Question: The women in this photograph are wearing 18th century clothing, but photography did not become available until a century later. There are several clues in the photo that indicate it was taken in the 1890s. Can you find them? Do you know the story behind the photo?
Last week’s answer: The photo from last week was in the Messenger the week after a McHarrie Day. McHarrie Day, the forerunner of Seneca River Day, was noted for its parades. It was a tradition of some of the residents of Oswego Street to build a float that depicted something about our history. That year they chose to ride a bobsled, the Comet, in commemoration of the many bobsled races that used to be held through the village. The riders were Mary Beth Hunter (Delpha), Lisa and Kate Kisselstein, Ted and Pat McManus. Harlow Kisselstein, the man in the back, powered the float by towing it with his lawn tractor. The float was built by Lisa and Kate’s grandfather, Albert J. Palmer.
Bobsled racing was a very popular sport from January to March during the 1880s until the digging of the Barge Canal in 1908. Parts of Oswego and Syracuse streets made an excellent slide when automobiles were few in number. By icing the track from the top of Oswego Street hill all the way to Grove Street and beyond, racers could traverse the course at express-train speed often reaching the Baldwin Canal Bridge in 30 seconds.
The bobs, made by several local industries, included the Comet, Hercules, Meteor, Vulcan and Ironsides. Depending on their size, they could carry between 12 and 15 people. The one built by the Haywood Wagons Works could hold 24. They weighed several tons and were equipped with a steering apparatus, gong and a braking system, the latter often consisting of a heavy chain which could be released to fall in front of the rear runners. The sport was so popular that Syracuse University frequently sent a team; their transportation here — the trolley! And yes, some ladies even rode them.
A serious coasting accident occurred during one of the last years the sport was held in the village. That night 100 people with 10 pairs of coasting bobs were busy in the slide. It was on a Thursday evening in early March 1908 that six young men received injuries while enjoying a flight down the slippery hill. Two of the boys broke their legs and four sustained sprained ankles. One, Howard Harrington, had to be taken to the hospital in Syracuse via the trolley.
If you want to know more, Anthony Christopher’s “Sketches of Yesterday” have several articles about bobsled racing. Visit the Baldwinsville Public Library and take them out. Want to know more about McHarrie Day? Check out the microfilmed Messengers in the local history room at the library or go on the website fultonhistory.com.
Contact Editor Sarah Hall at [email protected] or leave a message at 434-8889 ext. 310 with your guess by 5 p.m. Friday (please leave the information in the message; we are not generally able to return calls regarding History Mystery responses). If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s Messenger, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
