BLUEBERRY PICKING
As Cavendish Historical
Society (CHS) board member Bruce McEnaney notes, “the best blueberries are the
ones you pick yourself.” He should know
as for the last four summers, Bruce and his wife Betty have opened up their
blueberry patch to the public in order to help raise funds for the Carmine
Guica Young Historians program at the Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES).
These funds have helped to pay for the sixth graders to go to Sturbridge
Village and more.
While the season lasts, pick
organic berries ($3 a pound) at the McEnaneys blueberry patch is located at 354 Miner
Rd. just over the Cavendish line in Chester. It's off Smokeshire, which
is off route 103. Thank you Bruce and Betty for your ongoing generosity
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 9 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk and Talk, 2-4 pm. The “talk”
begins at 2 pm at the Museum and will be followed by the walk to the scene of
the accident, with stops at the site of the boarding house where Gage stayed as
well as the surgery of Dr. Harlow.
October 14 (Sunday): Last day the Museum is open for the season. Program to be announced.
WILMA & THE TIMBER RATTLER
We were recently invited to
the home of Janet Pipkin, who has since
moved to Maine, to see if there were some items we’d like for the Museum. While
we found some real treasures for our upcoming Life in Cavendish: Boomer
Generation, more to follow on this, board member Bruce McEnaney discovered a
copy of “The Word for the Week,” July 9-15, 1974. In it was a story featuring
Dr. Eugene Bont, who practiced medicine at the Cavendish Health Center for 30
years-1957-1988.
Being bitten by a full fledged poisonous
timber rattlesnake is no bowl of blueberries, as Wilma Laitinen of Ludlow will
tell you, so understandably she was somewhat miffed recently when she read a
story in another publication which casts some doubt on the seriousness of her
encounter with the realer of if in fact the snake was a rattler at all!
It all began on a summers day in 1961, “up behind
Benson’s on West Hill” in Ludlow where Mrs. Laitinen her daughter Diane, Mrs.
James Milnes and her sons, Jeff and Jim were blueberrying. Just before crossing
a stone wall, the berry pickers noticed a coiled snake sunning itself but paid
little heed since there was a lot of snakes on West Hill. Leading the way Wilma
had just started over the wall when the snake lashed out sinking a fang into
her leg just above the ankle. Now Mrs. Laitnen isn’t prone to be afraid of much
of anything so instead of becoming panicky she yelled at lot at the varmint for
its audacity and then took her time about finishing up the berrying and getting
home. In fact, it was almost six hours before she decided she was feeling too
darned peculiar to be well and decided it might be a good idea to go down and
see Dr. Bont in Cavendish. Wilma didn’t know it at the time but she had already
been mighty lucky and was to even get luckier during the next few hours. Dr.
Bont treated her and then called Burlington where a poisonous snake specialist
from Texas named Dr. Parish happened to be at the time. She was immediately
taken to the Springfield Hospital and shortly afterward Dr. Parish flew in from
Burlington with anti venom serum. By all account’s Wilma had no right to be
alive by this time, say nothing of being alert enough to wisecrack with the
doctors, but the specialist from Texas had an explanation. It was his opinion
the snake had recently eaten and therefore had released some of the venom into
its food, which is normal. However, there was no doubt that Mrs. Laitnen had
indeed been bitten by a timber rattler for Dr. Parish had allowed himself to be
bitten by a critter of the same heritage only a few weeks before and his
reactions to the bite were identical to those of our heroine.
Wilma’s advice to berry pickers and others who roam
Vermont’s fields and forests,” Feed a snake today today-sometimes it’s hard to
tell the good guys from the bad guys.”
As a follow up to this story, we contacted the Bonts,
who remembered Wilma with fondness, recalling how she was so helpful to the
older members of the community. To learn
more about this incident, we contacted the Agency of Natural Resources. Jim
Andrews of the Agency of Natural Resources who provided the following
information:
We have that bite record in our database. It looks
like it was a venomous snake bite and Dr. Bont corresponded with us directly
about it (see below). The date according to the Rutland Herald (August 22,
1959, Vol 106, No 201) was 1959. The bite victim was Mrs. John Laitinen.
According to the paper, they were picking blueberries on West Hill. Dr. Bont
remembers it as Okemo Mountain.
It was the only
venomous snake bite that he or any of his colleagues in that area had ever
heard about. They assumed rattlesnake only because that was the only known
venomous snake in the state.
Since we have no
other reports of this species anywhere in that area, we don’t consider this a
current population and we wonder if it was even an historic population. Any
reports over 25 years old are considered historic. Snakes occasionally get
moved around in hay, old cars, pieces
of
equipment, etc. The other likely venomous snake is Copperhead, but that snake
would have had to have been brought in from further south. Even garter snakes
can occasionally generate a reaction in sensitive people, but the bite pattern
should have ruled them out. Racers rattle and we have one other historic report
from that area, but they should not generate a reaction. Milk snakes rattle
frequently, would have been there, but again, they should not have generated a
reaction.
Rattlesnake
antivenin would not help with the bite of other snakes. According to the
reports in the paper they seemed unaware that rattlesnakes can control the
amount of venom released. Between 25% and 40% of bites are dry bites that
contain no venom at all. Dr. Bont did not see any hemolysis, which he should
have seen if venom was injected, but he did mention other symptoms that suggest
envenomation.
At the
remaining two locations where we know we currently have Timber Rattlesnakes we
get multiple reports and photos of sightings every year.
So, the snake could have been
among the last surviving rattlesnakes in that area, it could have been
accidentally transported, or it could have been another transported species
(Copperhead).
Here
is Dr. Bont’s letter.
Elizabeth
Cillo (working for us) contacted Dr. Gene Bont, and he wrote her back on
November 6, 2000. His letter read as follows:
Dear Ms.
Cillo:
Sorry for the delay in answering your letter, but
it took some time to recall the details of the snakebite involving Mrs.
Laitinen.
To my best
memory, she was hiking on Okemo Mountain and some of her party came across a
snake. She tried to get the snake to move with a long stick, but he attacked
her and bit her in the leg. She was concerned because she was quite sure it was
a rattlesnake and shortly afterwards felt lightheaded and a feeling of not
being well. She was brought down to my office where on examination there were
the four marks typical of a rattlesnake bite. There was mild redness and
swelling. Because of the nature of the bite, she was hospitalized fearing
neurological and hematological consequences. I called the state health
department as I had been in practice for many years and had never had a
snakebite incident and no one else in the hospital recalled such an incident
either. As it happened there was a public health person from Florida whose
specialty was venomous snake bites. Within a few hours he drove down with someone
from the health department to Springfield Hospital and examined her. By this
time we had done blood tests and there was no evidence of hemolysis going on
and after careful examination, it was his conclusion that it was indeed a
venomous snakebite. From her description of the snake and knowing that a timber
rattler was the only venomous snake in the area, his conclusion was that the
snake must have eaten and pretty much emptied its venom before she was struck.
She had some paresthesias of numbness and tingling in the extremity, but no
serious effects were noted. She was kept for observation for 48 hours and was
released. This is the only such episode I have ever been involved in.
I’ll give
you a call to let you know this letter is coming as I read about Dr. Andrews
research in the newspaper and was really curious about it so this adds a good
deal of interest on my part.
Thanks for
your letter and again my apology for late return.
MEDITATIONS ON MY
105TH BIRTHDAY FEB. 7, 1964
James E. Gay was originally a school teacher and
didn’t move to Cavendish until 1890, though his family had started the Gay
Brothers Mill in 1886. In 1902 his brother Stearns Gay, who was president of
the mill, died leaving James the guardian of his three children, Leon, Olin and
Vernice as their mother Alice had died in 1895. Besides being treasurer at the
Gay Brothers Mill, he was also Secretary, Treasurer and General Manager of Cavendish
Electric Light Company. The president was Olin D. Gay and Vice President was
Mertie A. Gay. Power was purchased from the Claremont Power Company.
James retired from the Mill
in 1922 and died in 1965 at the age of 106. Below is a poem he wrote in honor
of his 105th birthday.
Thank you to his great great
niece, Sue Beyer, who sent his poem to CHS.
1. This is the day I long
have sought
And mourned because I almost
thought
I would not pass the crucial
test
And be left alone at last to
rest.
2. My grit has stayed by like
it should
I’d walk again now if I
could,
But I am told to use my chair
To save my head—if not my
hair!
3. Now the day has come and
gone,
My friends returned each to
his home;
While I sit quietly by my
typewriter
To show the world I’m still a
fighter.
4. I sit and think to improve
my mind,
Don’t bother my housekeeper
all the time.
I still enjoy all kinds of
wishes
But long since gave up wiping
dishes.
5. I think of some Alumni to
write
To see if any of them “Got
Tight.”
On This, to me, EVENTFU DAY
When they met with me, they
said, JAMES GAY.
6. You See I never drink or
smoke,
The taste of either would
“Get my Goat.”
I’ve had so many bids to
drink,
But refused and said, “You
Stop and Think.”
7. In college I never entered
sport,
But spent my spare time just
at work
To earn enough, my way to see
Through NEW HAMPSHIRE
UNIVERSITY.
8. In passing by the Bakers’
shops,
I’d often stop and lick my
chops;
Wishing I could take one
cake,
To ease my constant “Hunger”
ache.
9. That’s my story at ONE
HUNDRED AND FIVE;
I’m a lucky man to be alive!
BECOME A MEMBER, RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP,
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If
you have not joined the Cavendish Historical Society, need to renew your
membership, and/or would like to be a volunteer, please complete the form below
and sending a check, payable to CHS, to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142.
All contributions are tax deductible.
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