77 Lake Street
Address: 160 Lake Street
Old Address: 77 Lake Street
Other names: Hanmer Boat Shop (before 1923)1, Clyde Cheesman's IGA (1933), McCasland's Upholstery and Carpeting (1948), Sawyer's Service (until 1977)
Year built: Before 1906
Other information: The Village directories list the Hanmers living here from 1906 to 1925: Theodore, Truman, Addie, Katie, and Blanche. Addie is listed as a sales lady, Addie and Katie as students, Theodore and Truman as carpenters; Theodore is also listed as a boat builder (1910).
In January of 1977, it was completely destroyed by a fire.
Clyde Cheesman's IGA
Cheesman's IGA first appears in the directories in 1933. See Clyde Cheesman. Ruth Cheesman's obituary states, "Along with her husband she owned Cheesman's IGA on Lake Street for 10 years, from the early 1940s to the early 1950s." Adirondack Daily Enterprise, Mary 11, 1993.
McCasland's Upholstery and Carpeting & Sawyer's Service
From 1948 to 1970, 77 Lake Street was listed as McCasland's Upholstery, which was originally run by Ray McCasland before Robert Sawyer took over in the late 1960's. It was destroyed by a fire in 1977.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, January 10, 1977
Sawyer’s Destroyed by Fire
Robert Sawyer’s upholstery shop at 77 Lake St. was completely destroyed by a fire early Saturday morning.
Using just about every piece of equipment in the station and fighting the cold as well as the fire, the village fire department was on the scene from 1:03 to 5:24.
The alarm was turned in by Anthony Brooks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer who noticed smoke in the neighborhood as he was going home around 1 a.m.
He investigated, found the smoke was coming from the upholstery shop, called the firemen, and finally woke his parents who live at 70 Lake St. He also tried to awaken neighbors.
Firemen feel that the fire may have been caused by a malfunction in the oil burner.
At 11:30 this morning, the village crew started working on the frozen hydrant.
Frozen hydrants posed a problem for the firemen as soon as they arrived. The one directly across from the shop was frozen, but one fireman said today that he believes it supports a four-inch line and would not have been used in any event because it is too small. Another hydrant, at the corner of Jenkins Street, was thawed, by setting it afire after pouring gasoline on it, and it was in use “in a couple of minutes” the fireman said.
Water pressure in that area is normally low, the same fireman said, because the water has to flow uphill. Therefore a line was attached to a hydrant, near View Street, which is connected directly to the reservoir.
During the fire, there was a one-car accident on Lake Street near the Eagle’s Nest Apartments, and the rescue truck was dispatched at 3:36 a.m. from the fire scene to take Joseph Favro, 20, to Saranac Lake General Hospital.
Saturday evening at 6:31, the fire at the upholstery shop flared up again but was quickly doused with water from a hose which was still attached to one of the hydrants.
Mrs. Sawyer said this morning that the shop is partially covered by insurance, but that she could not estimate the loss. Destroyed in the building were some furniture, upholsterer’s supplies and tools including an $1800 sewing machine and a $300 pillow stuffer.
Mrs. Sawyer commented that she thinks, “We have the best fire department there is, and we have no fault to find whatsoever.” At least one neighbor had complained that he had notified the village water department on Wednesday that the hydrant across from the shop was frozen. He said that the village crew looked at it later that day, but, to his knowledge, did not make any attempt to thaw it.
Village manager Gerald Oxford explained this morning that the reason the water department had not repaired the frozen hydrant on Lake Street was because there had been a break in a 12-inch line affecting service at the hospital and he had given priority to that repair job.
He also said that the hydrant in question is an older hydrant for which parts are not obtainable and it must be replaced.
In addition, he said, the frozen hydrant and the one at Jenkins Street which was used, could not be used at the same time without causing a vacuum and lowering the pressure. There are sufficient hydrants in the neighborhood, Oxford said.
The tired firemen had three more rescue calls over the weekend. Three persons were taken to Saranac Lake General Hospital: Helen Martin, from 30 Church St., at 10:40 a.m., Saturday; Mary Keith, from Vermontville, at 9:50 a.m., Sunday; and Dolores Tupper from Berkeley Square, at 12:46 p.m., Sunday.
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Footnotes
1. Adirondack Daily Enterprise, May 3, 1983 (See Hathaway Boat Shop)