1899
Horatio Alger died after producing over 135 “dime novels”. The Western Power forced the
Open Door Policy on China. C. G. Curtis invented the gas turbine (after inventing the steam
turbine in 1896). Cuba became an independent republic.
Parker, Trustee Chairman
Thatcher Joined Trustees
No Certificates
Football and St. Lawrence
Lecturers
Entrance Requirements
Shop Work
Parker, Trustee Chairman.
Abraham X. Parker became chairman of the Board of Trustees to
succeed the deceased John G. McIntyre.
Thatcher Joined Trustees.
Hervery Thatcher, inventor of the milk bottle, was elected to fill
the vacancy on the Board. Thatcher also is credited with inventing such other interesting items
as a new baking powder, butter colorizer, a checker game, and a paper cap for milk bottles. He
was an eccentric who used to wear elastic-sided shoes with no laces, for he said a person spends
months of his life lacing and unlacing his shoes, and he (Thatcher) couldn’t waste that time. He
once stopped “Doc” Powers on the Raquette River bridge to ask him if he ever tried to figure
out how people multiplied and divided using Roman numerals.
No Certificates.
Clarkson awarded no certificates this year.
Football and St. Lawrence.
After suffering a humiliating loss of 65-0 in their first football
encounter against the arch-foe from Canton, Clarkson’s team worked hard to prepare for the
1899 game. Between the 1898 game and the one a year later, Clarkson had enrolled some
rugged outstanding athletes from the north country.
In those days, even the coach could play, so when the surprised St. Lawrence team
found itself on the losing side of a 6-0 score late in the game, they offered to substitute their
coach as a player. Meeting no objection, the coach took his place on the line to considerable
razzing from the fans. When the game ended, a few minutes later, the score remained the same
6-0, and Clarkson’s humiliation was avenged.
Lecturers.
To supplement the material in these early courses, the Director invited specialists to
the School for lectures. Among those invited were the following:
Leffert Buck, Chief Engineer of the East River Bridge, to talk about Long-span Bridges
William Kent, Associate Editor of
Engineering New,
to talk on Coal
Rev. Isaac Morgan, DD, to talk on Professional Ethics
