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100 Years Ago This Month

April 1912

April 5

Fireman's Festival

On the evenings of April 12 and 13th the Vigilant Hose Company invites the public to the Emerald Hall to their Chicken and Oyster Supper. Dancing on Saturday evening.

Improvements

The roof of the building occupied by Mr. Guy Topper has been repaired. The Elder building is being repainted. Mr. Harry Hopp is making extensive improvements to the interior of his dwelling house. Alterations to the interior of the house now occupied by Mr. C. T. Zacharias had been made by Miss. Columbia Winter. Mr. Galloway's has painted his new house on Frederick Street.

Mailboxes

The Post Office Department has asked patrons of all rural routes to paint their mailboxes white in order that they may be renumbered this spring. The carriers feel assured that while this is not a demand it will nevertheless be carried out by those who enjoy the privilege of free delivery.

April 12

Power Plant Assured

Those interested in having an adequate supply of electric current for power and light purposes in Emmitsburg will be particularly interested in the action of the public service commission which granted permission to the Frederick and Hagerstown Power Company to issue stock for the purposes of building a power plant to furnish electric current to local communities, including Emmitsburg.

With the money obtained by this sale of stock a 3000 kW turbine plant will be erected a Security, Washington County, and it is expected to be completed by October. The building will contain machinery from the start with a capacity of 8000 kW and space we reserve for the addition of as much more, doubling the capacity of the plant was little additional expense beyond the cost of the machinery. When completed this will be next to the largest power plant in the state and the largest in the state outside of Baltimore city.

Aeroplane at Frederick

And opportunity will be given to the people of this county to see an aeroplane sailing in our own blue skies. The exhibition will be given at the fairgrounds on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7 and 8. A demonstration of aerial navigation is rare not only in this section, but in all parts of the state.

Annex to Hotel Slagel

Mr. Lawrence Morndorf has rented the Lansinger property on E. Main St. as an annex to his Hotel Slagle. This will greatly increase the capacity of this popular hotel.

Big Easter Dance

A delightful Easter dance was given on Monday night in the Emerald’s Hall, on Frederick Street. This was a Leap Year dance, being given under the auspices of the young ladies. Many persons were present from Baltimore, Gettysburg, Frederick, and Waynesboro. The Middleburg Orchestra furnished excellent music. Much credit is due the young ladies who had charge of the affair.

April 19

Appalling Sea Disaster

"The Titanic foundered at 2:20 AM April 15 Southeast of Newfoundland." This dispatch recorded the most appalling sea disaster in history. The vessel was the largest steamer afloat and on this, her maiden trip, carry 2,120 persons. Of this number 685 were saved by liners hurried to the rescue after receiving the wireless message that the giant of the sea had been rendered helpless in a collision with an iceberg.

The collision occurred at 10:25 Sunday night and four hours after nothing remained of the ship but a few splinters and the lifeboats with the comparatively few who escaped the doom suffered by the 1,534 who were drowned. The first vessel to reach the scene of the disaster was to Carpathia. She picked up the survivors. The vessel sank in two miles of water.

The first detailed reports were brought to Newfoundland by the steamship Bruce. This vessel attained her story of the disaster from wireless messages picked up from several of the ships which had been in closest touch with the last hours of the mammoth White Star liner and which were afterwards in the zone of communication with the Bruce’s apparatus.

When the Titanic struck the mountain of ice that sent her to the ocean’s bottom within four hours after the impact, she was steaming at a rate of 18 knots an hour. The shock almost demolished the proud ship, which her builders had boasted and her captain had believed nothing could master.

Hitting the impenetrable ice mass fairly with her towering bows, the ship was almost rent asunder at the first blow. Her decks were ripped and torn, her sides and bulkheads were split and shattered from the bow to a point almost amidships.

Her upper works and some of her boats were splintered, while shower of debris from her spars fell upon the decks like giant hail. Though the ship hit the monster obstruction head-on, as her bow rose clear of the water, smashed to a unrecognizable mass of bent and shivered steel, the vessel listed heavily to port and threatened to turn turtle before the recoil slid what was left of her back to an even keel.

The Titanic had forced her giant bulk up on a submerged spur of the iceberg, a phenomena which is not infrequent in the most disastrous collisions. In mounting upon the jagged ice spur and in sliding back from her position the ship had torn out many of her bottom plates from the midships section forward to the bow.

April 26

The Big Show a Success

The Library Benefit performance given in the Opera House last Friday and Saturday evening was one of the most successful functions of its kind ever given in Emmitsburg. The attendance too, was a record-breaking size and Emmitsburg Public Library has realized a nice little fund for its use.

The preparations made for this performance were most elaborate. The Opera House interior was refurbished, decorated and, for the first time in the history of Emmitsburg, brilliantly lighted with electric lights, footlights, drop lights and wall lights. New scenes and a new drop curtain were noticeably among the improvements.

Upcoming Election

At a town meeting held on Monday evening at Fireman’s Hall nominations were made for the vacancies that will occur in the present Board of Commissioners and for the Burgess to succeed Mr. Samuel Rowe, who declines re-nomination. Vincent Seybold President and Mr. Charles Gillelan acted as Secretary. The following nominations were made:

For Burgess – Enoch Frizell and Edward Rowe.

For commissioners - Eugene Zimmerman, H. Ashbaugh, Henry Stokes, Lewis Rhodes and Edward Chrimer.

Since the town meeting the name of Mr. Shuff has been handed in as a candidate for Burgess and Mr. Zimmerman declines to serve in elected.

Business For Sale

The old established and well-known firm of J. M. Adlesburger and Son, offers for sale on private terms, its goodwill, tools, fixtures, materials and stock on hand, and will rent to purchasers its complete plant.

Riding Accident

Mrs. William Roberts met with what might have proved a very serious accident yesterday morning. While riding horseback on the Gettysburg Road she was thrown to the ground. At first Mrs. Roberts thought she was unhurt but Dr. Jamison found upon examination that both her collarbones were fractured.

Death of William Ashbaugh

On Wednesday, William Ashbaugh a respected and honored citizen of Emmitsburg, died at his home on Gettysburg Street at the advanced age of 75 years. Mr. Ashbaugh was a resident of Emmitsburg since 1866. He served for 35 years as a deputy sheriff and county constable. He refused reappointment under the newly elected sheriff on account of his rapidly failing health.

In 1876 Mr. Ashbaugh was made Town Constable, which office he held, in connection with his other duties, for 19 years when his health made it imperative for him to give up the town office. Ten days after his election as Town Constable he was appointed County Constable. In December of 1876 he was made deputy sheriff, serving all three offices for 19 years.

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