THE COMING FAIR

Horse racing, poultry and prize stock exhibits and midway entertainments will be the features of the twenty-fourth annual fair of the Albany County Agricultural society at Altamont, Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, inclusive. E. G Crannell, president, and Junius D. Ogsbury, secretary, are confident the fair this year will surpass any conducted by the society in previous years.

The principal attraction will be the horse racing. There will be six races, five of which will be open for both trotters and pacers. Horses not getting a mark faster than class up to Aug. 1 are eligible to enter. The fair management has increased the purses for four of the races to $500. Last year all races were for purses of $400, and the larger sum is expected to attract owners of the best and fastest horses in this part of the state.
 

New School of Agriculture Ready for Students

The Schoharie State School of Agriculture at Cobleskill will open its doors to students in October of the present year. The appropriations provided at the last session of the legislature insure ample facilities for instruction in agricultural pursuits. A mina building 40 by 100 feet, with three floors has been constructed and equipped at a cost of $55,000; a dairy and horse barn is now in process of erection and plans are drawn for a special dary building to cost $35,000, for instruction in dairy and livestock farming. A farm of 90 acres of tillable land adjoins the school and funds are available for stocking and equipping the same.…

The length of the course is two years. No tuition is charged to residents of New York state. In order to gain entrance an applicant must be at least 16 years of age and must have completed eighth grade work in the common schools.
 

VILLAGE NOTES

—The Altamont Free library, which was made possible by the efforts of the Colony Club opened auspiciously last week, a large number of our residents taking advantage of the privilege of getting books. The library is located in the residence of Mrs. N. A. Sturges on Maple avenue and is under the management of Mrs. Stephen Ostrander. The library will be open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week, from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m.
 

WOMAN FALLS OVER CLIFF.

Hanging by one foot 100 feet in the air was the thrilling experience of Mrs. Jean Westlake of New York city, when she accidentally plunged over a precipice near the Indian Ladder in John Boyd Thacher park in the Helderbergs. She was taken to the Albany hospital suffering from a severe nervous shock, a sprained ankle and a wrenched leg and on Sunday was discharged in a plaster Paris cast.

Mrs. Westlake had been spending the summer at the Mattice camp at Warner’s Lake, and with a number of friends decided to visit the Indian Ladder. After lunch Mrs. Westlake suggested that they take a trip over the trail, a narrow path which leads directly around the side of the mountain. At many points on this trail there is a straight drop of 100 and 200 feet.

Mrs. Westlake was quite a distance ahead of the others, when suddenly they heard her scream and saw her disappear over the side of the narrow path. They were horrified upon looking down the side of the precipice to see Mrs. Westlake about 25 feet beneath them hanging by one foot. In her plunge the woman’s right foot had caught in the roots of a tree. Her friends realized that if the roots gave way she would drop to certain death some 200 feet below on the rocks.

Rushing to a nearby farm house one of the men secured a piece of rope. Quickly a large loop was lowered to the woman. She grasped the rope and placed the loop about her waist and was drawn to safety.

Mrs. Westlake was placed in a rig and rushed to the Mattice camp. Dr. Thomas Holmes was called and advised that she be removed to the Albany hospital.

The accident, it is said, was due to the fact that the rain had loosened the dirt along the trail and when Mrs. Westlake walked too near the edge it crumbled off.