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Smoke stops after two years of complaints by neighborsGetting rid of sources of dirt in the city takes unbelievable effort but has to be done, according to neighbors of the building at 5218 to 5228 Woodlawn.A gas fired stoker was installed in the building last week after M rs. Laura Roth-berg and Mrs. Katherine Levin plus at least four other neighbors, the Department of Air Pollution Control and the Hyde Park-Kenwood Cleaner Air Committee had been working on the problem for two years.It wasn't only that black smoke poured out of the chimneys, once, twice or several times a day. Every time coal was delivered in the alley, coal dust was sucked into the ventilating systems of the Rothberg and Levin townhouses at 5217 University.Also involved in the struggle were Mrs. Pat Bott, 5232 Woodlawn, Mrs. Ellen Fried, 5236 Woodlawn, Mrs. Mar-valee Wake, 5234 Woodlawn, and Mrs. Joan Barguson, 1166 E. 53rd.The women determined in the beginning that controlof smoke output was made more difficult by the hand controls of the ancient stoker.They also found that the cheapest grade of soft coal was being burned, a grade that is illegal under state law.All last winter and all this winter the women phoned complaints into City Hall. Many times the air pollution inspectors paid the building a visit.Fourteen times they wrote up a ticket for a serious violation. Eleven times a fine of $10 was paid by the Reliable Management Company on behalf of the trust ownership of the building.Even when inspectors did not observe a violation directly, they showed the janitor how to operate the stoker to avoid heavy smoke.But the smoke continued, and black dust still lay over the alley floor after every coal delivery.The ladies collected samples of the coal and kept a diary of the dates of delivery. A date was set for the case to come to court.The townhouse residents, mostly newcomers to the community and dealing with city agencies, were advised by Mrs. Elsie Krueger, 5336 University. Mrs. Krueger is a member of the cleaner air committee and a long time battler against building code violations.Finally, last week, the ladies could scarcely believe it when a big truck pulled up in the alley and deposited a pile of shiny new pipes and machinery instead of coal.It was the new gas stoker. The owners of the building had decided to go all the way toward eliminating the problem instead of stopping with installation of automatic controls for coal.Now all the ladies, the Gleaner Air Committee and the air pollution department are happy, but Mrs. Rothberg at least is still discouraged .It shouldn't take so much effort by citizens, she says to get city agencies to do their job.-Peering gleefully at the new gas stoker for the building at 5218-28 Woodlawn are (left to rightjMrs. Katherine Levin, 5217 University, Mrs. Pat Bott, 5232 Woodlawn and Mrs. Elsie Kreuger, 5336 University. The women complained about air pollution violations caused by the hand fired coal stoker that the gas unit replaced for two years before the change was made. Photo by Nancy Hays
Newspaper Details
Hyde Park Herald
Hyde Park, Illinois, US
Wed, Jan 31, 1968
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Carlo R.
IT 08 Jun 2025
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Hyde Park Herald
