Thursday, January 29, 1975
IT’S FUN TO REMEMBER
I remember when Howard McElwee was jailor at Marlinton. He let me sleep in the courthouse at night when I was in town. He gave me a big piece of cardboard to sleep on, and I slept on the mid-stair landing between the first and second floor.
I remember when Owen Curry took the jailor job. He quit the W. Va. Pulp & Paper Co. at Cass to be the Marlinton jailor.
I remember when the C. J. Richardson store had a big display of musical instruments in the store window. Sometimes we were allowed to play them and sing outside on the sidewalk.
I remember when goodly crowd met on nice days in front of Wilbur Sharp’s Place. It was a good place “to catch up” on local and world happenings. Any day that Guy Faulknier didn’t show up, the rest of the gang seemed disappointed.
I remember when Clarence “Shorty” Clayton was a regular on the streets. He worked for “the town.” He came to Marlinton about 1930 from Boyer Siding. He married Gertie Rexrode at “The Siding” in 1925. They were both just slightly over four feet tall.
The three major garages in town were Rexrode, Baxter’s and Williams and Pifers.
The Crate Peterson family lived high on the hill above Brill’s Store. The Peterson boys, Mose, Webb, Frank and Max were well known in Marlinton.
I remember when Mack Brooks came to Marlinton. He came from Cass where he taught the 6th, 7th and 8th grades.
About the same time, G. Peral Carter came to Marlinton to teach. These two were among the finest of teachers.
I remember when Dempsey Johnson delivered the Charleston paper through upper Pocahontas County over Cheat to Huttonsville. He returned by way of Valley Head and Slaty Fork.
Phil Ware used to drive a Bakery truck from Elkins six days a week. He seldom missed a day.
Al Jack had fried boilers at the Tannery, according to last week’s Times. He was the father of Gilbert Jack, the auctioneer.
It’s “mucho” fun to remember
Bruce Nelson
Phoenix, Arizona
Fire Department Reports
Marlinton
Total fires: 40; In town fires: 17; Out of town fires; 33; Estimated fire loss: $89,810; Total man hours on fire calls: 698; Average man hours per fire call: 17.5: Average men per fire call: 15.
Ambulance calls: 222; Man hours on ambulance calls: 803; Number of transports to other hospitals: 54.
Most, 19, of the Department’s fire calls were to residences and the most popular time of day for a fire was 6 p.m. to midnight with 16 fires. The noon to 6 p.m. period had 13 fires.
The most fires were in the month of November with 9 and there were 6 fires in January. The months of June and July had only one fire each. There were two deaths caused by fire in 1975.
At the Fire Department’s annual banquet Reed Wilfong received the Fireman of the Year award. He was selected by a vote of his fellow firemen.
Bartow
146 Ambulance runs; 1,314 man hours; 15, 822 ambulance miles; 21 Fires; 158 Man hours on fire calls; Estimated fire loss: $41,855; Estimated property value saved: $118,500.
The above figures include both the Durbin and Cass Departments. 1975 was a busy year, and 1976 looks to be even more busy. We now have all the new equipment paid for, with a total of approximately $55,000 being raised in the past five years that was paid out in payment on the new equipment and in operating expenses. It costs approximately $5,000 per year to operate the department in insurance, gas, oil, tires, etc. We are at the present time distributing a petition that will be sent to the state of West Virginia requesting that the Green Bank District be given one of the state funded ambulances like the one that was recently placed in service in the Marlinton Department.
We feel it is high time that the taxpayers of the Green Bank District be given equal opportunity from the state and federal government.
Births
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Berlin Fitzgerald, of Cass, a daughter, Mandy Dawn.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Mike Kane, of Green Bank, a son, John Michael.
