THE DALI AS POST VOL. 80 NO. 12 MARCH 27, 1969 MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION TEN CENTS Trucksville area housewives tell of water problems By SHAWN MURPHY “It’s a comic opera. What I once considered preposterous and absurd has become ac- cepted and commonplace; it’s incredible, absolutely incred- ible.” : With these words a Trucks- ville housewife described the chronic water problems which have plagued residents of that area for over thirty years. Low water pressure, no water pres- sure, and dirty water have been facts of life for Trucks- ville citizens longer than most pele can remember. TYie housewives, though, may well be the real victims of this situation. Charged with main- taining modern homes, they find that they must do so with- out a dependable water supply, cerjainly a primitive condition. Wistening to these women tell of the problems. they've en- countered during the past sev- eral months, one is struck at first by their apparent good humor. And there are, of course, trivial and even amus- ing anecdotes which have come from having no water in the homes. Mrs. Rita Laver of Warden Avenue recalls one hot summer day when ‘‘there was more water coming out of my de- humidifier than there was out of the faucets’’ and remem- ber that one of her five chil- dren hit upon the idea of chip- ping ice from the freezer to slake his thirst. Few of the problems en- countered by these women are amusing, however, and one has - the feeling that beneath the sur- ~ face of their cheerfulness runs a deep streak of frustration and bitterness. As anothgr Warde Avenue resident says, ‘If I didn’t laugh I know I'd cry, and I figure laughter is better for my fargily.” Yl erhaps the most often heard langent is that housekeeping oy personal hygiene are vir- tually impossible tasks to per- form without water. “Can you imagine what it’s like not to be able to shower, or shave, or shampoo, or brush your teeth, or even flush the commode?’ asked Knob Hill resident Mrs. Peggy Rocco. Another woman added that her family had come to call brushing one’s teeth without water ‘making a dry run.” Without water, even the simplest housekeeping tasks become monumental chores. Trying to clean up spilled liquids, especially tacky sub- stances like orange juice, is nearly impossible without a dampened sponge. The very act of washing one’s hands after housecleaning is impossible without water, ana Mrs. Rocco tells of the time she had cleaned out her fire- place only to discover, sooty hands dangling at her side, that the water had been cut off. Almost as bad as not having water, it would seem, is having dirty water, and much of the water which Trucksville resi- dents were getting in their homes during the Fall months was dirty and foul-smelling. One young mother on Lehigh Street tells of ruining her family’s clothing and linen by laundering them in the cider- colored water. Her baby’s diapers could not be properly washed and had to be taken to a laundromat, she reports, a costly procedure both in terms of money and time. Far more serious than any complaints having to do with housekeeping chores are the health hazards noted by the Trucksville housewives. Mothers were advised by the Health Department not to per- mit their female children to sit down in the water while bath- ing. Mrs. Dot Johnson, a mother of four, was appalled to dis- cover worme-like creatures in the water she was drawing for her child’s bath. » TV a doctoriEirteserl al Sitz baths three times a day for Mrs. Charles E. Rattigan, her husband was forced to trans- port huge quantities of water for the baths from a neighbor- ing community. Until just recently, any water which was to be used for drink- ing or cooking purposes had to be boiled for 25 minutes. This procedure was recommended by the Health Department after it had made extensive water purity tests in the area and continued on PAGE 14 many file for office at Harveys Lake Much interest in the forth- coming primary in May is evi- dent in newly created Harveys Lagsz Borough where numerous candidates have filed for office. Nine residents are entered in the Republican race for three council seats, namely Louise Zasgev, teacher and housewife; 5 Kocher, merchant, who has already served one term; William Purcell, petroleum dealer ; Frederick Kohl, mason; Fred Merrill Jr., control super- visor, also seeking reelection; Floyd Whitebread, retired; Carl Swanson, contractor; Thomas Cadwallader, construc- tion superintendent; William Hoblak, manager. Nominations on the Demo- cratic slate are already as- surred for William Sherknas, William Owens and Joseph Desiderio. Herman Kern, incumbent, be opposed by James Mc- &ffrey on the Republican ticket for mayor of the Bor- ough, while William Connolly, Democrat has no opposition. Calvin McHose, tax collector for many years will have as his Republican opponent Elizabeth’ M. Maher, CPA. John Tobin, Democrat has no opposition. Three have also filed for the. Easter egg hunt The Easter Egg Hunt spon- sored by the Dallas Junior Woman's Club will be held at the Dallas Senior High School" athletic field Saturday, March! 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. In case of rain the hunt will be held as scheduled in the high school gymnasium. All children must be registered. auditorship on the Republican slate, Betty Casterline, Thomas Cosgrove and Floyd Whitebread while Ann Crake will be the Democratic nominee for the post. a salute to 1% Successtul author When Drucella Lutes Lowrie was a young girl in Beaumont she would miss meals for a chance to watch her mother sewing on her new machine and later, when she was 12 years old. she thought she was ‘‘the end of the world’ when she learned to make her first em- broidery stitches. She never dreamed that a few years later she would be making a career as an advisor to one of the country’s better known sewing machine companies and writing numerous books on the art of sewing. For the past two months, first in Florida and now in her comfortable Waverly farm- house, Mrs. Lowrie has been working on her latest book, ‘Sew Like the Experts,’’ which, she expects, will be released this summer. Mrs. Lowrie didn’t start out to write books about sewing, or anything else for that matter. Her interest in sewing began when she was a young girl, one of five children of Mr. and Mrs. William Lutes, who lived on a farm near Beaumont. a small town near Dallas. Pa. Her mother was skillful with a needle and made most of her children’s clothing. Drucella helped with the farm chores and as she grew older she did some of the sewing. It was not until she was older. though. that she became really interested. She was work- ing at the Women’s Institute in Scranton and decided to take a few courses there herself. She studied sewing, millinery and cooking and later took some the Bogden farm, Dallas specialized courses at Bucknell University. She and her husband, Cecil, were living in New York City, when her career as an author began. A friend, who knew she was an expert at sewing. asked her to pinch hit for a lecture she was unable to/give. Mrs. Lowrie was taken aback when she walked into the room filled with over 1000 people. but she knew her subject well and once she began talking. her fears disappeared. Following the speech, two men approached her and asked if she would be interested in writing a book about sewing. “I knew they could see the corn coming right out of my ears and I was sure they were continued on PAGE 14 hush-hush highway proposed in Back Mt A mantle of secrecy sur- rounds the route which a lim- ited access highway would take in coming through the Dallas area. According to the Pennsyl- vania Department of Highways the route is part of a proposed network of highways outlined in the Lackawanna-Luzerne Transportation Study. Dallas mayor Robert W. Brown stated that the proposed route had not been made public because the plans for the high- way ‘‘are not off the drawing board yet.” The possibility of land specu- lation was given as another reason for the hush-hush status accorded the route. An aerial photograph of the ‘area which would be affected by such a highway was studied by the Dallas Planning Com- mission in a closed session re- consumers protest water meter cost A group of residents from the Lehigh Street sector of Kingston Township filed a com- plaint with the PUC late last week protesting the cost of a hookup for water meters and asking for a hearing. Action followed a meeting of Kingston Township Water Com- mission who recommended the procedure after a group of citizens appeared to state their views on the new meters to be installed by Shavertown Water Company. No one protested the installa- tion of the meters but felt that since they had paid for a con- nection once, the new cost was not fair. The high cost of plumbing was also stressed. Russell Lahr, a consumer, asked Rev. Charles Gommer, to whom he had reported the matter what could be done. Rev. Gommer, chairman of the Water Commission reported 790 consumers of Shavertown Water Company have received notification that a program of metering will be installed; be- ginning at the end of the sys- tem which encompasses Shag- bark and Lehigh Streets. No rates will be changed until one half of the meters are installed, he said a directive from the PUC states metering is an equitable way of charg- ing. Mr. Lahr asked how officials of utilities interpret the law and how they get away with ‘highway robbery.” “They are following a decision handed down in 1919 which is ancient history and they sent me a copy of a decision which re- lates to citizens asking for the meters. We are not,” he said. Mr. Lahr then asked Special Counsel Merton Jones if they (the utilities)" could invade a man’s home and was told, ‘‘No one can force their way into your home but they can shut the water off.” “They are only getting me- ters in now because the sewage system is coming,’ Mr. Lahr said. Eugene Goffin suggested that the only way to change the laws was to go to the State legisla- tors. He suggested that a combin- ing of all companies would probably be to the consumers advantage and that in rural areas where homes were far apart and served by small companies, rates were bound to be higher. On the situation in Trucks- ville, Rev. Gommer stated that the June 1 deadline had been accepted by the PUC at which time the first and second phases of pipe installation should be completed with centrifical pumps in place. An eight inch main would cross the highway with a “Y’”’ at Oak Street going to Lehigh and Maple Streets. He said the two inch trans- highway piping now in place has probably corroded to one inch. Mr. Goffin jokingly referred to the thought that with in- creased pressure there would probably be geysers spurting here and there. Rev. Gommer said reprecussions were ex- pected where old piping could not stand the pressure. Jacob Harrison said, ‘I can’t see why the increase in rates before the work is done. Why should Rulison Evans (owner of Trucksville Water Co.) be so sure of his money?’’ Rev. Gommer said, ‘He is allowed 4 to 6 percent return on his continued on PAGE 14 fires continue despite warnings Despite warnings by Back Mountain Fire Companies for residents to use extreme cau- tion while burning outside, brush fires continued over the weekend in several areas. Dr. Henry M. Laing Com- pany, Dallas, was called out three times on Sunday, the first to College Manor, where dead leaves being burned in the Umphred yard and fanned by the wind traveled to within four feet of the residence. Firemen responded at 12:30 p.m. Three hours later they were called to Hemlock Street, Fern- brook for another brush blaze and while there the third call came in from Maplewood Ave- nue, Dallas Borough. The new truck was used on the latter call. A threat to Schooley Moun- tain in Noxen also brought out firemen and forest fighters Sunday at noon when several members of the John Jones family were clearing brush from their. new home. A capri- cious wind drove the fire to- ward the wooded area and men worked swiftly to erase the threat. Sunday evening, noting the pink glow of Aurora Borealis, another Noxen resident called - to say there was a fire in the same area but it was soon determined that the glow in the sky was due to natural phe- nomen. .paratus Company, cently. The local Commission had been asked by the County Planning Commission to give its opinion of such a route but did not do so, stating that there was not enough informa- tion available with the photo to make any decision or give any opinion. It is Dallas Planning Com- mission member Thhomas Reese’s understanding that the proposed highway might begin near Harter’s Dairy and cross an area near the Space farm. It would then cut across Eck- ert’'s peat bog and Sterling Avenue, cross Route 415 near Natona Mills, and end near the Carney Trailer Park in Tunhannock. The route would not cross Irem Temple Country Club property, he said. Noxen gets new fire truck Noxen Fire Company has purchased a new tanker pumper and are pretty proud of their latest acquisition which was raised through much hard work, both by fire volunteers and their auxiliary. Mounted on a GMC chassis purchased from Michno Motor Truck Company, West Nanti- coke, the 750 gallon tank and 500 - gallon per minute pump were received from Howe Ap- Anderson, Ind. Salesman S. H. Davis drove the outfit in from the factory. It was received by Noxen Fire Company on March 13. The.new truck will be added to the other, a.1937 model pur- chased in 1950. Calvin Strohl, fire chief says the proceeds from several horse shows, auc- tions and coin card drives made the purchase possible. Ladies of the Fire Auxiliary also raised $2,000 on their own solicitation in addition to aiding firemen in various endeavors. Mr. Strohl says the new piece of equipment will be paid in full somewhere in the amount of over $14,000, quite an achievement for a small com- munity. The Ladies Auxiliary is also in the process of purchasing uniforms so that they can join their neighboring communities in parades and other celebra- tions. Mrs. Shirley Strohl is presi- dent of the Auxiliary, Mrs. Ann Fish, first vice president; Mrs. Betty Smith, second vice presi- dent; Mrs. Clecna Fritz, trea- surer and Mrs. Mary Hess, secretary. President of the Noxen Fire Company is Richard Smith. Bill Lyons is vice president, Jake Miner, treasurer and Fred Schenck, secretary. John C. Wise of Dallas holds the score of Show-Boat, as he prepares for his baritone solo in the finals of Kiwanis Festival of Music, scheduled for March 29 at Irem Temple.
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