Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of April 9-15.
April 9, 1938: Firemen continue to pour water on ruins of lumber fire; loss is $200,000
Firemen were continuing to pour water on the ashes of the main building of the Kuntz-Johnson Lumber Co. on Mead Street. Ten fire companies and three trucks battled the blaze the previous day.
Spectators had to be held back by a police line. One estimate was that the fire attracted at least 10,000 people.
The three alarm fire resulted in a loss to be estimated at $200,000.
The building contained the milling and hardware departments and the company records.
April 9, 1948: Past holds ghostly gavel as goods of murdered woman are auctioned off
A crowd came to 608 McLain St. for an auction of the estate of a 79-year-old woman who had been murdered.
Some thought they could find hidden treasures. One woman bought a basket of antique dishes and found 25 shares of stock.
The five-week-old murder mystery of the woman who “did not believe in banks” was still being investigated by Dayton police. In all, police discovered $3,000 in cash, less than was thought because she had sold several properties in the weeks prior.
April 15, 1956: 200,000th phone installed in area
Unlike the Daytonian who got the area’s 100,000th telephone 10 years prior, Mrs. Marvin Nichols had her choice of colors for the 200,000th set.
An Ohio Bell manager said it took 67 years to install the first 100,000 but less than 10 years to reach the next 100,000 subscribers.
In 1879, Dayton’s first telephone exchange was opened with 100 subscribers.
April 14, 1979: Kings Island The Beast coaster wins A-OK
This day marked the official opening of Kings Island for the season and the public christening of The Beast, a $4.1 million redwood structure that “ranks behind the electric chair and the 18-hour girdle as the 20th century’s greatest contribution to torture,” the Dayton Daily News wrote at the time.
Gary Kyriazi, “America’s roller coaster rater,” was on hand to proclaim The Beast — America’s fastest, highest and longest roller coaster (at the time) — one of the top four rides in the country.
“Whew! That’s one of the most exciting rides I’ve ever had,” he said, glancing back at the first drop. “It has got the best spiral ever and one of the best drops I’ve ever experienced.”
The roller coaster, when introduced, traveled over and under a 35-acre wooded site in Kings Island’s Rivertown area. The first drop plummeted 135 feet into a 125-foot-long concrete tunnel that burrowed 18 feet below ground at speeds approaching 70 miles per hour.
April 11, 1986: Preservationists protest city’s plans for Wright Brothers’ neighborhood
Aviation enthusiasts were trying to preserve what was left of the Wright brothers’ old neighborhood. The city had targeted 11 commercial buildings nearby in Innerwest Dayton for demolition.
In 1936, workers dismantled the house where Orville and Wilbur Wright grew up and the bicycle shop where they invented the airplane for display at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich.
The demolition was seen as a move that would further isolate the Wright Bicycle Shop on South Williams, which Aviation Trail had been restoring with about $110,000 of privately donated money.
The city decided to slow their plans after learning that Aviation Trail officials were trying to preserve the neighborhood. Although the area was described by officials as having buildings that were structurally unsound, impossible to secure, potential hazards and a blight to the area looking for redevelopment.
April 9, 1992: TV’s Arsenio Hall goes back to school
During appearances at Cox Elementary School in Xenia and Central State University, talk show host and actor Arsenio Hall entertained audienes as he was in the area to receive an honorary degree from CSU.
During his CSU speech, Hall said, “How proud it makes me to look out at an audience of Black people at an institution of higher learning, trying to do the right thing.”
Hall told his story about growing up in Cleveland, as he and his friends battled the drug culture.
“I saw my friend die ... that was a very, very hard thing to do. Keep your noses empty and your minds full, you are the future,” he said.
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