| YEARS GONE BY ARCHIVES |
| Pottsville Republican of February 4, 1908 A regular stated meeting of town council was held Monday evening with the following members present: Bubeck, Caffrey, Heim, Lautenbacher, McKeone, Meck, Rooney, Runkle, Schumacher, Thomas, Sterner and President Lessig. Chief Burgess Baker reported having served various notices upon persons for dumping ashes. Bills were presented by the Schuylkill Haven Gas and Water Company for the setting of a fire plug on Haven Street and the resetting of a plug on Garfield Avenue. Mr. Lautenbacher, chairman of the special committee, submitted the reports and drafts of Engineer Butz on the proposed streets at the Episcopal Church. Mr. Lautenbacher advocated the making of all of the improvements that the borough finances will stand. Solicitor Noecker, on behalf of the Ordinance Committee, stated that the street at Saint Ambrose Church, including cost of property, would cost nearly $3300 and the Episcopal Church street including cost of property about $3800. In view of these facts and the low condition of the borough finances, the committee did not feel warranted in drawing up the ordinances for these streets until all the facts were made known to council. Mr. Noecker showed the borough debt at $16500 and the borrowing capacity at $19000. On motion of Mr. Thomas the committee on new streets was continued and the secretary was directed to carefully preserve the various drawings and reports on the subject. Mr. Lautenbacher advocated the submitting of a vote of the people the proposition to create a bonded indebtedness of eight to ten thousand dollars to build these streets. He also advocated a revision of the tax assessments of the town and guaranteed that the borough would have plenty of money. He believed there was no town in the state where the taxation is so unequal. Mr. Schumacher believes the borough would make a mistake in building two streets and thought one street would be enough. Mr. Schumacher reports that surface water floods Frank Runkle's pavement on Union Street. Much of the water comes from the Bryant property. It was referred to the Road Committee. Mr. Schumacher suggested that council hereafter hold its meetings in a larger room and extend an invitation to the public to attend. He knew of a room four times the size which council can rent for the same price as the present council chamber. He made a motion to that effect, which was seconded by Mr. Bubeck but the motion was lost. Chief Burgess Baker reported that the trolley road was in bad shape on Liberty Street and also in Spring Garden. Pottsville Republican of February 8, 1908 The cold snap caused considerable inconvenience, quite a number of freeze ups resulting here, keeping the plumbers busy. The most serious freeze up was the supply pipe at Baker Brothers and Company's Knitting Mill, resulting in the shutting down of the mill. At the new residence of Louis Kershner, the supply pipe also froze, the family had to secure water from their neighbors and had to have the water back removed from their kitchen range to avert the danger of an explosion. Contractor Fertig, working on the new houses on the Aldrich and Paxson tract had to discontinue all outside work for several days and Contractor Speacht, doing the excavating for additional houses on the same tract, had to stop work entirely. One of the pranks played by the recent cold snap was the freezing of one of the gas mains of the Schuylkill Haven Gas and Water Company, resulting in the supply of gas in certain parts of town suddenly going down to the point where it appeared as if the lights were about to go out. Manager Aldrich's ever alert force of men so promptly remedied the difficulty that the light merely flickered and flashed then again to its full brilliancy as quickly as it had come down. The town now has the best gas lighting service in the history of the local company. The KKK enjoyed a sleigh ride to Pine Grove and a turkey supper at one of that town's leading hostels there. Those who attended were Clyde Aldrich, harry Burkert, Samuel Deibert, Eugene Gipe, Dilham Gilham, Ivan Lautenbacher, Harold Lenker, George Keller, Edgar Leininger, Esmond Moyer, Floyd Mattern, Leon Nice, Roland Snyder, Harold Schoener and Edgar Palsgrove. Pottsville Republican of February 15, 1908 FLOOD AT SCHUYLKILL HAVEN The River rose Five Feet at Schuylkill Haven and Caused Great Damage The water coming down Long Run Valley flooded Bittle's Dam and washed over the lower part of Berne Street, doing considerable damage to the street and adjoining property. From the Almshouse field and the upper part of Main Street, the water came down in such volumes over the property of Aldrich and Paxson, that it did considerable damage to some of the houses which they are building on Paxson Avenue just off Haven Street. The water at one time rose so high that it washed over Haven Street and onto the lot owned by Mrs. Bryant. It then crossed Mrs. Bryant's lot to the rear of the lots owned by the Mr. Williams estate, which fronts on Dock Street, doing considerable damage to that property. The Pottsville Union Traction Company experienced the worst part of the winter because of the warm rain. High water was encountered on all branches. |
| Pottsville Republican of February 11, 1933 A most important meeting of the spirited tax payers of Schuylkill Haven will be held Monday evening at eight o’clock in the Schuylkill Hose Company’s meeting room, for the purpose of organizing a tax payers association to represent the property owners of that borough. The purpose of the organizations is to band together the individual citizens of the town together and work out a plan whereby they can go to the county commissioners when the triennial assessments are made in 1936 and ask for a reduction in the assessed valuation of their properties. It is the continuation of those that are heading the movement that back in 1922 the county commissioners revalued and reassessed all properties at a much higher value that had been set prior to that time. The aftermath was the banding together of the coal companies of the county into one unit, for the sole purpose of protesting against the raised assessment. The protest of the coal companies was carried into the courts after the commissioners refused to grant their request. The court battle that followed is now history, with the companies winning the victory in the state court and their lands were not raised to a higher value. However, there was a joker in it, as all individual property owners who were without an organization had to pay their taxes on the new assessment rate. It has been rumored over the county that when the next triennial assessment is made that the coal companies will appear before the commissioners and ask that the value of the coal lands be reduced anywhere from twenty to fifty per cent of their present reduction. The individual property owners of Schuylkill Haven foreseeing the value of such an organization have decided that it was not too early now to formulate a plan and put it to work in the new organization. Similar organizations such as will be formed in Schuylkill Haven Monday night have been working in Rush and Union Townships together with McAdoo and New Philadelphia. It is reported that within the next two months that organizations of the same type will be formed in Cressona, Orwigsburg, Pine Grove, Auburn, and Minersville together with several other counties. Pottsville Republican of February 14, 1933 The final drive for clothing of the winter which was scheduled for last night was postponed because of the impossible condition of back streets due to the snow. It will be put on Wednesday evening of this week. Persons are asked to keep their packages of clothing in readiness and those who have not made a search for garments they can spare are urged to do so. The need for warm clothing is great. Some of the folks who have given much time to this work are of the opinion that aid on the work should be given by church organizations. Pottsville Republican of February 25, 1933 Sch. Haven Man Found Dead At Home Charles Cliff, 72, of Union St., Schuylkill Haven, who was reported missing the forepart of the week, was found dead in bed at his home where he lived alone, at 11:00 o’clock Saturday morning. After a search of several days, during which the Cliff residence was visited on several occasions, and no response received, Mrs. Frank Rosenberger, a niece to the deceased man, summoned Chief of Police Deibert, of Schuylkill Haven, this morning to gain entrance to the home. Upon entering, Mr. Cliff was found dead. Dr. R.C. Lenker of Schuylkill Haven, deputy coroner was immediately summoned by Chief Deibler. After an examination by Dr. Lenker, it was learned the man had been dead for several days. Dr. Lenker stated death was the result of natural causes. Mr. Cliff had been in perfect health. He was seen daily on the thoroughfares of Schuylkill Haven. Since the death of his wife, which occurred last December was a life long resident of the borough. For a number of years he was employed as a railroader. Later he worked in several garment mills. No funeral arrangements have been made. Undertaker Confehr and Bittle, of Schuylkill Haven, are in charge. |