On Genesee Hill, QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

[fiona]

I am talking about the text at windswept press. I know how and where to click on it, but I think - have heard- others are finding it hard to sort through the info to find your website because the info has dropped to the bottom of the thread and is constantly being replaced by new input.

[dgriffin]

I think you mean the link to the workbook webpage. I have now included it in my signature line, so you will see it every time I post. See below. And try out the link.

[fiona]

Dave or someone; I don't mean to be morbid, but how hard is it to completly burn a human body- and then- two of them-? I am thinking the total weight of the building fell in on them - or they were carried down with and then buried under the debris. There are so many millions of unknown bits, so many what if's... for instance...what if, at least some parts of the bodies were found and there was damming evidence that Mary B. was " in a family way" for instance,
wouldn't it be better to say "the bodies were never found?" Or perhaps The father went to Latcher, - say or someone- the Mayor - the Chief of Police- and begged them to stop digging-
who would know? Who would go up against a broken man? How would the general population know? They wouldn't. I keep having this idea that reruns through my head like a repeat recording- that some small bones were found- some finger bones of a woman - and they were given to John - and he kept it silent and lined the pockets of the man who found them very well and that man also kept silent, on the agreeement that he would take the money and "go away" and never ever speak of it again. And people could just go away during those times and no one would ever think any more about it. It's just an idea, but it keeps coming back. I have been so close to these characters for years they are now like my second skin. I did read about the lock of blown hair a while back and that it was brown and found in the far North side of the building on the first floor. I did not read about the watch, but about the pin that belonged to Mary B. that was sterling silver with two pearls set in two intertwined hearts and engraved with the name Mary. Funny the pin survived so well and the watch, under all those tons and tons of rubble. Aside from this: I read in the reports that " two pieces of horse bridle and two overturned horse shoes were found hanging on a wall in an apartment on the far North Corner and that some people said : "Latcher's Luck had run out" because the horse shoes were nailed to the wall upside down and that was the "cause of the fire."

[fiona]

Yes, Dave. That's a good idea about the link. I sent 18 e mails yesterday directing people to the thread and one person e 'd back and said she couldn't find the link.

[dgriffin]

An 1890's Kitchen

www.housemouse.net/hkitch9.htm

victoriandecorating.blogspot.com/2007/10/1890s-model-kitchen.html


Victorian Room Interiors:





More Victorian Interiors

www.victorianstation.com/inter.htm

[dgriffin]

1890s New Foods

Minute Tapioca, Condensed soup, Fig Newtons,
Canned pineapple, Knox's Gelatin, Shredded Wheat,
Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Grape Nuts, Cream of Wheat,
Postum, Jell-O, Tootsie Rolls, 1896
Swans Down Cake Flour, Uneeda Biscuits, Entenmann bakery products,
Pepsi-Cola, Wesson Oil, Cracker Jack,
Bottled Coca-Cola, Crepes Suzettes, Oysters Rockefeller,
Published brownie recipe, US brunch fashionable, English lunch,
S&H Food Stamps, Public school hot lunches, Beef Stroganoff

[dgriffin]

For those who just love to dust:

[dgriffin]

Here's the stove I always wanted to buy and install in our kitchen, the Oval by Elmira Stove Works. (That's Elmira, Ontario, not NY.)
Alas, Mrs. Dave told me such would not be possible. It wouldn't fit.

"Fit?", I said. "Well, we'll just take out a few cupboards over there on that wall and ... do we really need a sink in the kitchen?"

By that time, she had left the room. I suppose I should feel lucky to have sneaked in a few bookshelves during the renovation twenty-five years ago. Women are funny ... she didn't like my idea of mounting the old barn door on one wall, either.

[dgriffin]

Notice the lack of clutter, compared to the Victorian living room. In the 1890's sheet metal manufacturers had evidently not yet discovered the American penchant for small consumer items meant to lighten one's workload in the kitchen.

Ah, progress.

[dgriffin]

Oct 17, 2009 16:31:24 GMT -5 fiona said:

I don't mean to be morbid, but how hard is it to completly burn a human body- and then- two of them-?

We may have discussed this previously. I've always thought it unlikely that there wasn't some evidence of the bodies. The trunk of Noble Hopkins' body was found, and after all, I've always heard it is quite difficult to totally consume a human body by fire. However, even if portions of the bodies survived the fire, finding them is another matter. They didn't have the tools that are available today. Nor did they have the motivation to sift so carefully as to find the bodies. By the newspaper reports, the only folks digging among the ruins for items and possibly bodies were paid workmen. Finding a body part would have not been something they looked forward to and therefore their search may not have been very thorough. Nor did the authorities have any reason to prolong the search, because the activity was keeping the site from being cleaned up and the neighbors were complaining. Remember the brick front facade? They didn't want to drop it in the road, and the couldn't drop it backwards onto the building site until they were finished searching the ruins. Meanwhile, the eerie site of just the front wall standing there must have been upsetting to the neighbors, as well as to the owners and local authorities. Appearances were everything in the Victoria era.
We don't know how John Wood felt about leaving his wife and daughter underneath what would rise as the Olbiston. But I imagine the city building inspector carried in his head a date by which he would give it up, if Sarah and Mary weren't found, and the date would not have been very far in the future.

And I think peole railed less against death a hundred years ago, because so little could be done about it. Only so much effort would be put into finding bodies.

Now ... all that said, I've also wondered about other scenarios. I hadn't thought of "leave them in the basement, Mary was preggers." Don't think it would have been necessary to do so to hide her condition, anyway. A word or a few bills to any Doctor would have kept the secret from the public, I'm sure.

But there are other what ifs:
- John killed his family and then lit the fire
- Sarah and Mary were separated in the smoke. Mary was never heard from again, but Sarah got out (there were reports in the newspaper of her being seen outside at the fire), saw her opportunity to disappear from a bad marriage and had her paramour scoot her off to Stittville, where she lived out her days as a poor but happy milk maid.
- John, Mary and Sarah escaped to California, just as they planned when they set the fire. This elaborate scheme had John as the lone survivor so that he could ensure that Mary and Sarah were safely considered dead and gone, in case any doubts came up. The purpose of their scheme was to entirely cut ties with the Miller family because Blandina ......

[dgriffin]

One more. Mary and Sarah had actually left Utica a few days before, fleeing from the insanity of life with John. Only immediate members of the family knew their destination, where the two planned to begin a new life apart from John, a vicious and dangerous crazed opiate addict. In fact the women did indeed change their names and within five years each was married with new lives, children and loving husbands. They never looked back.

John, of course, knew the women hadn't died in the fire, but his pride prevented him from admitting that they had left days before. Besides, he hoped to collect the insurance, and after a conversation with Blandina was quite sure his wife and daughter would never surface while he was alive. And they never did.

[fiona]

These are all interesting premises, Dave, some more valid than others, some, like mine about Mary B. totally absurd and invalid. None of that explains the finding of the ring in the basement, however. It is my belief that there was a sub basement, or root celler, beneath the basement and that the bodies fell into the sub basement or were at the very bottom of tons and tons of rubble and could not be found by simply sifting through the ruins by hand. You are right about the laborers and possibly many of them could have cared less, having no vested interest in wether or not anything or anyone was found. 1896 was a hard time for the poor in Utica, shoe factories, ect were closing down and the country had had five hard years of financial downturn. These men simply wanted a dollar in their pocket to feed their families. Also, Latcher had labor problems, he was known as a "shyster" and paid lowest of all, the city paid $1.75 a day, I believe Latcher $ 1.25 a day. This is pretty much a pittance to spend 12 hours a day hauling bricks and sorting through filth in the freezing cold, and trying to look for "bodies" at the same time.
All the debris had to be hauled by wheelbarrow, cart or wagon to the yard where it was dumped and sorted through. It is a wonder they found anything at all. Also, you are right, the city wanted it down as fast as possible and the digging couldn't go on forever. There had to be an end point. I would also like to point out another fact, that from my point of view far off ina distant future, I find strange. In all these articals we have read, hundreds of thousands of words, was there ever any mention of or statement by The Munson Williams Proctors, who were considered the patriarchs of the city and who would have seen the whole conflageration from their terrace? How about the Deveraux? No statement either from any of the Miller family. Also, I went to Westminster Church last month to do some research and I did find a small enrty in an old book of records dated 3/3/1896. The entry stated that the men's club of the church had met that evening at the home of J.B. Wells and "passed a pleasent evening" and broke up about 7:30 PM. J.B. Wells had a beautiful home near Oneida Square on Genesee Street and was considered one of the leading philanthropists of the city. No statement. I cannot transport myself there to ever know why, but I think it had a lot to do with propriety and social class. Certaintly the Millers would have wanted to grieve privatley, as they were old old money and, despite all of this horror, still had a certain image to uphold. One more point, I have been to the OCHs and physically read every Saturday Evening Globe that had anything to do with the fire and nowhere to be found are any pictures or drawings of Mary B, Sarah or John. There are many photos as you know including some of the lesser known tenants, like Miss Kimbal. It is my feeling that the Millers used their social status and connections to keep some info out of the paper, like photos and death notices and obits, ect. This is just my feeling, a hypothesis. We'll just have to keep writing and see what happens. Did you recieve the photos of the plaque?

[dgriffin]

Yes, I did receive the photos and thank you very much! I'm sorry I forgot to mention it, had meant to send along my thanks.
Regarding comments by the hoi-poloi, reporters would have had to gain their attention and cooperation. I'm sure you're right that none were interested in commenting. I'll bet there were lots of fires in those days. And come to think of it, if the Flats could be seen from the MWP's terrace, I'm sure they were happy to be rid of it On Genesee Hill.

It's interesting that your remark specified The Globe, because it was one of the early newspapers to use photos instead of woodcuts and engravings. You've probably seen it, but for the benefit of others, here's a brief but interesting article:

uticahistory.blogspot.com/2007/08/saturday-globe_20.html

[fiona]

Mary B. wrote to her maternal grandmother, Mrs Rutger B. Miller, on New Years day of 1893. She used her best cream colored stationary and wrote in a fine Spencerian hand. After drying and blotting the letter she placed it in a cream colored envelope and sealed the flap with wax. The letter was placed face up in the envelope as befitted the fashion of the day. The next day she would post it, but now she was tired. Her head whirled with the doings of the day, and when Mother came to tuck her in, she was already fast asleep, her favorite china doll, Marie, nestled deep into the crook of her arm.









Sunday, January the First, in the Year of our Lord, 1893. Rain.

From the pen of: Miss Mary B. Wood, Morristown New Jersey

To: Mrs Rutger B. Miller, Whitestown New York



To my dearest and most loving Grandmother, Mary, of whom I am namesaked, I wish you good health, wealth and a dram of good cheer on this New Years Day. Even though we are far apart in miles, no, never in spirit, grandmother mine.

There is no moon tonight and the rain falls steady on man and beast alike. All the bells in Morristown rang out this morning to welcome in the "baby year". What a sweet sound it was; I say they must have heard it in Block Island, the tone was so lovley. We have had callers all the day and my poor head is just bursting with courtesies. I had so longed to be alone with my self and my books, yet, It was not to be! But at last I am within my chamber and can take pen in hand and be a woman on paper and share my most intimate thoughts with you, Dear Grandmother: I fear for Father's health and for my own life as we will soon be departing for California. I have no one to listen to my poor aching heart. Mother bustles about all the day supervising the packing and father is in his study with his plans. I cannot, of course, speak of it to the parlour maids or to Cook and my Governess has been dismissed, as they hope to "educate me" in California and have no further need of her. There is only Simpson, Father's man and as you know, he is quite a grump these days.

Father went out into the yard with Doctor Cox to latch the gate. They lingered long and when Father came in he was all soaked through. Mother bade him sit before the fire and had the downstairs girl bring him hot toddies and Mother clucked about and chafed his poor feet, but nothing could ease the shaking until Father had had his pipe and then he went off to sleep in the big chair. I flew to father to give him a great kiss on the cheek, but Mother shooed me away and now I am alone sending you this missive in hopes that you will hear my heart and reply with all possible speed.

It is the First Day of the New Year- A New Century will soon be dawning! Oh, what will it bring? I have my fears. Father has booked passage on a train and I am so awfully afraid of them. I have read and recall that people still speak of a most horrible accident out West in 1890. Even though time has passed the memory of it will not leave them and people speak of it still. We will of course be passing on that self same rail. I tremble and shudder to think of it, that the suffering of those poor innocents may yet linger about the place. Tell me, My Dear Grandmother,why would a just and loving God allow the little ones to suffer so? Why did the children have to die? The fairest flowers are always plucked first. But, I digress and offer you my deepest apologies. The thoughts I put on paper are small compared to the sufferings of the world.

We are Christain Soldiers all and must march on, the Wood family included!

My fear is that, not having seen you for several years, once I go to California, I may never see you more! Who knows when and if I shall return to the East. I pray for you every night before I blow out the lamp that if we two be parted off this mortal coil, if we dare shuffle off - we will be reunited in Heaven. I beg of you to write to me here or in California and if your hand trembles and you cannot do so - have Aunt Blandina or Aunt Helen do so!

Oh yes! For a Yule Tide gift from Mother and Father I recieved a most lovley watch, Sterling Silver for my neck from Tiffany's in New York. The case is accented with bold engravings and engraved: To MBW, 12/ 25/ 1892: Love: Mother and Father. Oh, Would that it were so! I do not feel It! But the piece is my treasure and shall go where I go, always and forever. I must close. All the clocks in the house are chiming nine! It's time I was a bed!

On the morrow we may walk to the Villiage Green if there is no rain.

P.S. Do you think that there are any wild red Indians in California that may attack the train and take our scalps? I have quite nice hair and this concerns me.

Yours in Christs Love, your loving Granddaughter, Mary B. Wood

[dgriffin]

Fiona, very nice! It establishes Mary as a young woman with young woman thoughts, and a lively hint of girlishness, especially with her postscript. Although we as the reader don't believe her parents don't love her, you've established a background of fear, a nice seedbed in which any sprout in the story will grow.
And, of course, you've introducted the watch, California, etc.

I've been meaning to ask, wher in Whitesboro were the Miller's living? And what was Mrs. Miller's (Mary B's grandmother) name? Mary B. in her first sentence calls herself a namesake, but she is more fully that of Mary B. Wood, her paternal grandmother. Is Grandmother Miller also Mary?