EAST FAREWELL
NEWS
Thursday, August
25, 1960 Vol. C791
LOCAL
NEWS
STRIKE ON KEYSTONE RAILROAD
The
Mighty Keystone Railroad, the nation’s largest, has been shut down by a strike.
More than 20,000 non-operating employees belonging to the Transport Workers Union and the System Federation
walked out on Wednesday. More than 52,000 riders in from New York to St Louis
are affected. Major issues are job classifications and the railroad’s
contracting with outside companies for repairs and replacements. This has direct
effects on East Farewell which was founded by the early railroad property
managers to supply rails and iron for the railroad’s expansion west. Before the
new turnpike was built in the early 1950s the easiest way to get to and from
town was by rail but with the opening of the controversial interchange on the
turnpike the rail stop has lost some of its stature. In 1952 East Farewell was
designated as the “Destination Station” honoring the town for being the “place
to arrive.” The award which was very
prestigious in the early 1950s was given to the station that had the largest
increase in rider destination over the first six months of the year. At the
time East Farewell was experiencing an amazing increase in summer cottage sales
and rentals along with huge increase in day and overnight trippers. The summer
population almost doubled over the winter residents. The imbalance has evened
out somewhat over the years as the town has grown and many new businesses have
come to town.
A
dispute over an unfair scope rule and a job classification clause in a Mighty Keystone Railroad contract had
been simmering for more than three years when TWU decided it was time to take
action. At 12:01 a.m., on August 23, 1960 picket-lines surrounded the company,
creating the first strike against the Mighty Keystone Railroad in its 114-year
history. The Iron Works that supplies rails to the railroad is not owned by the
railroad anymore but there is much talk about the local iron workers joining in
a sympathetic work action. No action has occurred yet. For the most part the management of the Iron
Works and the local Iron Workers Union have enjoyed a very strong working
relationship and everyone hopes this dispute can be settled fairly and quickly.
The town is preparing for the annual
Music and Arts Fair next week and the
disruption in train service may have an impact on the attendance. The Fair’s
popularity has grown exponentially in the last couple of years and now many visitors
who attend the fair arrive by train from the big cities to the east like
Philadelphia, New York and even Baltimore. The Fair begins tomorrow and runs
for the entire weekend. Most of the people who plan to attend have already
arrived but there are many daily visitors who chose only day passes and they
may be impacted by the strike.
Looking down
the tracks from East Farewell station
SPORTS
TRAVELERS PLAY WITH THE CUBS
East Farewell – The Travelers were ready for the
Cubs who came into town suffering through a four game losing streak. The
Travelers were able to make it a five game losing streak with an easy 5-1 win
on Saturday afternoon. The Cubs have been having a bad time recently, they lost
their best hitter, Al Folie, to a broken wrist and their first string catcher,
Dave Winthrop, to a case of measles. That put the whole team on watch and any
player that hadn’t gotten the virus was especially concerned. The team’s moral
has been low and it has showed up in their performance.
The
Travelers struck first in the second with Dimero scoring on a solid double by
Joey Brown. Then in the fourth Francis was able to get on base by beating out a
surprise bunt, unexpected because he was the first batter up in the inning. He
was followed by Dale Dunham who drove a single over the first baseman’s head
and Francis was able to scamper to third. Bobby Watson tried to send a
sacrifice fly into left but it was too short to score Francis. Johnny Cloos was
up next and in his favorite position, men on base and less than two outs. He
was looking drive his 28th homerun out of the park but Cub’s
pitcher, Willie Renew, was not going to give him anything to hit. Cloos ended
up walking but right behind him Anthony Dimero was able to smack a double into
right and cleared the bases. Finally, in the eighth Cloos was able to reach his
28th homerun goal with a drive over the right field fence. The Cubs
were only able to put together one offensive push in the sixth when they were
able to punch a collection of hits off pitcher, Danny Lane, he was solid up
until then and the Cubs were able to get the bases loaded but they were only able
to score one run before the Travelers were able to pull off a double play,
giving up the run and then Lane striking out the last batter. The Travelers
were able to cruise to a 5-1 victory against a depleted Bear Creek team but a
win is a win and the Travelers will take it. This win puts the Travelers in
second place in the league one game behind the Slate Mountain Miners. Next week
the Travelers end their home stand against the Ondita Cougars and their
pitching ace, Sam “Cat” Caterno. The game will take place during the Music and
Arts Fair and the team has teamed up with the Fair organizers to make the game
some part of the Fair. It has not been clearly explained how the union will
work but it should be interesting. The game is scheduled to begin a1:30PM at
Travelers Stadium on Saturday.
NATIONAL NEWS
NIXON GUEST ON JACK PARR SHOW – WHITES &
NEGROS CLASH IN JACKSONVILLE –
US BREAKS RELATIONS WITH DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
– MORE TROUBLE IN THE CONGO
Vice
President Nixon, guesting on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show on NBC, agreed with
President Eisenhower that he has not taken part in the actual decision-making
of the administration. Eisenhower made the remark this week - a remark that has
been interpreted by some Democrats as a blow to Nixon’s campaign argument that
he has the experience in the top-level activities of the administration. Nixon
told Paar, that he had been honored by being consulted and asked to sit in on
the councils of the administration. Nixon said: “Only the President can make
the great decisions that affect the country. When it comes to actually deciding
something, he must do it”
Club-swinging
whites clash with Negroes in the streets of downtown Jacksonville; More than 50
persons are injured. Police disperse 3,000 gathered in the area. A few days
later - one death is reported - a Negro is shot while fleeing from police.
The
United States breaks relations with the Dominican Republic due to the
strongman rule of Generalissimo Rafael Laonidas Trujillo Molina and his acts of
aggression and intervention against Venezuela.
Trouble
in the Congo continues – The Leopoldville conference of
independent African nations opens with Congo rioters shouting “Death to
Lumumba.” Steel-helmeted Congolese police fired over crowds clamoring for
the death of Premier Lumumba. Lumumba hosted 11 African governments who
answered his appeal for an all-African meeting. Rampaging Congolese raid a
United Nations office and attack the crew of a U.S Air Force Globemaster plane.
The crew had just landed with a cargo of signal equipment for U.N forces. Of
the beaten crew said the Congolese “were positive we were Belgians.” Later in
the week - the last Belgian combat troops withdrew from the Congo, where
defeated Baluba tribesman rallied to counterattack Premier Lumumba’s Congolese
army.
Many, many thanks to www.mrpopculture.com for contributing to this
section of the East Farewell News.
