MORE BIG MO FLOOD PICTURES ON PAGES 9 AND 10_ |
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North-Nebraska s Fastest-Growing Newspaper
___________*---- —
VOLUME 71.—NUMBER 50. O'NEILL. NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. APRIL 17. 1952. PRICE: 7 CENTS.
_—---—
$12,000 Bond Issue
Faces City's Voters
O’Neill voters will go to the
polls next Tuesday, April 22, to
cast their ballots “for” or “a
gainst” a 12-thousand-dollar bond
issue.
The special election has been
called by the city council in an
effort to pull the city through a
combination financial and water
shortage crisis.
The blunt facts are that one
of two of the city's new wells,
only four years old, has be
come practically useless. A
new operative well is urgent
for fire protection and for an
adequate water supply for do
mestic consumption. Further
more. the city's coffers can't
stand the outlay without a bond
issue.
The mayor and city council
are united in their appeal to the
voters to back the plan.
The lone operative well and
pump have a rated capacity of
300- to 4'JO-gallons per minute.
During a 30-day period in Au
gust, 1949, the city required 600
gallons-per-minute to supply do
mestic needs. This figure is based
on 24-hour - per - day pumping
records.
Proposed site of the new well,
provided the plan gets the ap
proval of the voters, willdoe eith
er east or west of the present
well sites 1% miles south of the
city on U.S. highway 281. Uni
versity of Nebraska experts on
municipal water supply problems
recommend a site west of the
present wells.
The council has authorized
sinking test wells since the need
for a new well became urgent,
but drillers have been unable to
operate because of high water
and wetness.
Reason the one well went in
operative is because it was pull
ing mostly quicksand into the
gravel pack instead of water.
The sand has damaged pumping
equipment.
Voting places have been desig
nated as follows:
First ward—Courthouse base
ment; Second—First National
bank basement; Third —- city
halL Polls will be open from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (See sample
ballot on page 4.)
Election officials include: First
—Mrs. Margaret Elkins, Mrs.
Tess Protivinsky, Mrs. D. C.
Schaffer, Mrs. A. W. Carroll, Mrs>
William W. Griffin. Second —
Mrs. Tom Greene, Miss Kathryn
McCarthy, Mrs. Christine Wil
liams, Mrs. C. E. Yantzi, Mrs. M.
A. Schelkopf. Third — H. B.
Burch, Mrs. George Robertson,
Mrs. Dean Streeter, Mrs. Rose
Minton and Mrs. Frank Clem
ents.
Extended ARC Drive
Well Over Quota
The 1952 membership and
fund-raising dirve for the Holt
county chapter of the American
Red Cross, extended in duration
because of adverse weather and
road conditions, soared well over
its quota.
Mrs. Thomas E. Sullivan, wife
of O’Neill’s postmaster, headed
the campaign:
Results by communities:
Chair. ’52 Quota Amt. Rec.
O'Neill— Mrs.
Virgil Laur
sen and Mrs.
Cletus Durr $ 900.00 $1,095.44
Atkinson—Mrs.
Fred Dunn _ 600.00 740.37
Stuart — Mrs.
Noma Hall _ 275.00 189.00
Emmet — Mrs.
P. V. McGin
nis _ 155.00 225.50
Chambers —
John W.
Walter _ 205.00 562.95
Inman — Har
old Wilhoit _ 130.00 90.00
Page — Mrs.
Jud Russell.. 155.00 219.60
Ewing — Mrs.
James Pruden 225.00 214.00
Amelia — Flor
ence Lindsey 88.00
Total_$2,189.00 $3,424.86
Contributions are still coming,
stimulated by the alert work of
the ARC in the Missouri flood
disaster.
Dick Mango Band
Coming Saturday
Dick Mango and his famous or
chestra will play at the American
Legion club Saturday, April 19.
Mango is well-known as a com
poser and arranger. He has writ
ten many original compositions,
many of which have achieved na
tional popularity.
Of all the tunes he has written,
he feels his theme, “Shangri-La,”
is best.
Will Baker. Wife
Wed 50 Years —
Mr. and Mrs. Will Baker, of
Brunswick, will celebrate their
golden wedding anniversary on
Sunday, April 27.
A family dinner will be held at
noon and there will be open house
from 2 to 4 in the afternoon and
again from 7 to 9 in the evening.
Mrs. Baker is a sister of Clyde
and Dean Streeter.
•Strive from Texas—
Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Hughes, of
Abilene, Tex., arrived Friday,
April 11, and are visiting at the
home of Mrs. Hughes’ parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jareske, and
family.
— The i-Vontier KiiKraving
MERCHANT DIES . . . George
L. Smith, 55 (above), prominent
Chambers businessman, died
Sunday, April 6, in an Omaha
hospital. Funeral services were
held Wednesday, April 9. The
late Mr. Smith was substitute
rural mail carrier 25 years, a
veteran grocery merchant and
in 1949 helped launch a lum
beryard—the first for the town.
Survivors include the widow,
the former Lorraine Ennis;
thre brothers and two sisters.
NETTIE CLEVISH, 62,
EXPIRES IN KANSAS
Burial Here Monday for
Former Resident
of O’Neill
Mrs. Nettie Clevish, 62, widow
of the late Otto Clevish, died
Friday, April 11, at the home of
her daughter, Mrs. Lee Osborne,
at Parker, Kans. She had suffer
ed a lingering illness.
Funeral rites were conducted
at 2 p.m., Monday, April 14, from
the Methodist churcn in O’Neill
with Rev. Lloyd W. Mullis, of
Clarks, a former pastor here, of
ficiating. Burial was in Prospect
Hill cemetery under the direction
of Biglin Brothers.
Pallbearers were Floyd John
son, Morris Harmon, A1 Gaskill,
Merritt Pierson, Howard Manson
and Lowell Johnson.
Nettie Hubby, daughter of
Marriedy and Nancy Hubby,
was born July 21. 1889, at
Blackbird, northeast of O'Neill.
She was united in marriage to
Otto E. Clevish on December 18,
1907. Following their marriage
they resided for many years near
O’Neill. To this union two daugh
ters were born, Florence M., wife
of Lee Osborne, and Pearl S.
Clevish, who preceded her par
ents in death, July 20, 1930.
Mr. Clevish died June 23, 1946.
Following her husband’s death
she resided with her daughter,
Mrs. Osborne, moving with them
to Parker, Kans., in 1950.
Survivors include: Daughter—
Mrs. Lee Osborne, of Parker,
Kans.; sisters—Mrs. Minnie Mo
ler, of Wall, S.D.; and Mrs. Susie
Goodfellow, of Auburn, Wash.;
brother — Edward Hubby, of
Hastings; grandsons—Wayne E.
and Norman E. Osborne.
One sister and one brother al
so perceded her in death.
Mrs. Clevish was a member of
Rebekah lodge. She had been a
member of the Methodist church
for many years, being a member
of the Centerville Methodist
church at the time of her death.
Among out-of-town relatives
and friends here fox the funerai
were: Mrs. Minnie Moler, daugh
ter and son, of Wall, S.D.; Mr.
and Mrs. Ed Hubby and Wood
row Hubby, of Hastings; Mr. and
Mrs. Marriedy Hubby of Wayne;
Mr. and Mrs. Mel Tinsley and
Dan Tinsley, of Parker, Kans.,
and Mrs. Gladys Cunningham, of
Fremont.
Country Club Drive
for Members Begins
The annual O’Neill Country
club membership drive has be
gun. This will be the 30th sea
son for the golf course.
Usual summer’s activities is be
ing planned by the club, under
the guidance of President M. J.
Golden, and by the ladies’ auxil
iary.
“An invitation is extended to
all residents of this community to
become members,” President
Golden said. “The course prom
ises to be in the best condition in
its history. Anyone is invited to
join.”
Still Nothing New
on Calkins Slaying
There still are no new devel
opments on the Chet Calkins
murder mystery. O’Neill’s police
chief was slain on March 7.
Holt Sheriff Leo S. Tom jack
said Wednesday: “We are con
fident we’ll solve the case event
ually.” Capt. Harold Smith of
the Nebraska safety patrol crim
inal division, is still heading the
investigation and this week
journeyed to a nearby state to
question a suspect.
WEATHER SUMMARY
April 11-47 16
Apirl 12_44 29
April 13 _—39 31 .51
April 14_51 31 .14
April 15 *_60 30
April 16_64 30
Wild Missouri Sweeps Valley
★ ★★ ★★★ ★★★
A RIVER GONE MAD . . . __ •
This is U.S. highway 20 east of Jackson as
it appeared Sunday when the ravaging Missouri
river flood water neared its crest. It was unheard
of for water to backup to the edge of the village
of Jackson. An army duck brought Marion Lock
wood, Dakota county disaster chairman, and vol
—The Frontier Photo & Engraving
unleer workers to the Jackson side for a load of
milk to be taken to beleagured South Sioux Ciity.
The duck is beginning to "swim" (center back
ground). Even backwater was riled by a strong
wind and was swift and cold.
.. . l ^
Among the heroes of the battle against the
Missouri are these hungry workers at the Deca
tur American Red Cross canteen. They left their
vigil long enough for a middle-of-the-night snack.
These men helped throw up a dike that is cred
ited with saving thousands of acres of Burt coun
ty bottomland, possibly even kept water out of
Tekamah, normally five miles from the water.
tmmw*' ' ' '"1 ’—i-m limniiiifii in
'
—The Frontier Photo & Engraving
Standing at left: Gerald Eagleton and Bill Not
tleman; seated (left-lo-right) around table): Wil
bur Farrens, Ed Osmara, Nick Rinacker (Teka
mah), Alfred Benes (Fremont), Verne Fowler
(Wallhill). Emmet Connealy. Serving is Mrs. Jack
Maryott. Decatur ARC chapter chairman. Can
teen was jointly operated by VFW and Legion
auxiliaries.
Distance between the bluffs on the Nebraska
and Iowa sides of the Big Mo determined the
width of the mad Missouri river. This aerial
phodo taken near Blair where the river was 10
—The Frontier Photo & Engraving
to 12 miles wide before the crest had reached
there illustrates the vastness of the flood. Prac
tically submerged farm buildings are barely vis
ible.
Army of Young Musicians Coming
Over 1,500 youthful musicians
will be in O’Neill today (Thurs
day) and Friday for the annual
district high school music solo and
group competition.
Competition will‘be waged in
the O’Neill high school and St.
Mary’s academy music rooms and
auditoriums.
Piano entrants opened the con
test on Wednesday. Class B, C
and D schools will be included.
100,000 Persons Homeless in Wake of
Nation’s Worst Domestic Disaster
By CAL STEWART
Editor. The Frontier
Where does one begin to write a story about a sullen, chocolate
brown monster that roars down one of the world’s most fertile val
leys, leaving thousands of families homeless and prostrate, inundat
ing countless farms, spreading sheer destruction, devastation and
desolation that defy description?
Frankly, I don’t know.
But the story must be chronicled in every journal in the land
because it’s the story of the century in domestic American history.
The historians doubtlessly will place the great Missouri flood
of 1952 alongside the Chicago fire, the San Francisco earthquake,
and the Jamestown epic. For in the annals of the white man in
our America nothing has been recorded to surpass in magnitude
and far-reaching economic effect this one-thousand mile Missouri
river tragedy.
Holt countyans comfortably situated 40 miles and upward from
the cold, riled flood waters have been adequately informed, as the
bitterest chapter in Missouri river history is being told and written.
Honesly, I was not content to stand by idly while this great, tragic
drama was unfolding.
. .1 . ■ ——— — . i
The Frontier editor was im
pelled to cover a tiny, relative
ly unimportant segment of this
unmerciful tragedy for the
benefit of our "Voice of The
Frontier" radio listeners and
for our readers.
With this, then, as the back
ground, we set out on a 400-wa
ter-logged-mile tour of the bat
tlefront on the Easter weekend.
The weather was windy, cold and
ugly and befitted the attitude of
the unholy Big Mo—that clumsy,
cruel, unpredictable and despic
able Frankenstein that we prai
rielanders know little about.
Pierre, the capitol city of South
Dakota; and its Ilttld sister city,
i Ft. Pierre, were laid prostrate
several days ahead of our trip;
Niobrara in northwest Knox
county (40 airline miles from O’
Neill) was reeling under the im
pact of the river’s crest, making
one hundred families homeless in
that small town. Yef to bear the
devastation were Elk Point, Jef
| ferson and North Sioux City, S.
ID., Sioux City, la., Jackson,
South Sioux City, Dakota City,
Decatur, Tekamah, Blair, Omaha,
Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Nebras
ka City and scores of other Ne
braska and Iowa cities and
towns. Our trip took us first to
Jackson and last to Blair and to
several points in between.
Immediately east of Jackson
the crazy water was inchihg its
way toward the village. The
pressure on Jackson was created
by water backing up from Crys
tal lake (itself the former main
Missouri channel a century or so
ago) and the water was rushing
across U.S. highway 20 from the
north. Oldtimers there had never
imagined that one day water
would be lapping at their door
steps. Only the huge drainage
l ditch forming a dike prevented
water getting into the town.
Joe Biglin, our engineer, and I
spent only 30 minutes there and
twice saw state highway patrol
men apply reverse gear to their
cruiser car because of rising wa
ter.
Marion Lockwood, disaster
chairman for Dakota county,
pulled up in an army duck and
gave us 20 seconds, saying that
Dakota City was doomed, that
the situation was worsening rap
idly, that the fortress island of
South Sioux City would be sub
merged from partially to com
pletely if a certain dike yielded.
We could have crossed the
turbulent six-mile moat in that
big duck—except we felt we'd
have been a little out of place.
We belonged in O'Neill.
We hustled down a side road a
few feet behind the water line
and dropped in on a farm couple
evacuating their home. The word
was that they would be among
the fortunate valley dwellers.
Water would be only a foot or
so deep there!
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Stading
were packing their personal ef
fects, elevating a nice new re
frigerator, and throwing up dirt
around the house. Their daugh
ter, livestock and poultry had
been evacuated earlier.
The Stadings had resided there
16 years, never dreamed they
would be in this predicament.
Yet their lot was easy this Easter
morn 2Vfe miles east of Jackson
compared to their neighbors
“down east.”
The O’Neill branch of the Bur
lington railroad runs through the
Stading farm. The tracks ran to
Ferry Junction—before the flood.
There was a crashing sound on
the front porch. Four strange
men marched in.
“Anything we can do to help?”
asked Merrill Blessing, who
j seemed to be the leader. “You’d
better get out, folks,” he warned.
"Who are you?” we asked.
• “I’m from South Sioux City. I
work in Sioux City. My family
was evacuated to Allen last
night (my wife’s people live
there.) Our house is eight feet
under water. I’m just trying to
help some of these other folks.”
There were no further intro
ductions. Not necessary. lfr.
Blessing and Mrs. Stading spoltt
a few words into our tape-re
corder’s microphone. We wished
the Stadings well and left with
our trappings.
Joe and I were armed with:
(1) "Put-put” (a small gas-en
gine outfit that pulls a 300-watt
110-volt AC generator, a eontrap
i tion Vic Halva had rigged for
us. Vic Halva—he knows about
water, too. He survived the Ti
tanic but there’s not room here
for that).
(2) Tape-recorder.
(3) Broadcast console and mi
crophone (literally a 40 - pound
conglomeration of dials, radio
tubes, etc., which enables us to
tie into a telephone line and by
pre-arrangement go on the air
on radio station WJAG).
(4) Typewriter.
(5) Camera.
We doglegged to Dakota Cdy
via Hubbard on the last remain
ing avenue into the town. High
way 35 was inundated.
Upon entering the town we
saw a motor boat and several
men in it shoving off on a rescue
mission. An elderly couple in a
farm home only a half-mile west
of town had stubbornly refused
to abandon the place. By 3 p.m.
Sunday water was several feet
deep and the occupants were by
then convinced the thing to do
was to leave.
Livestock was still tnere out
it was apparent the square,
white farm home was in the path
of swirling water rushing south
and east from Crystal lake. T
north - and - south Burling4 t
tracks (Ferry to Lincoln) a fe,v
hundred yards to the east had
formed a natural dike. This kept
water for a time off highway ’u.
An engine failure required call
ing a second motor boat. The res
cue later was effected.
One of the rescue party was
Deputy Dakota County Sheriff
Harry Barge.
“We’ve run into this a number
of times,” he lamented. ‘‘People
insist on staying and we want to
move them. Finally they decide
to go and it’s tough going. Most
folks have been good about i,t
We simply roll up in trucks and
move ’em out.”
Evacuation was more than
tough. It was hazardous. Those
riled waters up and down the
valley represented a lake from
two to 12 miles wide. The wind
was strong and waves were big
and cold.
One family near Blair declined
to evacuate until their lives were
endangered. Then rescuers even
had to load hogs one-by-one in
to crates and move them out by
boat!
An aged South Sioux City cou
| pie sweated out the flood peace
fully in their houseboats. Some
times water was so rough In
South Sioux City that experienc
ed boatmen and duck drivers
were hesitant about venturing
out. 7.
A shuttle train operated for
evacuees between South Sioux
and Sioux City after all other
' avenues were closed. Finally, the
east end of the rail bridge weak
ened and rail travel was curtail
ed.
Only tops of homes were vis
ible in South Sioux and Crystal
lake cottages.
Rev. Francis Price, of St. Mi
chael’s Catholic church at South
(Continued on page 5)
