1950 HIGHLIGHTS

1950

·  April – ACCIDENT CHANGES SLEEPY DRIVER TO BACK STREET DRIVER.

A sleepy motorist awoke to find himself a “back seat” driver.  Albert Schreiber driving north on SSH 1-D near Greenbank “dozed off” momentarily causing his car to go out of control.  His auto left the highway, sheared off a telephone pole, struck a log and rolled over, the car coming to rest upright.  Schreiber awakened to find him self sitting in the back seat with his hat still on.

1951

·        February - $1700 FIRE IN COUPEVILLE MONDAY. An estimated $1700 worth of damage was done in a fire at the George White residence in Coupeville.  The fire started in a downstairs apartment supposedly from cloths drying above an airtight heater.  Immediately the fire truck arrived to find the house filled with smoke.  The fire was controlled before it reached the attic.  It was believed that a five minute delay would have lost the building as well as the show hall. (more)

·        March – DRIVER ESCAPES INJURY WHEN CAR PLUNGES 100 FT.

·        Dan Hamlin of Coupeville was probably happy to be alive after his car went out of control, plunged over a 100 foot bank and came to rest upside down on the beach about one mile north of Coupeville.  Hamlin escaped with several head bruises and a face laceration. (more)

·        April – TRAGIC DEATH BEFALLS 9 YEAR OLD YOUTH (more)

·        July – LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIREMEN ALWAYS ALERT TO DANGER

$28,000 Fire – The Bill Donnells and Bill Huffstetlers were living upstairs and downstairs respectively in the old frame building.  Apparently oil leaked in to the wall between the garage and bedroom and also saturated the floor in the bathroom.  The place burst into flames and the just families just escaped with their lives.  The house, car and clothing and furniture of both families were destroyed. (more)

1952

·        August – FIRE DISTRICT PETITIONS FOR VOTE IN ELECTIONS

A public meeting was held and voted to circulate petitions immediately among voters to petition the board of County Commissioners to place on the ballot this fall a proposal to form a rural fire protection district for Central Whidbey.  (more)

·        October – FIRE DAMAGES VANE HOME

Fire caused in the neighborhood of $1,000 damage to the home of Capt & Mrs. Vane.  The vanes praised the efforts of the local fire department in quelling the blaze.  (more)

·        December – PRE-CHRISTMAS BLAZE DESTROYS HARVEY HOME

In a disastrous fire on Friday morning, the four room frame home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Harvey on Smith’s prairie was gutted and most of the possessions of the family were lost.

1953