Days of Old recalled by Items Clipped from The Star Files

Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Printer, and F. H Kaemmerer. Miss Bicycle. , ca. 1894. Paris: Boussod, Valadon & Co. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008680998/.

Jan. 9, 1904.

The Oneonta Telephone company yesterday established a messenger service in connection with its telephone exchange. The rate charged is ten cents a call for carrying messages or packages to points within a reasonable distance of the business center. When distant parts of the town are visited the charge will be 25 cents.

The decision recently announced by the Delaware and Hudson company, to run passenger engines from Binghamton or Albany to the opposite terminal and return daily has now been followed by an order that the engineers upon four of these runs shall make a round trip of the road every other day. It is understood that when the sprint time table takes effect the order will be put into effect upon all of the trough trains of the division.

Jan. 9, 1894.

R. Riley and W. A. Haskell have leased the sawmill and carpenter shop of Lewis & Wilson on Mechanic street, so long occupied by the latter firm. They do not intend to contract for the erection of buildings, but will do custom work and prepare material as ordered.

Said a well known musician yesterday: “Oneonta’s characteristic progressiveness is apparent in nearly every feature of our village but when it comes to church organs she is sadly lacking. Why, do you know there is not in this whole village as good an organ as can be found in Franklin, Milford, Unadilla, Morris or Gilbertsville. Two churches have already started organ funds, and some others should immediately. Some of the instruments now in use are ready to fall to pieces.”

The numerous radical changes which have marked the progress of the safety bicycle from its inception until the past seasons are conspicuous by their absence in the 1894 models. A light truss, diamond frame for men and a single tube, straight lined frame for women have been adopted almost unanimously, and makers of repute have expended all their energies in improving the running gear and taking weight from their machines. In tires, too, there has been little change. Mechanical attachment and cemented attachment each have their adherents, and the tire makers have perfected their product and improved it otherwise.

Read more from The Oneonta Star at NYS Historic Newspapers.