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One way to promote home delivery
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Okay, here’s a newspaper promotion you don’t see much anymore: in 1921, with a six-month subscription to the Troy Record, you could get a discounted house lot in Colonie Estates. It was “situated near Latham’s Corners within a short ride of Schenectady, Stop 36½. It is an ideal country for homes of people employed…
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Happy Birthday, Dr. Steinmetz
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On April 9, 1865, Carl August Rudolph Steinmetz was born in far-off Breslau, in the province of Silesia in Prussia. He suffered a form of dwarfism, and was a mathematic and electrical genius. He was a socialist who had to flee Germany because of his beliefs; after a time in Zurich, he found his…
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The Terrors of Phys Ed
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Let’s reach into the not-so-distant past for a true moment of terror: Unisex Gym Suits. Yes, in our day we were required to wear official gym clothing. Yes, it had to be in the official school colors, which in the case of my alma mater was supposed to be maroon but looked mostly like…
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Statistics!
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From Ripley’s 1919 “Life in a Large Manufacturing Plant:” Professor Robert G. Wall, in a recent address, said: “Imagine 100 men, all 25 years old, and all fully equipped mentally and physically. Tell them to seek their fortunes in the world and report back to you at the age of 65. In 40 years’…
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GE sez: Don’t stay in school!
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Ripley’s 1919 “Life in a Large Manufacturing Plant,” the story of General Electric’s Schenectady Works, takes a surprising turn in its description of the apprenticeship courses offered at GE, suggesting boys not waste their time with college: “One of the problems facing most boys of 16 who are trying to choose a profession is:…
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Bike Commuting, Old School
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There was a time when large swaths of the population rode bicycles to get from place to place. Even blue-collar factory workers rode to work, as evidenced by this wonderful photo of a bicycle shed at the General Electric Schenectady Works. In addition to bicycles, workers poured out of the main plant by bus,…
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The Meal Plan at GE
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Again from 1919, a look at where a typical GE worker in Schenectady would enjoy that typical 25-cent midday meal: in the Schenectady Works Restaurant. This plan is just of the first floor; we can presume the second floor was more of the same. Though perhaps it didn’t have a cigar case. A cigar…
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A Typical 25-Cent Midday Meal
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In case you were wondering whether General Electric’s Schenectady Works provided adequate nutrition for its workers in 1919, you may rest assured. For starters, Charles Ripley, author of “Life in A Large Manufacturing Plant,” wants you to know that the bill of fare for a typical noonday meal served to employees was the “full…
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The Edison Club and Edison Hall
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In 1919, Charles M. Ripley wrote a thorough description of General Electric’s Schenectady Works, which then numbered 22,000 workers who formed both the economic and social lifeblood of the city. Among the social clubs formed by this burgeoning workforce was The Edison Club: “The Edison Club was formed in 1904 as a result of…
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Correction
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That’s three-quarters of a cup of flour. Not 2¾. The Gazette apologizes to anyone who tried to down one of these walnut bars. (1978)