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PAGE EIGHT THE FIAT LUX, ALFRED, NEW YORK TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1962
Have You Seen Everything?
Probably Not "Dirty John's'
by Jqel Karasik
Even afer spending a relatively
abort time in 'Alfred, one gets the
impression that he's seen all that's
worth seeing in the area. This,
however, is a misleading conception,
especially if one has never
seen "Dirty John's".
"Dirty John's" is an endearing,
if not literal term, which describes
a business establishment which is
something between a junk shop
and an antique shop. Judging from
the prices, it is probably closer
to the latter.
'It is situated between Alfred and:
Hornell off on the road to Angelica.
As one approaches it on the
one lane county road winding
through the rolling farmlands of
Allegany County, one wonders Just
what type of place this is going
to be. Whatever you are thinking,
you are wrong! Even after seeing
it, "Dirty John's" defies description,
and to imagine it without seeing
it is almost impossible.
Discription 'Difficult
Trying to describe "Dirty John's"
is like trying to describe the United
States to a foreigner; it is just too
complex, and the only thing you
can do is resort to enumerating
particulars. For one thing, "Dirty
John's" is big. It is contained in
a number of buildings on hundreds
• of square feet of land. Trying to
see it all in one afternoon gives
one the same feeling of futility
that one get's attempting to cover
the entire M'useum of Natural History
in a single day.
And "Dirty John's" is complex;
diversified, yet still cohesive. Just
knowing the story behind every object
there would make one an authority
on western New York culture
for the past 200 years. John
has everything— books, magazines,
lamps, farm equipment, bicycles,
coaches, buttons, stuffed animals,
clothes, license plates, dinnerware,
carburetors, vacuum cleaners, cars,
coffins, fossils, and even an authentic
(so he says) skeleton of tihe
first man to be hung in the county.
The list is infinite, and a story
goes with each article.
Gun Collection
One of John's most prized possessions
is his gun collection. He
can tell you about it, but he can't
show it to you. That's because it's
kept on the second floor of his
house, and there is so much "stuff"
piled in front of it that it would
take you all day to get to the
guns. The guns, which number
about 350. are muskets and flintlocks
which go back almost 200
years. John claims that he was
offered |12,500 for the lot by a
passing antique dealer a number
of years ago.
John also takes great pride in
Only a strong person is able to
rise above his surroundings. Most
don't.
Elmer Rice
JOHN'S HOUSE with 10 tons of stuff upstairs.
'Automation' Topic Of Annual
Ceramics?Association Meeting
Members of the Ceramic Association
of New York will hear talks
on "Automation in the Ceramic Industry"
during their 29th Annual
Meeting on October 19 at State University
of New York College of
Ceramics at Alfred University.
A special guest speaker will be
William L. Swager of the Department
of Economics and Information
Research at Battelle Memorial Institute,
Columbus, Ohio. He will
addrestf the luncheon and business
meeting in Howell Hall.
Robert E. Gould of Buffalo, President
of Buffalo China Company
and President of the state Ceramic
Association, will open the meeting.
Glass Co., Elmira, will serve as
chairman during the morning and
^afternoon program sessions in
Binns-Merrill Hall.
The subject of "Flexible Automation"
will be discussed by H.
W. Nidenberg of United Fleximation
Corp., Inc., Schenectady, at
the opening session at 9:50 a.m.
"New Whiteware Equipment" will
be described by A. J. Wahl, President
of A. J. Wahl, Inc., of Brocton,
N. Y.
William A. Fergusan, Assistant
Company, Niagara Falls, will speak
at