100 years ago in The Record

Friday, Sept. 14, 1917

Following the U. S. declaration of war against Germany last April, 18 year old Sidney Schmay of 86 Oakwood Avenue enlisted in the U. S. Navy. The Record reports today that Schmay died of pneumonia two days ago in an undisclosed location. Mr. and Mrs. John T. Schmay received notification of their son’s death yesterday from the federal Bureau of Navigation. “How he became ill with pneumonia or where he died is a mystery to the parents of the boy, as the dispatch does not say where he was when death occurred,” our reporter writes, “But from the fact that the message states that the officials will cablegram for further information leads them to believe that their boy died ‘ Somewhere in France.’” Sidney Schmay served as a seaman aboard the USS Newport News a former German cargo ship confiscated by the U. S. after the declaration of war and used for transatlantic cargo runs. In civilian life, Schmay had been a machinist’s helper at the Watervliet Arsenal and an assistant secretary of the Sunday school of Christ Episcopal Church. “He was an active church worker and had a host of friends,” our writer notes.

SUNDAY FIXED FOR DEPARTURE

Troy’s National Guard troops have been stuck “Somewhere in Vicinity” of New York City for nearly three weeks, but our correspondent with the 111th U. S. Infantry reports today that the men are newly confident that they’ll be on their way to a Spartansburg SC training facility this weekend.

While “direct train orders from Governor’s Island had not been received up to noon, and these are essential as to entraining,” sources at regimental headquarters tell our writer that “These orders are expected at any hour.”

The orders are expected to instruct the troops to board trains for Jersey City on Sunday, September 16.

“The regiment to a man has been hoping against hope all week that the miracle would happen that would produce the necessary cars for transportation needs,” the reporter writes, “but that hope had all but gone a- glimmering, except with a few who refused to give up until Sunday had been heard from, as most of themost important moves of the regiment have been made on a Sunday.”

To be specific, the local guardsmen left Troy to begin their 1916 border- patrol stint in Texas on a Sunday, and received orders to head home from Texas on a Sunday as well.

“And now Sunday has apparently come through again,” our writer adds. The regiment hopes to get moving before next week’s planned mass movement of draftees to training facilities ties up train lines across the country.