Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1921:
Chester Rotary went on record yesterday as favoring the building of a tuberculosis hospital in this county by the County Commissioners and recommending that officials of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad underground the tracks here as a measure to lessen accidents. Josiah Sleeper, secretary, described the horrible conditions existing today in Chester which “reach into the home of every person in the city” and urged the members to join the public-spirited citizens in correcting these evils.
75 Years Ago – 1946:
The Chester Municipal Authority, which supplies the city and many adjacent areas with water, has lopped off $2,500 from its annual operating costs by the addition of a new billing machine which is almost human. At least 6feet long and 3 feet high, this complicated apparatus works on a huge roll of plain yellow paper, prints the bill head, inserts the dates of meter recording and the date of the bill, cuts the paper into the proper size, places the address of the consumer on the bills, slaps on the mailing permit, counts them and drops the bill in an alphabetized stack. The complete process takes less time that it did to write the above sentence. The new machine is operated by Hannah Bardsley, who has been with the water company for 22 years.
50 Years Ago – 1971: Ten applications will be heard by the Upper Darby zoning hearing board Thursday at the municipal building. Downey Inc. is seeking a special exception to construct additional dining and banquet facilities on the first floor with a 16-unit motel on the second and third floors at The Lodge, 51 N. Union Ave.
25 Years Ago – 1996:
Work on the Third Street bridge over Broomall Lake might have a price tag of $250,000 and no one is rushing to pick up the tab. The estimate came from Media Associate Engineer Eileen Mulvena. In midApril, borough and county officials discovered deterioration in the foundation and footing of supporting walls. The bridge was immediately closed.
10 Years Ago – 2011:
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental has informed Ridley Park Borough Council that the cause of the June 11 fish kill in Ridley Park Lake was due to low oxygen levels, with no signs of outside poisoning. The low levels were likely due to a combination of extremely warm temperatures, algae and lack of rain, which contributed to stagnant water.