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Bits of Everything

APA Loses Big, Must Pay Legal Fees, Who is Responsible?

This is a big story when even the NY Times reports on it. The APA is taking such indefensible and outrageous positions (remember Foster Brook and the “waste” on the bottom of the lake?) that now taxpayers are having to bail them out. It will be interesting to see who is held responsible at the APA for this huge mess.

Bald Eagle Being Nursed Back to Health

A great story appeared recently in the Adirondack Journal about a group of local citizens who are trying to save an injured bald eagle.

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A Haitian Eyewitness

We’ve all been transfixed on the news stories coming out of Haiti recently after the devastating earthquake that country experienced. Recently I had a chance to speak to Catholic priest, Fr. Murat Dorcent, who was present during the earthquake that hit Haiti. I met him as he traveled through the Northeast telling Americans what they can do to help and to thank people for their generosity. Fr. Dorcent traveled a circuitous route through the Dominican Republic to get to the United States.

Fr. Dorcent is the pastor of Our Lady of the Nativity parish in Verrettes, Haiti. It is approximately 1.5 hours by car from Port-Au-Prince. His large parish encompasses one mother church, 14 mission chapels and 6 schools that educate over 1400 children. Some of the mission chapels can only be reached on foot. Fr. Dorcent’s parish community serves over 50,000 people. He described the area where he works as a mountainous area in the country. However, he happened to be in Port-Au-Prince the day of the earthquake. His country parish is now receiving survivors and refugees fleeing from the carnage of Port-Au-Prince. He related to me that he has told his staff to receive anyone fleeing Port-Au-Prince. He is providing food and shelter to all those who make it to his parish. Below is a map of where Fr. Dorcent’s parish is in relation to Port-Au-Prince.

In the weeks since the quake, Fr. Dorcent has received over 50 orphans into his parish and close to 1000 people who have fled the city. He is trying to equip one of his schools with sewing machines to teach the displaced how to sew so that they can have a skill in order to find work. He will feed them and house them as long as there is a need.

Fr. Dorcent speaks French and some English. The last time I spoke French was in high-school. The interview below is the best I could do given the language differences.

Father, can you tell us exactly what happened the day of the earthquake?

“I happened to find myself in Port-Au-Prince that day. I was near the Presidential palace. The earthquake was violent shaking up and down, left and right. Every building just fell down. I was outside, near the Presidential Palace and saw it collapse. I rushed to the seminary where 200 seminarians were trapped. Thousands of people screaming, fleeing, yelling. It was beyond awful in scope. No words can describe what I saw that day.”

How bad are things in Haiti now?

“Today, we talk only about matters of life and death. Like it says in the book of Isiah, suffering has been brought unto us. We have seen Good Friday, we don’t know when Easter will come.”

What are your immediate needs?

“Our short term need is for food. Any donations right now go toward feeding and housing the homeless. Our long term needs are for our schools. We have children but we also are trying to teach adults technical trades.”

I know you have traveled to the United States with a message for Americans. Can you tell us this message?

“May God bless and protect the people of North America. Now and forever. Haiti is forever grateful.”

Fr. Dorcent is returning to Haiti this week. To send a donation directly to him, I have listed his address below. He assured me that all aid he receives goes directly to those in greatest need. He has told the Huletts Current that he will give us further updates in the months ahead.

Pere Murat DORCENT
Cure de la Paroisse Notre Dame de la Nativite des Verrettes
Boite postale # 45 HT4310
Saint Marc, Haiti

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Bits of Everything

Cool Pictures from the Air

I found this site recently, www.PhotosFromOnHigh.com, and there was a page dedicated to local sites which everyone should recognize.

New Lake George Mystery Book

If you want to curl up on a cold winter night with a good Lake George mystery you might want to check out Perky’s Projects review of Cold Winter Nights by Anne White.

Finally the Train May Run on Time

The Post Star reports that things may be speeding up for train service into Whitehall.

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Saturday Quote

“They (who) seek to establish systems of government based on the regimentation of all human beings by a handful of individual rulers call this a new order. It is not new and it is not order”

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945

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LG Park Commission Claims Success Against Milfoil

The Lake George Park Commission released a press release documenting good success against Eurasian Watermilfoil.

Although eight new sites were added this year, 164 of the 177 locations where milfoil has ever been recorded were cleared in 2009, a 92.7% rate, the highest rate recorded in the twenty-four
year history of the program. There was a reduction in the number of un-managed milfoil beds from 16 to 9, also the best annual achievement recorded. The 15 remaining beds and moderate areas are smaller in area and compare to a high of 41 in 1999. Several huge persistent milfoil beds, the subject of intense management effort for years, were pronounced cleared for the first time in 2009.

Read the whole report here.

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Is It A Date?

A number of people have requested this, so I’ve gone ahead and added a Calendar to the top menu which will bring you to an embedded Google calendar on its own page. I’m going to be testing this over the next couple of weeks. If you single click an event, you will get a pop-up box with more details of the event.

I just have some Town Board and School Board meetings in it so far but hopefully this will grow. If you have an event that you want me to add, just drop me a comment.

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Bits of Everything

Get a Mask, Pickup Trash

The Post Star notes some great work by scuba divers who pickup garbage from the lake bottom.

Whitehall: Boats & Recycling

The Whitehall Times had two interesting stories this week which I’m linking to. The Town of Whitehall is concerned with boats on the Longtin property and the Whitehall transfer station won a recycling challenge with an 18-percent increase in their recycling. Bravos to all who recycle!!

Ticonderoga Makes A Plan

Denton Publications has a description of an 8-point plan that Ticonderoga has come up with to increase tourism.

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It’s Been Slow

I received an email today which basically said; “Why has everything been so quiet on the Current lately.”

Well, please don’t forget that January is not the time when things are really busy in Huletts.

I know it’s been quiet recently, but I’ve been working on some stories and interviews which I’ll be posting shortly. I’ve also been working on a calender page, that I hope to debut soon.

I’ve also been getting ready to migrate the site to our new “green server” which will take place in February.

So don’t worry, things will start to pickup soon and the summer is definitely getting closer!

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A Birthday Worth Remembering


January 20th is the anniversary of the birth of Philander Hulett, who is widely credited with building the steamship landing in the hamlet that now bears his name.

I thought today, being January 20th, would be a great time to reflect on the life of Philander Hulett. As the caption above notes, today is the 184th anniversary of his birth. While there were other Huletts living in the area before him, he is widely credited with undertaking those things which literally put Huletts Landing on the map.

He built the steamship landing and the original Post Office. He was the first Postmaster and he expanded the Hulett farmhouse and brought tourists to the area.

Any of these things would have been a lot for one person but he did them all. I think it’s safe to say he was a person who got things done. By today’s standards he died relatively young at the age of 64 but during the 1800’s this was considered to be quite an advanced age.

He lived during an age when people admired those who accomplished great things. The time in which he lived was a time of religious fervor with many intriguing religious happenings going on locally. His father, Harvey Hulett, served as Town Supervisor of Dresden for a short period of time. He would eventually sell his property, move to Florida, but would return before he died. We can only imagine what the area was like when he lived here but the cemetery in which he is buried was at one time, the Hulett family cemetery.

While nothing is known about his temperament, his actions would directly and indirectly lead to the beautiful community which exists today on the east shore of Lake George. To accomplish what he did, it took initiative, hard work and motivation. So today, on the anniversary of his birth, it is only proper and fitting to honor the man, Philander Hulett.

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What is This Strange Device?


This is the original night watchman’s clock used throughout the history of the Huletts Hotel. Night watchmen at major hotels carried this device with them throughout the evening.

Now you might be asking; “What is a night watchman’s clock?”

Well between 1910 and 1940 it was actually a piece of new technology to see that a night watchman was properly doing his rounds. It worked this way. By definition a night watchman was on the job while everyone else was asleep. So theoretically it was possible for a night watchman to take a little time off from his job without anyone knowing because they were asleep. However, if the guard could prove he was doing his rounds, and was in the right place at the right time, his job performance couldn’t be questioned. This led to the watchman’s clock.

A guard would carry this clock and proceed on his rounds throughout the night. At certain places there would be a “station” with a key that he would put into the clock which would record what time he had visited that station. There were numerous stations within the hotel and on the grounds. One station was behind the Casino.


Inserting a station’s key into his clock would record the time that the night watchman was at that station.

Many hotels made their night watchmen carry this device. As you can see in the picture below, it was specifically made by “Lathem Watchman’s Clock Company”.

With the advent of modern computer and video technology, this device became completely obsolete.

I’ve always wondered what stories a clock like this could tell. Imagine numerous night watchmen swinging it as they proceeded on their rounds during the many years it was in use. Note that the cord is knotted on the end to make it easier to carry. It’s also quite heavy.

So, I have heard stories that the night watchman had heavy footsteps. While I can’t verify this, we at least know he walked on time!