By Mary Hoar, President Untermyer Performing Arts Council, President Emerita, Yonkers Historical Society
Monday, August 17th
August 17, 1807: The North River Steamboat, known as the Clermont, passed Yonkers on it first trip from New York to Albany, the era of river steamboats. Inventor Robert Fulton, aided by investor Robert Livingston, built the Clermont; it was the world’s first ship to successfully use steam propulsion for water transportation
August 17, 1933: The NY Public Service Commission singled out Yonkers as the only community in the metropolitan area that was NOT entitled to an emergency reduction in gas and electric rates.
August 17, 1934: Charging Yonkers with pay irregularities, unfair treatment and total rejection of their rights to collective bargaining under the NRA, Yonkers High School teachers refused to sign the payroll and prepared a major storm of protest.
Tuesday, August 18th
August 18, 1934: With a staff of six unemployed veterans, Harold Thibault, Director of the Yonkers Veterans’ Bureau, began recording the graves of the more than 5,000 war veterans buried in our local cemeteries.
August 18, 1944: The year long mystery of Al Detra’s missing golf club was solved! While playing a round of golf with friends at the Hudson River Golf Club, Westchester Lighting Company Manager H. Fred Stoeckel casually asked fellow players what kind of golf clubs they used. Detra, Manager of Sears, Roebuck and Company, answered, “Mohawk.” A huge smile broke out on Fred’s face; he pulled a club from his bag, and said, “Like this one?” It was Al’s missing club! Stoeckel found the club a year earlier, and tried many times to find the owner; having no luck, he began carrying it in his golf bag, just in case! Detra was thrilled since he could not to replace the club.
Wednesday, August 19th
August 19, 1930: After failing twice to hijack a Government truck loaded with 200+ kegs of beer, two Yonkers men were arrested. Federal agents had seized the beer from a Chicken Island bottling plant and warehouse.
August 19,1931: Dr. Clarence Buckmaster, Yonkers Health Commissioner, announced schools would not open in September if the number of infantile paralysis cases continued to rise. He echoed Westchester’s Deputy Health Commissioner Richard Slee’s announcement, that the rising number of polio cases in the county potentially could delay Fall school openings.
Thursday, August 20th
August 20, 1944: Many years ago, Yonkers courts were lit with gas lamps, including two that flanked both sides of the judge’s bench. When electricity became more prevalent, the lights were taken down, but not the gas pipes; they were just plugged. The stems remained, sticking out from the wall. Attorney Francis Duffy started sniffing, then started fiddling with one of the capped up pipes. He announced, “Judge, I believe there’s gas escaping from this old jet! We all might be overcome!” Judge Gerald Nolan, sniffed and retorted, “Guess I’m immune. I’m so used to gas escaping from you attorneys that I ever noticed it!”
August 20, 1947: Sol Gelb, Special Council to the Yonkers Common Council’s investigation of the Labor Temple gambling sandal, was profiled in a New Yorker magazine article. A few years earlier, Gelb had interviewed prominent New York underworld figure Lepke Buchalter the afternoon he was to be executed in the Sing Sing death house. Although he promised to give solid evidence on Murder, Inc., he added nothing new.
Friday, August 21st
August 21, 1924: American Legion Post 7 announced a new contest for “Miss Yonkers” to represent our city at the Atlantic City pageant. The new contest was called to clear up disputes following the disqualification of winner Carol Kreisler because she was under age. Runner up Emma Soltis was denied the title because the judges had not really chosen her for second place; they had selected Kreisler’s older sister Florence, but did not want to have two people from the same family in the top two places. At the second competition, Florence Kreisler was selected to represent our fair city!
August 21, 1947: Yonkers City Judge Charles Boote left mouths hanging open in his court after sentencing a convicted gambler, his fourth conviction for gambling. Boote told the miscreant he deserved to go to jail, but because the Herald Statesman editorially favored jail for convicted gamblers, he would let him escape the proper punishment! According to the daily, further judicial comments indicated it was done to spite the paper.
Saturday, August 22nd
August 22, 1928: With several aspects of the Mayoral/Common Council Presidency question undecided, Mayor Fogarty announced he would preside over the Common Council meetings until January 1st to avoid any legal entanglements.
August 22, 1936: Mayor Joseph Loehr killed the Board of Education’s chances to apply for more than $4,000,000 in PWA (Public Works Administration) federal money to build new school buildings. The mayor refused to call a special session of the Board of Estimate to grant the Board of Ed permission to apply for the grant.
August 22, 1937: Thomas L. Cotton, District Supervisor of the WPA (Works Progress Administration), heard charges of racial discrimination against Yonkers WPA workers.
Sunday, August 23rd
August 23, 1926: Thanks to good citizen Anna Powers, police were able to capture two men who were robbing the refreshment booth at Glen Park. Powers happened to look out her window, and saw the two men going into the booth, and immediately called the police. The two men ran through the dark park when the saw the three policemen—Patrolmen James Morrissey, Henry Schade and William Walsh— but they were caught after several hundred yards and several shots fired. Nearby Detective William Daly heard the shots, ran to the scene and assisted in the arrests. The two men were held for further investigation..
August 23, 1931: As part of their efforts to keep the budget for the approaching year the same as the last year, Superintendent Lamont Hodge reported no new salary increases and no new teachers would be hired unless there was an unforeseen emergency.
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