1990

Update on Dump Issue

Don’t think that the battle is won because it isn’t! The Siting Commission has diverted their attention to the West Valley site. This site was originally intended as a demonstration project when they made two shallow land full dumps. At the time they were installed they were guaranteed to last 5000 years. The dumps are now leaking, so they were only off by 4,990 years! Hanford, Washington has the same problem. Their land fill dumps were supposed to last 1000 years but now they have reduced the figure to 30 years as Plutonium was found leaked into a local river and surrounding ground, enough to make fifty Nagasaki bombs.

Two facets seem to keep this issue going…greed and politics. Our group of Concerned Citizens of Allegany County is still raising needed funds. The group held an auction on April 27th and cleared over $2500.00. Meetings are scheduled for the last Friday of each month.

Biographical Sketch of Arabelle Voss James

Arabelle Voss, daughter of George and Leah Bennett Voss was born March 12, 1862. She married George James, a cheese maker, on March 13, 1883. Her father and mother gave her a cook stove as a wedding gift. Most girls had to cook in the fire place. The Voss girls each received a stove and the boys got cattle and land when they married.

Arabelle, or “Belle” as she was called, was an excellent cook and enjoyed having their five children, Leon and his wife Florence, and their nine children, Guy and Maude and their five, Fay and Cecile and their three, Florence and Floyd Ess, Leah and Don Piatt and their five, come to visit for Sunday dinner. If there wasn’t a house full, she would invite anybody passing by to come in for a meal or for a pie and coffee.

She would gather her apron full of the first wild apples and make pies and her canned fruits and vegetables numbered 500 to 600 cans every year.

One year a medicine show came to Short Tract and a contest was started by the fellow putting on the show to cast votes for the most popular girl in the town. The prize was a silver tea set, a real nice set with a tea pot, creamer and sugar bowl and spoons on a silver tray. Well, you know who won? Yes, Arabelle James. She was a lady in her seventies and loved by everybody. The Show Master said he wanted to meet this lady who was so popular and give the prize to her himself.

Bell was also called upon to help the doctors deliver babies. One doctor (probably Dr. Al Lyman) came to the house one night and said he wanted her to go with him to deliver a baby. She said she didn’t believe she’d be much help. She was along in years then. But Doc said, “You won’t have to do much but just be with me for this will be the 50th baby you will have helped me deliver.”

Jones Pond

My grandson and I decided to stop at Jones Pond to visit Don and Kathy Wenzel, owners since 1986. Don was trying to get the many acres mowed, but he stopped long enough to give me an interview. One interesting item was the fact that the Jones family ancestors lived there starting in 1826. It must have been hard for Buck and Ruth to leave this place.

I found there are 100 rental sites, $490 for the season, May 1 to Oct. 15th, $69.50 for seven days, or $11.50 overnight. Swimming is offered to the campers, or $1.00 for guests that come from the nearby homes. The only rule is that children cannot swim without an adult. There is fishing and paddle boats for campers only, 4th of July Olympics and cookouts.

Hunters can park too, in deer season, and have a heated bathroom open. Well, anyway, it was peaceful sitting there talking about the “Pond”, while two Canadian Geese slowly floated by.

Back to Archives Page