The School Board met in regular session on Monday evening in the school building. All the directors as well as the teachers were present. President J.W. GRACE called the meeting to order and the first business before the board was the report of the teachers in regard to the course of study which they were to prepare and submit to the board. The course of study mapped out by the teachers was then presented to the board and after a thorough study by the directors the course was adopted, a thorough trial is to be given it by the teachers. The course is a nine year one and a pupil is required to spend a year and a half in the Primary school, the same length of time in the Secondary school, three years in the Intermediate school and three years in the Grammar school. The following bills were presented and ordered to be paid: Dr. J.G. MENSCH, oils, etc. $11.48, Jacob FOX, Janitor salary $12.00, Total $23.48. Another bill was presented by plumber V.H. STECKEL, which however was not paid. The committee on property was ordered to confer with Mr. STECKEL relative to the heating of the Grammar school room to that certain degree during zero weather, which was agreed to in a bond given to the board by him. The committee is to report at the next meeting and if satisfactory, action will be taken on the bill. Several applications from non-residents of the borough were made relative to granting the privilege of sending their children to the borough schools. The board decided to grant the privilege. The tax collectors statement was read which was as follows: Amount collected within 60 days $1066.78, Amount collected to February 1 $332.68, Outstanding tax $479.64, Total $1879.10, 5 percent abatement $53.33, 2 per cent commission $21.33, 5 per cent commission $16.62, Amount paid to Treasurer $1308.08. On account of much work the board, was not able to abjourn until about 11 o'clock.
When application was made Saturday for the discharge of Mrs. Bertha FOX, who poisoned her child, and against whom the bill of indictment charging murder was ignored, Judge SWARTZ said that even though the Grand Jury had decided that the case should not be investigated he could not rest comfortably if he should allow her to go home and possibly kill her other child. "Insanity", said the court, in the presence of the Grand Jury, "ought to be investigated by the Court and jury, and I so told the Grand Jury twice." The Court ordered a commission in lunacy to pass upon her condition.
The members of the Fish and Game Protective Association distributed 312 quail last Thursday and Friday in various parts of the county. The birds were secured at Wachita, Kansas, and cost four dollars a dozen.
The first of the damage suits growing out the Hatfield wreck in September came up for trail Monday. The plaintiff against the Reading Railway Company, was Kate LANDES, whose husband was loading milk into the first train when the special struck it. A settlement was reached for $7000.
The employees of Wm. M. JACOB's factory, at Lancaster, 200 in number, whose wages were unpaid when the Government seized the cigar factory, received the money due them last week. President MCKINLEY signed the act allowing their pay.
If the dairymen of the new Milk Shipper's Union carry out their plans to force the Philadelphia dealers to pay higher prices during the coming Summer the increase in price will fall on the consumer, members of the Milk Exchange said this week. At a recent meeting the dairymen declared that they were making no profit from their milk on account of the price received from the dealers, 3 cents in Summer and 3 1/2 cents in Winter, and insisted that as the retail price of milk during these seasons is 6 and 8 cents it would not be necessary for the dealers to increase the price to consumers if the wholesale rate were raised. W.C. SUPPLEE said one day this week: "The Milk Exchange has taken no action in reference to the movement of the dairymen. If the dairymen compel the dealers to pay a higher price it will affect the consumers." Other dealers declared that the price of milk is likely to be 8 cents in the Summer.
Because eight colored people were given employment in stripping department of Thorsch, Reinach & Company's cigar factory, at Allentown, the 48 white strippers went on a strike, compelling the entire factory, employing 312 hands, to shut down for a few days. The matter has been adjusted again by keeping out of the negro and the greater portion of the plant has resumed work.
The East Greenville Borough Council, held a special meeting on Saturday evening, for the purpose of transacting some important business. This was the first meeting of the new Council and the newly elected members of that august body took quite an active part in the business of the evening. The meeting was called to order by the President John A. GERHART. The first matter of importance brought before the Council was the running of the pumping station. This was discussed to some length. After the question had been fully debated, the following motion was presented: "That notices be arranged by the clerk as follows, That the Council would receive sealed bids for the running of the water work, the making of all taps, and general repairs, up until 7 p.m., April 1st." The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The lighting of the street lamps the caring of and filling with oil, was then brought up for discussion. A motion was at once presented, requesting bids to be presented for the contract. After considerable argument it was finally decided to give the contract for supplying the coal used at the pumping station as well as the Fire Department to the lowest bidder. The clerk was then instructed to fill out the required proposals and place them in the proper place. The different contracts will be for one year, beginning on April 1st, 1901, and all bids must be presented on or before 7 o'clock, Monday evening, April 1st. The chair then entertained the question of supplying the borough with coal oil. This question was the result of a lengthy argument, which was brought to a close by the following motion: "That the contract for supplying the oil be given to W.F. YOUNG of Hendricks, the price to be in conformity with the conditions of the market." J.M. KNETZ, promptly seconded the motion. The question was presented to the Council and passed unanimously. The chair then announced that it would then entertain a name for the office of Borough Treasurer. No discussion followed as the voice of the Council was framed in a motion to re-elect Adam J. DIMMIG. The motion was presented and Mr. DIMMIG was unanimously re-elected. His salary will remain the same for the ensuing year, one per cent, of all moneys paid out by him. The next in order was the appointing of a Street Commissioner. The name of Charles DEISCHER was proposed and presented to the Council. Mr. DEISCHER was unanimously elected to serve the borough for one year. A discussion then arose relative to the salary of the Commissioner and hired labor. After much argument in which all the Councilmen figured quite prominently it was decided to pay the same rates as the previous year, Commissioner $1.60 and labor $1.50 per day. The Clerk then informed the Council that there was no permit taken out by C.W. SCHLICHER in making the tap at Dr. H.H. BOBB's houses on Jefferson street. This was a direct violation of one of the borough laws and as a result, a vigorous argument followed the information. The matter was placed in the hands of the Clerk to be adjusted at once. He being instructed to inform all persons interested in borough work that the making of taps without a permit would not be tolerated. After an interesting discussion of the necessity of appointing street and water committees the following motion was presented and seconded; That the chair be empowered to appoint a water and street committee, each to have three members. The motion was presented to the council and passed without one descending voice. The chair then appointed the following street committee, J.M. KNETZ, George HOOT and J.G. GERHART; water committee, J.D. GERHART, L. HILLEGASS and T.H. HOFFMAN. It was then decided to pay the clerk fifty cents for each meeting of the council, and extra for all other work performed by him during the year. L. HILLEGASS than made the following motion; that the council meet at 7.30 o'clock from the first of April until October, the remaining months in the year at 7. After some discussion on the part of the different members, the motion was seconded by J.M. KNETZ, the question was presented and passed. A motion was then made and seconded; that the council adjourn until their next stated meeting, unless notified by the chair. The motion passed and the council adjourned.
Wilson H. RITTER, proprietor of the South Allentown Exchange Hotel, was stricken with apoplexy on Wednesday afternoon. He was attending a sale near Egypt and at about 5 o'clock he ate an oyster stew. After paying for it and while he still held the pocketbook in his hand he was stricken, falling to the ground. He was removed to the house and a cab was telephoned for from Allentown in which he was taken to his home. His entire right side was paralyzed and he is unable to talk. Mr. RITTER formerly lived in Pennsburg and conducted the hotel which is now known as the American House. His condition gradually grew more serious and he died on Friday morning. His age is 51 years, 11 months and 8 days. He is survived by a widow and the following children, William, of Allentown; Robert, of East Greenville, and Albert, of Pennsburg. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, at 10 o'clock, from his late residence at Allentown. Interment will be made at Greenwood cemetery, Allentown. Rev. W.B. FOX, of Sumneytown, will officiate.
John G. HARTLIEB, an old resident of Trumbauersville, died suddenly at his home on Tuesday morning of rheumatism. It having centered about the heart causing paralysis of that organ. He had been ailing with grip for the past six weeks and this was hardly known beyond his family and physician. When the news of his death was chronicled the entire neighborhood was shocked. He leaves a widow and nine children. In 1864 he moved from Pennsburg to Trumbauersville. The funeral will be held on Tuesday. Rev. BENNER will officiate.
Jacob MOYER, of Hill Church, died on Tuesday night of grippe and old age. Deceased was about 75 years of age. C. MINNINGER, of near Hill Church, died in the early part of the week at the advanced age of 94 years. The funeral was held yesterday.
Robert Michael, the infant child of Mr. and Mrs. Isaiah ZIEGLER, of this borough, died on Monday morning at 2 o'clock. Its death was due to convulsions. The age of the child was five months and ten days. The funeral was held on Thursday afternoon. Services were conducted by Rev. Wm. B. FOX in St. Mark's Lutheran church of this borough and interment was made on the cemetery at St. Paul's Lutheran church of near this town.
The local Institute held in Gabel's Hall, Salfordville, on Friday and Saturday of last week was a pronounced success. The class drills reflected credit upon the teachers of the schools participating as well as the pupils connected therewith, M.H. WALTERS, Esq., of Rudy, deserves praise for the able manner in which he presided in the absence of Prof. HOFFECKER. The evening lectures by Dr. G.M. PHILIPS and Prof. ROTHERMEL were well attended. Three spelling contests by the pupils of the seventeen different schools connected with it were held. At each contest four prizes were given. The following pupils were the prize winners: In the written contest by pupils over thirteen years, Helen S. HARTZELL, of Sumneytown school spelled all the words correctly and received first prize. Alice STAUFFER, of Sumneytown school missed three words and received second place. Arthur GOETTEL, of Sumneytown school missed four words and received third prize. Willie B. FOX, of Sumneytown school missed five words and received fourth prize. In the written contest by pupils under thirteen years of age, Bessie S. HARTZELL, of Sumneytown school missed five words and received first prize. Calvin SCHEETZ of Sumneytown school missed ten words and received second prize. Frank TALLEY of Woxall school missed twelve words and received third prize. Clayton SHEETZ of Sumneytown school missed thirteen words and received fourth prize. In the oral contest Helen S. HARTZELL of Sumneytown school received first prize. Willie B. FOX of Sumneytown school received second prize. William A. KLINE of Sumneytown school received third prize. Arthur GOETTEL of Sumneytown school received fourth prize. The receipts exceeded the expenses by ten dollars.
Clayton H. FRYER, undertaker of this borough, collided with Dr. C.T. WAAGE's team on Wednesday evening. Mr. FRYER was returning from the St. Paul's Lutheran cemetery and when he reached the overhead railroad bridge in the lower end of the borough an approaching train sounded an alarm. This frightened Mr. FRYER's horse which became unmanageable. He was within ten feet of Dr. WAAGE's team and not being able to control his horse crashed into the vehicle. Dr. WAAGE's carriage was overturned and he was thrown out but fortunately escaped injury. The doctor's wagon was damaged to some extent.
Monroe KEMMERER, of Green Lane, caught a four pound black bass, on Monday. Mr. Kemmerer, was walking along the old forge dam looking for muskrats when he noticed a commotion in the water. Upon investigation he found that it was a large fish floundering in a pool of water. The fish had been made a prisoner by the receding waters. With but little effort he succeeded in capturing the fish. It proved to be a black bass that tipped the scales at four pounds.
Some evil disposed person turned the valve open at Samuel BARNDT's hydrant at the Sumneytown hotel the other evening, and left the water run all night. The next morning the street was a miniature creek, and the reservoir connected with the hydrant was emptied, causing not only great annoyance to Mr. BARNDT, but to his patrons whom he has to supply with water.
Mrs. Monroe BREY, of this borough, lost her pocket book containing about $1.50 in money. She lost it on Thursday between her home and the St. Mark's Lutheran church. The finder will be suitably rewarded by returning same to Mrs. BREY.
One of the men working on the ice at Green Lane lost his purse containing over $10 in money. Thorough search was made for the purse but it could not be found. Last Tuesday Charles MILLER kicked at some rubbish, and seen the missing purse, inspection showed that the contents were intact, though the money, which was in notes, was completely satuarated with water.
Frank N. BENFIELD, a prominent resident of Huffs Church was seriously injured on last Friday. He was in the act of removing a large cake of ice, which had obstructed the water wheel at his mill, at the time of the accident. Mr. BENFIELD being unable to lift the ice gave it a shove with his foot, while sitting on one of the large arms of the wheel. The ice under this pressure suddenly gave way and the big wheel began to revolve. Before Mr. BENFIELD could free himself his foot was caught just above the ankle joint and the bone was mashed into an unrecognizable mass, four inches above the ankle. Mr. BENFIELD's son Claude was helping him to free the ice from the wheel and when the accident happened the young man slipped and fell into the water. Mr. BENFIELD fell backward into the wheel. Mr. BENFIELD's father and eldest son were in the mill at the time and heard the cries for help. By the time the rescuing party arrived on the scene Mr. BENFIELD had ascended the ladder which he had placed there. He was assisted to his home and Drs. ROTH and YEAKEL were immediately summoned. Upon examination they found the bone to be horribly mashed and adviced an amputation. Drs. F.R. BRUNNER, of Eshbach; J.A. ROTH, of Siesholtzville, and I.B. YEAKEL, of Bally, later amputated the limb four inches above the ankle Joint.
Ice is now being shipped from the large ice stack at the upper dam near Green Lane. Work was commenced on Tuesday, shipments will be continued right along until the stack is empty, so that the loss in waste and from warm weather will be reduced to a minimum. As the stack is fully a mile from Green Lane, and the men working there come from this vicinity, the foreman James J. SMITH has ordered a large hand car, this hand car will be run to the stack over the long siding and will prove a boon to the men, besides being a time saver and a great convenience.
Jonathan S. KRAUSS, of Sigmund, met with a painful accident last Friday. Mr. KRAUSS is foreman at the Sigmund creameery and while the butter making machine was in motion a brush accidentally fell in and while in the act of reaching for the brush his arm was caught in the rapidly revolving machinery. Dr. A.O. GERY, of Chapel, was immediately summoned and upon examination found his arm fractured at four places between the wrist and elbow. Mr. KRAUSS suffers excruciating pain.
James J. SMITH with a force of men towed portions of the bridge above Green Lane to the remaining piers. The bridge was wrecked during Sunday's freshet. Willoughby SMITH of Perkiomenville, received the contract to erect larger and more substantial piers. Work will begin on the re-building of the bridge was soon as convenient. The road will be opened to the public as soon as possible.
The "Pilgrim Quartet Concert Company," of Norristown, assisted by Miss MATTHEWS, of Philadelphia, Reciter, will give an entertainment in BARNDT's Hall, Sumneytown, on Saturday evening, March 30. Proceeds for the benefit of the Sumneytown church. As this is a worthy cause, we trust the public will patronize it.
The fair committee of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics in this borough settled all the business pertaining to their fair on Wednesday evening. After all the bills were paid there remained a balance of $46.52. The fair was held in Odd Fellows' Hall during the months of January and February.
(Picture of Michael Young)
There never was an organization of more daring men than the famous raiders of General Sheridan in our Civil War, almost forty years ago. Those were men who rode into the jaws of death without a temor of fear; they carried death and destruction everywhere, and they left a record than which none more bright is written on the scroll of American history. Brave men they were, every one of them, and hundreds of times they risked their lives in order that their great cause might live. Bullets, shell and shrapnel killed many of them on the battlefield, hundreds have died since then, and only a few of those heroes remain scattered throughout the length and breadth of our great land. Among the living are two who are dwellers in the Perkiomen Valley, from whence they went forth to war and whither they returned afterward to spend their last days. These men are Michael YOUNG, of Pennsburg, and Henry MILLER, of near Niantic...two battle-scarred veterans who have not lived for themselves alone. When the first alarms of the Civil War rang through the peaceful valley of the Perkiomen in 1861, YOUNG, then a robust man of twenty-five years, left his home in Franconia township and offered his services to his country. He joined Company M., Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry and hurried southward to the scenes of the strife. MILLER was one of the same company and there the two men formed a friendship which continues to this day. Colonel David MCGREGG, as brave a Berks Countian as ever ate scrapple or spoke Pennsylvania Dutch, was their officer and in a skirmish of seven hours at Fair Oaks near Richmond, Virginia, they had their first taste of war. The Johnny Rebels were too strong for the Northerns and the Pennsylvanians were compelled to retreat to Harrison's Landing, on the James River. The retreat continued without any fighting to Yorktown where they embarked on boats and went to Alexandria, Virginia. General MCCLELLAN was in command of the whole army then and he sent YOUNG and MILLER's regiment through Maryland on an expedition which brought hard work but little fighting to the men. When the army was placed under General HOOKER Company N. advanced into Virginia and then there was one of the fiercest battles of the war. Chancellorsville was the name of it and the aggregate losses were more than seventeen thousand men in the three days fighting. YOUNG says that he and his comrades were under fire from three sides, and that his captain was ordered to take his men to a place of safety the best way he could. While they were running off the field the fire was so terrific that they had to leap from their horses. Bullets came thicker and thicker and so they jumped on their horses again and galloped away as hard as the animals could bear them. It was one of YOUNG's many narrow escapes from death - but he was accustomed to little things like that. After this fight they went northward in pursuit of Lee's army which was raising havoc in Maryland and Pennsylvania and near Hanover they ran across a big wagon train at midnight. When the battle was over there wasn't enough of that train left to make a decent bon-fire. Young did not get into the battle of Gettysburg but he and his comrades were near enough to hear the noise of the guns. They were stationed near-by looking for another part of Lee's army which, however, escaped as soon as the Southerners had lost the battle of Gettysburg. In the summer of 1863 General SHERIDAN began his raiding. He and his men were mounted on good horses and they ran over the country like wild-fire. On a seventeen days' trip into Virginia they tore up railroads, telegraphs and everything they could lay their hands on. The rebels pursued them and hurled tons of shells at them but the raiders kept on with their work. They roved over the country and kept the Southerners chasing them continually. One day they were here, the next fifty miles away. For weeks and months they rode and fought just like General DEWET, the Boer, is doing in South Africa now, and nobody could stop them. They fought by night and day; it was almost continual battling with the enemy, but they became accustomed to the slaughter. Some times they went for several days without food; they bought whatever they could and stole the rest. War is not a Sunday-school picnic, YOUNG says, and stealing is much better than starving. When LEE surrendered and the war was over the raiders were somewhere in Virginia and they then went to Richmond. After many delays and discomforts the company was brought to Harrisburg where they were discharged in the fall of 1865, after having served in the army for four long years. Company M was formed at the beginning of the war by John N. JACOBS, the well-known banker and business-man of this county. He secured thirty men at Green Lane and Boyertown and took them to Harrisburg where they joined their regiment. Mr. JACOB's shortly afterward resigned from the organization. Mr. YOUNG, although almost sixty-five years old, retains many vivid memories of his army days and he has thousands of interesting anecdotes of his experiences with Sheridan's raiders.
One of the most destructive freshets for many years swept this section of the State during Sunday and Monday. The damage done in this immediate vicinity was comparatively small. But the larger towns suffered considerably, mills and factories were flooded with water, and many people were rendered homeless. The Perkiomen creek reached the highest mark in many years. Numbers of small houses and large quantities of lumber was carried along with the raging torrent. The twin boroughs escaped the freshet with but little damage. Many cellars were filled with water to the depth of from six inches to one and a half feet. The small streams throughout the county were in a few hours turned into mighty rivers, and many of the small bridges were swept from their foundations. BEILERs bridge, over the Perkiomen, near East Greenville was swept away by the high waters. This structure was about 225 feet long and is a total wreck. The loss, which will be considerable, will fall upon Upper Hanover township. The terrific rains of Sunday night together with the melting of the snow caused a rapid rise in the waters of the Perkiomen and Macoby creeks, at Green Lane. The Mocoby creek was before midnight a raging torent, sweeping everything before it, fences, outhouses, drift wood was swept away by the flood. The most damage was the destruction of the foot log at REIMAN's, this was totally destroyed, causing a great inconvenience to those that were obliged to use this bridge. The Perkiomen creek did not rise near as rapidly, but at nine o'clock in the morning it was at its highest. The three ice dams, at Green Lane had still been covered with ice, varying in thickness from an inch to 22 inches. Ice gorges were feared, and there was some alarm that when the gorges would break the rush of water would be so great that the dams would be unable to stand the pressure, and burst, and as large volumes of water are held back by those dams, trouble might have followed, fortunately, the ice from the KNICKERBOCKER and HANCOCK's old dam passed down the stream, without any damage. On the upper dam two gorges were formed, one at the engine house and the second one at the bridge at HANCOCK's farm, the ice from the stream, above was jammed here, causing the water to rise to a great heighth, and when it broke, the water and floating ice carried away the public bridge, even the piers were entirely destroyed, the grinding ice sweeping every thing before it. Fortunately the dams withstood the pressure, and very little damage was done to them, and the waters rapidly subsided reducing the danger. Horace O. REPPERT, the toll gate keeper at Palm, was compelled to remove his family to a place of safety on Sunday evening. The house in which Mr. REPPERT lives is built close to the creek, and when it overflowed its banks the raging torrent began to flow into the house. Before Mr. REPPERT had his family removed, the lower floor of the house was covered with water. At Norristown, the Schuylkill river reached the highest pont in the last six years. Stony Creek raised six to eight feet, as did Sawmill Run. The swelling of the latter stream deluged the houses on East Chestnut street, the people fleeing in the darkness to high ground. East Main street properties were damaged to the extent of several thousand dollars by the overflow of the race leading to F.G. STRITZINGER's grist mill. The cellars of houses of Penn street were also flooded. The rise in the river was nearly a dozen feet. The lower stories of the DEAN & MITCHELL mills were flooded, as were those of STRITZINGER's and JONES and WRIGHT's grist mills. The main line of the Reading Railway, above Bridgeport. was tied up by a landslide, which required more than an hour to remove. Much destruction was wrought at Conshohocken by the storm and rise in the river and Plymouth, Aronimink and Gulf Creeks. The lower portion of the town, known as "the Medow", was inundated, and residence were isolated for hours, boats being brought into service to reach town. In some sections of Lehigh county the loss by the storm and high water is beyond estimation. The farmers living along the rivers and creeks suffered untold loss to their property. At Allentown the freshet did thousands of dollars damage to property, principally manufacturing establishments. The great part of the loss is in that city where a dozen mills and factories were flooded, trolley lines impeded and several score of people rendered homeless. The Lehigh river which flows by the city in the east, the Little Lehigh river, which bounds it on the south and the Jordan creek, which runs through the centre of the town, overflowed their banks. When the freshet was at its highest the streams were from seven to ten feet above the low water mark. Among the largest manufacturing concerns affected are the BONDY & LEDERER cigar factory, the Allentown spinning mill, the ADELAIDE silk mills, the Iowa barb wire works, GABRIEL's hoisery mills, and the furniture factories of C.A. DORNEY & Co., W.R. YEAGER & Co., JOHNSTON & SWARTZ and George H. BEAR & Bro. The power house and car barn of the Lehigh Valley Traction Company were flooded to the depth of several feet, and at many places the tracks were submerged, passengers being transferred in boats and freight wagons. The Lehigh Valley Railroad's passenger line in this city was also flooded, and two bridges over the Jorgan Creek were carried away. In the lower end of the town, a row of a dozen houses were filled with water to the depth of several feet and the families were driven out. The household effects were destroyed. A woman dropped her nine-months-old baby in the water, but a telegraph messenger boy, made a thrilling rescue of the tot.
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