Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1918: Two hotels in the central section of the city were so sure that city council would lift the entire ban (on saloons due to influenza) at noon yesterday that for 35 minutes they opened their bars and did a land-office business. When the report was circulated several hundred thirsty workmen congregated around the Franklin and McGlincy’s hotels at Third and Dock streets and when the doors were opened crowds swarmed the places. Beer was in great demand. There were few calls for whisky, which has not been so scarce during the epidemic. War-beer contains so little alcohol it is impossible to keep it long in bottles and for nearly four weeks has not been tasted.
75 Years Ago – 1943: Synthetic latex, or artificial rubber, is being turned out “in a matter of minutes” instead of the 12 hours needed heretofore as a result of a new process just put into operation by the Sun Oil Company. The new method, called the “Adiabatic process,” was explained today by Eugene J. Houdry, French-born chemist, at whose Marcus Hook laboratories the process was developed.
50 Years Ago – 1968: U.S. District Court Judge Harold Wood dismissed a suit seeking to enjoin Chester policemen from engaging in partisan political activity. Wood, who heard the suit filed by a group of Chester Democrats, said the injunction request was denied because of insufficient evidence. “I have no evidence whatsoever that convinces me that, in any way, any of the police officers, the mayor, the chairman of the Republican executive committee coerced or intimidating anyone in any election,” the judge said.
25 Years Ago – 1993: Delaware County is asking the state Department of Environmental Resources for help in cleaning up contamination at the Riverbridge Industrial Center in Chester, which is in the process of being sold. Industrial Investment Inc., of Ambler, which agreed in June to pay $1.2 million for the former Ford Motor Co. plant on the Delaware River, discovered the 55-acre site is polluted with PCBs, gasoline and diesel fuel, and harbors a dozen transformers and an oil circuit reclosure – some of which are leaking.
10 Years Ago – 2008: Police throughout the county are prepared to keep the peace after a possible World Series win by the Philadelphia Phillies. After the last Phillies World Series victory and the Flyers Stanley Cup win, overzealous fans caused a number of problems throughout the county. To avoid a repeat, police chiefs in Delaware County are placing their officers on stand-by.