They Had Their Drains Cleaned in 1948

“Motor Mole Sewer Service” a Dayton drain cleaning company was busy on Sunday 6 June 1948. When they finished unblocking the drain of a home in Belmont, they attached marketing material to a floor joist in the basement, where it has remained intact. Every time they returned for another blockage they noted it on the card in pencil.

There are still so many of the homes from the 40’s and 50’s that have this sign in the basement. The Motor Mole Sewer Service company was busy up to the 1970’s when it filed a closure with the department of commerce.

That’s over seventy years ago, it was the year NASCAR motor racing started with the first race in Daytona Beach, Babe Ruth died having played baseball for twenty two seasons and still holds MLB records. The long playing record was invented, the Univis workers went on strike in Dayton pitting workers from Frigidaire, Delco, and GHR Foundry against the police and the National Guard.
ABC started TV services from Philadelphia, The worlds largest 2,200 acre landfill opened on Staten Island taking in 22,000 tons of garbage a day, Truman became thirty third president. The Soviet Union began blocking broadcasts of the Voice of America, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations OSI was founded and is now headquartered in Andrews AFB.
The first monkey astronaut Albert II went into space from White Sands New Mexico, Israel declared independence upsetting numerous Arab countries. The first Land Rover built was shown at the Amsterdam motor show in Holland. Hell’s Angles motor cycle gang was founded in Fontana, California, the US Supreme Court ruled religious instruction in classrooms violated the constitution, The World Health Organization was founded by the United Nations.

It’s amazing how we can look at something and not realize all that happened in the world,
our country or even our city, in the year this sign was attached to that floor joist……. 1948.