Here’s a look at some stories happening the week of May 14-20.
May 14, 1939: Ten-man life raft developed by Wright Field researchers
Researchers at Wright Field, the experimental laboratory for the Army Air Corps., were working on ways to increase the safety of crews on fighter planes.
Their latest invention in 1939 was a 10-man rubber raft that could be quickly inflated to float an entire crew of a giant Army bomber. It was said to be “virtually non-sinkable.”
Besides the 10 men in the raft, 10 more could find safety by using the lifeline that extended around the raft.
Cylinders of carbon dioxide were attached to the raft for quick inflation. When fully inflated, the raft weighed about 115 pounds. When deflated, it only took up three cubic feet of space.
The kit included four folding metal oars, four canteens of water, emergency rations, a signal kit with six red flares, a pyrotechnic pistol, repair kit and air pump.
May 19, 1946: Callahan building sold
In 1946, the Callahan building, considered by some to be Dayton’s first skyscraper, was sold by Lillian Richards to the Patterson Realty Co. for approximately $300,000.
At the time, Robert Patterson said the building needed extensive improvements which would be done once conditions permitted it.
The structure was built in 1898 by William Callahan. Originally the building was five stories, but later seven were added. It was remodeled in 1925.
The Winters National Bank and City National Bank occupied the first floor at different times.
The building was razed in 1978 to make way for a new building, today called the PNC building, designed by famed architect I.M. Pei. The Callahan Building Clock can still be seen on the 100-foot Brethen Tower at Carillon Park.
May 17, 1954: 75,000 see armed forces displays at air base
The Air Force brought out some of its finest pilots and aircraft for Armed Forces Day.
About 75,000 people arrived at Wright-Patterson Air Force base to see an array of exhibits ranging from guns and huge bombs to the giant C-124 cargo plane.
A 90-minute program and air show were seen as the most exciting part of the event, with Gen. Edwin W. Rawlings, Air Materiel Command commander, as the speaker and actor Dick Simmons as the master of ceremonies.
Record holder Harold “Tom” Collins, the first American to fly the Russian MIG-15, flew and F-86 Sabre jet low over the field, then zoomed skyward to perform several aerial maneuvers.
The 97th Fighter-interceptor squadron was said to also be a highlight of the airshow.
The show was the first of its kind at the field since 1950 when some 200,000 attended.
May 14, 1972: Sludge, a farmer’s friend
Rev. Stanley Chapin, the pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Celina, also operated a 100-acre farm.
On that farm, he used the entire sludge output of the Celina sewage plant as soil conditioner.
The disposal of sludge had become a problem for urban areas and this seemed like it could be a possible solution. Dayton was the largest producer of sludge in the region and they put their sludge in lagoons where it dries. Fairborn dumped their in an abandoned quarry.
The mildly unpleasant smell of the sludge was said to disappear rapidly once it is spread on the fields at the rate of 8,000 gallons per acre.
The Celina farm was using about 800,000 gallons of liquid sludge per year, which worked out to be about 100 tons of solid matter. A community of 10,000 people generates about 1 million gallons of raw sewage daily. That million gallons reduces down to be about 6,000 gallons of sludge.
May 14, 1978: Full house: More than 200 children call her ‘Mom’
Although she never gave birth, 74-year-old Mary Jester of Tipp City had plenty to celebrate on Mother’s Day in 1978. She and her husband, Floyd, had been parents to more than 200 foster children.
“I kept count until it was 170-some, then I just didn’t keep court anymore,” Jester said. “I never seen one yet that I didn’t want, though I’ve seen a lot that I wanted to take and make something of.”
The couple had as many as 10 children in the house at once, including two 7-month-olds.
Many of their “children” still called and visited. Jester was the “mother of the bride” for at least seven weddings and had lost count of her “grandchildren.”
Due to their age, they were raising their last foster child, Stella, who was 18 years old.
May 19, 1983: Space Shuttle comes, goes; leaves Dayton agog
An estimated crowd of between 40,000 and 50,000 people descended upon Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to see the space shuttle Orbiter Enterprise visit.
So many had turned out for public viewing hours that base officials had to turn people away, with 12,000 to 15,000 vehicles entering the base.
The shuttle flew in atop a Boeing 747. The pilot calling it the “world’s biggest biplane.”
It stopped in Dayton so the 747 could refuel on its way to the Paris Air Show the following week. It also had stops planned for Newfoundland, Iceland, Great Britain and West Germany.
The shuttle was flown over Dayton at an altitude of about 2,000 feet at about 200 mph, circling the base and surrounding neighborhoods.
May 15, 1990: Wright team gets feel for the Flyer
Members of the National Parks Service team were in Dayton to study historical aviation sites in the city. While they were here they got a little taste of what it was like for the Wright Brothers.
Six of the team members were able to take a short ride in a Wright “B” Flyer replica at Dayton General Airport South.
“You really get a feel of what it must have been like. The wind blowing in your face. The wings tilting,” said team leader Ron Johnson.
The Wright “B” Flyer was the first military aircraft and produced by the Wright Brothers in the early 1900s.
The committee was formed to support preservation efforts and boost interest in Dayton’s aviation heritage as the centennial of powered flight was approaching in 2003.
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