Sewickley Herald

              Vol, il No, 26
SEWICKLEY, PENNSYLVANIA, THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1950
Price Ten Cents
Baptist Church Members Start Big Improvement Program
Lightning Strikes Light Wires On Nevin Avenue
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Left to right; Jack Budkey, with steamer, Whitney hschine, Dennis Shaw, Rev. Henkel, and James Rogers. The Sewickley Baptist Church at Beaver and Grimes, shown as the men of the church began cleaning the front of the building with a Hypressure Jenny Steam Cleaner, product of Homestead Valve Mfg, Co. of Coraopolis. Under the active supervision of the pastor, Rev. Milford F. Henkel,
Photo'by Courtesy Homestead Valve Mfg. Co. Jr., the men are steam cleaning the building before painting it white. They are doing both the cleaning and the painting in their spare time with rigging and equipment furnished by the members. They expect to finish the job before Labor Day. Motorists passing the church, seeing the steam rising, are sometimes alarmed for fear the church is on fire.
Sewickley Kindergarten Pupils Make Annual Visit To Franklin Farm
to ‘'FranUa!Cyey Kindergarten on their recent annual Jf*. anti Mrs wSi- "5,, the Sewickley Heights estate of “•fley, kiiKlernnvln m .ptirmtophcr Robinson. Miss Frances garten director is giving the children milk,
Photo by Mrs. Duane Barbour while her assistant, Mrs. Ullery and A. E. Hunt, superintendent of the estate, look on, The trip to the farm is the basis for quite a bit of the work Of the kindergarten during the year.
110 Houses Without Power For Nearly 7 Hours
The cloudburst Saturday evening resulted in between 107 and. 110 bouses in the vicinity of Nevin Avenue being without light or power from 6:30 p. m. when a bolt of lightning struck the wires, until repairs were completed at about 1 a. m. The six hour and 48 minute interval was the longest in this distinct that anyone was without power, according to the Duquesne Light Company. The bolt of lightning put out of commission all three phases of the primary and the neutral wire as well, on Nevin Avenue between Beaver Street and Church Lane.
Other interruptions ranged from flickers to a 25 minute, interval before service was restored in Glen Willard after a limb had broken down wires there. There were several cases of blown out primary fuses in transformers, affecting two to three houses for a short time.
Complaints to Sewickley Borough came from commercial establishments and homes with water in the basements. Requests for the fire company to pump water from cellars had to be declined, since borough officials recall vividly the time the fire truck was used for such a purpose. So much debris was sucked up that the pump was practically ruined and cost $1,500 to repair!
The storm was of extra-ordinary intensity and any sewer system, no matter how big, would have trouble disposing of the water as fast as it fell. The complaints given tlie borough will be referred to the new Borough Manager, for future planning on the replacement or extension of the sewer system.
Saturday night’s torrential rain storm caused quite a bit of damage and annoyance in the Valley. Trees were blown over; water backed up in cellars of both homes and commercial establishments; water overflowed Beaver Street, covering the sidewalks and even flooded the main floors of several stores. Debris was left on most of the streets, particularly Blackburn Road, where a culvert was blocked with debris, and the flow of a small run came down the street.
Tree limbs were knocked down all over the town and in many of the cases they started small fires. On Bank Street a limb fell across a set of wires and started one end to smouldering. After a few minutes the limb was loosened and fell to the ground. On Dickinson Road, near the Jones property, a tree fell and a slide came after it. The Duquesne Light .Company was notified of all cases involving wires, where danger to homes or persons was possible.
Wedding Delayed By High Water
Possibly the greatest annoyance was caused to the families of Nancy Peiffer and John Unger Lanman, whose wedding was scheduled for that evening. The groom, being driven to the church by his father, G. Burnham Lanman, of Hammond, Ind., encountered several feet of water on the Ohio River Boulevard in which the car stalled! Come — or high water, he was determined to be at the church on time, so he stripped to his shorts, and, with the help of children who volunteered, pushed the car out of the water.
He re-dressed in the home of neighbors and arrived just in time for the wedding, proving again that grooms’ promises to go through fire or flood for their brides arc not just campaign promises.
However, the bride was also having troubles, due to the storm. It was raining so terribly hard that she couldn’t dress at home or in the church basement, either, as it had water in it, too. She
finally found a dry, secluded spot and donned her wedding gown. -
But, meanwhile, the caterers had arrived at the Peiffer home in Osborne Lane, Osborne, ready to prepare for the' reception. It was raining so hard that they couldn’t unload their truck! At the church, the wedding was delayed for a time to await the arrival of the guests, who were also caught in the cloudburst. The deluge finally let up a little and the wedding ceremony was completed and the caterers were able to prepare for the reception, but for a time it certainly looked as though the guests would have to receive a rain check!
The story of the stranded groom was told because the helpful neighbor was employed by Associated Press.
In Edgeworth, a tree fell across Beaver Road from the R. S. Richards, Jr., property at 108 Beaver Road, just at the tip of the park. Borough employees cleared it away so that traffic could get through without detouring around the park. Borough employees received some complaints of water backing up in cellars. The rain came down in such volume that no sewer system, of practical proportions, could handle it at once.
War Memorial Ass#n Opens Bids
Bids from two contractors, on the basic construction work, as well as the picnic shelter and proposed ampitlieatre, but not the landscaping of the War Memorial Park, were opened at a meeting of the War Memorial Association Monday evening at the Sewickley Borough Building. Reports from the campaign-co-chairman indicated that the responses to the mail appeal were coming in slowly, so the bids were referred back to the architects, Ackley, Bradley, Patterson and Burgener for tabulation. They will then consult with the building committee, J. K. Webster, Cuyler Poor and William Thompson and report back lo a meeting July 11th.
By that time, the. campaign co-chairmen will know how much money will be available for construction work this summer. If sufficient funds have been raised, contracts will be let at that time.
The following captains and workers have volunteered their services to help collect th'e funds to make the War Memorial Park a reality. Others will be announced next week, Sewickley, special gifts; Clinton L. Childs, Jr., chairman; Mrs. David M. Gilmore, Mrs, John C. Oliver, Jr., Fred II, Atwood, Raymond Connelly, Mrs, Edward L. Campbell, Rebekah George and Mrs, Clinton L. Childs, Jr.
Sewickley neighborhood, Section 2, Mrs. Ross W. Buck, captain; Mrs, J. G, Williams, Mrs. Henry Beighlea, Mrs. Kenneth Johns, Mrs, Allen I-Iite, Mrs. A. J. Brtitout, Mrs, Thomas Prendergast, Mrs. D, II. Richey, Mrs. Robert Clarke, Jr,, Mrs, Donald C. Wilson, Martha
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