How American Struggled to Bury Bodies During the 1918 Flu Pandemic-- Part 3: Boston and Philadelphia

Gravediggers at Boston's New Calvary Cemetery were spotted dumping corpses out of coffins could be used again.  The War Industries Board  ordered casket makers to manufacture only plain caskets and immediately cease production on "all fancy trimmed and couch and split panel varieties.  It limited caskets sizes for adults  to five feet, nine inches and six feet, 3 inches.

The worst horrors were seen in Philadelphia, where the number of deaths approached 1,000 a day at the pandemic's peak.  Entire neighborhoods were  draped in crepe that was mounted on front doors to mark deaths inside.

Civic leaders  recruited the J.G. Brill Company, a streetcar manufacturer, to construct thousands of  rudimentary boxes in which to bury the dead, while desperately needed coffins arrived in the city under armed guard.

Five hundred bodies crowded the city morgue, which had a capacity for only  36 corpses.    The city scrambled to open  six supplementary morgues and placed bodies in cold storage plants.  Some Philadelphia  residents were  unceremoniously tossed into mass graves  that had been hollowed out by steam shovels.

Turner Brass Works in Sycamore, Illinois

Today and yesterday, I wrote about the Turner Brass Works Company getting an "E" Pennant during World War II for making items for the war effort.  A high honor.  Then, I wrote about the company's history, which started in Chicago and then moved out to Sycamore, Illinois.

They were one of, if not the biggest bakers of blow torches from 1971 to the 1990s.

You can read the entries in my Tattooed On Your Soul:  World War II blog.  Just click on the Blogs I Follow at right.

--DaCoot

Work Or Fight Order and Sunday Driving During World War I

You can read two Looking Back 100 Years Ago from 1918 in my  Down Da Road I Go blog from yesterday, February 21, 2019.  I accidentally put them in that blog and didn't want to redo them in this one.

In short, you were not supposed to go joy riding on a Sunday because of gasoline concerns.  Plus, an industry deemed important to the World War I war effort didn't have to worry about its workers either working in a war industry or signing up to fight.

--Cooter

Honor Roll For the Boys In the Service in 1918

From the December 19, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Honor rolls for the boys of the American Steel & Wire company who gave up their employment to enter service have recently been placed.  One is hung across from the office of the east and west works and contains the names of 107 men now in service.  The roll of honor at the north and south works contains the names of 25 boys.

"The honor rolls are hand made with the exception of a lithographed eagle with flags at the top and are works of art, and are so protected from the weather that they will remain there for some time to come."

Hopefully There Will Be Jobs Awaiting Them Upon Their Return.  --Cooter

Speak English Movement in 1918

From the October 10, 2018, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1918, 100 Years Ago.

"Speak English, write English and tell your family to  write and speak English, is the slogan now among the steel company plants here, and is but another follow-up plan of the recent Americanization meeting held here some time ago.

"On the occasion of the last pay day at the American Steel & Wire company, every check going to a worker of foreign nationality, was stamped, 'Speak English.' "

--Cooter

DeKalb Business Making Money from World War I in 1917

From the September 20, 2017, MidWeek  "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"The Nehring Electrical Works at the corner of Sixth and Lincoln Highway are working day and night shifts at this time and enjoying an unusual amount of business in the covered wire lines.

"An order was received this morning for 1,000 miles of the best covered wire, and this will keep the plant busy for several days."

A war industry.

--Cooter

Follow Up on Jennie Truncale, a Rosie the Riveter

Back on Nov. 8, 2013, I wrote about this woman turning 105 in my World War II blog, Tattooed On Your Soul, and that she worked at the Scuvill Manufacturing Company in Waterbury, Ct., during the war. I'd never heard of this company so some more research was in order.

From the Women, Enterprise & Society Collection at Harvard University.

This company produced brass objects like buttons, screws and tools in Waterbury, Ct., from 1802-1956. Its payroll records from 1862-1916 indicate that about half of the workers were women.

From Wikipedia.

Waterbury is known by the nickname "Brass City," and is 77 miles northeast of New York City. During World War II, some 10,000 worked at Scuvill Manufacturing which was sold to Century Brass in 1956.

Just a Follow Up. --Cooter