Monthly Archives: October 2010

Doris B Morton

Peanut, Dick, and the American Express

Who were Peanut and Dick? A beautiful large team of gentle horses, the memory of which lingers in the minds of some Whitehallers. These brown animals belonged to the express company. They drew the express wagon in all kinds of weather, in blinding rain, and in snow storms, faithfully and patiently starting and stopping on the delivery routes.The last drivers of the team were Henry and Howard Bruce. They had the full care of the team and the express wagon, feeding and grooming them in George Shattuck’s barn on Williams Street near the Rush residence. Claude Bruce remembers riding behind them as a small boy and George King recalls the beautiful pair they made. Other Whitehallers must have a recollection of them as they performed their duty.

In November 1926 the speed of Peanut and Dick was not in keeping with the demands of the times, so they were retired to be housed in George Chadwick’s barn, the second site south of the armory. Their place was taken by a Ford truck that took over the delivery of the express service.

Henry Bruce drove the truck until 1949, when he retired. After that, various agents took over the duty some of whom were Eugene and George Noonan, and Mr. Parker. The import of bread was an example of one product delivered by express. The loaves were brought in crates to the village on the morning train from the south. It was a perishable product. Monday morning was an especially critical time for weekends depleted the supply. A would be purchaser would often be told “We’re all out of bread. It will be in on the morning train.”

At the time of the retirement of Peanut and Dick, William Farrell related some history of the express company. He told that his father James Farrell was the first person to drive the delivery horse for the company in 1848 when the railroad came to Whitehall. From then until 1926 horse drawn vehicles were used for the delivery of freight. James Farrell was also the first person to have a contract to carry the mail from the post office and the train. He met with rough conditions as he had to wallow in the mud of unpaved streets and no street lights.

William Farrell himself entered the employ of the National Express Company in 1873 and worked in the office for three years. He then became an express messenger and was the oldest messenger in service in New York State and one of the best known men along the railroad between Albany and Whitehall in 1926. So great was the esteem in which he was held that he was never bonded.

Carrying the mail is brought to mind in this connection with carrying the express. The mail sacks were picked up at the post office and delivered to the mail car and the sacks for Whitehall taken from that car and on to the post office. Some names in the service were Paul Jasmin, Mr. Gallagher, and Mr. LaFleur. I’m sure other names and experiences can be given to the historian for both of these services, now no longer a part of Whitehall life.

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Independent – Wednesday, April 4, 1984

Doris B Morton

The Mule

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – February 10, 1983
Today it is often forgotten that the mule furnished the transportation power of the canal. But in earlier times it was a common sight around Whitehall to see mule barns near the locks, the bridge leading from the lower bridge to the tow path, the winter boarding of the animals by hundreds on nearby farms, and the sight in springtime when the mules were brought into the village hitched by fourteens to resume their work in hauling cargo boats.
The editor of The Whitehall Times once answered a toast thrown at him about mules.
The toast: “Mules, the backbone of the raging canal.” His reply: “I love a mule. I will stand to his back until his ears drop off, if you will only chain down his heels. For four years I once watched this noble beast hauling boats on the canal while I hauled in my salary as canal collector with promptness and dispatch.”
The mule has done more for commerce than any other animal in existence, even the American eagle. Like the ballet dancer, it carries its attractions in its heels and, – like the ballet dancer, the mule knows how to use them. A good mule is the concentrated essence of dynamite, nitroglycerine, and Susan B. Anthony’s tongue. A canal without a mule would be like Hamlet without a Booth, Joe Cook without a dictionary, Dennis Kearney without the Chinese, Bob Ingersol without Bob Butler, and a Chicago girl – without number eleven shoes.
When we need a good fresh’ joke, we saddle the mule.  When we want something with a hornet’s nest tied to it, we tickle the mule’s heels. When we realize the sublime jokes which fertile brains have evolved from the mule, is it any wonder the animal once in a while kicks back? His “heehaw” comes to us like angels whispering — when they have the croup.
But just pause; if I have said anything in favor of the mule, remember that I am only trying to do right by the animal that furnished the steam for every canaler’s team-boat, the salary for every canal official, the butt for every paragrapher’s joke. The mule is the most successfully abused creature that stands up, with the single exception of a newspaper editor.

Continue reading “The Mule” »

News

Nicole soaks Whitehall

Run off From Tropical Storm NicoleThe former tropical storm Nicole dumped 3.42¹ inches of rain on Whitehall beginning Thursday evening, September 30th, 2010, and continued throughout Friday.  The rain began slowly Thursday evening, but at about 10:30pm the heaviest rainfall began.

Gusts reached up to 42mph¹ and an overly saturated ground from a half inch of rain just two days prior caused a large amount of runoff and minor flash flooding.  The Mettawee river crested at 6.59 feet above normal at 6:30pm².

The storm was a good test of the recent construction over the last two years on the storm drainage system.  No significant flooding of village roadways occurred at previous problem spots.

¹ Data according to South Bay Computers weather station at South Bay, Whitehall, NY
² Data according to water.weather.gov station monitoring the Mettawee