The Romance of Norwalk

The library continued at its original location until Octo¬ ber 29, 1917, when it moved into new quarters in the realized Community hall, having grown tremendously in the meantime. A rummage sale netting $116, a generous gift of $150 from Mrs. John McMullen and $20 from a friend allowed the purchase of shelving and furniture. The library has grown to exceed 5000 volumes, num¬ bered among which is a special group designed for the use of junior and senior high school students in their school work, Miss Mariposa Taylor, 135 Flaxhill road, being re¬ sponsible for this installation. Early in the history of the institution, cataloging was inaugurated under the capable direction of Miss Eva Goeppinger, formerly of Ravenna, Ohio, and this work helped in promptly securing a grant from the state when application was made for same, to¬ gether with a similar grant from Norwalk. There has been a paid librarian since 1921. Mrs. Edward Davis is the present librarian. The library has an average circulation of about 100 books per day and about 800 borrowers. The present library committee consists of: Mrs. L. M. Waite, chairman; Mrs. Charles Seymour, Miss Amy Young, Miss Marcia Hendrick, Mrs. Edward Davis, Mrs. Lester Platt, Mrs. Robert B. B. Foote and Stewart Marshall. “adelphi” explosion Shrieks of the dying and wails of the maimed, rent the misty air in Norwalk harbor on the morning of September LIBRARIES— TELEPHONES 335 28, 1878, when the steamer “Adelphi” filled with vacation¬ ists and travelers, blew up as it was passing Dorlon’s point, killing 12 and injuring more than 20. The steamer had left its dock in South Norwalk but five minutes before and everyone was in good humor over the prospect of an enjoy¬ able trip, when, without the slightest warning, an over¬ heated boiler burst. The boat was almost torn apart, some of the passengers were blown to bits, others knocked down, still others were cast into the swirling waters. Many were painfully scalded by escaping steam. Norwalk people were among the twelve killed, accord¬ ing to newspaper records at the time, the most prominent being Mrs. Eunice C. Boole, wife of the Rev. W. H. Boole, pastor of the South Norwalk M. E. Church. Others who lost their lives were : Henry Allen, a carpenter of this city, Elijah Betts of North Wilton; Frederick Metz Swartz, brother of Christian Swartz, treasurer of the Old Well Cigar Company, this city; Charles B. Ford of Illinois who was visiting Captain Hiram Bell in South Norwalk; Mabel Wood, six, whose father, a New York lawyer, lived in West- port; Benjamin Ackert, brother of the steward, August Ackert; Gabriel Hoyt, Hartford; Sarah1 Leonard, Bridge¬ port; Charles Lord, Mass., who with his bride was on his way to New York for a holiday; Theodore Raymond, Brooklyn. Local people who were injured included: Libbie Selleck, Mrs. R. M. Wilcox, Samuel Banks, Horace Dann and J. F. Gewner. No sooner had the explosion taken place, than the 152 passengers were thrown into a panic, many attempting to jump overboard. The officers and crew of 12 managed to restrain them from doing so which undoubtedly lessened the loss of life. The engineer, James W. Howland and his assistant Edward Howland, never left their posts in the engine room although they were scalded by steam. A great hole ten feet by three feet was blown in the main deck over the boiler. A passenger passing at the time was shot out into the water and instantly killed. A moment before ROMANCE OF NORWALK 336 he had left his wife on one of the lower decks. A horse was also thrown into the harbor but managed to swim ashore. Not so lucky were a bootblack and his customer, both of whom were blown overboard when the explosion took place, losing their lives. Fate saved the Selleck school boys of Norwalk who were going on an excursion. Like¬ wise the Georgetown school boys with their master, were rescued. Relief expeditions rushed to Dorlon’s Point as soon as the nature of the catastrophe became known. The tug, “Hiram Bender” towed the “Adelphi” to the dock and the dead and the dying were stretched out on the pier, with every nurse and doctor in the city in attendance. Charles H. Oakes of Rowayton, an eye witness of the catastrophe was one of the first men to give aid to the injured. He tells of pouring sweet oil on a man’s burned hands, the skin of which was hanging in shreds, and of bandaging them with strips torn from the bed sheets of the Dorlon House hotel. Frantic friends and relatives, dashed up and down the dock, peering into the face of this inert body, or that mangled, still breathing form. The sobs and wails of the bereaved, mingled with the groans of the dying. Not since the railroad wreck on the East Norwalk bridge in 1853 had horror so gripped the city. Official investigations which followed later, revealed the fact that James Howland, engineer, had been negligent in allowing the boiler to remain in poor condition. It also re¬ vealed the fact that J. W. Blake, the inspector, had not made a proper inspection of the boiler during the spring, so he was partly at fault for the disaster. The “Adelphi” was built in 1851, rebuilt in 1863 and called the “City of Albany.” It was sold in 1867 and came to Norwalk ten years later, Commodore White using it for service between South Norwalk and New York city. The boat had been making the run between the two cities just a year when the explosion took place. George E. Holton was captain of LIBRARIES— TELEPHONES 337 the vessel at the time; Erastus Geer was pilot and William Wilkins, first officer. FIRST TELEPHONES “That man must be crazy, plumb crazy. No one but a nut talks to himself!” a one time conductor on the Seaview ave. carline, ruminated in alarm as he sat in the dentist chair in the office of Dr. George S. Kendall, 9 Washington st., and listened to a monologue in an adjoining room. The patient had just about decided to run from the office be¬ fore anything happened when the dentist returned and to the man’s excited questioning calmly replied that he was “talking on the telephone.” Skeptical, the patient had to be convinced, for in those days, the telephone was not only a novelty but a complete mystery and there were many who did not believe the thing really worked at all, but vaguely hinted at “fakes.” Norwalk’s first telephone exchange was organized and operated by the Stamford and Norwalk Telephone Co., under the joint stock corporation laws of the state of Con¬ necticut, January 23, 1880. Headquarters were at Stam¬ ford and a “trunk line” as it was then known, consisting of one grounded iron wire, connected the two exchanges of Stamford and Norwalk. J. K. Butler, of Darien, one of the pioneers in the telephone business, built and operated the exchanges. Capital stock of the company amounted to $20,000, the par value of shares being $25 each. It is believed that Dr. Charles Maney, dentist, who died during the past year and who had offices at 22 Wall st., this city, for 50 years, was the first man in town to have a telephone. The territory which the company expected to develop included the towns of Stamford, Norwalk, Darien and Greenwich. Directors at the time were: H. R. Towne, George E. Scofield, H. C. Hawes, C. G. Child, James W. Hyat, R. H. Rowan, D. H. Clark, C. O. Miller, James D. Smith, W. C. Barclay, E. O. Keeler, E. Beard and A. 338 ROMANCE OF NORWALK S. Hurlburt. Officers were: Henry R. Towne of Stamford, president; George E. Schofield, secretary; D. H. Clark, treasurer; James K. Butler, general superintendent. The company sold its two exchanges to the Connecticut Tele¬ phone Company, now the Southern New England Tele¬ phone Co., November 21, 1881. At the time of the sale, the number of stations in Stamford was less than 200 and in Norwalk, less than 100. An ancient telephone book dated January 15, 1891, still preserved in the local branch office of the Southern New England Telephone Co., Washington st., shows Norwalk listed with 138 telephones including both private and business lines. How slowly the people took to the “new fangled notion!” In ten years only 40 or 50 new telephones had been installed. These 138 telephones served the towns of Norwalk, New Canaan, Westport, Wilton and Weston. There were only six public telephones in the entire district: one in the R. H. Plaisted drug store, Washington st. ; one in the New Canaan Messenger office in New Canaan; one each in the Housatonic Railroad Co. offices in Winnipauk, Wilton, Wil¬ son Point, South Norwalk; one owned by W. E. Osborn in Westport. The telephone models used in the early 1890’s differed a great deal from those popular today. First there was the granular button wall set with a crank, used in private homes. It was necessary to turn the crank several times before the operator’s attention could be attracted. Then there was the queer looking long neck long distance extension and desk set, an elaborate affair; the coin box model, and last but not least, the long distance cabinet set, which looked for all the world like an expensive radio model. This was a costly piece of furniture, built like a cabinet, of excellent wood, carved perhaps, with a long box underneath for the reception of the money. The Plaisted drug store on West Washington st., was one of the last establishments to have one of these much envied models. It was very difficult in the early days to sell telephones LIBRARIES— TELEPHONES 339