USA > New York > Livingston County > Conesus > History of the town of Conesus, Livingston Co., N. Y. : from its first settlement in 1793, to 1887, with a brief genealogical record of the Conesus families > Part 13
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The Spring of 1842 was remarkable. Mr. Sylvester Morris says: "I sowed my spring wheat the 18th of February and my oats in March. The weather was very fine."
The year of 1816 and '17, are known as the " cold seasons." In the former year, a frost came on the 13th of July, and was followed by another on the 10th of September, which al- most destroyed all kinds of vegetable products. On the 15th of June, 1862, there also came a hard frost, which destroyed the corn and did great damage. The year of 1863, was a very cold year, and the corn crop among nine-tenths of the farmers of the town, never matured.
Some seasons has been colder than others. January 18th, 1857, thermometer went down 18 degrees below zero. From February 8th, 1865, to March 1st of the same year, it aver- aged 10 degrees below zero. The Summer of 1878, was very warm. Nine days in succession in July it was above 90 degrees in the shade.
The greatest change in one day that we find on record, and that took place in twelve hours,
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was on the 10th of February, 1885. About noon that day, the weather was a little below freezing point : the next morning, it stood 18 degrees below zero. In four hours in the after- noon, the thermometer went down forty degrees.
In the Spring of 1867, is noted the highest point that Conesus lake is known to have reached since the settlement of the town.
FIRES, ETC.
The town in the past has suffered severely by destructive fires. Some of these were caused by lightning, others by accident, and no doubt some by incendiarism. One of the most shocking and sad scenes that ever happened in the town, took place on the night of Janu- ary 12th, 1880. A family by the name of James Buckley, then living in a tenant house then owned by John Holmes, and was situ- ated near the residence of Lawrence Webster on the Marrowback hills, took fire from a bar- rel containing ashes that stood near the dwell- ing. There being no barn on the place, Mr. Buckley was useing a part of the woodshead at the time as a colt-stable, which was attached to the house, in which he had a colt hitched. About one o'clock at night, he was awakened by a racket made by the colt, and arising he opened a door leading to the shed, when the flames burst in upon him, and he was obliged to flec for safety. The wife and one child who was sleeping below were immediately aroused and a desperate attempt was made to ascend the stairs leading to the chamber above, to save two children-aged 8 and 10 respectively-who were sleeping there; but the fire was under too much headway, and the parents and one child were obliged to flee with only their night clothes and witness the burning of their household, and to hear the piteous cries of their two children, who was calling to save them from the firy
furnace. Their cries soon ceased, and their white charred bones was the next morning found among the ruins.
There was stored in the house a quantity of grain, and Mr. Buckley had $300 in his panta- loons pocket, a small portion being in gold and silver, with all of their clothing, furniture, and everything (except the colt which was badly burned, but escaped) was consumed. In addi- tion to their affiction, Mrs. Buckley had her feet frozen. A subscription was at once cir- culated, and by the liberal contributing of the people, showed how deeply they were in sym- pathy with the afflicted.
One of the heaviest thunder-storms that has visited the town in the late years, took place on Sunday Evening of September 5th, 1875. This evening the lightning played all kind of frantic freaks, and most of the time it was light as day. The storm arose to its full hight about 9 o'clock P. M., when the rain came in torrents, and the ground shook as if it was un- der the vengeance of an earthquake. When the the people in the northern part of the town was about to retire to bed, they were startled by a bright flash and a quick report, telling them that the agent of destruction, had done its work near at hand. Casting their eyes, they be- held the frame barn of Ezra W. Clark, between his residence and that of R. W. Cole, had been doomed to destruction, and was all in a blaze. The building was an upright barn of about 36 by 50 feet on a basement, with a shed of 24 by 40 feet adjoining in shape of an "L". As soon as the barn was struck, it was in one mass of flames, and in one short hour, with its contents -which consisted of grain and hay-was totally destroyed. Clark's loss was about $1500. In- sured $1000. To night a person could stand and gaze in the distance and count no less than six large fires out of the town, of buildings
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burning from the effect of the storm; yet by the good will of Providence, no lives were lost.
On Sunday, August 24th 1862, Mr. George F. ('oe had the misfortune to have a shed burned at his residence north of Union Corners. Mr. Coe and part of his family had gone to Church at the "Old Universalist church" at the above place, leaving a younger son at home. While they was away, this son went into the shed and in a playful manner started a fire, and as it began to burn through the side of the building, it was noticed from the church, and most of the congregation hastened to the scene in time to save a barn joining the same from destruction. The loss was not heavy.
In the Summer of 1857, the dwelling house of Ellis Carroll, which had formerly been owned by Rebecca Scott, and was situated a little west of the present residence of the late Lewis Carroll in the orchard, took fire and was burned down with a total loss to its own- ers. The fire was thought to have caught from a spark unnoticed on a stick of wood that had been placed in the stove, and being to long had been taken out and thrown in a wood-box, as the family were retiring for the night. About 10 o'clock, they was awakened to find the house full of smoke, and the fire beyond control, and they were obliged to flee for their lives.
On the night of June 19th, 1877, the tenant house of Nelson Gilbert, which stood a little north of his present residence on the west side of the head of the lake swamp, took fire and was burned down. The occupants were a- wakened about 12 o'clock by their child being restless, and fortunate it was, for on arising the flames were breaking through the side of the room. It was thought to have been the works of an incendiary. The loss was estimated at $1.000, insurance $500.
In the afternoon of July 29th, 1879, the
residence of Cary Johnson that was situated in the southern part of the town, took fire from a spark alighting on the roof and was destroyed. Nothing was saved except a clock and a feath- er-bed.
On the afternoon of July 2nd of 1881, the dwelling house of Elex. McArthur situated in the Calabogue hollow, took fire as was supposed at the time from a spark alighting on the roof where it was first discovered. The family were eating dinner at the time, and hearing alı uncommon roaring went out in the yard, and saw that the house was on fire. A messenger was sent for help which soon arrived, and with their assistance, the contents of the house were saved. The loss were estimated at $1.400; insured $1.000.
On October 4th, 1869, the dwelling house G. W. McNinch, across the way from the Rail- road Depot at Conesus Center, was burned. A fire were discovered in the house in the fore- part of the afternoon, and by the aid of several persons was extinguished. About 5 o'clock, the same afternoon, it was discovered to be on fire again, but had gained such a headway, that it could not be got under control, and in a short time, was with its contents destroyed. It were occupyed by Mr. McNinch and his family, he being away from home. Not long afterwards, his barn which stood near by, was also burned.
On December 7th, 1885, the barn of Wilkes Masten at the Head of Couesus lake, and on October 4th of the same year, the barn of San- ford Allen in the south part of the town, con- taining a threshing-machine and other products was burned.
The other fires of the town have been de- scribed under their proper heading, except the great fire in Patrick McNinch's woods, which destroyed a valuable timber-lot for him in 1881.
CHAPTER XV. -
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The Railroad and Railroad Accidents, dr.
N 1849 the people were agitating the question of locating the New York and Erie railroad through the Cohocton instead of the Canisteo valley, and a public meeting, favorable to this action, was held in Geneseo August 11th. At this meet- ing James S. Wadsworth, Allen Ayrault, John Vernam, Philip Woodruff, Lester Bradner, W. T. Cyler, Hiram Boyd, Jerediah Horsford, W. S. Fullerton, B. F. Angel, Luther C. Peck, Charles Colt, Andrew Sill, C. H. Bryan, H. G. Dyer and George Pratt were appointed "a corresponding and business committee to carry into effect the object of this meeting." A meet- ing in behalf of the same object was held in Dansville on the 8th of August. In 1850 this project was modified to a proposition to con- struct another line of road from Corning through the Cohocton valley to Rochester. A meet- ing was held at Bath January 10, 1850, to consider this question, which recommended that a general meeting be held in Geneseo on the 24th of January, " of those interested in the entire proposed route." In accordance with this recommendation the meeting was held in Geneseo, and called together a large num- ber of the enterprising men of Western New
York. Delegations were present from Buffalo, Attica, Batavia, Mount Morris, Dansville, and all parts of Steuben county. "The convention was addressed by several persons from abroad, well versed in the conducting of railroad mat- ters, and many encouraging inducements were held out. Among them was an offer from three extensive iron manufacturers to furnish the a- mount of iron necessary for the construction of the road, and take stock in payment."
During the summer of this year an engineer was employed to make preliminary surveys. The citizens of Steuben county, with commend- able enterprise, proposed to build on their own responsibility, the road from Corning to Bath, a distance of eighteen miles. From this point the engineer reported two feasible routes to the Genesee river.
The first of these, called the Honeoye route, was described as follows: "Commences at Blood's Corners, north, near Naples, along west bank of Hunt's Hollow and Honeoye lake to Richmond Centre, crossing the outlet of the Hemlock lake at Frost's Hollow, thence, one mile east of Lima, one mile west of Honeoye Falls, to the village of West Rush, crossing the Genesee river on Judge Sibley's farm, about
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fourteen miles south of Rochester, thence up the Dugan's creek to Caledonia village, passing on the south side of the State road, through Le Roy, Stafford and Batavia-thence direct to Buffalo." The distance by this route was 134 miles.
The Conesus route run "from Blood's corn- ers west six miles to Tuttle's Inn (six miles east of Dansville), thence along the west bank of the Springwater valley, through Conesus Center, along the east bank of Conesus lake to Lakeville at its foot, thence down the outlet through Littleville and Avon Springs, crossing the Genesee river north of the bridge at Avon -thence up White Creek to intersect with the Honeoye line at Caledonia village." The length of this route was 132 miles, a trifle less than that of the Honeoye line.
The Buffalo and Cohocton road was early put under contract, the Concsus route after son e changes having been selected. The company met with less delay and embarrassment than usually fall to the lot of such enterprises, and in July, 1853, regular trains were running be- tween Caledonia and Corning; the remainder of the road was completed soon after.
In the building of the road, it was done by private subscription, of whom there were sev- eral from this town who gave large sums of money, and took stock in the same. In a few years the road changed hands, and they lost what they had invested.
When the road was built, it was made a six foot gauge, which in after years proved to be detrimental, as it did not correspond with the gauges of the other roads throughout the country, and the company were obliged to change trucks of cars of other companies, to transport them over their road. In the Summer of 1881, the company, resolved to place the road upon the "Standard System of Railroads," throughout
the United States, by moving one rail fifteen inches in toward the other rail, making a gauge of four feet and nine inches. This as a person that was not versed in railroading, would consider no easy matter, and keep the trains making their regular trips. But it was easily accomplished.
Through the month of July, the section men along the line commenced the work of drawing out along one rail, one-half of the spikes, and driving a row of them between the rails, at the right distance from the rail that was not to be moved-from Rochester to Corning,-so when the rail to be moved was shoved in, it would come to the row of spikes driven, and be of the right gauge.
When all were ready for the final move the company sent in upon this division about fif- teen hundred men on the night of July 29th, from the other divisions of the road, and dis- tributed them along the line. The time set to commence work was to be on the morning of the 30th, and the last wide gauge train was to be the 9 o'clock train in the afternoon of the 29th from Corning to Rochester, which was to run to the latter place, and return again to Corning so as to clear the division of all the wide gauge engines and cars, as all of the other wide gauged engines and cars had been taken off the day be- fore.
Saturday morning came, as fine a morning as could be asked for the occasion, and at + o'clock, the men in two gangs (every six miles), on each end of a section, commenced working toward eachother, by drawing out the remain- ing spikes, and with bars throwing the loosen rail in to the driven row of spikes, and then driving enough on the outside, to keep the rail in position until properly spiked.
8 o'clock a. m. came and the work was done; and a train that was due at Conesus at 9 o'clock
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a. m., made her regular trip with narrow gauged engine and cars, and at 10 o'clock, the men belonging to the other divisions of the road, were sent on their way home, and in less than three hours, 95 miles of railroad, were changed from a gauge of six feet, to one of four feet, nine inches in width.
At the time of building the road, the com- pany had two stations-Clark's and Conesus. In a few years, the former was abandoned, as we have already stated.
RAILROAD ACCIDENTS.
We must not pass by and fail to relate the few railroad accidents, that has transpired in the town. The first of them to our knowledge is the Foot's ('orners disaster, which came near sending many souls into eternity. The road had not been in operation for more than a year, when on one dark night about 8 o'clock, two horses belonging to a man by the name of Car- ter,-who was living on the farm of the late Ephraim Cole-broke from their pasture upon the track below that place, just in time for a passenger train that was approaching the bridge over the roadway leading east of Foot's Corn- ers, when it struck the first horse, and then the second which threw the engine off the track, and was followed by the baggage car, and in its transit lodged in mid-air between the butments of the bridge, and remained there. The next was the first passenger car, which ran lengthways down the embankment, full of pass- engers, yet remained upright. The second car left the track, but did not run far. As a good fortune to all, none were hurt.
In the fall of 1857 or '58, a terrible acci- dent took place in the Calaboge hollow, a lit- tle east of the residence of Patrick McNinch. The morning express train from Corning, had become belated in reaching Conesus, and while
passing through this valley, was trying to make up lost time. It has been said that when the accident happened, the train was running at the rate of sixty or seventy miles per hour.
When the train had reached what was called an "S" (where the track crooks like an "S "), the track gave away, and soon piled the train in a frightful wreck. Where the cars left the track, there stood a trackman's shanty within a few feet of the track. The tracksinan's wife and one child were at the time standing in the door, and when she saw the train was off the track, she rushed out doors, as the cars struck the shanty, and knocked it in a thousand pieces. It has been reported that the trackman's wife left a small babe in a cradle in her flight, and when it was found it was still asleep in the cradle unhurt, under the front end of one of the passenger cars.
The wounded was soon rescued from the wreck, and messengers sent forth after physicians to attend them. All that were not able to pro- ceed by the next train were brought to Cone- sus Center, and placed under medical care at the hotel of John McVicar. In this disaster, there were two men and one child killed, and about twenty hurt.
On the 21st of September, 1861, George Macomber lost his life at the Conesus Depot, by his own folly. On the 18th of that month, he went to Livonia Station, and on this day (Sunday), boarded a freight-train at that place with the expectation of the same stopping at Conesus, which it did not. This was the last known of his intentions; and the last seen of him alive, was by the engineer who saw him on the top of the cars, coming toward the en- gine just before reaching Conesus. The next that was seen of him, his mangled body was found at the south end of the depot steps, by the side of the track. How he lost his life, by
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jumping or falling from the cars, it was never known. He was about twenty-four years of age.
The next sad death, was that of Nicholas Ager of Avon, N. Y., who was in the employ of the Railroad Company, and had been sent one Sunday morning with a wrecking train and a squad of men up the road toward Corning, to gather up some broken cars, that had been thrown from the track through the week, and wrecked. They finished their work, and then started back for Avon-after tearing to-pieces several cars, and piling the iron parts upon flat-cars,-and when they had reached Boyd's cut, north of Foot's Corners, Ager undertook to step from one car to another, and in doing so hit his foot on some broken wheels on a car ahead of him, and fell backward between the cars on the track below, across the rail. It was but the work of a moment and four cars passed over his body, severing it into two parts just above the hips, and killing him in an instant. In passing over his body, it threw the four cars from the track, yet no one else was hurt. Ager left a wife and several children in Avon to mourn his loss.
Michæl Callehann another victim, was a track-walker by occupation, whose duties were to walk over the track for six miles four times each day, to see that the track is in proper or- der. The company had given him orders that on his last trip which ended at South Livonia, the privilege of riding back on a night express to his home at Conesus. On the night of De- cember 2d, 1879, he finished his days work, boarded the train at South Livonia, and as he reached his destination, he undertook to get off before the train stopped, and in doing so, slipped and fell under the hind-trucks, which passed over his leg, and severed it close up to the body. He survived his injuries but a few days, and died leaving a wife and several children.
Another man (whom I will call the " Elmira Dutchman," as I do not know his name,) who was a carpenter on the road, met with the mis- fortune to break his leg, in the northern part of the town under the following circunstances. The company had sent several men, to put some timbers under a bridge over the farm lane of Hiram Boyd. They had finished their days work as a freight train came along on its way to Conesus, and as it passed them were run- ning very slow. They had for several nights before this, jumped on this train and rode to Conesus. To-night the Dutchman-being a man of nearly 250lbs. weight-undertook to get on, and as the last car passed him, he grasped hold of the railing, and the train mov- ing faster then he had anticipated, it threw him, and in his fall he struck on the end of the ties, which broke his leg. He was then conveyed on a hand-car by his companions to Conesus, where he received medical attendance and then sent to his home at Elmira, N. Y.
On the 2nd of January, 1864, a middle aged man, came near losing his life, by being under the influence of liquor. He was a track-walker, and the night before had been on a drunken spree. In the morning he resumed his occu- pation, but had not fully recovered from the drunken stupor, as he reached a farm cross- ing of the late John Alger, that used to be sit- uated a little east of the Foot's Corners school- house, and here laid down on the outside of the rail and went to sleep.
As the morning train, due at 9 o'clock going north, came down the long dump east of Foot's Corners, and when about sixty rods of him, the engineer saw him, and at once saw the perilous position he was in, but to close to stop. He called his fireman's attention, and said, " there is a man on the track, and if he will lay still we will pass him and not hit him.
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- If I blow the whistle or ring the bell, he will rise up and we will kill him." Under these circumstances the engineer reserved "the cus- tomary signals, in hope to pass him in safety. To the engineer the seconds seemed like minutes, and mimutes like an hour as he grasped the throt- tle of his engine as he passed him. All would have been well if he had not raised his head as the last car passed him, so as to be in reach of a car step, which hit him in the back part of the head cutting a deep gash and knocking him senseless. The section men took him to his his boarding place where he soon recovered so as to be able to be sent to his former home at Big Flats, N. Y.
Michal Cary a section boss between Conesus and Webster's Crossing, met a terrible death on the morning of April 21st, 1873. He accom- panied by his men started out on a hand-car for their work, un-aware of a train that had be- come belated and were following them. They soon saw .the train approaching around a curve, when Cary's men jumped and left the car. Cary saw at once that his car was doomed, he jumped from the same and undertook to get it off the track, and in doing so the train came upon him, and smashed him between the engine and the car, killing him in an instant. An other man, named Purcel was also killed near the same place, a few years ago, and we fail to be able to state the full particulars.
Too frequent it has been the custom of many young men when away from home along the rail- road, to get on the cars and when they reach some spot near their destination, to leap from them while in motion.
Fay McFarlin,-then living with Esq. Alger on the James S. Alger place-happened one day to be at Livonia Station on business, and at night, got on a stock-train which in those days ran very slow, to ride as far as Boyd's
lane bridge, and then get off and go across to his home. When the train had almost reached the bridge, Fay let himself down behind the last car on to the track, with intentions of run- ning a little ways before letting go, so as not to fall. · He did so, yet he made a miscalculation - in regard to the distance to the bridge, ran into the same and fell, striking on his nose on one of the cross-ties, breaking it and dis- figuring his face for several days afterwards.
The next victim of of jumping from trains of cars, was that of John D. Webester on the night of December 4th, 1874. At the time Mr. Webster was residing with his father-in- law-Geo. F. Coe-near Union Corners. This day, Mr. Webster had business that called him to Livonia, and on his returning took a rain that passed through Conesus about 9 o'clock in the evening. At this time there was a large body of snow upon the ground, and the ther- mometer down to zero. When passing his place of residence, Mr. Webster concluded he would jump off the cars as he had done before so as to save him about a mile of travel from the sta- tion to his home. When he had reached nearly oposite his father-in-law's, he made the jump, but the train moving faster then he was aware of, he came down to the ground with a crash, breaking one of his legs and leaving him in a helpless condition. Mr. Webster now tried at the top of his voice to make his friends hear him, but without avail. He knew too well his situation with a cold night upon him, and if he did not soon reach shelter, he would perish. In this deplorable condition, there was but one thing for him to do; that was to crawl on his hands and the well knee through the snow some twenty rods to his father-in-law's house, which he reached after a length of time, in an almost famished condition. Medical attend- ance was soon called, and all done for the
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