JUST COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 1999 NOW ORIGINAL PAINTING BY JENNIE WILLIAMS NOW COMPLETED This original painting, is the winning proposal for a mural in the walkway to the City Parking Garage in Downtown Oneonta. The painting was donated to the Mural Project by Jennie Williams to raffle for paints for later Mural Projects. IN THE WALKWAY TO THE CITY PARKING GARAGE: Unveiled September 1999. HERE'S HOW IT LOOKED: Working with Jason Pacheco and David Lugo of Job Corps. Jason wrote out the Roundhouse stories in calligraphic lettering and assisted in installation beneath the mural. Beginning with the Lunchbox stories, stories of the Oneonta Roundhouse in its heyday were told, along with descriptions of the structure. The Oneonta Roundhouse was the largest steam engine roundhouse in the world for 25 years The man at the top left hand corner holds a D&H lunchbox in his hand. Cal and Ruth Davidson of Treadwell, NY lent this authentic D&H lunchpail to the project to be painted into the mural. History of the Oneonta Roundhouse was researched with active assistance of Chris Lord, chief mechanic of the Leatherstocking Railway Society, Bill Austin, Mary Harris Serau of the New York State Room - Huntington Library, with costuming assistance of Donna Briggs. The main reference is the wonderful Oneonta Roundhouse by Jim Loudon. The mural is sponsored by the Leatherstocking Historical Railway Association, under the direction of Association President Bruce Hodges. disbursing the NYS Decentralization NYSCA grant written by the artist.

Part of Jason Pacheco's calligraphy, beneath the mural his work describes the roundhouse and tells stories of its heyday. Here is the description and 2 of the stories that he has written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’S BOILER HOT. HE WAS FOUND DEAD UNDER THE TURNTABLE AT 8:30 PM. HE HAD GONE OFF DUTY AT 7 PM, HITCHING A RIDE ON AN ENGINE LEAVING THE ROUNDHOUSE. WHILE THE ENGINE REVOLVED ON THE TURNTABLE PLATFORM, A LID FELL FROM HIS LUNCH BOX AND HE CLIMBED DOWN INTO THE PIT TO RETRIEVE IT. WHILE SEARCHING FOR THE LID IN THE DARK, HE CONTACTED ELECTRICAL CABLES THAT POWERED THE TABLE AND WAS FROZEN BY THE CURRENT. MR. WILDENSTIEN’S ELECTROCUTION SHORTED THE POWER CONNECTIONS ON THE TABLE. THE OPERATOR ASKED FOR HELP IN ROTATING THE TURNTABLE BY HAND, NOT REALIZING THAT HE WAS CRUSHING HIS FELLOW WORKER. HOW A MAN WAS SAVED BY THE LUNCHBOXES IN THE COAL POCKET FIRE OF 1946. 8 LOADED COAL CARS SAT UPON THE TRACKS ABOVE THE BURNING COAL CHUTE, ACCIDENTALLY IGNITED BY A WORKER USING AN ACETYLENE TORCH. WATER PRESSURE WAS TOO LOW TO FIGHT THE BLAZE AND A STRONG WIND FANNED THE FIRE, WHICH QUICKLY RAGED OUT OF CONTROL. THE D&H FOREMAN SENT 12 MEN TO THE TOP WITH TORCHES TO SEPARATE THE TRESTLE FROM THE STRUCTURE. THE HEAT FROM THE FLAMES BECAME SO INTENSE THAT THE FIREFIGHTERS WERE FORCED TO WITHDRAW, BUT THE D&H WORKERS CONTINUED CUTTING, UNAWARE THAT MOST OF THE TRESTLE SUPPORTS HAD BURNED AWAY. WHEN THE STRUCTURE COLLAPSED THE CREW MEMBERS WERE HURLED IN THE AIR, APPEARING TO ONLOOKERS AS A HUMAN SHOWER FALLING TO THE GROUND. 2 MEN WERE KILLED, 9 MEN INJURED, BUT ONE WAS MIRACULOUSLY SAVED. KEITH WIER HAD BEEN ORDERED TO THE GROUND TO GET THE LUNCHPAILS FOR THE MEN WORKING ON THE TRESTLE. HE REACHED THE GROUND ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE THE TRESTLE COLLAPSED.

SCHEDULED FOR THE YEAR 2000 THE ENTRYWAY MURAL: STEAM FIRE ENGINE This mural will be painted with Keim mineral pigment system: a special potassium silicate based paint which petrifies to the surface of masonry. Murals painted in Europe with this paint have survived well for over 100 years. The SITE: law office as it currently appears. FAST FACTS: COLONEL SNOW'S FIRE ENGINE Colonel Snow bought this engine boiler in 1876 for Oneonta. Several volunteer fire companies existed then in Oneonta. Fights broke out over which company would fight the fire. Companies were entirely volunteer until Oneonta incorporated in 1909. This boiler was the first of its kind in the entire Otsego area. Horses ran down Main Street daily, pulling the boiler as a drill. Harnesses dropped down onto the horses when the fire bell rang so they could get to the fire as fast as possible. THANK YOU TO ONEONTA'S HUNTINGTON LIBRARY NEW YORK STATE ROOM FOR PROVISION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS AND INVALUABLE ASSISTANCE AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES RESEARCHED BY JENNIE WILLIAMS