the incline. After traveling several hundred feet, James Perotti realized that he had to do something to stop the vehicle before the incline on McGhee Hill Road got so steep that he couldn’t possibly maintain control.

“He told the other kid (Mr. Chase), ‘Hold on, because we’re taking the bank,’” said John Perotti[….] The truck and trailer turned over and knocked down the pole, but somehow the wires did not snap or become entangled, resulting in no immediate power loss to surrounding homes, according to Nancy Herman of Central Hudson.

The two occupants of the truck were slightly injured and taken to Sharon Hospital by the Millerton Rescue Squad. Meanwhile, the cows were thrown on top of each other, but somehow were uninjured.

Real Estate Market Area Booming: The real estate market in the northeast Dutchess County and northwest Connecticut area is booming. Houses at the low end, in the middle and at the high end of the market are selling. Ron Steed in Millerton and Brad Rebillard at Dutchess Country Realty agree the market is good, but are a little unhappy with their inventories, which they call “very low.”

Mr. Rebillard, who concentrates on Millerton and North East, said it is an area “that is being discovered.”

“Land has done a real turnaround here,” he said. “People are coming for the peace and beauty. And, even in town, I have seen houses go for more than the asking price recently.”