John Edward Zimmerman - Who's Who in Engineering 1922

Receiving Honorary Degree
Inquirer 5 June 1936

ZIMMERMANN, John Edward, 611 Chestnut St; res. 1819 Delancy St, Philadelphia, Pa.

Engr; b. Buenos Aires, Argentina, S.A., 1874; s. John C. and Anna Cecelia (Mackinley) Zimmermann; ed. Nat. Coll. (Buenos Aires), Univ. of Buenos Aires, Univ. of Pa.; m. Philadelphia, Sarah Frazier; children: Harriet F., Anna Cecelia, Helena H., Audrey, Jean. Surveyor of Pacific R.R. in Argentine Republic; apprentice, Great Southern R.R. shops, Buenos Aires; asst to chemist, dept of mines and geology, Buenos Aires; apprentice in shops of George V Cresson Co.; sec. and supt. American Pulley Co.; v.p, Day and Zimmermann, Inc., engrs, all of Philadelphia. Pres. Chester Valley Electric Co.,; 3rd v.p. Erie Lighting Co. ; sec. Alexandria County Lighting Co., Citizens Traction Co., Municipal Service Co., Salem Lighting Co., Staunton Lighting Co., sec.-treas., Penn Central Light & Power Co., Bradley Mine Co., Lewiston & Reedsville Elec. Ry Co., Eastern Shore Gas & Electric Co. Mem. A.S.M.E.., A.I.E.E., Franklin Inst. Mem. Pa. Hist. Soc., Pa. Mus. and School of Industrial Art. Clubs: Racquet, Philadelphia, Huntingdon Valley Country, Corinthan Yacht, Down Town, Rittenhouse.


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Charles Day - Pennsylvania Gazette - 2 December 1921

...membership of the Board of Trustees of the University were filled at the meeting of the Trustees on Monday, November 21. Charles Day, 1899 C., succeeds the late J. Levering Jones.

Mr. Day was born in Philadelphia, May 15, 1879. He graduated from the Engineering Department, University of Pennsylvania, in 1899 with the degree of B. S. in Electrical Engineering. He likewise received the degree of Mechanical Engineer in 1903. He was a member of the firm of Dodge and Day, consulting engineers, formed in 1901. John E. Zimmerman, also a University of Pennsylvania man, entered the firm about 1908, and the business was incorporated as Day and Zimmerman, Inc., shortly thereafter.

Mr. Day, following his graduation from the University, devoted himself almost exclusively to industrial problems bearing upon manufacturing efficiency. His intensive work in this field led to his recognition as an authority on industrial plants, and after many years of successful design and construction work he put in book form the salient features of his lectures at Lehigh, Columbia and Harvard.

Since the activities of Day and Zimmerman, Inc., extended into the public utility field about 12 years ago, Mr. Day has become one of the authorities on public service corporations. His company is at present engaged as consultant to some of the most important banking interests in the country.

In addition to being president of Day and Zimmerman, Inc., he is an officer or a member of the board of directors of a large number of public utility corporations which are operated by his firm. He is also vice-president and director of the Franklin Institute and a director of the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades and the Philadelphia Trust Company.

Shortly after the United States entered the world war Mr. Day was made a member of the Storage Committee of the General Munitions Board, which committee was continued under the War Industries Board. He was also appointed a member of the Depot Board by the Secretary of War. This board was instructed to inquire into storage and terminal facilities and conditions.

About October 1, 1917, he was made a member of the Committee of Observation, appointed by Edward N. Hurley, to report concerning conditions of the shipyards. The other members of this committee were Charles Piez (chairman) and Arthur Mason.

October 26, 1917, he accompanied Colonel House's mission to England and France as engineering adviser for the Shipping Board representative. In this connection he made a study of the Allied shipping situation in relation to both military and civilian needs. Matters with which he was chiefly concerned bore upon the relative rates of sinking and building of troop and cargo ships, tonnage required to move overseas and supply the troops which it was proposed to send to France and the bearing of these and other factors upon our shipbuilding and other programs at home. This work brought him in contact with the leaders of British and French shipping ministries, as well as General Pershing and Admiral Sims. Upon Mr. Day's return to this country he was made a member of the Army War Council through appointment by the Secretary of War. He was also made a trustee of the United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation, with a view to keep ing that body fully informed concerning the War Department's requirements.

As a member of the Army War Council Mr. Day devoted the major part of his time to shipping problems arising in connection with the transportation of troops and cargo.

In July, 1918, he went to France with Edward R. Stettinius to secure information concerning the adequacy of port facilities for the rapidly increasing fleet. While in France he had numerous opportunities to confer with General Pershing, General Atterbury and members of General Pershing's staff. He also attended several meetings of the Interallied Maritime Transport Council in London, and later he joined Secretary of War Baker, who had gone over with General Hines, chief of embarkation service. Mr. Day returned with Secretary Baker just prior to the signing of the Armistice.

During his absence abroad he collaborated with the American heads of the Interallied Maritime Transport Council, being directly associated with Dwight W. Morrow, who represented the American shipping interests, at the headquarters of the A. E. F.

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Penn State Whiskey - Code 155 at the State Stores - Advertisement Inquirer 6 July 1934

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Theodor(e) Finkenauer - Brewer - 1902 Theatre Program Advertisement

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Theodor Finkenauer - 1846-1928 - Local Brewer - Obituary

Quarry Advertisement November 1915

Inquirer 3 May 1928

OBITUARY

THEODOR FINKENAUER

Ex-Brewery Head, 82, of Germantown, Dies After Short Illness.

Theodor Finkenauer, for many years operator of one of the largest breweries in Philadelphia, died on Sunday at his home, 7156 Crittenden street, Mt. Airy, after an illness of four weeks. He was eighty-two years old.

Mr. Finkenauer was born in Germany, where he had learned the brewing business and came to Philadelphia when he was nineteen. He took over a small property at 1715 Germantown avenue, which is today a part of the huge brewing plant of Theodor Finkenauer and Company, covering a city block. Date of establishment of the plant is given as 1876.

He retired from active business shortly after the beginning of the World War and turned the business over to his sons. He was a member of many German-American associations in Philadelphia and was a Master Mason. For many years he was a regular attendant of St. Jacob's Lutheran Church, Third Street and Columbia Avenue.

Surviving him are three sons, Theodor A. Finkernauer, Fred J. Finkenauer and Elmer R. Finkenauer and two daughters, Mrs. George Trefs and Miss Bertha Finkenauer. Funeral services will be held at 2 P. M. Thursday at 1820 Chestnut street, with interment in Westminster Cemetery. 


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Everyman's Page - Granite Marble & Bronze - August 1919

It was Samuel Johnson who said: “Few things are impossible to diligence and skill.” The truth of this statement is depicted in the flourishing retail monument firm in Philadelphia, which is operated under the name of John M. Gessler's Sons.

In 1868 John M. Gessler, now deceased, opened a little monument shop in Philadelphia, just at the time when the retail monument industry in this country was in its infancy. Mr. Gessler worked zealously and earnestly to make a success of his work, and at the time of his death his business was fairly well established.

When his father died, John M. Gessler, Jr., who was born in Philadelphia in 1875 and was practically brought up under the wing of his father's monument shop, was attending the Lauderbach Academy, preparing himself for the University. Being forced to change his plans, he left the Academy and took up the business just where his father had left off.

The education which he had received up to that time proved a great asset to him, and he found his task easier because of the knowledge of the business which he had picked up now and then when in his father's shop. Thus, by working diligently and applying skill to his work, Mr. Gessler increased his father's business, until today the firm of John Gessler's Sons is one of the largest and most progressive retail monument firms in the country.

Mr. Gessler himself states that his progress was very slow at first, but like the tortoise, steady plugging has brought him out on top.

When asked what he considered to be some of the hard business problems of the retail dealer of today, Mr. Gessler said: “If all dealers would figure their overhead charges and then persist in asking the right price, the greatest difficulty would be overcome. Slashing of prices will cause the downfall of any business and until it is done away with the industry will suffer. A man who really wants a monument is willing to pay the right price. It is only those who do not want to buy who use the increase of prices as an excuse.

“I attribute my largest and best sale—the Finkenauer mausoleum—to the fact that I figured the work carefully and then insisted on my price of $45,000, which I succeeded in getting. Of course, good salesmanship also plays an important part in every sale. In this particular case I met with strong competition and was forced to use my selling knowledge and ingenuity to the utmost extent. 

“Every dealer should have set standards of art for his memorial work. In my opinion, plain, artistic work will meet the requirements of every case.”

Mr. Gessler is a staunch believer in organization and says that he contributes much of his success in business to his affiliations with the monumental organizations. Through them he has broadened his perspective of life and business, and feels that he has derived unbelievable benefits from these affiliations. 

“The education which the retail dealer can obtain through organization is the one thing that will help put the monument business on a higher plane,” said Mr. Gessler, when asked about this subject. “Through organization the dealer learns that in order to make a success of his business he must closely apply himself to his work by being constantly on the job; that he must give his closest personal attention to all the details of his work, inside and out; that he must keep his books care fully and figure costs strictly and he must not fail to give service. These are truly essentials of success to the retail monument dealer, and organization will help him attain them.”

Mr. Gessler is affiliated with the Masons (including Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, Consistory, Mystic Shrine), Odd Fellows, Artisans, Manufac turers’ Club, Ocean Yacht Club, Philadelphia Home Defence.

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Ideal Architectural Vision - North Side of Logan Square - 1847 - FLP Collection

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Centennial of the Launching of the Big Ships U.S. Navy - August 1897 - Philly

A possible event connected to the famous 1897 Street Scene Photo (off of a stereograph photo card by "B.W. Kilburn and Company" - Library of Congress) above between 7th and 8th Street on Market Street and the crowds main focus looking east toward 6th Street may be a G.A.R. Grand Army of the Republic, Naval veterans posts event celebrating the launch in Spring 100 years prior, the centennial, of the original 6 ships of the first Official Navy under the U.S. Constitution and the ships built with funds authorized by Congress in 1794. Launched from six shipyards along the east coast in 1797. 

The event commemoration on August 12, 1897 was at Independence Hall starting at 12:30 PM. 

I would imagine with speeches and music the Navy Vets would have been there at least two hours. And the Vets in parade form then marching over to the Arch Street Wharf, may have used 6th Street - the reason for people in balconies at 7th Street trying to get a glimpse of the then moving event amidst the flags and bunting etc. on Market Street, the main drag through Philly. 

A typical muggy Philly August afternoon with a slight overcast of clouds to mute the shadows and direction of shade to indicate a time frame of the day. 

That and some folks wanting to take a Ferry over to Washington Park in Deptford Township NJ to get a view of yacht racing and mock naval battles off Fort Mifflin in the late afternoon into evening.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_United_States_(1797)

Inquirer 13 Aug 1897


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Chestnut Street Recreation Pier - on the Delaware River - 1912

CHESTNUT STREET RECREATION PIER - ON THE DELAWARE RIVER

This supervised Playground is open every day in the year from morning until late at night. During the hot months and a Baby Rescue Station is maintained on one end of the Pier by the Department of Health and Charities. 

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Wheatsheaf Village - Wheatsheaf Lane East of Frankford Ave.

A group of housing built by the Robert H Foerderer Kid Glove Leather Factory on the southern bank of Frankford Creek, eastern side of Frankford Ave. off the old main road - Wheatsheaf Lane - from the River to Frankford Ave. - at a wide junction of many rail connections of the Pennsylvania R.R. - Trenton Ave lines, Sea Shore lines and main rails to NYC. - the old Frankford Junction before they decided to build a $5,000 footbridge over all those lines in 1899 instead of dig an underpass like at Lehigh Avenue and Kensington, Emerald and Frankford for the Reading lines. No new railroad embankments here or underpass. Frankford Junction moved south to Butler Street and consolidated with a closed Harrowgate station in terms of the need for only one station in such a small geographic area. 

"The Village" as it is called locally has the tag "Whearsheaf Village" in house rental ads during WWII, no doubt as to give outsiders a clue as where it might be, off Wheatsheaf Lane, where the lane ends and east Pike Street begins and only two blocks from the El trains. Three streets, Arcadia, Coral and Vici are the body of the village of the original 80 or so units.  

There is room for more factory housing on the 1895 Bromley Map. The space on Frankford Ave never got built on and in memory did not look like it was used or legally attached to the backends of the Arcadia Street houses and or Main Street of the complex.

Surviving urban housing, collateral housing of a defunct factory, whose founder also a co-founder of Keystone Telephone and whose early death no doubt changed the function and purpose of this one time farmland, labeled Aramingo on real old maps and overlapping with newer names like Harrowgate etc as that area expanded and filled in all the farmland by the 1920s.



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The Old Avenue Exchange Hotel - Harrowgate - 3500 Frankford Avenue

1907 Boyd's Business Directory

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Aramingo Hotel - Frankford Ave Opposite Wheatsheaf Lane. Frankford Ave,North of Pike Street - Boyd's Business Derectory 1907

1907 Boyd's Business Directory

25th and 33rd Ward - Atlas of City of Philadelphia 1891

Thx to John Rowe for research on this one. One over the back fence of his boyhood home in Aramingo/Harrowgate/Wheatsheaf Village. 


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Neafie & Levy Shipyard - Fishtown, Beach and Palmer Sts. - 1895

1895 Bromley Map - Philadelphia

Advertisement - 1895


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Maurice Sayville Tucker - 1866-1934

Public Ledger - 22 Oct 1921

Pilot of the Philadelphia and Reading Philly to Camden Ferryboat "Delaware" and Lieutenant U.S.N.R.F. 

RECRUITING FOR UNITED STATES NAVAL RESERVE*

Approximately 32,000 men were enrolled in the United States Naval Reserve Force in the Fourth Naval District, of which number, according to Lieutenant Maurice Saville Tucker, district enrolling officer, 20,000 were from Philadelphia.

About March 17, 1917, a recruiting office was opened in the mayor's reception room, 202 City Hall, in charge of Ensign Jukes. As the work developed Ensign Jukes was succeeded in turn by Ensign Ignatius F. Cooper and Ensign Wesley B. Johnson. On April 2d, Lieutenant M. S. Tucker reported for duty and remained in charge at City Hall until June 22, 1917, when all recruiting for the United States Naval Reserve Force in the Fourth Naval District was suspended, except for some special units of the service.

*By the Secretary of the Philadelphia War History Committee. Information supplied by Lieutenant Tucker.

Source: Philadelphia in the World War 1914-1918 (pages 311-312)

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Bicyclist W.W. Taxis - Rome (NY) Daily Sentinel 9 Sept 1891

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John H Clark, the Noted Light-Weight Boxer - The National Police Gazette - March 10, 1883

John H. Clark, the Noted Light-Weight Boxer.

John H. Clark was born In County Galway, Ireland, May 18,1849. He arrived In America June 11, 1870. He stands 5 feet 6-1/4 inches in height, weighs about 150 pounds, but on the night previous to his battle with Arthur Chambers scaled 126 pounds. In his youth he had mastered the art of clog and jig dancing, and not long after his arrival was afforded an opportunity to show what he could do in that line on the stage of the Bowery Theatre. It was during the period that he was performing there that he was brought conspicuously before the public, by being the unfortunate youth who, while looking in the door of Matt's oyster-house, in tho Bowery, received a bullet in the leg from a pistol fired by George McCloud and which was intended for Joe Coburn. After his recovery he began to frequent sparring exhibitions, making his first appearance at 'The Arbor"' in West Houston street, on the occasion of somebody' benefit, and on Nov. 18. 1871, he gave an exhibition there himself. On Nov. 30 following the engaged in a glove contest there with Arthur Chambers, and, although he showed that his education in that line had not been neglected, he was not scientific enough for Arthur, who was awarded the victory after they had contested twelve rounds in forty minutes. Shortly alter this Clark went to Philadelphia where he has resided ever since. He was then matched to fight Arthur Chambers for $2,000 and the light-weight championship of America. The battle was fought in Canada, on March 27, 1879, and after a stubbornly contested fight Chambers won in 136 rounds, occupying two hours and twenty minutes. Clark in this fight showed that he was a thoroughly game pugilist, but the general opinion was that he was trained too fine. Clark is now proprietor of the Olympic Garden, corner of Eighth and Vine streets, Philadelphia, Pa.