Stories of Commercial Street Residents

In 1926, a tragic accident occurred at the Crown Point camp at Sluice Pond. Charles F. Daily Jr., a resident of 35 Commercial Street, fell from his canoe and sank to the bottom of the pond. Roger Gilcrest, also a resident of 35 Commercial Street, and another individual quickly attempted to locate the sunken body, diving repeatedly in an effort to find Charles. However, the thick eel grass made it impossible for them to locate the body, and Charles ultimately passed away. This incident illustrates the tragic consequences of a simple accident that often occurred during this time period.

In 1951, Frank Goldsmith, a worker at John S. Martin Coal Company, and Harold Daily, a boy scout, both lived at 31 Commercial Street. While the two were at the Marblehead harbor in Marblehead, Massachusetts, they witnessed a man fall from his boat into the water while trying to step onto the wharf. The man began to drown, but Goldsmith and Daily pulled him out of the water. Daily immediately began performing artificial respiration, which he had learned in boy scouts and sea scouts, and was able to save the man's life. The man was later transported to a hospital where he recovered. 

 In 1939, Leo Brow, a resident of 31 Commercial Street, witnessed a failed flying maneuver by six planes, resulting in the crash of two of them. The planes were flying in formation when one of them clipped the wing of another, causing its wing to instantly crumple and plummet to the ground in flames. The second plane managed to stay airborne for a short time before its wing also crumpled and its aileron fell off. The pilot of the second plane attempted to jump, but there was not enough time for the parachute to deploy, and both pilots ultimately died in the crash.