The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 14, 1904

Pin Lodges in Her Throat

X-Ray Examination Reveals Pin in the Throat of Six Year Old Girl.

The six-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F.H. Behrens, living on Eleventh avenue south, swallowed a pin Monday afternoon, the pointed instrument lodging in her throat. Physicians were called and the child was given an X-ray examination at the office of Dr. Saunders. The ray revealed the pin, but it was decided by the doctors to await further developments. It is thought no serious results will follow.

Tags: 1904, Behrens, Saunders

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 14, 1904

Strong Line in Police Court

Mayor Northrup Has a Busy Session This Morning – Hines Heaves a Brick.

Fellow Boarders in a Fight

Otis Felky Refuses to Help Officer Make Arest (sic) and is Himself Arrested.

Mayor Northup had a good sized line-up to go through when he convened court this morning. Eight defendants were arraigned and a total of $78.65 assessed in fines. Of this amount, however, by no means all of it was collected.

John Hines was arrested for heaving a brick at Harry Wilson, a young man who makes his home at the Tremont House. Hines lives at that same place and it was there that the trouble started that ended in his arrest. The complainant testified that defendant had started a war of words when he entered the hotel and finally dared Wilson to follow him into the street. The young man refused to take the dare but he forgot to dodge a brick which Hines hurled at him. The missile bounded off his head and drew first blood.

Officer Pete Ditmer was called to the rescue and Hines was conveyed to the “jug.” The prisoner claimed that the young man was bothering him and other testimony showed that the defendant was not all to blame. He was fined $1 and costs, but afterwards discharged on his promise to keep out of trouble.

Otis Felky was fined $5 and costs and sent back to jail because he refused to assist an officer in arresting Ed Gannon and Pete Coyne Monday night. Gannon, Coyle and Felky were in the John Koll saloon. They started a fight and were ejected from the place. Gannon and Coyne were “mixing it” when a policeman came along and attempted to arrest them. He called on Felky to help him, but Felky merely advised him to journey to a warmer climate. A bystander assisted the officer and after the arrest was made Felky was hunted up and given a berth with his companions. Gannon and Coyne were each fined $10 and costs.

John Strand imbibed a quantity of Milwaukee buttermilk Monday night and went to his home in West Fort Dodge where he was later arrested for disturbing the quiet. He explained that when he arrived home his wife accused him of stealing a bottle of medicine and he became indignant at the accusation and found it impossible to keep his indignation to himself.

John Pool, a cripple, was arrested for being drunk. Pool said his home is in Rapid City, S.D., and that he was only passing through Fort Dodge when arrested. He was fined $1 and costs. Michael Carroll, another cripple, giving Omaha as his residence, blew in from Waterloo and took an overdose of Fort Dodge liquid barb wire. He was given the minimum.

J.A. Hay was arrested Monday for dumping rubbish on North Sixteenth street. He was fined $1 and costs.

Tags: 1904, Carroll, Coyne, Ditmer, Felky, Gannon, Hay, Hines, Northrup, Pool, Strand, Wilson

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 14, 1904

Close Pool Halls at Eleven O’Clock

Pool and Billiard Halls, Now Closing at all Hours, Must Close on Time.

Ordinance to be Adopted

Other Business Transacted by the City Council Monday Night.

A uniform closing hour for pool and billiard halls is to be established in Fort Dodge. The question of taking this step was a subject of discussion at the council meeting Monday night and resulted in the council’s deciding to take such action. The city solicitor was instructed to draw up an ordinannce (sic) to this effect. It will probably be presented to the council at its next meeting. At present there is no closing hour for pool and billiard halls and although no attempt has been made to open them on Sunday it is a question if  under existing conditions their closing on that day could be enforced. Complaints, the police say have been made from several sources that warrant their closing at a stated hour. At present they close at various times from 10 o’clock on.

The following petitions were presented to the council Monday night:

To have First avenue north from Ninth street to Tenth street paved full width. Granted, and Barber Asphalt company notified to make the change at the same price specified in the contract for a thirty-foot street.

From L.E. Chapin and others objecting against manner of replacing paving in the alley between Fifth and Sixth street and Central and First Avenue north taken up by the Fort Dodge Light and Power company in laying gas mains. Referred to the street and alley committee.

Contract for the construction of a sanitary sewer on Second avenue north was awarded to J.W. Mooney at the following figures:

Per lineal foot: 29 1/2 c
House connection: 25 c
Lamp holes: $7 each
Fllush tank: $27 each
Moving siphon: $3

Contract for the construction of sanitary sewer on Fifth street was awarded to C.A. Kling. The following was his bid:

15-inch pipe: 75 c
Catch basins: $26

The sewer committee reported on a proposed sewer in West Fort Dodge, recommending the sewer in question be built as follows: Commencing at the southwest corner of block 1, West Fort Dodge, thence east on Fourth avenue south to Second street, thence south on Second street to Fifth avenue south; thence east on Fifth avenue south to Third street, thence south on Third street to Seventh avenue south; thence east on Seventh avenue south to Fourth street.

The report was approved and placed on file. A resolution of necessity for the same sewer was passed.

On motion the street commissioner was instructed to bring to grade the sidewalk adjoining the N. Fleet property.

The water committee reported in regard to petition for extension of water mains on Second avenue south from Sixteenth to Eighteenth street. The report which recommended that the petition be granted, was accepted.

The Salvation Army petitions the council to be granted the right to erect a temporary building on the southeast corner of Eighth street and Central avenue for the purpose of holding summer meetings. The matter has been referred to the fire committee.

Tags: 1904, Chapin, Fleet, Kling, Mooney

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 13, 1905

Coalville Has More Coal Veins

Favorable Prospects for New McEwen and Collins Mine.

The Shaft Has Been Finished

Was Pushed Down at Very Rapid Speed – Will Install Machinery and be Ready to Work Fifty Men by Next Winter – Excellent Facilities.

William McEwen of Coalville, was in Fort Dodge on Saturday and was able to report very favorable conditions on his new mine he is opening at Coalville. The Collins Brothers are interested with Mr. McEwen in the new mine which is located under the town of Coalville just alongside the railway track and near to the store. Many people had supposed that the coal deposits in this part of the town had been mined out long ago, but Mr. McEwen has demonstrated in his preliminary work of the past six months that there is a fine coal deposit there and he firmly believes it is of considerable size.

The prospecting drill demonstrated that there are two seams of coal, one at a depth of about 65 feet and the other about 80 feet down. Both veins are of lump coal of good quality and the top vein is about three and one-half feet thick and the lower four feet thick.

As soon as this was demonstrated and other drill holes had revealed the proof that a good many acres surrounding them were underlaid in the same way, Mr. McEwen started sinking a shaft and has just completed the work. It is a large shaft with three compartments, two for hoisting and the other for ventilation. The work was crowded with three shifts of men working eight hours each and the entire shaft was put down at an average speed of four feet per day. They went through some soft ground that required careful handling and through a great deal of very hard rock that needed large charges of dynamite. It was by no means an easy job to do so and the speed accomplished was very creditable.

Hoisting machinery will be installed and they will get the mine in shape to put large quantities of coal on the market this winter. Being right on the railroad track, they will be well equipped for shipping their product. They expect to work about fifty men net (sic – should be next) winter mining coal. There is but little water in the mine. They are able to hoist all that accumulates in the sump in twenty-four hours in about an hour and a half each day.

Tags: 1905, Collins, McEwen

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 13, 1905

Co-operative Store at Moorland

Company is Incorporated at The Farmers Elevator Company of Moorland

Many Farmers are Interested

The Company Plans to Handle Every Kind of a Business That Would be Needed There – Will Operate An Elevator, a Store and Real Estate.

Articles of incorporation were filed with the County Recorder in this city this morning, incorporating “The Farmers Elevator Company of Moorland.” This company has among its stockholders all the principal business men of that place as well as many farmers of the  surrounding country.

The articles of incorporation give considerable space to the kind of business the company is to engage in. The company has among its objects the operation of a grain elevator, the running of a co-operative store, which will handle dry goods, groceries, hardware, farm implements, boots and shoes and in fact all other products ever handled by a general store and will in addition transact real estate business.

The elevator is also to be run on a very liberal basis and the company will handle grain, live stock, swine, sheep and all dairy products. The company is organized in a way to indicate that it meant to absorb all business interests in that town.

The articles of incorporation do not give the capital stock, but allows for an increase in the stock up to $25,000 while the company is to have $3,000 paid up stock in the treasury on its date of incorporation which is June 10.

The president of the company is to be Joe Fiala. The vice president is T.A. McCarville. James A. Halligan is secretary while E.J. Halligan is treasurer. The other stockholders in the ocmpany on the date of its incorporation are as follows. F.G. Cochran, E.C. Kusterer, Joe McCarville, E.S. Fiala, Joseph Stanek, B.E. Peterson, F.H. Blunck, M.J. Barrett, N.L. Ornis, and Mr. J. Frosland.

(Editor’s note: The inflation calculator gives the amount of $598,737 in 2010 dollars for the original $25,000, and $71,484 for the original $3,000.)

Tags: 1905, Barrett, Blunck, Cochran, Fiala, Frosland, Halligan, Kusterer, McCarville, Ornis, Peterson, Stanek

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 12, 1906

And Still They Come

Two Automobiles Have Been Bought by Local Men – A Cadillac and a Thomas.

The ranks of the local automobilists have been swelled by the arrival of two cars in the city. Ed Rank arrived Saturday night in his new Thomas heavy touring car. This machine is one of the best built in this country, and has a fifty horse power gasoline engine with the cylinders cast separately. It seats seven with comfort, having in the back, two revolving seats besides those ordinarily found in touring cars. The body is painted a rosewood finish while the running gear is red. The car is very long, as it has 114 inches wheel base. It cost its owner $3,500 and is guaranteed to make a speed of sixty miles per hour by the makers.

Another of the doctors of the city have purchased a machine. Dr. Dorr, who has bought a Cadillac runabout from the local agency. There are now four doctors of the city who make their rounds in machines and all of them think them more to their advantage than the using of horses.

Tags: 1906, Cadillac, Dorr, Rank, Thomas

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 12, 1906

Collect Unique Stamps

People Throughout Country Ready to Purchase Rare Stamps – Frisco Letters Marked “Earthquake.”

Since the disaster at San Francisco enthusiastic stamp collectors have been adding to their unique collections. Every available piece of writing maing (sic) material was used during the dreadful week folowing (sic) the earthquake for friends and relatives were gladdened by the receipt of a bit of old card board or a tiny scrap of paper.

The post offices all over the country delivered missives from the stricken city, free of charge to the sender. The writer would substitute the word “earthquake,” “no stamps to be had” or collect at destination,” in place of stamps. sometimes a substitute, either an out of date stamp or old revenue stamp was used, but regardless of the method of attempting to provide substitutes the postoffices have cancelled the corners, making the relic of “philatelic” value.

The redemption division of the post office department has been busily engaged in redeeming thousands of ruined stamps and stamped envelopes which have been sent back east from the postoffices of San Francisco. The postmasters were credited with the full amount and received new stamps and envelopes.

Stamp collecting has become one of the fads of this country. The enthusiastic collector will work overtime, nights and Sundays to secure a rare specimen, an error or a freak. The recent earthquake has been the means by which several unique relics will be secured for future reference when their value is assured.

Tags: 1905, San Francisco earthquake

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 11, 1903

Bees Starve in Their Hives

Cold and Wet Weather is Likely to Be Responsible for Failure of Honey Crop.

Bees are Unable to Be Busy.

Ernest Bernschein, of This City, Has Lost Over 140 Colonies Valued at $700, As Rsult of the Inclement Weather.

Ernest Bernchein (sic), Fort Dodge’s apiarist reports that the conituned (sic) rain and cold weather of the past month is ruining the Iowa honey crop and killing off hundreds of swarms of bees. Mr. Bernschein himself has lost over 140 colonies valued at 4700. He predicts that if the wet weather continues the Iowa honey crop will be a failure this year.

During the cold damp weather the bees are unable to extract the nectar from the blossoms. For this reason when many of the hives are opened, the busy little inhabitants are found upon the verge of starvation; the bees having obtained little nourishment since last July.

The bees are now supposed to be taking advantage of the sweet clover which abounds in the vicinity of Fort Dodge and laying up many pounds of honey but for once they are doing nothing as the clover is too wet to extract much of the honey. In order to keep the remaining colonies alive Mr. Bernschein is resorting to an expensive method of feeding them sweetened water. In less than two hours Wednesday afternoon six gallons of this was drunk by Mr. Bernschein’s honey giving insects. This was the first year that Mr. Bernschein has resorted to this method of keeping his bees alive.

Mr. Bernschein has one hundred colonies left and if a favorable change occurs in the weather seventy-five pound of honey may be averaged from these swarms making all 60,000 pounds of honey, but this would be a very short crop. Honey will probably sell for twenty-five cents a pound this year. Last year with a favorable crop it brought twenty cents. It is expected that the inclement weather will boom the price skyward.

(Editor’s note: This inflation calculator says that 25 cents in 1903 is equivalent to $5.99 in 2010 dollars.)

Tags: 1903, bees, Bernschein

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 10, 1904

Recovers a Horse Lost a Year Ago

Disappearance and Unusual Recovery of Broncho (sic) Belonging to Mr. Tuller.

Webster City Man Must Explain

Horse Leaves This City and is Later Traded at Webster City and Come Here.

One evening just a year ago a bronco belonging to Marion Tuller, becoming restless in the confines of the barn escaped from its stall and sought the freedom of the fields east of the city. its owner followed it, but night fell before he was successful in capturing hte runaway and he returned to town empty handed. The lost horse was advertised in the newspapers, but nothing came of the efforts to locate it.

This morning a horse trading outfit drove into town, coming from the east. Behind one of the two wagons composing the outfit was a broncho (sic) with a horseshoe brand on his shoulder. The outfit drove down town and tied up in the alley between Central avenue and First avenue south and Seventh and Eighth street.

Mr. Tuller happened to pass the place where the outfit was stationed. There was little in the outfit to attract his attention until his eyes rested on the bronco with the horsehoe brands on his shoulder. Tuller sees more in a horse than the usual run of men and a single glance only was necessary for him to recognize his horse. The bronco, which had taken French leave from his barn a year before, was there in the alley tied behind the dingy wagon that was the horse trader’s home.

Tuller visited the outfit in a short time accompanied by Deputy Sheriff Clark Woolsey who was armed with a writ of replevin. W.A. Jackson the man in charge of the outfit, made no attempt to hold the horse when the circumstances were explained to him. He had secured the horse, he said, a short time ago from one Bill Greenwood, a well known horse trader living in Webster City. Greenwood was communicated with, but could only say that he bought the horse from (a) herd.

Jackson left for Webster City this afternoon and will demand a settlement of Greenwood.

Tags: 1904, Greenwood, horse, Jackson, Tuller, Woolsey