1903 WB Record Almanac, Wilkes-Barre During 1902 Typed by Irene G. Transue 1/10/2009 There was considerable of interest in the city of Wilkes-Barre during the year of 1902. While the great coal strike depressed business, the town was not as bad off as many that depend entirely or almost entirely upon the coal mines, thus again emphasizing the advisability of grasping every opportunity to diversify the city's industries, so that it may get more and more away from dependence upon the collieries. April 7 occurred the change in the municipal government. Charles H. Price succeeded F. M. Nichols as Mayor and Owen D. Jones took Bernard McManus's place as city treasurer. Joseph O. Main was re-elected controller; J. F. Mack was re-elected assessor and Henry Bodmer and J. W. Driesbach took their places as new men on the board of assessors. Drs. Guthrie and Weaver were re-elected as school directors. During the year R.H. Richards took the place of Owen D. Jones as select councilman of the Sixth ward, the latter having been elected city treasurer. Sterling R. Catlin took the place of George R. McLean as Tenth ward select councilman. Mr. McLean being elected county controller. William B. Robinson took the place of John R. Lee, deceased, as Fourth ward common councilman. Other new councilman, all in the common branch, were James J. Snee, Joseph K. Weitzenkorn John A. Kuschke, John A. Miller, Ferdinand Lange. The tax receivership question was carried to court. City treasurer Owen D. Jones having been named to collect the city and county taxes, his right to collect the school and poor taxes was disputed. The court decided that there should be a separate receiver for school and poor taxes and Judge Lynch appointed his brother, P. F. Lynch. Thus for the first time in the history of the city there were two tax receivers. R. B. Ricketts held over until the completion of the term of his appointment. At the beginning of the year the project to borrow $60,000 for municipal improvements was defeated and during the latter part of the year another resolution to lay the advisability of borrowing $300,000 before the people was introduced, the money to be used for street paving, sewering & etc. This ordinance was still pending when the almanac went to press. Twice during the year bids were called for the sale of the coal under the river common. It being the intention to use the money for building a retaining wall along the river bank, improving the river park, etc. Each time the bids were rejected for the reason that they were not considered high enough. It was thought that the coal under the river common should yield something in the neighborhood of $600,000. The first bids were evidently the result of an understanding on the part of two coal companies, as each put in a bid for the same amount, one to take the upper half and the other the lower half, the aggregate bids not realizing more than $60,000. The second set of bids was by private parties. The highest bid was by Thomas Cassedy and John W. Doran --$541,,632. It was decided to readvertise for bids, but nothing further had been done up to December 15. August 16 police sergeant James Hall observed the beginning of the thirtieth year of his connection with the police force. There was considerable in the way of municipal improvements during the year. The vitrified brick pavement work included South Main street from Ross to Academy, North Main street from the railroad tracks to North street, one side of Scott street, Mallery Place, with other pave contemplated. The contract for resurfacing some of the asphalt streets was let to the Warner-Quinlan company and a few days later work was begun. The asphalt on South Franklin street, East Market street, Union street, Academy street and portions of other streets was torn up and a new coating was laid, the cost of the work being about $40,000. The asphalt in many places was in a deplorable condition, hardly fit for travel. Work on the big Ross street sewer, begun in 1901 by contractor Fred Hendler, was continued until winter although work was stopped for some time by floods and wet weather. The sewer is one of the largest in Wilkes-Barre and cost about $50,000. The big Mill Creek sewer was completed during the year. The talk of a municipal light plant was ended during the year when a contract was entered into, after the disposition of an injunction asked for by Joseph Hendler, who claimed that he was the lowest responsible bidder, with the local electric company to furnish not less than 375 lights at $60 each a year on a seven year contract. This is a reduction of an average of $10 per year on each light. Contracts were also entered into with the Pennsylvania Globe Gas Light Co. for not less than 230 naphtha lights at $29.50 each a year and with the Weisbach Lighting Company of America for not less than 160 gas lights at $29 each a year, the two latter contracts for three years. The lights were fitted during the year with Weisbach burners, making a big improvement. The principal improvement in the fire department was the purchase of another combination hose and chemical wagon for No. 5 in North Wilkes-Barre. Industrially there was not much of interest during the year, due probably to the strike and the unrest in the labor world. The Romunder Car Co. appeared before the Board of Trade with a proposition to locate a plant for the manufacture of a convertible street car. Wilkes-Barre was to raise the sum of $200,000. A canvass was made but the required amount could not be secured and the projectors went elsewhere. An offer to locate a silver plating establishment was brought before the Board of Trade during the latter part of the year but it was not favorably received. Wilkes-Barre was exempt from any big fires during the year. The most damage was done at White's drug store and Dr. Finney's dental establishment over it on March 28. The total damage was about $3,000. Wilkes-Barre entertained a number of conventions during the year. January 30 the Lehigh Valley Medical Association convened. March 13 the State Federation of Labor met. May 14 the Susquehanna Dental Association began its sessions. May 21 the State Federation of Boys' Clubs met. June 14 the Press League of Bucks and Montgomery counties came to Wilkes-Barre for its annual outing. July 12 the Department Council of Patriarchs Militant, Odd Fellows convened. August 18 the biannual State Convention of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies' Auxiliary opened. In a religious way there was considerable activity during the year. On February 2 the Young Men's Christian Association celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of that organization. February 16 William McKinley Memorial Lutheran Chapel was dedicated. March 10 Rev. F. B. Hodge, D. D., announced his resignation as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church after being the pastor for thirty-three years. He was at the same session elected pastor emeritus. April 5 S. L . Brown for many years a teacher in Calvary Sunday School, resigned as superintendent. There was a reception and a presentation in his honor. May 11 the Grove street Evangelical Church celebrated its thirtieth anniversary. May 25 Westminster Presbyterian Church was dedicated. June 8 the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ordination of Rev. L. Lindenstruth of St. Paul's German Lutheran Church was observed. July 15 Father R. A. McAndrew, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church, observed the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordination. September 28 St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Unaltered Augsburg Confession was dedicated. October 5 the Sunday school part of the First Primitive Methodist Church was opened. In October Rev. Dr. T. A. Mills resigned as pastor of Memorial Presbyterian Church to go to California, and Rev. Alexander Kerr of New York City took his place December 7 Work on the construction of the government building at the corner of South Main and South streets was begun during the latter part of the year. The contract was awarded to the Cramps Company of Philadelphia, which sublet the work. The contract price was $88,777. The sum of $40.000 was paid for the ground. The contract was awarded on June 20 and fourteen months' time was given for the completion of the building. The cornerstone was laid November 27 with a parade, addresses and Masonic ceremonies. Two large new stores were opened during the year. In September the Globe Store, which was destroyed by fire on South Main street the latter part of 1901, reopened in a handsome building on Public Square on the site formerly occupied by the Bristol House. The Bee Hive moved from the corner of Public Square and West Market street to a fine new store erected on the site of the former Globe store on South Main street. There were two rather remarkable surgical cases in Wilkes-Barre during the year. Joseph Kearney, a youth employed at the Hazard Works, had his neck broken in an accident and the fracture was complete. He was motionless from his shoulders down and although his death was expected when he was admitted to Mercy Hospital he remained alive for four months, dying on August 5. At the same hospital a New York City young man who tried to commit suicide was admitted. He shot himself in the abdomen and the intestines were perforated in eight different places. Contrary to all expectations he recovered. May 7 the Post office Department closed the mails to the VanKirk & Robbins endless chain scheme. Two local young men offered to sell a fountain pen for $2.50 and then to employ the buyer at writing letters, the writer to receive $5 a week and $1.50 additional for postage for writing ten letters a day to different parties concerning the scheme. The mail for the firm came from all parts of the country and grew to enormous quantities, there being about seventy-five thousand letters on hand when the government began the investigating which resulted in the project being discontinued. June 4 the Supreme Court handed down a decision upholding the Luzerne County Court in deciding that the board of six school directors is the legal board, the board having decided to not to go over to the third class city laws when the municipal government was changed. The action was brought by those favoring ward representation. The cannon ball trolley company, constructing a line between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, purchased considerable property during the year. Work erecting terminal stations and sheds will be begun in early 1903. The Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre Trolley Car Co. was pushing its work during the greater part of the year and had its road nearly completed. Wilkes-Barre is situated in the heart of the anthracite coal field and is beautifully located in the far-famed Wyoming Valley. The city of 52,000 people has had a steady, conservative growth and the people are intelligent and refined. There are twenty-seven miles of paved streets, costing about $865,000, a fire department that is not excelled in this part of the country, a sewer system that has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and a public school system that is pointed to with pride by educators of prominence. There are about eight thousand children in the public schools. The city has a natural park along the banks of the Susquehanna a mile in length, and a boulevard as a continuation of the driveway along the river below the city. The city is supplied with water by the Spring Brook Water Co., which also supplies all of Wyoming Valley, a company chartered with a capital of $5,000,000. Steam heat pipes are laid in the principal streets. The electric car system is one of the best in the country and reaches every city and town within ten miles. The city has many large factories and workshops, including the largest wire rope works in the State and the largest axle works in the country. Beside this there are extensive silk factories, iron works, car shops, lace curtain factories, etc. Among the institutions for the public are the Osterhout Library, with 20,000 volumes, the Y. M. C. A. with excellent educational and physical departments, the Y. W. C. A. for girls, the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, the B. I. A. for boys. Railroads in Wilkes-Barre--The Pennsylvania; Lehigh Valley; Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; New Jersey Central; Delaware & Hudson, and the Wilkes-Barre & Eastern. Other cities in Luzerne County are Pittston and Hazleton. There are also some boroughs, of which appears elsewhere.