Citizens at Public Meeting Stand for Protection-One Thinks There Are Other Improvements More Badly Needed.
MILLTOWN, Feb. 6-Seventy citizens met at the Borough Hall on Saturday evening to voice their opinion on fire matters.
Mayor Richter opened the meeting by explaining the reason for calling it and showing the need for fire protection. He advocated a chemical apparatus and pointed out the advantages of it. He then asked the opinion of those present.
A number of leading citizens expressed a favorable opinion on the subject. All excepting one, who expressed their ideas heartily endorsed the Mayor in his project.
One citizen, who did not favor a chemical engine, claimed that the borough needed other improvements more than fire protection at the present time.
The Mayor answered this argument by stating that this was only the first of many improvements that the borough Council hoped to further during the administration.
After the opinions had been expressed, Mayor Richter passed around a slip asking all those to sign their names who wished to become members of the fire department.
On Tuesday evening the members of the department will organize at the borough hall. All citizens of the borough who wish to become members are required to be present at this meeting. In an interview yesterday, Mayor Richter expressed himself as being much pleased at the manner in which the citizens had supported him in his endeavors at securing fire protection.
When asked what kind of an apparatus he thought the town needed, he stated that in his opinion, a combination of hook and ladder and chemical engine was just what the borough should have.
The borough hall, which has lately been improved, has a place prepared for the apparatus: the hall also provides for a firemen’s club room.
Reverend W. F. Barny, Professor W. A. Roe, William Glock, J. M. Brindle, Conrad Richter, H. S. Dehart, George Kuhlthau, George Heyl, enjoyed the banquet of the Educational Board at Perth Amboy on Saturday. They expressed themselves as very much interested in the address of Doctor Green, principal of West Chester Normal School.
John Richter is suffering from rheumatism at his home on Richter avenue. Harry Stein has opened a fruit stand in South Main street.
Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Kuhlthau were New Brunswick visitors yesterday afternoon..
James Rosse, has opened a boot and shoe repair shop in the place owned by Isaac Vanarsdalen on Main street.
FOR RENT Four rooms, corner of Lincoln avenue and Main street, Milltown. Inquire Mrs. John Geer, Milltown.
New Brunswick Men Smash Windows and Heads and Defy the Entire Borough – Sent to Jail By Justice Headley.
MILLTOWN, Jan. 30.-A lively time was the result of a marathon race from New Brunswick to South River on Saturday night. Fred Stubblefeld, Harry Catheart, and Frank McCormick, of New Brunswick, after completing this distance in no-record time, decided to give Milltown the advantages of their presence on the return trip.
They had probably learned that the town supported no cops and as a result determined to paint the town red. Several hotels were visited and the men gradually warmed up to their duty. The windows of “Hotel Marguerite” disappeared from the sashes and this started the ball rolling.
An Innocent Frenchman, who made the startling discovery that he had musical ability, attempted a song and was immediately knocked unconscious by Stubblefeld.
MAYOR RICHTER ARRIVES ON THE SCENE.
Some one had notified Mayor Richter and Marshal Lins, and they appeared on the scene to keep the peace The Mayor expostulated with them for some time, and when the car came, bound for New Brunswick, the trio attempted to board it.
The presence of a dog, belonging to Engine Company No. 4, who had made the run with the men, was a drawback to the trip at that time. Conductor Dunlap refused to allow the dog on the car, at which one of the men made a pass at the conductor which was blocked by Jacob DeHart They were thrown off the car and Mayor Richter ordered their arrest.
JUDGE HEADLEY HOLDS COURT
Mayor Richter and Marshal Lins conducted the noisy trio to the office of Joseph A. Headley, justice of the peace. The Mayor made a complaint against them for disorderly conduct and the Justice, after hearing sides, imposed a fine of $10 or 5 days in the county jail on Stubblefeld and McCormick and a fine of $5 or 5 days in jail on Cathcart. The trio could not pay the fines and w committed to jail.
While drawing up the necessary papers McCormick and Stubble began to wreak their vengeance on Jacob DeHart, who was a witness of threats. Another charge was made by Jacob DeHart and John Richter who acted as witnesses. The result was ? days more for these two men.
Marshal Joseph Rupprecht was called and he linked McCormick and Cathcart together. Marshal Lins took care of Stubblefeld and the trip to New Brunswick was made. The dog was forced to follow the car
It is understood that a friend of the arrested men called on Mayor Richter yesterday morning and try to secure their release, but without success.
The people are asking today “Shall it be a borough fire department or a borough lockup?”
DEATH OF J. H. KUHLTHAU
MILLTOWN, Jan. 30-John H. Kuhlthau then passed away yesterday afternoon at 5.30 at the age of 54 years at his residence on North Main street, an illness extending for over two weeks. In this death the borough loses a respected citizen, who at all times was interested in the progress of the borough and took an active part in public affairs, serving as clerk of the school board for several years. He was lately interested in tile concrete blocks and the reinforced concrete business.
His genial nature earned him many friends, who will mirth his death. He is survived by his wife, and one daughter Mary, and one son Wilbur. His mother Mrs. Stella Kuhlthau, also survives him as well as one brother, Conrad, W. and two sisters, Mrs. Henry Kohlepp Mrs. Charles Snedeker.
Mr. Kuhlthau was recently reelected secretary of the Van Liew Cemetery association, a position he had held for a number of years. He was also a member of the Milltown Kranken Heilfs Verein, also Wickatunk Tribe, Independent Order of Red Men, No. 135, and Charles L. Walters Council, No. 178, Jr. O. U. A. M.,
GERMAN REFORMED CHURCH MILLTOWN
Jan. 30.-A large congregation listened to the special music rendered by the choir of the German Reformed Church last evening. The vocal solos, duets, trios and choruses were much appreciated. George Christ, the organist, rendered several fine solos.
Rev. W. F. Barny, pastor of the church, made a few remarks relating to the history of the German and English hymns.
OTHER NOTES.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Richter, Trenton, were borough visitors on Sunday.
The Woman’s Home Missionary Society of the M. E. Church will meet at the home of Mrs. Mary A Evans to-night.
COLORED “LADIES” SOON GOT HIS $100
Steve Botcher, of Milltown, Out for “Good Time,” is Relieved of $104 in Burnet Street Alley-Small Fortune Soon Gone.
Steve Botcher, of Milltown, is down to his last cent today, Saturday he had a roll of money amounting to $110, which he had accumulated through hard work during the last month, Saturday he det decided to come to this city [New Brunswick] for a good time.
Late Saturday night he got in tow with two colored women on Burnet street. The women lured him into a dark alley, and during the conversation between them Botcher’s pocket was piled of the $104. After securing the money the women ran down the street and escaped.
Now Botcher wishes he hadn’t decided to have a good time,
The concrete arch dam for the city water supply has been completed and is now ready to be put into service so the supply of stored water will be largely increased. The dam is located six hundred feet above the old dam and is built in the form of an arch spanning the mill pond from bank to bank. The spillway of the new dam is two hundred feet in length which is forty-six feet longer than the spillway of the old dam. The new dam will raise the water behind it four and a half feet higher than the previous level of the pond and will back the water as far as the dam at Milltown. The water in the new pond will overflow forty acres in addition to the area now covered. most of which is located between. Ryder’s Lane and Milltown. The amount of water which was available in the old pond which could be drawn to a depth of five feet below the dam was 87 million gallons. The new dam will add 146 million gallons to the capacity of the pond so there will be an available storage in the Weston’s Mill pond of 233 million. gallons.
The dam is built in the form of an arch. This form where the site is suitable makes it possible to build a dam with greater strength with much. less material than the form of dam which depends on the weight of the structure only to resist the water pressure. The older type of dam usually has a factor of safety of two while the arch dam which has been constructed has a factor of safety of ten. An unusual feature of the dam was that it was constructed in the water of the pond which was over eighteen feet deep and which could not be drained on account of having to maintain the city water supply during the construction of the dam. The construction under these difficult conditions was carried on by building the dam in twenty-five sections which were surrounded by a tight cofferdam of steel sheet piling.
Concrete Poured in Movable Forms.
After pumping out the cofferdam the concrete was poured in movable forms which were used for the whole. structure.
The dam has a spillway with. a length of 200 feet which is held by abutments of twenty-five and thirty feet in length at the two banks. The j dam rests on the solid shale rock and the abutments reach to the shale in each bank. The crest of the dam is three feet wide and the base is nine) feet wide. The height of the dam in the pond is twenty-three feet. The normal difference of water level above and below the dam is four and a half feet but the structure is designed to hold the water for the full height of the dam if the water in the lower pond is entirely drained.
In fixing the location of the structure complete plans and estimates! were made for the dam as built and also for raising the old dam. It was found that it would take more labor and material to raise the old dam than to build an entirely new structure in the adopted location. In addition to the cost of the work there. would be a very great risk of accident during the construction of the dam which might wipe out the pumping station. There would also have! been the work of caring for the ice;” house property which was located Just above the old dam and which would have involved serious expense,
The question of additional storage has been a pressing one for sometime. In 1911 the advisory water commission, the members of which were Drury Cooper, E. P. Darrow, W. H. Benedict, A. A. Titsworia, F. C. Schneider and A. S. March, strongly advised the immediate raising of the present dam three feet to provide the additional storage. They stated. at
that time that this would take care of the immediate need and that additional provisions could be taken after some years had passed. The present structure raising the level of the pond four and a half feet adds over) fifty percent to the additional storage contemplated by their recommendations.
Plans Made in 1914.
The plans for the dam were made! in 1914 at the time of the serious water famine which occurred in:” September of that year and it was strongly urged that the structure be, built at once so sufficient water could be stored to prevent the recurrence. of the shortage. On account of the authority to build being withheld je from the Board of Water Commissioners by the Board of Aldermen, the work was postponed until Commission Government took hold of t matter. The building of the dam was again postponed by the judgment of the advisory water board until after the completion of the filter plant as it was thought that building operations would cause the water to be made turbid. The work was finally started in the fall of 1917, The necessity of the work was shown last fall when all of the storage was used up and temporary pumping was required from the creek below the dam to maintain the necessary amount of water.
During a dry time all the water required beyond that furnished by the flow of Lawrence brook must be taken from storage. The flow of the brook was estimated by the state as given in the report on water supply as a minimum of five and a half gallons a day for the driest period. This estimate is largely in excess of the actual amount which was observed in the dry periods of 1914 and 1918. A careful measurement of the individual streams of the watershed. show that the minimum flow of the Lawrence brook area amounts to only 1,800,000 gallons for 24 hours. The consumption last September, due largely to war conditions perhaps, required seven million gallons a day so five million under these conditions must be taken from storage. City Can Supply 100,000 Population With Water by Damming Near Milltown.
When the water consumption of the city again exceeds the present provision additional storage will have to be sought by a dam somewhere above Milltown or by taking water from the Raritan River. The late Dr. Cook reported on a project for a high dam at a site near Parsons pond which would impound 1,640,000,000 gallons of water. The cost of the dam at that time was $347,000, but under present conditions, it would be two or more times that figure. As everyone has great faith in the steady growth of the city of New Brunswick which is largely dependent on the water supply the necessity of looking! forward is apparent. With the above] storage a population of 100,000 could be supplied with an adequate amount of water.
He Hunts and Hoes, Fishes and Rows as Well as Men Who Have Arms.
MILLTOWN, Jan. 26 – Deprived of both arms forty-odd years ago, John Fox, of Milltown, has become so expert in the use of the hooks which are attached to the stumps of his arms that he does many things as well as many men who possess both arms. Fox always goes out gunning after rabbits as soon as the season opens. One of his arms was taken off below the elbow, and the other above the elbow in a graining machine In the old rubber shop at Milltown.
Fox as a gun fitted with a strap which holds the weapon in place to his shoulder. With one of his arms, he supports the gun so that he can aim it at the game, and the trigger is pulled by means of a string with his teeth. Fox was out the other day and had not been searching for rabbits more than half an hour before he shot one. He returned to Milltown and had the gun loaded again and set out for another rabbit.
The old man is now 72 years old. He is an ardent fisherman in season and also manages to scull a light boat with ease. He takes care of a garden at home and pulls a cultivator plow by means of the hooks. He is cheerful despite the deprivation of his hands.
BANK ROBBERS GET LIMIT SENTENCE WITHIN FEW HOURS AFTER CAPTURE AT MILLTOWN
Prosecutor Stricker Order Speedy Disposal of Case as Warning–Plead Guilty and Sent to State Prison -Other Charges Pending.
A new record was set for “Jersey Justice” yesterday afternoon when Frank “Sailor” Voorhees of this city and Walter Watson of Melrose, Mass. captured only fifteen hours earlier by a Milltown posse in an attempt to rob the First National Bank there were arraigned before Judge Pete F. Daly in the county court her and sentenced to serve from four years and eight months to seven years each in State Prison.
Following their arrest yesterday morning the men got in touch with Frank P. Coan of South Amboy their counsel, and after a conference with him they decided to plead guilty at once to the bank robbery charge Allegations were prepared by the Prosecutor’s office and were signed by the men.
A special call was sent to Assistant Prosecutor John A. Coan, who came here at once from South Amboy and at four o’clock yesterday afternoon Judge Daly held a special session of the county court, and the men were arraigned. Both men pleaded guilty, and the Assistant Prosecutor at once moved for sentence.
Counsel for the men. a brother of the Assistant Prosecutor, made a plea for mercy on their behalf. He admitted that both had previous records, but said that Voorhees had served a term In State prison before the war for assault and battery and on his release had at once enlisted voluntarily and had served with the fourth division in France.
Watson, he said, had served in the navy, and had been stationed off the French coast for over a year.
Driven from New Brunswick
Mr. Coan declared that Voorhees tried to go straight after his charge from the army and had earned a position at Camp Raritan. When some thefts occurrednear him, however, said his counsel, attempts were made to place the blame on him and things were made so comfortable for him that he went to New York.
Voorhees was unable to get work there, Mr. Coan said, and he fell into bad company, which resulted in his undoing, and the same was the case with Watson, who was serving a term at New Bedford, Mass., with Voorhees last July when they broke together.
Mr. Coan urged clemency in view of the fact that the men had pleaded guilty, without putting the county to the expense of a trial.
Disgrace to Uniform
There are certain crimes, caused sudden temptation, in which a previous war record can be considered in extenuation of the offense,” said Judge Daly. “But in a deliberate crime like this, it simply adds another crime to their account, that disgracing the uniform. There are too many men now who think that because they served during the war they are entitled to live without working, and they are a disgrace to the great majority of our glorious American boys who served.”
He said that the court always takes into consideration the fact that a man pleads guilty and does not add perjury to his other crime, but that Voorhees had been given every chance before he was sent to State prison the first time.
“Middlesex county has been remarkably free from crimes of this sort,” he continued. “There has Been only one burglary during my term on the bench. I feel that this is due largely to advertising the fact that this is not a safe county for criminals to ply their trade.
Judge Daly
“I will not impose a fine as well as imprisonment on these men, in view of their having pleaded guilty, but I can see no reason why I should not impose the limit sentence permitted by statute. The sentence of the law in each case is that they be confined at hard labor in the State Prison for a term not exceeding seven years and not less than four years and eight months.”
Mast Face Other Charges
This sentence by no means disposes of the cases, however. There are eight other indictments pending against Voorhees, and a detainer will be placed against him at Trenton Ind when his term expires he will be brought back here to face trial on the other charges.
He is also wanted in a number of other cities, and authorities there have been notified. Chief of Police Kiely, of Plainfield, was present in Court when the men were arraigned yesterday and stated that both are wanted in his city.
Prosecutor Joseph E. Stricke complimented the posse of Milltown citizens on their fine work in capturing the two men in the attempted bank robbery. He said they had rendered a real service to the county and to the State.
The quick disposal of the cases was arranged by him, he said, as a warning to burglars and other criminals in these troublous times that they will get short shift in Middlesex county, and he made it clear that the sentences Imposed yesterday are by no means the finish of the service
He declared that if the men had not pleaded guilty he had planned to call a special session of the grant Jury today to indict them and to put the men on trial on Monday or Tuesday.
Voorhees and Watson were returned to the county jail at once and are being carefully watched, as the authorities are taking no chances on losing them. They will have to be held here until Friday and then will be taken at once to Trenton.
Voorhees denied in conversation with attendants at the county jail that he had anything to do with the robberies that are charged against him here and said that the Milltown robbery was the only local affair with which he had been connected. It was stated, however, that he had admitted a robbery in Boston.
He expressed himself as being well satisfied with his sentence and said that he intended to serve all the time against him and then try to live straight.
The two men who were with Voorhees and Watson in the Milltown affair are still at large, but the detectives are working on this part of the case. Voorhees continued his denial that a woman had been in the party. The allegations signed by the men charged breaking and entering the bank building and stealing $1,000 in bonds. Bank officials said today that nothing had been stolen from the bank but that some bonds might have been taken from privately owned safe deposit boxes but that $1,000 would fully cover the loss.
“Sailor” Voorhees seemed quite peeved at being caught in a small town and said to an officer: “It beats the devil, we’ve pulled this stuff in all large cities and now we get grabbed in a jerk water town.” Night Watchman Herman Willenbrock of the Michelin plant, deserves considerable praise for his work.
Wins Special Award and Passes Highland Park Eastern Star
COUPONS GIVEN THREE MORE DAYS
The Ladies Aid of St. Paul’s Church of Milltown went into first place in the week-end tabulation of the votes in the popularity contest of the women organizations in Middlesex and Somerset counties under the auspices of the New Brunswick merchants, theaters and Board of Trade. The Milltown organization was awarded first prize in last week’s shopping and was given credit for 3,000 votes and first place in the contest.
The St. John’s Rosary Society was given second prize of 2,000 votes and moves into fourth place, one, position above the Lady Foresters, No. 8. The 6,000 votes are awarded by the Sunday Times to the organizations whose members shop in the greatest number of stores on Monday of each week.
The Eastern Star, Highland Park Chapter, which has held down First place for many weeks, drops Into second place by virtue of the 3,000 vote credit to the Ladies’ Aid of Milltown. The Milltown organization now has a total vote of 51,470, While Eastern Star is credited with 48,824 votes.
The Ladies’ Auxiliary of Anshe Emeth Temple retains third position with 37,067 votes, and St. John’s Rosary is in fourth place with 33,784, while the Lady Foresters, No. 8, are in fifth, place with 32,067 votes.
The organizations have three more days in which to compete for the $600 in cash prizes. Coupons will be given by the merchants today, Wednesday and next Monday. The contest managers announce that they will receive the votes up until October 2. When the curtain will be rung down on the contest.
The standing in the contest follows:
Ladies’ Aid – St. Paul’s Church Milltown – 51470
Eastern Star, Highland Park Chapter – 48,824
Ladies Auxiliary Anshe Emeth Temple – 37,067
St. John’s Rosary Soc. – 33,871
Golden Rod Council No. 20 – Daughters of America – 20,401
