September 1, 1911

The most terrific succession of electric storms for years, if ever before, were manifest in this locality during last week. Commencing on Thursday afternoon, and continuing into the evening, and nearly all of the night. And again on Friday afternoon, and Friday evening and night; and again on Saturday afternoon. During all of these storms, the lightning has been the most dazzling and the thunder the most deafening of the season; and, it is needless to add, the people were in a state of awe, and trepidation. Upper sleeping rooms were evacuated, and the occupants sought the lower parts of the house to be nearer the ground, should anything serious occur. The rain descended in force, cutting the streets and sidewalks, in some places, so as to make them dangerous for passers, either pedestrians or teams, and necessitating the attention of supervisor, and a corps of workmen, the early part of the week in their repair. During the whole succession of storms we are pleased to say, no damage was done in or near town by the electric current. At intervals during the night while the storm raged, the electric lights would go out, and anon spring into light again. This was noticeable by the writer on Thursday evening. About 10 o’clock the lights suddenly went out; and in about half an hour thereafter were burning brightly. Why this is thus we are unable to say. Some aver the company that does this lighting has the lights put out on purpose, to save by thus doing; and when asked why this is thus excuse themselves, by blaming it on the plant getting out of order. This may be true, but, we certainly don’t believe it. However, we can excuse an electric plant getting out of order during an electric storm; we get out of order ourselves at such times; O, no! We are not frightened but there is a kind of palpitation around our heart that won’t go down. We feel an awe in the presence of a something that is greater than our self. We can’t help it! If memory serves us right we never heard but two men who said they had no different feeling during a heavy electric storm than at any other time; and we thought, and yet think these men deficient in their upper story.

The foregoing brings us to Saturday evening, and as there was no storm on this evening we thought them over: and on Sunday morning several families went to spend the day on Broadkiln Beach. But in the afternoon the skies again darkened, and portentous clouds obscured the sun’s rays, which were becoming warm. At 3 o’clock -harp, another ”battle of the elements” began, and continued until 5 o’clock. Again the electric display was beautiful: and the rain was more of a flood than even on the previous days”. ‘The waters, indeed, prevailed upward”[i] and the streets were covered, and the pavements were covered; and on Monday morning some pavements had to be dug out of the sand: of, the sand thereon from off them so great was the moving, and disposition of detritus. But happily for us the washing of the streets and sidewalks is our only damage and can be easily repaired. The parties who went to the beach and returned during the late evening, report much rain there, but little lightning and thunder! And a flooded road all the way home. Notwithstanding they had a good time all around. This could not have been otherwise considering the consicial [sic] makeup of the party. Now we propose to leave the subject of the weather right here, for the present, and if there comes any more that is bad or disagreeable before this communication goes to press, it will be left out, indefinitely.

Dr. Leonard is enjoying himself at Broadkiln Beach. It is related that on Sunday afternoon the doctor enjoyed a siesta sitting back on the veranda of the cottage he is occupying, with a pipe in his mouth.

George Kimmey, Jr., undertaker of Philadelphia, is paying his annual visit to Milton.

Hall Betts, of New York, is being entertained by friends on North Union Street.

Miss Annie Manship and brother Frank are again Milton visitors.

The camp meeting committee of the late Lavinia Camp are not taking the care of their property that they should. They should go out to the ground and look after it.

Owing to the rain of Sunday the colored camp at Lavinia will continue over next Sunday.

William Wharton has removed from Mulberry Street to a building owned by S. J. Wilson & Son on Front Street. Charles A. Virden has opened an office in the same building.

Martin Chandler is taking the bricks from the cellar of the burned building on the Fox corner. It was the intention to fill up the cellar, and leave the walls standing; but Mr. Chandler agreed to take out the bricks, if he could have them. It was a bargain.

J. Fletcher Carter, of Pitman, N. J., is touring a part of Delaware in an automobile and has been stopping at his brother’s Samuel Carter, nearby.

Abel Pettyjohn, of Frankford, Pa., has of been the guest of his mother during the past week.

The W. C. T. U. State Convention will be held in the M. K, Church in this town on September 27th, 28th and 29th.

The M. E. Sunday School has discontinued holding its sessions in the morning, and returned to the sane and sensible method of afternoon service. Last Sunday was the first under the old regime.

Miss Jennie Blizzard has returned from a visit to Philadelphia.

Charles Chandler and wife, of Washington, D. C., have been visiting the former’s father, Martin Chandler.

Miers Reynolds, of Washington, D. C., is visiting friends and relatives.

William Richards, wife and child, left for Philadelphia on Saturday to claim a legacy left recently by a relative.

Miss Eva Coverdale, of Haddonfield, N. J., has been visiting her father, Wesley Coverdale. She returned to the city on Saturday, taking her father with her. Mr. Coverdale’s two children—son and daughter—are residents of Haddonfield, and it is probable he will reside with them indefinitely, as he has no ties of consanguinity now in Milton.

On Thursday three boys about 13 years of age on complaint of a farmer at Overbrook were arrested by Constable Reynolds and brought to Milton and arraigned before ‘Squire Collins for trespass, or stealing watermelons. They were fined four dollars each and costs, amounting to six dollars each. In default of payment they were put in the lockup to await developments. Two of the boys w ere Bohemians, the other a country lad: and their parents are at work in the cannery at Overbrook. As was expected some one arrived in the afternoon to look after the boys. The boys’ mother and sisters, probably. One of the young women argued the case very well before the constable who was in charge at lockup. She thought the hue was awful, awful! and wanted to see the judge. But the judge was non est. The woman had but five dollars, and finding he could get no more the constable turned them loose. It looks shameful to have such young people arrested and jailed, even confined temporarily in a lockup, but there appears to be no other means j to stop the depredations of these young rascals. There are any quantity of them now around Milton, who are after everything they see from a bull frog to a wild cherry.

“Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth”[ii]; and the Milton baker gone on a vacation.

There was one person admitted on probation at the M. P. Church on Sunday morning,

The Second Quarterly Conference of the M. P. Church will be held on next Monday, September 4th.

Workmen arrived on Saturday and are engaged in putting the pipe organ in the M. E. Church.

William Crouch’s dog having developed symptoms of rabies was killed on Monday, after having bitten another dog. Several others have been shot.

Hilda May, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William J. McColley, died in Cedar Neck on Thursday aged 5 months and 5 days. Funeral at Cedar Neck Church on Friday afternoon by the Rev. Taylor and burial in Odd Fellows’ Cemetery, Milford, by S. J. Wilson & Son.

Tomatoes are coming in very slow and the canneries are not working half time. A scarcity of help has caused the Royal Packing Company to send for foreign help. They are expected on Wednesday.


[i] Genesis 7:11-20 (Old Testament)

[ii] James 3:5 (New Testament, KJV)