James Barber, 88, a retired cabinet maker for the Solvay Process Company, died December 16 at his home, 302 Center Street, Solvay, after a long illness. Born in England, Barber came to the United States and Solvay 84 years ago. He was employed by the Solvay Process for 35 years before retiring in 1921.

Surviving: his wife, Mrs. Harriett Simmons Barber; three daughters, Mrs. Frank Hathaway, Mrs. Charles Hall and Miss Eva Barber; four sons, Albert W. Barber of Elbridge, Lee S. Barber of Syracuse, Grover C. Barber of Solvay, and Samuel J. Barber, also of Solvay and a woodworking teacher at Solvay High School.

His skull crushed when a falling chain tackle struck him on the head, Michael Bernardini, 44, of 715 Second Street, Solvay, was killed February 27 at the Halcomb plant of the Crucible Steel Company of America. Bernardini, an employee at the plant for 20 years, was working with other men in placing a derailed locomotive back on the tracks when the accident occurred. He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Mary Bernardini; a daughter, Miss Anita Bernardini, 15; a brother and two sisters in Italy.

Clayton W. Edgerton, 70, former chief of police of the Solvay Process Company, died at his home, 311 Hall Avenue, on March 20. He had been a resident of Solvay for 45 years. Surviving: his wife, Mrs. Lenora G. Edgerton; a son, Lester M. Edgerton, and two sisters, Mrs. Frederick Balch and Miss Bertha Edgerton, both of Utica.

Crushed when the coupe in which he was riding skidded headlong into a tree on a curve in the North Syracuse-Liverpool highway shortly after 3 o’clock November 29, Virgil Hunt, 21, of 116 Franklin Street, Solvay, died two hours later in St. Joseph Hospital.

Hunt, an inspector in the wire department of Halcomb Steel Company, died from chest injuries. Charles W. Speich, 125 Holden Street, driver of the car, and Charles Champlain, 27, of 706 Montrose Avenue, Solvay, a brother-in-law of Hunt, escaped with severe cuts and bruises.

Speich told police he was not familiar with the road. When he saw a sharp turn he applied his brakes. The rain-drenched pavement was slippery and the car spun out of control. Hunt was in the passenger seat and his side of the car slammed into a tree. Hunt was a graduate of Solvay High School. Survivors included his parents, Earl and Lula Hunt; a brother, Harvey Hunt, of Pomona, California, and a sister, Mrs. Doris Champlain.

Stanley Orzell, 23, of 211 First Street, Solvay, was killed by a hit-and-run driver on November 23. Angelo Vigoni, 22, of 112 Power Street, Solvay, who was with Orzell, was critically injured. They were walking east on West Genesee Turnpike (West Genesee Street) near Orchard Road at 5 p.m.

Surviving Orzell: Four sisters, Mrs. Joseph Domaracki, Mrs. Stanley Salachi, Mrs. Robert Haney and Mrs. Joseph Stasko, and three brothers, Louis, Joseph and Frank Orzell.

George Perkins, 48, of 418 South Avenue, was killed at the Solvay Process Company on April 3. Perkins, father of nine children, was electrocuted while connecting an electric lead line to a motor.

Company officials said Perkins was about to connect the electric lead to a motor when the metal case of his flashlight came in contact with the motor, completing a circuit and sending 440 volts of low voltage electricity through his body.

Frank Salvetti, 45, 2725 Milton Avenue, Solvay, and his wife, Edith, were killed February 23 at one of the most dangerous spots in Onondaga County — where the New York Central railroad tracks crossed the road at Gere's Lock. A blizzard blocked Salvetti's vision when he started across the tracks. A second later his car was struck by a Rochester-bound passenger train. The accident occurred about 5:30 p.m.

Mrs. Salvetti was killed instantly. Her husband, a painter at the Solvay Process Company, was rushed to Syracuse Memorial Hospital by a passing motorist. Salvetti died 90 minutes later without regaining consciousness.

Salvetti was survived by four sons, Frank Jr., Louis, Arthur and William Salvetti; three daughters, Misses Edna, Edith and Frances Salvetti, and by two brothers, Paul and Abraham Salvetti of Solvay. In addition to her children, Mrs. Salvetti was survived by her mother, Mrs. Francis Ferrari of Solvay.

Three months later, on May 21, Walter Srogi, 45, of 340 Apple Street, Syracuse, proprietor of the White Eagle Bakery, was killed when his delivery truck was hit by a Geneva-bound New York Central train at Gere’s Crossing at 7:20 a.m. Deputies who investigated were hard-pressed to explain this accident. Visibility was fine, the train was bearing down on the intersection, indicating Srogi either believed he could beat the train or he simply didn't look both ways before attempting to cross.

Attempting to takeoff in fog that blanketed Quebec airport on July 28, C. Phil Speller, 36, of 105 Cogswell Avenue, Solvay, a Syracuse electric appliance dealer, crashed and was instantly killed.

Mrs. Beatrice Speller, who had been visiting in Quebec, accompanied her husband to the airport, but because of weather conditions he refused to allow her to accompany him on his flight to Montreal, the first leg of his return to Syracuse. On his recommendation she made the trip to Montreal by train and was to have met Speller later at St. Hubert’s Airport. The couple has a four-year-old son, Philip, who remained home in Solvay in the care of relatives.

The plane in which Speller crashed was a Waco F. biplane owned by H. Clayton Welch of 1902 South Avenue, Syracuse. He loaned the ship to Speller for the trip to Quebec and back. The victim was a private pilot.

Two weeks later another plane owned by H. Clayton Welch was involved in a fatal crash, this time in East Homer, New York, near Cortland. Killed was pilot Robert F. Lyon, 38, of New Rochelle, who had rented a small plane for a flight to Oneonta. With his was student pilot George Luhrs of Syracuse, who was critically injured in the crash, but recovered.

Cagers crumble, pucksters soar
The 1933-34 basketball season did not end well for the Solvay varsity, which stumbled after a promising start. The team made the playoffs of the Onondaga County League, but lost in the first round to Baldwinsville, 29-27. Brostek — Joe, I believe — led Solvay's scoring with 11 points.

It was a much different story in hockey as Bearcat skaters went undefeated, taking the championship game, 3-1, over Eastwood on March 6 at the State Fair Coliseum. Jim Burns scored Solvay's first goal, Joe Miguel, league scoring leader, slapped in goals number two and three.

In April James Bethka of Solvay High School finished in eighth place in the Syracuse Journal-American marathon. Two months later he won the 880-yard run in the county track meet. Pirro — Rocco, probably — was second in the shot put and Solvay won the mile relay, but the overall team winner was Baldwinsville; Skaneateles was second.

Betty Yeoman's fourth place finish in diving gave Solvay its only point in April's Syracuse High School Girls' swimming and diving meet at the YWCA pool. Nottingham won the meet with 27 points. Seven schools competed.

Don't get in their way
On May 7 Charles Demport of 123 Charles Avenue, Solvay, won the Eastern States Revolver and Pistol meet at Cornell University. Firing rapidly at 50 feet, Demport hit 79 out of a possible 100 targets to win. Charles Mattison of Binghamton won second honors with a score of 77.

In June Solvay High’s archery team finished third in the clout shooting competition of Central New York interscholastic archery championship in Kirk Park. Central High won that particular competition as well as the overall event in which seven boys and three girls team took part. Kenneth Norman of Solvay was second in the flight shooting event. (Unlike previous years, Solvay either did not have a girls team or chose not to enter it.)

On June 17 Lou James of Solvay won high honors in the trap-shooting tournament at the Genesee Gun Club with a remarkable score of 97 out of 100.