Sewickley Herald

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The Herald
VOL 57, No. 45
The Sewickley Valley's Home-News Weekly
SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, I960
Price Ten Cents
Morning Blaze Damages Four Stores
Firemen Stop Flames
Business Block Threatened By Blaze
Sewickley firemen' fighting a stubborn, smoky blaze which caused an Estimated $6,500 damage to the Sewickley Canine Commissary, 431 Broad Street; Joe Palmer’s Barber shop next door; Harry Yeeon’s Chinese Laundry » « * * *
(Village Photos) oh the other side and Sam J. Prince’s Radio and TV Shop early Friday morning. Police Chief Thomas Prendergast sustained a dislocated left elbow in a fall while connecting a hose coupling to the fire truck.
(Village Photos)
'	1	il.ni. AlO
Jie smoke in Friday morning’s fire was so heavy that lire-lind difficulty in locating die flames in the cut-up partitioi °of. They used their new oxygen tanks, so didn t suffer irom
0	inhalation. Harry Yeeon, who lives in,the back ot ms uy at 433 Broad Street escaped without injury. His shop hac smoke and water damage. Prince’s store also had smoke lSp? ,but only n little water penetrated in the rear ot the
1	Using a new service, Mr. Prince was able to get rid of the
odor entirely.
Boy Hit By Car On Division Street
Kenneth Cunnard, aged 14, of Martin Road, R.D. No. 2, Sewickley, was struck by a car at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, when he stepped around a group of 10 or 12 other students, in front of the car on Division Street, back of Hie Gulf Station, according to Sewickley police.
KenneHi was rushed to Sewickley Valley Hospital, where he was admitted with a concussion and abrasions; He was reported in ‘fair’ condition by hospital attaches at 2 p.m.
The car w a s driven by Richard Guy, 607 Broad Street, according to Officer Thomas Prendergast, Jr., who investigated the accident.
Five Accidents
in Edgeworth
Edgeivorth police reported five automobile accidents in October, On October 2nd, at 12:50 p.m., Richard Bennett, of Aliquippa, driving west on Beaver Road in t h e 400 block, passing a car travelling in the same direction, skidded and sideswiped 'a lamp standard on the loft Side of Hie road. Mr. Bennett sustained a cut on the brow above the eye and there was considerable damage to the ear. The lamp standard had to be replaced. ’
On October 10th at 5:23 p.m,, a line of five cars was travelling west on the Ohio River Boulevard near the westerly borough line. The first car slowed to attempt a left turn and the four ears following were involved in a series of rear end crashes. No. 1 ear was not hit, but No. 2, driven by Charles Corbett of Beaver Palls, was struck by No. 3, driven by Patricia Dydek of Aliquippa, which was hit by No. 4, driven by Marie Rizzo of Aliquippa, whose car, in turn, was struck by a car driven by Elvedo Alvati of Aliquippa. No one was injured.
At 3:15 a.ni, on October 14th, Paul Gill, East Liverpool, Ohio, was drlv-
(Gontinucd On Page 24)
In 3% Hour Battle
Police Chief Dislocates Elbojv When Connection Comes Loose On Fire Truck
Sewickley firemen stopped a smoky, stubborn blaze which caused damage estimated at $6,500 to four stores and an apartment ’on Broad Street, Sewickley, early Friday morning. So smoky that spectators who arrived shorfly after the alarm couldn’t even stand across Broad Street. The fire was spreading rapidly through the wooden partitions of the old frame building when the firemen arrived. .
In the haste to connect hoses, Police Chief Thomas Prendergast, who has been a driver.for the fire department for 18 years cross threaded one Vh inch coupling in attaching it to the connection on the truck. When he turned on the water the coupling came loose and he was hit in the chest with a stream of water at 110 pounds pressure. The water knocked him off balance and he fell. Attempting to break his fall with his left arm, Chief Prendergast dislocated his elbow in a fall to the street. He was taken to Sewickley Valley Hospital by Lt. Lee S. Jones, who was later placed in charge of the police department by Burgess L. V. Gibb.
X-rays were taken of the injured
arm, which was set and placed in a cast. Chief Prendergast who was discharged from the hospital Sunday, will be off duty for several days and then will do desk duty until the elbow heals. Ordinarily, the man on the track would be least likely to be hurt, but such-was not tire case this time.
The fire was discovered at 1:30 a.m. by Patrolman Anthony Bruno, who thought he smelled wood smoke, decided it was an open fireplace and started away but came back to Hie front of the Sewickley Canine Commissary where Hie odor was stronger He touched the display windows in Hie front of the store, found Hiey were hot and sent in the fire alarm. About the same time, some passersby noticed a red glare against Myers Real Estate office next door and called Hie officers attention to it.
When firemen arrived, Hiey found flames in a storage room at the ’rear of Joseph Palmer’s Barber Shop at 429 Broad Street and die first hose crew started work Hiere. Odiers entered die Canine'•Gommissary, where the blaze seemed to be centered at a settee and had spread up the wooden partition to die ceiling. Thè fire also had burned dirough die partition into (the room at the rear of die barber shop. The flames had spread under the floor of the second floor apartment, which was vacant to’ the side partitions and up under the roof.
Using a pumper in die alley witii two hoses and the new pumpdr in Broad Street with four more hoses, the firemen using their new oxygen masks instead of the older cannister type, battled the blaze on half a dozen fronts at once. The space under die roof was divided, as additions had been made to die original structure and firemen had difficulty in finding all the scattered places which were ablaze. Fire Chief Wade Baltz commented that an aerial truck if available would have been used to great advantage, for a hole could have been chopped in the roof and a fog nozzle used to fill die space under the roof with fire killing fog. instead, the firemen used ordinary ladders, as shown in the photographs, chopped holes in sidewalls and roof and used ordinary nozzles, which resulted in considerable water damage to the stores below.
Under die roof, firemen found evidence of another fire, for some bf the rafters were pretty well scorched under the layer of dust. The old building bad once been occupied by Jimmy Cray who bad a tailor shop on die second floor and added on to the building' the building Is now owned by Joseph Palmer’s fadier.
Mr. Palmer had been in the shop at 10 p.m.' and found everything all right. He was able to remove the chairs and temporarily set up his shop in die front portion of the Myers Real Estate office next door, which was undamaged by either smoke or water. He will return to his own shop as soon as temporary electric lines and other utilities are restored. A projector and records owned by the Leets-dale Lions Club, stored in die rear room were damaged, along widi barber supplies and a TV set. Three of die rooms in die vacant apartment were rained and will need to be plastered and painted! The records were only pardy burned leading Chief Baltz” to diink that die fire had started on die odier side of the partition in die Canine Commissary and burned dirough. Chief Baltz stated that die cause of die blaze might have been a smouldering cigarette, for die settee seemed to be the center of die fire.
Harry Yeeon, who lives at the rear
(Continued on Page 24)
What’s Doin ’
ST. STEPHEN’S 'BAZAAR - Thursday, November 17, 1960, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Luncheon. Also modeling, of ' heirloom wedding gowns during the tea at 3:30.
(Adv’t)
Speech Improvement Workshop for Nursery School, Kindergarten and Primary Teachers at the Laughlin Children Center, Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 PAL Conducted by Miss Anne Gray. A Public Service.
(Adv’t)
ALL-COLOR MOTION PICTURE Thursday, Nov. 17th, 8:15 p.m.,
- Junior I-Iigh School Auditorium. All-color motion picture, “The New World Rediscovered”, presented by i The Audubon Society of Sewickley Valley. No admission charge, everyone invited.	(Adv’t)
DOLL SALE - Friday, November 1$, 9:30 A.M. at Shafer’s Florist Shop, Beaver Street. Dolls and Handmade clothes. Jill, Ginny and others. Sponsored by Circle #3, Miss ElizabeHi Winters, Chairman, Sewickley Methodist Church.
'	(Adv’t)
CHICKEN DINNER Sunday, December 4-2 p.m. until 7 p.m,, St, Janies’ School Cafeteria. Adults $1,50; Children 75 cents. Sponsored by St. James’ Council of Youth Activities. (Adv’t)