1926 WB Record Almanac, Luzerne County in 1925.

     The most important happening in Luzerne County in 1925 was the mine strike, which closed 
every colliery in the County on the first of September.  The strike is noted in detail in another part
 of the almanac.  It caused serious business depression in every community and as cold weather 
approached many people were in a state of anxiety over the scarcity of coal.
_

     Building activity continued throughout the year, though Wilkes-Barre, unlike many other cities, 
had not yet caught up with the loss of building due to the war and the high cost of labor and material 
following the war.  The demand for high priced homes for renting purposes had been met in 1925,
 but the demand for comparatively low priced home was far greater than the supply.  People who 
had money to invest declared that it was impossible to build and maintain houses to suit the incomes
 of the lower class of wage earners.  The cost of material, labor and taxes was too high.  As a result, 
many families lived in cramped quarters and numerous small families rented out parts of their homes
 to lodgers and for light house-keeping.
_

     The new system of selecting juries, which applies to Luzerne, Lackawanna and Westmoreland 
Counties, went into effect during the year.  The two jury commissioners were retained but the judges
 have a right to select a larger number of names of citizens to put into the annual jury wheel.  The 
Judges also have the right to veto a certain number of names submitted.  All names must be advertised
 and any person may send in objections to names that appear on the list.  It is also provided that juries 
shall be drawn in the presence of the court and of whoever else cares to attend.  The bill was passed 
by the Legislature in response to a vigorous demand coming from Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties
 over many instances of alleged jury tampering.  The local court appealed to the various civic 
organizations to send in the names of their male members deemed worthy to serve on juries.
     An act of the Legislature giving juries in murder cases the right to say whether the penalty for first
 degree murder should be death or life imprisonment became operative during the year.
_

     The weather – The first severe winter weather was experienced about mid-January.  On the 15th 
of that month zero temperatures prevailed in Wilkes-Barre and the harvesting of ice began, ten inches 
thick.  On the 28th of January the thermometer registered ten degrees below zero in Wilkes-Barre and 
as low as twenty seven degrees in some country districts.  On February 10th the ice in the river broke
 and moved out without gorging.  On the 12th of February a twenty five foot stage in the river was reached
 but street car traffic over the market street route was discontinued for only part of the day.  The lowlands
 were flooded and there was considerable anxiety but little damage was done.  Easter Sunday weather
 was pleasant with a sixty degree temperature.  The spring was cold and depressing.  The 26th of May 
was the coldest May Day in Wilkes-Barre in many years, with snow in the mountain regions.  The summer
 had many cool days.  The hottest weather was experienced early in June.  On the 7th the thermometer in 
Wilkes-Barre registered one hundred degrees, on the seventh day of an extraordinary hot spell, which was
 broken on the 8th of the month.  Unusually cold weather for the time of the year was experienced in the 
second week in October, the thermometer in Wilkes-Barre registering twenty-nine degrees on the 8th.  
October 30, several inches of snow fell.  The month broke all records for cold in that month.
_

     Prohibition enforcement was surrounded by the usual difficulties during the year.  In February Judge 
Garman discharged another jury which had brought in a verdict of not guilty in a liquor case in which the 
Judge thought the evidence was clearly convincing.  The Judge remarked that it appeared as though 
juries were determined to hinder the enforcement of the law as much as possible.  Early in the year District 
Attorney James for the first time in the County invoked the padlock section of the State law, which gives 
the court authority to issue an injunction closing a place for a year or less on proof that the law was violated
 in the place.  The District Attorney had proceeded against a saloon in Plymouth.  In April the court issued 
preliminary injunctions against twenty-two saloons in Wilkes-Barre, Pittston and Hazleton on information 
sent in by the State’s Attorney General’s office.  Some of the places were prominent hotels.  In disposing
 of the cases after the preliminary injunctions the court ordered some of the places closed indefinitely and
 in other cases demanded that the proprietors execute bonds as security against further violations.  In July 
Sheriff LaBar made one of the biggest raids in the county since the beginning of prohibition.  It included a
 distilling apparatus having a capacity of five thousand gallons and another apparatus valued at $50,000
 but the case moved slowly and when the Almanac went to press it had not been concluded in the courts.
     During the latter part of the year very little was done in the way of local enforcement.  Evidently the State
 Police were over the failure of their efforts to secure convictions in many of the cases in which they had 
secured the best of evidence.  Municipal officials had never taken an interest in enforcement.  The policy 
of the federal government was changed from giving time and attention to minor cases to efforts to stop 
the flow of liquor from its sources.  Local enforcement forces were reduced and the whole system was 
reorganized.  In consequence local saloonkeepers were unmolested and bootleg liquor could be had in
 numerous places.  During the latter part of the year the research department of the Federal Council of
 Churches issued a series of reports in which the whole aspect of enforcement was placed in an unfavorable
 light, but with some spots of hopefulness.  One of the points made was that there was more drinking among
 young people than before prohibition.  This appeared to be the case in Luzerne County.  The trend in that 
direction could be explained only on the ground that young people were defying the law in a spirit of adventure. 
 It seemed that if enforcement were to be a success it would be necessary to arouse the people to greater energy.
     During the year there were scores of deaths in the County from the poisonous nature of the liquor consumed.
  Chemical analysis showed that about ninety-five per cent of the liquor available was unfit for use.
_

     In May the one hundredth anniversary of the old Reformed Church in Hanover Green cemetery was observed.  
The contents of the cornerstone were taken to the rooms of the Historical Society for inspection and preservation.
_

     Flood prevention was revived during the year after many years of desultory agitation.  Congress voted an 
appropriation of $8,000 for completion of the survey begun earlier and Major Schlessinger and staff of army
 engineers was sent here by Major Pettis of Baltimore.  They were at work for several months.  At a meeting
 of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce held in September an unofficial preliminary report was
 made by the engineers.  They agreed in the main with the recommendations made as a result of the 
previous survey by Col. Beach.  It was the opinion of the engineers that two of the projects discussed were 
impracticable – one the erection of storage reservoirs further up the stream for impounding flood water, 
and the other the dredging of the river to permit the flow of a much greater volume of water within the banks. 
 The engineers admitted that dredging might be done on a limited scale but they believed that on a large 
scale the cost would be prohibitive.  Chief reliance was placed upon the building of dikes or embankments
 on both sides of the river to protect the wetlands.  This work might be done in sections and at different times.  
One project would include the protection of Wilkes-Barre and the west side at a cost roughly estimated at
 $3,000,000.  Another project would take care of the Pittston section and another of the Plymouth section,
 and so on at different places along the valley.  Nearly a score of local engineers were present at the Chamber
 of Commerce meeting and a most interesting discussion was had.  Some of the engineers thought the 
principle trouble was in the region of Honey Pot, due to the gorge at that place, and the Nanticoke dam, 
but the engineers after further investigation were of the opinion that the cost of widening the gorge would 
be prohibitive, and even if the work was done was done it would have no great effect in lessening the flood 
menace without other provisions.  The army engineers finished their work the latter part of September and 
the community awaited the official report with detailed plans.
     At the Chamber of Commerce meeting it was resolved to form a Wyoming Valley Flood Association to 
act at the proper time under the auspices of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, towards
 interesting the various communities in the general project, including an apportionment of the cost.
     Major Pettis decided to recommend to congress that the federal project for the improvement of the North 
branch of the Susquehanna be abandoned, on the ground that the stream had no value for navigation.  
This would mean that there would be no prospect of securing an appropriation from Congress for flood prevention.
_

     During the year a campaign was conducted for raising money for building additions to Wyoming 
Seminary as a memorial to Rev. Dr. L. L. Sprague, the beloved President of the Institution.  The campaign
 included the Wyoming Conference district and alumni in various parts of the country.  The sum was set at 
$600,000 but $617,828 was pledged.
_

     The North street bridge project proved to be one of the outstanding developments of the year, 
owing to the deadlock between the County Commissioners and the Judges over what should be 
done.  This controversy had been hanging fire for several years.  In 1925 the Superior Court handed
 down a decision sustaining the right of the Judges to pass upon plans.  Finally the County Commissioners 
agreed to abandon the part of the project calling for the cutting down of North street hill (which would have 
given an easier traffic way over to North Min street) on the ground that this feature was for the city to 
decide upon.  But the Court and the Commissioners could not agree on a steel or concrete structure,
 the County commissioners demanding concrete.  The Judges disagreed among themselves over steel 
or concrete and the location of the bridge.
     The Chamber of Commerce to a hand by appointing a representative committee of business men
 to see what could be done to break the deadlock and relieve aggravating traffic conditions, after the 
Commissioners had closed the North Street Bridge to all traffic, on recommendation of an expert 
engineer that the structure was unsafe for any kind of traffic.  The committee held meetings with the 
Commissioners and a meeting with the Judges but the difficulties were not overcome.  The closing 
of the bridge threw all traffic upon the Market street route and congestion reached the point of intense 
discomfort and danger.  Finally the Commissioners opened the North street bridge to horse-drawn 
vehicles and in October announced that they were repairing the North street bridge for light automobile
 traffic; also that they had plans for a temporary structure over the river from Union street, to be used 
while the new bridge either at North street or at Market street was being built, the temporary structure to 
be erected if the people favored it.
     During the latter part of the year the Carey Avenue bridge, acquired from the traction company and
 improved at a cost of about $175,000, was opened and this relieved the congestion to some extent.
_

     The death of Judge J. B. Woodward in September, removed from the Bench a distinguished member 
and a good citizen.  Clarence D. Coughlin, former congressman, was appointed to fill the vacancy.
_

     Population estimates by the Census Bureau for Luzerne County cities and towns on July 1, 1925, were
 as follows, the estimates being based on rtes of growth in census periods.
Wilkes-Barre ………….. 77,644
Hazleton ………………..36,143
Pittston ………………....19,759
Nanticoke ……………....24,732
Kingston ………………..17,998
Plymouth ……………….16,500