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Events of 1917: The major news of the year is the involvement of the United States in World War I. On August 2, the Senate and House vote to declare war on both Germany and Austria-Hungary. When only 32,000 men enlist, it becomes evident that a draft will be necessary and in the first draft since the Civil War, 2.8 million men are drafted. The Hazleton draft board goes into action and shortly there is a parade of men from City Hall to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station where trains are waiting to escort the inductees to army camps around the country. At home, victory gardens are planted while mothers and girlfriends knit for the boys "over there." Financially, a "War Tax" (1¢) goes into effect on delivery of mail outside of the local Hazleton area. Also subject to the "War Tax" are dance halls, movie theaters (10¢), and railroad fares (8¢) on tickets costing 35¢ or more. Public speakers give free lectures at the Feeley Theater on matters considered vital to the war effort and the area adopts daylight savings time which goes into effect in Cranberry, West Hazleton and surrounding areas beginning the last Sunday in March and continuing until the last Sunday in October.
Actress Theda Bara appears in a main feature there, but crowds throng the Campbell Theater on Broad Street in Hazleton to witness the showing of motion pictures that are shot in Hazleton by a city native. The price of admission to a movie continues to be 5¢. The Palace Theater at Wyoming and Green streets is completely destroyed by fire on April 26, although it had been touted as completely fireproof. The theater was only eight years old
Alex (property tax records list his given name as Elick) Kudrick pays taxes on the property identified as Lot 5, Square 31 in West Hazleton. The property is two blocks east of where the spacious Cranberry Ball Park will be built. Click here for the Cranberry Ball Park.
The Cranberry Breaker is completely remodeled. Click here for the Cranberry Mining Operation.
Anthracite coal production including strip mining has a banner year at area collieries as 7 million tons of coal are shipped. Cranberry is in the 16th Coal District in Luzerne County where there are 10 coal operators, 60 operating mines and 13 coal breakers. The Cranberry Creek Coal Company (Cranberry Mines) is the third largest coal producer in the district while the Harwood Coal Company is seventh. The annual examination of applicants for certificates of qualification as mine foremen and assistant mine foremen for the 16th Coal District takes place in the YMCA building in Hazleton on May 8th and 9th. Fifteen certificates are given, but none to anyone working at the Cranberry Mines or the Crystal Ridge mines.
The average price of a new car is $720. There are 4.8 million motor vehicles registered in the United States of which 435,000 are trucks. To support these vehicles, there are 25,000 garages and 13,500 repair shops. Locally, there are 743 cars of which 579 are in the city of Hazleton. Other towns having cars included Freeland 69 cars, West Hazleton 37 cars, McAdoo 21 cars, Harwood 1 car while Cranberry or Crystal Ridge do not have any cars.
The offices of both the Hazleton Steam Heating Company and the Lehigh Navigation Electric Company move from the Markle Bank building to the new Feeley Theater block at the corner of Wyoming and Green streets.
The Hazleton Sentinel combines with the 32-year-old Standard to form the Standard-Sentinel newspaper.
Local baseball is played in every village and patch-town. A league of some prominence is the Anthracite League featuring two teams from West Hazleton along with nine other teams. On a national level, to protect players from war duty, companies such as Bethlehem Steel use players in "Patriotic Baseball Leagues." Both Joe Jackson and Babe Ruth are censured for joining these leagues.
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