In 1912, Harry McFarland or Harry Hyde, a man over 70 years of age was arrested in Jamestown Friday night on a charge of vagrancy. It appeared he had been sleeping in engine rooms of factories, and without visible means of support. McFarland informed the police that he had injured his ankle and could not walk. The attention of Overseer of the Poor, Oscar Palm, was called to the case and Palm said he would send the man to the alms house at Dewittville. McFarland, it had been learned, was a resident of Dunkirk and the expense of his maintenance would be charged against that city.
Ashton Stevens, the able critic of the Chicago Examiner, openly declared that Baby Mine was the funniest play ever written and Alan Dale, in the New York American, said, "Not a baby mine but an adult mine of fun." Other well known writers had vied with one another in an effort to do full justice to the exceeding cleverness of Margaret Mayo's laugh play. Indeed, seldom had it occurred that newspaper men had raved over the humor of any comedy as they had over Baby Mine. With the company playing at the Samuels Opera House at Jamestown this night, Mr. Brady was sending Walter Jones in his original character of Jimmy as played by him over a hundred times in New York. Assisting Mr. Jones was a cast of proportionate excellence.
In 1937, the century old hotel at Kennedy owned by Ernest R. Woodward, scene of countless dancing parties in the quaint old second story hall, was practically ruined by fire early Sunday morning. Woodward estimated his loss at $10,000 on which he carried $2,500 in insurance. He was reported as undecided as to rebuilding the hotel. The first floor of the hotel contained the general store run by Woodward, and the Kennedy post office. All the stamps, government properties and fixtures in the post office were safely removed from the building. The general store stock was destroyed. Everything on the second floor was damaged by fire or water.
Formal notice from the Pennsylvania Gas Company that it would refuse to sell its local distribution system to the city of Jamestown and a recommendation from mayor Samuel A. Carlson that the city proceed to enter the gas business by constructing an entirely new system, thus avoiding the long and expensive litigation with the private company, were received by city council. Preludes to what would certainly be a bitter battle between the city and the gas company, the two communications were received without a breath of comment.
In 1962, Thanksgiving festivities of city, county and state highway crews were interrupted late the previous afternoon by wet snow which soon created dangerous driving conditions. Salt and cinder crews of Jamestown's Department of Public Works were called out shortly after 5 p.m. to apply abrasive materials to treacherous areas throughout the city. The crews remained on duty throughout the night and trucks were dispatched again in the morning to check for remaining icy spots.
A gust of wind blew out the front windows and the glass in the door at McDonald's Hamburgers at 957 Fairmount Ave. at about 4:30 the previous afternoon. The place was closed for the day due to the Thanksgiving holiday, according to Officer Elmer H. Widlund of the Ellicott Town Police Department. The wind, he added, shattered all the glass panes, creating a loud noise, attracting the attention of nearby residents.
In 1987, for Jamestown officials, the opening of the Third Street bridge on this morning was a chance to congratulate themselves and all the people who worked to build the $6.4 million span. For Robert Bargar, it was a chance for him to relive an experience of 61 years ago - and to share it with his grandchildren. Bargar was 6 years old when he crossed the bridge demolished in 1986 to make way for the new structure. At that time, it, too, was new. "I walked across with my grandfather (Fabian Sellstrom), who was a member of Mayor Sam Carlson's board of appeals," Bargar said. When he heard about the bridge opening, he decided to share his experience with his 5-year-old grandsons, Nathaniel Bargar and Charles Chase Churchill.
Fresh from two band members' appearance on Late Night With David Letterman on Saturday, Jamestown's most well-known rock band would next perform on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. On Dec. 4 the whole band was going to be on The Tonight Show. "We sent a record and stuff to The Tonight Show and they loved it," said Maniac Manager Peter Leak.