This Week in History
1908 Archive
January 1 - May 10
January
Wednesday, January 1, 1908
The New Year arrives with ringing of bells and the blowing of factory whistles across the Valley. Many attend functions at the Ansonia Opera House and other social halls. A number of churches hold "watch services" in the hours leading up to the turn of the year at midnight.
Unseasonably warm weather is causing the early appearance of dandelions and pussy willows too. Some take advantage of the warm weather to play golf at Shelton's Highland Golf Course on New Year's Day. Last month was the warmest December since 1891.
The Valley's daily newspaper Evening Sentinel sold a daily average of 5,273 newspapers in 1907. This is up from 5,143 in 1906.
ANSONIA - The Ansonia Skating Rink reopens on Mechanic Street in the old Columbia Bowling Alleys. Ladies admitted free, and the proprietor rules no swearing or smoking will be allowed. Skating lessons are given to novices, as well as skate rentals. People from all the Valley towns patronize the attraction the first week it is open.
SEYMOUR - The Town is plunged into darkness when the Seymour Electric Company, after the contract for $70 per carbon arc light expired. Although the 36 carbon arc lights are out, the 79 incandescent street lights are still on because there is no dispute over that contract. Nevertheless, the carbon arc lights are much brighter than the incandescents, and while the darkness is not total, it is very discernable.
January 2
ANSONIA - The east span of the Bridge Street Bridge, which is a covered trolley bridge, is in very bad shape and needs repairs.
SEYMOUR - The Seymour Electric Company turns the carbon arc lights back on, after reaching an agreement that they will remain on pending another Special Town Meeting to reconsider the vote. Four nights later, the SEC turns off both the carbon arc lights, and the incandesents for 20 minutes to remind residents of the tenuous arrangement.
January 3
ANSONIA - A controversy is brewing at the Synagogue Benai Israel on Colburn Street, A well known butcher, who is a member of the synagogue, refuses to donate a portion of his profits to support the synagogue. He is only kosher butcher in town, and as such enjoys a monopoly on the Jewish business in Ansonia. The synagogue is threatening to sponsor the opening of another butcher shop. The current butcher pays Rabbi Bernstein $1 for each cattle the Rabbi butchers in the Jewish rite, while the synagogue is asking for $10 per week. The butcher says he cannot pay this amount, and accuses the synagogue of threatening to run him out of business.
January 4
ANSONIA - A store in the Colburn building on Bank Street opens as a vaudeville and moving picture theater called "Dreamland".
Monday, January 6
ANSONIA & DERBY - Rev. Vladimir Alexandroff, of Russian Greek Catholic Three Saints Church, gives Evening Sentinel reporters a tour of "foreign colonies" in Ansonia and Derby. Many of them are inhabited by "Russians", which back then was a rather generic term which included Poles and some Slavs. Many of them do not speak English. Some of the apartments and boarding houses have 10-20 unemployed men living in them, living on soup and bread. Rev. Alexandroff is trying to emphasize that while the economic conditions caused by the Panic of 1907 is a hardship for many, it is creating dire circumstances for some of the Valley's newest immigrants.
DERBY - Trolleys between Derby and Bridgeport have changed from visiting each stop each half hour to a each hour schedule. The trolleys between Derby and New Haven are overcrowded since last week's switch from visiting each stop every 15 minutes to every thirty minutes. In both cases the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company, the trolley operating arm of the New Haven Railroad, cites the bad economy as the reason, but admits the Derby-New Haven situation is bad enough that 15 minute service may be restored.
January 7
A heavy rainstorm causes the Naugatuck River to rise 2', but it recedes rapidly early the next morning. The mild weather is bad news for ice dealers.
ANSONIA - An arson fire breaks out at 4 AM in the vacant Levy Building, which is across Bridge Street from the Boston Store at the corner of Main Street. It took an hour to put out the fire which caused $1,000.
DERBY - The City's Grand List for 1908 is published. Despite the hard economic times, dwelling houses have increased the list by $70,000 over last year. The List has an overall increase of $152,836.
SEYMOUR - Women and small children can be seen every day in the freight yard picking up coal that falls off the trains. While this is helpful to keep them from freezing out of their homes, some worry that someone is going to get hit by a train.
SHELTON - Horse teams from Shelton and Derby coming down Leavenworth Hill from George Shelton's funeral in Monroe have a very difficult time as it is a sheet of ice. 4 horse drawn vehicles slide, and crash into ditches on the hill, but there are no injuries.
SHELTON - Depressed over the economic conditions, the manager of the Shelton Public Market ends his life by sealing himself into his office and turning on the gas.
January 8
The downsizing of rail service in the Valley continues. Now the traditional railroad has been effected. The New Haven Railroad has eliminated four daily trains from the Naugatuck Line schedule. Many are upset. People have been seen sprinting to train stations to catch trains that aren't there, and then walking out of the train stations feeling foolish.
January 9
ANSONIA - A fire breaks out in the McLarney building on Bridge Street, which was damaged in the Levy building fire next door two days before. The fire starts in a tailor shop, and causes $2,000 damage. It is believed to have started by a stove drying clothes that were wet from the previous fire.
SEYMOUR - A contentious Special Town Meeting is held over the Seymour Electric Company's dissatisfaction with the previous Town Meeting allocating $10 less per carbon arc streetlight than they did in 1907, which resulted in the SEC cutting electric light service to Seymour for a short time. This meeting, held at the opera house, resulted in a vote of 165-90-5 to rescind previous motion. After some debate a motion to restore the amount paid per carbon arc streetlight back to $70 per light passes 193-32-2.
January 10
A cold snap finally allows ice skating.
ANSONIA - The Derby Gas Company is wiring the Ansonia Almshouse for 12 to 14 new electric lights, which will replace the kerosene lamps.
ANSONIA - Skaters on Biddy Lamb's pond on North State Street steal firewood and destroy fences and chicken coops for bonfires. Complaints are made to the police, who warn that if this continues ice skating will stop there.
DERBY - There are many ice skaters on Picket's Pond and and the artificial skating rink on Seymour Avenue.
January 11
Several days of cold weather renew hope for local ice dealers that ice harvesting may be possible soon.
ANSONIA - A trolley leaves the tracks at Main Street and Central Street, causing an employee to be thrown onto the street. He receives minor injuries.
DERBY - 2 Ansonia boys break through the ice on the Derby Reservoir while skating. One could not swim, but his head is kept up by the other. Other skaters, mostly local boys, form a human chain to successfully get them out.
January 12
Torrential rain which dumps an inch and a half in a few hours in the early morning causes the Naugatuck River to rise 3', just below the tracks of the Ansonia railroad trestle. Some fear it will lead to a freshet, but this does not happen because there is no snow to the north. Most of the ice washes away, ruining skating.
Monday, January 13
SEYMOUR - The Gamewell Fire Alarm Telegraph Company is installing a new fire alarm system in town.
January 14
Today was a terrible day for the trolleys. The Shelton electric power station is out of commission. This causes the other power station in Beacon Falls to become overloaded. The trolleys are way off schedule, and are running slow due to the low power in the wires.
ANSONIA - As if the power troubles were not enough, a trolley breaks an axle and jumps the track on Clifton Avenue, completely blocking the rails on the belt line for a few during the evening rush. A wrecker is later brought in, lifts the trolley off the rails and plops it onto the street, where it stays.
ANSONIA, DERBY, & SHELTON - Derby Savings Bank, the Home Trust Company, Shelton Savings Bank, and Ansonia Savings Bank all announce they are ending the 90 days notice required to withdraw savings their banks. This policy has been in effect since November 4, 1907, and was in response to a large number of people nationwide withdrawing their life savings in response to the Panic of 1907
SEYMOUR - 8-10 skaters on Wooster's Pond off Elm Street fall through the ice. They all either crawl out or are rescued from the frigid water, which is as much as 10' in places.
January 15
DERBY - Many unemployed and underemployed men can be seen browsing magazines in the reading room of Derby Public Library and other libraries in the Valley.
OXFORD - "The storm of Saturday night and Sunday morning was quite severe hereabouts, and being accompanied with mild temperature, left the traveling very disagreeable and soft. There does not seem to be much but surface frost in the ground, and so the water soon soaks up. The long continued mild weather is a condition not often vouch-safed to this locality at this season of the year".
SHELTON - White Hills Baptist Church is receiving favorable comment for its new carpet, which was purchased from Derby's Howard & Barber Department Store.
January 17
DERBY - Derby 1907 vital statistics - 298 births, 150 deaths, and 137 marriages. This compares with 1906 - 252 births, 186 deaths, and 157 marriages. The decrease in marriages is blamed on the hard economic times.
January 18
DERBY - 5 break through ice on the Derby Reservoir. They all survive. A number also fall through the ice at Pickett's Pond, but again, no casualties. The rink off Seymour Avenue is safe, and very popular today.
January 19
The ice is thicker due to drop of temperature. Skaters can be seen on all the ponds.
ANSONIA - Ansonia City Hall is packed with 400 people to see Miss Fanny Crosby, a blind woman who as of that time had written 5,000 hymns.
Monday, January 20
SHELTON - An old horse trots away from a nearby stable, and walks to the new St. Joseph's Church under construction on Coram Avenue. It is identified as belonging to the owner of the house that was demolished to make way for the church. It stands in the driveway for a full minute, taking in the scene, then walks back towards its stable, reportedly looking very sad.
January 21
It is 52 degrees at 2 P.M.
January 22
ANSONIA - After months of litigation, the differences between a landlord and store owner is settled by Rabbi J. Koppstein, of Synagogue Benai Israel
ANSONIA - The Ansonia & Derby Ice Company plans to erect one of the largest ice houses in this part of Connecticut. Costing $12,000, it will have the ability to store 6,000-7,000 tons of ice, below Quillinan's Reservoir on Beaver Street. The old ice house there, and at Pickett's Pond will be dismantled.
DERBY - The front doors of the trolley car barn on lower Main Street are being enlarged so that the new larger cars and the snowplows that service the region can use it.
OXFORD - The Town's Grand List is completed. Total valuations is $555,622, an increase of $190,000 over last year.
January 23
The business depression has caused the price of food to go up.
The Ansonia & Derby Ice Company is looking for a pond in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, that can supply the Valley with ice if the temperatures are too warm to harvest it here.
The Evening Sentinel produces a 3/4 page series of articles under the heading "Why People Complain of Trolley Service". Among the reasons cited are fewer cars, longer waits, the cars are too small, and the various Valley branches don't coordinate their schedules.
A snowstorm starts at 7:30 PM, dumping 4-5" of wet snow by sunrise the next morning, and accompanied by 35mph winds. Trolleys are crippled, the plows are working the line all night. Sleighs are the only way of transportation on the streets, and the milkmen are late in their early morning deliveries.
ANSONIA - A fire at the clothing and dry good store of A.M. Caplan in the Sperry building on 278 Main Street causes $5000-6000 in damage.
DERBY - Half of the ten new double truck trolley cars have arrived in Derby. The cars are being fitted with illuminated signs that will be visible on all sides.
January 24
ANSONIA - The City Engineer is recommending a new Bridge Street Bridge, so the new 40 ton trolley cars can cross it.
DERBY - For remainder of the season there will be vaudeville and moving pictures at the Sterling Opera House every night a first class performance is not given.
DERBY - The new concrete bridge carrying Main Street over the Naugatuck River cost $75,113.92 during its construction between 1904-1907.
January 25
SEYMOUR - The Seymour Ice Company is cutting 9" ice from pond at Warrin's farm. It already has 400 tons in its icehouse.
SHELTON - The trolley power station, which has been undergoing repairs all week, is finally done. Regular service is resumed on the Belt Line and Bridgeport lines.
January 26
Warm rain causes much of the snow to disappear.
Monday, January 27
ANSONIA - A 4 year old boy is killed instantly when the new stove in his kitchen explodes at 5 Clifton Avenue. His mother had collected coal that had fallen off railroad cars at the freight yard, a common practice among the poor at this time in history. It is thought she may accidentally have picked up a small piece of dynamite or, more likely, a railroad torpedo.
January 28
ANSONIA - A School Street couple is told that the wife's sister is dying in Derby. They quickly leave for the sister's house. While gone, the house is entered, and $100 stolen.
ANSONIA - The bowling alleys that were just recently moved from the now closed Columbia Bowling alleys to Norwalk have been destroyed in a fire.
SHELTON - A sign that the local economy is recovering from the economic downturn caused by the Panic of 1907 is the fact that the International Silver Company on Bridge Street is hiring again. Since it deals with luxury items, it is usually one of the last factories to bounce back during hard times.
January 29
OXFORD - "Woodpeckers were heard at work on the hillsides, Tuesday morning. This is looked upon as an indication of a coming thaw".
January 30
Temperatures are down to zero.
ANSONIA - 7" ice reported at Quillian's Pond. Hill School closed due to cold. Ansonia High School closes at 10 AM when inside temperatures fall to 48 degrees. 2/1-2 Temps up, snow falls early AM till 9 AM, heavy rain, high winds, ice harvest
ANSONIA - Over 200 crowd into German Hall to witness the creation of the Lady MacDonald lodge No. 23, Daughters of Scotia, with 52 charter members.
January 31
Temperatures fall to -6.
ANSONIA - 2 die of pneumonia.
ANSONIA - A $2000 fire guts the attic of an old 2 story house at 91 Canal Street in the afternoon. Several firemen suffer frostbite to their fingers.
DERBY - A house at the corner of Elizabeth Street and Fifth Street, occupied by Dr. M. J. Sheehan, is badly damaged by a fire at 4 AM in subzero weather. The fire burns for 3 hours, then rekindles in the roof when they leave at 7 AM. Everything, including the interior, is covered with ice. Two firemen suffer minor injuries.
SHELTON - 8" ice is being harvested from the Shelton Water Company reservoirs.
February
Saturday, February 1, 1908
The temperatures are up. Snow starts falling in the early morning, turning to heavy rain and high winds lasting until 9 AM. The ice harvest, which was so promising yesterday, comes to a halt.
SEYMOUR - The town's new fire alarm system is repeatedly tested, alarming nearby Woodbridge, who thinks the repeated blasting of the Tingue Co. mill whistle means that there was a big fire in Ansonia, or the Ansonia Water Company reservoir dam had burst.
February 2
SEYMOUR - The Albert Swan Memorial Hall, a parish house for the Seymour Congregational Church, is dedicated on the corner of Broad Street and Derby Avenue. The house is brick, 51'x30', and has a basement gymnasium. The first floor is used for services and Sunday School, with an auditorium on the second floor.
Monday, February 3
ANSONIA - An Army recruiting station opens on the second floor of the Terry Block on Main Street.
ANSONIA - Ice harvesting at is occurring on Quillinan's pond by Ansonia-Derby Ice Company. The cold snap which followed the February 1 storm, saved the crop.
SEYMOUR - The icehouse at Tyrrell's pond is filled today.
February 4
SHELTON - It is -4 on White Hills at 10 AM. At the same time, it is 4 above on Howe Avenue.
February 5
Coldest morning of the winter so far this year, it is at -6 at 4 AM. Plumbers are busy with frozen pipes. Coal dealers are busy.
ANSONIA - Complaints arise as the interior temperatures of the Ansonia High School go down to 48 degrees.
ANSONIA - The ice on Quillinan's reservoir is 12" thick. The ice harvesting workforce is increased. They are paid from $1.60 to $2 a day.
ANSONIA & DERBY - An Orange man asks for directions to Derby from two men on the Ansonia side of Division Street. They say they'll show him a shortcut, then take him to railroad tracks, where they beat and rob him. He makes it to Derby side in half frozen condition. Had he lost consciousness he probably would have frozen to death overnight.
DERBY - A pig escapes a barn in East Derby, and runs into the Mansion House bar room. Patrons and the bar tender unable to catch the slippery pig as he runs all over the room for 15 minutes, making a mess. Finally he is caught by the bartender, and thrown outside, just as his owner arrives to ask the patrons if anyone has seen his missing pig.
SHELTON - The Ansonia-Derby Ice Company harvesting ice on the Shelton Water Company reservoirs. They expect the icehouses there filled in two days. The ice on the Housatonic River itself is 8", the company will start harvesting there for the first time in years within a day or so.
February 6
A snowstorm dumps between 4" to 6" of snow in the morning. Trolley and railroad schedules are disrupted. The temperatures rise during snowstorm, and ends with rain, increasing the weight of the snow on the ground and making clearing it difficult.
February 7
Many sleighs are observed on the streets.
Valentines are appearing in the stores. The old penny comic valentines, with crude drawings and humor, are gone, and replaced by more ornate post cards with lace and tinsel.
February 8
ANSONIA - The Valley's famous wanderer, the now elderly Johnny o' the Woods, is found half frozen lying on Maple Street. He is taken to the police station, and stays in the lockup where he is fed. Attempts to tap into the trust fund which was set up to his care are unsuccessful as of Monday morning, at which time the police chief lets him go, as he has no grounds to hold him.
Monday, February 10
Hundreds are out coasting this evening. The Housatonic River is frozen all the way down to the Washington Bridge (today's Route 1 between Stratford and Milford), for the first time in 3 years.
ANSONIA - The Board of Aldermen pass an ordinance delineating a boundary encroachment line along the west bank of Naugatuck between the bridges. The ordinance says no walls, buildings, dirt, garbage, or other obstructions may cross the line. Offenders face a steep $100 fine. Encroachment of the river has lead to sewage, garbage, and flooding problems, caused mostly by people on the east side of Jersey Street trying to extend their backyards at the river's expense.
SEYMOUR - The locally famous old wanderer Johnny o' the Woods spends the night in the police lockup to escape the extreme cold.
February 11
DERBY - Johnny o' the Woods' friend, Stephen Tracy, learns that he is in the Seymour lockup, picks him up, and takes him to his home off Olivia Street, Derby. As a condition of his being given a hot meal and spending the night by a fire in the workshop, Mr. Tracy insists that he bathe. Contrary to expectations, the old fellow seems happy to do so, and afterwards proudly struts around in the new clothing Mr. Tracy bought for him. Mr. Tracy states that many rumors about Johnny o' the Woods - his reluctance to bathe or change cloths, or his course manner, are merely stories, and in fact he is very misunderstood.
SHELTON - The police have to stop children from coasting on Wooster Street hill, due to the heavy traffic there.
February 12
Valentines range from 1 cent to $6. Delivery of flowers is also becoming popular instead of sending valentines.
ANSONIA - Harvesting of ice at Quillinan's reservoir has been completed by the Derby-Ansonia Ice Corporation. The icehouses are all full. The nearly 8000 tons of ice harvested in Ansonia should be enough to meet local demand this year.
February 13
DERBY & SHELTON - For the first time in years, the Derby - Ansonia Ice Company is harvesting ice on Lake Housatonic. By the end of the day, however, rain and fog descend upon the Valley, halting the harvesting.
SHELTON - A delinquent border shoots his landlady in the face on the top floor of the Adams Block. The wound was not serious. After the shooting, he calmly awaits for the police to arrest him in his room. He was 3 months delinquent in rent, and when asked why he was allowed to fall so far in arrears, the story comes out that he terrified the local Italian immigrant population, as they believed he could make potions which could "hex" them into being sick. The police recover the potions, stating they are simply make of harmless components.
February 14
It rains all day, with spring-like temperatures and high winds. The snow is melting fast, making sleighing impossible everywhere but in hill country. Mailmen strain with heavier than normal loads due to the large number of Valentines sent.
February 15 (Subdivided between Naugatuck and Housatonic Valleys today)
NAUGATUCK VALLEY:
ANSONIA - The Naugatuck River is only 3 feet below the railroad trestle at 2:00 PM, due to all of the rain and melted snow coming down the rivers. There are fears of a freshet, and Main Street merchants are struggling to move their goods out of their basements as a precaution. The Naugatuck River overflows at 8:00 PM, flooding store basements, and covering the railroad tracks in 2' of water. Bridge Street is impassible, though fears the bridge will go out are unfounded. Several light poles on the railroad trestle are torn away. Some say that this is the highest the river has risen here in 40 years. Fears the railroad tracks would wash away are unfounded. The floodwaters begin to recede at 10:00 PM. Much of the illegal fill that was debated about five days ago, off Jersey Street, is washed away.
DERBY - The water rises to 8-10" over Derby Avenue near Franklin School, trolleys are still able to pass, however. The wisdom of making the new concrete bridge over the Naugatuck on Main Street a 3-span bridge instead of a 2-span one is apparent, as it weathers the flood very well, with the water reaching the shoulders of the piers. Derby Meadows are full of ice, and a railroad trestle on an East Derby siding is destroyed.
SEYMOUR - The Naugatuck River is 20' above normal at 2:00 PM. The ice at Rimmon Pond breaks at 7:00 PM, with a clap "sounding like artillery". The Seymour Electric Company cuts power as a precaution. Factories along the river are flooded.
HOUSATONIC VALLEY:
At 3:30 PM, the water level on the Housatonic River suddenly rises two feet, indicated that there was an ice jam upriver that had broken. A second ice jam occurs near Otter Rock, Oxford, which breaks at 4:00 PM, causing a mass of water and ice entered Lake Housatonic. Some witnesses stated that as the water surged into the lake, the ice upon it was lifted in one giant sheet to a 45 degree angle, temporarily holding back an enormous quantity of ice and water before shattering. At 7:00 PM, the first huge chunks of ice began falling over the Oustonic Dam, and an hour later the river was so choked with broken ice it almost appeared that one could walk from one shore to the other. By the time it reached Huntington Bridge, the sheet of broken ice was several miles long. Many watch from the Huntington Bridge as the ice then jams a third time, beneath the eastern abutment of the Berkshire railroad bridge between Derby and Shelton. The bridge could only withstand the unrelenting power of the ice for about 20 minutes before the pilings supporting it snapped like twigs and floated down the river, causing 150’ of railroad track to dangle uselessly above the river.
DERBY - A railroad trestle on Derby Meadows is destroyed by the flood and ice. The water floods the stables of the Derby Trucking Company on Factory Street. The wet and frightened horses are led in a line to the safety of a barn in Shelton. Residents of Lower Caroline Street, Hallock Court, and River Place are evacuated in boats. The water rises to 50' from lower Main Street. The United States Rapid Fire Gun and Power Company off Housatonic Avenue is flooded.
OXFORD - Two bridges over Eight Mile Brook are destroyed.
SEYMOUR - The highway between Eight Mile Brook & Squantuck is flooded at 2:00 PM.
SHELTON - About two miles of railroad track near Indian Well went underwater, and when the water receded, the tracks were covered with several feet of ice. The Shelton Docks faced a similar experience, and Riverdale Avenue behind the docks was underwater for a time. Washouts occurred on Brook Street and John Street.
February 16
ANSONIA - Scores are out below Bridge Street, gathering the timber which washed ashore during the flood.
Monday, February 17
Many arrive in the Valley, lured by fantastic reports in out-of-town newspapers claiming millions of dollars in damages from yesterday's flood. This causes the Sentinel to quip "If a man had all that was left of a million dollars after all losses by the flood in this vicinity had been paid, he might begin endowing libraries or giving away church organs".
February 18
DERBY - Much driftwood is piled along the rivers. Some are able to scavenge a month's supply. The wood includes remains of destroyed bridges from upriver.
DERBY & SHELTON - The south track of the Berkshire railroad trestle over the Housatoinc River is repaired, and the first train crosses over it. Work continues on the rest of the flood damaged trestle.
February 19
Snow starts in the morning, dumps 4", then changes to rain. Sidewalks are icy.
ANSONIA - An city man has made $50 reselling driftwood he scavenged from the riverbanks after the flood.
February 21
ANSONIA - $500 fire strikes a 4-room, 1-story house in New Jerusalem. The house had a dozen boarders residing in it, and the fire is believed to have started by an overturned lamp.
SHELTON - The 1907 Grand List includes 985.5 houses, 86 mills, 472 horses, 1078 cattle, and 385 carriages.
February 22
ANSONIA - The Board of Education is considering restoring the bells outside of the public schools. These were removed in 1906 after much controversy.
February 23
SEYMOUR - The Rt. Rev. Chauncy B. Brewster, D.D. Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut, pays his annual visit to a packed Trinity Episcopal Church, where he confirms 5.
SHELTON - The new St. Joseph's chapel is dedicated by Rt. Rev. Michael Tierney, DD, Roman Catholic Bishop of Hartford, in a ceremony attended by 800. The chapel is in the basement of the church, which is under construction off Coram Avenue. The choirs of St. Joseph's and St. Mary's in Derby united for his visit.
Monday, February 24
ANSONIA - The City's Board of Trade dissolves by a vote of 2/3 of its members, then reforms under the name "Manufacturer's Club", with 94 members. The new club will be more of a social organization than the old Board of Trade.
DERBY - Illegal slot machines are once again starting to appear in certain places.
February 26
Heavy rainstorm dumps several inches of rain throughout the area.
ANSONIA - Jersey Street furniture dealer Simon Specter goes to City Hall, and demands that a night's lodging be given to him because his street's storm water sewer is clogged and there is 3-4' of water on the street. He is offered the lockup, where homeless men are sometimes given lodging, and he refuses and goes home. Cellars are flooded, and the stock of the Specter furniture warehouse is damaged by the flood.
DERBY - The brook that crosses Chapel Street overflows, cutting a 2 1/2' x 60' long gully in the road.
February 29 (1908 was a Leap Year)
DERBY - While repairing Dr. Sheehan's home on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Fifth Street, which was badly damaged in a January 31 fire, a colony of bees is found behind a wall. A total of 100 pounds of honey is taken out, though it is all ruined by the smoke and heat from the fire, which also killed the bees.
March
Monday, March 2, 1908
OXFORD - The town lowers its tax rate from 22 to 16 mills, following a reassessment which raised its Grand List from $351,000 to about $544,000.
March 3
New construction is at a near standstill due to the high price of lumber, paint, and other materials.
DERBY & SHELTON - Repairs continue on the ice damaged railroad trestle over the Housatonic River. Two pile drivers are at work.
March 6
The catastrophic Collinwood School fire in Ohio causes many focus on fire safety in schools, both in the Valley and across the country.
ANSONIA - Two fire drills are held at Hill School today. Fire drills are held regularly in all City schools. However, it is discovered that the doors at Grove Street School and Elm Street School open inward, which is what caused so many to perish at Collinwood.
ANSONIA - There is a proposalto put unemployed men to work extending the city's sewer system.
SEYMOUR - Fire drills are held once a week at Central School in Seymour, which holds 350 pupils. All doors open outward.
March 7
ANSONIA - A fire breaks out at 2-story frame house on Liberty Street, with a grocery and confectionary in front starts in the kitchen and works to the attic. More damage is caused by water then fire.
DERBY - The doors on the Bank Street side of Franklin School inward.
March 8
SEYMOUR - The doors at most Seymour churches open inward.
Monday, March 9
ANSONIA - A "Hindu Healer", who claims to be able to cure people using electromagnetic powers from his hands, appears before a large crowd at the Ansonia Opera House, where he reportedly heals several people of their ailments, aches, and pains. He is staying at the City's Hotel Dayton from tonight to March 20th for personal appointments.
DERBY - Two men, both Italian immigrants, draw revolvers upon on each other on Housatonic Avenue after an argument. One fires, but the shot misses wide. The shot is heard all over Derby and Shelton, however, and rumors spread that someone had been killed. The shooter is arrested. The other man is wanted as a witness but he goes into hiding. This renews a controversy about the large numbers of "foreigners" carrying illegal concealed weapons.
March 10
ANSONIA - The "Hindu Healer" suddenly leaves the City, leaving big crowd waiting to see him in front of a darkened Ansonia Opera House. It is rumored that several people may have threatened to charge him for acting as a physician without a license.
March 11
SHELTON - The man wanted for the shooting in Derby two days ago is arrested and turned over to Derby Police.
March 12
SEYMOUR - The Town's Grand List is $3,141,279, an increase of $56,968 over the previous year.
SEYMOUR - A trolley derails near the Ansonia city line, where it sinks in soft soil and blocks the tracks. The removal of the trolley ties up the line for 3 hours, causing many to be late for work this morning.
SHELTON - A young Italian immigrant employed by Sidney Blumenthal Company velvet mills is arrested for carrying a loaded revolver as a concealed weapon, after he threatens the life a foreman.
March 13
ANSONIA - An apparently insane "foreign" man is arrested on breach of peace. During periods when he is not rambling incoherently, he appears to have much knowledge of the American system of government. He warns that an anarchist group exists in Ansonia, and one of the reasons he is insane is they have been hounding him to join.
ANSONIA, DERBY, & SHELTON - Two men are arrested in Derby, and a third in Ansonia, for sending a threatening Black Hand style letter to a Derby Italian immigrant. A small arsenal is found in the Ansonia man's Liberty Street home. Apparently, despite advise that the letter was not from true members of the Black Hand, the victim became very frightened and decided to pay the extortion money after dark at High Bridge in Shelton. A relative, however, did not believe it was true, and alerted the police. They followed the victim to High Bridge, where the three men, one of who was disguised as a woman, were arrested. Further investigation reveals that this group had previously extorted money from a second victim.
SHELTON - A Derby-Bridgeport trolley car plunges down an embankment near Peck's Mill in Stratford, just over the Shelton line, and stops before entering a brook. No one hurt, but it brought back bad memories of the disaster of August 7, 1899, when 32 people were killed when a trolley plunged off the bridge here. It was (and still is today) the worst trolley disaster in Connecticut's history.
March 14
DERBY & SHELTON - Many have been fishing just below the Ousatonic Dam the last few days, catching suckers, perch, and pickerel. The water over the dam is high due to melting snow.
March 15
ANSONIA - A series of five cockfights occurs in the City, between Waterbury and New Haven birds. Over 200 spectators from Ansonia, Seymour, New Haven, Waterbury, and Naugatuck, including some "rough characters", and possibly Yale students. Over $2,000 is exchanged in side bets. The use of Ansonia as a midway point for contests between New Haven and Waterbury birds is becoming more common. The Sentinel calls it "a disgrace"
Monday, March 16
ANSONIA - The Board of Education appoints a special committee to inspect all schools and make recommendations for fire protection.
ANSONIA - St. Peter & St. Paul Greek Catholic Church on May Street is destroyed by fire. The roof is burned off, and the minaret and bell tower collapse into the basement. The fire department was hampered by low water pressure from the hydrants. The entire church was made of wood, and reportedly insured. The origin is unknown. Parishioners rush to the fire when word gets out, and a number of women weep at the sight of the burning church.
SHELTON - A trolley stalls near Pine Rock Park late in the evening, in pitch darkness. After awhile, the passengers get cold, get off the trolley, and build a bonfire. They are stranded for over an hour before the power is restored.
March 17
St. Patrick's Day brings snow flurries. Many wear shamrock or green ribbons, and shop windows are decorated. A number of people take the train to New York City to see the parade.
DERBY - J. Newton Williams, a Derby native, has been working on a helicopter-type flying machine for 2 years. He has been in New York for the last 3 months building one. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell says his design is the most practical of all experimental aircraft currently on the drawing board.
SEYMOUR - A boxing match at the Seymour Opera House, held under the Seymour Athletic Club, is stopped by authorities after the main event only went 2 rounds, due to the unruliness of the crowd.
March 18
SHELTON - Shelton is now a railroad freight terminal. Every 8 PM a train comes from Hopewell Junction, empties its load of boxcars at the freight station, and takes back a train of empty cars, including those of other railroad lines.
March 20
ANSONIA - The old Eagle Hose Hook & Ladder Co. No. 6's ladder truck is sold to the Ansonia Flour & Grain Company. The ancient fire truck was put in service April 1, 1879, just before the firehouse moved from Main and Liberty Streets to its present location.
SEYMOUR - Many residents are upset that someone painted "Gen. Humphrey" on the side of the town's new watering cart. It is felt that if the town can't name itself or erect a statue after its founder, it should not be put on something as ignominious as a water cart. It is unclear, however if it was intended as a tribute to Gen. Humphreys or mocking the townspeople who still wish to revert to Seymour's old name "Humphreysville", but in any event whoever wrote "Gen. Humphrey" on the cart spelled the name wrong.
SEYMOUR - After a Quaker Farms house owned by a very poor African-American family is completely destroyed by fire, the neighbors take up a collection to help them. They are able to raise enough money for clothing, necessities, and to find them a new place to live.
Monday, March 23
ANSONIA - Sts. Peter & Paul Greek Catholic Church is debating whether to repair old church, which was swept by fire last week, or build a new one.
SHELTON - The land and property of the Shelton Trap Rock Company is sold at auction. Only one bid was received, for $5, from a Mr. Barnet, who acting for the mortgager who holds a $20,000 note on the plant. Mr. Barnet says the mortgager intends to restart operations.
March 24
ANSONIA - Complaints are rising again about vagrants hanging around the corner of High Street and Maple Street, in front of the West Side market, covering the sidewalk with tobacco juice and filling the air with vile language.
SHELTON - The Black Hand trial starts at a packed town court, filled with spectators and the press. The accused are defended by 4 attorneys, including Atty. Torrance of Derby and Atty. Dillon of Shelton. For the next few days, the testimony is graphically covered in the Evening Sentinel.
March 25
ANSONIA - The Ansonia Water Company will expand its pipes up North Main Street, as well as along North Cliff Street, and North State Street, as far as First Street. A 12" main will be extended to Liberty Street.
DERBY - Many in Derby are fixing up or rebuilding their automobiles for the upcoming season.
OXFORD - "Only one more week of March. So far the month has not been as bad as prophesized, and now the wonder is if April will give us March weather".
March 26
DERBY - After a series of amateur performances finish at the Sterling Opera House, while a movie reel is being shown, a 5'x3' strip of plaster falls from the underside of the gallery to the floor of the orchestra circle. Most of the plaster falls into an aisle. One man is struck in the head, though not hurt. The event causes a bit of excitement, however, and the house lights turn on. When it is clear it is not a major emergency, the lights turn off again and the movie reel continues.
DERBY - In a modern sign of Spring, the open summer trolley cars have arrived at the Derby car barn, and the snowplows have been taken to New Haven, where there is more room to store them.
March 27
The Northern Lights are visible over the Valley for about 20 minutes around 8 PM.
March 28
ANSONIA - Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Catholic Church decides to accept an insurance settlement for $2,533 for the March 16 fire. This is significantly less than the $6,100 insurance policy the church carried on the building. A new church will be constructed on land recently purchased on Clifton Avenue.
SHELTON - The Black Hand trial ends. All four defendants are bound to await trial in Superior Court, with $1,000 bonds.
SHELTON - The Shelton Cricket Club organizes, and it already has a full slate of games scheduled.
March 29
ANSONIA - An African-American woman is shot in her side, at the old Ford place on Benz Street. The wound is considered serious. It is a mystery because people in the house insist the gunshot was self-inflicted, but the location does not agree with that. Doctors at Grace-New Haven hospital later agree that the wound was not self inflicted. This is the same woman who arose the concern of neighbors, who called the police when they saw her husband "trying to kill her". The police investigated at the time and saw no cause for action.
Monday, March 30
The "Merry Widow" hats are very popular with women this Spring, and the brims are huge this year, requiring no need for sunshade, but presenting problems for both the wearers and other pedestrians over the width of sidewalks. The hats are also causing problems in cramped spaces, such as trolleys.
March 31
ANSONIA - Kankwood Hill residents are complaining that the water tank used by their horses has been out of commission for two months, due to the pipe leading to the spring being broken.
April
Wednesday, April 1
ANSONIA - The fire damaged Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Catholic Church on May Street will be repaired with a new roof, but no bell tower. Services will be held there until the new church is completed on Clifton Avenue. Then old church will be converted into a school.
OXFORD - "The old oak tree, which stands on the upper green in front of the Congregational parsonage having become much decayed with age, and looked upon as dangerous, is to be cut down next week. The tree is one of the old landmarks of the village, and from its great size must have been planted in the early days of the settlement of the village. From time to time of late years, the decayed limbs of the tree have been shorteneed, or entirely removed, until now comparitively little remains but the large trunk".
SHELTON - The Anatomick Shoe Company begins operations in the old National Folding Box & Paper factory.
April 3
ANSONIA - The City is replacing the stone retaining wall at St. Mary's Cemetery on Grove Street with a concrete one.
ANSONIA - Four men are discovered carrying a safe out of a Jersey Street at 3 AM by Mrs. Simon Spector. She yells for the police, and the men drop the safe and flee. The rise of burglaries is editorialized in the Evening Sentinel.
April 4
Temperature is down to 24 degrees in the morning.
The new common battery telephone system will be installed by Southern New England Telephone Company shortly.
ANSONIA - Many rumors of burglaries are sweeping the City.
ANSONIA - Main Street is filled with clouds of dust, and there were no watering carts to be found to sprinkle the streets. Merchants are kept busy all day sweeping out their stores.
SEYMOUR - Slight snow squall in the morning.
April 5
ANSONIA - Burglars break into a Mott Street home, but nothing is taken.
SHELTON - Two Center Street saloons raided by deputy sheriffs on this Sunday. Two bartenders and a score of customers are arrested.
Tuesday, April 7
ANSONIA - It is revealed that the woman who was shot on March 29 has died at Grace-New Haven Hospital. After insisting all along that she shot herself accidentally, she makes a deathbed confession that her husband in fact shot her. The husband, Charles Miller, is arrested in Pleasantville, NY, and is arraigned to New Haven. has been arrested.
SEYMOUR - Father M. Rigney, Pastor of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church, receives a Black Hand letter, which threatens his life if he doesn't pay a ransom. He is not worried, nor does he intend to pay. The postal authorities are investigating.
April 8
ANSONIA - There is a gravestone at Elm Street Cemetery, marking the resting place of Mrs. Hannah Clark, who died in September 1801. The gravestone lists the number of children, grand children, and great grandchildren at the time of her death, which total 333 lineal descendants.
April 9
SEYMOUR - Miss Grace Whitlock, the bookkeeper of Coleman Bros.' Market in Seymour, gets a threatening Black Hand letter.
April 10
ANSONIA - The county coroner finishes his investigation, which concludes that Mr. Miller murdered his wife. He is formally charged the following day.
April 11
DERBY - Five Derby men are caught in a sailboat below Derby Docks when a storm comes in. The boat tried tacking up the river, until a sudden gust of wind caused it to capsize, spilling all 5 into the cold water. The men cling to boat which floats down river, trying to decide whether to hold on and hope that it washes ashore, or risk swimming ashore in the choppy water. They are spotted by a man, who was looking for a baseball near the riverbank. He gets a boat, and rows them all ashore.
DERBY - The remains of the ice house at Picket's Pond in Derby, owned by the Ansonia-Derby Ice Company, blows over in high winds. Picket's pond was never a very good place for ice, which is why it is no longer harvested. The pond is used mostly for skating by 1908.
DERBY - The F. Hallock company has an automobile on display in their showroom, which was made entirely of material found in the hardware and mill supply store.
SEYMOUR - The Citizens' Engine Co. No. 2 tests out their newly repaired steam powered fire engine, which was fitted with a new boiler. They are unable to draw water from the canal.
April 12
DERBY - Derby saloons are all conspicuously dry on this Sunday. The reason is someone tipped off the saloon keepers that raids were planned against those engaged in "Sunday selling" of alcohol.
DERBY - The ruins of the icehouse at Picket's Pond are set on fire, apparently by boys.
Monday, April 13
ANSONIA - The Sentinel headlines "$75,000 Fire in City Hall Basement". The 'fire', was actually the burning of a 3.5% bond issue dating to April 2, 1889, when the new Town of Ansonia (later City) absorbed the debt of the Borough of Ansonia, which was formed in 1864 in the Town of Derby and existed until Derby was divided in 1889 (for more information click here). The bond matured on April 1, 1908, and over the years a total of $52,500 in interest had been paid.
ANSONIA - Trolley company starts to repair the covered east side of the Bridge Street Bridge. The company told the City the bridge was in bad shape. But the City denied it and refused to devote funds to repair it, so the trolley company is fixing it themselves.
SHELTON - Ground is broken for a model four-family flat on the corner of Maltby Street and Division Avenue. It will be 38'x56', 2 stories, with 5 rooms per apartment. More of the same design will be built later.
April 15
DERBY & SHELTON - The New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad is still repairing the trestle across the Housatonic that was damaged in the February freshet.
OXFORD - "The grass is taking on the green hue of spring, and the buds of trees are swelling, but the nights are still too cold for vegetation to make very rapid progress, but better so, then to swift and then a serious setback".
SEYMOUR - The old blacksmith shop at the corner of Maple Street and Pearl Street is being demolished to build a new house. One of oldest buildings in Seymour, the shop dates before 1798. The Woodbury - New Haven stagecoach used to stop there for repairs, and a tavern was nearby.
April 16
SHELTON - Railroad detectives investigating a rash of thefts of coal from the local freight yard accuse 4 young boys, though it is believed they may have been encouraged by their parents. The boys would climb on stopped cars near the Maple Street crossing, and throw coal as much coal as they could to the ground, and scoop it up later. Despite residents' denials, further investigation found a huge amount of coal being hidden in the nearby Paper Mill Block basement. 3 of the accuses boys live in the block, the fourth is from Derby.
April 17 - Good Friday
5,000 dozen hot cross buns baked in Ansonia bakeries, 2,000 at Webster Bros. bakeries in Shelton, and many more in other Valley towns. Most of the buns sold out before 10 AM. Florists report a record demand for flowers.
April 19 - Easter Sunday
There is a slight chill in the air today. Clear skies gave way to threatening weather later in the morning, but the day improved as it went on. The churches are packed. Most are dressed in Easter finery. This year's Easter bonnets are not as odd in shape as they had been in previous years, but they are larger.
ANSONIA - Fire breaks out in the Kornblut store and adjoining wood building near Maple and High Streets at 11:30 PM. The store is wrecked. Rumors that firemen looted tobacco and expensive cigarettes from the store are being investigated by the fire department. Following the fire, Judge Tucker gives permission for an auxiliary hose cart to be stored in his nearby barn for better fire protection in the neighborhood.
Monday, April 20
DERBY - Removal of the old organ at St. James Church begins. The organ was the first one installed there, dating to 1854. A new one will be installed by May 1.
SEYMOUR - 68 employees of the Tingue Manufacturing Company have been laid off, possibly for only a few days. Orders have slackened recently.
SEYMOUR - A Smith Street home is destroyed by fire. Neighbors were alerted when the wife began screaming and throwing bed clothing out the window. She and her two children had to climb down a neighbor's ladder in nightclothes. The house was one of the oldest in Seymour, built before 1832.
SHELTON - 3 Italian immigrants, 2 from Shelton one from Derby, are arrested for picking up coal from the railroad tracks between the freight station and passenger station. They were caught by railroad detectives as part of the ongoing investigation of theft of coal in the area.
April 21
ANSONIA - The special Board of Education committee on fire prevention, formed after the Collinwood disaster, reports that $4,000 is needed to make Ansonia schools safe from a similar disaster.
ANSONIA, DERBY & SHELTON - Ansonia, Derby, and Shelton residents meet at Ansonia City Hall, and form an Associated Civic Society. The cities will have separate societies, but they will work together as a federation.
April 23
Summer-like temperatures today.
ANSONIA - An auxiliary hose house is being built for the Webster Hose Co. No. 3 on James McKeon's property on Central Street. Mr. McKeon is doing much of the work himself. He has converted an olive green hose wagon with white stripes and electric bell from a delivery wagon, drawn by two of his own black horses, carrying 500' of hose. The firehouse will be outfitted with stables and harnesses, and will go down in history as one of the few horse drawn firehouses in the Valley. Note: this is the very same fire engine that was on the cover of the Derby Historical Society's 1999 book Images of America - Ansonia, still available in our gift shop.
DERBY - Part of the Commodore Hull house on Commerce Street is being torn down, though the original portion will remain intact and will be fixed up.
DERBY - The Berkshire Trestle, east of the steel railroad bridge over the Housatonic River, is now completely repaired from the ice damage it sustained in February. The repairs have made it stronger.
April 24
The Naugatuck River is the lowest it has been since last summer
SEYMOUR - A large chicken coop burns on Gilyard Street, very close to houses. The woman who owns the coop rises from her sickbed and tries putting it out and is overcome by smoke. She is rescued by a neighbor, but not before she's burned. 200 finely bred chickens are lost. This is the second fire in the area this week, raising suspicions that an arsonist may be on the loose.
April 25
SHELTON - Horace S. Plumb of Bridgeport dies. He was the brother of David W. Plumb, who served as warden for both the boroughs of Ansonia and Shelton over the course of his lifetime. Mr. D. W. Plumb was very generous in his will to Shelton, and Horace Plumb made sure his brothers wishes were kept, spending over $50,000 in bettering Shelton, including donating to build the Plumb Memorial Library and Riverview Park.
April 26
ANSONIA - Two chicken thieves enter a coop with an alarm system. The alarm rings a bill next to the owner's bed, who gets his gun and shoots one of them with buckshot. Both thieves escape, however. The owner got the alarm system after he had 26 chickens stolen in January.
DERBY & SEYMOUR - A 150 acre brush fire in Squantuc lights up the night sky in Derby.
SEYMOUR - A bronze fountain, donated by the WCTU, is dedicated at the corner of Main and South Main Streets.
Monday, April 27
ANSONIA - US. Secretary of War William Howard Taft spends the night in Ansonia, in the home of Republican National Committeeman Charles F Brooker on State Street. He left for Bpt following AM, many gathered at RR station to see him, but were disappointed to learn he went by automobile. Note: William H. Taft will win the national election later this year and become the 27th President of the United States.
ANSONIA - The well known, elderly homeless wanderer, Johnny o' the Woods, spends night in a vacant lot off Clifton Avenue, despite having $200 in an account donated for his well being. He does not seem inclined to use the funds.
April 28
ANSONIA - Word has spread that Secretary of War William Howard Taft is in town, and that he is leaving for Bridgeport this morning. Many gather to see him off at the railroad station, but are disappointed when they learn that he was discretely whisked out of the city in an automobile.
ANSONIA - The Ansonia Civic Association organizes at City Hall, with Alton Farrel as President.
DERBY - A number of local Italians have been cultivating a large vegetable garden on Shelton Island. Note: While it is unclear what was considered "Shelton Island" in 1908, it was likely the tidal flats below the Housatonic trestle, or today's O'Sullivan Island.
SHELTON - The Shelton Civic Association organizes with David S. Brinsmade as president.
SHELTON - A ten year old Howe Avenue boy is killed when he finds and drops a railroad torpedo near the railroad track. The borough is horrified. This is the second child killed by a railroad torpedo in the Valley this year, the first was on January 27 in Ansonia.
April 29
DERBY - A smokehouse is discovered in the ell portion of the Commodore Hull birthplace on Commerce Street. The ell is being torn down, though the main portion of the house will stay (for now). Rooms for smoking meats were once common in the 19th century, but there are few left alive in 1908 that can remember their widespread use.
April 30
ANSONIA, DERBY, AND SHELTON - The three cities hold a joint "Clean Up Day". Schoolchildren participate, while many others donate labor and material to give the cities a through cleaning. Cellars are cleaned out, streets swept, yards and vacant lots cleared.
May
Friday, May 1
ANSONIA - The trolley company considers the wooden covered portion of the Bridge Street Bridge in such bad condition it has condemned it and refuses to run trolleys over it. Repairs to the iron portion of the bridge are almost completed, and trolleys are running to the end of it. In the middle of the bridge, passengers have to disembark and walk across the covered wooden portion to transfer to trolleys on the west side. Naturally not many are happy with this arrangement.
May 2
ANSONIA - The man on trial in New Haven superior court for murdering his wife in Ansonia on March 27 breaks down and admits he shot her, though he says it was an accident.
Monday, May 4
ANSONIA - The City will repair the wooden covered portion of the Bridge Street Bridge.
ANSONIA - The Webster Hose Company No. 3 accepts the auxiliary hose house and hose wagon on Central Street, donated by James McKeon. One of the Valley's only horse drawn fire engines in it history will carry 1000' of hose and 2 chemical extinguishers.
SHELTON - The fire-ruined Silver Plate Cutlery Company on Canal Street will be torn down to make room for a new 4 story 36x135' addition to the Adams Manufacturing Company, also known as the "Derby Cotton Mills". The addition will be used mostly for storage and finishing machines.
May 5
ANSONIA - A horse becomes frightened by an automobile on Main Street, and jumps in front of it. Trying to avoid the horse, the automobile drives though the front window of the Ansonia Trading Company on the corner with Water Street.
ANSONIA - Charles F. Brooker's former butler is sentenced to 7-12 years for stealing over $7000 in jewels on September 25, 1907. The theft occurred after the butler was discharged on suspicion of stealing. He reentered the home later that day while the family was at dinner and looted the place.
ANSONIA - The man on trial for murdering his wife on March 29 is found guilty of 2nd degree murder, and sentenced to life in prison.
ANSONIA - The Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church on Howard Avenue is roused by the ongoing destruction of church property by hoodlums. Many church, stable, and rectory windows have been smashed, iron and wood fences damaged or stolen, and trees or shrubs damaged. The police say they are investigating.
May 6
OXFORD - "The cold wave which followed so closely on the few summer-like days of last week, caused much uneasiness to people having fruit trees in bloom, particularly plum and peach trees which were showing indications of a heavy fruitage".
SEYMOUR - A French woodchopper's right foot is horribly injured when he slips under the wheels of a boxcar he was trying to illegally jump onto near the Seymour train station.
May 7
The heaviest rain thus far of the season, over 2" falls, accompanied by 22mph winds. A total of 3.38" falls in 24 hours.
ANSONIA -Jersey Street is covered with several inches of water again, and cellars are flooded, residents there very upset.
ANSONIA - A Black Hand letter is sent to real estate developer and landlord Phillip Cohen, asking for $2000 to be left in a bag at the Bridge Street Bridge. He ignores it.
DERBY - The Derby Choral Club holds a 10th anniversary concert at the Sterling Opera House. Mme. Louise Homer was the prima donna, from New York City's Metropolitan Opera House. The opera house was crowded despite the bad rainstorm outside.
May 8
ANSONIA - The George May & Son Grocery Store is gutted by fire at 12:20 AM, near Maple and High Streets.
May 9
SHELTON - A 4-story brick building, 38'x30' will be erected on the corner of Coram Avenue and Kneen Street. It will have one five-room flat each floor. This building still stands today across from Good Shepherd Church.