100 Years Ago This Month

July 1923

July 6

Walkersville Playground A Success

The playground at Walkersville was very attractive in appearance on Saturday night when it was opened to the children of the community. All the equipment was newly painted. The many lights, the Japanese lanterns dotted here and there, and the ice cream table with young ladies waiting to serve the patrons, made the occasion all the more festive. Throngs of happy youngsters, laughing and shouting to their upmost, enjoy the various entertainments.

Delightful music was furnished by the M.E. Church band. Its presence added much to the occasion. There was a large crowd on the ground all evening and the opening was he decided success. The playground will be open to the public Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night, and Wednesday morning.

Community singing will be conducted at the playground on Sunday evening, July 14. A chorus of over 200 is expected to participate. Invitations have been sent to the surrounding country and to nearby towns and hamlets. The musical treats at Walkersville usually draw crowds. It is not believe that Saturday’s treat will be an exception.

Leaves Law School To Work At Perfume Factory

A courtship which began four years ago was concluded recently when Mildred Portenberry, of Birmingham Alabama, and Alan Smith, of Woodsboro, were married. The bride and groom first became acquainted four years ago while Miss Portenberry, was visiting at the home of her sister and brother-in-law Mr. and Mrs. James LaGore, of LeGore.

The groom is a graduate of the Boys High School in Frederick and was in the Student Army Corps during the world war. He was a law student at the University of Maryland but quit the school to accept a position with Woodsboro Rosebud Perfume Company.

Must Count Mail

Beginning July first all rural mail carriers will be required to make a 15-day inventory of the amount of business handled on their respective routes. Plans for the count have been completed by the Post Office Department officials who have ordered a nationwide survey of rural mail deliveries.

Carriers are instructed to keep count of the actual number of pieces of mail handled, the number and weight of locked pouches carried to intermediate post office is, the weight of mail carried for delivery on loop routes, and the number and weight of parcels received from the loop routes. Carriers are also to report on the value of stamps and stamped paper sold by rural carriers.

The count, which is to be repeated in December for a similar 15-day period, is to determine the growth of the rural carrier system; to furnish a basis for estimating future expansion; and to determine the financial needs of the rural delivery service.

July 13

Auto Accident Case

As a result of a slight automobile accident near Walkersville, Michael Hines of New Midway, and Paul Fox of Woodsboro were brought before the Justice of the Peace and charge with violating the automobile law. Fox was fine $10 for driving without a license and $5 for being a reckless driver. Haynes was fine $10 for permitting his car to be driven by an unlicensed operator.

The charges were the outgrowth of a collision between the automobile of Haynes, which was driven by Fox, and the automobile driven by John Crum, of Walkersville. The accident occurred near Walkersville. Crum and the other two men settled the damages between themselves and Crum did not appear at the hearing.

Public Schools Criticized

Last week’s issue of Frederick’s The New Citizen, had a lengthy editorial on the Frederick public schools from which we clipped the following extracts, as showing interest in, and dissatisfaction with, our present school methods.

"Mr. Dorsey Etchison has recently been saying a few things about the public school system of Frederick County. The proposed appropriation for the public schools, which provoked his remarks, is now a settled matter. But what Mr. Etchison said about the schools still deserves serious consideration.

Briefly, his objection to the present school system of instruction is that it neglects the essentials of sound education while emphasizing frills and flourishes. He is by no means the first person to raise the subject. Many educators, the country over, have been combating this tendency for years. But Mr. Etchison is the latest person to agitate the subject in Frederick, and, as such, deserves much credit for bringing it before the publics attention.

"There is unquestionably too much focus on instruction nowadays being palmed off, at the expense of the taxpayers, as education. There is an urgent and growing need for some definition on the subject. Everything from press agency, plumbing, political campaigning to money solicitation is being passed off as educational endeavors. Chautauquas, motion pictures, public playgrounds, public bureaus, advertisements and many other such things all have their "educational" purposes. Education has become both free and easy." Said Etchison.

"The efforts to put education within the reach of all is a sort of frantic mania with great hordes of persons, who are all well-meaning no doubt, but who are also thoroughly incompetent to grapple with such an obtrusive problem as education. The consequence is that what they succeed in placing within the reach of all is not education, as they say, but a makeshift that parades under the alias of education.

"It would be very fine if the public schools, in addition to furnishing their pupils with the essentials of an education, could also teach them how to mend furniture, repair their plumbing fixtures, cook french fry potatoes, raise funds for starving babies, succor starving families, feed hogs, play games with children, take shorthand, keep expense accounts and do other practical helpful things. But can schools do it?

"Many people and not a few very brilliant educators among them, think that the schools are abandoning the essentials of education and trying to teach only the latter class of subjects."

The principle difficulty with our system of public education, as we see it, is that there are too many people with a great deal of time on their hands, and nothing but oxygen and nitrogen in their heads, who feel it is their duty to run the show. We do not question the good intentions of people who demand large appropriations for the establishment of courses in dishwashing in the schools, but we do question the advisability of clipping, say, trigonometry from the curriculum in order to make room for such courses.

July 20

Lime Plant Destroyed

The LeGore Lime Plant, two miles west of Woodsboro, was almost completely destroyed by fire, Tuesday afternoon, involving a loss estimated as high as $50,000.

The fire is said to have originated in the boiler furnace, which had been banked in the morning, spreading to the machinery department. Two large sheds containing about 3,500 tons of hydrated lime were also destroyed.

The fire was discovered around 2:30 in the afternoon when workers saw smoke issuing from one of the boiler rooms and went to investigate. They found the interior a mass of flames. Almost instantly the flames communicated to the next boiler room and from there to the hydraulic building containing the machinery. While these buildings were burning, the first lime shed took fire and a few minutes later the adjoining shed was in flames. The end of one of the sheds was not more than 23 feet from the store building containing the company office and bank.

The flames quickly enveloped the large buildings on account of the dry conditions of the framework. Realizing that the store, and a score or more of adjoining houses were in danger, a hurried call was sent to Frederick City for assistance.

The origin of the fire is undetermined. And no one was in the boiler room when the fire had started. The Frederick fire companies responded quickly and saved the store building and bank, as well as a number of adjoining buildings that were on fire from burning embers.

The LeGore Lime Plant was one of the most modern and extensive plants in the state, and the whole town of the LeGore received support from it. It is hope that the salvage will be considerable, and the plant may be renewed and operated.

Death By Suicide

Clifford Smouse, 53, committed suicide, by hanging himself in the barn next to house near Keysville, on Monday afternoon. He was found hanging down the hay hole, by his wife. Mr. Smouse was ill, and at times despondent, and committed the act when in the latter condition. Funeral services were held at the Keysville Lutheran Church

Gasoline Tax

The tax of one-cent a gallon on gasoline has yielded the state a total of $632,143 in the first full year since it has been an operation. This collection bears out almost exactly the estimate of the State Road Commission, which calculated at the time it was impose that it would yield an average of $50,000 a month.

These figures show that 64,412,658 gallons of gasoline were used in Maryland in the 12 months ending on May 31. This is the first time an approximate figure on the total consumption of gasoline in the state have been available.

The one-cent tax will continue until January 1924. The revenues are budgeted to provide funds to wipe out the deficit in the road maintenance fund, which amounts to about $1 million. A tax of two-cents a gallon will be levied January 1, 1924. Collections from the new tax will be used for road maintenance.

July 27

Gypsies Not Wanted

A band of gypsies had a rather stirring experience the first of this week, charge for not having taken out a solicitation license as required by law. They had camped in the lower part of the County on Sunday and on Monday passed through Walkersville and Woodsboro on their way towards Thurmont.

The sheriff was tipped off that the band had started for Thurmont when the deputies nab them and took five men and a woman back to Frederick where are hearing was held. They were charged with having no license for solicitation and a fine of $75,000 was imposed, but waved on the condition that they leave the County at once and not return.

From Thurmont the rovers went to Emmitsburg and then proceeded to Gettysburg arriving there early Monday evening. Determine not to allow the gypsies to apply their trade in Gettysburg, state troopers stationed there ask them to move on. The motorized caravan then set forth in the direction of Chambersburg, via Fairfield. The party was escorted to the western Adam County line by the state officers in order to prevent them from camping in that county overnight.

Fires

The barn on the farm owned by Frank Harbaugh, near Good Intent, was destroyed by fire, last Saturday afternoon, together with its contents, including six horses, 16 hogs, and farm implements.

Another fire burned over a hayfield on the Brining farm, last Saturday, and endangered the dwelling occupied by Edward Miller. The fire was controlled by plowing furrows around the field. It is supposed to have originated from sparks from a passing engine on the railroad.

Hay And Corn Crops A Failure

Farmers who held onto last year‘s hay crop or wise. The crop this year will be very small, as well as poor in quality. No amount of rain, now, will produce a normal corn crop, while the potato crop is hopelessly ruined, even from the latest planning. Corn for canning purposes will also be a very short crop, and the acreage planted with pees will be largely a complete failure.

The 1924 hay crop will be very shy of clover as it never showed up in the wheat stubble. Due to lack of spring rains and the extremely dry month of June and July, the clover that did get a start has been burned up.

There is a system of farming which is in practice in certain sections of the county, which many farmers in our section may use to their advantage this year. Instead of seeding timothy and clover in wheat, the hay mixture is seeded with wheat planted in August. There are two advantages of the system, clean hay and a sure crop.

It is recommend that farmers disc the wheat stubble from now until the first of August about every 10 days, and then seed with a wheelbarrow seeder, a mixture of 6 to 8 pounds of red clover, 4 to 7 pounds alfalfa, 4 to 5 pounds alsika, and 6 to 8 pounds of timothy. This should then be followed with a pulverizer.

Damage In Wake Of Heavy Storm

Bringing with a disaster as well as relief from the recent drought, Frederick County was visited by a heavy storm Saturday evening.

The crops which were drying up for lack of moisture were filled with new life by the heavy precipitation, but several disastrous fires were caused by the lightning. The barn on Franklin Miller of Lewistown, was destroyed by fire which had its inception in lightning. Numerous people turned out to fight the fire but the barn and other buildings burn rapidly and defied their efforts. The dwelling house is about 100 feet from the barn and it was feared for a time that it would also be destroyed. However efforts to save the house were successful and the fire held to the outbuildings.

A big locust tree in the yard of Calvin Putman near Lewistown, was also struck by the lightning during Saturday’s storm. The tree stands near the dwelling house but the house was not injured. The local weatherman measured Saturday’s rainfall as over two inches.

Warning Against Bootleg Liquor

The Prohibition Commissioner issued a warning statement that out of the liquor ceased by prohibition agents during the past year, only one percent of the 80,000 samples analyzed was pure, and that the drinking of bootleg booze was producing serious consequences.

The four sources a bootleg are: moonshine, redistilled denatured alcohol, smuggled goods, and liquor illegally withdrawn from bonded warehouses.

Drinking of moonshine may not directly caused death, but its toxins are cumulative and results in death from use over a protracted period the report claimed.

Redistillation of denatured alcohol fails to remove the inherent poisons: wood alcohol, benzene, ether and other deleterious matter being retained in the beverage. It is impossible to detect the presence of wood alcohol without chemical analysis and three ounces of it have caused death.

Smuggled goods and liquor illegally withdrawn from bonded warehouses constitute the other sources of supply. A large part of this is doctored and stretch many times and sold in fake containers. Proof of this is shown in the puality of liquor ceased from the rum running fleet of the Atlantic coast.