The Park Hill Train Station elevator house, part of the Getty Square Spur of the Putnam Line
By Mary Hoar, Yonkers Historian, President Emeritus Yonkers Historical Society, 2004 Key to History recipient, Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board Member, Revolutionary Yonkers 250 Chair and President Untermyer Performing Arts Council
Monday, February 3rd
February 3, 1942: Robert Oliver, Local 222 Textile Works Union, made a prediction. Although Smith Carpet workers faced layoffs because of little work, they would have extensive government contracts by summer to produce needed cotton duck! Duck manufacturers couldn’t handle the 200,000,000 yards duck needed for war, so the country would turn to the carpet mills whose machines easily converted to manufacturing duck.
February 3, 1948: Firefighter James Delahanty was lowered into a 40-foot coal pit to rescue William Woodson, covered with 40 tons of Gramatan Coal Company coal.
Delehanty, Engine 10 firefighters, YFD’s Rescue Company, and Gramatan workers frantically shoveled to reach Woodson. When they found him, Delehanty tied a rope around Woodson’s shoulders, then all pulled him out.
Unfortunately, Woodson died hours later at St Joseph’s Hospital.
Tuesday, February 4th
February 4,1943: Truman Avenue’s Sergeant John Quinlan was one of the heroes of a daylight attack on Germany! Quinlan was tail gunner on the Memphis Belle, the Flying Fortress piloted by Captain Robert Morgan. Quinlan’s job was to keep the enemy off the plane’s tail. The Germans desperately tried to drop bombs on the American forces, while their fighter planes attempted to crash into the unescorted Fortresses.
The weather was extremely cold and cloudy, so cold Belle passenger Colonel Stanley Wry had with frostbite on both feet!
The Memphis Belle returned to base with a few bullet holes but otherwise in good shape.
February 4,1944: Acting on orders from City Manager William Walsh, YPD Chief William Kruppenbacher notified Precinct Captains to “get after speeders!” Many speeders were night shift defense workers on their way to or from work during late hours. Kruppenbacher said most were out of towners; the worst complaints were speeding on North Broadway, Warburton Avenues, and the pre-dawn speeding on Riverdale Avenue.
Wednesday, February 5th
February 5, 1943: By unanimous vote, the Yonkers City Council voted to immediately restore YFD’s Rescue Company with 18 fire fighters, dropped to save money. The move to restore the company was in response to the death two young firefighters, Thomas Corbilis and James Kane, a few days earlier in a terrible Warburton Avenue fire. Not only were two men lost, five other firefighters were seriously injured, including Chief Siller. Fire Surgeon William Gaul, MD, brought Dr. John Moorhead of New York’s Surgical Reconstruction Unit to Yonkers; Moorhead had extensive experience with burns at Pearl Harbor and previously had consulted with Yonkers General Hospital.
February 5, 1944: Herbert Hearst, President of Beverly Crest Community Association, announced creation of his brainchild, the Beverly Crest Commando Corps! Beverly Crest, a development by McLean and Central Avenues, had many wives whose husbands were serving overseas; wives were left not only to deal with “their own chores,” but also their husbands. Commandos were community men and teenagers who agreed to help with “any odd jobs around the house that requires the man’s touch!” Fourteen males immediately agreed to help, four men and ten teens; the effort was managed by Henry Heinrich, who actively recruited male volunteers.
Thursday, February 6th
February 6, 1943: The US Employment Service, working with major war work industries, opened Westchester County’s Labor Control Center at 20 South Broadway. It was the first of its kind to be established in the country!
February 6, 1944: John Estvanik, serving in England, was thrilled to get a piece of home!
The Red Cross “clubmobile” made regular visits to his base, usually bringing coffee and doughnuts. One day, instead of coffee, they passed out wool sweaters; he was even more surprised to read the label. According to the letter sent to our Red Cross Branch, “on the label I saw the name of my own city, good old Yonkers! Oh, I was so happy!” He thanked them, for all the sailors who received the “neat looking woolen sweaters,” and asked them to “keep up the good work.”
Friday, February 7th
February 7, 1943: Local shoe merchants reported they complied with the government’s “freeze” order on shoe sales. Customers had to ration purchases, limited buying to just three pairs of shoes a year.
February 7, 1953: Eleanor Roosevelt met with Sarah Lawrence College students informally to discuss world problems and the UN before making a formal speech in the school’s auditorium.
Saturday, February 8th
February 8, 1926: At 9:05 am, the last Getty Square steam-drawn train left the Park Hill Station. At 9:49, the first electrically propelled train entered Yonkers at the Caryl Station. Murray’s Band entertained a group of 100+ people eagerly waiting for the train to draw quietly into Caryl. The large group rode to Getty Square, marched to City Hall and applauded and celebrated electrification in the Common Council Chamber.
February 8, 1943: To save newsprint and support our war effort, The Herald Statesman reduced the size of five-column comics to four.
Sunday, February 9th
February 9, 1925: The NYS Assembly unanimously passed Westchester Assemblyman Shank’s resolution stipulating territory cannot be annexed by a city unless approved by the voters of the affected territory. Westchester residents urged passage as fear grew New York City would annex parts of the county without consent.
This bill passage forestalled Woodlawn’s movement to annex southeast Yonkers.
February 9, 1944: Comptroller Robert Montgomery notified the Common Council the US Shipbuilding Corporation at Ludlow had allowed J. K. Welding to use city-owned property without permission.
US Shipbuilding’s attorney asked the Council respond in writing to allow the company to sublet property to the welding company; they moved the welding company in before permission was granted. Because it was a defense industry, US Shipbuilding’s thirty-year lease was at minimal rent, so low Yonkers lost money.
Montgomery believed rent should be increased if a company sublet Yonkers owned property to another company; in other words, US Shipbuilding shouldn’t make money on the deal.
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.
