OGH Commentary

[fiona]

Yes, you are right about Mrs. Gorman, and she is mentioned in one of Jon's earlier posts, as NOT being the owner of a disorderly house. This is not true from what I read when I was researching John Karl and Carrie Cobb. That's how I first came to know about Mrs. Gorman. Also, you cannot change the history about Mother Lavender, (LOL) by taking her from Post Street and putting her out in Whitesboro. (Mabye we could have her, say, live next door to the Millers on Main street??) If you want to do that it is better to have a Mother Lavender like character. A Black banshee?? Now that's interesting. I'll have to ask Annie what she thinks of that.

[Dave]

May 23, 2010 22:30:59 GMT -5 fiona said:

Yes, you are right about Mrs. Gorman, and she is mentioned in one of Jon's earlier posts, as NOT being the owner of a disorderly house. This is not true from what I read when I was researching John Karl and Carrie Cobb. That's how I first came to know about Mrs. Gorman. Also, you cannot change the history about Mother Lavender, (LOL) by taking her from Post Street and putting her out in Whitesboro. (Mabye we could have her, say, live next door to the Millers on Main street??) If you want to do that it is better to have a Mother Lavender like character. A Black banshee?? Now that's interesting. I'll have to ask Annie what she thinks of that.

Yes, a Mother Lavender-like character would be terrific! What function would she serve? Maybe the voice of the practical. For all her pizzazz, she is a model of clear thinking and unhampered by the Victorian nonsense. I had some time ago thought of that role for Annie, but I am now beginning to see her more as a victim. She may be more worldly than Mary, but she is still a child and a product of her times. Lavender, on the other hand, is a sort of voice of wisdom and even modernity (not that they are always coincidental), who helps the reader to remember their sanity and helps to point out to us the nonsensical nature of some of the forces acting upon them.

However, Lavender in reality isn't going to see much to comment upon, due to her vast difference in class from the Conklings. Unless she has access to the household through employment. Or she is Julia's personal fortune-teller or seance spiritualist.

[fiona]

Everything is interconnected in the world of a novel. Let's think about this for a moment. The characters: last writing I introduced a character, a 12 year old negro boy whom I have named
Jacob Isreal Titus. He works for the Conkling's as a stable boy and was leading the carriage into the barn when Sarah fainted, but he is going to grow up into a righeous man, a Preacher and we will meet him again when the GF burns. Now, I know a lot about Jacob Isreal, because I invented him. (For instance, all novelists and writers know a lot more about their characters than they can ever write, is that not so?) I know where he lives with his mother on Post Street and I gave him the last name of Titus, as it is an old family name in Utica, as you may know. Now, do you recall the person , the "old half blind colored woman" who worked in the restaurant of the GF, the one who was resumably lost in the fire, the one some reporter named Mable Hawkins? Mable Hawkinf Titus. Well, this is Jacob Isreal's mother and I have made her into a laundress for the Conklings. I am going to introduce her into the story as about age 25, in 1873, which would make her about 55, in 1896. Jacob Isreal is her oldest child, born when she was about 13. She is a washerwoman, very religious, yet, of course still aproduct of her times, who works in the Wash House down on Post Street. We may meet her briefly in an upcoming segment, and see her through the eyes and thoughts of her son. So, does it not follow that she and her son would have known Mother Lavender? Wait until I finish and post my scene or use these characters in your own segment. That way we can do some sort of tie in, yet to be determined.

[Dave]

Excellent! And you may not need Mother Lavender since you have Jacob and his mother.

[fiona]

Right you are, but Mother Lavender may sneak in. I have to begin the writing and if she speaks to me, so be it. You are right. At this point I feel that I know enough about Post Street now, through Jon's work, to invent a believable family of characters. Incidentally, Mable Hawkins Titus is tall and thin, very dark skinned, has a space between her front teeth, blind in her left eye and has three other children, the youngest is age four, a bright boy. She came up to Utica from South Carolina low country just after the Civil War, when she was 17, with her two children, her son Jacob Isreal, and a daughter, whom I have not named. She is married to a man I will name Joseph Titus, but left him when she came North. She never hears from him and does not know where he is. This is just an FYI in case you want to do something with this character. I will not be using all this information at one time. Any thoughts will be appreciated.

[Dave]

Success!! Fiona, I see you've been able to successfully post on the locked thread! (And even modify the post with the kitchen photo, too.) That's great! Evidently, from the length of the post, you are also now able to copy and post text into a post.
Dave

[fiona]

Hello all. I haven't posted here for a while, but I have some good news! For those familiar with the OGH story line and the GF research, I have met and will be talking to, a man whose Grandfather lived at the Flats and was in the fire. This man's name is Ted McQuade. he is the grandson of Theodore McQuade, who lived in the Flats, on I believe the 6th or 7th floor. I met him at my lecture on the GF for landmarks last month. At that time he introduced himself to me and he had with him a single Sterling silver plate that was saved from the fire by his great grandmother, Regina McQuade. You can read their story - the story of their escapes - here later on this evening. It is a fabulous story taken from the 3/5/1896 edition of the Saturday Globe and is entitled: "Their hats were afire !" He is coming to see me on Monday and bringing pictures of the McQuades, the plate, as well as a photo of the dog and the dog's collar. Apparantly his grandmother was saved by her little doggie! I am very excited about this and plan to interview him at some length. I will then post the interview, with his permission, as well as the photos of the doggie, plate and collar, and or family members. Stand by and watch this space for more updates! blessings to all.

[Dave]

Fiona, to get the audience warmed up, here's the story. "Their Hats Were Afire" was a paragrah title from the Saturday Globe's "Mad Revel of Death" story.



The Saturday Globe, March 7th 1896
THE MAD REVEL
OF FIRE AND DEATH


THEIR HATS WERE AFIRE

Theodore McQuade, his brother, William, their mother and several other ladies were among the last to leave the building and they found their way to the fire escape by the light of the flames, which were consuming their apartments. Theodore McQuade, who is a light sleeper, was awakened by the noise outside and going to the balcony looked out. When he saw the fire he immediately notified the family. They occupied an apartment on the sixth floor near the north end of the building. Dressing himself he went upstairs and notified Dr. Ulrey, who occupied the apartment immediately above. When Mr. McQuade first awoke there was no smoke in the hallways, but now they were filling rapidly and when he returned to the sixth floor it was so dense that the family, who had now been joined by other ladies, were unable to make their way to the fire escape and the smoke was pouring into the apartments. The ladies were led to the balcony in the hope that rescuers might reach them. Here the party waited, but no ropes or ladders came to them. Had there been an ax about, Mr. McQuade says, he would have chopped a hole in the floor of the balconies and lowered the ladies, continuing this until ladders were reached, but axes ordinarily are a useless encumbrance in an apartment house and so there were none. Finally, gazing through the windows, off the balcony, they saw that the flames, sweeping through the rear hall, had driven off the smoke and they could make their way to the fire escape. As they rushed through the hall the flames licked their faces and Mr. McQuade's hat took fire. As they passed down the fire escape flames, darting from the windows, caused Mrs. McQuade's hat to take fire and it was in a blaze when the ground was reached. Looking up they saw waves of flame pouring forth from the apartments they had left.


SAVED BY A FIREMAN

Dr. Stanley M. Ulrey, who with his wife occupied apartments on the seventh floor, gives an interesting experience, He was awakened by Theodore McQuade, who rapped on the doors and told them there was a fire. He got into his garments and went into the hall and found it so full of smoke that he was driven back. He then went to the balcony and burst open the door leading to the adjoining apartment, hoping in this way to find passage to a hall into which the smoke had not yet entered. In bursting the doors he cut his hand severely. Finding escape in this direction impossible he returned to his apartments and then tried to find his way through the smoke to the fire escape. But the smoke was too dense. He lit a match, but it would not burn. He set fire to a newspaper, hoping to blaze his way to a fire escape, but this too was squelched by the dense smoke. Next he returned to the balcony and found that other people had gathered there. One younger woman, Miss Harwood, in the excitement of the moment had tied some sheets around the balcony railing and was about to through herself over and lower herself to the next balcony. Dr. Ulrey saw that she had tied a weak knot and restrained her from trusting to it, fearing she would be dashed to death in the street. She struggled and finally threw herself over. The doctor clung to her wrists and tried to draw her back, but was unable to do so. For three minutes he held her there, swaying in mid air. When he realized that his strength must soon give out he began to swing her so as to drop her onto the balcony beneath. Just as he let go a man who had run out on the story below caught her and pulled her in. Miss Harwood ran through the apartment and got upon the fire escape at the rear and got out.

In the meantime a number of women had gathered about Dr. Ulrey. By his coolness he preserved their lived. He kept them out on the balcony until a fireman, the hero's Hanlon, appeared on the balcony below and shouted: "Get for the stairway, and you have only about two seconds to do it." "We cannot find our way down," replied Dr. Ulrey. "You get for the stairway," again shouted the fireman, and they obeyed. Telling the ladies to take hold of each other, the doctor led the way through the smoke and down the staircase and as he reached the sixth floor the fireman appeared and piloted them down the other stairways to the ground. "The face of that fireman on the fifth floor," said Dr. Ulrey afterwards, "Was the gladdest I ever saw. But for him we must have perished as the flames were already approaching us and we had no means of escape."



Also, in the Daily Union - Thursday March 3, 1896

Fire! Fire! Fire!

"This is the list of people who live in the flats: Mrs. Butcher and daughter; ........Mrs. McQuade and two sons; ......"


And a "Genesee Flats Fire Summary" in the Utica Weekly Herald, March 10, 1896


A HOLOCAUST.

The line ...

"No. 41-Mrs. Regina McQuade and sons."



Have we ever found a layout for the apartment numbers in the Genesee Flats? I can't remember.


By the way, kudos to Jon for his transcription of the above stories, which appeared originally in Clipper's Busy Corner Forum.

I have all of it saved as files for easier searching, because the proboards search facility is limited.

[Dave]

OGH Commentary: (Fiona wrote:) "OK So, I guess we can start anywhere - doesn't matter to me - let's start with the scene where Mary gets off the train - where she flashes her ankle at the conductor - let's read it over critically first."

I'll try to read it today and post after.