A 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, once owned by Gisela von Krieger, was discovered in 1989 by a legal team settling her estate. It was apparently in storage for 40 years.  Henning von Krieger, her brother, was the original owner, who paid $7,000 for the car in the late 1930s - right before the breakout of World War II. Gisela, a Prussian baroness, loved the car, and had it shipped to Switzerland when she fled Nazi Germany. (Gisela had a romantic relationship with a Jewish Englishman and feared she would be persecuted if she remained.)

                         PHOTO:   Greenwich Time

Eventually, Gisela moved to Connecticut, and stored the Merceds-Benz in a Greenwich Cab garage on Railroad Avenue. The car was moved to the Homestead Inn in the 1950s, where Gisela spent her summers. She moved back to Switzerland in 1958 and planned to return to the United States. Several automobile collectors expressed interest in the vehicle, but Gisela said she wouldn't decide on selling it until she returned from Switzerland.  Unfortunately, her brother died the following year and her return was postponed. 

Gisela passed away in 1989.  She left no will!  Ownership of the vehicle was up-in-the air.  In 1994, Krieger's "estate" received ownership, and well-known collector Lee Herrington purchased the vehicle in March 1998.  The car had been in storage for 4 decades by the time Herrington moved it to New Hampshire.

The Roadster is now 75-years old.  It's 17-feet long, and 6-feet wide.  The white sidewall tires stand out against the black exterior.  Collectors describe it as being in pristine condition.  It's a tribute to German engineering. 

In August 2012, the vehicle was sold for $11.77 million at the Concours d'Elegance at Pebble Beach in California!  Not bad for a $7,000 investment.

THANKS TO:   Christopher Meyer, Reporter, Greenwich Time

One of the most exciting events of the Greenwich Bicentennial Celebration of 1976 was the parade of Tall Ships passing the Greenwich shoreline.  The Bicentennial marked 200 years of United States independence.
 
These vessels were headed to Operation Sail 1976, which was held on Saturday, July 3rd, in New York Harbor.  Ships  sailed up the Hudson River,  passing the Statue of Liberty.  The Greenwich Bicentennial Committee, with the cooperation of various local boat and yacht clubs, arranged for 11 ships to anchor in Greenwich (Captain's) Harbor, and members of the respective clubs provided room and board to crew members.   Other towns along the Connecticut shore - such as Norwalk and Stamford - offered similar accomodations. 

The "Greenwich 11" arrived late Friday, July 2nd.    Local boaters tried to get a look at the Tall Ships. The boats were not open for public visitation. They were  left early on Saturday, July 3rd, to sail up the Hudson.  A Maritime Parade along the Greenwich coast was arranged to begin at 4pm on Sunday.  At the end, the boats would anchor off Island Beach and watch a fireworks display that night at 9:30 pm.   The vessels  came from all over the world.  They included:
 
  
    "St. Lawrence II" from Canada
    "Gypsy Moth V" and  Outlaw from England
    "Sayula" from Mexico
    "Tina IV", "Meteor" and "Kukri" from Germany
    "Zenobee Gramm" from Belgium
    "Appakispic" from the Panama Canal Zone
    "Unicorn",  "Regis Maris" and "Deliverance" from the United States
 
 
The Greenwich Bicentennial Marine Parade included a total of 165 vessels.  Resident Fred Mason's 72-foot boat "Lion's Share" led the parade.  It began at Buoy 32A off Greenwich Point, and ended at Byram Shore.  The boats displayed many colorful flags, and some crews wore revolutionary garb.  John Bartol's boat "Gambit VI" served as a Judges' Reviewing Boat.  This was anchored just south of Indian Harbor Yacht Club.  The judges included:  Alfred Varner, Moderator of the RTM;  Ruppert Vernon, First Selectman; Stacey Orphanos, member of the Belle Haven Club; and some other dignitaries.  Prizes were awarded in several categories.

Thousands of people travelled to Greenwich Point and Grass Island to view the parade.  The gates were closed early when the parks were filled to capacity.  Richard Schlosser's boat "Muffin II" served as a press boat.  As a safety measure, the US Coast Guard, Greenwich Marine Police and various boat clubs helped patrol the harbors and course. Outside of a brief, 10-minute thunderstorm, the weather was ideal.

After the parade, the boats anchored off Island Beach.  A Dixieland Band on the "Islander III" ferry serenaded the crews.  There was a series of parties all over the harbor.  By the time the fireworks display was over, there were 600 boats in Long Island Sound! 

As the events of the evening ended, one viewer commented on the string of lights that stretched from Byram Shore to Old Greenwich Cove as happy residents returned home in their boats after the historic celebration.
 
There have been other occassions when Tall Ships sailed in local waters. Greenwich resident Tom Watson, the Curator for the Maritime Museum in New York City, was instrumental in OpSail programs.  Twenty-two Tall Ships participated in Operation Sail 1986, which was part of the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty.  Several ships were guests of the Indian Harbor and Riverside Yacht Clubs.  These included "The Bounty", the Danish ship "Elinore" and the Irish ship "St. Patrick".  In 1990, two-hundred ships helped celebrate the 350th Anniversary of the Town of Greenwich.  One included a Soviet ship, which encountered a great deal of difficulty from US Customs officials.  OpSail '92  commemorated the 500th anniversary of Columbus' voyage to the New World.  Approximately 200 ships participated in this armada. OpSail 2000 was a special Milennium event for Connecticut. The parade was held in New London, which provided a somewhat more centralized location for local travelers. The SoundWaters "Clear Water" vessel sailed up the coast to participate in the armada.
 
Over the years, additional activities were added to raise funds for worthwhile causes..  One such event was the Tall Ships Ball, which began around 1995.   This was held at one of the local yacht clubs, and raised money for the non-profit environmental group SoundWaters.
 
There's something majestic about Tall Ships.  As the wind quietly fills the sails and propels the imposing vessel forward, it projects an image of this country's strength and fortitude. They've been critical to our history.  Early settlers crossed the ocean in ships.  Sailors used ships for whaling and fishing.  They were used for transporting local agricultural and manufactured products to market.  They were used to transport people to faraway ports.   Tall Ships have played an important part in our history.  
 
I, for one, hope there will be more Tall Ships passing our shores and seeking shelter in our harbors in the future. 
 
SOURCE:   Greenwich Time

One of the busiest rooms in Town Hall is the Cone Meeting Room located on the second floor.  This room was named after Joseph W. Cone, who was the first Commissioner of Public Works in Greenwich.

Joseph Warren Cone was born on October 6, 1881, in Southport CT.  He was educated in the public schools of Norwalk.  At age 16, he dropped out of school to become an apprentice and millwright (person responsible for installation, repair, etc. of machinery).  Cone made $3 for a 60-hour week!   He also became a "boss knitter", which is a supervisor who monitors the quality of output. 

                              SOURCE:   GREENWICH TIME 

Mr. Cone must have developed a keen interest in engineering (and finished high school)  because he eventually enrolled at Yale University in this field.  In his junior year he was an assistant instructor in plane surveying, and in his senior year he was an assistant instructor in railroad engineering.  Cone received a prize in Civil Engineering at the University.  He took two years of general honors courses, and graduated "Primum Honoris" (First Honor) in 1905.  His membership in the Sigma XI honor fraternity  set him apart from his contemporaries.   Joseph must have believed in the value of common sense because he talked about a "CS Degree" - a "Common Sense" Degree.  This, most likely, came from his life experiences.  Some would call it "the college of hard knocks".

During World War I,  he served as a Captain in Battery A, 41st Regiment, Railroad Artillery.   He joined the civil engineering company S.E. Minor in Greenwich after the war, and became a partner in 1921.  By 1927 he was the Treasurer, and was owner from 1931 to 1940.  Cone was appointed the first Commissioner of Public Works in Greenwich in January 1940.  In this capacity, he was responsible for subdivisions of property, property surveys, and title surveys.  He designed and built the first concrete highways in the state.  Cone organized the first town DPW with the Divisions of Highways, Sewers, Buildings, Parks and Trees, and Waste Disposal.

Governor Wilbur Cross appointed him to the State Board of Registrations for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.  Governor Raymond E. Baldwin appointed him to the State Board of Supervisors of Dams and Reservoirs.  The professional associations he belonged to include:  Connecticut Society of Engineers, Yale Engineering Association, National Society of Professional Engineers and the Connecticut State Board of Civil Engineers.  He also served as technical advisor to the Fairfield County Planning Association.

He was very active in the community. Cone was a Director of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce,  Director of the Greenwich Title Company, Secretary and Director of the Greenwich Mortgage Company, member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and belonged to the Masons. He was also active in the Riverside Yacht Club and Graduate Club of New Haven.

 After 13 years of public sevice with the town, Joseph Cone retired.  He still remained active in town engineering, contributing to the construction of the Connecticut Turnpike and upgrading the sewage disposal system.

 Joseph W. Cone died on July 11, 1969.  He left behind a great legacy of public service and volunteerism.  The Town benefited from his dedication and leadership.  His life was full and rewarding.  Greenwich benefited greatly from his many gifts.

SOURCE: Greenwich Time

One of the most unusual bridges in Greenwich is the ornamental cast-iron bridge, which crosses over the railroad tracks on Riverside Avenue.

                   The Riverside Avenue Bridge                                        

                                        SOURCE:   Library of Congress

I found out this bridge was built in 1871 by the Keystone Bridge Company in Pittsburgh PA.  It was designed by Francis C. Lowthrop, and employs something called the "Whipple Truss". A truss bridge uses a triangular design to distribute the stress load from tension and/or compression evenly through its infrastructure. This section of bridge was one of six spans that once carried 2 tracks across the Housatonic River in Stratford.  As more trains were added, more tracks were needed to accomodate the traffic.  Furthermore, increasing business demanded more cars which required heavier locomotives, so stronger and wider bridges were needed. 

In 1884, the old cast-iron bridge was replaced, and the metal was recycled.  The 2- track cast-iron bridge was replaced with a 4-track wrought-iron structure.  Cast-iron fabrication involves heating pig iron to a liquid, then pouring it into moulds.   Wrought-iron is tougher, ductile, malleable and easily welded.   As a result, the new bridge was wider and stronger.  Some of the old cast-iron was used for highway bridges and recycled, while one span was brought to Greenwich and placed over the railroad tracks on Riverside Avenue between 1884 and 1885.  Originally, the bridge was rated to handle 5-tons of vehicle weight.  Subsequent improvements increased the limit to 8- to 11- to 15-  tons.  This limit was dropped to 11- tons after the 1988-1989 renovation.

                   View From  Railroad Tracks                                          

                       SOURCE:   Library of Congress

In the 1970s, the Riverside bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  After 1870, there were no bridges built from cast-iron.  Many of these bridges were replaced with wrought-iron when the tracks were widened, and it's reported that there are only one or two cast-iron bridges left in the country. This makes it an extremely rare structure.  

In  1988, a $2.37- million reconstruction of the bridge was undertaken.  People had complained about the "bumpy" bridge.   This was partially a result of the wooden boards, which made up the base of the structure.  Frost heaves had loosened much of the wood.   Traffic was re-routed while construction crews replaced the wood with reinforced concrete.  A pedestrian railing and protective walkway were also added.  The bridge was hailed as a "bridge within a bridge".  Some were impressed that the bridge had been strengthened while preserving its historic nature.  Not everyone was happy, however.  A few residents felt that raising the surface of the road and  installing a walkway  hid some of the ornamental detail of the bridge.

Technically, Metro-North Commuter Railroad owns the bridges across their tracks; but the Connecticut Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining the structures due to an agreement made with the railroad.   The Connecticut DOT was the agency that undertook the renovation in 1988. 

                                          Triangular Truss Construction

                                          SOURCE:  Library of Congress

In October 1989,  Ada Cantavero, who operated "Ada's Store" a few yards north of the bridge, cut the ceremonial ribbon to re-open the span.  She was very happy that the bridge  re-opened since she had lost business due to the detour. 

The American Society of Civil Engineers featured the bridge in their 1988 calendar, along with the Brooklyn Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.  These are some of the best-built and most beloved bridges in the United States.  Experts call them masterpieces of design and engineering.   I consider them symbols of early history and a testament to man's ingenuity.

There's something special about the Riverside bridge.  It appeals to my romantic side.  I can't help but think back to when the bridge was one of 6 spans that carried trains across the Housatonic.   Trains headed to some unknown destination.  Maybe to some adventure. 

Maybe it's just a "nod" to an earlier, simpler time. 

SOURCE

Greenwich Time

Our recent blizzard may have seemed monstrous to some residents; but it was nothing compared to The Great Blizzard of 1888! 

The blizzard - which occured between March 11th and 14th of that year - was the most severe recorded blizzard in US history up to that time.  Weather forecasting was very primitive in those days. There was no Weather Bureau.  There were only reports from the Department of War Signal Corps.  They certainly didn't have the technology we have today.  The forecast for this period predicted slightly warmer temperatures and fair weather, followed by rain.  There was no mention of an extreme drop in temperature, or a substantial snowfall.

Light snow began falling in Greenwich on Sunday around 4 pm, and continued through Monday and Tuesday. The snow changed to rain.  At midnight, the rain changed back to snow, and northeat winds increased to 50 mph.  The Greenwich Graphic reported that the snow fell fast, and there were great drifts throughout the area.  At daybreak on Monday, there were drifts "as high as mountains".  Snow was piled up to 6- to 8- feet along Greenwich Avenue.    An occassional horse and sleigh could be seen, but few people braved the storm.  All travel stopped by noon.  There were whiteout conditions.  People could only see about 50-feet ahead.  Drifts grew to  20-feet and 30-feet high.   The few stores that were open on Greenwich Avenue closed by 6 pm.  Lamplighter Alphous Owens was unable to get around to light the gas streetlamps!

On Tuesday morning, blue sky appeared at 9 am.  Men came out to begin clearing the sidewalks and streets.  This repreive was short-lived as the storm began again, in earnest!  Fifty men and 5 teams of oxen tried to keep the paths clear.  Residents J.C. Urion and Samuel B. Mead had brought out a yoke of oxen with a wood plow and huge sled to clear the streets.  The team got stuck in snow on Greenwich Avenue in front of the Samuel Mead house!  A gang of men had to tie rope to the oxens' horns to pull the team out.

  GREENWICH AVENUE DURING BLIZZARD OF 1888                          

     COURTESY:  GREENWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Store owners tried to keep the walkways clear, and went out several times up and down Greenwich Avenue with their shovels.  People were beginning to come out as they began to run out of provisions.   Fortunately, the stores were pretty well stocked.  Coal was in demand.  Some residents were able to get coal or wood from their neighbors.  Several teams of oxen plowed through the snow to open the road down to Waterbury and June's Coal yard on Steamboat Road.  Meat supplies began to run low; but grocer Augustus Brush actually walked to Norwalk (when the storm let up) and located a train car loaded with beef!  He had some of this brought to Greenwich by wagon.  Milkmen could not get around easily.  Dayton's Farm was able to get supplies through, but the owner refused to raise his price from 6-cents a gallon because he didn't want to take advantage of the residents during a difficult time!

It was impossible to get around town due to the ever-mounting snow.  Train service along the coast was halted as snow piled up.   Many people were stranded in Grand Central Station for several days until the first train arrived in Greenwich at 1:20pm on Thursday.  Then again, it could only travel as far as Stamford.  This meant no mail or newspaper service from New York and Boston for several days. There had been no mail service since Saturday - except for the diligent letter carriers, who brought mail  from Banksville and Round Hill, braving the storm.    Telegraph service ceased due to downed wires. Greenwich was indeed coutoff from the rest of the world.

The newspaper reported that the storm stopped at 8 pm on Tuesday evening.  Snow had fallen for 50 hours.  It was impossible to get a horse and carriage through the snow.  Residents were afraid that no fire hose carriage or truck could get through the snow in the event of fire.  Many hydrants were buried, and officials asked residents to dig them out.  Fortunately, the Borough of Greenwich cleared the roads very quickly.  As you can imagine, there was a large crowd of people waiting when the Post Office opened on Thursday.  As conditions continued to improve, people came out on sleighs to get around town.

There were several unusual stories associated with the blizzard.  Dr. Clarkson Mead from Port Chester got stuck on his horse in the snow when he was making a house call in Greenwich.   He had to climb a tree and call for help.  Several men responded and helped shovel out his horse.

The Fitzroy house and barn in Glenville was nearly covered with snow.  The owner had to crawl out a window and chop a hole in the side of his barn to get coal.

When a train loaded with Greenwich residents was stopped in Mount Vernon, passengers tried to find shelter;  but restaurant and hotel owners demanded exorbitant prices for their services!  Fortunately, local residents opened up their homes to the travelers.

Train riders Robert McNall and Spencer Mead decided to walk back to Greenwich from Mt. Vernon at 12 o'clock one day.  The duo didn't arrive back in Greenwich until 7 o'clock at night!  This would not be advisable today.

On a wider scale, the entire Northeast was reeling from the storm.  Forty to fifty inches of snow had fallen in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Maine.  Sustained winds were reported at 45 MPH, while gusts were measured at 80 MPH.  Fifty-foot snow drifts were reported, and some covered 3-story houses!  People were confined to their homes for up to 7 days.  An overnight temperature of 6-degrees F was reported.  Telegraph and telephone lines, as well as street lights, were totally destroyed.  The New York Stock Exchange even closed for two days.   The East Coast was paralyzed from Chesapeake Bay to Maine. 

It took 8-days to clear the New York-New Haven Railroad line in Wetsport, CT.  Even the elevated trains in New York City were halted!  Two hundred ships were grounded or wrecked.  Many local sloops were lost. One hundred seamen died.  Property loss from fire was reported to be $25-million.  Fire trucks were unable to respond to the alarms because streets were impassable.  There was severe flooding after the huge snow melt. Two hundred people died in New York City and  400 people died in New England.

NYC officials realized they had to implement some changes to prevent problems from future storms.  Telegraph, telephone and electricl wires were placed underground.  The first underground subway was built in the United States in Boston. The National Weather Bureau was created.   Improvements were made in weather forecasting to provide accurate information.  Today, we have weather satellites, Doppler radar and sophisticated computer weather models to predict severe weather.  Cellphones have replaced landlines.  Even though we have done a lot to lessen the effect of such storms, Mother Nature can still cripple major cities with heavy snows and winds.

 SOURCES:

The Greenwich Graphic

The New York Times