March 10, 1996
25 Years Ago
Carroll Population Listed As 69,006 By Census Bureau – Official 1970 Figure Shows 30.7% Gain Over 52,785 Counted In 1960 — State’s Residents Nearly Four Million – Carroll County’s population in the 1970 Census was 69,006 up 30.7 percent from the 1960 figure of 52,785, the Bureau of Census U. S. Department of Commerce reports. The official population of the state was 3,923,399, up 26.5 percent from the 1960 population count which was 3,100,689. The 1970 census counted 66,127 white persons in Carroll County 95.8 percent of the total; 2,736 Negroes and 143 persons of other races. In 1960, 95.8 percent of the population was white. The census showed 5,644 children under 5 years; 17,135 in ages 5 through 17; 39,115 people 18 through 64; and 7,112 who were 65 and older. Community Reporter, March 5, 1971.
50 Years Ago
SAVES SIX IN TRAPPED AUTO – Edgar C. Wike, Manchester Road, Made Heroic Rescue Of Occupants On Hanover Street Bridge – Suspended in an automobile on an open drawbridge 50 feet above icy waters, three women, two babies and a man were snatched to safety by the driver of the car who was credited with saving their lives, police said. Edgar C. Wike, living on Manchester Road, near Brumell, the driver, kept his head throughout the harrowing experience, police said, and rescued the panicky women and children and the other man, an ex-soldier. Bridge operators Harry Borrowski and Mahlen Hollins said they were unaware the car was crossing at the time they opened the draw. The bridge, which spans Curtis Creek, operates somewhat like guards at railroad crossings. Wike’s car was at the base of one section of the draw, which left a gaping hole over which the seven persons were suspended. His sister-in-law Mrs. Edith Short, of Brooklyn, said she climbed onto the running board with her two and a half year-old son, Franklin. She said: “When I looked down at the water I became dizzy and started to totter. I was so nervous and excited I couldn’t get back into the car. I stood there swaying with my baby in my arms. “Edgar climbed out, grabbing me by the arm and pulled us both to safety.” Wike, it was explained, had jumped to the solid road and from that vantage point subsequently pulled all the others from the car’s running board. They included his wife, Rita, Mrs. Hazel Schmidt of 3723 St. Margaret’s street, Brooklyn, her one-and one-half-year -old son, David, and her brother-in-law, Franklin, the ex-soldier. Democratic Advocate, March 8, 1946.
75 Years Ago
Mystery Surrounds Overturned Machine – The “mystery automobile,” 1921 Cadillac limousine, found overturned along the banks of Marsh creek, at Reynold’s bridge, about four miles and a
half north of Emmitsburg, on Friday morning has been claimed by E. S. Smith, 505 Florence Court, Washington, D. C. The machine is now in the custody of John B. Butts and Son, attorneys, Gettysburg, Pa., who took charge of the automobile, and are holding it until is ownership can be substantiated. Smith claimed that the machine was stolen from in front of a Washington hotel on Thursday night. But there are many unexplained features to the case. The machine was found in an inverted position. The top of the car was bespattered with blood, as were the cushions on the driver’s seat. Bloodstains showed on the snow beside the stream, and could be traced for nearly a mile on the road in the direction of Gettysburg. Three handkerchiefs, one bearing initials of “M. S. S.,” saturated with blood, were found, two in the car and one near the machine. The car left the road at the southern approach to the bridge, which curves sharply just a few feet from the bridge. The limousine passed through Emmitsburg at 11:30 o’clock Thursday night. It stopped in front of a tobacco store where two men purchased cigarettes. Three times they asked information as to the route to Gettysburg. Pa. One of the men seemed exceedingly nervous. Both were young. Two men, one with a cut on the nose, and hand, ate, in a Gettysburg, Pa., restaurant early Friday morning, and stopped at a hotel in that town. They left early, before word that the car had been found had circulated. Union Bridge Pilot, March 4, 1921.
100 Years Ago
Rev. J. T. Marsh, Frank L. Lewis, John H. Hahn, W. H. Wood of H.; J. W. Wilson and R. G. Molesworth appeared before the Senate committee on temperance at Annapolis, on Wednesday,
representing citizens of Mount Airy district, Carroll county, and asked for legislation to enable them to hold an election to vote on the question whether liquor shall or shall not be sold in that district. It appears that Mount Airy district is in a peculiar position. It is at a point where four counties come together. Howard, Montgomery, and Frederick have local option, but Carroll has not, the result being that, as they allege, Mount Airy district has more saloons than are desired. American Sentinel, March 7, 1896.