Introduction
Dr. Rowland I. Haines
Dr. Rowland I. Haines was a Camden physician who practiced in the downtown area in the early 20th century. He was among the city’s first automobile owners, driving one of the small red runabouts that clattered through the streets around 1903, alongside Dr. Wilson G. Bailey and William Leonard Hurley. These early “gas buggies” were regarded with suspicion by old-timers who called them “devil wagons” and considered “nothing less than an abomination.”
Dr. Haines was associated with St. John’s Episcopal Church and was mentioned in connection with various civic and social activities in Camden during the 1900s through 1920s.
Accident on Spruce Street
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Named: George Cramer, Howard Christman, Chestnut Street, Albert Shaw, Dr. Rowland I. Haines, and Spruce Street.
Sad Plight of Starved Woman
Camden Daily Courier —
Pronounced Insane and Will be Taken to State Asylum
SON TO BE PROPERLY CARED FOR
Mrs. Frank S. Schaffer, aged 58 years, and her nine year old son Frank, who were found in their home on Tuesday evening at 814 Carpenter street, almost dead from lack of proper nourishment, will be taken in charge by the authorities to-day. Mrs. Schaffer was examined yesterday afternoon by Drs. Haines and Litchfield and pronounced insane. She will be taken to the State Asylum at Trenton this afternoon.
Her little son is now being cared for by the City Matron. In the meantime Overseer of the Poor Jeffries will complete arrangements for his removal to the county poor house.
The mother and son came to this city from Elmira, N. Y., about six months ago. They have cousins residing there and the police authorities have notified them of the plight of Mrs. Schaffer.
For two days the boy has amused himself romping around the City Hall. He is bright and cheerful and has the sympathy of every one in the hall. Frank found almost instant favor in the eyes of Chief Gravenor. For hours he would sit by Sergeant McClung and watch him as he operated the switch board as the patrolmen reported.
St. John's Episcopal Church
Philadelphia Inquirer —
In the presence of a host of friends, Miss Elizabeth Haines, daughter of Dr. R. I. Haines, yesterday became the bride of Frank J. Hineline, Jr., at St. John’s P. E. Church. The ceremony was performed by Rev. J. H. Townsend, an uncle of the bride, assisted by Rev. Charles R. Du Bell. Miss Mary Haines, sister of the bride, was maid of honor and James Krips, of Collingswood, was best man.
Reminiscences of Early Automobile Days in Camden
Evening Courier —
By Ben Courter
Waning of the old bike days came with the advent of the “gas buggy,” even though many wedded to the silent steed refused to call quits with that invigorating, healthy sport.
Just who sported the first auto hereabouts I do not recall, since several were mentioned by the late Charles Leo McKeone who “ran” The Courier’s Peppery Pot for several years. I do remember Dr. Roland [sic] I. Haines and Dr. Wilson G. Bailey, so far as the downtown area is concerned, as among the first, with William Leonard Hurley, who died Monday, in the running. These first cars were small red runabouts which clattered along with enough noise to make every horse within a mile rear and plunge. Thick volumes of blue smoke came from the exhaust and when Doc Bailey or Doc Haines went along Broadway the street was filled with a cloud. The runabouts were dubbed “devil wagons” and considered by the old timers as nothing less than an abomination.
But it was Hurley who recognized the gas buggy had come to stay, as he had visioned many other things, in a civic and business way, that his contemporaries often regarded as passing crazes or whims. Asphalted streets were slowly developing as a method of paving over the cobble and asphalt block paving, but there was little to offer the autoist of that day, far as the outlets to the city were concerned.
It was Hurley, just twenty-five years ago next month, who called together the comparatively few auto owners at a conference in his office at the Broadway store to discuss that question of developing needed arteries leading out of the city. It didn’t cut any great figure in the news of the day, but from it eventually grew the movement that crystalized into the street and road building that has meant the expenditure of vast sums.
Federal street was paved and so was Haddon avenue, while Mt. Ephraim avenue was laid in Belgian blocks on a foundation that even yet defies the heavy traffic. Part of that has been covered with amiesite, but the lower section remains pretty much as “Allie” Sayrs paved it nearly a score of years ago. From that little gathering a quarter of a century ago has grown the street improvement program which is even today being extended through the Centerville section.
When comparatively smooth streets were laid there bobbed up the problem of curbing the “speed fiends.” For many a year the limit had been fixed at 12 miles an hour. It was the limit when John and Mary took a sulky ride in the ’80s; it was the same with the biking days, although the scorchers paid little heed to it. Many who had the temerity to go 20 miles an hour were heavily fined as public menaces.
That 12-mile limit seemed good enough for several years after the small buzz wagons made their advent and is even yet conspicuously displayed in country towns who warn the driver to “go slow and sed [sic] our town or go fast and see our jail.” But the speed boys came along and 20 miles an hour was nothing at all.
I recall a story I wrote for The Courier of a young couple “speeding” to their death over the “s” bridge at Atco by plunging through the railing and falling on the track below. It was charged the young driver was a speed fiend, that he was going fully 20 miles an hour when the accident occurred. A demand was made to curb such recklessness, and constables were assigned along the White Horse to shoot the tires of those who thus took fate in their hands.
By the time Hurley had developed his beautiful property, “Dungarvan,” along the White Horse, the 20-mile-an-hour drivers were becoming somewhat of a nuisance and when the concrete roadway was finished in 1922 the real speed fiends were going a mile a minute and were thick as fleas. It was indeed a far, far cry from that little gathering in his office so long ago, marking the development of the auto from the very crude one-cylinder affairs to the truly wondrous cars of today.