100 years ago in The Record
Tuesday, June 26, 1917
In a rare move, the Troy Taxpayers’ Association comes out in support of Mayor Cornelius F. Burns’s stand on the paving of Second Street.
The Association usually rails against the mayor and city council for their alleged extravagance with taxpayers’ money. On this occasion, however, Association president O. F. Kinloch believes that the mayor is taking the more fiscally conservative position.
At issue is whether the county board of supervisors will authorize the paving of a section of Second Street with wood. In a public letter read at today’s meeting of the city board of contract and supply, presided over by the mayor, Kinloch explains that Troy’s past experiments with wood pavement have failed.
“Several years ago, some of our citizens had an attack of wood pavementitis and were effectually cured by the results of contracts awarded to three companies, each having the best wood pavement in the world,” Kinloch writes.
“Each company was allotted one city block to demonstrate their claim. Very shortly it was proven that none were suitable. All buckled and developed a series of hummocks and holes, and we hope the city will be spared the expense of another like experience.”
Kinloch also hopes that “our county officials will manage to endure a pavement not so expensive as wood and let our citizens have a brief respite from unnecessary taxation.”
FIGHT NIGHT
Tuesday night is fight night for local boxing fans who flock to Albany’s National Sporting Club every week. Four Troy fighters see action on tonight’s card.
In the co-main event, middleweight Battling Thomas of the Collar City loses a tenround decision to Jimmy “Battling Blacksmith” O’Hagen of Albany. Reporters at ringside rule that O’Hagen won six of the ten rounds.
The Albany fighter knocks Thomas down twice in the first few seconds of the fight, but the southpaw injures his left hand doing so. Thomas wins the next four rounds before O’Hagen gets accustomed to punching with his right hand.
Over the last four rounds the Blacksmith “tried desperately to put Thomas away,” as Sunday Budget sportswriter Sam Cohen reports, “but the latter proved he can stand the gaff well.”
Two Troy featherweights fight in a semi-final bout. Coming out of retirement, Jack Troy battles Patsy Rubino to a six-round draw. Cohen thinks Rubino has a slight edge, but gives extra credit to the lighter Troy and claims that “neither boy should feel aggrieved over such a decision.”
In a preliminary bout, flyweight Darkey Smith and Albany’s Jimmy Phillips “amused the spectators” in a four-round draw showcasing Smith’s mastery of “the comical stuff” in the ring.