The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-03
PITTSTON NEWS.

City-An Important Fishing Trip.
All the Latest Local News in and |
About the City.
At noon yesterday a severe thunder |
storm passed over this city and was |
particularly severe in the upper end |
and in Hughestown borough In the |
latter place an old building was struck |
by lightning, but the rain which came |
down in torrents quenched the blaze |
before it had an opportunity to do |
much damage. Several trees which |
have stood the storms of years were
blown down and many of the fruit
trees were stripped OF their crops,
while gardens were totally destroyed.
Up on Everhart's Island a picnic was
in full bloom, but the suddenness OF
the storm caught the merry-makers
before they could reach shelter and
they were thoroughly drenched and
the pleasures of the day abruptly end
ed. In the city some of the catch bas-
ins could not accommodate the volume
of water that rushed down Main street
from the intersecting streets on the
East Side and the whole white winged
fraternity had a busy time of 1t for the
balance of the day in removing the de-
bris from these receptacles. The as
phalt was treated to the best clean
ing it has received in many a day and
most of the rubbish and filth in the al
leys that escaped the notice of the
health officer was washed into the sew
ers.
The funeral of the youngest child
of A. ]. Hughes, whose death occurred
on Monday night, took place yester-
day afternoon and the remains were
inferred in the Market street ceme-
terry.
In conversation with Street Commits
sioner Carroll last evening The Tri-
bune man was informed. how it comes
about that the portion of Main street
between Parsonage street and the Le-
high Valley crossing is unDaved with
asphalt and in its present horrible
condition. This is on account of the
report of viewers appointed by the
court in making their appraisement of
damages in favor of the property
holders at the bend of the road. The
amount was far in excess of what the
council wished to appropriate for the
Improvement and hence the matter has
been allowed TO remain in statu quo.
For instance, the owners of the old
pottery building were allowed $4,000,
! where one-fOurth of that amount
would have been a good figure The
| amount granted to Patterson g. Com
pany was about on the same ratio
and the viewers favored large al
loWance to the Newton Coal company
for the old ramshacke trestle that
spans the street, where instead the
company should be paying the city for
| the trestle's existence. Be this as it
may, there is no excuse for the city
allowing this portion of our only thor
| oughfare being in it's present condi-
| ton. The contractors who tore up the
| street when the sewer was laid should
| have been compelled to place it in the
| same condition as 1t was before this
work was commenced. Portions of the
| street where the excavations were
| made sunk a foot or more in some
! places below the grade, while the cob
! bic stones are moved about by the
| general traffic and the entire stretch
! of the roadway between the two points
| mentioned is both unsightly and dan
! gerOus. How the council overlooked
! this matter when they inspected the
| streets of the city is one of the con-
| undrums that periodically come to the
! surface. 1t is certainly the business
! of the street commissioner to do some-
! thing to abate the present nuisance
Since the days of the old Thistle
band the residents of this city have
! missed the regular open-air concerts
| that were given by that excellent musi-
! cal organization. We have one band
| yet, but it is seldom that it is seen
| upon our streets, and then only when
they are. on their way out of town to
! fill an engagement. This fact should
not be. We have more musicians in
| this city than we have ever had before,
and there is no excuse to offer why we
should not have one of the best musi-
| cal organizations in the state. 1t is
hoped that before long that some capa-
| BILE artist will select from thesmany
number sufficiently large to give us a
frst-class band, and that the people
will then support it.
John F.. Boyle and sister, Helen, are
among other Pittstonians who are
| spending the week in Atlantic City.
a large number of West Side resi-
dents are summering at the Wyoming
camp ground, distant about five miles
|
tages on the grounds, and the place
which only a decade ago was a wilder
ness is now quite a village. with sew
eral hundred population, with all the
| advantages and accommodation of
any well regulated town. Many of our
business men, who have removed their
families to this healthy resort, come
over each morning and return after
business hours on bicycles and the bus
| from the Wyoming depot.
The funeral of Mrs. Connery, sister
of Peter Burke, who died on Tuesday
last, will occur this afternoon
During the storm yesterday after
noon the lightning struck a house I'm
the rear of Dooners hotel, on the back
road between this city and Avoca, and
wrecked it, but did not set it on fire.
Even the furniture and crockery were
shattered to pieces, making the prem
| ises a total loss. Fortunately, there
| was no one at home when the storm
! came up. An electric bolt also struck
| the west side of the Lehigh bridge at
! CoXton and Travelled along the entire
| length of the structure, but without
doing any material damage. The troll
ley cars running between here and
| Wilkes Barre experienced considerable
difficulty, as the fuses in several of the
cars were burned out.
| At o'clock another storm, accom-
! panied with hailstones Of considerable
size, arrived, but no damage is re-
! ported.
The Caledonian club cleared $40 at