of quickening life and rising sap.
Bare branches are mot so clearly
etched against the sky. There is a
softening of contours.
Crocuses in protected spots are
already in bloom, and Easter bou-
quets are ready, at the merest hint
of warm wind and sunchine, to
throw their banners wide. The flor-
sythia is budded, pussy willows have
shed their soft grey fur.
And the peepers are peeping like
mad in the swamps. Legend has it
that peepers freeze out three times
before spring is actually here. We
have seen them liquefying in a
driving rain, their bodies trans-
parent jelly, their embryonic legs
dissolving, their shapeless forms
sinking into the earth. The rains
cease, and the jelly shows signs
of life, Five more minutes and the
tiny frog takes shape, distends
his throat, and pipes his nostalgic
plain,
Twice the peepers have joined
in a full-throated chornas this year.
Once more, and spring is an ac-
cepted fact:
It's not only the swamps that are
peeping, it’s the Post-office. Back
of the mailboxes there are: card-
board pullmans for peeps, each
pullman crowded with fluffy yel-
low chickens, all of them vocal and
inquiring about ‘the brooder and
the chick mash. It is a happy sound.
They are not really hungry, just
interested. There is nothing urgent
in their voices, purely conversation-
al. They have enough contained
egg yolk for another twenty-four
hours, and they will not be feel-
ing desperate for forty-eight.
There's a cardinal on top of the
maple tree, his feathers ruby red
in the light of the. setting sun He
dence. This evening there is a lilt
to his song, and the throws back
his head with abandon. There is
an answering whistle down in the
oak tree. ‘
Robins bustle about in the flower-
beds, and there's a sudden flurry
of bees about an opening crocus.
A threatening cloud veils the sun,
and there is a brief snow shower.
Nothing can stop it now—no
searching wind, no unseasonable
backlash of snow.
[Spring is here.
Helped Take "Old Baldy”
With the 2nd Infantry Div. in
Korea—John L, Bronson, son of
Mrs. Beulah Bronson, Route 1, Har-
veys Lake, wag recently promoted
to sergeant first class while serving
with the 2nd Infantry Division in
Korea.
~The 2nd Division captured ‘‘Heart-
break Ridge” in October 1951 and
took ‘Old Baldy” last July.
Sfc Bronson, an assistant platoon
sergeant in (Company F of the di-
vision's 23rd Regiment, has served
Gir] Scouts of Back Mountain
Troops are here shown inserting
letters in envelopes for the current
Cancer (Campaign.
Sitting at the table fin Back
Mountain Memorial Library are
J. HOUSTON DAY
J. Houston Day has accepted the
job of general chairman of the
Cancer Crusade for the Back Moun-
tain, it was announced by Mrs.
Harry Ohlman, area commander.
During this weekend, 2,000. letters
will be sent out from Back Moun-
tain Cancer Information Center.
Typing, filling and mailing the let-
ters was accomplished by the Cen-
ter volunteers. assisted by a group
of Girl Scouts.
April has been designated by an
Act of Congress as Cancer Crusade
month, Mr. Day pointed out. “The
failed to respond to the appeals
of humanity, must contribute its
gnota of $2,500 to the County goal
of 40,000 if local cancer work is
rontihue.”
"Mrs. Ohlman emphasized that
the American Cancer Society is the
only voluntary health agency which
sponsors a program of service, edu-
cation and research, with the bulk
of funds spent for service.
Mr. Day, 50 Terrace Drive, Shav-
ertown, is married and the father
of three small children. He has
contributed time and effort to sev-
Réd Cross and Community
Chest drives, as well as serving as
treasurer of Georgetown Settlement
and in various activities of Wilkes-
Barre Rotary Club. Mrs. Day has
been active in local Cancer work
since moving to the Valley. She
is chairman of dressings for the
Back Mountain Center, organizing
and supervising several dressings
groups.
Mrs. William Thomas, Center
chairman, has announced that the
Center will not be open’ Good Fri-
day. Regular hours will be resumed
Tuesday.
in Korea since last July,
He attended Mansfield State
Teachers College, before entering
the Army in October 1951.
Do Their Part To Aid Canc
(from left to right): Jean Franklin,
Mary Evans, Barbara Hirleman,
Carol Rudy, Zelphia Carter, Lynn
Schoffhauser, Betty Long, Beatrice
Ell, Nancy Jones, Patty Hemenway,
Carol Thomas Sally Hetrick.
>
Blood Donor Day
At Misericordia
Nets 138 Pints
Students And Sisters
Contribute In First
Of Semi-Annual Days
Blood Donor Day at College Mis-
ericordia last Wednesday netted
138 pints, collected by a staff of
twenty-nine, working from 1 to
8:45 P.M. [College students from
freshmen to seniors contributed,
with parental permission. Fifteen
sisters also donated.
According to Sister Annunciata,
Blood Donor Day will be a semi-
annual feature of student life, with
even moore impressive results to be
expected. Many students who had
planned to contribute were dis-
qualified [because of spring colds.
The staff from Wilkes-Barre, Grey
Ladies and assistants from the Back
Mountain, were served meals in a
private dining room in relays, that
donaticns might proceed uninter-
ruptedly.
College Misericordia was
vented from participating in the
February 2 Dallas Blood Donor Day
in honor of Dr. Sherman Schooley,
by students’ absence during mid-
year recess. At that time, arrange-
ments were made for a later dona-
tion, with the Bloodmobile going
directly to the school.
Heart Campaign
Goes Over Top
Goal Exceeded,
Twice Last Year's
Results of the recent Heart Drive
were announced Thursday night at
a dinner held at Hotel Redington.
Chairmen for Back Mountain area,
Mrs. Robert Maturi and Mrs. Harold
Flack, announced that more than
double the amount raised in 1952
was (collected, with the goal of $500
exceeded by $229., bringing the
total to $729.
Winners, milk bottle: envelope
collection, were Jack Evans, Dallas
Dairy, $75.90,
maker, Shadyside, $60.85. War
Bond, $25, went to Evans, War
Stamps, $10, to Shoemaker. This
method of collecting, by tags at-
tached to milk bottles, was new
this year. (Collection totalled $288.12
[Committee members were Mrs.
A. Hardem Coon Jr., Mrs. Wood-
worth B. Allan, Mrs. William R.
Wright, Mrs. James Gates, Mrs.
Sheldon Evans, Mrs. Thomas Shel-
bourne, Mrs. Jonathan Valentine.
Back Mountain Lumber
Constructing Addition
Back Mountain Lumber & Coal
| Company this week broke ground
for a 25x50 foot two-story addi-
tion to fits store in IShavertown.
er Campaign
PHOTO BY HUDSON
Standing are Mrs. Robert Morgan,
Mrs, Clarence Laidler and Mrs. Wal-
lace Gavetit.
Among the many who expressed
their delight this week with Dr.
new American LaFrance pumper
was State Secretary of Commerce
Andrew J. Sordoni, largest single
cash contributor to the pumper
fund. Here Mr, Sordoni is shown
just before his departure for a
ten-day trip to England. With him
1 font of the new Commonwealth
Building is his son, Jack, and Fire
Chief James Besecker.
The beautiful new pumper which
has made the hearts of every fire-
man beat just a little bit faster,
golt its first baptism of fire Sunday
afternoon when it answered a call
View. Driven by assistant chief
Norti Berti, accompanied by Drivers
Donald Bulford and ‘Al Shafer, the
|
|
{
So famous have Charles Long’s
annual auctions become that mo
matter what the weather large
8 Cents
| pumper headed a procession of vol-
| unteer fire fighters who were anx-
| action.
| Most of them knew, for repre-
| sentatives of the Middle Atlantic
| Fire Undenwriters had given it an
| exhaustive three-hour test at Har-
|veys Lake on [Friday and pro-
| nounced it tops. In one half-hour
test at 150-pound pressure the en-
| gine pumped 854 gallons per min-
| utes though it is rated at only 750
| gallons per minute. It was also run
| at 200 and 250 pounds pressure for
half hour intervals and developed
| were tested at 750 pounidis pressure.
Interested observers at ‘the test
were: Danliel Richards, president of
the company; Harry L. Ohlman,
| past president; Henry Peterson,
| numbers of farmers come from all
parts of northeastern Pennsylvania.
1 Shown here is a part of the throng
per Copy—Twelve Pages
| treasurer; Donald Bulford and [Chief
| Besecker,
All of the drivers have expressed
| their complete satisfaction with the
| way the equipmenlt handles in tight
i places, and with the operation of
| the pump. Drivers are James Gan-
| sel, Howard Johns, Donald Bulford,
i Alvin Shafer, Norti Berti and James
| Besecker.
Shortly after the equipment was
officially placed in service Friday
night Chief Besecker announced
| that both pieces of apparatus, the
‘new pumper designated No. 2, and
the old truck designated No.1, will
respond to all alarms in Dallas
! Borough amd Township. For all out-
of-town calls, only ithe new pumper
will resopnd with truck No. 1,
standing by in Dallas for home
emergencies,
afield as Harrisburg, Lancaster,
Williamsport, and Binghamton, as
well as those from the Back Moun-
tain comprised the largest crowd
ever seen at Charles Long's annual
auction of farm machinery ion Sat-
uriday. Perfect weather, combined
with farmers’ inability to get onto
the wet fields, brought out buyers
and spectators, Ladies Aid of [First
Christian Church did a land-office
business in refreshments, clearing
over $400 from a gross of $730,
The swing is toward heavy ma-
chinery, states Charles Long, with
more and more farmers realizing
the advantage of green forage cut-
ting as a means of making silage at
the peak lof vitamin and protein
content, without the hazard of bad
weather to delay haying. To a ques-
tion ag to whether such machinery
was within the means of the aver-
age farmer, Mr. Long said that
long term payments were usually
arranged, and the savings in labor
cost as well as improved feed were
notable, In many instances, he went
on, a large scale farmer would fi-
nance equipment, and smaller scale
farmers would make use of his ma-
chinery at stated ftimes, either pay-
ing for such service or trading work
for it.
The auction itself is a big ‘thing.
For seven years it has been held
annually toward the end of March
or the first of April, though the
first auction was in 1943, ten years
ago, Used equipment is handled,
machinery that has been tumned
in as down payment on new, or
brought by farmers for sale in or-
der to raise money for replace-
ments. Cultivators, plows, seeders,
tractors, go over the block to the
highest bidder.
Sterling Barnes Gives
Up Grocery Business
[Sterling Barnes, Huntsville mer-
{ chant for the past eight years, is
liquidating his stock and has joined
his father, Ernest Barnes and his
brother, Charles of Lehman as brick
masons with the William Heck
Company in Wilkes-Barre. He
started work three weeks ago. The
store will remain open until the
stock is sold.
|
|
|Children of Dallas Borough and
Kingston Township, pre-school and
up to and including the sixth grade,
will have an Faster egg hunt on
Westmoreland school grounds to-
morrow at ‘9:30. Children are asked
to assemble on ithe football field
in advance of starting time, but
not to go to the front of the school
until the hunt starts.
Boy and Girl Scouts will mark
and hide eggs provided by mothers
and friends, boiled and colored in
advance. The hunt is sponsored by
Kingston Township and Dallas Bor-
ough police departments.
Special prizes will be given ait
Shavertown Honor Roll at di.
Busses will cover their regular
routes at 9 AM. Two Busses will
leave Dallas Borough school at 9
AM. Transportation will be pro-
vided by GC. L. Myers, I. Li (Coursen,
Donald Piatt, and Leoyy Emmanuel.
Parents or friends of; the children
were asked fto conftribute six eggs
apiece, boiled and dyed, delivering
them to any one of the four schools
by Thursday. They were handled at
the [(Shavertown Fire Hall by a
staff of volunteers. Undyed eggs
were colored by members of (Sha-
vertown [Fire Auxiliary, working
with Fire Hall equipment.
Members of the cooperating pol-
ice forces are: Arthur Smith, direc-
tor of Kingston Township police;
Jesse Coslefit, patrolman, general
manager of the hunt. Evan Evans,
Herbert Jenkins, Joseph ILalyaou,
Herbert Updyke, Kingston Town-
ship patrolmen; Russell Honeywell,
Dallas ‘Chief of police, and Lester
Fiske, assistant.
Businessmen, contacted by pol-
ice officers, contributed enoufh
money so that each (child is assured
a small prize. Bill Guyette is ar-
ranging for a loud speaker system
‘as his contribution.
WARNING
Pay The Penalty
Dallas Bank
Purchased By
Miners Bank
Sale Has Been
Under Consideration
For Two Years
Announcement was made yester-
day that purchase of First National
Bank of Dallas by the Miners Na-
tional Bank of Wilkes-Barre has
been approved by the diredtors of
both institmtions.
The announcement was not a
complete surprise in financial and
business circles for the purchase
has been under consideration since
April 1951 when a similar agree-
ment Was negotiated but failed
later to win the full approval of the
Dallas Board of Directors,
The sale is now subject only to
tthe approval of the (Comptroller of
the [Currency and the gtockholders
of First National Bank of Dallas.
Consummation of the transaction is
believed to have been hastened by
the announcement that Wyoming
National Bank of Wilkes-Barre is
seeking approval of the Comptroller
of the Currency for the establish-
ment of a branch bank in Shaver-
town.
In making the announcement W.
B. Jeter, president of the First Na-
tionia] Bank of Dallas said:
President's Statement
“I am pleased to be able to an-
nounce that at a special meeting
of ‘the Board of Directors of the
First National Bank of Dallas, held
March 31, 1953, it was unanimously
resolved to recommend to the stock-
holders the consolidation of the
First National Bank of Dallas with
the Miners National Bank of Wilkes-
Barre, subject of course to the ap-
proval of the (Comptroller of the
Currency.
“Inasmuch as a similar agree-
ment for the consolidation has al-
ready ‘been passed by the Board of
Directors. of the Miners Naltional
Bank of Wilkes-Barre, a meeting
of tthe stockholders of the First:
National Bamk of Dallas is being
called for April 20, 1953 to vote
on ithis resolution.
“As ‘you know, our two banks
have been in negotiation regarding
such a merger for the past two
years and it is a source of great
satisfaction to all the officers and
directors of the First National Bank
of Dallas that the arrangements
have now been consummated,
“I am sure that with our in-
creased facilities we can give our
friends in the Back Mountain Area
even greater service than in the
past.”
Largest Shareholder Approves
A. C. Devens, vice president, and
largest single shareholder, in the
Dallas institution, said:
“I have been associated with the
First National Bank of Dallas for
very many years, Its welfare and
the service it can render to our
friends in the Back Mountain Area
have always been a matter of deep
personal concern to me. '
“ I am entirely in favor of the
consolidation with ‘the Miners Na-
tional Bank of Wilkes-Barre be-
cause I know that ‘this way we may
draw on ‘a greatly increased loan
capacity to care for the rapidly
growing needs of our Back Moun-
tain community.
“TI should like to make it very
clear that the character of our bank
here in Dallas will in mo way be
changed. The same personnel will
continue to render ‘the same friend-
ly and personal service to our
neighbors but with increased finan-
cial facilities.”
No Change In Personnel
Under terms of the purchase
there will be no change in the per-
sonnel] of First Naltional Bank. Mr.
Jeter while remaining adminfistra-
tive head of tthe bank, will also be-
come a director and vice president
of Miners National Bank, Frederick
J. Eck, cashier, will become assist~
ant vice president of Miners Bank
while continuing in his executive
position in Dallas. The present
Board of Directors will compose
the advisory committee of the Dal-
las Bank,
Established 1906
First National Bank of Dallas was
chartered April 16, 1906 and opened
for business on August 27 of that
year in its new building now the
Harveys Lake Light ICo. on Church
Street. It was then capitalized at
$25,000 with a surplus of $6,250.
In January 1932 it moved into its
present quarters on Main Street. It
has grown steadily with the de-
velopment of the Back Mountain
x (Continued on Page 8)