Posts Tagged ‘1904’

5
Jan

Army Rations Not In It

   Posted by: admin    in Food, Military matters

Fort Dodge Messenger: Jan. 5, 1904

Army Rations Not In It

An Old Soldier Writes of His Christmas Dinner.

Former Fort Dodge Man Tells of Good Things to Eat at Old Soldiers’ Home on Christmas.

Those veterans of the civil war who are gathered together in the home for the old soldiers at Marshalltown fared just as well or better than many who had homes of their own on Christmas day. One soldier from Fort Dodge, who is now at the home, has written to the Messenger telling of the many good things that they were served on that day, and starts his letter with “Did we have dinner Christmas at the Soldier’s home? Read the following and draw your own conclusions.”

“One hundred and twenty-three pounds of turkey; three gallons of oysters for dressing; three gallons of good gravy, forty pounds of potatoes; fifteen pounds of bread, six pounds of good butter; forty pounds of plum pudding; three gallons vanilla sauce; green pears; fourteen quarts cranberries, nine pounds of sugar; one hundred and thirty-eight oranges; one hundred and sixty-two bananas; twenty-four pounds of candy, one-third of a barrel of apples, twelve dozen doughnuts; nine pounds of cheese; one and one-half dozen pickles, fifty pounds of milk, two pounds of Mocha Coffee; one-fourth pound Formosa tea. This was in our dining room in the O.P.B. We have two good cooks in the kitchen and five good girls in the dining room. Everything is cooked and served in good style.”

Tags:

The Fort Dodge Messenger: June 23, 1904

Advertisement

Of Interest to Wives Whose Husbands Drink to Excess

Orrine quickly and permanently destroys the craving for liquor. You can give it without patient’s knowledge, if desired, in tea, coffee or milk, as it is tasteless, odorless and colorless. Price $1.00 per box — money refunded if it fails. Book free. Oleson Drug company. Fort Dodge, Iowa.

(Editor’s note: A search for orrine brings up a lot of things, including more advertisements like this one. I imagine it was some sort of snake oil remedy that may have had more than one name. I wonder how many people asked for their money back.)

Tags: ,

7
Sep

Report Births and Deaths

   Posted by: admin    in Vital records

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Sept. 7, 1904

Report Births and Deaths

Physicians or Other Persons in attendance Must Report

Blanks For Purpose May Be Obtained From Drs. W.W. Bowen or A.H. McCreight

Dr. W.W. Bowen the health officer of the city, as (sic – should be has) just received the death and birth blanks that are required to be filled out by the new “vital statistics” law that recently passed the legislature and has been causing such a furor among the members of the medical profession.

The new law requires that a complete record of every birth and death shall be made by the physician or other persons in attendance at the time and the records shall be turned in to the city health physicians or his new deputy, either of whom will supply the necessary blanks for the purpose.

From this time on the requirements of this law must be fulfilled to the letter under a penalty of fine or imprisonment or both. The penalty for neglecting this duty as stated in the law is a fine of not less than $5 (about $126 today) nor more than $100 ($2,516), or imprisonment for not more than sixty days or both. If neither physician, nurse or midwife are present at the birth of a child any person of the family or institution where the child is born may make the report on the blanks held by the health officer or his deputy. Dr. A.H. McCreight is the deputy of Dr. Bowen in this city.

In the case of a death the physician in attendance must make out the usual death certificate and the undertaker is required to take this to the health physician and make report of the death, so that by this arrangement, one man has a complete record of every birth and death in his community.

Tags: , ,

30
Aug

Dies Suddenly While Visiting

   Posted by: admin    in Death

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 30, 1904

Dies Suddenly While Visiting

Peter Lindstrom of Dayton Dies of Heart Disease While at a Friend’s

Found Dead in Bed Room

Had Sister in This City — Had Been in Best of Spirits — Well Known Throughout County — The Coroner’s Jury Verdict

While visiting at the home of his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Newburg, in Dayton, Peter Lindstrom, a tile ditcher, of that place, came to his death from heart trouble Monday afternoon. The cold lifeless form of the dead man was found in an upper room of hte Newburg home several hours after he had been stricken. The coroner’s jury, which was summoned at once, rendered a verdict of death from heart disease, between the hours of two and four. The jury was composed of August Putzke, Edward Putzke and G.W. Weaver.

Has Relatives in This City

Lindstrom, who was a widower, had lived in Dayton for many years and was well known throughout the county. He has a sister, who is housekeeper for E.B. Craft, and who left for the scene of her brother’s death last night. Deceased had many relatives in Dayton and the surounding (sic) towns. He was fifty-seven years old at the time of his death.

Was Feeling Well

Lindstrom had long been a sufferer from heart disease, but he had been feeling in such good spirits during the few days previous to his death that it came as a terrible shock to his friends. On Saturday night he had gone to the Newburg home for a few days visit. After dinner Monday he returned at once to his room never to go forth from it again. When supper time came Mrs. Newburg, becoming alarmed at his continued absence, went up stairs to look for the missing guest. Upon opening the door she was horrified to se (sic) the cold lifeless form half on the bed and floor. A physician was hastily summoned, but it was evident that the man had been dead for some time. He met his death between the hours of 2 and 4 o’clock.

Tags: , , , , ,

27
Aug

Freak Marriage of Stratford Girl

   Posted by: admin    in Marriage, Society news, Stratford

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 27, 1904

Freak Marriage of Stratford Girl

Wedded at Spiritualist Camp Meeting Before Crowd of Spectators

Minerva Bentley is the Bride

Weds William L. Gibbs of Abilene, Tex., Met at Camp Meeting at Cedar Rapids, and Concluded to be Made One on the Spot

Stratford, Ia. Aug. 27 — Miss Minerva Bentley of Stratford took an important part in a woods wedding at Cedar Rapids on Wednesday evening. In fact, she was the bride, the groom being William L. Gibbs of Abilene, Tex. The two were attending the Spiritualists’ camp meeting there and concluded to enter into matrimony before the close of the camp meeting. The following is a report from the meeting in regard to this strange wedding:

“There is a little matter of business to transact before we conclude,” solemnly observed a minister at the Spiritualists’ camp meeting at Cedar River Park last evening: and with the audience all in ignorance of what was to transpire a blushing bride and groom walked into full view of the crowd and proceeded to answer the usual questions incident to a marriage ceremony.

The couple who chose this novel and surprising method of becoming man and wife were William L. Gibbs of Abilene, Tex., and Minerva Bentley of Stratford, Ia. They have been in attendance at the camp meeting and arranged with Rev. J. Allord to make a preliminary announcement and perform the ceremony.

(Editor’s note: I looked up the marriage on FamilySearch.org. They were married on Aug. 24, 1904, — a Wednesday, as mentioned in the article — in Waterloo. She was 44 and he was 53. His parents were John L. Gibbs and Martha J. Long. Her parents were William Bowman and Maria Hardin.)

Tags: , , ,

26
Aug

Narrow Escape for Boy

   Posted by: admin    in Accident

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 26, 1904

Narrow Escape for Boy

A Heavy Weight Falls Upon Robert Craig

Pinned Down Under a Furnace Which Weights 500 Pounds, But No Bones Are Broken

Robert Craig eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Craig had a narrow escape from an awful injury on Wednesday. Mr. Craig has purchased a new heating furnace for his house and it has been stored in the barn this summer. He and Robert were out in the born (sic, should be barn) and Robert was playing about when suddenly Mr. Craig heard a cry and looking about he discovered his boy pinned under the entire front of the plant which had fallen on him, just leaving his head out above the iron.

The front weighed about five hundred pounds, at least, so it seemed to the distracted father as he raised it from off what he supposed would be a crushed and broken child. The little boy was found to be badly bruised but not a bone broken. As the front fell the door fell open and supported the weight of the structure, thus in a large measure saving the child who would no doubt have been killed, or badly injured if this had not been so.

Robert is a badly bruised boy, but he will soon be around again and there is a very thankful family up at the Craig home, in spite of the fact that just after this accident the baby secured a case knife and cut his little finger to the bone to make a diversion for his parents, who were no doubt too much taken up with Robert to please the small autocrat.

Tags: ,

25
Aug

Merry Quartette of Drunks

   Posted by: admin    in Police court

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 25, 1904

Merry Quartette of Drunks

Appear in Police Court This August Morning

All are Relegated to the Pen for Punishment and Meditation Fancy Free

A quartet of drunks and vagrants graced the mercy seat in police court this morning. All plead guilty to their respective charges, as a result the city jail now houses four new ocupants (sic). The first man up was James King who appeared Wednesday morning and was allowed to leave upon promise to get out of town at once. He was given a strong dose this morning in the shape of a $9.35 sentence (about $235 today).

William Carroll of Minnesota was quickly disposed of at $5.85 ($147). William Davis from the Windy City took his $1 ($25 today) and costs and was lead to the bastile without a murmur. John Wilborn was the last man up and he made a strenuous plea for fresh air, saying that he had an appointment at Oelwein. He too was relegated to the city pen.

Tags: , , , ,

19
Aug

Railroad Name is Changed

   Posted by: admin    in Railroad

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 19, 1904

Railroad Name is Changed

Carbon No Longer the Name of the Little Town

Railroad Name of This Place as Well as the Post Office Name has Been Changed

Carbon Junction at last is no more as the railroad name as well as the name of the post office has bbeen changed to Gypsum. Before the post office was located there the place was always known as Carbon Junction to every one in this part of the state. When the post office was located there the post office was given the name of Gypsum because of the fact that there was another town in the state by the name of Carbon. Besides the name Gypsum is more appropriate to the place because of the numerous gypsum mills located there. The railroad still continued to call their station “Carbon Junction,” but at last they too have changed the name and in the future when the brake man goes through the train, “Gypsum the next stop” will be his call instead of “Carbon Junction the next stop.” The ruling has already gone into effect and the name over the station has been changed.

The local freight office employees who were looking for a chance to grumble, said it was a wonder the bill clerk at Carbon could not bill his freight right as a bill which was sent out of there Thursday was headed Carbon, Iowa, when the new rule went into effect on that date.

Tags:

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 16, 1904

“World’s Fair” Day Was Great Success

More Than 200 Fort Dodge People Attend Duncombe Celebration Monday

Sports Were Features of Day

East End Team of This City Takes Game From Duncombe, Score 13 to 1 —
Bloomer Girls Play Foot Ball and Draw Large Crowds

A crowd of more than two hundred people took the train for Duncombe on Monday morning and spent the day in the enterprising little city to the east of us. Monday, August 15, was the great day of the year for the people of Duncombe. The “World’s Fair” day, which has been celebrated by the citizens of that place for many years, and which always takes a big crowd from Fort Dodge.

Program of Sports

The program of the day consisted almost of sports, and of these events there was no stint this year. Basket ball, foot ball, base ball, horse races, races on foot, sack races, three-legged races, egg races, and in fact, everything in the line of races that could be imagined. there were also wrestling matches and boxing matches and in the evening two big dances in operation in the two halls of Duncombe at the same time.

The real features of the day and the greatest drawing cards on the program was the basket and foot ball games played by the Boston Bloomer girls. The games were both fast and furious and kept the sightseers interested from start to finish.

Boston Bloomers baseball team

Post card showing nine members of the Boston National Bloomer Girls Base Ball Club, wearing baseball uniforms, posed with L.J. Galbreath in the center. Photo courtesy Library of Congress collection.

Base Ball Game

The feature next in interest, perhaps, was a ball game between the East End nine of this city and the local team of Duncombe. This game was in the hands of the East Enders from start to finish and resulted in a score of thirteen to one in their favor.

Many Stayed Over

Many of the Fort Dodge people who attended stayed for the dances in the evening, a goodly number of them not getting home until this morning. All report that the people of Duncombe know how to entertain and will be glad of another similar opportunity to visit that city.

(Editor’s note: The Boston Bloomer girls were a baseball team. The Library of Congress website says this:

“Bloomer girls” take to the baseball diamond challenging amateur, semi-pro, and minor league men’s teams in front of thousands of spectators. Known for wearing practical, loose Turkish-style trousers created by Amelia Bloomer, hundreds of teams ‘barnstormed’ the country during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, providing women an opportunity to travel and play this traditionally all-male sport.)

Tags:

13
Aug

Black Diptheria at Stanhope

   Posted by: admin    in Disease, Quarantine, Stanhope, Stratford

The Fort Dodge Messenger: Aug. 13, 1904

Black Diphtheria at Stanhope

Dread Disease Made its Appearance There Some Time Ago

Many People Were Exposed

Malady Was at First Pronounced Tonsillitis and Many People Visited the Afflicted Homes, Exposing Themselves to the Disease

The town of Stanhope, a few miles south of Webster City, is in a high state of terrified anxiety over the appearance of several cases of black diphtheria, from which three deaths have already resulted. It is reported new cases are breaking out with terrible regularity and that many exposures have occurred thruout (sic) the town.

Every effort is now being made by the terrified citizens to put a stop to the spread of the malady, and it is hoped that from now on there will be no more eposures (sic). The disease is stated to be the most malignant type of that most dreaded of all the ills of childhood, black diphtheria.

The malady has not attacked children exclusively, but in one or two instances grown people have been infected.

Reports from the Leonard Hill home today indicates that Mr. Hill who is suffering from the disease, is no worse but appears to be holding his own. Little Mildred, who was buried Sunday last was the last of the Hill children, which fact makes the case particularly sad and elicits the sympathy of all.

It is feared that unless the officials in Stratford and Stanhope exercise the strictest quarantine and care in families who have the disease or have been exposed to it, that it will spread rapidly. It appears that when the disease first made its appearance in the Leonard Hill family it was pronounced tonsilitis (sic). Neighbors and other friends went in and out of the home in a very free manner. Of course all these have been exposed to the black diphtheria and if the authorities are to protect the people from an epidemic of diphtheria all persons who have been exposed should be promptly put under quarantine and kep there until it develops whether or not they have the disease. Black diphtheria is not a disease to be trifled with and the health of the community demands that all quarantine laws be strictly enforced regardless of how many or how prominent the people who may have been exposed to it.

Besides the little Chipman girl the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Milburn is also suffering with the disease.

Tags: , , ,