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100 Years Ago This Month

July 1913

July 4

Streets Oiled

On Monday afternoon under the direction of Streets Commissioner Harry Harner, the streets of the town were oiled. This is a distinct innovation in the caring for the streets of Emmitsburg, and will doubtlessly prove extremely satisfactory and doing away with dust within the town limits.

Florida Car

Among the hundreds of touring cars, which had been in town this week en route to Gettysburg, one was from Pensacola Florida. This is the first sighting of a car from Florida in the town.

Death of a Former Emmitsburgan

On Saturday afternoon, Mr. David Knott died at his home on East Church St., Frederick, of Bright’s disease, at age 73 years. Mr. Knott was one of the oldest builders and contractors in the county. He was the son of a late Benedict Knott, a prominent land surveyor and was born in Emmitsburg on August 26, 1840. He graduated from Mount St. Mary's College and for years he followed the vocation of builder and contractor and erected many fine buildings in the county.

July 11

Fires and Storms

On Thursday evening a small fire was discovered at the residence of Mr. Edward Humerick, Gettysburg Street, but was extinguished before any serious damage was done. During the storm last Saturday evening, lightning struck the residence of Mr. John Sebold, on Frederick Street, knocking down the chimney and doing other slight damage.

Hurt While Trying to Start Car

George Wagerman, son of Mr. John Wagerman, met with a painful accident on Thursday afternoon, when his arm was fractured while cranking an automobile. After his arm was set, George told friends he: "should've stuck to horses, as he was never injured tacking them up."

New Store

Cecil Rotering, lately of the firm of Charles Rotering & Sons, who recently purchased a branch store of Shuff & Co., on W. Main St., has gone into business for himself. Mr. Rotering, who has always been among the progressive businessman of town, has stocked his store with gentlemen's furnishings. He reports that business from the outset has been brisk, and that he has every hope for an increase as the season progresses thanks to "Intelligent men shoppers." "Unlike women," Mr. Rotering said, ‘men know how to spend money wisely."

Firemen’s Annual 4th of July Picnic

The annual celebration of the Vigilant Hose Company – The Fireman’s Picnic - was held in Fireman’s Park. The weather was extremely hot but many persons from out of town were present for the events of the day. By nightfall the heat had lessened and the grounds were crowded.

As is customary, the celebration opened with a parade headed by the Emmitt Cornet Band followed by fireman in uniform. In the line of march were the hose reels and ladder wagons, gaily decorated in red, white, and blue bunting.

The game of baseball between Taneytown and Emmitsburg resulted in a one-sided affair for the visitors on the long end. The score was something like 26 to 2, no one on the Emmitsburg side was sure. Suffergets and their Prohibitionist allies felt Emmitsburg would have done better had the home team not been serving beer in their dugout during the game.

Throughout the day and at night the various amusements were well patronized. A display of fireworks was given around nine o’clock. Dancing and music held the people until a late hour.

Old Church at Mount St. Mary's Burned

On Friday night, July 4, the old mountain church out at Mount St. Mary's was destroyed by fire. The church, unused for worship for a number of years past, was built by Father Dubois, founder of Mount St. Mary's in 1805.

In 1826 the church was enlarged and it served as a church of the college and the surrounding parish until 1895, when the parish was separated from the college and a new church for its use built a little further down the mountainside. Not long afterwards the college community discontinued the use of the church. Since then, the church has become partially ruined from age.

The old church, however, continue to be a shrine for visitors to the institution. When the centennial of its erection was celebrated in 1905, there was a great gathering of church dignitaries from many parts of the country, and the Pope cabled his blessings from Rome. The church was a brick building, with a white stucco covering. The fire which destroyed it was supposed to have been caused by a toy balloon set up in celebration of the Fourth of July falling upon the roof.

July 18

Clothes Caught in Flywheel of a Gasoline Engine

Charles Harbaugh, who is employed at the knitting mill, met with a painful injury on Monday. The accident occurred just at noon. Mr. Harbaugh was asked to stop the engine. The boy leaned across the engine-which is a compound cylinder gas type-and turned off the batteries, when a steel pin in the friction clutch caught in his clothing and threw him violently to the floor.

It is probably due to the fact that the electricity was turned off that the boy was not fatally injured as the weight of his body prevented the flywheels from carrying him around. The staff hurried to the lad and contacted Drs. Bronner and Jamison, who responded quickly and dressed the wound - a gash on the side of his leg that required 23 stitches to close.

July 25

Fire Near Maxell’s Mill

The two-story frame house on the farm of Mr. Charles Michael, near Maxwell's Mill, on the Keysville Road, about four and half miles from Emmitsburg, was destroyed by fire around 11 o'clock Sunday morning. The cause of the fire is not known, but it is supposed to have been caused by the explosion of the gasoline stove. When the fire started, none of the family was home, and when discovered by the neighbors it had too much headway to be stopped, but neighbors succeed in saving most of the furniture and all the surrounding buildings. The loss, which is not that great, was not covered insurance.

Dr. John Glass on the Mexican situation

Dr. John Glass and the strategy board of the War College connected with Harney University has been in consultation for 98 hours on the Mexican situation, and it is thought that when the results of the deliberation is presented to the War and Navy Departments at Washington, a plan will have been reached whereby all trouble on the border will soon be brought to end.

According to the Doctor, It was first proposed to send the armored cruiser and six battleships of the Flat Run fleet, under the command of Admiral Bushman, to the golf. This would have been the ordinary procedure, but after considering the difficulties attending such a move, it was thought best to adopt a more original and secret plan and the following idea will be carried out.

"Seven aero-planes loaded with molasses will be sent to the scene of the action, at the same time 800,000 rounds of Limburger bullets will be distributed to troops from Zora, Four Points, and Popular Ridge, whose regiments will already have reached the heart of Mexico. "

The plan is very simple: "The molasses will be release from the aero-planes, about 100 tons from each machine. This will have the same effect on the enemy as tangle- foot flypaper has on flies. When the opposing forces are rendered incapable of marching or standing erect, Limburger bullets will be discharged at them at a rate of 10,000 a second. Death will be instantaneous due to the smell of the cheese An important feature of this mode of warfare is that death will be so horrible that no further recruiting will be possible-no one will enlist in the Mexican army."

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