A Kayak's View of the Matawan Shark Attacks

A few years ago, a kayaker made the two videos below on a stretch of Matawan Creek near Dock Street in Matawan. The site, which is circled in light blue on the map above, is behind Aby's Restaurant and Key Autobody, et al, which are just across Main Street from the big railroad parking lot where the flea markets are held.

The videos claim to show the place where Lester Stillwell and Stanley Fisher were killed in a vicious shark attack in July 1916. And they show the spot where they claim Lester's body was recovered.

The second video shows a lot of pilings in the creek at low tide. Most of those are what remains from the old railroad trestle fire of 1946. The land was built up to the north of Aberdeen Road to replace the trestle, leaving a small outlet through which Matawan Creek now flows.

Matavan (detail), Wolverton's Atlas (1889)

The other pilings shown in the second video are the remains of the old steamboat landing at Dock Street. The creek was more substantial before two dams were built, an earthen roadway was built to convey the railroads, and the Garden State Parkway came along. The creek was wide and deep enough for the propeller steamboat S S Wyckoff to convey passengers and goods between New York City and Matawan in the 19th century. Multiple brickyards were built along the creek to facilitate shipping of their goods.

The Scots Presbyterians landed at Matawan Creek in the 17th Century and established a number of churches in the area, including communities at Wickatunk, Old Tennent, and Mount Pleasant (the present day First Presbyterian Church of Matawan).

The original local articles about the attacks are available online. The 13 Jul 1916 edition of The Matawan Journal contains the breaking news and the local response. The 20 Jul 1916 edition has reporting on the funeral of Stanley Fisher and the discovery of Lester Stilwell's body.

See more details of old local maps from Wolverton's Atlas here.

Matawan Creek (1)

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Matawan Creek (2)

This Patchwork No Longer Serves Its Communities

The New York Times said in a 16 Dec 2013 article that The Patch is on its way out. That's not news to readers in Matawan and Aberdeen, where the service started with considerable promise but soon became an advertisement-ridden website filled with public service announcements, human interest features, and little news of local interest or import.

Tonight's Top News starts with job opportunities at Sleepy's, the Aberdeen Registrar's Office's new expanded hours, a local high school's art show win, and the latest home sales. Oh, and Lifestyle offers to teach you how to make buttermilk-battered fried chicken. And don't forget the big lottery ad: $2 million is only a scratch away.

The local editor who started The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch left the online newspaper a while ago and her replacement had no local roots and served at least two sites. Matawan-Aberdeen is now managed by a regional editor whose umbrella covers half the county. Articles these days are derived from news releases from law enforcement, school districts and municipalities.

The Patch had the worthy goal of filling the gap in local news coverage that staff-starved newspapers like the Asbury Park Press and Newark Star-Ledger were unable to produce. But The Patch produced few if any hard-hitting articles that might challenge our local governments, likely fearing that if they bite the hands that feed them, they will lose access to local officials. And what little true journalism was on display in those early years is virtually gone.

All in all, the coverage provided by The Patch doesn't protect its communities through what is recognized as the power of the Fifth Estate. Its patchwork of websites has been a placeholder for whatever comes next. What came before -- in print or online - has let us down.

History: Wartime Elixir Ad Targets Women's Sense of Duty (1918)

The 7 Nov 1918 edition of The Matawan Journal included this spirited wartime advertisement of the Lydia E Pinkham Hygiene Company, of Lynn, Massachusetts.  It encouraged "sick women to do your duty during these trying times" and take their vegetable compound to alleviate "female troubles and displacement."

Two woman advocated for this product by saying they'd found instant relief. One from Pennsylvania testified, "I am keeping house since last April and doing all my housework, where before I was unable to do any work." Another woman said she wanted other women in her situation to know that Pinkham's had ended her cramps and "dragging down pain," irregularity, "female weakness and displacement."

Displacement is likely a reference to painful symptoms experienced by many women due to internal organ movement caused by dramatic growth of the fetus in the second trimester of pregnancy. See Common Second Trimester Pains, at Baby and Bump.

History: Dr Dutcher, Veterinary Dentist Visits Matawan (1888)

A veterinary dentist named Dr Dutcher visited Matawan twice in 1888 to treat the area's horses and sell his liniment.

The pullers, luggers, lollers, droolers, et al mentioned in the first ad are categories of horse behaviors that resulted from the horses' responses to improper bitting. Those issues could have been caused by or leading to dental disease. But the other ailments and conditions were muscular or skeletal in nature, likely outside the bounds of the typical veterinary dentist's area of expertise. Likely he was hawking a cure all liniment as part of his practice. Ads for mostly ineffective curative liniments for people filled the Matawan Journal in those days, and only ended with federal intervention.

I've not been able to find any additional information online about this Dr Dutcher and would be pleased to hear from my readers about him. (Given the era, I'm assuming the doctor was a male, but I've been wrong before.)

The 4 Aug 1888 and 11 Aug 1888 editions of The Matawan Journal carried the above Dr Dutcher ad, transcribed below:

DR DUTCHER,

Veterinary Dentist,

will treat ailments of the horse's mouth

and cure all such

SIDERIAN PULLERS, LUGGERS,

TONGUE LOLLERS, DROOLERS, 

CRIBBERS, AND OLD HORSES 

that cannot masticate their food.

All work warranted. Orders by mail 

promptly attended to. Examination free. 

Also, Dr Dutcher's Celebrated Liniment 

and Ointment, for contracted cords, spavin, 

ringbone, swollen joints, corns and quarter 

cracks. The Doctor will be at the 

Matawan House for 10 Days.

 

The 20 Oct 1888 and 27 Oct 1888 editions of The Matawan Journal carried the above Dr Dutcher ad, which read:

DR DUTCHER,

  VETERINARY DENTIST.

    TREATS ALL DISEASES OF HORSES.

  Also, Dr Dutcher's Celebrated Liniment

and Ointment, for ringbone, spavin, etc.

          Refers to Dunn, Dunlop & Co,

    May be found at the Matawan House.

History: New Jersey Bell Operator Job (1957)

The 10 Oct 1957 edition of The Matawan Journal contained this advertisement seeking telephone operator applicants for New Jersey Bell:

30 DAYS: It's Jo Ann Lamberti's (left) first job. She's learning quickly the art of handling calls around the corner or around the world.

30 YEARS: The experience of chief operator Mrs Anne M Merchant (right) is invaluable in helping newcomers like Jo Ann become skilled operators.

Working together to bring people together. Youth and experience, like Jo Anne Lamberti and Mrs Anne M Merchant -- work together to bring you the advantages of modern phone service. Because of them you can be in touch with almost anyone, anywhere, any time.

It's a big job. One that keeps over 29,000 New Jersey men and women busy. And each year the team grows.

Would you like a telephone career? If so -- call your Chief Operator.

NEW JERSEY BELL TELEPHONE COMPANY

History: JCP&L Markets Easy Washer (1935)

Ever think about buying your washing machine from Jersey Central Power and Light Co (JCP&L)? Back in the 1930's, when the electric company was trying to broaden their business to household customers,  homemakers were being cajoled with ads that promised an easier life with electric appliances. The ad above (transcribed below) appeared in the 15 Feb 1935 edition of The Matawan Journal.

Now only $59.50 for this new EASY WASHER

• New Easy Wringer. A new, easy individual WRINGER that you will like because it is different and better. Balloon-type rolls, self-reversing drain board, quick safety release.
• Easy Wringer Drive. Heavy beveled gears, long lived, rust proof, noiseless. Trouble free construction used in over 1,000,000 Easy Washers.
• Easy Electric Pump Model 3F2. Empties the water when you have finished washing. No heavy buckets to lift or carry. No messy floors, wet feet.
• Easy Agitator. Washes a big family size load of clothes with unequaled speed. Long scrubbing vanes vigorously agitate water and clothes, giving quick thorough cleansing. Simple to understand and operate.
• Easy Gear Case Standard. EASY Lifetime Gear Train made to unequaled precision for long wear and freedom from service.

$5.00 DOWN. BALANCE DUE ON EASY TERMS TO SUIT YOUR BUDGET.
Buy Your Easy Washer Now. It will pay for itself as you use it.

JERSEY CENTRAL
Power and Light Co

History: Matawan Journal Applauds US Stand Against Austrian Antisemitism (1885)

The Matawan Journal makes significant editorial comment on what later became known as the Keiley Incident. President Grover Cleveland had attempted to appoint Anthony M Keiley as US ambassador, first to Italy and then to Austria. The US launched a harsh exchange with Austria, captured in the Journal's 22 August 1885 article. The editors applauded the US Government's bristly response to the Austrian Court, which rejected the enjoy, supposedly because he was a weak Catholic, but in actuality because he was married to a Jewish woman.

Keiley served in the Petersburg Rifles during the US Civil War and later became the Mayor of Richmond (1871-1875) and its city attorney. Cleveland eventually was able to place him at the International Court of Appeals in Cairo, Egypt, where he eventually became Chief Justice. After his wife died in Cairo, Keiley traveled Europe, meeting his end on the streets of Paris, where he was struck by a horse and died. (See Civil War Memoirs, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA; and An Old Man at the Battle of Petersburg: Anthony M Keiley, The Siege of Petersburg Online)

The Matawan Journal, 22 Aug 1885 edition, pg 3 col 1:

We mentioned last week that Minister Keiley was not accepted by the Austrian Government to represent the United States because of his wife being a Jewess, and that sect is not recognized in the Austrian Court. Secretary Bayard has permitted the correspondence between this country and Austria relative to the matter to be made public. Secretary Bayard wrote to the Emperor of Austria that the Republic not only does not recognize, but has a profound contempt for, race or religious distinctions, and cannot be expected to consider them for the purpose of humoring other people's prejudices. He further intimates that while the Austrian ambassador will be treated with social and official courtesy so long as he remains here, the Government would not be offended if that gentleman were called back to Austria. In other words, if Austria cannot accept the Minister that America honors, America has no use for Austria nor her ambassador. We like that dignified grit and manhood that thus defends America and her principles. If Austria doesn't like it, America can only say: "Not to know me argues yourself unknown."

The previous week's article (15 Aug 1885 edition, pg 3 col 1) made no mention of the reason why the ambassador's assignment was declined.

The State Department is in receipt of a dispatch from the secretary of the American legation at Vienna to the effect that the Austrian government has declined to receive Minister Kelley. No reason is assigned.

History: Esso The Giant Power Fuel (1929 Advertisement)

The 16 Aug 1929 edition of The Matawan Journal contained the above advertisement for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. The company was lauding the virtues of its Esso gasoline in what looks to me to be a rather sexually suggestive ad, both in wording and image.

I've rendered the text of the ad below:

ESSO THE GIANT POWER FUEL
Smoothes Out The Hill Roads And Gives You Greater Power

For Esso is a red giant for power. More pent-up energy than a swollen river or a cyclone. But Esso is flexible power. Throttle down to a lazy crawl. Or open up to seventy. It's all the same to Esso.

Of course, Esso has the best anti-knock qualities. But it does more than cut out motor "pings". Gives new life to any car.

And there is only one Esso - uniform in quality - sold at thousands of silver Esso pumps with Esso shields. You can't mistake the name or the results.

Esso contains tetra-ethyl-lead.

STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY

Board Gives Last Minute Notice of Park Cleanup Event

It was a great idea for Aberdeen Township to seek volunteers for a Saturday morning clean up event at the River Gardens Natural Area, but it seems to me that the Township's Environmental Board could have done more to draw in volunteers for this worthy project in the Riverdale Park section of Cliffwood.

The board's press release was dated Thursday for a Saturday morning event, a bit late in my view. I know I didn't come across word of the event until about an hour ago. While it was somehow picked up before press time by Gannet's weekly Independent, the original press release didn't go out to Aberdeen residents by e-Bulletin until Friday morning and there was no information in The Matawan-Aberdeen Patch or Asbury Park Press.

The board could have taken advantage of the Patch's free community events feature or given them a brief interview. There was nothing in The Asbury Park Press, but that's no surprise. We're not in southeastern Monmouth or Ocean County, so we don't count.

I hope the project was well attended and wish I could have participated. Its last minute and limited promotion might have kept many people like me in the dark.

By the way, in the course of conducting my research for this article I noticed that the Township website search tool only brings up 3 hits for the string "River gardens," while an advanced Google search of the website ("river gardens" site:www.aberdeennj.org) yields 19 hits. The Township webmaster might want to take a look at the search tool and see what's up. Neither tool brought up Thursday's press release, but that could be due to a slow web crawler.

Morgan NJ Blog; Thomas Warne Museum and Madison Township Historical Society

There's a new blog at Wordpress dealing with the Morgan section of Sayreville, New Jersey. So far, Verne James has focused on historical topics, with lots of photographs and images of old maps and documents. Morgan's just up the road from Cliffwood on Route 35, north of Laurence Harbor.

The North Jersey Coast line runs through Morgan. That's the place where the lights sometimes go out in the train while crossing the trestle over Cheesequake Creek. The trestle, a railroad drawbridge, took quite a beating during Hurricane Sandy, leaving quite a mess in the storm's aftermath. Morgan is also the home of the Gillespie Munitions Plant explosion back in 1918.

In a recent post, Verne mentioned the Thomas Warne Museum, which is the home of the Madison Township Historical Society. (Madison Township was formed from part of South Amboy in 1869 and was renamed Old Bridge Township in 1975 to eliminate confusion with a Madison in Morris County, according to Wikipedia.)

The museum is located at 4216 Route 516, Old Bridge, NJ. Be sure to visit the museum (Fri noon to 4pm and weekends noon to 6 pm) and friend them on Facebook.

Blogger Seeks the Paranormal in the Bayshore

Freelance writer Greg Caggiano, author of the blog "From New York to San Francisco," included a travelogue in January titled "A Trip to Rose Hill Cemetery in Matawan; And Other Local Hot-Spots." He checked for ghosts haunting the cemetery and also visited spirits at Dempsey House in Leonardo and Spy House in Port Monmouth.

History: Matawan Journal Blurbs (2 Dec 1932)

A few small articles from The Matawan Journal's 2 Dec 1932 edition:

ESTABLISHES RIDING ACADEMY

"Ernest Peterson has established a riding academy in the service station back of the show room in the old Washington Market building. Matawan has developed many enthusiasts for riding in recent years which has prompted Mr Peterson to make the sport more convenient for them by having the horses near at home."

ABOUT 75 AT RABBIT SUPPER

"A number of Matawan people partook of the rabbit and roast pork supper served by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Cliffwood Fire Company in the fire house Wednesday night. About seventy-five persons were served."

"FREE to every subscriber who pays his subscription between now and Christmas we will give a box of Chritmas cards which regularly sell for a $1.00."

ROEBLING DIVORCED REPORTED CONFIRMED

"Mildred Kunath Roebling, who as a young girl lived in Matawan, filed suit for divorce on Saturday in Reno, Nevada against Siegfried Roebling, grandson of Colonel Washington Roebling, and who is vice president of John A Roebling Sons, famous bridge builders of New York and Trenton. She charged cruelty. Mrs Roebling is a society aviatrix, and while residing in Trenton made it a practice to fly her plane over Matawan very often, it being the home of her mother."

The 1920 Federal Census showed Mildred Kunath, age 14, living with her parents on Cheesequake Road in Madison. The text is difficult to read, so I can't figure out her father's name -- perhaps Anzo or Otto -- but her mother's name, Katherina, appears again in the 1930 Federal Census, also in Madison. The 1930 record said Katherina was still married, but her husband was not enumerated. Perhaps he was out of the country? The family had German roots. The newspaper made reference to Mildred's mother, so perhaps he had indeed died or left her? This is unclear.

New York Passenger Lists show the couple boarded the Majestic at Cherbourg, France on 25 September 1929 and arrived at the Port of New York on 1 October 1929:

• Siegfried Roebling, born 28 Dec 1890 (age 38) in Morris Plains, NJ
• Mildred Roebling, born 24 Dec 1905 (age 23) in Newark, NJ

The couple had been married a year and were living at 11 Belmont Circle, Trenton, NJ at the time of the 1930 Federal Census. Their property was worth $30,000. He was vice president of a company that made iron rope, perhaps for suspension bridges. They had a 34 year old English servant named Minnie Goodwin.

A family tree online shows Mildred remarried to a Watson Laurence Stillwaggon, was enumerated in Matawan in the 1940 Federal Census, along with Watson and a 3-year old daughter Margaret, and died in Winter Park, Florida on 28 March 1999. Watson was born  17 Sep 1906 in New Jersey and died 20 Feb 2007 in Eatontown, NJ.

SUPT J S MCCURDY TO DRAFT PLAN FOR A SCHOOL SAFETY PATROL

The State of New Jersey passed a law on 2 May 1931 allowing schools to establish safety patrols to assist children negotiate automobile traffic as they make their way back and forth to school. The Matawan School Board discussed the issue. Board member James Van Brakle recommended that the school janitors help out with the traffic congestion outside the school at the end of the day, but Superintendent John S McCurdy wanted to pursue the safety patrol idea.

REPAIRS ARE STARTED ON LEFFERTS LAKE DAM

"Work on the repair of the dirt fill which forms a part of Lake Lefferts dam is under way. In order that the work might be carried on without delay it was necessary to lower the water level three feet. The repairs will consist in raising the road across the dam, known as Ravine Drive, eighteen inches and the placing of drains to carry off the water when it reaches more than its normal level. It is estimated the work will require several days.

The work is being done under the supervision of the borough and the Board of Freeholders."

History: Matawan's Response to Johnstown Flood (1889)

The 8 Jun 1889 edition of The Matawan Journal included a supplement full of particulars on the 31 May 1889 flood at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It also contained the following local blurbs:

• Mrs G D White is spending the week with her brother in Philadelphia.
• Peter V Hyer has purchased an elegant team of bays from Frank Bedle.
• The rails of the Keyport and Matawan street railway were cast at Johnstown.
• The US Express, by J S Harris, agent, will send packages or money free to Johnstown sufferers.
• Excellent music and literary exercises at the Reform Club meeting next Tuesday evening at 8 o'clock.
• We enjoyed a pleasant call from Mr William Reckless, son of the late Hon. Anthony Reckless, on Monday.
• The lawn tennis ground on the lot fronting Main street of the Chapman estate is a popular after-ten resort.
• John Albert has removed from Atlantic avenue to the house vacated by Edward Eastmond on Stilwell street.
• The June meeting of the Board of Chosen Freeholders will be held at the court house next Wednesday morning.
• Edward Eastmond has removed from Stilwell street to the house owned by Mr William Spader near the up town pottery.
• John Stephens is building quite an addition to his house near the junction of the Freehold turnpike with the road to Old Bridge.
• We are in the very cream of the strawberry season and are having a cream of a crop, and strawberries and cream are especially palatable.
• The Matawan Building and Loan Association held its regular meeting on Wednesday evening. $1,000 was sold at 1 per cent premium.
• Mrs Annie Pennington and Miss Emma Burnham, of Delaware, who have been visiting at the Presbyterian parsonage, returned home on Monday.
• The Union News Co will erect a news stand at Matawan station, similar to the one at Red Bank and those being built at South and Perth Amboy.
• Mr E S Hammell, editor of the Jamesburg Record, with his wife and child, spent from Saturday to Monday as guests at the residence of Mrs D I Stilwell.
• Commencing next Saturday June 15, the steamer Minnie Cornell will leave New York every Saturday at 9:30 pm. On the other weekdays she will leave at 4 o'clock.
• E I Brown will open in a few days in the store room formerly occupied by George B Shepherd as a furniture store, No 10 Commercial Block, with a large stock of new carriages, wagons, etc.
• An effort is being made to secure a post office at Mount Pleasant, and it is proposed to name it Freneau, after the Revolutionary poet, Philip Freneau, who lies buried on the Hyer farm at that place.
• J L M Dominick, agent for Adams Express Company, will receive and ship FREE to the flooded districts, any clothing, potatoes or other articles not perishable. They can be left at his express office, or he will call anywhere in Matawan.
• The funeral services of the infant child of Mr and Mrs John S Woolley took place at the residence of the parents, upper part of Main street, at 3 o'clock last Sunday afternoon, and were conducted by Rev Mr Chattin. The remains were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.
• On Tuesday evening, at the regular meeting of the Washington Engine Co, Garrett Hendrickson was put in nomination for Chief of the Fire Department. Matawan Truck Co on Wednesday evening nominated Isaac T Rue. The two companies will meet this Friday evening to elect.

History: The Matawan Journal Calls for Temperance Society, 1876

The 14 Oct 1876 edition of The Matawan Journal (pg 2 col 1) reported that John Hill, a saloon keeper in Keyport, fled the area, seemingly in anticipation of his second Grand Jury indictment for keeping a "disorderly house." This prompted Mr Hill to flee, or, to quote the newspaper, to take "leg bail."

"Whether he had heard of the indictment, or was assured that it would be made, we have not learned; but it is evident that his guilt was so well established in his own mind that he knew his next fate would be State Prison. To avoid this he has run away."

Getting on his temperance soap box, the newspaper editor complained that Hill was only one of many bar keeps in Monmouth and Middlesex counties who "are violators of the very license law that grants them the privilege to pour rum down the throats of their neighbors and impoverish their families." The  bars were even selling liquor within earshot of the area churches' pulpits during worship service hours, he complained, a clear violation of the license, which sets rules to keep these businesses shuttered on Sundays. "Six week-days we would judge to be enough for the privilege of carrying on such a work of human destruction and family desolation as this. . ."

The editor, pointing out that there was no temperance society in Matawan, asked rhetorically, "Is not the evil practiced here? Have we become so highly moral as to need no institution to keep up this virtue save the churches?" The editor credited the churches for doing great work, but called for additional measures for those who had lost their way. "[T]here are many who seem to need another step before they enter the sanctuary, and that step is the temple of temperance."

The editor worried that local society was ignoring the problem as their boys faced the life of a drunkard and their girls the grim possibility of "becoming the wives of men whom intemperance may curse." In the meantime, the editor noted, municipal officials were continuing to issue licenses despite the peril around them. In an obvious reference to The Devil, the editor thought that local officials were turning a blind eye, instead "doing nothing to stay the fowler from spreading his net."

Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District Forms Packet 2012-13

The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District (MARSD) has issued its 2012-2013 school year forms packet for parents to sign by 7 Sep 2012. The "complete packet" is 24 pages long and paperless.

Parents are told the rules about:

• pp 1-3: Student use of computers and the possible consequences for abuse
• pg 4: Student attendance
• pg 5: Asbestos hazards
• pg 6: Pesticide hazards
• pg 7: Bias incidents
• pp 8-16, 22: Harassment, intimidation and bullying
• pp 17-19 - Cyber bullying
• pg 20 - Parent Portal - communications with the school
• pg 21 - Rules regarding late arrival and early dismissal
• pg 23 - Authorization for family physician
• pg 24 - Consent to use your child's image on school website and/or Huskievision

A few points of concern:

1) The Internet Safety/Protection section (pg 2) makes a simple if fundamental error in its application of the Miller vs US three-prong test of obscenity. The US Supreme Court ruling calls for all three prongs to be met, not just one or two of them. The current "either/or" rendering of the school rule erroneously leaves each prong to stand alone as a violation of obscenity. The individual elements cannot stand alone but must be applied and met together to add up to obscenity. And for good reason. Notice that the third element -- images are deemed obscene that lack literary, artistic, scientific, or political value to minors -- certainly doesn't on its own necessarily add up to obscenity.

The rules ask parents to give the school permission to act reasonably in the area of computer use, which sounds okay until you realize that individual teachers and school district officials are left to apply their own values when they enforce what is "generally acceptable in the community."

One day we'll all look back at this aspect of these guidelines and gasp.

2) Notice that bullying gets the lion's share of attention here. Lots of detail. But at the same time they want you to sign 1) that you're aware of a vague plan to deal with asbestos in MARSD buildings and 2) that their use of pesticides won't be discussed this year but isn't any big shakes.

3) Parents have to grant the school permission to post their child's image on the school's website and on Huskievision. The form doesn't allow a parent to say no. Instead, a parent would have to sign the form granting permission, then take the second step of writing a letter to the school rescinding that permission. The simple answer is to have a form that offers yes or no checkoff boxes to grant permission or not. Most parents, if they read these 24 pages, will throw up their hands and grant this permission.

History: Newspaper Boys - Matawan (1972)

I delivered The Evening Star newspaper in my suburban Washington, DC neighborhood in the late 1960's and early 1970's. I rode my bike from house to house every afternoon and, once a month, I went door to door "collecting." It was a young boy's job. Things were no different here in the Matawan area, it seems, based on this ad from the 19 Apr 1972 edition of The Independent.

The job of paper boy has not only gone gender neutral in the 21st century but it's no longer a kid's job at all. Adults now deliver papers from open windows in their cars. And The Asbury Park Press bills me automatically by credit card.

A Pile of Secrets

I think you'll enjoy this video. Hat tip to Robert Krulwich (of NPR's Radio Lab) and his Krulwich Wonders blog for leading me to this story about Post Secrets as told by its author at TED (Ideas Worth Spreading).

You won't go wrong by making any or all of the above links a Favorite Place on your computer.

Don't Pass Up Earthweek in the Sunday Asbury Park Press

The Asbury Park Press has a weekly syndicated feature called Earthweek: Diary of a Planet, edited by Steve Newman. Today my better half pointed out some interesting Earthweek items on page AA3 of this morning's paper, so I dug around the Internet to see if I could find more information to go along with a few of the more interesting environmental and nature stories. Here's what I found.

ORCA Staff examining beached dolphin (Earthweek)

Beached dolphin in Peru (treehugger.com)

Sonar devices used in seabed oil exploration off the coast of northern Peru is the likely culprit in a series of mass dolphin beachings along the beach at Lambayaque, according to an expert at the Organization for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals - Peru (ORCA Peru), as published this week by Earthweek. The total deaths in the past three months is 3,000, with the most recent surge of beachings at 461 deaths, according to PEJ.

The River Rye in Yorkshire is drying up due to extreme drought, so, according to the video below, some dedicated souls are capturing fish trapped in isolated pools and moving them upstream. The pools would otherwise condemn a couple of desirable native species. The teams give them a good zap of electricity to stun them, then they net the fish and move them. I found a short interview of one of the organizers, but I couldn't find any video of the volunteers at work.



To get an idea of just how dry it is in England, check out this recent video.

Earthweek has an odd story about big snakes entering people's homes in Namibia to watch tv and otherwise cause havoc. The piece is apparently drawn from a recent article in The Namibian. The Namibian includes more details from an interview with a regional snake expert named Stuart Hebbert, who attempts to gently debunk what the villagers are saying about big snakes being dropped from helicopters.  He suggests the more likely scenario is that recent floods increased the rodent population, thus attracting the snakes. The funniest part of Hebbert's interview, left out by Earthweek, was when he asked why someone would want to drop snakes from a helicopter in the first place.

Lest you think snakes don't watch tv, there are countless stories, photos, and videos online of snakes doing just that. Check out the video below showing a ball python enjoying an episode of the Colbert Report for one example.



Teachers might want to consider using this feature in their science classes if they aren't already doing so. I learned quite a bit by attempting to add value to these stories and publish a short blog item. A student assignment could be to discover and publish additional aspects of a typical weekly Earthweek item. This could involve updating or broadening the abbreviated Earthweek item by finding more detailed media coverage, including reports, video footage, or photographs. A student could also identify prominent players, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), involved in the issue at hand. The process certainly would give students hands on experience with standard research methods, including comparison and prioritization of that fire hose of information called the Internet, as well as a familiarization with the eternal struggle to discern and rank the source freshness and reliability of each piece of reporting selected for a blog

History: Sex Crime Panic, Monmouth County (1947 - 1950)

Uncontrolled Desires: The Response to the Sexual Psychopath (1920-1960), by Estelle B Freedman says that there was a post-World War II media craze over sex crime that had its origins in a 1931 German movie. "Sex Panic and the Punitive State," by Roger N Lancaster, draws from Freedman's work.

The Matawan Journal raised the volume on sex crimes in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Maybe it was in response to J Edgar Hoover's statement in 1947 that "the most rapidly increasing type of crime is that perpetrated by degenerate sex offenders" and his call to respond, "Should wild beasts break out of circus cages, the whole city would be mobilized instantly. But depraved human beings, more savage than beasts, are permitted to rove America at will."?

Monmouth County Prosecutor J Victor Carton reached out to movie theater operators to warn them that a sexual predator was targeting 9 - 14 year old girls, according to the 6 Feb 1947 edition of The Matawan Journal. Half a dozen such incidents had occurred in the previous few weeks, most in movie theaters.

The 1 Jan 1948 edition of The Journal (pg 4 col 2) publicized the rise in sex crimes, often by repeat offenders, in Monmouth County. "Local police in this area know the sex type of offense is on the increase. The public may not be aware of conditions because the circumstances surrounding this type of crime often are not publicized; however, an aroused public opinion in regards to the problem is necessary if conditions are to be improved. This is especially so since a high percentage of such crimes have children as the unfortunate victims."

New Jersey Attorney General Theodore D Parsons (1948 - 1954) announced pioneering legislation to fight sex crimes in the state, according to the 15 Sep 1949 edition of The Journal.

Keyport Chief of Police Leroy Sproul called for public vigilance for sexual predators, especially those seeking to victimize children, according to the 16 Feb 1950 edition of The Journal. His concern was based on rising national statistics in the realm of sex crime, not a local problem, but the trend was troubling and could affect the local area. Chief Sproul urged parents to report anything suspicious.

"The chief pointed out that cases of rape and murder of small children have shocked the nation and have caused many police authorities to wonder if certain types of sex insanity are on the increase. Offenders apprehended range in age from youths in their teens to men in their late sixties, Chief Sproul said. He stressed that increased molestation of girls and women is posing a new police problem, which even the most efficient patrol activity cannot check without aid of the public."

History: Gilbert McDermott Goes to Florida (Christmas 1881)

Page 3 of the 21 January 1882 edition of The Matawan Journal contained a 4 Jan 1882 letter to David A Bell, editor and proprietor of the newspaper, from Gilbert McDermott, a local insurance agent, who had traveled to Florida over the Christmas holidays, supposedly for health reasons.

Mr McDermott wrote to "Friend Bell" that they departed New York on Wednesday 14 December 1881 aboard the S S City of Columbus, which was commanded by Captain Fisher of Matawan. They hit high seas and most got seasick. "Many had a sad upheaving of their inward condition." The weather cleared off Cape Hatteras and life slowly returned to normal aboard ship.  Captain Fisher regaled the McDermotts with stories of his exploits at sea and gave them a tour of the pilot house. He gave Mr McDermott his spyglass and pointed out the lightship stationed off Cape Hatteras.

Revenue Cutter Dexter (left) comes to rescue survivors of City of Columbus wreck off the coast of Massachusetts (Wikimedia)

Wikipedia reports that the City of Columbus was built in 1878 and made runs between Boston and Savannah until it ran aground off Massachusetts in 1884 with a loss of life of 100.

The McDermotts debarked at Savannah on Saturday and boarded the City of Bridgeton. They sailed the Sea Island Route down to Fernandina, Florida. He found the St Johns River a "dreary waste as far as the eye could reach."

A connection to the City of Bridgeton (Sea Island Route) is mentioned in "The Official Railway Guide: North American Freight Service Edition," by the American Association of Passenger Traffic Officers (Philadelphia: 1881, National Railway Publication Service)

After an hour they reached Jacksonville, which he seemed to find uncomfortable due to the high percentage of African Americans there. He remarked that half of Jacksonville's 12,000 residents were black, with a "much thicker sprinkling of colored people" in town because it was Christmas time.

Black workers pack grapefruit at Jacksonville.

The city was well laid out, had a business district centered on Bay Street, had major utilities, many fine 3-story buildings, and a strong media (5 daily newspapers and a number of weeklies). Most anything you might want could be purchased, but the "walks of the town are mostly boards and in a poor condition, while the middle of the streets are a bed of sand, with no effort to improve them. Hence they use two-wheel carts principally for carting, with a mule between the shafts and a negro on the foreboard -- invariably."

Mr McDermott was disappointed that it had been raining a lot during their visit to Florida, with hot days in the Sun and cold, damp nights that required them to light a fire to keep warm. He pointed out that Jacksonville was surrounded by marshland and residents suffered with malaria. Board was available for $4-6 per night, even for $1/night under certain circumstances. He didn't like Jacksonville and didn't understand why doctors would refer their patients to go there.

He abandoned Jacksonville and went 120 miles south to Enterprise, Florida, where he was writing from. He found the place less cold and damp, with less fog, less "society" and more pines. They had nice accommodations on an orange grove with many fresh fruits and vegetables available.

The 1880 Federal Census enumerated Gilbert McDermott and his wife Mary as age 34 and living in Matawan Township. His occupation was as a life and fire insurance agent. David A Bell, also in the Township, was age 39 and was enumerated with his wife Isabella age 31 and their 11 month old infant son Arthur S Bell (born May 1879). David, an editor by occupation, and his mother were born in NJ but his father was born in England. Isabella and her parents were born in Maryland. Also in their household was Isabella's sister Sallie Shepard, age 24, also from Maryland, as well as a servant named Mary J Kemp, age 23.