Nebraska Newspapers

    state hist soc
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XXX
Ten Pages
♦
THE WEATHER
Partly cloudy today, high near i_ tl;. |«sue
22 degree*. Uiw last night near m 1 m* '**u®
5 above.
"The Voice of the Beef Empire"
Volume 79-Number 39 O'Neill, Holt County, Nebraska, Thursday, January 21, 1960 Seven Cents
Landholders, Businessmen Invited
To Irrigation Meeting Tuesday
Members of the O'Neill Irriga
tion committee, together with n
group from Atkinson and a small
number of interested ranchers, met
in O'Neill Monday night to hear
Gordon Wendler and Gib Johnson.
Bureau men from Ainsworth, tell
more about the proposed irrigation
project.
Larry Donnegan. representative j
of the Portland Cement company,
and Y.il Kuska, a retired Hurling
ton railroad representative who is!
well-informed on irrigation prob
lems, could not attend because of
the weekend snowstorm. Those two
men were scheduled to Ik1 the mam
speak-rs.
According to Hale Wilson, com
mittee chairman, a general meet
ing will be held Tuesday, -Ian.
26, at the assembly room of the
courthouse here In O’Neill. W'll
aon said that all land owners,
business men and anyone Inter
ested are Invited to attend this
publie meeting.
Donnegan and Kuska will lie at
this meeting as well as Wendler,
Johnson and Ed Sevcik, a soils
e>qw»rt stationed at Ainsworth.
Wendler and Johnson, at Mon
day's meeting, repeated the basic
information which they presented
to the O'Neill Chamber of Com
merce at an earlier meeting held
in December.
Thnv turned the meeting into a
question and answer |>oriod fol
lowing their presentation and a |
number of interesting questions
concerning the project were raised.
The following is a presentation
of some of the questions asked
the men. An answer follows each
question.
How much tarn! can each far
mer own? The maximum number I
of irrigable acres allowed each
farmer is 160. Any one rancher can
own ns many other dry land acres
as he might wish to own. The de
velopment period is from five to
ten years after the water is de
livered to the land and landowners
will have this ten year period to
sell their land. A farmer and his
wife may have a joint tenancy
and hold 320 acres of irrigable;
land. A farmer with five boys
could own as much as 1,120 acresi
of irrigable land.
l>o ranchers have a right to
lease the hind? Yes, hut the limit
on the number of acres owned is
stilt 160 acres. There is some agi
tation in congress to increase this
amount of land each farmer can
own.
Does the number of acres allow ,
ed aply the same to all three olass
es of land? Yes. Ranchers who
hold class I, II. or III land are
Itound by the limit. In some cases,
however, the repayment schedule is
based on the class of land irrigat
ed.
Does a rancher have to use the
water whether he wants it or not?
A rancher does not have to use
the water but he must pay for it
fan a land holder with a well
irrigated farm join with the gravity
Irrigated land holders? t Farms
that are already irrigated are not
r.on«iriered in tile DlODOSed pro
jeet.) Landholders with present ir
rigation facilities can petition the
irrigaion district board for admit
tance to the district
What Is the cost of land leveling
for gravity irrigation'.’ The estimat
ed cost for land in this area is $45
per acre Land in the project does
not have to he improved for at least
10 years after the water reaches
the land and in some cases the
cost of leveling may be supplemen
ted by the government under soil
conservation practice payments.
March of Dimes
Concert at Page
The annual Page winter hand
concert will be held Monday at
the Page school auditorium. The
Concert, under the direction of
Leonard Sawyer, is held to rai«c
funds for the March "i Dimes.
Mother's March
Tonight at 6:30;
Porch Lights On
O'Neill mothers will conduct
their annual "Mother's March" to
night (Thursday) in O’Neill as a
part of the polio fund drive. Mrs.
M. B. Marcellus is a city chair
man and Mi's. Verne Keynoldson is
co-chairman of the event.
The march will l»egin at 6:30
p.nv, kicked off by the blowing of
the fire whistle. Residents are re
quested to turn on their porch
lights at this time. Personal ques
tionnaires will also be given to
donors with questions relating to
the crippling diseases to be used
for research by the [iolio founda
tion.
Mrs. Marcellus announced that
in the coffee day that was held
Monday, over $25 was collected in
proceeds for the polio fund. Plans
are now tieing made for a bene
fit at the O'Neill public school on
January 31 given by grade school
band and music students with Mrs.
\V. 1> Melina's dance class par
ticipating. Watch next week’s
Frontier for more details on the
benefit.
There are presently four O'Neill
women soliciting O'Neill busi
nesses for polio fund donations.
They are Mrs. Earl Hunt, Mrs.
John Stuifbergen. Mrs. Bill Mc
Intosh and Mrs. H. L. Lindberg.
Chambers Youth Wins
Chadron Scholarship
Arland Charles Tangeman of
Chambers has l>een chosen as a
recipient of a tuition scholarship
at Chadron State Teachers college
sponsored by the Nebraska Con
gress of Parents and Teachers.
The scholarships are awarded on
the basis of financial need, char
acter, aptitude for teaching and
academic record. The Nebraska
PTA Congress this year awarded
44 scholarships to students at the
University of Nebraska. University
of Omaha, and the four teachers
colleges at Chadron, Kearney, Peru
and Wayne.
High Honor to
Brother of Nun
Army Col. (Chaplain! John K
Connelly, brother of Sister M.
Claire of St. Mary's Academy, re
cently received two outstanding
honors.
As comand chaplain of the U.S.
Army’s Southern area command in
Europe, headquartered at Mun
ich. Father Connelly has been ap
pointed by the Catholic church's
Joseph Cardinal Wendel as the of
ficial American representative and
i coordinator of church. U.S. forces
I and American guests at the Inter
national Eucharistic Congress to
be held this summer in Munich,
and he has been chosen "chap
lain of the year" (I960! by the
U.S. Army Reserve Officers As
I sociation.
He will lx? honored by the reser
ve association at a banquet to be
bold February 5 at Washington
D.C. f
Father Connelly entered mili
tar service in 1935. He has re
ceived the following military hon
ors: Purple heart, legion of mer
it. bron/e star with four oak leal
clusters, and he is holder of the
soldier's medal t h e army’s
highest peacetime award.
Father Connelly and Sistei
Claire considered Sacremento, Cal
if., their last family home.
Sister Claire, a registered nurse
is sacristan at St. Mary’s.
Maude Hebner Services
At Bristow Today at 2:00
BRISTOW Funeral services for
! Maude Emma Hebner, 79, will be
i held at 2 p.m. Thursday (today i
! at the Jones Funeral chapel in
! Spencer with Rev. Harold Jansen
officiating. Interment will lie in the
Bristow cemetery.
Mrs. Hebner was born December
' 21, 18X0 in Spokane, Wash. She died
at her home in Bristow on Tuesday
Jan. 19 Mrs. Hebner has resided
in this community for over fifty
years.
Pallbearers will lie Ivan Hiatt,
Maurice Korb, John laghtfoot, Mar
vin Fusselman and Con Thorell.
Surviving is a daughter, Miss
Salina Hebner, who lived with her
mother, and a sister, Mrs. Jennie,
Brokofsky of Lodi, Calif
Edward Ferris
Died In Omaha
Last Tuesday
b unci al serv ices for Edward
William Ferris, who died January
12 in University hospital in Om
aha, were conducted at 10 Sat
urday morning from the Wesleyan
Methodist church here in O’Neill.
Rev. I>on Olmstead conducted the
services. Pallbearers were George
Kilcoin, Paul Ciosson. LoulS Rel-|
mer, Frank Grenier, Ray Osborne j
and Pete Weber.
Edward Ferris was horn the son
of Anna and the late Peter Ferris
at Neligh on October 22, 1905. He
moved with his parents to Emmet
when he was 14.
He married Mary Ann Clark of
Page on October 29, 1929 tit Ne
ligh. To this union seven children
were Ikiiti lour daughters and
three sons.
Mr. Ferris had been an invalid
for the past ten years due to an
electrical accident suffered in 1950.
On December 31 his condition be
came such that he was taken tr
St. Anthony’s hospital and on Jan
uary 7 he was transferred to Om
aha.
Survivors include his wife, three
sons Ralph L. and Virgil D. of
O’Neill and George of Nebraska
City; three daughters Katheryn
(Julia Lee I of O'Neill, Mrs. Ed
ward (Evelyn) Drown ot Honolu
lu, Hawaii, and Mrs. George (Mar
jorie Ann) Ridenour of Lincoln,
and one step-daughter, Ida House,
of Norfolk.
His mother, Anna Ferris, of In
man also survives as do five grand
children, seven brothers and one
sister. The brothers and sisters are
Arthur of Manville, Wyo., Wal
ter and Gerald of Atkinson, Frank.
Robert, sr., and Joseph of Inman,
Fred of Clarion. Ia., and Mrs. Ro
bert (Elsie) Davidson of Yuma,
rv.iif
Proceeding him in death were
his father, two brothers, one sis
ter and a daughter, Neva June.
Thomas Is Held
In Holt Jail;
Trial Not Set
William Thomas, former local
| radio station employee charged
5 with issuing a "No Account” check,
is being held in Holt county jail
until a trial date can be set. Bail
| bond has been set at $500.
Thomas was dismissed from St.
Anthony's hospital last Thursday
morning following hospitalization
for injuries received in an auto
mobile accident on January 6
near Chambers.
District Judge Lyle Jackson.
Neligh, will probably hear the case.
Jim Jankiewiez, linotype operator at The Frontier, helps install The Frontier's new sign hung
Tuesday at the new location just north of The Golden Hotel. Evidently the work was too much for
Jim as he ended up Wednesday in the hospital and was operated on for appendicitis Wednesday
afternoon_The Frontier photo and engraving r-\
This frontal view of the snowplow, which headed a stranded
two-engined Burlington freight train, testifies to the depth of the
snow near McLean. The O’Neill bound freight was liberated Wednes
day afternoon after two days in a snowbank. The snow measured
from 15- to .’o ft. in depth. Snow in foreground had been removed by
bulldozers. Photo was taken a short time before the breakthrough
which resulh-d after two additional engim-s came front behind to the
rescue.—The Frontier photo and engraving
It's anybody’s ball as Fred Croak, 30, Page center, and Dale
Adams, 5, Chambers center go up for the ball to open the final
period of play Tuesday night in the Holt county basketball tourna
ment. Page won the game, 60-41.—The Frontier photo and engraving
. I
Jazz Pianist To
Appear Sunday
Red Camp, famous jazz pianist,
will appear in a jazz concert Sun
day at 8 p.m. in the high school
auditorium as the second of the
O'Neill Community Concert Assoc
iation series.
Camp had played with such
greats as Jack Teagarden, Paul
Whiteman, Pee Wee Russell and
Bob Crosby even before his educa
tion was completed. He received
his B. A. from the University of
Texas and a Master’s degree from
Columbia University where he stu
died under Dr. Harold Morris, em
inent american composer.
Following study with Julliard
School of Music, he headed the !
Laredo Junior college's music de- 1
partment in his hometown of Lar
edo, Tex. He now has his own stu
, dio in Corpus Christi. His wife
j holds a master’s degree from the
! American Conservatory in Chica
i go.
Mr Camp divides his program J
into two parts, one labeled “Jazzj
Now and Then,” and the other!
i“Jazz Here and Now.” He is
known for his sensitive interpre
1 tations and his technical perfec
i tion.
The New York Times reviewedj
| his performance as unique, fre-1
! quently impressive and always en- j
I tertaining. He has been referred j
to as "the most articulate jazz j
! pianist alive" bv the United Press, i
O'Neillites To Attend
Fund Raising Dinner
Mrs. Guy Cole announced yes
terday that a group from O’Neil]
is planning to attend the Sena
tor Barry Goldwater fund raising
dinner to he held in Omaha Tues
day, Jan. 26.
Mrs. Cole stated that some tic
kets are still available for inter
ested parties or for anyone who
might be in Omaha on Tuesday.
NAMED TO COMMITTEE
Julius D. Cronin, O'Neill attor
ney, has been appointed to the
judiciary committee of the Ne
braska State Bar Association. He
will serve until the annual meet
ing this year.
i
Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Reynoldson
and Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Laursen
returned Tuesday from Denver.
Holt County
Tourney Scores
Ewing .62
Atkinson .60
St. Joseph .69
Stuart .38
Page .50
Chambers .41
St. Mary's .39
O'Neill .34
Ewing .44
Inman .36
Heinie Conard Held
On Stabbing Charge
J. (Heinie) Conard is being held
in the Holt county jail this week
following the stabbing with a
jack-knife of his cousin, Pat Con
ard, late Friday at a local tav
ern. The two had been playing
cards earlier.
The wounded man is in St. An
thony's hospital. Exploratory sur
gery following the incident disclos
ed the knife did not penetrate deepi
enough to cause abdominal dam
age, authorities said.
Charges against 'Heinie'’ were
filed by Police Chief Chris Mc
Ginn. In preliminary hearings
Monday morning in Holt county
court, the defendant pleaded guilty
to the assault and was bound over
to district court. The defendant
is being held in lieu of five hun
dred dollars’ bond.
Also being held is James C. Hay
es of Atkinson on charges of
writing a check with no account.
Hayes, held on four hundred dol
las’ l>ond, wTote the check Decem
ber 7 for $10 and negotiated the
check at the IGA store in Stuart.
The check was drawn on the Tri
County Bank of Stuart. At the
time, officers said, Hayes had no
account in that bank. He also ad
mitted guilt Monday in county
court and was bound over to dis
trict court.
John Luben. telephone company
manager at Crawford was trans
ferred this week to Chadron. His
parents are Mr. and Mrs. William
Luben.
Weather Halts Train In
Snow Near Osmond;
One Killed In Rescue Try
Bus Service Halted
As Snow Area Digs Out
Only bus service in operation i
Monday during the height of the
j weatherman's week of unpleasant
ness was the United Motors run
from Valentine-to-O’Neill and re
turn. Normally the bus continues ,
from O’Neill-to-Grand Island and
return, but that segment of the
run was halted.
The Winner tS. D.t-O’Neill-Nor
folk bus made the eastlxiund trip
! to Norfolk Monday morning, but
annulled the return that day.
I There was no Sioux City-O'Neill
| Sioux City bus service Monday
All bus service got back to near
I normal on Tuesday.
Trains on the mainline Chicago
and Northwestern freight-line-only
railroad continued to operate un
phased by ol’ man winter's antics.
A Burlington freight train was ma
rooned more than two days. tSoe
story elsewhere in this issue).
U.s. Hignway was ciuseu
part-time Sunday and most of Mon
i day because of a truck-auto snarl
! in hills east of Norfolk. Late Mon
i day afternoon snowplow s and
1 wrecker^ cleared the highway to
one-way traffic in numerous pla
ces.
U.S. Highway 20 t>etween here i
| and Sioux City was kept open but j
! reduced to one-way traffic in many i
places, particularity between Orch
ard and the junction of U. S. High i
way 20-81 west of Randolph.
U.S. Highway 281 was closed for
a short period Monday both north
and south of Grand Island, and
then opened for one-way trallic
U.S. Highway 20 west of O'Neill
and U.S. Highway 281 north of here
never closed.
State Highway Department crews
here worked around-the-clock to
keep highway traffic flowing. By
far the heaviest snowfall fell east
of here. The Burwell-Ord areas
received up to 14 inches of snow
last week and Sunday and Mon
day received more snow.
Many cancellations of engage
ments were necessitated because
of the condition of county roads.
Many rural schools cancelled class
es last Thursday and Friday find
also Monday.
Courthouse To Close
Saturdays—Begin Feb. 1
lilt* null KAJUlliy U/UI uunint , »■**'
Assistance office and the County
Attorney's office will all be closed
on Saturday's beginning February
1, it was announced this week.
The closing of these offices re
sults from legislative action in
1955 and 1959 holding that court
houses and courts and offices
could be closed on Saturday, Sun
day and other legal holidays, in
cluding Monday’s following a Sun
day holiday.
After February 1, the courthouse
offices will be open from 8 to 12
am., and 1 to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
The Superintendent of Schools
said her office will be open dur- j
ing the school term from 10 to 12
a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays
to accomodate rural school teach
ers.
Mrs. J. L. Sherbahn was hostess
last Wednesday to Wednesday Af
ternoon Bridge.
A westbound Burlington freight |
rain, enroute to O Neill, was 111v
■rated about 3 o'clock Wednesday
ifternoon after ha\ ing l>ecn ma
xjoned more than two days in a
.. 400-11 long snow bank one mile
vest of McLean about midway
letwecn Osmond ami Randolph.
Before the 15-car doubte-hcadei
reight, with elaborate snowplow |
ittached up front, was freed one
>f the rescuers had lost his life.
Dead is Dorrance 1*. Gibson, 33,
m employee of the Theisen Bros,
-untracting firm. He had taken
i huge D-g crawler-type tractor
loser to the train to help move
snow. While working alongside
the freight cars, the machine over
turned and killed him instantly
\cting Pierce County Coroner Ku
jene Curtis of Plainview, who had
difficulty reaching the scene, said
Jibson was crushed to death.
Gibson was dispatched to the
scene of the marooned train at
noon Tuesday after another
Theisen crawler became mired
while trying to liberate the help
less train.
The accident took place about
l o'clock Tuesday afternoon. An
MI It I flttVVIt-r U <1.8 IIIXUVU It' ' A
tricate Gibson’s txxly.
Gibson, whose original home was
at Humphrey, had resided at Pen
der prior to moving to Osmond
for the winter as a shop mechanic
for Theisens. He was married and
the fattier of two children. Funer
al services will be conducted at lJ
a m. Saturday at the Catholic
church in Humphrey. Rosary will
tie recited at 8 o’clock tonight i
(Thursday) at the funeral chapel
in Osmond.
Gibson was dispatched to the
scene of the marooned train after
another crawler got mired down
while trying to liberate the strand
ed train.
Sorrowing workers carried the
broken body through the deep
snow most of the distance to Mc
Lean.
Gibson and Iiis family lived In
a house trailer at Osmond. In
summer lie worked outdoors
with The I sen constriietion equip
ment- He was eonsldered an ex
perlneced operator.
The train, number 95, departed
from Ferry Junction (South Sioux
City I early Monday and was due
in O'Neill at 2 p.m. Pushing the
heavy adjustable type plow, the
two diesels battled their way to
Randolph, falling several hours be
hind schedule. It was 3:30 p.m
before the train left Randolph and
a few minutes later ran afoul
the big drift. The train was three
tin. mot’ fhtvillirh 1lu>
long east-west cut before it stalled
in snow 15 ft. deep. The cut is
at mile post 61. Snow was so deep
the telegraph pole crossbars barely
protruded.
Because of the continued snow
and drifting no effort was made
to free the train on Monday. The
crew was comfortable ir. the "way
car" and they trudged into Mc
Lean and to nearby farm homes to
obtain supplies.
Two additional engines pushing
another plow were dispatched from
Ferry early Wednesday and reach
ed the scene alxjut 2 p.m. The
beleagured train was pulled back
onto a McLean side track. After
several successive jabs into the
mountain of snow, the cut was
cleared by 4:30 p.m.
The relief crew brought the train
on to O'Neill after battling more
giant drifts in the Royal and Orch
mi localities. CYmductnr H. San
leau, Engineer Harry Hutterfield
uui other memheni of 95's crew
returned to Ferry with the relief
train to prepare to tiring another
scheduled train into O'Neill today
[Thursday).
Irani H'i diesel engines sat
idling throughout the enforced
Inactivity, iuid Itiel supplies nui
low.
The 2,s-tlay-overdue train reach
'd O'Neill at 9:45 p m Wednesday.
It was train 95, equipped with
two steam engines and “V'-type
tnowpiow, that became marooned
five miles east of O’Neill during
Ihe recurring blizzards of 1948-’49.
That train was abandoned at (hat
time and lay inert and almost ol>
srured by snow for five weeks lie
fore aid came. Part of the difficul
ty 10 years ago came about when
one of the locomotives became
partially derailed.
Mail Service
Curtailed By
Bad Weather
Mail service was seriously dis
rupted at O'Neill and other (mints
east and west of here because of
the week's adverse weather.
I Tit it mid -afternoon Tuesday
only two truck loads of Die priu
eipal mail (from the Omaha ter
mliial) had reached here since
Iasi Thursday.
Friday's load was annulled be
cause of a combination of mechan
ical and weather difficulties. Fri
day's load did not reach O’Neill
until 11 a.m. Saturday, and Satur
day's mail was a half-day late.
Monday’s mail did not arrive un
til 5 p.m. Tuesday virtually .15
hours late. Tuesday's mail also ar
rived at 5 p.m. more than it
hours late and much too late for
city and rural distribution.
Boxscore for O'Neill arrival of
the principal Omaha terminal mail
load since December 1 shows:
—Two days of complete annul
ment.
—Two days of late afternoon ar
rival (amounting hi aiiiiullmnnt.
—Four days of delay up to it
hall' day.
—Almost iloih heliinil schedule
arrival*.
The principal load is due here
at 5:30 a m., and seldom arrives
on time. Originally the schedule
provided for 5:15 a.m. arrival but
because the truck constantly was
late the schedule was revised to
provide more time.
During the period the truck jack
knifed once, became I logged in an
icy-hill traffic jam east of Nor
folk on one occasion, and had
mechanical trouble on another.
An Omaha contractor is respon
sible for the run.
Meanwhile, Holt county motor
ists and various supply trucks man
aged to make the O’Neill-Omaha
O’Neill run even though mail was
not getting through.
Ix-sser star routes continued to
operate, but the bulk of the in
liound mail is the early morning
arrival.
The O'Neill postoffice “works"
mail for points west of here, where
the successive delays created
worse inconvenience.
Oorrance P. Gibson, 33, of Osmond was kil led when the crawler-type tractor-do*er he was
operating overturned and crashed him. He was working midway back on the train on the steep snow
cut about one mile west of McLean. At the scetif* of the accident are Norris Pfanstiel, Mcl>ean
farmer (left), and Hay Timmerman of Osmond. Crawler Is a 0-8 Caterpillar owned by Thelsen Itros
Contractor* of Osmond.—The Frontier photo and engraving