by Laurel | November 7th, 2014
20 April 1904
Tickets will be out today or tomorrow for the whist party of Tuesday evening at the store of A. Steiger & Co. for the benefit of the home for aged people’s corporation.
Believed to Have Been Poisoned With Sewer Gas — George A. Armitage, the three-years-old son of Mr. and Mrs. George G. Armitage of 33 Taylor Street, died Saturday night, it is believed by his physician, through the effects of sewer gas coming into the house in some way. Dr. Frank Holyoke is the attending physician and he notified Dr. A. B. Wetherell, chairman of the board of health, of his belief. F. L. Avery, inspector of plumbing, visited the house and made an inspection, but his tests did not disclose anything that would indicate that the plumbing was out of order, except that he thought it would be advisable to have a trap between the upstairs and downstairs closets. it may be that the sewer length between the house and the street sewer has been ruptured by tree roots, and the gas may have come into the house, following along the line of the pipe into the house. there have been some cases of the kind during the past few years, it is claimed. Others in the family have been ill, presumably from the same cause. Rev. H. H. Morrill, the attending clergyman, said yesterday that he had visited the place sever time for an hour or more and felt the effects of it considerably. The board of health is of the opinion, and has repeatedly urged, that house-to-house plumbing inspection be ordered, as a means if preventing just such cases as this one of the unfortunate Armitage family is believed to be.
Holyoke Man Heir to Considerable Estate — John H. Collins, for about six months assistant superintendend of the Holyoke office of the Metropolitan Insurance Company, has resigned his position with that company to manage a considerable estate left to him by the death of his brother, William F. M. Collins, who has just died at Salem. Mr. Collins went to Holyoke to manage the Holyoke branch of the Glasgow Mills woolen company, which had a store for a number of months at the corner of High and Essex Streets. After giving up that store, which was abandoned by the company, he entered the employ of the Metropolitan Company, and a few months later was made assistant superintendent under S. M. Powers, the superintendent. Mr. Collin’s resignation goes into effect Saturday night and he will remove to Salem and look after his property in that city, which is believed to be $40,000 or more in value.
The Violet Club held their second annual dance at the Windsor Hall last evening, there being about 200 couples present. Bridge’s orchestra furnished the music for the dancing, and an enjoyable evening was spent. The committee of arrangements included Nellie Kennedy, Rosie Cray, Nellie Cray and Kate Murphy.
The water in the river was four feet over the dam Monday morning and is slowly receding. Yesterday afternoon it was 3½ feet and the mills on the lower levels were not so much affected as the previous week.
Adapted from The Springfield Republican.
Image Courtesy of Wiki Commons.