Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1918: For the purpose of bettering the transportation facilities to get men to and from the great industries in this city and vicinity, the government yesterday commandeered the line of the Chester and Darby Electric Railway Company. This means that government will take immediate supervision of the road between this city and Darby, and may eventually lead to the taking over of the entire system of trolley line in this city now operated by the Southern Pennsylvania Traction Company.
75 Years Ago – 1943:
While American shipyard continued their miracle building program of turning out merchant ships, the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company led the nation in construction of big tankers during April. This announcement came today from the Maritime Commission, revealing that 157 new craft were delivered into service during one month. The Sun Ship’s lead in the nation’s tanker-building industry was taken with their construction of six big tankers during the month. Welding Engineers Inc., of Philadelphia, delivered one tanker during April.
50 Years Ago – 1968: The 23-year-old co-owner of a Media psychedelic shop, Paranoia Untld., was held for court on charges of corrupting the morals of minors after a 1 ½-hour hearing. Included in materials Police Chief Thomas J. Bruton presented were issues of a Greenwich Village newspaper,
“The East Village Other,” allegedly obscene posters and buttons, such as one saying “Support Your Local Pornographer.” When asked by defenses attorney Arnold E. Rubin of Collingdale if he had read the paper, Bruton said “I read it until I couldn’t go any further in it.”
25 Years Ago – 1993:
The National Guard began its Clean and Seal mission yesterday, working to reclaim abandoned Chester houses from drug users. Six guardsmen began cleaning and boarding up five vacant homes in the 700 block of Potter Street, the first step toward sealing about 1,000 houses. Councilman Charles McLaughlin, director of public safety, said guardsmen found a loaded .22-caliber pistol and a cache of hypodermic needles in the rear of the properties.
10 Years Ago – 2008: There was a chorus of praise for longtime Strath Haven High School Music Director Jack Hontz at the Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board’s most recent meeting. Hontz was selected as the district’s choice for a “Delaware County Excellence in Teaching” award. Middle school music teacher Henry Pearlberg said both he and Hontz started together in the district about 25 years ago. At the time, Wallingford-Swarthmore’s music program was on “life support,” Pearlberg said. But since Hontz’s arrival, the band has grown from about 30 to its current size of more than 400.