Evening journal., 1915-04-26
Pennsqrove Booms as Did
California Back in Rush of 1849


the outskirts of the borough. used
during the smallpox scare Of three
years ago. has been converted into a
lodging house which shelters nearly
100 men.
In spite of all this. the wary renns-
grovitos have built few new houses
They do not propose 10 have them
left on their hands when the men now
employed on the construction work at
the powder company's plant shall
have finished their job and gone
Nearly 100 cottages are IN the course
of erection az Pennsgrove. but the
tOwnspeople aren't building them
They are the powder company's own
enterprise. designed to accommodate
the permanent force OF workmen who
will operate the powder plant when
il is working at full capacity. The
townspeople have had no hand in
them. They are Of the "knOckdOwn"
type Of bungalow and are being erect
ed by ]. A. Bader q Co.. OF Whining
ton.
Stories OF rapid imitation of real
estate values. due TO the BOOM" are
Of doubtful reliability. One or two
lucky property holders have been
able TO dispose OF. their lots 10 the
powder company at an unusual pro-
iit, but others have found the com
pany driving a close bargain So fix
ed is the iCea that the rush of busi-
ness is transient that little trading
In u1 fuf HuU IA
is as good as another, apparently. for
lodging house purposes in a town so
small. There isn't real estate Of
hce I'm all of Pennsgroye, in spite Of
the boom"
The leader OF the local possimists
Is Mayor r. f. Willis himself. who
runs a hardware shop. and is rushed
with orders for the company's con-
struction needs.
"Why. this towns dead been dead
up TO the neck for the last four or
FIVE years" he declares This little
furry we're having now is no real
boom. II will be all over in a couple
Of months Real estate has gone up
bit. l know of one property, a
frame house on Main street, for which
$4,000 has been asked for the last ten
years They're trying 10 get S2.7OO
for II now. but ! haven't heard OF
any purchasers. Don't believe any of
these wild yarns about $3.50 acre lots
going at $4,000. Boom? Not on your
lifel"
Bank Deposits Remain Quiet.
Deposits at the Pennsgrove Nation
al Bank bear out this story. They
have not increased abnormally within
the last eight months. "All we've
got out of this boom is extra work. -
says the banks teller. "The employees
out at the powder works are mostly
all labOrers. who haven't brought
their families with them. and who
send their money back home by post
al orders"
Sudden and transient as the boom"
population, it has not brought much
of a disorderly element TO the town.
There is only one barroom and al
though it does rushing business. its
patrons are largely steady working
men. who drop in only for a glass of
beer on the way TO their lodgings.
In its low-ceilinged room the men
/ line up ar the bar six deep and the
1 room reeks with tobacco smoke. so
that superficially it bears a resem-
blance to the mining town saloon of
fiction. But two of the village mar
shals are on watch there day and
night, and at the first sign Of trouble
the offender is promptly elected The
proprietor is taking no chances OF
losing his license. and during the
strike al the powder plant, last
March. he closed the bar down for
\ three days during which the strikers
were idle
! Pennsgrove is making hay while
the sun shines.