Headlines in History 1921: Fire department called out for two fires Monday
What was making news in our area during this week in years past? The History Museum offers these newspaper excerpts to give you an idea.
Dec. 26, 1912: “Announcement that members of a gang of railroad thieves, which have been terrorizing the country around South Bend for several weeks, are about to be arrested, came to-day simultaneously with the discovery that last night was an unusually profitable one for certain unidentified plunderers in this city. The gang of robbers operating in this section are believed to have ‘worked’ towns along both the Grand Trunk Western and Lake Shore railroads, and it is considered possible members of the same outfit were responsible for the losses locally.” — The South Bend Tribune
Dec. 27, 1921: “The fire department was called Monday afternoon to 1214 West Colfax avenue where an automobile owned by Roy Black was burning. The loss is estimated at $50. Spontaneous combustion caused a fire to originate yesterday in a pile of rags at 121 West Colfax avenue. The damage was slight. Although there were many illuminated Christmas trees Sunday, there were no fires, due largely to the fact that electric lights have come into use generally.” — The South Bend Tribune
Dec. 28, 1939: “The city park department is prepared with money and equipment to take advantage of the first real cold snap to create skating places in the parks, Paul S. Hays, superintendent, said to-day. Meanwhile, parents are urged to keep their boys and girls away from ponds that are only partially frozen over.” — The South Bend Tribune
Dec. 29, 1949: “Skippy is back home with his master, Jack W. Miller, 28, of 1832 East Altgeld avenue. A Seeing-Eye Labrador retriever, Skippy found a weak place in the fence Tuesday morning and went rambling.” — The South Bend Tribune
Dec. 30, 1951: “The Indiana Bell Telephone company added 3,200 telephone installations to South Bend’s total in the first 11 months of 1951 bringing the total to more than 56,500, highest in the city’s history, according to Fred S. Million, company manager here.” — The South Bend Tribune
Dec. 31, 1963: “A three-alarm fire which broke out early this morning in the Alexanian Brothers Carpet Cleaning Co. building at 421 S. Eddy St. caused an estimated $45,000 damage before four fire companies battling in near-zero temperatures were able to bring it under control.” — The South Bend Tribune
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: What made news the fourth week of December in South Bend in history
