This Week in Ocean County, 1921! (October 14th)

10/15/2021

BREVITIES AND EDITORIALS

(often written by NJ Courier editor, William H. Fischer, as he sat at his desk above Main Street near Washington Street; it was much like a collection of online social media updates seen today)

Mid-October.
Fine weather.
Moonlit nights.
Full moon Sunday next.
Autumn coloring shows.
Many boats still being used.
First frost Sunday morning.
Wednesday was Columbus Day.
Hallowe'en Monday, October 31.
Rain on Saturday afternoon last.
Three weeks left for the political campaigns.
Road scrapers were busy after the rains last week.
Warm in the middle of the day, cool at night, has been the rule.
Days get appreciably shorter. You need artificial light now by 5:30 P.M.
Russel Harned is working for the Double Trouble Company at Double Trouble.
The High School has its first football game next Saturday (tomorrow) at Point Pleasant.
Mr. Taylor, the moving spirit in the new band, expects to have it out in the Firemen's Hallowe'en parade.
Edward Crabbe started on Wednesday to pick the cranberry bog in Berkeley on the Main Shore road at Jake's branch.
As high as fourteen deer have been seen in one herd between Toms River and Double Trouble by people who travel that road in autos, this fall.
Sam Lefferson, of Lakehurst road, has a covey of quail so tame that they come around his yard where his chickens feed. He counted fifteen quail crossing the road in front of his house one day recently.
Sunday morning was the coolest of the fall up to that time, with frosts that blackened the sweet potato vines here and there. Sweet potato growers say that the nice weather saved the crop, as an early frost would have killed the vines with potatoes half grown.
Gasoline has gone up two cents this week, a cent Monday and another on Tuesday. This makes the retail price 26 cents a gallon [$3.98 in 2021 dollars]. The lowest it has been in several years was 24 cents [$3.68 in 2021 dollars], for the two or three weeks prior to last Monday. When Standard Oil goes up, Gulf is right with it, as close as a shadow.
The frosty Sunday did the cranberries no harm.
Wednesday was a holiday for banks and public officials.
The firemen are planning a big parade for Hallowe'en.
Rumor says that the Moderna farm has been sold to a party from Yonkers, N.Y.
Mrs. Mary E. Ingraham is planning to build a house on South Main Street, not far from the Pennsylvania station.
The Toms River Amusement Co. is building its sixth house this summer on Irons Street. I.J. Westervelt, who bought the other five, will buy this one too.
One of the houses at Double Trouble occupied by Italian cranberry pickers, caught fire last Friday night from an outside cooking fire and was burned. The Italians were able to save the other near-by buildings.
Eclipse of the moon Sunday evening.
The High School will soon issue another number of the Cedar Chest [prior to an annual yearbook, the school put out semi-regular digest magazines of school activities, with the last one of the school year containing the traditional yearbook photos and features].
Sunrise to-morrow, 6:10; sunset, 5:22, making a day 11 hours and 12 minutes long.
Evan Hicks, of Cedar Grove, son of Rev. and Mrs. I.E. Hicks, a member of the Toms River Poultry Club now forming, has a record in poultry raising. From January 1 to October 1, 1921, his nine old hens Rhode Island reds, produced 1663 eggs; he has 58 pullets hatched since March 8, and has sold enough eggs to raise the pullets to date.
C.E. Payne reports that he has sold the big McClenahan house on the Parkway to one of the superintendents of construction on the ZR-1 [airship, later named U.S.S. Shenandoah] at Lakehurst, who will make it his home; the Charles Ptacek place on the South Lakewood road, to Mr. O'Connor, of Newark; the Moderna farm, on Hooper avenue, to Mr. Troop, of New York; Harry Tice farm, on Cedar Grove road, to Mr. Corrigan, of the Panama Canal Zone.
The trees along the streets of Toms River are entitled to more consideration and care than they have been getting. When electric wires were first strung, linemen slashed trees unmercifully and without regard to necessity. Since then many trees have had limbs, large and small killed by insulation rubbing from light wires, and short circuiting when the branches were wet. The Electric Company, trying to obviate this latter difficulty, has at last obtained what Superintendent Case thinks is an effective tree insulator, which consists of a screw to go into the limb, holding a porcelain insulator to keep the wire at least three inches from the limb. These are being placed on trees by the company wherever they know they are needed. If you know of such a tree where wires rub the branches let Superintendent Case know.
Mat Cranmer, of Mayetta, the Chevrolet dealer, is opening a show room in the Veeder building on Main Street.
H.J. Samuelson has bought out the interest of his father-in-law, Samuel Kaufman, in the United Feed Company, and will continue in its management.
Barnegat must buy potatoes out of town for this winter, the local crop being short.
Samuel Kaufman has bought from the Toms River Amusement Co. a tract on West Water Street, adjoining the Ocean House property, with an eight-foot front and running north some 300 feet.
Dr. Paul Goble, who is spending some time at the Lister cottage, Seaside Park, said that on Wednesday morning, as the sun came up, and the shower broke in the west, one of the most beautiful and brilliant rainbows he had ever seen spanned the western sky.
Cranberry growers, as well as other growers of fruits and vegetables, have their own troubles with certain class of city folks who spend the summer in the country, and who think themselves privileged to help themselves to whatever they may find growing, no matter what, where or whose it is.
Automobile parties are even worse offenders, as they take things in many instances from fields or orchards, grab sacks of potatoes or baskets of tomatoes or fruit from the fields, and now have a new trick of stopping at the little wayside markets which so many farms have along the road, helping themselves to what may be setting out there and speeding away. Farmers are demanding special legislation to meet these evils. To hit the automobile thief, the coming legislature will be asked to pass a law so that the Motor Vehicle Commissioner will have power to revoke the car's license.

LET'S GET ANOTHER COW
Last week the Courier told the story of a one-legged man's brave struggle to support his wife and two babies, and how he had been robbed of his crops and swindled by a cowdealer who had sold him a sick cow, which is now dead. Some of the Courier readers think that we ought to buy this man another cow. The Courier had the same idea, and last week arranged with County Agent Waite to look out for a cow for him, Mr. Waite entering heartily into the plan, and agreeing with the Courier to guarantee the cost of the cow.
One day this week I received a letter from Mr. E.P. Taddiken, secretary of the J.E. Linde Paper Co., one of the largest wholesale paper houses in New York, who had the same idea. He sent the Courier a check for $5 [$76 in 2021 dollars], saying he had read the item last week, and it seemed to him the public ought to be enough interested in a man like that to buy him another cow. Mr. Taddiken, by the way, began to come to Toms River as a boy in the eighties [1880s], when H.H. Luhrs ran the Riverside house, and he still makes visits here and reads the Courier weekly.
So to date there is $40 offered to help buy this cow: E.H. Waite, $5; Charles W. Herflicker, $5; E.P. Taddiken, $5; the Courier, $25. You may send yours to the Courier, or hand it to Waite or Herflicker as you choose. But that man must have another cow.

HEADLINE NEWS

HALLOWE'EN CELEBRATION
Toms River Fire Company No. 1, following the custom established two years ago, will hold its Hallowe'en Mardi Gras again this year. The other two affairs were so successful, both financially and otherwise, that the company is encouraged to try it once more. Prizes for fancy costumes will again be given by the fire laddies, and as an extra added attraction prizes will be given away. The parade will be in charge of Edward Dempsey, as chairman of the Parade Committee. Charles W. Ludlow will handle the Prize Committee, while Roland L. Buckwalter will be in charge of the Dance Committee.

TYPHOID EPIDEMIC ABATING
Reports from New Egypt, Jacobstown and other centers of typhoid infection, that apparently started with the church supper in Jacobstown last July is that the sick ones are recovering. Many of them were near death's door for weeks, and are nothing but skin and bones, but are beginning to mend. It was one of the most virulent outbreaks of typhoid known in many years, and, coming as close to Camp Dix as it did, gives rise to the impression that the germs may have been brought from the other side by some returning soldier or soldiers, who were themselves inoculated against typhoid, and thus had it too lightly to be noticed.

CRANBERRIES AT $10 TO $12 PER BRL. FOR PACIFIC COAST
The Pacific coast is taking most of the early shipments of Jersey cranberries and paying $10 to $12 per barrel for them [$153 to $183 in 2021 dollars], F.O.B., the starting point. Local growers have shipped several carloads to Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and other Pacific coast cities. The prices range from $10.50, the opening price on early blacks, to about $12 for Howes, per barrel. The cranberry barrel is of a special standard size, and holds 100 pounds. The old Jersey crate, still largely in use, holds 28 quarts; the new box used this season by some shippers, holds just half a barrel. It takes at present schedule ten days to roll a carload of berries from Toms River, or any eastern shipping point, to the Pacific coast, as berries, like Pacific coast fruits coming east are allowed special routing. They are shipped in refrigerator cars, carrying from 225 to 240 barrels, the smaller number being what the shippers are allowed to pack this fall in one car most of the time.
Some of the local growers are getting larger yields than they looked for. They say the berries this fall are mainly underneath the vines and could not be seen, but the scoopers find them. George H. Holman, of Toms River, says he is picking twice as many berries as he expected to when he started. The Double Trouble Company is another instance in point, as they will get many more berries than they were counting on. They have picked 11,000 bushels now, and have another 1000 to pick. They ship two carloads this week and another next week to the Pacific coast...

EXTRA DRY MAN ARRESTED AS BEING SELLER OF WET
John T. Fortman, of Atlantic City, one of the proprietors of the Extra Dry Cafe, on Atlantic Avenue, was arrested Saturday on charge of selling wet goods. Fortman and Andrew Grob, who had the bottled whiskey buried at Barnegat, and was under arrest in this county, are partners in the Extra Dry, according to reports. Fortman went Grob's bail at Toms River; Emanuel Katz, caught with another truckload of booze last summer, in Cape May County, went Fortman's bail.

H.A. DOAN COMMODORE OF TOMS RIVER YACHT CLUB
At the annual meeting of the Toms River Yacht Club, held last Friday evening at the club house, Horace A. Doan was elected commodore, to succeed Edward Crabbe, who declined renomination in favor of Mr. Doan. The other officers include John A. Hensler, vice-commodore; John H. Stoutenburgh, who is rear commodore for life; Percy L. Grover, secretary, and Edward Crabbe, Dr. George T. Crook, Clarence Birdsall, Henry A. Low and William H. Fischer, trustees. The trustee chose the treasurer, who is Henry A. Low.
Plans were talked over for putting a heating plant in the club house and having the club open in the winter as well as summer. To raise funds for that purpose an entertainment committee was appointed... They will start off with a costume dance, accompanied by an entertainment for Friday, October 28, a Hallowe'en affair.
The past summer has been one of the most successful seasons the club has had, and it was able to make a substantial payment upon its small debt.
It was voted to ask the township committee to name the street on the west side of Robbins Park in honor of Commodore John H. Stoutenburgh, by calling it Stoutenburgh Place, recalling the fact that it was from Mr. Stoutenburgh that the township purchased the little park running from Water Street to the river.

FOR CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND
The mothers of Toms River village have decided that they want a village playground for the children. The location is already at hand at the school house, and the Home and School Association is planning a tag day to raise money for swings, slides, seesaws and rings and simple playground paraphernalia. The bringing of all the children in from the outside districts has entirely changed problems at the school house also, or rather raised new problems. The children are dumped out on the school ground and kept there during the noon hour, and the teachers say they should have something to do. The older boys have baseball, football, and outdoor basket ball, but the little shavers can only look on. You can be sure of one thing—if the mothers want the playground, they'll get it.

$25,000 WORTH OF EGGS HANDLED FIRST MONTH
The first month's business of the New Jersey Poultry Producers Association amounted to about $25,000, which is looked upon as a fine start. These eggs were shipped to New York from two stations, Toms River and Vineland, and the period covered by the $25,000 is from September 9 to October 8. Next Monday the third shipping station will be opened at Somerville. It is possible that others will be established.

U.T. CO. WILL TRY OUT AUTOMOBILE RAILROAD CAR
New Egypt, Oct. 12.—The Union Transportation Company has ordered a gasoline propelled car with a capacity of 48 passengers, to be operated by the railroad, to take the place of the usual locomotive and passenger cars. The new car has been operated at much less cost and is said to be quite as comfortable and speedy as the train service.

T.R.H.S. FOOTBALL TEAM
The Toms River High School has put a football team in the field this fall, and will play Point Pleasant, at Point Pleasant, tomorrow, October 15. Friday of next week, October 21, they expect to go to Princeton to play the high school there, and stay over for the big game at Princeton University next day. Another game is expected to be played with Clinton High School, of which Prof. E.L. Heilman, formerly of the Toms River School, is principal. A game with Lakewood and one with Point Pleasant, both at Toms River, are also expected, but the dates are not determined.

PERSONAL
Sunday's New York papers had a long story about an old-time Toms River boy, Cassius W. Seymour, of Paterson, who is known in all the lower end of Manhattan as “the blind stationer.” The story said that Mr. Seymour had been found wandering about New York, suffering from a severe attack of amnesia, being unable to remember who he was or where he belonged. Cassius as a boy, lived on Lein Street, Toms River, learned the printer's game at the Courier's shop and went to New York to work at the printer's trade. He afterward got in the jewelry business and had built up a nice trade when he lost his eyesight. Not by any means discouraged he started in life all over again in the stationary business, which he has carried on for years.
Jon Harrop, of Gibbstown, a former Toms River man, was here for the week end. John is now pensioned by the DuPont interests and has retired from active work. He was formerly in the dynamite making game at Toms River and when the DuPonts bought out the plants here and wrecked them, he went with the bigger DuPont plants on the banks of the Delaware.

FISH AND GAME
The open season for wild fowl is from October 16 to January 31, inclusive. The opening day coming on Sunday next, ducks or geese cannot lawfully be shot until next Monday. The chief shooting on our bays next Monday is expected to be the black duck, which were raised in these parts this summer, and have never been shot, and accordingly have not yet learned the danger of being near to man. Those who escape the first day's shooting will probably be shyer and wilder...
The Fish and Game Commission have a series of motion pictures taken at the State Game Farm at Forked River, at different periods covering a year in all, to show the raising of game birds and their various states of development. They have another series taken at the State Fish Hatchery at Hackettstown. When the Toms Rive r school gets its motion picture machine these films will be loaned it by the state without doubt.
Vreeland Risden, at Point Pleasant Beach, landed a 21-pound striped bass fishing with a squid off the flats at the south end of the boardwalk. This fish was 36 inches long and measured 23 inches in greatest girth. Joe Forsyth caught one weighing nine pounds, and a number of smaller bass were hooked.
Cool weather last week end made fishermen rather scarce for the first time in several months.
Some weakfish have been caught up Toms River. They seem to follow the small fish on which they feed.
Striped bass are coming inside the inlets for the winter. There ought to be some reports of good-sized bass being caught in the bay before the anglers quit for the winter.
The eel sickness is on the eels this year and men who usually make a business of catching eels have done little of it. The eel breaks out in sores or “blisters” as the fishermen call them. Ordinarily the eel fishermen would be setting pots now and shipping eels to the city. The eel is a great delicacy for many foreign-born people in the big cities.
Ducks are beginning to show up in the bay. With the cool days of mid-October the crow ducks are due in Kettle Creek, Applegate's Cove, and similar feeding grounds in the upper Barnegat Bay. While really gallinules, or rails, instead of ducks, these “crow chickens” are listed as ducks in the game law, and cannot be shot until the duck and goose season opens. Other rails are now lawfully shot. As told last week in the Courier, there has been a flock of fat railbirds in the grasses of Toms River where it loops south of the Central Railroad, and some fine bags have been gathered.
William H. Eddy, of Philadelphia, Charlie Grover, of Toms River, and crew, are planning their yearly November trip to the inlet in their houseboat. Sampson is putting the houseboat in shape for the voyage.

TOWN LIFE

BARNEGAT
We noticed in the editor's column last week about Ocean County being a sight-seeing place for tourists going through. We might suggest a few more things for which it is famous: We have as much or more pine barren or scrub land than any other county; we have the finest streams with the most ideal locations on either side along the coast. Why, the editor forgot to mention his own Toms River. Where is there a finer body of water for pleasure or profit than our bay.
On our beach the first life-saving station was erected in 1848, at Harvey Cedars, and it was called a volunteer station until 1869. The first crew was put on at Barnegat Inlet in 1871, when the government appropriated $200,000 and erected a few stations on the coast. There were salt works at Barnegat, Waretown, Forked River and Toms River during the Revolution. There was a salt works at Toms River owned by the State of Pennsylvania, and on November 2, 1776, an officer and twenty-five men were sent there to guard the works. Ocean County is also noted for the historical wrecks along its beaches. In Ocean County the Barnegat pirates gained their reputation. It was on the beach at what is now Surf City, the first whaling station on the Jersey coast was operated. Some of the greatest cranberry bogs in the state are here. Last, but not least, we have more bottled booze in our county jail than any other county in the state—at least 1300 quarts was taken there, unless by the contraction and expansion, caused by change in temperature, loss may take place...
To show that it pays to advertise you should see the inquiries received by J.H. Perrine, our boatbuilder. He doesn't believe in doing business altogether with those who live so near the shop they can hear the sound of his hammer, but he reaches out and takes in the town, county and state, and the whole wide world knows of Perrine's famous Barnegat sneakboxes. Here are the starting points of a few of the letters he showed us recently: Glasgow, Scotland; Mobile, Ala.; Portuguese East Africa; Halifax, N.S.; Honolulu, H.T.; Cairo, Egypt; Montreal, Canada, and from all the states on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts.

BEACH HAVEN
The older folk in Beach Haven were interested in reading in last Sunday's papers the account of a bronze statue, erected in the city of Duluth, Minn., by the city, of Jay Cooke, the Philadelphia banker, who for a lifetime was a summer visitor at Beach Haven. Duluth honored Cooke with a statue because he was practically the founder of that city and built up that section of the country by a railroad he pushed through and other enterprises he backed there. It was Cooke who floated the Civil War bonds for Abe Lincoln to get the money to run the war, and his plan of appealing directly to the people instead of financiers and big capitalists only, was followed in the recent war. Cooke was very fond of the bay and of fishing. He was also extremely fond of his family, and was usually accompanied here by quite a group, including his own children and grandchildren.
Fishing parties are thinning out and gunning parties are looked for next week.
It is reported here that the government has decided to build the stone jetties at Barnegat lighthouse, and that there will be work for all on Long Beach who may need it this fall and winter. At least several of our men are counting on it.

BEACHWOOD
G.G. Mayo, son and executor of the late B.C. Mayo, has been on East from his home in Los Angeles, Cal., looking after his father's estate. The real estate interests at Beachwood and Browns Mills come in for a large share of his attention. He arranged with agents to dispose of the Mayo holdings in this borough which are mostly the desirable lots between the boulevard and the river in the most thickly built-up section. It is understood that the agents are finding a ready sale for these lots at good prices.

CEDAR RUN
The movies at Manahawkin are well patronized by the people of our shore towns. The theatre was recently enlarged to accommodate the crowds.

FORKED RIVER
Roger Wilbert, a C.R.R. employee, is located at Lakehurst.
The first frost here Sunday morning, but it did no damage.
The Forked River ball team beat a team from Toms River last week.
Leroy Frazee, assistant cashier of the Barnegat Bank, was in New York to see the world series ball games.
George Gravatt, of Forked River, died at the Kimball Hospital, Lakewood, after an operation for appendicitis, and was buried on Friday last, October 7, at Good Luck Cemetery. George was a Toms River boy, son of Capt. James Gravatt, a well-known sailor of party boats in years past. About seven years ago he married Gertrude Taylor, of this place and was father of four small children. Five years ago he moved to Bordentown, but afterward returned to Forked River. He leaves beside his own family, a brother, Jame Gravatt, also a sister, both living at Long Branch. He was well thought of here. George was taken with acute appendicitis while huckstering [selling items probably door to door] in Toms River village and was hurried to the hospital for the operation which was however too late.
There was quite a good-sized crowd at the hotels for the week-end fishing. Those caught were large, weighing as high as ten pounds.

ISLAND HEIGHTS
Mrs. Harris is about to leave us again and will spend the winter at her art store in Lakewood. Her many friends wish her a prosperous winter.
Mr. and Mrs. Lee, who recently purchased the Burroughs cottage, at Oak and Ocean avenue, are making some much needed improvements to the property.
Mr. Leo Mamp, our lone fisherman, one day last week caught a king fish, a porgie and a perch, which were presented to your correspondent for her breakfast this being the last catch of the season there being nothing left to catch. Mr. Mamp returned home to Philadelphia after spending the season on the water-front with an occasional visit home to sleep.
Miss M.V. Cook, of Maple Inn, having closed that boarding house, has returned to Mt. Airy, Pa., for the winter.
Benjamin Adams, one of our well-known yachtsmen has gone to Philadelphia for the winter.
Delbert H. Penn is working third trick at the Browns Mills Station on the P.R.R. this winter.
Thomas Wallace, Sr. is building a new greenhouse. Roy Staples is doing the work.

LANOKA
William East, while looking after Capt. Daniel Wilbert's horses last Monday morning, was severely kicked in the breast by a horse with both feet and will have to lie in bed six weeks. It is said that some bones are broken. This happened while he was about to water the horses. They started to run, kicking their heels up, and Will happened to be behind one. Both feet landed in his breast, knocking him down. Hearing his cries, help came, and they took him home. Dr. Bunnell, of Barnegat, is attending him.
The stork visited the home of Capt. George Chamberlain on last Tuesday morning and left two baby girls.

LAVALLETTE
There are several families staying here, enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
Mrs. Pettit's bungalow, on Reese Avenue, is getting along nicely. When completed will make a very good appearance.
Mr. F. Gregor, the butcher from Seaside Park is going to build a large store on the corner of Vance and Grand Central Avenue.
Mr. Charles Hankins, the boat builder, has a new car.
The work on the electric light system is going along nicely and the borough will be lighted up very shortly with electric lights.
At the last Council meeting a petition was presented for a water system to be put into the borough.
L.B. Osborn has been gathering cranberries the last week and will have quite a good crop. Berries are quite large and well colored.
Lavallette has her share of weekend visitors. Many can be seen on the boardwalk enjoying the fine balmy weather.

MANTOLOKING
Theodore Peters closed his ocean front cottage on Monday and returned to his New York home.
Mr. John Norcross is in Lakewood hospital on account of being injured from falling off a load of hay recently.

POINT PLEASANT
Up at Point Pleasant Beach, a hardware store had on its outside wall a sample rural delivery mailbox. It was put up last spring, and a short time ago it was taken down to show a prospective customer. In it were found 165 postcards and four letters, placed there by summer visitors, in the thought that it was a mail box visited by the carrier daily.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS
The Colonial Theatre, which is open twice a week, is drawing a large crowd from other towns nearby.
The latest report is the contract has been given out for an American Store to be built in the near future.

SEASIDE PARK
Col. Charles S. Gaskill, son of Judge Joseph H. Gaskill, who spent part of the summer here while in the States for a couple of months, sailed again on Wednesday of last week on the Aquitania. He goes this time to Russia, to have charge of railroad transportation for the American Relief Expedition, under Secretary Hoover.
A card party has been planned by the Board of Trade, to be held at the Manhasset Hotel on Friday evening, 14th.
Proprietor H. Ross Turner is planning extensive improvements in the way of enlarging the dining room of the Manhasset Hotel.

WEST CREEK
Henry Cowperthwaite and family closed their cottage in Beach Haven and returned home here for the winter.
Mr. Grey was very fortunate in having his cranberry crop gathered before the frost arrived. He reports a very good season.
Mr. VanDuersen, a Civil War veteran, died at his home on the Forge Road on Tuesday evening, from a paralytic stroke.

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