Page 2 by Millie Hogoboom 696-2603 There have certainly been a thousand pictures taken of the flood and its aftermath. Someone once said ‘‘one picture is worth a thousand words.” However, it has occurred to me that someday we may all want a verbal picture of our im- pressions, our emotions, and our reactions to pass onto our grandchildren because those are the kinds: of things that cannot be photographed. The night before the flood the newscaster spoke of the great amount of rain and the river level in rather casual tones but warning residents of Plymouth who had had flooding in 1940 to evacuate their homes. I'm not a native so the only flood I had heard of was 1936. My only worry was about the small puddle of water on my new carpet in the basement. After all, Sutton Road is one of the highest spots in the county. But the next morning at 7:30, I was awakened by a phone call from a neighbor telling of the potential flood, some evacuation and the need for pillow cases on the dike. It was hours before the seriousness of this situation would sink in. Meantime I was only annoyed that I had to miss a hair cut appointment. ‘By 11 a.m. the newscasters had me convinced that the dikes could go at anytime and 20 minutes later I heard the wail of sirens announcing that fact. My first thought was to call my husband (who was in a business meeting in Chicago) and inform him of the situation. I naturally urged him to stay there and not fly into Avoca but I knew he would try. So I suggested he bring some food with him and stay with friends in Scranton Friday night. The next warning to come over the air was the possibility that all electricity would be cut off. In less time than it takes to tell I filled every bucket in the house with water and even took a bath and refilled the tub. This was no sooner done than the phone rang and our friends the Robert Maloneys were asking if they could come to stay with us “just one night’ as they had been ordered to evacuate their home on Yeager Avenue, Forty Fort. I was really relieved to have the company and said “sure.” About the time they were due to arrive another car pulled up our driveway, and I knew instantly, without a word is being said, that our friends Don & Liz Smith had been evacuated from their Kingston home. Twenty four hours later Mark Kornoski arrived and was given sleeping privileges on the living room rug along with three Maloney kids. - Those first few days we were all in shock. We tried to cheer each other up. Bridge games temporarily occupied us ‘but mostly we talked about the flood. Try as we would to watch Flood Relief From the town Susquehanna to Athens in oo north to Shickshinny in the south, the life and work of many United Presbyterians is close to Thus it was to be expected that when Agnes stirred up the Susquehanna recently many United Presbyterian congregations would suffer severely. About: "30. of ‘the 75 congregations in the Presbytery of Lackawanna experienced varying degrees of loss. The congregations in Athens, Forty Fort, Kingston, Plymouth, Shickshinny and! Wilkes-Barre suffered the most. The homes of nine ministers ‘were affected and 12 church properties suf- fered extensive damage. At this damage in dollars. Hardest hit by the flooding Susquehanna was the homes of hundreds and hundreds of church members with many congregations having 75 percent to 90 percent of their members with serious losses. Fortunately Camp Lackawanna on the Susquehanna River at Vosburg above Tunkhannock was spared serious damage. At a meeting of the Presbytery held at Montrose, a Efforts special Flood Relief Offering was approved. Earl Wimmer of Clark’s Summit was appointed to serve as treasurer of the fund. Contributions can be sent to the First Presbyterian Church of Clark’s Summit. The Executive Presbyter, the Rev. Robert R. Smyrl of Tunkhannock, has received word that the national church will help through One Great Hour of Sharing funds. The Moderator of the Presbytery, the Rev. James Glasgow of Avoca, presided at a special meeting of the ministers and officers of the - United Presbyterian Churches” of Luzerne County held at Moosic. Various plans for helping one another and enlisting the help of other congregations in the Presbytery were made. Plans for sharing services and facilities were advanced. The Office of the Stated Clerk, the Rev. William J. Frazer, in Forty Fort was flooded and for the time being Mr. Frazer can be reached in Luzerne, care of the Rev. A. James Cara, 533 Bennett St., luzerne. Since some church records are missing or misplaced it is urgent that each displaced church member notify the pastor or clerk of his or her present address. TV and listen to important Civil Defense messages on the radio, we heard very little and com- prehended even less. Sunday evening Doris Maturi baked three luscious pies and invited us over to celebrate my husband’s birthday. On Tuesday, came the awful awakening. This was their first opportunity to get back in their homes and assess the damages. They were stunned, almost defeated, but they refused to give up. The Maloneys had suffered seven feet of water and a six inch residue of muck on the first floor and a foot of water in his office. The Smiths had about 18 inches of water on the first floor. An oil tank in their basement had ruptured and an oil film coated everything touched by the water. Inside both homes, furniture was turned topsy-turvy, food-laden freezers reposed in the mire, door side down, wooden fur- niture was warped beyond recognition, and wallpaper peeled grotesquely from its moorings. Miraculously, a pair of contact lenses and prized family china had survived in- tact. Trying to walk was slip- pery at best. ) Wednesday dawned bright and sunny, for the first time in almost a week. It was a day for action. Both Smiths and Maloneys, bouyed by the en- thusiasm of their teenage and older sons and daughter, donned boots and rubber gloves for the clean-up job ahead. N.w we drove to Benton so Dick could make some business calls and I could reassure my family of our safety. We heard of some volunteer jobs at the Family Service Information Center set up in the Kingston Township Borough Building and im- mediately went down to enlist. The next few days were filled with work ; even my teenage son shoveled muck and my 12 year old helped at the Information Center. By this time I had become pretty adept at managing meals for 12. Like Adele Davis, I stressed protein and vitamins. The washer and dryer kept a steady pace with the mud that insistently clung to their clothes. We managed beautifully by delegating various household chores to the kids and taking turns ourselves over the sstpve. Fits = of depression overwhelmed everyone only to be dispelled by those who had overcome it themselves earlier. Not one of us will ever forget his first view of the flood’s aftermath. At first it seems incredible, then slowly you realize that the mud hangs like a pall over everything it touched. That ugly beige color becomes monotonous. Men and women alike feel sick at their stomach and cry in despair. The task of cleaning up seems hopeless. But in time we become callous to the choking dust and stench. Each day some progress is made. Thank God so few lives were lost. Things could have been worse. Little by little life does resume. I Rr 5 eS Photo by Jim Kozemchak THOMAS G. COMSTOCK Thomas Giles Comstock, Harveys Lake, died at his home July 6. He was 70. A member of the Alderson United Methodist Church and its Men's Bible Class, Mr. Comstock was a mason in the George M. Dallas Lodge 531 and Consistory. He is survived by his widow, the former Vida Clark; brothers, Orval, Arley and Cliston, all of Benton; Arthur, Shickshinny; sisters, Mrs. Russell Karns, Shick- Harold House- Mrs. shinny; Mrs. weart, Lester; Furtok, Benton. The funeral was held from the Nulton Funeral Home Beaumont, with the Rev. Henry Westfield of the United Metodist Church officiating. Burial was in Chapel Lawn Cemetery, Dallas. ALICE CLAIRE BELSKY Alice Claire Belsky, 60, died July 6 at her home following a brief illness. A native of Pittston, she was a daughter of the late Walter and Louise Woicicki Plonski and had been a resident of Harveys Lake the last 21 years. She received her education in Jenkins Township schools and Church, Harveys Lake. She widower, Chester; sons, Chester, Royersford; Walter, at home; a daughter, Mrs. Peter Solinski, Shavertown; brothers and sisters, Theodore Polinski, Clifton, N.J.; John Wassil, Mary and Helen Polinski, all of Plymouth; Mrs. Joseph Pramick, Hunlock Creek, five grandchildren. The funeral was held Monday morning from the Richard H. Disque Funeral Home, Dallas, with interment in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Carverton. HAROLD R. CULP Harold R. Culp, 68, died July 2 in his home at RD 2, Dallas. CENTER CITY - ® o Obituaries The son of the late William and Grace Culp, Mr. Culp was born in Sweet Valley. He was a member of the Sweet Valley Church of Christ. A veteran of World War II, he served three years in the Alleutian Islands. Survivors include a brother Henry, and a sister Elizabeth Wyda, both of Wilkes-Barre. The funeral was held July 5 from the Bronson Funeral Home, Sweet Valley, with the Rev. James Roberts officiating. Burial was in Maple Hill HARRY LORD Harry Lord of Dallas RD 4, died July 2 in the Wyoming Valley Hospital. Mr. Lord was born 82 years ago in Beaumont, the son of the late Stephen and Ida Fisk Lord. He worked all his life as a dairyman. He is survived by brothers, Dana, Sweet Valley; James Shavertown; sisters, Elizabeth Morris, Sweet Valley; Cora Hoover, Dallas. ‘The funeral was held July 6 from the Bronson Funeral Home, Sweet Valley, with the Rev. Daniel Davis, Maple Grove United Methodist Church, officiating. Burial was in the Maple Grove Cemetery. JOHN H. NULTON SR. John H. Nulton Sr., 65, died June 30 at the Community General Hospital, Syracuse, N.Y. A former resident of Lehman and Middletown, Mr. Nulton resided at 622 N. Park St., Shawnee, OKla., at the time of his death. He was a past governor of the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 410 and a member of Midwest City Moose Lodge 1235. He was retired from Tinker Air Force Base and was formerly em- ployed at Olmsted Air Force Base. Survivors include his widow, Arline Nulton; three sons, John Jr. of Seattle, Wash.; Robert, Los Angeles, Calif, and Ord of Harrisburg; five grandchild- ren. Services were held at the funeral home at 208 N. Union St., Middletown, with the Rev. Errol E. Kerstetter officiating. Burial was at. Woodlawn Memorial Gardens. 2% by Charlot Dermot 675-0419 Betty Jane Cooke, New York City, is visiting her mother, Mrs. Claude Cooke, Overbrook Avnue, Dallas. PO 2.C Thomas and Mrs. Orf, Norfolk, Va., were recent guests of Mr. Orf’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Orf, Overbrook Avnue, Dallas. Mr. and Mrs. James Kozemchak Jr. and daughter, Kimberly, = Main ‘Street, Plymouth, are gusest of Mr. Kozemchak’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. James Kozemchak Sr., Huntsville, Road, Dallas. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schalm Camp Lackawanna Re-schedules Season Camp Lackawanna at Vosburg near Tunkhannock suffered very little damage last week when flooding waters filled the Susquehanna River area. The camp is owned and operated by the Presbytery of Lackawanna of the United Presbyterian Church. The scheduled 10 day Junior Hi Camp will begin Wednesday under the direction of the Rev. Eric Fagans of Mountaintop. Another Junior Hi Camp will be conducted during the week of July 16 to 22. A Junior Camp will be held from July 23 to 29 To care for the boys and girls who were unable to attend camp during the flood crisis, a Junior Camp will be held during the week of July 30 to Aug. 5 under the direction of the Rev. Donald Roth of Dunmore. The Music Camp will be held Aug. 6 to 12 under the leadership of Eugene Hopkins of the Hickory Street Church of Scranton and the Rev. Robert Criswell of Scranton. Boys and girls interested in attending any of these camps can secure further information from the registrar, Mrs. Earl Lorah, Bridge Street, Tunkhannock, Penna. 18657 (phone 836-2228). Be Sr., have moved to 200 Brandy- wyne Drive, Brandywyne Country Club Apartments, Rt. 309, Dallas. Mr. and Mrs. J. Randall Mac Closkey, Rockford, Ill., were guests of the former’s aunt, June MacCloskey, Igew Goss Manor, Dallas. Irene C. Monk, 45 Pinecrest Ave., Dallas, has returned to her home after visiting friends in Philadelphia. John Mallin and Howard Housley, members of the faculty at Middleburg High School, are guests of Mr. Mallin’s mother, Doris R. Mallin, and his grandmother, Irene C. Monk, 45 Pinecrest Ave., Dallas, while they are attending classes at the Wilkes- vania State University at Leh- man. Mr. and Mrs. g&xThomas Knickerbocker, 22 Center St., Forty Fort, and Jennie Praysall, Forty Fort, are guests of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew R. Denmon Sr., Davenport Street, Dallas. The Knickerbockers are among the thousands of West Side residents evacuated from their home during the flood. Mr. and Mrs. George Poynton, Davenport Street, Dallas, entertained family and friends last week in honor of their daughter iy: eighth birthday. Among {he guests were Mr. and Mrs. William Weigel, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil G. Poynton, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Knickerbocker, Jennie Pray- sall, Mr. and Mrs. A. R. Den- mon Sr., and the Poyntons and family. Pfc. Kenneth Morris, son of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Morris, Dallas, RD left from Oakland, Calif. for Korea where he is stationed with the Army. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Sch- mid, Windsor Drive, Dallas, were guests of honor at a dinner party recently in observance of their 15th wedding anniversary. They have two children, An- drew and Kathryn. Mrs. Schmid is’ manager of Sears Roebuck and Company at Wyoming Valley Mall.
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