December 18: ON THIS DAY in 1944, German drive in Belgium paced by V-bomb barrage

December 18, 2020 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1846, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “SLEIGHING. — Cling! cling! cling-a ling! go the bells along the streets of Brooklyn this morning — the bells of the sleighs, which have ‘seized the opportunity by the hair,’ and are to be seen and heard, of all sizes and qualities, and in every street! The East Brooklyn omnibuses turn out some prodigious vehicles — large enough to carry quite all the ‘Natives’ of Brooklyn and New York (which, however, is not saying much for their size) … The sleighing, though, is not the best in the world. The wind drifted the snow too much yesterday; and this morning it melts some.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1897, the Eagle reported, “The Skating Club of Brooklyn and the New Jersey Athletic Club hockey players opened the season for that interesting sport in this city at the Clermont Avenue Rink last night with a match game in which the Brooklynites won, 4 to 1. Brooklyn played with three of the members of the second team, but had no difficulty holding their opponents off. They were weak in offensive teamwork, but it is too early in the season to expect much of the players and the men most at fault were the substitutes on the team who forgot to play their positions in the excitement. Altogether, the Brooklynites bore out the reputation they made in their match against the Hockey Club of New York last week, between which team and the local one it is believed the championship of the league will stand this year.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1924, the Eagle reported, “That the sale of Christmas seals this year under the auspices of the Brooklyn Christmas Seals Committee probably will show a ‘healthy increase’ over the sale of last year was reported yesterday afternoon at the meeting of the tuberculosis committee of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities. Frederic B. Pratt presided at the meeting. Announcement was made at the committee meeting that a prominent musical comedy star and beauty contest winner will pose as ‘Knowledge’ in a tableau representing the Christmas Seal, on the Boro Hall steps tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. This is along the same line as last year’s stunt, which consisted of several prominent Brooklyn citizens milking cows at Boro Hall. Dr. Charles S. Prest, secretary of the Brooklyn Tuberculosis Committee, reported satisfactory progress in the work of the health examination dispensary in the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities, 69 Schermerhorn street.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “PARIS (U.P.) — The heaviest German counteroffensive of the Western campaign, coordinated with a savage V-bomb barrage, rolled unchecked through the American 1st Army lines to a depth of several miles today, punching through into Belgium and Luxemburg at three or more points along a fluid, 70-mile battlefront. Late field dispatches indicated the Americans were riding the German blow and putting up increasingly stiff resistance as the initial shock of the attack passed. First Army spokesmen, admitting the gravity of the Nazi push, said countermeasures already were being taken to seal off the enemy penetrations. A strict security blackout permitted only the sketchiest details of the enemy advance, but it was evident that in the first 48 hours of their offensive, the Nazi gains were being measured in miles at many points.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1949, the Eagle reported, “The New York State Freedom Train today concludes a three-week stay in Brooklyn, and, according to train officials, final day attendance at the Brooklyn Army Base is expected to bring the total number of visitors above 35,000. During the borough stop of the three blue and gold exhibition cars, which contained 89 historic documents tracing the state’s role in the development of the American heritage, more school children and adults visited the train than during the one-week stop last year of the National Freedom Train. Average daily attendance also exceeded the National train figure … The cooperation of borough youth groups and of the Brooklyn College students who served as guides on the Freedom Train was singled out by the Chief Librarian. He said that the college students, who acted under the direction of Prof. Jesse B. Clarkson, chairman of the Brooklyn College History Department, often served up to ten hours, until they were forced to stop because of hoarse voices.”