By Mary Hoar, City of Yonkers Historian, President Emeritus Yonkers Historical Society, recipient of the 2004 Key to History, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Revolutionary Yonkers 250 Chair and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, December 16th
December 16, 1917: Yonkers began two “lightless nights” a week to save fuel. All of Yonkers “white ways” and electric signs would be darkened, and only necessary streetlights were lit.
December 16, 1932: While on early morning patrol, Yonkers Police Department Sergeant Pasquale Ciliberti called in when he heard fire alarms. The desk lieutenant stated a building on Maple Street was on fire, the building where the Ciliberti family lived!
Fortunately, the dense smoke had woken the sergeant’s son Frank, an off duty YPD Patrolman, who got everyone out.
Tuesday, December 17th
December 17, 1942: William “Billy” Lohrfink, on guard duty in New Jersey, heard someone coming. He called out, “Halt! Who goes there?” The answer came quickly, “Officer of the Day.” Billy responded, “Advance to be recognized!” Lohrfink quickly presented arms and was returned with a salute. There was no problem recognizing the officer of the day; it was Second Lieutenant Clark Gable!
December 17, 1946: Learning a baby was born to Janet and John Auresto at Yonkers General Hospital just before she broadcast her show from Yonkers as part of Yonkers’ Tercentennial celebration, radio star Jinx Falkenburg visited the new mom!
Wednesday, December 18th
December 18, 1931: Mayor-elect Joseph Loehr announced he would urge the sale of city owned property adjacent to the Habirshaw Cable and Wire Corporation at Glenwood to allow company expansion.
December 18, 1946: At 12:01 am, “Operation Tercentennial” officially kicked off Yonkers Permanent Peace Day; Yonkers “hams” sent messages urging permanent world peace to fifty amateur radio operators around the world… including NY governor Thomas Dewey!
The message also was broadcast over radio station WFAS from a ceremony held at the High School of Commerce; UN Representative G. Van Dissel of Holland was the keynote speaker. Another feature of Yonkers Permanent Peace Day was release of 200 homing pigeons carrying messages of peace
Thursday, December 19th
December 19, 1929: Using his off-duty training as a runner with the Hollywood Inn track team, Patrolman Thomas Flynn caught a burglar trying to escape from the Yonkers Avenue gas station he had just robbed.
December 19, 1930: Yonkers aviator John Capobianco of Mile Square Road was injured while attempting a forced landing he was rushed to St. John’s Riverside Hospital. His passenger, Michael Pallo of Gunther Avenue, was unhurt although thrown 15-feet clear. Capobianco had made another forced landed two months earlier on the Saw Mill River Parkway near Yonkers Avenue, and held up traffic a couple of hours until he gassed up his plane and flew off!
Friday, December 20th
December 20, 1952: Yonkers resident Jose Duarte was arrested for acquiring arms for a Cuban revolution Mamaroneck Police and Westchester County officers raided a vacant gas station in Mamaroneck where the weapons and ammunition were stored. Duarte “would not deny he was robbed of $240,000 two months earlier in Fort Worth,” money he was to use to purchase more firearms.
The weapons were awaiting shipment to Cuba to support reinstatement of former Cuban President Carlos Prio Socarrás, deposed by General Batista in 1952.
December 20, 1954: In the effort to ensure Yonkers families had a safe Christmas, Yonkers Fire Department Chief William Garvin and Captain Joseph Treacy made inspection tours of all Yonkers stores. Garvin visited H. L. Green and found imported miniature carousels which he suspected were flammable.
After testing one of the toys, he found they were “highly inflammable and were completely destroyed by a match in four seconds.” Green’s manager quickly grabbed the 15 toys on the counter, brought them outside and destroyed them by burning them!
Saturday, December 21st
December 21, 1908: Yonkers Dr. Frederick Knowles condemned the fad of long-distance foot races. The physician said only harm can result from them, adding “the boys are only digging their graves.”
December 21, 1921: The Yonkers Statesman and Daily News, the name adopted when the Statesman merged with the Yonkers Daily News, put into operation the speediest and most modern printing press in Westchester County, printing the paper with a degree of speed never before achieved by a Yonkers newspaper. The new press was capable of printing 30,000 copies an hour.
Sunday, December 22nd
December 22, 1924: Two men, one of whom was captured in Van Cortlandt Park at the point of an empty revolver, engaged in pistol battles with Patrolman James Hollis. Hollis stepped into the Park Hill Lunch at 232 South Broadway as a car was left running outside the café; once inside, he found the duo trying to rob the night man. The patrolman was ordered at gunpoint to a backroom; about halfway there, Hollis whirled around and fired five shots with his service revolver. The robbers returned fire and ran out of the restaurant to their car… which stalled. They carjacked a passing taxi. Thirty shots were fired in the gun battle, destroying windows in the area. The cab driver managed to start their car, and Hollis and the cabbie followed the robbers toward Van Cortlandt Park where they abandoned the cab and ran off. Hollis cornered one in the park and arrested him. Named Sheppard, the burglar admitted his part when questioned at NYPD’s 26th Precinct.
December 22, 1942: The Yonkers Electric Light & Power Company and the Westchester Lighting Company donated twenty-six trophies company employees had won since 1926 were donated to the Yonkers War Salvage Committee as part of the company’s contribution to the scrap metal drive for the war effort.
Questions or comments on this column? Email YonkersHistory1646@gmail.com.
For information on the Yonkers Historical Society, Sherwood House and upcoming events, please visit our website www.yonkershistoricalsociety.org, call 914-961-8940 or email info@yonkershistoricalsociety.org.
