| YEARS GONE BY ARCHIVES |
| The Pottsville Republican of September 8, 1909 BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETS A regular stated meeting of the Town Council was held on Tuesday night with the following members present: Messrs. Bubeck, McKeown, Meck, Rooney, Umbenhower, Keller, Moore, Saul, Berger and Lautenbacher, president. Solicitor Noecker, Secretary Runkle, Chief Burgess Hartman, Supervisor Becker and Superintendent Werner were also present. Board of Health requested lowering of grade of gutter in front of property of William Webber on Caldwell Street to secure proper drainage and requested that gutter in front of properties of George Michel and Sam Buehler on Main Street be kept more sanitary. Referred to Road Committee. Contracts were signed with the Pottsville Union Traction Company relative to its portion of the Main Street paving. Chairman Meck of the Road Committee reported various crossings and crossing grades laid, gutters and streets cleaned, grade on mountain road made. Solicitor Noecker reported in detail the action taken thus far with reference to prosecuting the water Company and in the endeavor to secure an ample supply of drinking water, most of these matters having been published in these columns. Chief Burgess Hartman submitted the following report for the month of August: During this month I served sixty eight notices, this included every resident along proposed paved streets. As per your instructions I served each one of them with printed notice as per copy hereby attached. I had some printed at the Call office and had it charged to the borough account. On August 9th T. W. Templin, an Inspector of State Health Department, with myself and several others went over to the Almshouse creek and found things in a much worse condition then reported at the last meeting by Mr. Keller, one of our councilmen. We also visited the Almshouse Cemetery. Mr. Templin announced both a menace and danger to our community and said he would so report to his department. On the twelfth, John Strauch, an engineer, called at my office by order of the Board of Health and took some bottles away that had been sent by express to me by the State Board. He took various samples of our water for analysis. Since then I received a letter from Dr. Dixon, State Health Commissioner, stating that the samples contained animal organisms, etc., that water was impure and consumers of the same should be notified and warned to boil all water before using. This letter I turned over to your solicitor and special committee on water. They notified consumers through the newspapers to boil water before using as ordered by Dr. Dixon. On August 19th, supervisor Abbott and Engineer Falck, of the Reading Railroad Company, were here and met a number of the councilmen at corner of Railroad and Union Streets in reference to pavement ordered made by your body across railroad at that point. It developed that the ten foot alley running from Union Street to the depot is occupied by Darius Coldren's boiler room, also by part of the Worts building; that the public are now of necessity walking and driving over the railroad company's property between these points and that some agreement must be made between the borough and railroad company regarding this passageway before crossing can be fixed as requested by Council. During the month the following were arrested: Mike Sweeney, John Busco, Thomas Reiley, Hugh Behan and one Lewis for vagrancy, begging, etc.; William G. Fox, James Degan, Elmer Shollenberger, Raymond Staller and Jack Williams for disturbing the peace; Homer Kline and Mabel Kantner for loitering along sidewalk, and John Burkhart for maintaining a nuisance. Of these the court sentenced Lewis to four months, Sweeney sentence suspended, Busco, Reiley and Behan to stand trial, Fox paid five dollar fine, Deegan three dollar fine, Burkhart five dollar fine and the balance each one dollar, making a sum of eighteen dollars received for fines, a total of twenty six dollars, including permits, which amount I handed over to the Borough Treasurer. I think the Council should instruct our Solicitor to assist the District Attorney in these cases and see that the borough's interests are properly taken care of. I received the agreement properly signed with the Reading Railroad Company in regard to wire crossing the Ball Track and hereby turn same over to your body to be placed with balance of borough papers in the borough safe. Burgess report was accepted and filed. President Lautenbacher stated that President Treat and Mr. King of the Schuylkill Haven Gas and Water Company desire to meet with Town Council on Wednesday evening of this week and W. L. Bryant offered to hold the meeting at his residence. Mr. Keller opposed meeting the Water Company officials upon any terms of equality. He favored fighting to the last ditch. He wanted the company deprived of its charter. Mr. Saul favored giving the company a hearing and accept or reject their proposition but did not favor stopping the legal proceedings against the company. Solicitor Noecker stated that no harm can come from a conference and he would not favor withdrawing the legal proceedings until a perfectly satisfactory agreement with the company is reached, signed, sealed and delivered. He cautioned the borough to go slow in dealing with the Water Company as the action it may try may tie up the borough for all time. On motion of Mr. Keller, seconded by Mr. Umbenhower, Council decided to meet the Water Company officials in the Council chamber. Meeting was adjourned. SCHOOL BOARD MEETING The Board of Directors met on Monday evening in regular monthly session. Every member of the board was in attendance, also Principal Heckert and Janitor Hoffman. The report of the Supply Committee was read. This committee was authorized to have such books rebound as they saw fit. A motion directing the president and secretary to draw the orders for the teachers salaries when the school month was up was passed. The principal announced that he would attend the next meeting of the teachers and address them on matters pertaining to their school work, duties and other matters relative to progress of education in the community. The enrollment on Monday was 846 which number is thirty more than the same time last year. A list of twelve tuition students was reported and the board accepted them on condition that the tuition be paid in advance. Annie Killian and Laura Flammer of North Manheim Township were admitted to the high school on the principal's report of their examination and on the county superintendent's approval. The state pays their tuition. The board adjourned. The Pottsville Republican of September 13, 1909 ROLLING MILL TO RESUME There is more encouraging news for our neighboring borough, Schuylkill Haven. On Saturday last we published the cheering fact that the car shops at that place were prepared to give immediate employment to fifty additional hands. This is followed this morning by the announcement that the rolling mill at that place will resume operations in the puddling department just as soon as a sufficient force can be secured for the purpose which will give employment to fifty men. Every industry in that town is now at work. The Pottsville Republican of September 14, 1909 SCHOOL BOARD MEETING The Truancy Committee met on Thursday night of last week to hear the cases of those who did not start school. About fifteen cases came up for consideration and a number of citizens were heard. The committee will hold meetings regularly every Thursday evening before the board meets and will hear the cases and report the findings to the board for final action, thus greatly reducing the work of the board itself. Persons summoned before this committee should not fail to appear or they will be called before the board. Without the parents presence the committee can not make any definite recommendations to the board. This year irregular attendance will be carefully looked after. The School Board met in adjourned session Monday night chiefly to dispose of the truancy cases. The Building Committee reported that the new pavement in the South Ward is completed and the necessary filling in done. The bill was presented and paid. The truancy matters were next taken up and disposed of. Most of the cases that came up before the Truancy Committee on Thursday night had complied by the law by Monday night. Mr. Crossley was directed to put the numbers of the rooms on the doors of the North Ward rooms and Mr. Reinhart will attend to the same matter in the South Ward. The Pottsville Republican of September 20, 1909 PENNSYLVANIA FLYER HAD NARROW ESCAPE The Pennsylvania Railroad Wilkes Barre Flyer, south bound, which left Pottsville at 10:25 this morning had a narrow escape from being wrecked at Connors. Just as the train struck the big curve at Connors which leads to the Schuylkill Haven station on the top of a very high embankment, the pony wheels of the engine left the track. The train doesn't stop at Schuylkill Haven and consequently was going at a very high rate of speed. engineer J. wells immediately applied the brakes and brought his train to a stop in a distance about double its length. Passengers were badly shaken up by the sudden stop but no one was injured and the engineer's prompt actions saved the train from being wrecked. The Mount carbon wreck crew was called for and a few hours work placed the engine on the track again. It occurred where the railroad crosses over the wagon road. The track is about twenty five or thirty feet above the wagon road. The train was in charge of Conductor J. H. Burnapt. The cause of the accident was due to the breaking of the flange on one of the pony wheels. The Pottsville Republican of September 20, 1909 STREET PAVING On account of the street paving operations on Main Street between the Reading Railroad and Dock Street, vehicles are compelled to use the side streets. The trolley tracks have been relaid, however, and cars make their regularly scheduled trips. The street is barricaded at both ends except across the trolley tracks. On Sunday a big automobile containing a gentleman and three ladies went through the barricade at the corner of Main and Dock Streets and the front wheels of the car went down into the ditch. It required an hours hard work to pry the car up with railroad sills and push it back on to the street again. No damage was done to the car and the motorists went on their way rejoicing. W. L. Kline had a force of men painting Saint John's Reformed Church a bright red color with grey trimmings. The sight of a couple of men on an apparently flimsy swing supported by only two thread like ropes a way up at the top of the big bell tower caused pedestrians to shudder as they passed the church on Monday morning. The Pottsville Republican of September 23, 1909 Joe Barr, who went to Texas several months ago has returned to town. Joe's family came home several weeks ago. They had intended to make their home in the Lone Star state but landed just in time to lose everything in the big storm and flood that swept that part of the country and they then made up their minds that Pennsylvania was good enough for them. Among the objections on the part of some citizens to the street paving, President Jere C. Lautenbacher of Town Council asks that the kickers be referred to him. President Lautenbacher, while modestly claiming the honor of being the father of street paving in this town does not propose to stand idly by and allow the knockers to have all of the fun. He says he believes in street paving, is glad the ball has begun rolling in this town and firmly believes he can convince the objectors of their error. |