| YEARS GONE BY ARCHIVES |
| The Call of January 5, 1917 MADE NOISY ENTRANCE The new year, 1917, was ushered in by the usual noisy manner in Schuylkill Haven. Church bells, the school bell, factory and engine whistles joined in the chorus of welcoming the new year. A noticeable feature of the welcoming, however, was a marked decrease, due to the temperature, of the number of persons who on other years promenaded about the town, singing, shooting blank cartridges, and having a happy time. The Citizens Band of town serenaded for more than an hour. The last car to Pottsville had to travel over tracks covered with torpedoes, cartridges, etc., from Saint John Street to Dock. The noise resulting resembled the firing of many machine guns and residents in distant parts of the town were led to believe that the Mexican War situation had been brought to the Haven. RAIN SPOILED SKATING Not in years have the young and old of this town enjoyed to as great an extent as within the past week, the skating on the level and the Red Pond. New Year's day the Red Pond was almost covered with persons enjoying the sport and the two days previous, Saturday and Sunday, also found a number of persons on the ice. The rain and change in temperature of the past two days however spoiled the fun as the ice has been made unsafe. NO LIGHTS FOR ANOTHER WEEK Residents of Broadway, Centre Avenue and a portion of Union Street need not expect street lights for another week or ten days. The cause of there being no lights of course is known to everyone as being due to the one section of the switch board at the electric light plant being burned out. As the material to replace or repair the same is of a special character and nature it requires some time to secure it. It is expected that the same will arrive by the end of next week and the damage will be repaired as quick as possible. NEW MACHINES IN ICE PLANT During the week additional machinery has been installed in the Baker ice plant. A large pump was placed Tuesday of this week and Thursday and Friday an air compressing machine to assist in pumping the water from the artesian well was installed. The plant, despite rumors, has been working right along, although not to its full capacity. A large quantity of ice is being shipped out of town every week. COASTER HITS FIRE PLUG Isadore, the eight year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Sheipe, of Haven Street, lost control of his sled while coasting on the ice covered street and crashed into the fire plug at the corner of Paxson Avenue and Haven Street. The lad was unconscious for some time having sustained a hemorrhage of the base of the brain. The lad went into the fire plug head first and received a severe blow on the left side of the head. He was unconscious for some time. His condition is considerably improved. Dr. James Gray is in attendance. Robert Sharadin, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Sharadin was on the sled with young Sheipe but escaped without injury. The Call of January 12, 1917 PLACED TAXI INTO SERVICE Alive to the occasion to accommodating the traveling public, agent John Ebling has turned one of his Ford touring cars into a taxi. The taxi has been provided with two seats each comfortably holding three persons while the seventh person can be accommodated on the front seat. The new taxi will be used in conveying people to and from the County Home. INSTALLED GASOLINE ENGINE Merchant George Butz has purchased and installed a gasoline engine to be used in running his sausage making machine. Heretofore it was necessary to run the machine by hand power which proved slow and ineffective. George believes in keeping abreast of the times. The Call of January 19, 1917 PAID $100 COSTS Edmund Reilly, who was charged with assault by Alvin Warner of Cressona, on the night of November 14, was directed by the court to pay costs amounting to nearly $100 after being found guilty by a jury. This is practically the end of the case in which Warner was one of several members of the Bressler Band who were attacked at Connor's Crossing while returning home, following an engagement at Hamburg. The other members of the gang that attacked the band members were not given sentence. WILL DISPOSE OF $50 VICTROLA Among the many useful, desirable and valuable articles which will be disposed of during the course of the Schuylkill Hose Company Fair which will be held from February 14th through the 24th, is a handsome fifty dollar Victrola, together with a number of first class records, This machine is brand new, is in first class condition, and will be a most welcome gift to the fortunate winner. SMALL STICK LODGED IN HIS THROAT Shortly after eating a piece of scrapple which was being served for supper, Elmer Staller experienced a sticking sensation in his throat as if a pin was lodged crosswise in the same. He hurried to the office of Dr. A. H. Detweiler where a piece of oak splinter nearly three quarters of an inch long was extracted. IT is believed that the splinter found its way into the scrapple during the making of it. THE CALL'S SNAKE A CURIOSITY The Call's snake that had been an exhibition in the store window of druggist Stine, was this week taken to the Gregory drug store in Pottsville and placed on exhibition. Several well known authorities on snakes examined the reptile and pronounced it a copperhead while others claim it never is a water snake. A number of people claimed that it could be kept alive for months during the winter if fed on grasshoppers. We are looking for grasshoppers. Hundreds of county seat residents have viewed the snake with wonderment, it being a rare thing to see alive snake at this time of year. MANY FOREIGN BORN INMATES There are many more foreign born inmates at the County Home than there are Americans. It is also surprising the large number who are not citizens of this country, yet we are called upon to maintain them. The number of inmates are as follows: native born, 189; foreign born, 254; total, 448. This includes sixteen children all under the age of two years old. The insane department has 495 inmates, making a total of 938 persons in both institutions. The insane department will be obliged to build a wing to the building to accommodate the patients. 158 CLEAR DAYS IN 1916 A resident of a neighboring town, who for a period of almost a quarter of a century, has kept a record of the weather, has submitted the following for the past year: 158 clear days, 101 cloudy days, 109 partly cloudy days, 58 rainy days, 30 snowy days, 314 warm days, 52 cold days, 80 showers, 20 foggy days, 37 thunderstorms and 46 and a half inches of snowfall, an increase of two and a half inches over 1915. The average thermometer was 49 in the morning and 56 in the afternoon. The southwest wind was the prevailing wind during the year. The coldest day was January 18 when the mercury stood at one degree below zero. The warmest days were on July 31, August 22 and 23, when the thermometer registered 95 degrees in the shade. MASKED BALL WELL PATRONIZED The masked ball held Tuesday evening in Keystone Hall, by a local of local young men, was well attended, Nearly seventy couples were in attendance, a number being from out of town. The dancing continued until eleven o'clock. Many of the costumes worn by the dancers were unique. No prizes were awarded. JAKE DAUBERT IN TOWN Jake Daubert, the well known base ball player, spent some time on Saturday last, greeting his numerous friends. Sunday Jake came near figuring in an auto accident near Minersville, when his machine went down a slight embankment. Fortunately it remained in the wheels and none of the occupants were injured. RAILROADER HAD NARROW ESCAPE George Strauss, a local well known railroader, had a narrow escape from serious if not fatal injury yesterday afternoon. He was attempting to pass over the railroad near the "J" office when his foot caught in a frog. It was necessary for an oncoming coal train to almost stop while other railroaders extracted the foot. The Call of January 26, 1917 SAY WOMEN SHOULD SHOP EARLY Spring Garden men employed in and around Pottsville and who have occasion to use the trolley cars to and from work state that it would be a good idea if the women would practice during the year the "shop early" slogan used during the holidays. This would enable the men to secure seats on the car home and not compel them to stand after their hard day of toil. It would also ensure their supper being prepared for them upon their arrival home. NURSES ANNOY MARRIED MEN Several nurses at the County Hospital have been given pink slips this week by Superintendent Bowers. The charge was made against them that they annoyed a number of married men from Spring Garden SOLDIER BOY TENDERED DINNER In honor of his return from the border, Edward Roeder of Berne Street, a member of the Hamburg Company was tendered a dinner by his sister, Mrs. William Luckenbill, at her home on Haven Street on Sunday. Relatives and friends from town and several surrounding towns were in attendance. HUCKLEBERRY CLUB BUNGALOW BURNS The bungalow of the once famous Huckleberry Club of Spring Garden located along the Pennsylvania Railroad in the almshouse field is no more. Fire destroyed it late Monday evening. It is thought boys caused the fire. |
| Ads from The Call during January of 1917 |