IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 5 - 11 AUGUST 1924
This week's many stories include the Sutton woman accused of murder, the boy that died after being thrown into Boundary Road baths, the band of pilgrims' impromptu concert, the huge demand for gas stoves, there's another smash at St Helens' suicide corner and the remarkable coincidence when a racing tipster tried to fool the police.
We begin on the 5th when the Thatto Heath Independent Methodists held a fete in the grounds of Highfield, the home of solicitor Henry Oppenheim. The Reporter described how the various competitions and sideshows had yielded "plenty of quiet fun" with dancing until dusk.
Also on the 5th the inquest into the death of Austin Spencer was held in St Helens Town Hall. The 13-year-old from Marshalls Cross Road attended St Anne's School and had died several days after being pushed into the Boundary Road baths. Austin was a non-swimmer and another boy had rescued him.
The baths attendant, Edward Sweetman, told the hearing that when Austin was lifted out of the water he had been conscious but blue in the face. He described taking the boy to a private bath and giving him artificial respiration and a stimulant. After some time Austin said he was all right again and was able to go home.
The Coroner asked Mr Sweetman if the boys who went to Boundary Road were taught to swim and his reply was that very few were. There were 150 boys in the baths when Austin Spencer was chucked in the water and the attendant was then asked whether such events often happened. "It is a common occurrence", said Mr Sweetman. "If we see who has done it we order them out of the bath."
Dr Tom O’Keeffe had conducted a post-mortem and told the inquiry that death had been due to degeneration of the brain tissues but he did not know its cause. But he said he was able to rule out any connection with Austin being chucked into the baths.
Also on the 5th two members of Southport CID, along with Chief Inspector Roe of St Helens Police, entered the home of Margaret Heyes in Oxley Street in Sutton and placed her under arrest. On the following day Mrs Heyes appeared in Southport Police Court charged with the wilful murder of her 6-month-old child.
The police explained to the magistrates that they had been making enquiries into the whereabouts of the woman's three children. They had managed to trace two of them who were living in Wales, seemingly with relatives. But they could not locate the third since Mrs Heyes had removed the child from a babies' home in Southport in December 1919.
The woman had been working in Southport as a domestic servant but had subsequently moved to Sutton to keep house for a widower to whom she later married. The St Helens Reporter described how the arrest of Mrs Heyes had caused "quite a sensation" in Sutton, as she was well liked in the neighbourhood. In Southport the woman was remanded in custody for eight days after whispering to the magistrates that she had nothing to say.
At the monthly St Helens Town Council meeting on the 6th it was revealed that there were about a thousand people in St Helens waiting for a gas stove to be installed. The Corporation owned the gas supply and provided the stoves and the Mayor of St Helens said their supplier was contracted to sell them a hundred a month. He said as soon as the stoves were received they were installed – but the demand for them was very high.
Ald Waring wanted to know when the gas lamps on the streets in the outlying districts of the town would be lit again – particularly those on the way to the collieries. Due to issues with the Corporation's gas supply some lamps were not lit during the summer months and the alderman was assured that they would be turned back on at the end of August ready for the winter season. New plant was also on order to help them increase the town's supply of gas.
Issues with the water supply in St Helens are normally reserved for my '150 Years Ago' articles. But at the Town Council meeting there were numerous complaints about taps regularly running dry. Ald. Waring said at the top of Newton Road there was no water from 8am to 3pm.
Cllr. McGuire then complained about the situation in Atherton Street and Chorley Street where he said there had been a shortage of pressure for seven weeks. Complaints were also made about poor water pressure at Sutton Manor. In response it was stated that they were experiencing difficulties at the extremities of the town until new water mains could be laid.
During the afternoon of the 7th the so-called "crippled children's garden party" was held on the lawn of Alderman James Crooks' residence in Eccleston Park. In describing the annual event the Reporter wrote:
"Quite a happy little band they were, to be sure. They spread themselves over the lawn, bathed in sunshine, with the pleasant surroundings of tall trees and beds of flowers – those magnificent roses in particular – and from time to time their merry laughter rang out as if they had not a care in the world." A ventriloquist and magician kept the disabled children amused and they ate a hearty tea.
In 1924 the junction of Westfield Street, Cotham Street and Baldwin Street was known as "Suicide Corner" with large volumes of traffic passing through. A traffic census taken on one day in 1923 had revealed how over a 12-hour period more than 4,000 vehicles of all kinds had passed that point. And without the benefit of traffic lights, which were still a few years away, a policeman had to direct traffic on point duty. However, not every driver paid any attention to the traffic bobby.
On the 8th under the headline "Another Smash At ‘Suicide Corner’ – Lurry and Car Collide – Disastrous First Visit To St. Helens", the Reporter described how George Kerry had been accused of causing a crash through ignoring the point duty policeman. PC Wigglesworth gave evidence of being on point duty at the Sefton Arms and at 10am had signalled a heavy motor lorry to come out of Cotham Street into Westfield Street.
At the same time he gave the signal to stop to a motor car driven by George Kerry that had suddenly appeared after passing a stationary tramcar in Baldwin Street. The car driver, the officer said, ignored his order and proceeded down Baldwin Street at 15 to 20 mph without once sounding his horn, with the result that he crashed into the heavy lorry at the Cotham Street / Baldwin Street junction. There were no injuries but both vehicles were damaged, especially the car.
George Kerry had been travelling from Southport to Widnes and argued that the constable had only given him the stop signal when he was four yards away from the corner. He also claimed to have been only driving at 6 mph. But a crane driver, the tramcar driver and lorry driver all gave evidence supporting the constable's account and Kerry received a fine of £10.
There were two court cases this week with amusing aspects. The first concerned Frederick Duxbury, who when the police asked him for his street trader's licence while selling racing tips in Wilson Street in St Helens had provided a wrong name. That in itself was not unusual. However, the name he gave was Thomas Lowther and he claimed to have left his licence in his Liverpool home.
And so PC Metcalfe rang up Liverpool Police to confirm his story and by what the Reporter described as a "most remarkable coincidence", the real Thomas Lowther was at that moment in the Liverpool police station with his licence tucked away in his pocket. When asked by the police in St Helens to account for the fact that he was in two places at once, Duxbury admitted his deceit and gave his correct details. A fine of £1 was imposed on him.
And the musical duo of James Muldoon from Greenbank and Alfred Beattie of Waterloo Place also raised a smile in court. The pair had been charged with obstructing the footpath. Such prosecutions usually involved youths making a nuisance of themselves and forcing girls or others to walk into the street. However, Muldoon and Beattie with other lads had been singing and playing the mouth organ.
Inspector Anders told the court that their impromptu concert had been given late at night at the bottom of Barrow Street. There was no suggestion of drunkenness but as the small group were occupying the pavement while enjoying themselves, several people had been forced to walk in the road. And so the inspector had told them to move to another spot, which they did as the Reporter described:
"On reaching the Prince of Wales they elected to give another performance, the mouth organ again obliging with the obbligato. Again they were requested to move on, but their enthusiasm for music could not be quenched, and on reaching Bridge-street the band of pilgrims again burst forth in harmony – with the mouth organ accompaniment as before.
"As they were sweeping people off the pavement, P.C. Pugh and Insp. Anders again came on the scene, and the melody was broken by the two defendants being informed that they would be reported." The pair was both fined 7 shillings.
The Reporter also described how St Helens was going to have its first mining school, with land near the Town Hall set to be acquired by the Corporation for that purpose. And finally, it was reported that Thatto Heath Council School was to have its own playing field after Pilkingtons had agreed to allow the Elementary Education Committee to use some of its land.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the new-born baby found in the canal, the runaway trailer in Bridge Street, the Clock Face Colliery bandsman who pawned his cornet and the silly neighbourly squabble in Bramwell Street in Parr.
We begin on the 5th when the Thatto Heath Independent Methodists held a fete in the grounds of Highfield, the home of solicitor Henry Oppenheim. The Reporter described how the various competitions and sideshows had yielded "plenty of quiet fun" with dancing until dusk.
Also on the 5th the inquest into the death of Austin Spencer was held in St Helens Town Hall. The 13-year-old from Marshalls Cross Road attended St Anne's School and had died several days after being pushed into the Boundary Road baths. Austin was a non-swimmer and another boy had rescued him.
The baths attendant, Edward Sweetman, told the hearing that when Austin was lifted out of the water he had been conscious but blue in the face. He described taking the boy to a private bath and giving him artificial respiration and a stimulant. After some time Austin said he was all right again and was able to go home.
The Coroner asked Mr Sweetman if the boys who went to Boundary Road were taught to swim and his reply was that very few were. There were 150 boys in the baths when Austin Spencer was chucked in the water and the attendant was then asked whether such events often happened. "It is a common occurrence", said Mr Sweetman. "If we see who has done it we order them out of the bath."
Dr Tom O’Keeffe had conducted a post-mortem and told the inquiry that death had been due to degeneration of the brain tissues but he did not know its cause. But he said he was able to rule out any connection with Austin being chucked into the baths.
Also on the 5th two members of Southport CID, along with Chief Inspector Roe of St Helens Police, entered the home of Margaret Heyes in Oxley Street in Sutton and placed her under arrest. On the following day Mrs Heyes appeared in Southport Police Court charged with the wilful murder of her 6-month-old child.
The police explained to the magistrates that they had been making enquiries into the whereabouts of the woman's three children. They had managed to trace two of them who were living in Wales, seemingly with relatives. But they could not locate the third since Mrs Heyes had removed the child from a babies' home in Southport in December 1919.
The woman had been working in Southport as a domestic servant but had subsequently moved to Sutton to keep house for a widower to whom she later married. The St Helens Reporter described how the arrest of Mrs Heyes had caused "quite a sensation" in Sutton, as she was well liked in the neighbourhood. In Southport the woman was remanded in custody for eight days after whispering to the magistrates that she had nothing to say.
At the monthly St Helens Town Council meeting on the 6th it was revealed that there were about a thousand people in St Helens waiting for a gas stove to be installed. The Corporation owned the gas supply and provided the stoves and the Mayor of St Helens said their supplier was contracted to sell them a hundred a month. He said as soon as the stoves were received they were installed – but the demand for them was very high.
Ald Waring wanted to know when the gas lamps on the streets in the outlying districts of the town would be lit again – particularly those on the way to the collieries. Due to issues with the Corporation's gas supply some lamps were not lit during the summer months and the alderman was assured that they would be turned back on at the end of August ready for the winter season. New plant was also on order to help them increase the town's supply of gas.
Issues with the water supply in St Helens are normally reserved for my '150 Years Ago' articles. But at the Town Council meeting there were numerous complaints about taps regularly running dry. Ald. Waring said at the top of Newton Road there was no water from 8am to 3pm.
Cllr. McGuire then complained about the situation in Atherton Street and Chorley Street where he said there had been a shortage of pressure for seven weeks. Complaints were also made about poor water pressure at Sutton Manor. In response it was stated that they were experiencing difficulties at the extremities of the town until new water mains could be laid.
During the afternoon of the 7th the so-called "crippled children's garden party" was held on the lawn of Alderman James Crooks' residence in Eccleston Park. In describing the annual event the Reporter wrote:
"Quite a happy little band they were, to be sure. They spread themselves over the lawn, bathed in sunshine, with the pleasant surroundings of tall trees and beds of flowers – those magnificent roses in particular – and from time to time their merry laughter rang out as if they had not a care in the world." A ventriloquist and magician kept the disabled children amused and they ate a hearty tea.
In 1924 the junction of Westfield Street, Cotham Street and Baldwin Street was known as "Suicide Corner" with large volumes of traffic passing through. A traffic census taken on one day in 1923 had revealed how over a 12-hour period more than 4,000 vehicles of all kinds had passed that point. And without the benefit of traffic lights, which were still a few years away, a policeman had to direct traffic on point duty. However, not every driver paid any attention to the traffic bobby.
On the 8th under the headline "Another Smash At ‘Suicide Corner’ – Lurry and Car Collide – Disastrous First Visit To St. Helens", the Reporter described how George Kerry had been accused of causing a crash through ignoring the point duty policeman. PC Wigglesworth gave evidence of being on point duty at the Sefton Arms and at 10am had signalled a heavy motor lorry to come out of Cotham Street into Westfield Street.
At the same time he gave the signal to stop to a motor car driven by George Kerry that had suddenly appeared after passing a stationary tramcar in Baldwin Street. The car driver, the officer said, ignored his order and proceeded down Baldwin Street at 15 to 20 mph without once sounding his horn, with the result that he crashed into the heavy lorry at the Cotham Street / Baldwin Street junction. There were no injuries but both vehicles were damaged, especially the car.
George Kerry had been travelling from Southport to Widnes and argued that the constable had only given him the stop signal when he was four yards away from the corner. He also claimed to have been only driving at 6 mph. But a crane driver, the tramcar driver and lorry driver all gave evidence supporting the constable's account and Kerry received a fine of £10.
There were two court cases this week with amusing aspects. The first concerned Frederick Duxbury, who when the police asked him for his street trader's licence while selling racing tips in Wilson Street in St Helens had provided a wrong name. That in itself was not unusual. However, the name he gave was Thomas Lowther and he claimed to have left his licence in his Liverpool home.
And so PC Metcalfe rang up Liverpool Police to confirm his story and by what the Reporter described as a "most remarkable coincidence", the real Thomas Lowther was at that moment in the Liverpool police station with his licence tucked away in his pocket. When asked by the police in St Helens to account for the fact that he was in two places at once, Duxbury admitted his deceit and gave his correct details. A fine of £1 was imposed on him.
And the musical duo of James Muldoon from Greenbank and Alfred Beattie of Waterloo Place also raised a smile in court. The pair had been charged with obstructing the footpath. Such prosecutions usually involved youths making a nuisance of themselves and forcing girls or others to walk into the street. However, Muldoon and Beattie with other lads had been singing and playing the mouth organ.
"On reaching the Prince of Wales they elected to give another performance, the mouth organ again obliging with the obbligato. Again they were requested to move on, but their enthusiasm for music could not be quenched, and on reaching Bridge-street the band of pilgrims again burst forth in harmony – with the mouth organ accompaniment as before.
"As they were sweeping people off the pavement, P.C. Pugh and Insp. Anders again came on the scene, and the melody was broken by the two defendants being informed that they would be reported." The pair was both fined 7 shillings.
The Reporter also described how St Helens was going to have its first mining school, with land near the Town Hall set to be acquired by the Corporation for that purpose. And finally, it was reported that Thatto Heath Council School was to have its own playing field after Pilkingtons had agreed to allow the Elementary Education Committee to use some of its land.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the new-born baby found in the canal, the runaway trailer in Bridge Street, the Clock Face Colliery bandsman who pawned his cornet and the silly neighbourly squabble in Bramwell Street in Parr.
This week's many stories include the Sutton woman accused of murder, the boy that died after being thrown into Boundary Road baths, the band of pilgrims' impromptu concert, the huge demand for gas stoves, there's another smash at St Helens' suicide corner and the remarkable coincidence when a racing tipster tried to fool the police.
We begin on the 5th when the Thatto Heath Independent Methodists held a fete in the grounds of Highfield, the home of solicitor Henry Oppenheim.
The Reporter described how the various competitions and sideshows had yielded "plenty of quiet fun" with dancing until dusk.
Also on the 5th the inquest into the death of Austin Spencer was held in St Helens Town Hall.
The 13-year-old from Marshalls Cross Road attended St Anne's School and had died several days after being pushed into the Boundary Road baths. Austin was a non-swimmer and another boy had rescued him.
The baths attendant, Edward Sweetman, told the hearing that when Austin was lifted out of the water he had been conscious but blue in the face.
He described taking the boy to a private bath and giving him artificial respiration and a stimulant. After some time Austin said he was all right again and was able to go home.
The Coroner asked Mr Sweetman if the boys who went to Boundary Road were taught to swim and his reply was that very few were.
There were 150 boys in the baths when Austin Spencer was chucked in the water and the attendant was then asked whether such events often happened.
"It is a common occurrence", said Mr Sweetman. "If we see who has done it we order them out of the bath."
Dr Tom O’Keeffe had conducted a post-mortem and told the inquiry that death had been due to degeneration of the brain tissues but he did not know its cause.
But he said he was able to rule out any connection with Austin being chucked into the baths.
Also on the 5th two members of Southport CID, along with Chief Inspector Roe of St Helens Police, entered the home of Margaret Heyes in Oxley Street in Sutton and placed her under arrest.
On the following day Mrs Heyes appeared in Southport Police Court charged with the wilful murder of her 6-month-old child.
The police explained to the magistrates that they had been making enquiries into the whereabouts of the woman's three children.
They had managed to trace two of them who were living in Wales, seemingly with relatives.
But they could not locate the third since Mrs Heyes had removed the child from a babies' home in Southport in December 1919.
The woman had been working in Southport as a domestic servant but had subsequently moved to Sutton to keep house for a widower to whom she later married.
The St Helens Reporter described how the arrest of Mrs Heyes had caused "quite a sensation" in Sutton, as the woman was well liked in the neighbourhood.
In Southport the woman was remanded in custody for eight days after whispering to the magistrates that she had nothing to say.
At the monthly St Helens Town Council meeting on the 6th it was revealed that there were about a thousand people in St Helens waiting for a gas stove to be installed.
The Corporation owned the gas supply and provided the stoves and the Mayor of St Helens said their supplier was contracted to sell them a hundred a month.
He said as soon as the stoves were received they were installed – but the demand for them was very high.
Ald Waring wanted to know when the gas lamps on the streets in the outlying districts of the town would be lit again – particularly those on the way to the collieries.
Due to issues with the Corporation's gas supply some lamps were not lit during the summer months and the alderman was assured that they would be turned back on at the end of August ready for the winter season.
New plant was also on order to help them increase the town's supply of gas.
Issues with the water supply in St Helens are normally reserved for my '150 Years Ago' articles.
But at the Town Council meeting there were numerous complaints about taps regularly running dry.
Ald. Waring said at the top of Newton Road there was no water from 8am to 3pm.
Cllr. McGuire then complained about the situation in Atherton Street and Chorley Street where he said there had been a shortage of pressure for seven weeks. Complaints were also made about poor water pressure at Sutton Manor.
In response it was stated that they were experiencing difficulties at the extremities of the town until new water mains could be laid.
During the afternoon of the 7th the so-called "crippled children's garden party" was held on the lawn of Alderman James Crooks' residence in Eccleston Park. In describing the annual event the Reporter wrote:
"Quite a happy little band they were, to be sure. They spread themselves over the lawn, bathed in sunshine, with the pleasant surroundings of tall trees and beds of flowers – those magnificent roses in particular – and from time to time their merry laughter rang out as if they had not a care in the world."
A ventriloquist and magician kept the disabled children amused and they ate a hearty tea.
In 1924 the junction of Westfield Street, Cotham Street and Baldwin Street was known as "Suicide Corner" with large volumes of traffic passing through.
A traffic census taken on one day in 1923 had revealed how over a 12-hour period more than 4,000 vehicles of all kinds had passed that point.
And without the benefit of traffic lights, which were still a few years away, a policeman had to direct traffic on point duty. However, not every driver paid any attention to the traffic bobby.
On the 8th under the headline "Another Smash At ‘Suicide Corner’ – Lurry and Car Collide – Disastrous First Visit To St. Helens", the Reporter described how George Kerry had been accused of causing a crash through ignoring the point duty policeman.
PC Wigglesworth gave evidence of being on point duty at the Sefton Arms and at 10am had signalled a heavy motor lorry to come out of Cotham Street into Westfield Street.
At the same time he gave the signal to stop to a motor car driven by George Kerry that had suddenly appeared after passing a stationary tramcar in Baldwin Street.
The car driver, the officer said, ignored his order and proceeded down Baldwin Street at 15 to 20 mph without once sounding his horn, with the result that he crashed into the heavy lorry at the Cotham Street / Baldwin Street junction.
There were no injuries but both vehicles were damaged, especially the car.
George Kerry had been travelling from Southport to Widnes and argued that the constable had only given him the stop signal when he was four yards away from the corner.
He also claimed to have been only driving at 6 mph. But a crane driver, the tramcar driver and lorry driver all gave evidence supporting the constable's account and Kerry received a fine of £10.
There were two court cases this week with amusing aspects. The first concerned Frederick Duxbury, who when the police asked him for his street trader's licence while selling racing tips in Wilson Street in St Helens had provided a wrong name.
That in itself was not unusual. However, the name he gave was Thomas Lowther and he claimed to have left his licence in his Liverpool home.
And so PC Metcalfe rang up Liverpool Police to confirm his story and by what the Reporter described as a "most remarkable coincidence", the real Thomas Lowther was at that moment in the Liverpool police station with his licence tucked away in his pocket.
When asked by the police in St Helens to account for the fact that he was in two places at once, Duxbury admitted his deceit and gave his correct details. A fine of £1 was imposed on him.
And the musical duo of James Muldoon from Greenbank and Alfred Beattie of Waterloo Place also raised a smile in court.
The pair had been charged with obstructing the footpath. Such prosecutions usually involved youths making a nuisance of themselves and forcing girls or others to walk into the street.
However, Muldoon and Beattie with other lads had been singing and playing the mouth organ.
Inspector Anders told the court that their impromptu concert had been given late at night at the bottom of Barrow Street.
There was no suggestion of drunkenness but as the small group were occupying the pavement while enjoying themselves, several people had been forced to walk in the road.
And so the inspector had told them to move to another spot, which they did as the Reporter described:
"On reaching the Prince of Wales they elected to give another performance, the mouth organ again obliging with the obbligato.
"Again they were requested to move on, but their enthusiasm for music could not be quenched, and on reaching Bridge-street the band of pilgrims again burst forth in harmony – with the mouth organ accompaniment as before.
"As they were sweeping people off the pavement, P.C. Pugh and Insp. Anders again came on the scene, and the melody was broken by the two defendants being informed that they would be reported."
The pair was both fined 7 shillings.
The Reporter also described how St Helens was going to have its first mining school, with land near the Town Hall set to be acquired by the Corporation for that purpose.
And finally, it was reported that Thatto Heath Council School was to have its own playing field after Pilkingtons had agreed to allow the Elementary Education Committee to use some of its land.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the new-born baby found in the canal, the runaway trailer in Bridge Street, the Clock Face Colliery bandsman who pawned his cornet and the silly neighbourly squabble in Bramwell Street in Parr.
We begin on the 5th when the Thatto Heath Independent Methodists held a fete in the grounds of Highfield, the home of solicitor Henry Oppenheim.
The Reporter described how the various competitions and sideshows had yielded "plenty of quiet fun" with dancing until dusk.
Also on the 5th the inquest into the death of Austin Spencer was held in St Helens Town Hall.
The 13-year-old from Marshalls Cross Road attended St Anne's School and had died several days after being pushed into the Boundary Road baths. Austin was a non-swimmer and another boy had rescued him.
The baths attendant, Edward Sweetman, told the hearing that when Austin was lifted out of the water he had been conscious but blue in the face.
He described taking the boy to a private bath and giving him artificial respiration and a stimulant. After some time Austin said he was all right again and was able to go home.
The Coroner asked Mr Sweetman if the boys who went to Boundary Road were taught to swim and his reply was that very few were.
There were 150 boys in the baths when Austin Spencer was chucked in the water and the attendant was then asked whether such events often happened.
"It is a common occurrence", said Mr Sweetman. "If we see who has done it we order them out of the bath."
Dr Tom O’Keeffe had conducted a post-mortem and told the inquiry that death had been due to degeneration of the brain tissues but he did not know its cause.
But he said he was able to rule out any connection with Austin being chucked into the baths.
Also on the 5th two members of Southport CID, along with Chief Inspector Roe of St Helens Police, entered the home of Margaret Heyes in Oxley Street in Sutton and placed her under arrest.
On the following day Mrs Heyes appeared in Southport Police Court charged with the wilful murder of her 6-month-old child.
The police explained to the magistrates that they had been making enquiries into the whereabouts of the woman's three children.
They had managed to trace two of them who were living in Wales, seemingly with relatives.
But they could not locate the third since Mrs Heyes had removed the child from a babies' home in Southport in December 1919.
The woman had been working in Southport as a domestic servant but had subsequently moved to Sutton to keep house for a widower to whom she later married.
The St Helens Reporter described how the arrest of Mrs Heyes had caused "quite a sensation" in Sutton, as the woman was well liked in the neighbourhood.
In Southport the woman was remanded in custody for eight days after whispering to the magistrates that she had nothing to say.
At the monthly St Helens Town Council meeting on the 6th it was revealed that there were about a thousand people in St Helens waiting for a gas stove to be installed.
The Corporation owned the gas supply and provided the stoves and the Mayor of St Helens said their supplier was contracted to sell them a hundred a month.
He said as soon as the stoves were received they were installed – but the demand for them was very high.
Ald Waring wanted to know when the gas lamps on the streets in the outlying districts of the town would be lit again – particularly those on the way to the collieries.
Due to issues with the Corporation's gas supply some lamps were not lit during the summer months and the alderman was assured that they would be turned back on at the end of August ready for the winter season.
New plant was also on order to help them increase the town's supply of gas.
Issues with the water supply in St Helens are normally reserved for my '150 Years Ago' articles.
But at the Town Council meeting there were numerous complaints about taps regularly running dry.
Ald. Waring said at the top of Newton Road there was no water from 8am to 3pm.
Cllr. McGuire then complained about the situation in Atherton Street and Chorley Street where he said there had been a shortage of pressure for seven weeks. Complaints were also made about poor water pressure at Sutton Manor.
In response it was stated that they were experiencing difficulties at the extremities of the town until new water mains could be laid.
During the afternoon of the 7th the so-called "crippled children's garden party" was held on the lawn of Alderman James Crooks' residence in Eccleston Park. In describing the annual event the Reporter wrote:
"Quite a happy little band they were, to be sure. They spread themselves over the lawn, bathed in sunshine, with the pleasant surroundings of tall trees and beds of flowers – those magnificent roses in particular – and from time to time their merry laughter rang out as if they had not a care in the world."
A ventriloquist and magician kept the disabled children amused and they ate a hearty tea.
In 1924 the junction of Westfield Street, Cotham Street and Baldwin Street was known as "Suicide Corner" with large volumes of traffic passing through.
A traffic census taken on one day in 1923 had revealed how over a 12-hour period more than 4,000 vehicles of all kinds had passed that point.
And without the benefit of traffic lights, which were still a few years away, a policeman had to direct traffic on point duty. However, not every driver paid any attention to the traffic bobby.
On the 8th under the headline "Another Smash At ‘Suicide Corner’ – Lurry and Car Collide – Disastrous First Visit To St. Helens", the Reporter described how George Kerry had been accused of causing a crash through ignoring the point duty policeman.
PC Wigglesworth gave evidence of being on point duty at the Sefton Arms and at 10am had signalled a heavy motor lorry to come out of Cotham Street into Westfield Street.
At the same time he gave the signal to stop to a motor car driven by George Kerry that had suddenly appeared after passing a stationary tramcar in Baldwin Street.
The car driver, the officer said, ignored his order and proceeded down Baldwin Street at 15 to 20 mph without once sounding his horn, with the result that he crashed into the heavy lorry at the Cotham Street / Baldwin Street junction.
There were no injuries but both vehicles were damaged, especially the car.
George Kerry had been travelling from Southport to Widnes and argued that the constable had only given him the stop signal when he was four yards away from the corner.
He also claimed to have been only driving at 6 mph. But a crane driver, the tramcar driver and lorry driver all gave evidence supporting the constable's account and Kerry received a fine of £10.
There were two court cases this week with amusing aspects. The first concerned Frederick Duxbury, who when the police asked him for his street trader's licence while selling racing tips in Wilson Street in St Helens had provided a wrong name.
That in itself was not unusual. However, the name he gave was Thomas Lowther and he claimed to have left his licence in his Liverpool home.
And so PC Metcalfe rang up Liverpool Police to confirm his story and by what the Reporter described as a "most remarkable coincidence", the real Thomas Lowther was at that moment in the Liverpool police station with his licence tucked away in his pocket.
When asked by the police in St Helens to account for the fact that he was in two places at once, Duxbury admitted his deceit and gave his correct details. A fine of £1 was imposed on him.
And the musical duo of James Muldoon from Greenbank and Alfred Beattie of Waterloo Place also raised a smile in court.
However, Muldoon and Beattie with other lads had been singing and playing the mouth organ.
Inspector Anders told the court that their impromptu concert had been given late at night at the bottom of Barrow Street.
There was no suggestion of drunkenness but as the small group were occupying the pavement while enjoying themselves, several people had been forced to walk in the road.
And so the inspector had told them to move to another spot, which they did as the Reporter described:
"On reaching the Prince of Wales they elected to give another performance, the mouth organ again obliging with the obbligato.
"Again they were requested to move on, but their enthusiasm for music could not be quenched, and on reaching Bridge-street the band of pilgrims again burst forth in harmony – with the mouth organ accompaniment as before.
"As they were sweeping people off the pavement, P.C. Pugh and Insp. Anders again came on the scene, and the melody was broken by the two defendants being informed that they would be reported."
The pair was both fined 7 shillings.
The Reporter also described how St Helens was going to have its first mining school, with land near the Town Hall set to be acquired by the Corporation for that purpose.
And finally, it was reported that Thatto Heath Council School was to have its own playing field after Pilkingtons had agreed to allow the Elementary Education Committee to use some of its land.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the new-born baby found in the canal, the runaway trailer in Bridge Street, the Clock Face Colliery bandsman who pawned his cornet and the silly neighbourly squabble in Bramwell Street in Parr.