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From The Post-Star in 1973 — 50 years ago:
Glens Falls firefighters Robert Johnson and Richard Webb were injured in the line of duty on Jan. 31 when they were fighting a fire at a paint and chemical storage building at the Native Laces and Textiles factory at 211 Warren St. in Glens Falls.
The Glens Falls Fire Department fights a Jan. 31, 1973, fire at the Native Lace and Textiles factory at 211 Warren St.
The firefighters were inside the building with others in the department when a barrel of an acid-based chemical exploded and the force threw Johnson and Webb against a wall.
The Fire Department had removed two barrels of the chemical from the warehouse, but had not been notified that a third barrel was inside.
“Other firemen got the injured men out of the blazing structure and they were taken to the hospital in the chief’s car,” The Post-Star reported on Feb. 1.
The men were treated at Glens Falls Hospital for burns and released.
The Glens Falls Fire Department received a call to the burning building at 8:20 a.m., and was on the scene for more than an hour.
The last truck arrived back at the station at 9:45 a.m.
The walls of the storage building and timbers of a loading dock outside the building were burned.
Smoke entered the main factory building but soon cleared.
The cause of the fire had not yet been determined.
Herbert and Francis Binch started the longtime Warren Street manufacturing operation in 1916, originally making lace.
The company diversified into knit fabrics in 1946, and stopped making lace in 1998.
When the plant closed in 2005, it had been making fabric for athletic apparel, lingerie and mosquito netting and fluorescent linings of reversible raincoats.
No second: It isn’t often that a motion to adjourn a government meeting does not move forward. But Glens Falls Councilman at-Large William Mangine was unable to get a second to his motion to adjourn the Jan. 31 city Common Council. Fourth Ward Councilman Lewis Varney interrupted Mangine’s motion and made his own motion for a resolution congratulating Mangine and his wife on their 31st wedding anniversary. Third Ward Councilman Joseph Bloomfield seconded the congratulatory motion, which was adopted. Mayor Robert Cronin added his congratulations: “To Mrs. Mangine for her spirit of endurance.” — Feb. 1
Hope crusader: Patricia Ann Hartman, a registered nurse at Glens Falls Hospital, was selected as “Miss Hope” to represent Warren County at the American Cancer Society state campaign kickoff at Syracuse. “The quality of hope must be present in an individual to successfully meet a challenge,” said Hartman, the hospital’s 3-11 p.m. shift nursing office supervisor. — Feb. 3
Social scene: “Clem Swap-Around,” the regional traveling square dance mascot, was set to make his final visit with the Merry Mohicans Square Dance Club at a dance Feb. 11 at Queensbury Elementary School, with Earl Turner as caller. “The life-sized doll, dressed in Western costume and wearing badges from the more than 20 clubs he has visited, has spent the last month enjoying Glens Falls hospitality.” — Feb. 5
Sports trivia: Glens Falls High School wrestler Dave Pike, weighing 167 pounds, had his first varsity win, defeating David Pilegi 10-2 as Glens Falls defeated Queensbury 33-12 in the annual “Musket Match.” The winner of the match took possession of a flintlock musket for the next year. — Feb. 5.
Sports trivia: Jim Town scored 49 points to break his own school record as the Glens Falls High School basketball team defeated Gloversville 94-62. Herb Lavery scored 12 points and Willie Steans 10 points for Glens Falls. Town’s previous school scoring record was 45 points, set in a game against South High in 1971. — Feb. 10
Editorial: “Expansion of retailing facilities has burst on the greater Glens Falls area like a rocket. Suddenly, not just one, not merely two, but three new shopping centers are in various stages of progress. One, the Pyramid Mall in the town of Wilton, is already a building. The second, a mini-mall to be located near the Albany Public Market (at the intersection of Route 9 and Aviation Road) in Queensbury, is in the site preparation stage. The third, the mall planned for downtown Glens Falls, is the tail-ender at this point, but is rapidly gathering steam. … The projected investment is enormous. More important, the probable impact on the community requires a stretching of the mind to comprehend. Competition for the attention of shoppers certainly will be stepped up. Some shopping patterns, no doubt, will be changed. … But while we’re reveling in all that is happening on the commercial front, a word of caution seems timely. If prosperity is to continue in the degree that our community now enjoys, there is a need to provide additional employment opportunities to attract new residents. Retailers’ cash registers ring a merry tune only when there is strong buying power in the community.” — Feb. 14
Quotable: “I’ve been frustrated, infuriated, and a lot of other things, but I have never been bored.” – Esther Sherman, commenting on her retirement after 47 years as librarian at Hudson Falls Free Library. — Feb. 1
Maury Thompson was a Post-Star reporter for 21 years before he retired in 2017. He now is a freelance history writer and documentary film producer who routinely researches historic newspapers of the region.
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Catch up with the past by reading Maury Thompson's compilations of historical anecdotes from the Glens Falls region.
Catch up with the past by reading Maury Thompson's compilations of historical anecdotes from the Glens Falls region.
The Glens Falls Fire Department fights a Jan. 31, 1973, fire at the Native Lace and Textiles factory at 211 Warren St.
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