A GHOST DELAYS A PENNSYLVANIA R.R. TRAIN NEAR PORT CLINTON

Pottsville Journal
June 3rd , 1915

“GHOST”
DELAYS P.R.R. TRAIN

Train No. 413 on the P.R.R., running from Phila. To Pottsville, was held up for about 10 minutes on Wednesday evening while the crew sought a “ghost” on the track along a big curve near Port Clinton. The train was making good time coming along the straight road and just as the curve was reached the brakes were applied and the speed reduced. After the curve had been almost passed the engineman J.A. Wells and fireman R. B. Schiottman noticed what looked to them like a man on the track swinging a lantern. Two passengers on the left side of the train also saw the light and jumped to the windows as the air was applied. The engineman, fireman and conductor Hugh O’Leary left the train to go ahead and they were unable to find anyone near. Then other members of the crew except the rear brakeman who went back to guard track searched the area and they were soon joined by some of the passengers. No one was visible and the crew are at a loss to know what the light was.
The “ghost” story at once arose and it fitted very well as the train in the morning going down struck Henry C. Reed some distance down and killed him outright. The crew say that as long as they have been employed on the railroad there has been nothing of the kind ever occurred to them and they are very nervous.

ST CLAIR YOUTH ELECTROCUTED IN SING SING PRISON NEW YORK 1940

THE ELECTRIC CHAIR IN SING SING PRISON

I FOUND THIS STRANGE STORY IN THE POTTSVILLE REPUBLICAN.

POTTSVILLE REPUBLICAN FEB. 17, 1940

Only 17 minutes were required to complete the triple execution of three convicted murderers in Sing Sing Prison’s electric chair.
One by one and in alphabetical order, the condemned men sat down in the seat of death after hearing prayers of the rev. John McCaffery, a catholic Priest. Each man was pronounced dead four minutes after entering the death chamber.
First to go was Franklin W. Jenner 22, formerly of Newbury Vt. Convicted of bludgeoning to death with a chair Mrs. Florence Ames of Pompey New York. While burglarizing her home.

The other men electrocuted John Kulka 24, and Bertal Thingstead 28 convicted of shooting to death a New York City Police officer, Humbert Moruzzi in a Manhattan Night club holdup 10 months ago.

Kulka was second to go to the chair, he had no visitors yesterday, but his mother and brother , both from St. Clair, Pa. visited him last week.

Kulka last words declared:” I don’t deserve the rap[ I’m getting.”

SING SING PRISON

He resided while at St. Clair in the lower Arnots Addition, attended St. Clair schools and then for a time was employed by the St. Clair Coal Co. About four years ago he went to New York to get employment and fell in with a bad crowd. On the occasion of one return visit to St. Clair, he exhibited considerable money and said he was getting along fine in New York.

When arrested for the Policeman’s murder a gun was found in his procession but it had not been fired. He asserted he had no part in the killing.

His father died and his mother has since married.

Kulka was buried in the St. Mary’s cemetery the parish cemetery of Holy Trinity Greek Catholic church, St. Clair. the service took place from his late residence, Para St, in Arnots Addition.


Editors Note: I did some researching Kulka and found this about the murder.

DEWEY SEEKS THE DEATH PENALTY FOR THREE.

New York April 18, 1940

DA Thomas Dewey said today he would seek the death penalty for three men held ion the death of Officer Humbert Moruzzi shot during a Greenwich Village night club hold up.

Lt. Martin Owens said a hold up at the club Howdy last Tuesday was one of at least 13 major robberies stayed by a gang blamed for the officers death.

1st degree murder was charged against Harry Kochs leader of the gang and Francis Degnan and John Kulka.

A total of 614 men and women died in the electric chair in Sing Sing, and since 1914,all executions in New York State were done there. The last execution at Sing Sing Prison occurred on August 15, 1963.

KULKA WAS THE 958 PERSON EXECUTED BY THE STATE OF NEW YORK

B-6A BOMBER CRASHES NEAR PINE GROVE APRIL 6, 1936

KEYSTONE B-6A BOMBER

ARMY B-6A BOMBER CRASHES ON MOUNTAIN
WEST OF PINE GROVE.
APRIL 5, 1936

The headline in the Pottsville Journal stated, “ARMY PLANE FALLS NEAR COUNTY LINE”
5 Airmen burned to death in crash on Blue Ridge Mountains not far from Pine Grove.

One victim was a Berks Countian,

Craft was driven far off course during Last night’s rain storm during training course.

Fredericksburg, Pa. April 6, …The bodies of five army aviators, charred beyond recognition, were removed today from the wreckage of a two motored bomber that crashed last night on the Blue Ridge Mountain.

Army officers from the Middletown, Pa. field listed the dead as Lieut Stetson Brown, St, Johnsbury Vt. Pilot, Cadet Paul Anspaugh , Cleveland, Ohio, Pvt. William Yost, Maine, Pvt. Arthur Metz, Chambersburg, Pa. and Staff Sgt. Ernest Endy, near Boyertown. The bodies were brought here.

The plane was enroute to Langley Field, Va. Via Washington from Pottstown.

Officers who arrived at the scene of the crash identified the plane as an Army B-6A by the aerial numbers on the engine. The remainder of the plane a mass of twisted and charred wreckage.

The fliers were on a routine training cruise.

Lieut. Brown had piloted the plane from Cleveland and had stopped at Pottstown to pick up Endy who was visiting his wife. Endy, the officers said was the only one married.

After leaving Pottstown the plane ran into heavy rain and was driven 60 miles off course. Officers said it crashed into the side of the blue Mt. between 8:30 and 9 P.M. an hour or more after leaving Pottstown.

An investigation will be undertaken by the army officers stationed at Middletown. It was said , failure of the ship to report by radio after it was apparently driven from its course led the officers to believe it had radio failure.




COUNTY FOLK VIEW THE WRECKAGE

Many residents of the West end of Schuylkill county today visited the scene of the fatal plane crash two and a half miles west of Pine Grove just over the county line.


photo from Pottsville Republican
Tag Photo To Enlarge

The plane nosed deep into the soft earth and its charred tail being discernable from a distance. Broken tree tops in a straight line about 500 feet from the wreckage indicate the course of the plane prior to its crash.

Many Farmers in the West End of the county heard the crash and saw the resultant flames.

When it was learned that the plane had come from :Langley Field, Va. Considerable concern was felt in Pine Grove since “Buddy Hartzel” of that town is a student flier there.

A detail of men from Middletown airport, under command of an Army officer, arrived at the scene and made an examination of the wreckage. The instruments were salvaged and then the wreck car from Middletown prepared to pull out and cart the remains of the plane back to Middletown.

Captain Derwister, USA was in command of the detail. He said the plane was flying by means of the Newark radio beam. Some charred personnel effects of the five men were found including several wrist watches.

A newsreel man took pictures of the wreck as did many photographers. Trees around the wreckage were not burned. State Police finally had to close the road to keep spectators from blocking the highway. Many motorists drove to the scene during the day.

Three of the bodies were found in the rear of the fuselage, the pilot and radio officer were in the forward part. The radio operator’s headphones were in place. Lieut, Brown was a newcomer to the service just receiving his commission only a short time ago.



Editors Note: Talk about being off course! This aircraft was about 50 to 60 miles off course. If it was heading toward Langley, Va. From Pottstown that had to be one hell of a storm. The B6A was the last bi plane bomber the Army flew.
Sometime this summer I will make a trek out to the area were this aircraft crashed and see if I can find any artifacts or parts of the aircraft.
A couple of years ago I went to the crash site up in Aristes, See my Blog {THIS IS AN EMERGENCY DESECENT THE CRASH OF UNITED FLIGHT 624). There I was able to still find parts of the fuselage of the DC-6, actually lying on top of the ground.

U.S. Air Force Fact Sheet
KEYSTONE B-6A







The Keystone B-6A was the last biplane bomber purchased by the U.S. Army Air Corps. The conservative Army leadership was slow to accept new design concepts in aircraft construction and tended to favor traditional and proven designs over radical unproven ones. This resulted in a design stagnation of about 10 years. The basic design and performance of the B-6A was little different from the Martin NBS-1 ordered in 1921.

The acceptance of the single-wing bomber would be slow. The B-7 and B-8 bombers were ordered in 1929, but they were originally designed as high-speed observation planes. The conversion to the bomber role was done while the prototypes were under construction.

Some Keystone bombers remained in service until the early 1940s, serving in secondary roles such as observation and reconnaissance.

Type Number built/
converted Remarks
B-6A 39 Production Y1B-6


Serial numbers: 32-142 to 32-180

SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 74 ft. 9 in.
Length: 48 ft. 10 in.
Height: 17 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 13,350 lbs. gross
Armament: Three Browning .30-cal. machine guns and 2,500 lbs. of bombs
Engines: Two Wright R-1820-1 radials of 575 hp each
Crew: Five

PERFORMANCE:
Top speed: 120 mph at sea level
Cruising speed: 103 mph
Service ceiling: 14,100 ft.
Range: 825 miles (approx. 350 miles with full bomb load)

The Miners Handbook For 1927 What every miner should know for his own safety.

Found this interesting item in a old fold out for 1927.

Miners Handbook
1927

What every miner should know for his own safety.
The foreman at all collieries are supplied, weekly, with a list of men out of work. from these lists, and the approval of the superintendent, they fill vacancies.
The list will be sent to each of the foreman.
Of course the foreman likes to know the men whose names he is sending in, so it is a good plan, when you are out of work, to make yourself known at the collieries where you would like to work. This does not mean you should keep on calling.
When you get a job stick with it until better one turns up. It is a mistake to think that the company owes me a living. The company must select men who are able to do the work.
Getting a House.
The company has a certain number of houses which are rented from one month to month.
Unfortunately there are not enough company houses for all those who wish them. ITS ALMOST ALWAYS IMPOSSIBLE TO GET A HOUSE ON SHORT NOTICE.
In assigning houses the company has to take many things into consideration. In doing so, it has its own interest to consider. as well as those of its employees.
The company does not build houses to make money. It does not expect to make anything more than a small return on its investment, and it spends a large part of the money received from rentals to improve the houses it now has.
When you get a company house it is expected that you will see that it is properly taken care of. By doing so you are helping the company to maintain rents at a low level. Make application for houses and complaints about the services at the office of real estate.
Becoming an American
No one can hope to get far in this country unless he knows how to read and speak the English language.
The company can conduct classes at night school, which runs during the winter months.
Don’t criticize the company behind its back. It is anxious to know your troubles so that it may take the trouble to straighten them out.
The agreement with the company absolutely forbids local strikes and any worker who talks about “Shutting the Mines is talking about breaking the contract. Any workers who use this method of getting results act in bad faith.
The pay car visits the colliery twice each month and payment is made in cash.
When the company prospers the mine worker prospers.
From the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.

For all the Slate Pickers and Breaker Boys in the Anthracite Region

I found this poem in an old Shenandoah Herald of 1870. It pleases me to be able to put Mr. Morgan's Poem on my blog for the world to view. He certainly didn't get this much exposure in the old Herald!
And it is also a tribute to all our family members who suffered and died in the Anthracite Mines of Pennsylvania.


Written For The Shenandoah Herald

By Edward T. Morgan
July 28, 1870



Song of the Slate Picker

How varied are the sons of men,
How different are their fates,
Some live in comforts all along,
While I am picking slate.


It grieves me to the heart to think
The changes taking place,
For since my father lost his life,
Want stares me in the face.


I am not lazy, not at all
The work I do not hate,
But poverty surrounds me since
I started picking slate.


My compensation is but small
For working in such dust,
But mother taught me long ago
To say in “God we trust,”


Whatever is in store for me,
However so hard my fate,
I know I’ll be a man someday
And not be picking slate.

Orwigsburg Fire Company Schuylkill County's First Department 1828

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY’S FIRST
FIREMEN
1828

Found this article in an old Pottsville Evening Chronicle from August 31, 1883.

While searching through some old legal records at the prison a few days ago County Commissioners Clerk John S. Snyder discovered a dust covered box which had a peculiarly ancient look and which on being opened was found to contain the records of the First Fire Company in Schuylkill County. A large pile of papers including the original articles of association, minutes, election returns, roll lists, bills etc.
It furnishes a very complete record of the early history of the company. A chronicle reporter has inspected the papers. But a few of the original members still live. William Gilme is one of them, and he is a resident of Pottsville now. The following shows the start of the company.

“We whose names are here unto subscribed agree to associate ourselves into a company under the stile of the ORWS Orwigsburg Fire Company for the purpose of protecting the property of the citizens of the town and the county generally as far as may be practicable from destruction by fire, and bind ourselves to support such. Constitution and bye laws as may be here after adopted by the association.
F. Lauderbrun
Sam’l Huntzinger
Wm. B. Potts
James Hammer
Thomas N. Penros
Peter Frailey
Js. Rambo
J. Morgan
Sam Hoffman
John G. Woolison
George Grim
Paliip Hoffa
Pusey W. Jackson
Charles Frailey
Mike Linder
C. Loeser
Thomas S. Ridgway
J. Huntzinger
Andrew Meller
John Lieb.
John Barman
Jacob Thomas
Solomon Berger
John Coho
John Shoener Jr.
Nicholas banks
Christian Berger
Solomon Lebengood
Peter Grimm
Johan Karter
Jacob Schelley
John G. Schaffer
Henry Raush
Adw. Huntzinger
J.K. Woolison
John Biehl
Jacob Landig
Charles Hesser
Moses Rintz
Ab Hoffman
William Krehner
Fredrick Beck
Ben Becker
Sam Medlar
Charles Knarr
Daniel Lavenberg
Mike Graeff
John Kolb
Peter Angstadt
William Smith
P. May
William Gime
George Witman
Peter Mattern
Fredrick Hesser
George Rintz
John Matthews
John St. Clair
Silph Simpson
G. Raush
Joseph Sneyder
William Kasper

THE FIRST FIRE

It appears from the documents that the company had been organized and equipped but a short time when a fire occurred at the house of George Reed, On November 26th, 1828. Meetings were held monthly. The roll was called over each meeting and absentees were fined. At the meeting held on that date, there were 14 absentees, Samuel Huntzinger, Chief Engineer, certifying to the list. The boys then as now no doubt celebrated the fire by subsequently taking a drop too much.
We are sorry to think so, for among the names is that of Mr. Gilme. If the theory is correct, the dissipation of 55 years ago left him none for the worse. In December 1828 the company got an engine as appears by the bill of David Weis, who charged for
Taking the engine to the Schuylkill and putting aboard a boat $1.00 and a total paid for $1.85.
In August 1829, the building committee reported having white washed the engine house, and were continued to do such things as necessary. The engine was reported in good order. In fact this was the report at every meeting, among the bills paid.

THE FIRST OFFICERS

F.Lauderbrum President. William B. Potts, Secretary; J. Morgan, treasure and twelve engineers. In 1829 John Barman was elected President, Jacob Thomas Secretary and Jacob Hammer Treasurer. In 1830 Mr. hammer became President, Pusey W.. Jackson Secretary and Henry Rausch Treasure, and William Gleim Chief Engineer. As is the case nowadays they had great trouble with their hose and a letter from Adam Dialoguge, of Philadelphia, recommends “Dubbing keeping it dry and clean, and oiled once a year with tanners oil, but never dub oil, unless damp.
The records run for three years. How they came to be lodged in the jail has not been discovered. They are interesting relicts of the early years of the county seat and will be more carefully treasured ion the future, than they have been in the past.

Centralia Mine Fire

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Centralia Mine Fire Looking Down into Centralia

Yesterday, Feb. 15, 2009 I was coming home from a District 12 VFW meeting held in Mt. Carmel. On the way I was looking to get some pictures of the wind Generators up on the Ringtown Mountain. When I got to Centralia the mine fire was putting out some good steam clouds and it was such a nice day I decided to photograph them. It is strange I have been there so many times but never seem to have my camera. But luck had it and I got some interesting pic's.

Still is a very strange site to see.









One of the old vents.







If you want to read a real good book on this subject check out David DeKok"s book Unseen Danger. This is from David's Web site on the Mine Fire.



Anthracite coal was mined in Centralia, Pennsylvania, for more than a hundred years. What we today call the Centralia mine fire is a direct legacy of the environmental devastation of that era and the failure of either government or private industry to face up to the damage that had been done and the risks that remained. In my book, Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire, I tell the story of how an underground fire destroyed Centralia. I witnessed much of the second half of the story and researched the rest.

Centralia was a pleasant community of about 1,435 souls in 1962. On May 27 of that year, with the best of intentions, a fire was set in Centralia's garbage dump by firemen hired by the borough council. They had always done this, because the dump had always been next to one cemetery or another, and with Memorial Day and many grave visits approaching, they wanted to get rid of the offending odors as best they could.

The firemen piled the trash in one corner of the pit, set it afire and later washed down the smoldering ashes with fire hoses. But this year it went horribly wrong and the fire found its way through a hole in the pit into the vast, black labyrinth of abandoned coal mines that lay beneath Centralia. The borough council tried desperately to put out the underground fire, but after a few days it was beyond their reach. Soon enough, the true origin of the fire would be forgotten--conveniently or otherwise.

Over the next two decades, the people of Centralia watched as repeated state and federal efforts to stop the fire failed either for lack of sufficient funding or political clout. In 1979, after one particularly ill-conceived engineering project, the fire broke through an underground barrier installed in earlier years and moved under the town itself, sending dangerous gases into one home after another and causing the ground itself to collapse. A once pleasant and neighborly community was torn apart by dissension between those who were terrified and wanted to leave, and those, betting the fire would never get to them, who demanded to stay and ridiculed the others for their fears.

In the end, repeated and hard-hitting press coverage of the town's plight by me and many other journalists forced a resolution. The federal government announced in 1983 that it would simply cost too much and destroy too much of Centralia to put out the fire. Congress then appropriated $42 million to relocate anyone who wanted to leave and the fire was allowed to burn. Today, fewer than 20 people remain and much of the town has been demolished. Centralia and its mine fire symbolize the folly of the notion that man can abuse the environment without consequence.




The Wind Generators up on the Ringtown Mountain. Sort of Science Fiction looking when viewed from a distance. It's as if they are from the "War of the Worlds" invasion.


It seems all true blue Coal Region Butty's, Skooks etc, have a beater truck to run up in the hills with, this is my beater.