Page 12 - sg_vigilanceforever1994

12 VIGILANCE FOREVER - 75 years of The Signal 1919-1994

1920s much worse living conditions. Frreman
C. L. Hawthorne of the Los Angeles
Continued from page O
County Fire Department came to
the Bank of Italy. And when a Kiwanis Newhall in 1925 and inspected the fire
speaker endorsed Newspaper hose (yes, THE fire hose) that served the
Advertising, The Signal put a splashy town, finding it entirely worthless. The
headline over the coverage, boxed it and closest apparatus was located in
made it look just like an ad. Pacoima. This became a tragic footnote,
Comics first appeared in The Signal when a fire in 1927 destroyed the
on Nov. 18, 1926: A single box cartoon Staughty Pool Hall and the Chaix build-
by Kettner and strips "The ing occupied by E. R. Holding's barber
Featherheads" and "Micki, The Printer's shop and the Motor Stage Cafe. The fire
Devil." All were from the Western spread because of wind and lack of water,
Newspapers Union. WNU also provided and the distance of the company coming
the first full-color front and back page from North Hollywood. A bucket
illustrations (done by Kettner) of Santa eyes dance! brigade including William S. Hart fought
Claus in a holiday scene. the fire until equipment arrivedved.
The Signal certainly was opinionated Weoutwardly thankhim we Of course, what The Signal didn't
on the issue of Prohibition, refening to report on was almost as amazing as what
it in 1924 as a "tragic farce" and "the The steady subscriber who pa it did. There is absolutely no mention of
greatest curse that has ever befallen this the stock market crash of October 1929.
nation." In the next issue, The Signal And June 27, 1929, must have been the
said, "Prohibition as it is NOT enforced slowest news day in history. The Signal
by the higherups is rotten to the core, printed a complete play-by-play, minute-
unjust and extremely discriminating." A restriction causing much public bustibility of the area ranged from by-minute, motion-by-motion account of
Not that illegal moonshine wasn't conflict today was the rule of the decade; amusement at the government to casting the Kiwanis meeting on the front page.
making its impression on our valley; smoking was not allowed ANYWHERE a pathetic mirror on the fire service's What couldn't be filled with Kiwanians
liquor runs and bathtub stills were con- but on your own property. Smokers in inadequacies. In 1921, The Signal was filled with sports, posting the inning-
stant news items. In 1929, a still in a cave their automobiles would be arrested. The announced that the Saugus Ranger by-inning scoreboard tallies.
near LaSalle Canyon exploded, causing smoking restriction included guns, Station might move to the local forest A community high school was active-
a fire that destroyed 20 large mash vats, which could not be discharged anywhere area at the cost of $390, but the Forest ly campaigned for in this era, spearhead-
capable of producing 800 gallons of in public. The reason? Fire danger. Service would only kick in $300, because ed by A.B. Perkins and his wife, who got
white lightning each. The Signal's reporting on the com- rangers in other isolated sections had Please see 1920s, page 24

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