| The Pottsville Republican of August 5, 1908 HAVEN BURGLARS STILL ACTIVE For the third time within the past week, burglars paid a visit to Schuylkill Haven last night and got away without being detected or leaving any clue that will lead to their identity and arrest. The Rowland bleachery situated on the top of Prospect Hill, and Schuylkill haven’s largest industry, was ransacked during the early hours of the evening by burglars, who evidently were acquainted with the construction of the building as well as the actions of Superintendent Charles Quinter. Mr. Rowland and his family are spending their vacation at the Delaware Water Gap and the bleachery is in charge of the superintendent. Last evening Mr. Quinter made a tour of the property before going to lodge. He returned two hours later to coal the furnace and upon entering the office heard stealthy footsteps below. Crossing the street to his home, he procured a revolver and returned, arriving just in time to hear the robbers scamper along the basement and climb out through the mill window. The interior of the office was in a state of the greatest confusion. The desk drawers were ransacked and their contents scattered about. Papers, envelopes and records were thrown upon the floor and a number of them destroyed. The unlocked safe door was not opened, probably the approach of Mr. Quinter interfering with the work of the men. The Pottsville Republican of August 7, 1908 THE TOWN COUNCIL A regular stated meeting of the Town Council was held on Monday evening, with the following members present: Messrs. Bubeck, Caffrey, Heim, Keller, Lautenbacher, McKeown, Meck, Mengle, Rooney, Saul and President Schumacher. Secretary Runkle, Solicitor Noecker, Supervisor Knarr, Burgess Baker and Electrician Marshall were also present. Mrs. Sheaf appeared with reference to a gutter opposite her property on Margaretta Street. Drain water runs into the gutter and lays there and stagnates in front of Mrs. Shaef’s property. She drains nothing into the gutter but rain water from the roof of her house. On motion of Mr. Lautenbacher, the alley will be paved. In the matter of a fire alarm whistle, Chairman Saul read an agreement between the borough and the Bell Telephone Company furnishing the borough a telephone for fire purposes free of cost, that the town will maintain a fire whistle at the electric plant and arrange a proper fire system. That in consideration of the borough exempting Bell Telephone from the pole tax, the company will provide an exclusive phone for borough use to be located at the electric plant and be used for fire purposes and borough business. This was tabled. Franz Hoffman of Prospect Hill was last fall notified to curb and pave. Not knowing that the borough lays the gutter, he laid gutter, curb and pavement and appeared before council asking to be reimbursed for the cost of the gutter. Mr. Lautenbacher made a motion to that effect, which was carried, the amount being $21.73. President Schumacher vacated his chair, calling James Rooney to the chair and made a motion that the borough donate to the Liberty Fire Company, thirty feet of ground at the lockup site, with the restriction that if the Liberty Fire Company ceases to exist, the lot to revert back to the borough; also that in the basement of the fire house space be allowed for the supervisor to store his tools and space also for two dungeons and also free use of a meeting room for the council and school board. Mr. Lautenbacher said he regarded public office as a public trust and he felt he would violate the oath if he favored this motion for the reason that an industry is of more vital interest to a town than a fire company. Voting away the borough property in this way is practically forcing an industry out of town. The Gerber Shoe Company has been offered a building free of cost in another town as an inducement to move. The fire company will not be incommoded if it has to seek another location. Public sentiment is that the Gerber Shoe Company should have the lot in question. He favors the establishment of the fire company but there is plenty of room for a site. Mr. Mengle thought we had fire companies enough. Mr. Schumacher stated that there is no other suitable site for the fire company. This ward contains industries valued higher than any other ward in the town and has no fire protection, which is absolutely needed. The fire company will take only thirty feet and will leave twenty nine feet for the factory. He stated that a borough lot will have to be sold to the highest bidder, the shoe company offering $400 and he will bid $500. Mr. Lautenbacher stated in reply that no matter what the fire company or any other party will bid if a big, valuable industry wants the property, he favored selling to the industry. Burgess Baker favored allowing the fire company the frontage desired and whatever depth is necessary for their hose house, giving the balance to the shoe factory. A rising vote was called for on Mr. Schumacher’s motion. Yeas: Schumacher and Meck; Nays: Saul, Lautenbacher, McKeown, Mengel, Keller, Bubeck and Caffrey; Rooney and Heim not voting. Mr. Lautenbacher moved to sell to the Gerber Shoe Company for $400, seconded by Saul with the restriction that a place be provided for the supervisor’s tools. Mr. Schumacher called for yeas and nays. The vote resulted: Yeas, Saul, Lautenbacher, Meck and Mengle; Nays, McKeown, Rooney, Schumacher, Caffrey and Bubeck; Heim and Keller not voting. Mr. Saul reported several robberies within the past week, a lot of people running through town that are a detriment to the town. It is time to put a stop to such things. He moved to employ a police officer at a salary of fifty dollars, with hours from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. and to come out during the day if called. Police protection would ensure safety to the wives and children of our citizens. Seconded by Keller. Mr. Lautenbacher thought one man not enough; there should be one for each ward and a day man. Mr. Saul thought one man could cover the entire town every hour and would earn his salary. The motion was lost. Yeas: Saul and Keller, with all others voting nay. The matter of telephone poles on pavements on Haven Street was brought up. On motion of Mr. Saul, curb lines be given on Haven Street and all other streets necessary so that poles may be properly planted. Mr. Stanton, who was present, was called upon and stated that he desired to have the curb line and had not yet been able to get it. Haven Street has not yet been properly graded. Curb lines have not been given and property owners are not able to put in curbs and lay The Call of August 7, 1908 BEFORE THE SQUIRES Justices Goas and Moyer were busy last week. Squire Moyer led off with a case in which Harry Saylor, a son of Morris Saylor, brought suit against Charles Bitzer and Schuyler Frehafer for calling names and otherwise molesting him while he was at the P and R station with some friends who were going to Mount Carmel. The defendants plead guilty and settled the case by paying a fine and costs. They were immediately rearrested by P and R C and I officers Morgan and Wynn for misbehavior at the P and R station and disturbing the peace and were glad to be let off with a fine and costs in this case also. There has been so much rowdyism of late at the P and R station that officers have been detailed to suppress it. Squire Goas also had a pair of cases. The first was a suit by J. J. Smith against Mrs. Mary Sterner for assault and battery upon his daughter, Florence. The parties reside in the West Ward. The allegation was that Mrs. Sterner’s children were in a scrap with Florence Smith and Mrs. Sterner joined in the fray. Mrs. Sterner entered bail for court. John Barleycorn was the chief actor in the second case before Justice Goas. Louisa Becker brought suit against her husband, John Becker, charging him with assault and battery. When the constable arrived at their home in Quarlie Point, Becker was throwing household goods into the street. He entered bail in the sum of $300 for his appearance in court. The Pottsville Republican of August 18, 1908 Fruit thefts are numerous. Reports come in of entire trees being stripped. Elias Reber, of the Hill farm, detected several men in the act of despoiling a pear tree of some very choice fruit. He shot at them but they made their escape. It has been hinted that the vote on the matter of selling the lockup plot to the shoe company at the last council meeting was illegal from the fact that one of the members, acting as temporary president, voted on the question. The president of the council is empowered to vote only in the case of a tie to cast the deciding vote. A member acting as president must be governed by this rule. J. F. Bast’s big knitting mill on Berne Street which was kept running steadily, notwithstanding the hard times, will close down next week for ten days for the annual repairs, and will start again on September 1st. The big iron boiler stack will be replaced by a new and higher one. The Pottsville Republican of August 18, 1908 SCHOOL NOTES The Board of Directors met in an adjourned meeting Monday night with Jones, Berkheiser, Heim, Reinhart, Smith, Minnig, Crossley, Bast, Eiler, Principal Heckert and Janitor Hoffman present. The bond of Mr. Meyers, who has the contract to install the heating apparatus in the South Ward school, was approved. The bondsmen were Gordon Nagle and Jacob M. Sausser. The Committee on Supplies was instructed to distribute the books and supplies to the various buildings and to get the pianos tuned. The Organization and Studies Committee made its report. All school children according to the present assignment can remain in their own wards. Class assignments in the new rooms at the South Ward were made. Professor Vought, of Pottsville, appeared before the board on behalf of vocal music in the schools. He offered to give a full days instruction each week in as many of our schools as could be accommodated at five dollars for each day. This would put his services at twenty dollars a month. Action on the question was postponed until the September 8th meeting. The members of the board will be pleased to know the sentiments of the citizens on this important question. Let them hear from you. Secretary Hoffman will be in his office at his residence on Prospect Hill (Saint Peter Street) every evening next week from six to eight o’clock in the evening to issue permits to new pupils. As required by law all employers of children under sixteen years of age should send the lists of such employees to the principal by the time school opens. The Pottsville Republican of August 24, 1908 The other evening, Thomas Bast’s delivery horse took fright on Columbia Street and dashed madly up to Canal Street where the animal slipped and fell on the veranda in front of C. F. Schumacher’s residence. The horse was captured while he was down. The horse was badly bruised, the wagon damaged, Mr. Schumacher’s porch railing was smashed and a number of children playing in the street had narrow escape from being run over. The Pottsville Republican of August 25, 1908 Thursday will be a big day in Schuylkill Haven and Cressona, the merchants of the towns having arranged for their annual outing at Adamsdale on that day. The stores will be closed and all business suspended. The public is invited to participate in the pleasures of this outing. Each one is asked to provide lunch and carfare for themselves and spend the day at the park. Trolley cars will run at the usual hours in the morning and in the afternoon there will be a car every half hour. The program follows: morning baseball game between merchants of Schuylkill Haven and merchants of Cressona, dinner, afternoon baseball game between merchants of Schuylkill Haven and merchants of Cressona, baseball game between Tigers of Cressona and Pirates of Schuylkill Haven. There will also be a tub race, bag race, shoe lacing contest, fat men’s race, women’s race, boy’s race, girl’s race, pie eating contest, quoits contest, all with various dollar prizes and balloon ascension in the evening. |
| YEARS GONE BY ARCHIVES |