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| This page will review events as they occurred in Schuylkill Haven. Each month will recall some significant or interesting event or events from that month 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago. |
| ....in the news .......years ago |
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| Years gone by from previous months can be accessed by clicking on the links below. |
| JANUARY 1912 |
| Pottsville Republican of January 2,1912 HAVEN COUNCIL REORGANIZED With a full attendance of its members, the Schuylkill Haven Town Council reorganized last evening by electing Warren Brown as its president, Floyd H. Minnig as secretary, F. B. Keller as treasurer and John Butz as chief of police. There were two candidates for the position of President of Council and on the first ballot cast, each candidate had six votes. A ruling in this body provides that in case of a tie vote, the Chief Burgess casts the deciding vote. This, Burgess Hartman did in favor of Brown. There was no opposition for the other three offices. Following the election of the above officers, Mr. Saul made a motion to increase the salary of the superintendent of the light plant by ten dollars per month and the other three men at five dollars. This was opposed by Mr. McKeone who thought it was the wrong time of year to increases salaries and that the men at the plant were not doing justice to the council. The motion however passed. The superintendent will now receive ninety dollars and each of the other men seventy, sixty and forty five dollars respectively. The salary of Chief of Police John Butz was raised from $150 to $180 per year or $15.00 per month. A motion to have the salaries of the treasurer, solicitor and secretary remain the same were passed. The wages for laborers and for single and double teams will also remain the same for the ensuing year. Following the reorganization of Council, the perfectos were passed around by the newly elected clerk. Councilman Saul called attention to the fact that the time is fast approaching when it will be necessary to pave Dock Street and that unless arrangements are made immediately, it will be towards the beginning of next winter before the work is completed. He stated that Dock Street was the hardest street in the borough to keep in repair and that it was a continual hauling of dirt off the street and limestone or trap rock there. He stated that the trolley company would pave eighteen inches on either side so that the distance to be paved by the borough would only be about six feet on either side of the track. Mr. Saul thought the street should be paved from Main Street to the Centre turnpike. The paving would save the borough money in the long run and would not handicap them in the way of finance as the money could be borrowed from the electric light department. Mr. Saul stated that during the coming summer, the traction company will lay a new track along Dock Street and if the borough wanted the company to assist in the cost of paving, now was the time and not two or three years from now. The speaker claimed that the borough could do the work themselves and save money instead of paying a high price to a contractor. Burgess Hartman in speaking of the paving of Dock Street stated that there were certain well known citizens of the town who can compel the council to fix this street and put it in a more passable condition. The Burgess stated that the street must be paved or repaired and that in a very short time. The cost of relaying the gutters along this street would cost nearly as much as paving the entire street. The burgess stated that all the license money must be used on the roads and for some time past Council has been using the road tax money for other purposes other than for which it was intended. He advised using the road tax money for road purposes and stated that when this was done it would be only a question of a short time before there was money in the treasury. Mr. Moore favored the paving of the street from a sanitary standpoint and that it would be the means of eventually cutting down the expenses as he believed that it would last twenty years before anything would have to be spent on Main Street. Councilman Smoll opposed the paving on the ground that it would put extra expense on the people and that the borough was in no position to spend money at the present time. He claimed that there were very few people along the street who wanted it paved and he thought that council should obey the will of the people. Considerable paving should be done in the town. Paxson Avenue should be placed in better condition, the streets and alleys cleaned and the bonded indebtedness got rid of before any expense is incurred were the remarks of Mr. Smoll. The motion to have the ordinance committee draw up an ordinance for the paving of this street was passed. MINOR MATTERS DISPOSED OF The secretary was directed to notify the Health Board that an ordinance was being violated in as much as garbage was being thrown in the streets and alleys in the line of decayed vegetable matter and ashes. Mr. McKeone objected to one or two men doing all the work in and about the town and receiving what actually amounts to a monthly salary when there are other men who are willing to work but when they apply are told that there is no work. This was referred to committee. The wall running along the Schuylkill Canal in back of the property of Dr. Lenker was reported as being in an unsafe condition and was referred to the Highway Committee. Milton Deibert was appointed assistant police of the East Ward and Harry Becker in the South ward. The officers for the other two wards will be appointed at the next meeting. The bond of Roger McCaffrey in the sum of $500 with J. E. Stanton and James Rooney was approved by Council. The bond of High Constable George D. Naus in the sum of $50 with J. A. Bowen was also approved. Mr. Naus was sworn in last evening by Burgess Hartman. After being escorted to the chair by two of the members, President Brown thanked them and stated that he hoped that it would be a prosperous year. I am willing to hear and accept any suggestion that the members of council may make to me and will carefully consider them. The secretary was directed to present a bill for all the cost of laying the sewer in the South Ward, as per agreement with the School Board some time ago. No election was made of the two applications for borough engineer, those being J. W. Geary of Pottsville and George Butz of Schuylkill Haven. PEST HOUSE STOLEN A motion to repair the pest house brought forth the statement that there was very little or practically nothing at all left to repair, as it had been stolen. It was stated that all the beds, stoves, etc., had been stolen long ago and that just recently the roof was carried away and that the place was now being used as a bumming shanty. No action was taken. REPORT OF CHIEF BURGESS During the month of December just passed, I received five dollars for fines. I issued thirteen permits receiving $13.50 for the same, making total receipts of $11.50. One of the permits I issued was to the American Union Telephone Company to lay cable underground in crossing from one side of paved Main Street to the other. I have been somewhat criticized for issuing this permit but am sure those citizens and councilmen who have done so, do not clearly understand the matter. Pottsville Republican of January 6, 1912 BACK BROKEN IN FALL FROM CAR Bright Reber, a resident of Schuylkill Haven and one of the tallest employees in the service of the Reading Company, yesterday fell from a box car at Allentown and fractured his back. At present he is confined to the hospital in that town with slight chances of recovery. His relatives at Schuylkill Haven were notified of the accident and late Friday afternoon and his mother left for the former city. Young Reber was formerly employed on the main line of the Reading but during the summer months and early fall, when work was slack, he, in company of several other young railroaders, went to Allentown, where they have been working since that time. Young Reber is six feet two inches in height and was considered a good railroader. A number of bothers and sisters reside in Schuylkill Haven. Pottsville Republican of January 6, 1912 SCHOOL NOTES Next week will be afforded the last opportunity for beginners (six year olds) to start school. See the principal for admission certificates and bring vaccination and baptismal certificates to him if you have them. A storm door was built at the main entrance to the frame building in the North Ward. The school rooms were fumigated and scrubbed during the holiday vacation. Medical inspection has just been started in our schools. The State Department of Health has charge of the inspection while Dr. Heim is the physician appointed to see that the work is done here. Each child in school is to be examined with reference to sight, hearing, throat, teeth and breathing. No clothing need be removed for this examination. Parents may be present at the examination if they so request. The physician will make a note of the physical condition of the child and report to the State Department of Health. The department will communicate with the parents in case medical treatment of a child is advised. Such treatment is then optional with the parent and any doctor may be called to treat the child. Parents have nothing to fear from this inspection while good results are expected. The inspection will cost the parents nothing. No pupils will be suspended from school because of the inspection unless it is discovered that some have contagious disease such as tuberculosis. Medical inspection would have been a great source to our schools in the past and parents should heartily cooperate with the health authorities in agreeing to the plan. The school board has no part in the inspection since it is carried out by the State. The furniture for the director's room was placed in position on Tuesday afternoon. It sets off the small room in the basement nicely and gives it a businesslike appearance. The furniture consists of an oak table and an office chair. It was purchased from D. M. Wagner by the high school juniors and seniors. To this will be added by the same classes, probably this week, two vertical sections of fireproof filing cabinets. Pottsville Republican of January 9, 1912 FIRE SCARE AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN The residents of Schuylkill haven were given a fire scare Sunday night when an engine whistle blew for some time, quickly followed by the fire alarm whistle which sounded the second ward. Firemen quickly donned their coats and hurried to their respective engine houses and pulled out the apparatus but nowhere could they detect a fire. It is thought that the engine whistle became out of order and before it could be repaired, caused the employees at the electric light plant to think that there was a fire and the alarm was sounded. This has occurred on several occasions and has caused considerable excitement. Pottsville Republican of January 18, 1912 CUTS WRIST WITH BROKEN GLASS While playing with dishes at the home of her parents in Schuylkill Haven, Wednesday afternoon, Alice, the two year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond McKeone, accidentally let fall one of the glass dishes which then broke. Part of the broken glass entered her arm above the wrist, nearly severing an artery. Dr. A. H. Detweiler was summoned and he removed the piece of glass and dressed the wound. Pottsville Republican of January 20, 1912 A party of young ladies entertained the Hershey and Schuylkill Haven basketball teams last evening in Keystone Hall after the game. The evening was very pleasantly spent. Bensinger's orchestra furnished the music for dancing from ten to twelve. Card games were furnished for those who did not dance. At 12:30 the guests were ushered into the dining room, where a delicious luncheon was served. The following being the menu: consommé soup, ham sandwiches, chicken salad, celery, olives, pickles, ice cream, coffee, cake, candy, nuts, filled dates and fruit. The table was beautifully decorated with candelabras. The boys received small basketballs and the girls baskets filled with Hershey buds as souvenirs, each being tied with red and gray ribbon. The ball was also tastefully decorated in red and gray. |