Oct. 19, 1945: City Hard Hit By Housing Scarcity

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 19, 1945.

City Hard Hit By Housing Scarcity

Scores Seek Houses, Apartments and Building Lots In City.

By HELEN KELSO

The critical shortage of houses in Valparaiso, typical of a desperate situation throughout the nation, is tied in a knot so tight that it will be spring before things loosen up, in the opinion of Valparaiso contractors and realtors, it was learned today in a city-wide survey.

Real estate dealers and apartment managers are turning down on the average of 20 to 30 calls for rentals daily, and a construction bottle-neck exists that promises no building program for Valparaiso before spring at the earliest. Listings of saleable properties are low, according to realtors, and in many cases exorbitant prices are being demanded by property owners. In the opinion of one realtor at least several hundred new homes are needed here.

One of the worst plights is that of the returned married veteran, who is literally finding himself a man without a home. Franklin Burrus, director of the Porter County Veterans’ Affairs office, said that he received daily calls from veterans asking help in locating homes; and that in only one case had his office been able to solve this problem.

“At least a dozen responsible out-of-town businesses are trying to find locations in Valparaiso,” N.N. Claudon of J.H. Claudon and Son Realtors, said. “We have a long waiting list of renters seeking five and six room homes. Inquiries for lots are also increasing and big farms around the city might prove desirable for future homesites, if subdivided. It is distressing to us we are not able to supply homes, especially to the boys returning from service.”

L.L. Brown, realtor, declared that he had had nothing to rent for two years, with the exception of several apartment houses, and did not see any likelihood for immediate improvement.

The demand for rentals at present greatly exceeds the supply, Brown said. “The public is beginning to get panicky. I personally know of one family that has been sold out three times this year, the last time within 30 days. I don’t believe building can catch up with the demand for five years. The same condition exists all over the United States.”

An example of the checkerboard of moves necessitated by the intricate housing situation, is the chain involving a returned serviceman, Charles Trump.

Trump and his family are at present living in the Byron Smith summer home at Flint Lake. Trump has purchased a home from R.C. Humphrey, 802 Lafayette. Humphrey is waiting to move into a home which he purchased from M.J. Stinchfield at 307 Weston, now occupied by R.H. Lanham. Lanham intends to move into an apartment owned by Stinchfield on Washington, which has just been vacated by Harry Albe, who moved to 825 Lincolnway. The moving process will be drawn out considerably by necessary decorating, etc., in the various cases.

I have more buyers than places to submit, Stan Serbenz, realtor, commented. What the people want nowadays and what they can get are two different things. I have numerous calls from out-of-town people desiring to locate in Valparaiso. Persons who can’t buy or rent are asking for lots, with the intention of building. There is some demand for acreage, also because of the sense of stability it affords.

Byron Smith of Smith and Nuppnau Co., reported that the present large demand for new homes could not possibly be met by construction companies for some time because of difficulty in procuring materials in all lines, particularly lumber. J.M. Krauss, Krauss Lumber and Coal Co., and George Bond, Indiana Construction Co., affirmed the long-term viewpoint for construction relief in the housing field.

Governmental release of surplus stock, possibly enough to supply the nation for more than a year, might give the lumber mills time enough to meet the situation, was the more optimistic hope held by Frank Clifford of Foster Lumber and Construction Co. The lack of materials and strikes are causing a desperate situation. If manpower were available right now to cut lumber, it would take six or eight months for proper drying, he said.

Valparaiso Technical institute, formerly the Dodge Radio school, is finding it tough in house married veterans, and almost impossible to accommodate married students with a child. The problem is particularly acute in this instance because approximately a third of the institute is enrolled in the school’s 18-month course.

School authorities have met the situation in several cases by renting or buying trailers, which are located in a trailer camp near the institute. Three couples are now on the school’s home or apartment waiting list and, with enrollment increasing daily, it may be necessary for the school to turn down some applications in January unless conditions improve, according to Mrs. Edna W. Davis. Plans are being drawn for a dormitory to accommodate single students, but when this project can be completed, with present shortages is enigma.

Valparaiso university has only a few married veterans enrolled and we have succeeded in housing the entire student body this fall without turning any away, Dr. Marshall J. Jox, of the university said. The university greatly expanded its housing facilities by purchasing seven private homes, which accommodate between 15 to 20 students each; and remodelling the building formerly occupied by the Dodge radio school into a girls’ dormitory, which houses 79 students, Jox said, explaining that men students were housed in scattered university residences in the school vicinity.

Moving of families into Valparaiso and out of the city is about even, according to Frank Ferguson of the Ferguson Transfer and Storage Co. there is a general upheaval of the population, Ferguson said, with many more families desiring to move than can find suitable homes. The particular need in Valparaiso seems to be for five or six room dwellings, he said Storage space is at a premium with numerous families placing their belongings in storage until they can find homes.

Hotel Lembke is turning away more than 25 transients nightly, a call to the hotel desk revealed. The Stiles apartments have been full for months with a long waiting list of prospective tenants and four or five daily inquiries, the resident manager said. Tourist homes and cabins in and around Valparaiso, are also booked to the hilt. Valparaiso university board and guild meetings scheduled for this week-end; and a homecoming celebration on the calendar for next week-end, are adding to the problem.

"Valpo Joe" Schenk, 1892-1976

Joseph Henry Schenk was a man known by several names. Older Valparaiso University alumni knew him as “Smokie Joe” Schenk, which is odd considering he never smoked. Generations of children at St. Paul’s Catholic School knew him as, “Uncle Joe,” because of his near-perfect mass attendance and fifty-year career as church bell ringer. Many people in downtown Valparaiso called him, “Cheery Joe,” because of his infectious smile and pleasant demeanor. No matter what moniker people chose, it is hard to deny the impact “Valpo Joe” had on making Valparaiso a more interesting place to live.

Relatively little is known about Joe’s early life other than he was the first-born son of Valentine and Mary Schenk, grew up in the vicinity of Kinsey Street, and attended school through the eighth grade. Joe spent much of his adult life living in a trailer near the Joliet Street Bridge. He was often employed as a laborer and maintained a variety of odd jobs throughout his entire lifetime, working for the Lewis E. Myers Company, Windle Grocery, and Torbeson’s Drug Store, to name a few. What’s more impressive is that Joe walked anywhere and everywhere he needed to go—credited with traveling an upwards of twenty-five miles a day.

Joe’s trademark, “hullo, hullo!” greeting, Valparaiso pride, love of local basketball, and penchant for leading parades helped him etch his way into the hearts of residents and students alike. Not very concerned with keeping his trailer clean or removing the leaves from his beard that would sometimes blow into it, Joe was incredibly particular about the appearance of Valparaiso’s downtown. He was insistent that the benches at the courthouse were kept in order and that all the sidewalks and alleys stayed clear, because he didn’t like littering.

In response to this great civic work, a group of people in Valparaiso upheld an unwritten general policy that everything was free for Joe. He went to all the county fairs in the region without having to pay admission. The late George Neely, a local merchant and county historian was quoted as saying, “We took care of him whenever he needed something.” Joe’s specific daily routine was guided by the generosity of a great number of citizens.

That daily routine was proof that “Valpo Joe” was regimented in everything he did. He was a die-hard basketball fan who would get to games before they started, shake hands with the referees, and sit with the cheerleaders—always rooting for the Crusaders or the Valpo Vikings. Joe often kept his harmonica in his pocket and whenever someone would say, “Joe, give us a little dance,” or, “give us a song,” he would play and do an imitation tap-dance—shifting from foot to foot and waving his large hands in the air. The songs he would play were ‘old-fashioned’ or simply made up on the spot.

The only thing Joe loved more than dancing a little jig was leading the local parades. Fond memories still linger of Joe—dressed as a cowboy or bandleader—as the grand marshal and goodwill ambassador of Valparaiso. Joe never needed much of a reason to lead a parade. In fact, he notably made front page of the local newspaper for throwing a one-man patriotic parade down Lincolnway at the announcement of the end of the Korean War. Joe’s final parade was the 1976 Bicentennial parade on the Fourth of July.

Joe spent the final years of his life at the Porter County Home. The only hardship he encountered living there was missing being part of the basketball games and other community functions. Joe would often ask his visitors if the students at the university and high school missed him, because he missed them. Joe got an answer when he received get-well cards from the children at St. Paul’s School. 

“Valpo Joe” passed away on September 25, 1976, at the age of 83. Even though the beloved character is physically gone, the memory of his life still lives on in the present. A quote about Joe’s hitchhiking from an unknown woman in the October 1, 1976, edition of The Torch at Valparaiso University sums up his life in the best way possible. “He belonged to all of us.”

Oct. 18, 1940: Doubt Draft Needed Before 1941一 EXPECT FIRST QUOTA FILLED VOLUNTARILY

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 18, 1940.

Doubt Draft Needed Before 1941一 EXPECT FIRST QUOTA FILLED VOLUNTARILY - Only 30,000 Wanted by Army On Nov. 18; Over 17,000,000 Register Throughout Nation. - STIMSON CHARGES WILLKIE “MISLED”

BY JOHN A. REICHMANN

(United Press Staff Correspondent)

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18.一The first contingent of 30,000 conscripts一an average of less than five per local board一wanted by the army on November 18 probably will be obtained from volunteers, draft officials believed today.

They were also sure of meeting the army’s demand for 800,000 men by conscription well in advance of the war department’s schedule. Present plans call for that many one-year conscripts to be inducted into the army by June 15, 1941.

Registration returns from states swelled the probable number of registrants for the draft well over 17,000,000一nearly 1,000,000 more than pre-registration estimates.

Dr. Clarence A. Dykstra, director of the draft, inaugurated his regime a few hours after being sworn into office by announcing a policy of leniency for persons who failed to register Wednesday. He directed all state headquarters to register such persons, if they present themselves before the national lottery, and not to consider them delinquents. The law provides a penalty of five years in jail and a $10,000 fine for willful failure to register. The lottery date has not been set but probably will be between October 26 and November 2.

A new schedule for induction of conscripts into the army was announced by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, a life-long republican, after he had criticized Republican Presidential Candidate Wendell L. Willkie who, he said, had been “misled into making statements about delays in the progress of housing the men.”

He said that far from being a “ghost program,” as Willkie charged, the housing program was ahead of schedule. When questioned about the plan to call only 150,000 men by the first of the year instead of 400,000 as previously planned, Stimson replied,” insisting that it was not due to lack of housing.

In a prepared statement designed to answer criticism of the housing program, Stimson said that the slowness “came from the simple fact that the people of the United States were not ready through their congress (last summer) to take the steps necessary to give this authority or to provide this money.” This long debate in congress over conscription, he said, was evidence of the truth of this statement.

Some observers, however, regarded the new induction schedule as indication of the army’s inability to provide adequate winter quarters, since more than half of those to be called will be inducted after the severe weather months.

Induction dates have been revised twice since the conscription law was introduced in congress. Last summer it was planned to call 800,000 men by the end of this year. By early to call 400,000 men by the end of February and another 400,000 in April. Now the date for the last of the 800,000 has been set back to June 15.

The schedule announced by Stimson is as follows: Nov. 18一30,000 men; Dec. 2一60,000 men; Jan. 3一60,000 men; Jan. 15一90,000 men; Feb. 10一160,000 men; March 5一200,000 men; June 15一200,000 men.

In addition 130,000 national guardsmen will be mobilized between January 3 and February 3, 1941.

Asked if any further plans had been made, Stimson replied:

“Only God and Hitler know what will happen to the United States by then.”

Conservative estimates of draft officials indicate that no compulsory inductions will be needed until January. They expect about 200,000 volunteers, and some expect as many as 500,000. The law allows acceptance of volunteers as young as 18 years of age.

Oct. 17, 1935: POLICE RADIO FUND APPEAL GETS SUPPORT

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 17, 1935.

POLICE RADIO FUND APPEAL GETS SUPPORT

Valparaiso business men and other citizens Wednesday showed their appreciation of the fine work being done by Chief of Police Freeman Lane and members of the police department when they responded to the department’s appeal for funds to buy two police radios.

With donations still coming in, it is expected sufficient funds will be received to pay for two radios and also create a fund for their maintenance.

Not one turndown was recorded yesterday by the solicitors. In fact every person to whom the matter was broached was more than willing to subscribe, and in many instances the solicitor was told to return again if the fund quota was not reached.

Chief of Police Lane was a happy man today over the result of the donations. Because of other drives in progress, the police did not hope to raise a large sum, and expected that benefits would have to be resorted to to raise the needed amount.

It was stated by Chief Lane that the two radios, for which orders were sent in today, will be used only for police radio calls. The fact that they are of the low wave type precludes their use for commercial programs.

Sheriff Neil Fry today announced that he had ordered two radios, one for the county jail, and the other for the sheriff’s car. The county commissioners recently approved an appropriation of $100 for this purpose.

Simultaneously, with the purchase of radio equipment by the city and county, came a report that the broadcasting station of the state police located at Culver, Ind., may be moved to either Kouts or Valparaiso.

Because of the large amount of police work in this section it is said the station could be operated to better advantage in this vicinity than at Culver.

Oct. 16, 1975: Riding The 'Dummy'

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 16, 1975.

Riding The ‘Dummy’

By JO MANNIES

On the dummy, on the dummy line… rise and shine. Rise and shine. Rise and shine and pay your fine, when you’re riding’ on the dummy… on the dummy, dummy line.

一American Folk Ballad

Rise and Shine. Early every morning, about 100 local residents do just that. Sleepily traveling to the corner of Lincolnway and Campbell, they grab a quick cup of coffee and board what many affectionately call “the dummy” 一 the Valparaiso-Chicago commuter line operated by the Penn Central Railroad.

Once in their seats, the riders read a paper or 一 what is more likely 一 curl up in the corner for a few extra winks while the train is still empty.

The only bright one on board is the conductor, who rouses the sleepers from their dreams so he can punch their ticket. “I’m uncouth, outspoken and say what I want,” declares Tom McDermott, the “good humor man” on the 6:35 a.m. train.

A Valparaiso resident who has been a member of the computer crew for 14 years, McDermott is upset with the rumors that the commuter may be dropped when ConRail takes over the operation March 1. “Now they (Penn Central) want to change the time schedule. It’s been the same for 35 years and now they want to change it.”

On Oct. 27, the altered time schedule will go into effect. The 5:55 a.m. train will leave Valparaiso at 6 a.m. and arrive in Chicago at 7:15 instead of 7:05. The later 6:35 a.m. train, which will pull out of the local station at the same time, will make three less stops 一 passing through Wheeler, Mahoning and the Broadway depot in Gary 一 and arrive in Chicago ten minutes earlier.

While McDermott contends that the change is a move toward eventually dropping one of the two trains, Penn Central official James Munn asserts that the change is needed since the trains are “currently not staying to the schedule.

“They have too many stops,” the manager of customer service said, adding that the early train will pick up passengers at all nine stops.

Since a majority of the passengers ride the later train, he continued, the earlier Chicago arrival at 7:45 a.m., will allow them extra time to get to work. An estimated 50 regular riders work in the Sears Tower and need the added minutes, Munn stated.

Since the train leaving Valparaiso at 6:35 a.m. and departing from Chicago at 5:05 p.m. also carries twice as many passengers as the train which leaves locally at 5:55 a.m. and pulls out of Chicago at 5:40 p.m., Munn hopes the schedule change will balance out the loads a bit more.

Conductor McDermott claimed many riders on the later train board at Gary’s depot on Broadway, but Munn countered “Gary will not be hurting for lack of service.” The early train and the South Shore commuter line will still serve the depot. “We’re not eliminating service entirely,” Munn concluded.

Passengers on the entire commuter line, however, fear that “eliminating service entirely “may be just what Penn Central 一 or officials of the United States Railway Association 一 have in mind.

About three weeks ago, a committee of passengers prepared leaflets warning of the possible discontinuance of the line and placed them on all seats in the two commuter trains. “Hoosier Power” the paper urged in big letters, asking concerned riders to write the elected officials in their area.

“Off and on” for 20 years, Charles Stanton of Hamlet has ridden the “dummy.” in order to give himself plenty of time for 30-mile drive from his home to Valparaiso, Stanton arises each morning at 3:30 a.m.

“I wouldn’t want to drive into Chicago,” he said. “I suppose I would drive to Michigan City and ride the South Shore.” An employe for a Chicago electrical firm, Stanton explained that he commutes because he likes the high Chicago wages and his native rural area around Hamlet.

Why does he ride the Valparaiso-Chicago commuter line? “Because it costs $65 a month to ride this train and about $88, I’m told, to ride the South Shore.”

“I suppose I could drive or go on early pension,” asserts Robert Pieper, an employee of the Chicago Transit Authority. “I’m getting close to the age where I could go on early pension if I wanted.”

A gregarious man with twinkling eyes, Valparaiso resident Pieper refers to his 29 years of commuting as “absolute drudgery.”

Sue McInerney, Valparaiso, has ridden the train for a year now to her job as a credit clerk at the Continental Bank. “It’s a hassle sometimes,” she admits, “we moved here a year ago from Chicago and I got the job so I could still visit my friends.”

A novice at the commuting game is Valparaiso resident John McGuire. “I just started riding the train three weeks ago and will probably continue riding it here on out.”

Commending the train for its “on time service,” McGuire questions the large financial loss Penn Central claims on the line every year. “It’s hard to believe they are not making money. I would have no objection if they raised the rate 一 by a nominal amount, anyway.”

McGuire suggests that officials try “selling anything else. It would also be nice if they had air conditioning.”

One man who is particularly fond of the line is Fred Wood, a research analyst with Standard Oil. “While riding the train, I wrote a book which is now in its sixth printing,” he said.

A commuter for eight years, Wood spent three writing the book. “The ride is smooth and there are no interruptions. No phones and it isn’t ‘Honey do’ time 一 you know, ‘honey do this’ and ‘honey do that.’

“If the line isn’t subsidized, I will probably have to move.”

Although the regular long-term travelers have strong feelings of loyalty toward the line, their ranks are apparently diminishing, according to statistics provided by Penn Central officials. A recent head count, according to Munn, showed a 25 per cent drop from 1974 figures in the number of passengers.

“We miss the young people,” explained Munn, himself a 32-year veteran of jobs in the passenger service line. “When the economy is bad, like it is now, there is more unemployment 一 and the young people are the ones who usually get the axe. They are also more adventurous. Many young people who work in Chicago want to live in Chicago.”

‘It Is Up To Indiana’

The Valparaiso-Chicago commuter line has been operating so long that even the top Penn Central officials aren’t sure when service first started. 

“The line was operating prior to 1929,” stated William Butler, administrative assistant to the general manager in the Penn Central regional office in Chicago. “Unfortunately, there are very few people around now who might be able to tell you when it began.”

Officials at the Penn Central main office in Philadelphia explained that old records are periodically destroyed, to make room for more recent information. Apparently, records of the Valparaiso-Chicago commuter line were among the discarded papers, since no data on the service before 1969 is available.

Generally speaking, if you lump together all the passenger operations, they were profitable through 1929,” said Cecil Muldoon, assistant director of public relations for the railroad company. “Then we were hit by the Depression.”

When World War II began, however, travelling on trains was back in vogue since gasoline rationing curtailed auto traffic. “Since 1944, passenger train operations have been losers,” he continued. “And commuter operations lead the way.”

Muldoon and others attribute the loss on the Valparaiso-Chicago commuter line, which totaled $843,000 last year, to skyrocketing costs.

We can’t afford to keep losing money on the line,” asserted Muldoon, who added that the Valparaiso line was one of only two 一 the other a line from Baltimore to Washington 一 that Penn Central maintained solely, with no subsidy from the area.

“A lot of cost is due to the increase in wages for labor,” according to James Munn, Penn Central manager of customer services. “Material 一 especially fuel 一 has also jumped up tremendously.”

Statistics provided by the Chicago regional office show that 1974 revenue from the Valparaiso-commuter line was $438,509, with operating expenses totalling $1,282,000. Projected revenue for 1975 in $486,000, according to Muldoon.

Officials were overjoyed in 1973, when the number of revenue passengers shot up 40,000 for the year. In 1972, statistics show up 40,000 for the year. In 1973, statistics show that 398,963 passengers shot up 40,000 for the year. In 1972, statistics show up 40,000 for the year. In 1972, statistics show that 398,963 passengers traveled on the train, while 437,435 rode the line in 1973 一 a record.

Although hesitant to attribute the increase to the energy crisis which began with the Arab oil embargo in October, 1973, officials admit that the number of passengers dropped to 434,725 in 1974 when gasoline became more plentiful at higher prices. A head count taken in September also revealed that the amount of riders may decrease by 25 per cent by the end of this year.

The greatest number of passengers traveling to Chicago between Sept. 17 and Sept. 23 was 534 persons riding on the 6:35 a.m train. On that same day, only 194 people traveled to Chicago on the earlier 5:55 a.m. train. During that same week, the round-trip total for both trains was about 1450-550 lower than estimates for the previous year.

“According to our statistics, for every dollar in passenger revenue we receive, it is costing the railroad $2.82,” Butler said.

Noting that the Illinois Regional Transit Authority (RTA) wasn’t interested in subsidizing the commuter line since it stopped only in Indiana, officials hope that Indiana 一 particularly Lake and Porter counties 一 will move to keep the operation going.

“When ConRail takes over March 1, I don’t know what their plans will be,” Muldoon said, explaining that even many of the railroad employes don’t know if they will be kept or released from their jobs. “Most railroad people are protected employes, if they have worked for the company at least five years,” he said. “But the top people are not protected.”

“The Penn Central has not made application to discontinue the line,” Muldoon continued. “Our number one aim, presently, is to get Lake and Porter counties to subsidize the line. We would not apply for discontinuance until we were sure the counties were not interested.”

“It is up to ConRail and Indiana who will maintain the service,” Butler said. “As far as we are concerned, we have completed our objectives of making the line manageable and efficient.”

Oct. 15, 1935: Library can Supply Ideas For Hallowe'en

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 15, 1935.

LIBRARY CAN SUPPLY IDEAS FOR HALLOWE’EN

The season of Hallowe’en brings a deluge of requests for party suggestions to the public library. The planning of novel games and entertainment for parties to celebrate the mysterious evening occupies many local people and the “party and game” books at the library are much in demand.

While Hallowe’en is one of the most popular occasions for costume and fancy popular occasions for costume and fancy parties, the library receives requests for information about stunts and entertainments at other times. All through the year, readers ask for books which will give ideas for novel entertainments. Certain holidays, of course, are always popular days for entertainment. Valentine’s Day, Washington’s birthday, Christmas and other festivals are chosen for parties by many hosts and hostesses. But an almost equal number of requests come from people seeking unique ideas for bridge parties, birthday parties, showers and similar entertainment.

Popular among the titles which suggest novelties in decoration and entertainment for Hallowe’en and other holidays are: Dennision’s party magazine, Putnam’s book of parties, Planning Your Party, and The Shower Book.

Oct. 14, 1940: Letter From England Says Nazi’s Aim Not So Hot

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 14, 1940

Letter From England Says Nazi’s Aim Not So Hot

EDITOR’S NOTE一Because of the interest shown by a number of local readers in the publication of letters from Jabez Shufflebotham of Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, England, to his brother, Thomas, of this city, The Vidette-Messenger herewith presents the latest “news” from the British Isles. Jabez Shufflebotham’s home is located in the midlands, Great Britain’s industrial district, which has been a constant target for German bombers.

Sept. 6, 1940.

Hello Everybody:

I hope that you are getting the papers and letters I am mailing you. Please let me know, for we in this country have a gentleman or gentlemen who return your letters if you are a little indiscreet in what you say and I have had that unfortunate experience.

For the past fortnight we have had siren warnings every evening about retiring time, some of them lasting until early morning before the all clear has been given, and when I tell you that he has dropped bombs in a circle around the place where I work, you can understand how the people look forward to nightfall. But believe me, up to now his aim has been rotten, and I wonder if he is out to hit his so-called military objectives or to demoralize the British public. It appears that not only is he concerned about the living, but he has actually bombed the dead, having hit two cemeteries within a three-mile radius. I cannot mention names. What will be put down in his record for that?

Considering the number of times he has been over the district, the bombing has been, up to now, so accurate that we have had only two deaths, both little boys, and about 10 people injured, most of the bombs having fallen on stony ground.

If ever you people in America have to prepare against air raids, go the whole hog for deep large communal air raid shelters一being more satisfactory in all ways to the small family shelter which has been provided to all families here who have the spare ground to erect one.

Let me quote an illustration: We have a garage here which has a large underground cellar, with girders and reinforced concrete roof and accommodations for about 300 people, which has been opened by the owner to the people who have no Anderson shelter. As soon as the alarm is sounded, the people commence to take cover, and believe me, anyone who suggested two years ago that they would see pajama parties and informal concerts would have been considered mad. Nearly everyone proceeds as they are, with just a wrap over their sleeping attire, and I have seen the spectacle of the small children playing ring-a-roses, while we who have been on watch at the cellar entrance have heard the dull thuds as the bombs have fallen in the surrounding districts.

They must have a bog morale value, because I have seen people mixing up who in the past have considered themselves superior beings, just entirely wrapped up in themselves, with no thought of-how the community lives or acts.

I suppose a lot of the views I state will be a little late in the day when you receive them, but please remember we have only limited news, and the time it takes the mail to reach you. But I still believe that England is not his objective. Remember Hitler’s words, “We must export or die.” He is not exporting, hence he must try to remove the cords that are strangling him and Mussy. These cords are fastened tightly in the Mediterranean, Gibraltar and the Suez and that I believe, is our weakest spot, because in the past we have not treated the natives of those dominions as well as we should have done.

Your loving brother, Jabez.

Oct. 13, 1965: Home Mail Delivery In Offing For Porter People

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 13, 1965.

Home Mail Delivery In Offing For Porter People

By ADELYNE RUOFF

PORTER 一 Residents of the town of Porter will have house-to-house mail delivery and mounted route service, according to numbers, in the near future.

Mail service will also be provided for residents of the newly annexed area after a numbering system has been set up.

The information was received by the town board via a letter sent by Charles Ryan, deputy assistant postmaster general of the United States.

Reads Letter

Thomas Wagner, president of the Porter Town board, read the letter at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Ryan stated that the conversion of the present Porter Post Office to a branch of the Chesterton Post Office has been approved.

In the letter, it was stated that Porter, as an independent post office, does not meet the request for establishing city delivery service.

“We can comply by converting the Porter Post Office to a contract branch of the Chesterton Post Office,” Ryan said in his letter. “Mail delivery service will be brought to more than 8-- people with a savings in operation costs of $3,500 yearly.

Favors Change

“Porter’s present postmaster, Orith Imhof, favors this change since it provides improved service to his patrons,” Ryan noted in his letter.

“Imhof is eligible for immediate annuity and has indicated he will retire when the contract is effected,” the acting deputy postmaster general added.

Bids are now being received for a building to house the branch office in Porter.

At the present time, residents of Porter come to the post office for their mail. Rural routes are serviced out of Chesterton.