In 1912, the body of George Shannon, aged watchman who for the past 25 years had been in the employee of the Bennett Smith Company in Cuba, was discovered by Samuel Wilkenson. Mr. Shannon had been in ill health for the past few weeks and had gone to live with H.D. Bliss who had agreed to take care of him. Mr. Shannon said he feared Mr. Bliss was going to have him sent to the poor house. Mr. Bliss said that he had no such intention. The old man went for a walk and climbing up to the bridge which carried the highway over the railroad he came to a barrel of water kept there in case of fire. He removed the barrel's cover and plunged in headlong most. Mr. Wilkenson happened by some time later and his attention was attracted by Mr. Shannon's feet protruding above the barrel. The body was extracted but life was extinct.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer told a pitiful story of a child lost in an eastern city who fled from an approaching policemen, fell under the wheels of a street car and was killed. In this connection the story offered some very sensible advice to parents who were in the habit of frightening their children with the admonition that if they did not behave the police would get them. This habit was characterized as cruel as well as dangerous because it planted fear in hearts that should be taught confidence. Children should be taught that a patrolman was their friend, their protector against wrongdoers and their guide in time of trouble.
In 1937, definite threats to close the Chautauqua County jail as unsafe, unsanitary and inadequate were incorporated in the report on the annual inspection of the institution at Mayville by the State Department of Correction. The report had revived the consideration in the county of plans to build a new jail which had been discussed and debated for the past several years. A special jail committee of the Board of Supervisors was authorized a year ago to investigate the possibility of securing federal aid in the construction of a new jail.
Joseph LaFay, 43, of Fitchburg, Mass., was sentenced to a year in Monroe County penitentiary when he admitted a charge of shoplifting before Judge Allen E. Bargar in Jamestown city court this morning. LaFay had a long record of similar previous offenses. Nelson Rutledge, 33, of York, Pa., arrested shortly after LaFay on suspicion of having been a party to a petit larceny raid at the W.T. Grant store, explained his case to the judge's satisfaction and received a suspended sentence on a charge of vagrancy.
In 1962, establishment of a new township, the town of Lakewood, was proposed by E. Robert Bootey at the ladies night dinner meeting of Lakewood Kiwanis Club. Mr. Bootey, Jamestown and Lakewood attorney, was a member of the Busti Town Board. Under his proposal for a 28th town in Chautauqua County, the present town of Busti would be divided either between Hunt Road and Baker Street Extension or just south of Baker Street Extension. The proposed town of Lakewood would include the village of Lakewood. Mr. Bootey also proposed that the Village of Lakewood buy the Packard estate for use as a community center.
Completion of plans for construction of a Main Street parking ramp was delegated to a Detroit, Michigan firm after Jamestown City Council agreed to release a Buffalo engineering firm from the contract after if felt it could not remain within the budget for the project. National Garages, Inc., Detroit, succeeded DeSerio and Osborne, Buffalo, as the city's agents in "selecting, supervising and coordinating the work of competent architectural and-or engineering firms to prepare plans and specifications" for the project.
In 1987, an estimated 100 jobs could be lost at the Jamestown plant of MRC Bearings-SKF Aerospace in the next year to 18 months unless business was offset by increased aircraft business. The announcement was made by Thomas Monios, president of the local division of the worldwide aerospace firm. Michael Piazza, president of United Auto Workers Local 338 which represented about 800 hourly employees at the Jamestown and Falconer plants, commented on the situation. He said, "I think that's the worst that could happen (the loss of about 100 jobs) and with the overload in Falconer, we may not have to lose as many as they said."
More than $2.3 million could be borrowed for work on Chautauqua County bridges if the County Legislature went ahead with plans outlined the previous day. At a meeting of the legislature's Public Works Committee, a sub-committee on bridges announced that it had struck an agreement with the administration to borrow an additional $2 million for bridges. County Executive John A. Glenzer confirmed the agreement was reached two weeks ago.