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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1952)
Fire Destroys Big Hay Barn $7,000 Building, 157 Tons of Hay Lost in 10 Minutes EMMET —A strong southeast wind fanned a blaze of un known origin late Tuesday and within 10 minutes following the first outbreak of smoke a big hay bam here was engulfed in flame and reduced to rbin. The barn, measuring 66 ft. by 100 ft., was owned by the Em met Hay Co., headed by Guy Cole and sons, Owen ( Bud ) and Robert (“Bob”). Building loss was esti mated at $7,000, Mr. Cole said, of which $3,000 was covered by insurance. Based on pre« ent values replacement of the huge frame structure would cost about $10,000. Contents included 157 tons of hay, about three tons of cotton cake, some bags and a truck radk- The contents were fully insured and totally destroyed. Possibility that sparks from a passing train might have caused the fire was ruled out. It is possible, however, that children playing with matches in or near the barn might have been re sponsible for the blaze. Mr. Cole and son, Bud, and R. G. Rockey, of Ewing, were visiting outside the Emmet Hay Co. offices, several hundred feet away. A petroleum truck driver, Robert Stevens, of O’Neill, exclaimed that smoke was oozing out the center of the barn on the west side. The barn was situated immediately south of the North Western railroad tracks on Emmet’s main north south street- Mr. Rockey, who, by coincidence, is Ewing’s fire chief, said the outbreak was at 5:10 d. m. A long diesel - powered west bound freight train entered Em met a few moments after the smoke was sighted and ironical ly the Coles and volunteer fire fighters could not reach the blaze with extinguishers and garden hose until after the train had passed. It seemed like an hour be fore that train got through town/' Mr. Cole stated. "Act ually it was only a few min utes, I guess." Firemen from O’Neill and Atkinson were summoned. The O’Neill department responded with its number two truck. At kinson firemen manned the new rural truck. Mr- Rockey said he saw no one emerge from the building, except five fire-fighters who had gone in. Throughout Emmet’s long history fires have inexhorably whittled down the town. It was once a bustling town with a hotel, livery stables, stores, bank, saloons and various types of business. Mr. Cole, who has been in business in Emmet for 30 years, says he does not contemplate rebuilding. The barn that was destroyed Tuesday evening was practi cally demolished on March 7, 1950—the day of the historic hurricane blizzard. The roof was blown off and strewn about the village and portions of the build ing collapsed. The Coles rebuilt the barn and used asbestos shingles. Mr. Cole speculated if during Tuesday’s fire wooden shingles had been blowing about the village some of the other structures would have been con sumed Firemen kept a watchful eye on an elevator 300 feet away on the north side of the tracks. They played water on small fires tnat broke out near the elevator and on the platform of the railroad station. Emmet does not have a municipal water system al though some of the homes have use of garden hose. The intense heat caused a big Consumers Public Power district transformer in the vi cinity of the barn to “explode.” Rockey said the purple ball of fire was colorful. Both power crews and tele phone crews restored service in the south end of the village later that night although the wires had been severed. Elgin Ray New Lions Club Head Elgin Ray, manager of the Spelts-Ray lumber company, Tuesday evening was elected president of the Lions club for the new year. He succeeds A. H. Doeming. Other new officers are: Dr. H. D. Gildersleeve, first vice president; Joe Stutz, second vice president; Dean Jeffrey, third vice-president; Woodrow Melena, treasurer; Don Petersen, lion tamer; Herman Janzing, tail twis ter. A new secretary to succeed A. E. Bowen, resigned, will be ap pointed by the board of directors. Elected to the board of directors were: Mr. Doeming, three-year term; L. D. Putnam, two-year term; D. H. Clauson, one-year term. LEGION GETTING TV Simonson Dost 93, of the Amer ican Leeion, is currently installing a 21-inch television unit at the club rooms. The top of the tower atop the building will be aboul 65 feet from the greund. M INTOSH NEW CHAMBER HEAD Succeeds D e B o 11 ; Rodman Becomes First Vice William W. McIntosh, head of the McIntosh Jewelry firm, Tuesday noon was elected pres ident of the Chamber of Com merce for the new year, June 1, 1952 to May 31, 1953. He suc ceeds D. D. DeBolt, who was first vice-president and filled the unexpired term of L M. Diehlman and later served a year as president. Other new officers: Earl Rodman, first vice-pres ident; Don Petersen, second vice-president; Woodrow Mel ena, treasurer; Marvin Johnson, Burl Munsell, and William C. Watson, members of the board McIntosh . . . will direct or ganization for a year. of directors. Johnson and Mun sell were elected to three-year terms; Watson, one-year term. Watson will fill the unexpired term of Eugene Cantlon. President McIntosh Wednes day announced the committee appointments for the year. Retail trade committee: Mel vin Ruzicka, chairman, Burl Munsell and Marvin Johnson. Niobrara river valley develop ment: James W. Rooney, chair man, Carroll W- Stewart, and Lyle P. Dierks. Membership: Joe Stutz, chair man; Cletus Durr, Ed Willson, William Watson, and Richard Behrend. Auditing: John C. Watson, chairman, James W. Rooney, G. C. DeBacker. Noted Speakers At Stock Meeting The Nebraska Stockgrowers’ association will hold its 63rd annual convention at Gordon starting today (Thursday) and continuing through Saturday. The convention will be high lighted by several outstanding speakers. Dr- T. O. Brandenburg will speak on animal health. He is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the subject. Harry B. Coffee, president of the Union Stockyards company, of Omaha, will speak on the “Cattlerpen’s Heritage.” M r. Coffee has always advocated that stockmen keep up the fight to prepare free enterprises. Jerry Sotola, associate direc tor of Armour’s Livestock bu reau, will speak on incidents from his recent tour of Europe. Sam Hyatt, president of the American National Cattlemen’s association, will report on the progress and activities of the national organization. Charles B. Borwsnon, Indiana congressman, will use as his topic, “Too Many Dollars—Too Little Sense.” The banquet speaker at the association’s convention will be Jeff H- Williams, of Chicka sha, Okla. He is internationally famous as an after dinner speaker. Dewey C. Schaffer, of O’Neill, is current vice-president of the Nebraska Stockgrowers associa tion. Atkinson Rural Fire Truck Called To John Deming Place ATKINSON — The Atkinson rural fire protection truck was summoned to the John Deming place, 18 miles north of Atkin son, Tuesday afternoon. The Deming place is located on the Big Sandy. The firemen battled a grass blaze for about an hour. After returning to Atkinson the firemen received an SOS from the Emmet Hay Co. R. E. Chaney Family to Loup City — Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Chaney and family moved last week from O’ Neill to Loup City, where Mr. Chaney was transferred by the Northwestern Bell Telephone company. The Chaneys, who have one son and one daughter, came to O’Neill about 1% years ago from Lex ington. Homer Hahn, of Lincoln, visit ed Wednesday, June 4 at the home of Mrs- Vannie Newman. North-Nebraska s Fastest-Growing Newspaper VOLUME 72.—NUMBER 6. O'NEILL, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, JUNE 12. 1952_~_PRICE; 7 CENTS. Wilhini 10 minutes after the outbreak of fire at the Emmet Hay Co. barn the big structure was reduced to ruin. Firemen and volunteers who quickly gathered at the scene helplessly look* mg on. HOLT PIONEER, 80, EXPIRES AT INMAN Charles Edward Morsbach Suffers 18 Months Illness Charles Edward Morsbach, 80, died at his home in Iniman Fri day, June 6, after an 18 months illness. The late Mr. Morsbach was born February 1, 1872, in Spring Green, Wise. He came to Holt county with his parents in 1889. In September of 1901 he mar ried Elizabeth Moore in Salina, Kans. Mr. Morsbach was a veteran of the Spanish-American war. Survivors include: widow; sons —David, of Inman; Levi, of Ne ligh; William1, of Clearwater; daughters—Mrs. Martha Scholz, of Inman; Mrs. Fern Kackett, of Wichita, Kans.; Mrs. Rena John son, of Omaha. The funeral was held Monday at 2 p m. in the Latter Day Saints church, Inman. Rev. Sodderstein, of Clearwater, officiated. Burial was in the Inman cemetery. Big lin Brothers were in charge. Pallbearers were: E. L. Watson, Elwin Smith, Harry McGaw, L. E. Stamp, Mel Harkins and Her bert NeUsen. First Death in Family in Half-Century— Rev. Samuel D. Lee received word Wednesday of the death of his sister, Mrs. Myron Ballain, of Griswold, la- Survivors in clude the widower and five children. The death is the first in the Lee family in 50 years. Origi nally there were nine sons and daughters. A family reunion had been planned at Stella next Tuesday at the home of another of Rev erend Lee’s sisters. Funeral services will be con ducted at Griswold at 2:30 p. m. Saturday, June 14. TELEVISION AT DELOIT DELOIT—The first television set in the community was in stalled recently in the Lambert Bartak home. Reception is re ported to be good. Use of Polio Funds Discussed — The executive board of the Holt county chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis met in the assembly room of the county court house Tuesday, June 10. Stanley Lambert, of Ewing, chairman, was in charge of the meeting. Miss Francis Rotherham, of Ewing, gave a report on a chapter workshop meeting held in Oma ha, Wednesday, June 4. Proper patient care, and wise use of chapter funds were discussed. Dr. W. F. Finley was appointed by the board to be medical advi sor for the Holt chapter. Rev. C. D. Ankney, of Cham bers, was appointed publicity di rector. Mrs. Lester Reige, of O’Neill, I was appointed chairman of the i women's activities committee. I Those in attendance were: Mr. | Lambert; John H. McCarville, vice-chairman; Mrs. Gene San ders, secretary; Miss Francis Ro therham, treasurer; Miss Alice L. French, Mrs. John Walter and Rev. C. D. Ankney. Robert Day, state representa tive, was present. Mt. Day an swered questions regarding or ganizational policies and guided the board in appointing various committees to serve the chapter for 1952. . Wedding Anniversary Custom Continued Mr. and Mrs. Allen Haynes, of Page, and Mr. and Mrs. John Wells, of O’Neill, were together Friday evening celebrating their 53d and 48th wedding anniver saries, respectively. Almost every year for the past 22 years the two couples mark their anniversaries together. W. F. Kloke, Ex-Norfolk Salesman, Dies at 78 — William F. Kloke, 78, former traveling salesman at Norfolk, and. former state deputy grand knight of the Knights of Colum bus, died Sunday at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Beryl M. Beeler, 8444 Loveland Drive in Omaha. Other survivors; daughter, Mrs. John P. Overgaard, Lincoln; a brother and three sisters. Mr. Kloke formerly lived in Holt county. BAND CONCERT Saturday, June 14 ♦ * # Invercargill, march_ Lithgow The Klaxon, march_Fillmore Two Moods, overture _ Grundman Moonlight Madonna Fibich National Emblem, march . Bagley Hymns Semper Fidelis, march_Sousa “Little” Rhapsody in Blue _ Gershwin Waggery for Wood winds . Walters Wheel of Fortune Trombone Toboggan _ Weber On Parade, march_Goldman Reelect Chambers Auxiliary Head CHAMBERS— The American Legion Auxiliary, of Chambers, post 320, met Friday evening, June 6, at the home of Mrs. Anna Albers with 13 members present. The president, Mrs. E. H. Medcalf, presided. The fol lowing officers were elected: Mrs. Steve Shavlik, secretary; Mrs. Gordon Harley, treasurer; Mrs. Cleo Alderson, historian; Mrs. Don Dankert, sergeant at arms. The president, Mrs. Medcalf, ' and the vice-president, Mrs. Charles Fauquier, were reelected as well as the chaplin, Mrs. J. W. Walter. A report of the carpet tray committee was heard. Lunch was served by Mrs- Albers, Mrs. Gordon Harley and Mrs. Earl Hoerle. Maryland Houseguests of Miss Carney — Vice-Admiral and Mrs. L. C. Stevens, of Annapolis, Md., were houseguests Saturday of Miss Mary Carney. They were close friends of Miss Carney’s brother, the late Captain James V. Carney. WEATHER SUMMARY Hi Lo June 5 .__— 89 56 June 6 __— 88 58 June 7 _ 92 65 June 8 _ 88 64 June 9! _ 85 48 June 10- 87 62 June 11 - 90 67 31ST ANNUAL GOLF TOURNEY AT HAND Former Residents Are Arriving Here to Participate The 31st annual golf tourney will be held at the O’Neill Country club Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, June 14, 15, 16. The event will attract many out of towners and former residents. Because it falls on father’s day it has been designated as a dad’s day tourney. Among the former residents who will return are: Clear Gold en, of Cheshire, Conn ■ Frank O’Donnell, of Dallas, Tex.; Dr. Robert Biglin, of Chico, Calif.; Ed Campbell, Jr., of Green Bay, Wise-; Lt. John Lee Baker, Las Vegas, Nev.; Gene McKenna, of Cleveland, O.; Jim Golden, of Pittsburgh, Pa.; John McCarthy, of Scottsbluff; C. V. Sullivan, of Lincoln, and others. Two old standbys who have attended for 25 consecutive years are: Joe Baldwin, of Ains worth, and George Lightner, of St. Edward. Mr. Baldwin won the tourney in 1925. The original Country club was started about 1918. The first tournaments in 1922 and ’23 were held there. H. C. McDonald won the first, with Parnell Gold en winning in 1923- Mr. Golden started the tournaments. Mr. Golden laid out a new course and the tourney was moved to the new site in '24. Nothing has been changed since Mr. Golden's original layout. Others who helped in those first years included H. J. O'Donnell and his uncles, Jim and P- J. O'Donnell. Others who have been prom inent in conducting the tourney are P. C. Donohoe, H. J. Birm ingham, Ed M. Gallagher, Max Golden and A. P. Jaszkowiak. Doug Dale, of Ord, who won the championship last year, will be on hand to defend his title. The winner in 1949, Kermit Mortenson, of Albion, has also entered the ’52 tournament. Atkinson Lake Dedication Set for July 1 ATKINSON—The old mill dam at Atkinson, which has been re stored during the past three years and the 28-acre lake are now one of north-Nebraska’s fine recreation spots, will be dedi cated July 1. Frank J. Brady, of Atkinson, chairman of the state game com mision, announced this week that the state conservation depart ment will open the lake for fish ing upon the dedication. The lake has been stocked with bass, pike, crappie and catfish. The original dam was built years ago with a tail race. It was the project of Murphy & Re berg, who operated a grist mill and later developed power for the town. At the peak of the mill’s career it was supplying flour for much of Holt county and virtual ly all the settlers in Boyd coun ty. The dam and lake were al lowed to deteriorate. Under Brady's direction, a new earthen dam was constructed with interlocking steel sheets and piling used for reinforce ment. A year ago the new dam was damaged by high water. “It’ll never go out aagin, I’ll bet,” says Brady. “It already has demonstrated it can handle all the water brought downstream by the Elkhorn river.” The site of the lake is about lVfe miles west of Atkinson. The entire park measures about 55 acres. The depth varies up to 10 Vi and 11 feet in depth. There are lots of trees—willows, cottonwoods, and a few pine trees in the area. The park is equipped for rec reational purposes. Recently sev eral hundred boy scouts camped there over the weekend. The park facilities already are in pop ular use although fishing has been forbidden. Details for the dedicatory rites are still in the making, according to Mr. Brady. Frontier Want-ads bring results* Elkhorn river water rushes over the dam • • • outlet for tho new Atkinson lake BLANKET TAX LAW RULED INVALID Supreme Court Rules - in Favor of Petersen The blanket four-mill school tax levy law, tested in the court* by Charley W. Petersen, of Atkin son, an extensive Holt county rancher, Friday noon was ruled unconstitutional by the state su preme. The high court entered an unanimous decision. The law passed by the 1949 leg islature provided for a minimum levy on all elementary school dis tricts in the county, but not to ex ceed four mills, to provide two thirds of the cost of operation. Dis tribution was limited to districts having five or more pupils. Petersen balked on paying the blanket tax and took the mat ter into court. He asked the Holt county district court to re strain Holt County Treasurer J. Ed Hancock from collecting the blanket tax in rural district 231 District Judge D. R. Mounts up held the law after hearing argu ments of the attorneys: Julius IX Cronin, of O’Neill, and Daniel Stubbs of Lincoln, for the plain tiff, and William Gleason, assis tant Nebraska attorney-general and William W. Griffin, of Qt~ Neill. Kolt county attorney, who were defending Hancock, the nominal defendant. i ne case was suosequeniiy heard by the supreme court ioi~ lowing an appeal. Sens. Glen Cramer, of Albion, and Dwight Burney, of Hartin ton, were introducers of the law. LB 388, which was passed 30-1# with three state senators not vot ing. Among the 10 salons voting against the bill was Frank Nel son, of O’Neill. A freshman that year in the senate, Nelson was one of the lawmakers who took tr the floor to appose the bill. Nelson told his colleagues the bill had some good features but it would not stand up in its pres ent form. The state senate, how ever, declined to amend the the bill and it went on the books. The supreme court’s unconsti tutional ruling plunged the coun ty treasurers and school district officials into a quandry. In Holt alone the four-mill tax had ac cumulated $97,000, which, of course, could not be touched from the moment the unconstitutional edict was issued. On a statewide basis the money involved will run to several million dollars in a sin gle year. Some Holt school boards in ses sion Monday had to revise then planning because the blanket tax money could not be used in com puting their budget for next term. When passed in 1949 the bill had the support of a rural school dis trict association and testimony given at public hearing on the measure stressed two benefits from its enactment. 1. It would encourage con solidation or reorganisation to eliminate the economically un sound districts with less than five pupils. 2. It would bring on the school tax rolls lands that had been escaping all school taxes Witnesses testified that in the large ranching area, big operators would not employ help with chil dren because they would have to provide school facilities. In other districts witnesses said no taxes had been levied for year* because of the small school pop ulation and the children were sent to other districts by contract or by paying tuition. Mr. Petersen, the Kbit coun ty rancher, brought the test suit on constitutionality of the law. It was upheld by the District court which is now reversed by the Su preme court. Attorney General C. S. Beck said that he will immediately file a motion for a rehearing so that it can be heard on June 21 when the court will sit to hear motions before the summer recess. Beck pointed out that levies are set on August 1 in the counties and that prompt action is neces sary for their guidance. The court decision came on the eve of budget-making meetings of elementary school boards which were held Monday night. (Continued on page 8) Flying Maniac Still At Large Earl Ross, 24year-old St. Peter (Minn.) mental hospital e9cape«v is still at large. Holt Sheriff l«o Tomjack said Wednesday he had been advised that Ross, described as a dangerous sex maniac, had been sighted in Omaha. Ross 3tole an airplane at Brook ings, S. D„ landed the plane near inr and hitch-hiked to Oenaha. He was the object Pf a manhunt in the Ewing vicinity June 1, 1 and 3.