By: Iris Naylor
The heat wave we have been enduring this year may remind old-timers of the year 1936 when the weather was as bad if not worse.
There were not a lot of air conditioners around in 1936. Lambertvillians had to find their relief wherever they could.
The Delaware River was always available but this year the drought was so bad the river itself was suffering. It was the lowest anyone could remember. Children walked halfway across the river toward the Pennsylvania side with the water not even knee-deep.
The dam at Wells’ Falls had been badly damaged by the ice earlier in the year. Large parts of the dam were torn away, and that lowered the level of water above the dam. Experts said the dam should be raised at least 2 feet to repair the damage.
At the headwaters of the Delaware near Honesdale, Pa., the water was so low a rock could be seen with the date "1818" carved in it. A river historian said it was the first time the rock had been uncovered since it was carved.
The hot weather killed thousands of chickens throughout the state. Hunterdon County was especially hard hit with poultry farmers losing as much as 150 to 250 birds from a single flock. The Audubon Society campaigned for a year’s reprieve from hunting wild ducks to save them from extinction.
Parents, with the idea of saving their own children from the unrelenting heat, looked for a safe playground in town. The Main Street ball grounds were being used for both the Delaware River League and the City League ball games. The only other available field was opposite the Third Ward School, the same field that now holds the Lambertville Public School.
Relief from the heat came in the form of severe thunderstorms Aug. 16, accompanied by hard rain, high winds and lightning that sparked numerous fires in the area.
One of Lambertville’s oldest citizens turned to the katydids for help, and they predicted there would be frost within six weeks, not too surprising since six weeks would be about the first of October.
Cromwell’s store at 40 N. Union St. reminded Beacon homeowners winter was coming, and they could install one of the finest oil burners in the home for only $9 a month. No red tape, no trouble, but also no indication of the duration of the $9 a month.
The store had on display during August 1936 a General Electric radio that was 6-feet-square, had a 4-foot-wide turning dial and 10-inch tuning knobs. It was not for sale.
The Beacon was full of mouth-watering recipes in 1936 to tempt the appetite, especially during the August heat wave. A regular weekly feature entitled "Three Meals a Day" included helpful household hints and a contest for prize-wining recipes. Prizes ranged from a box of Cox’s gelatine to a case of Trommer’s White Label beer.
One prize recipe was a tomato soup cake that called for a can of tomato soup, sugar, butter, flour, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins. Lambertville had 20 grocery stores in 1936 so finding the ingredients would hardly be a problem.
The Lambertville Rubber Company was working six days a week and advertising for help, a sure sign the depression was lifting. Machinery and equipment of the Lambertville Pottery Company was sold at auction but the Luggagekraft Corporation had arrived in town and already was expanding into larger quarters.
Lambertville veterans of World War I received bonus checks of approximately $150 each in 1936, and citizens were told a new Social Security Act starting Jan. 1, 1937, would take a chunk out of their paychecks.
The Beacon reminded its readers: "Be sure and register the baby with the registrar of vital statistics. Old age pensions will be in working order by the time he reaches that age, and he will need proof of the date of his birth."
