The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 16, 1906

Eggs are Skyward

They Retail at 25 Cents, Which is Usual  Top Notch Price for Winter.

Fresh eggs are skyward and what is more grocers are at a loss to supply the trade at all. They are retailing at twenty-five cents a dozen and dealers are buying at twenty-four. The conditions are almost unprecedented and grocers hardly know what to make of them.

“I was up at Ruthven the other day,” said Mr. D.E. Leary, “and thought in a country town like that I could surely be able to pick up a few cases, but I was badly fooled. Eggs are as scarce there as they are here.  Some one got in a car load there a few days ago and they completely sold out in two days. I think it is possible the packers are trying to keep the prices up so that they can unload their storage supply at big prices.”

Thumb Badly Cut

Slight Accident Happens at the Fackler & McMullen Plant.

While at work in the machine department of the Fackler & McMullen plant, as the foot of Central Avenue, this morning, Jno. Sultzbaugh, an employe (sic), sustained a slight injury to his left thumb by a piece of flying metal. He was at work at a lathe at the time when the metal he held in his hand broke, one of the pieces striking the end of the thumb, cutting it severelyi.

Casualties None

Lone Aspirant Passes Initiation and Becomes Full Fledged Elk

One lone candidate for initiation awaited the pleasure of his to be brother Elks in the Elk’s quarters in the Mason building, last evening, and successfully passed through the ovation prepared for him. His name is Clyde Lunger, Kansas City Agent for the Banker’s Life Insurance Company of Des Moines, formerly located here in the interests of that company, and well known in the city.

Still Have Hope

The State Board Has Not Relinquished Idea of Locating Hospital Here

That the state board of control is still considering the probability of locating the state tuberculosis sanitarium here was demonstrated in a telephone convention (sic) held by Judge Robinson with a member of the local committee. In spite of the obstacles which lie in the way, the board is still looking towards Fort Dodge with favor, and will before the next general assembly, decide the site of the state institution in order to make a favorable report on the matter places in its hands.

Closes the Series

Sunday Night Will be Last of Dr. Gwilym’s Sermons.

Rev. D.V. Gwilym, D.D. of New York City, who has been conducting services in the First Methodist church the past two weeks, will close his work here tomorrow night. In view of the fact services will be held this afternoon and evening that as many of his expositions may be given as possible.

The largest audience greeted him last night that has been out yet, and the interest is constantly increasing. Sunday will doubtless be the great day of these meetings. Dr. Gwylym will preach both morning and evening, and every one is cordially invited to attend.

Tags: 1906, Gwilym, Leary, Lunger, Sultzbaugh

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 9, 1906

Dismay Among Teachers

Nearly Half of Those Who Took Recent Exams in Webster County Failed.

Recent returns received by county Superintendent M.P. Somes from the state examining board at Des Moines have caused untold dismay and chagrin among the teachers of Webster county for out of thirty-three who took the examination here under the new law, sixteen failed utterly.

This is a surprise in the extreme. The questions were easy but evidently the state board marked extremely close and the new examination law on this, its first trial, has fallen into marked disfavor in Webster county.

Mr. Somes says that as the result of so many teachers being turned down Webster county will be short of enough to fill the schools by about twenty-eight. The results of the examination came as almost as much of a surprise to Mr. Somes as to the teachers. Many of those who were turned down were old and tried teachers who had good records. Several others who had first and second grade certificates for years got only third grade.

Other counties have been treated about the same and indications are that as the result of the state board’s close marking and strictness the state will have a big shortage on teachers this year.

Mrs. Somes, in order to fill the many vacancies in Webster county schools will hold a special examination in his office November 21, 22 and 23. This will of course, be under the same ruling and all papers will have to be sent to Des Moines for grading.

Tags: 1906, Somes

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 8, 1904

Fort Dodge Boy on the Missouri

Charles Dunsmore, Who is in the Navy Returns to His Duties.

Has Been in Navy Three Years

Has Visited in Many Countries Since He Enlisted – Spent Summer in The Mediteranean (sic) Sea and Will Spend Winter in West Indies.

Charles Dunsmore, the Fort Dodge boy on the battleship Missouri, who has been visiting at his home in this city for the past ten days, left for Boston Saturday night where the ship is located. Dunsmore has been in the navy for three years and likes the life. He was on the Missouri last summer when the awful accident occurred in in (sic) which several of the gunners in one of the thirteen inch turrets were killed.

Since his visit to his home in this city last May, he has been with this ship in every country in southern Europe bordering on the sea. He spent some time in Greece and also visited the cities of Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. He secured a few days lay off while in each of these countries, and with companions visited interesting cities.

This winter Dunsmore expects the squadron will be located in the West Indies. They have spent each winter there since he joined and he understands that orders to spend this winter there have been given. The Missouri belongs to the battleship squadron of the North Atlantic fleet. In this same squadron is the Kentucky, on which ship Robert Wolverton of this city is an electrician.

Dunsmore is an apprentice and holds as a position, the title of second gunner, on one of the eight inch guns of this ship. He says he is glad he enlisted, and thinks the experience he will get will do him good. He says that although he would not like to take up the navy as a life vocation, he still thinks that five or less years of it will help many.

One sees lots of the world while in the navy. Since Dusnmore joined he  has visited the countries of southern Europe and northern Africa and South America and the West Indies. He thinks that he will be able to get an assignment next summer to a ship that will sail in the waters of northern Europe. In this way he will be able to see Great Britain, Germany, Russia,  northern France, and the Scandinavia (sic) countries.

He said while here that he may try later to get an assignment to a ship on the Pacific squadron. This would enabe (sic) him to see the Philippines, Asia and probably other islands in the south sea. He does not want to do this until he has seen northern Europe, as when one is detailed to the Pacific squadron he is not able to return here until the time  of his enlistment is out. He says that there are many thing (sic) about the life in the navy that are reverse, as is the case in every kind of life.

Tags: 1904, Dunsmore

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 8, 1905

Currency Burned in Stove

Mrs. Bell of This City Places Money in Stove for Safe Keeping With Bad Results

Alarmed by the burglaries of the city during the last few months, Mrs. L. Bell of Third Avenue south, a few weeks ago placed some eleven or twelve dollars in bills and coin in a stove for safe keeping.

At that time no fire was being kept and she considered the place an ideal one for the safe keeping of the money. A cold day dawned on the city a short time ago and a member of the family knowing nothing of the money in the stove lighted a fire, with the natural result that a few minutes later found the money charred to cinders. The ashes of the bills remained intact, and they were carefully gathered up and taken to the First National bank, from where they were sent to the government.

A short time ago, Mrs. Bell received payment from the government for the destroyed money, but owing to the fact that not all of the charred peices (sic) were gathered up, she was refunded only about half the amount of her loss. The silver was blackened, but not disfigured so as to make it unpassable as the coin of the realm.

Tags: 1905, Bell

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 7, 1905

The Mayor is Up in Arms

Says Distributing Pills and Medicines About The City Must Stop.

With the bringing before him a case where a little child had become dangerously ill from eating a sample box of pills thrown into the front yard by a distributing agent, Mayor Bennett has risen in his wrath and declares that distributing samples of medicines about the city especially at residences must be stopped.

He states that he will notify official bill poster and advertising agent W.P. Durmer that he must not take any more contracts to put out such stuff and will instruct his police to arrest all transients whom they find pursuing a similar work. His action will no doubt be approved through the city particularly by people with small children, from the fact that the little ones often pick up, and eat boxes of tempting-looking sugar coated pills, etc., that they found about the street and house.

Tags: 1905, Bennett, Durmer

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 7, 1906

Seen and Heard

A group of men were lounging in one of the drug stores of the city. The proprietor of the establishment was sitting at one of the little round tables used by soda water fiends during the summer months. After writing vigorously unaware of the discussions around him, he suddenly looked up, gathered a sheaf of neatly folded papers in his hand and said, “There’s sixty-seven statements of small accounts for one month which I am sending out. The items total from twenty cents ($4.79 today) to ten dollars ($239.40). Probably the whole amount involved is thirty-five dollars ($838.23).”

Cigars were relit and the loungers settled back in their seats. “Yes,” said the proprietor,  “I have seen men come in here, buy a cigar and have their five cent ($1.20) purchase charged. If the man is a fairly good customer I have my clerks do it. This shows how the charging habit affects people. I should think that a business man would have at least five cents in his pocket. Possibly that man will not charge anything else for that month. At the end of thirty days a statement must be mailed to him. This takes up a large amount of the profits accruing from the sale.

“There is another side of the charging question that I have noticed nad that is that most of the young men who are addicted to it spend far more than they have any idea of and far too heavily in proportion to their wages. Of course this benefits me but still I don’t think it is right. I think that the best way a father can teach a boy frugality and thrift is to warn him against the habit of charging promiscously (sic) every purchase he makes. It is so easy to charge a thing with no thought for the day of reckoning.”

Tags: 1906

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 7, 1906

Iowa as Frontier State

Pennsylvania Boys Think it a Stamping Ground for Cowboys

Bearing a two cent stamp in one corner, the following enclosure of a letter directed to the Fort Dodge Post Master was received at the post office this morning:

Aspinwall, Pennsylvania
October 23, 1906

Post Master, Fort Dodge, Iowa:

Dear Sir – I would like to ask you to send me the names of some of the ranchers and ranchmen of Iowa that employ cowboys. A friend of mine and I have decided to go west to Iowa providing we can get work as cowboys.

Hoping you will oblige me by sending me a few names, I remain,

Very truly yours,

J.E. Snyder
Aspinwall, Pennsylvania.

Tags: 1906, Snyder

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 6, 1905

Wreckage in Path of Runaway Team

Team Belonging to Mrs. R.M. Wright Wrecks Three Conveyances in Flight

A team belonging to Mrs. R.M. Wright broke loose from their fastenings near the corner of Seventh street and Central avenue at 10:00 this morning and took a quick run down Central avenue to the park. In the flight a carriage belonging to J.C. Hoagland was tipped over and the Peterson grocery wagon received a like fate. The horses ran astraddle of a tree in the park, and their flight was stopped, but not before the buggy and harness were badly damaged. The horses had been hitched by Mrs. Wright, near her husband’s office. They began kicking at each other and in the melee the hitching strap was broken and the wild run started.

After overturning the Hoagland carriage, the vehicle of Mrs. Wright was in turn tipped over and dragged on its side.  Later the carriage righted itself and then was turned again as the Peterson wagon was struck. The runaway attracted a large crowd to the park.

The Wright carriage is badly damaged, every wheel being ruined, and the body of the rig is in bad shape. The harness likewise, is badly cut up. The Hoagland carriage, was uninjured, as Mr. Hoagland caught the horse, before it could joint (sic) the others in their wild flight. The Peterson horse was also easily captured before any damage was done.

Tags: 1905, Hoagland, Peterson, Wright

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Nov. 5, 1906

Ladies Got Dumped Out

Tongue of Carriage Buried in ground by Force of Runaway – Occurs on 15th Street Viaduct.

The tongue of the buggy was driven several feet into the ground, the fair occupants were dumped unceremoniously into the street and the team trotted home, uninjured, with the tugs and ends of the harness trailing behind them. Such was the result of a peculiar accident on the hill near the 15th street viaduct Saturday evening as the Misses Oleson, daghters (sic) of Mrs. Gunder Oleson, of Badger, were driving home after a visit in Fort Dodge. The team was not harnessed very securely so that when they were making the descent the tugs became unfastened, and the tongue fell and frightened them.

The team ran across the viaduct, finally stopping when the tongue was driven into the ground and the young ladies were thrown from the buggy. No serious injuries were reported, although the Misses Oleson sustained a bad fall.

Tags: 1906, Oleson