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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1958)
1M3 (ID QJ TT IH JflDTO CASS COUNTY'S CREATEST NEWSPAPER lEE IPlLA' SEMPWEEKLY . Monday-Thursday Consolidated With the Nehawka Enterprise and Elmwood Leader-Echo Read Twice Weekly by More Than 3500 Cass County Families VOLUME 77 SIX PACES PLATTSMOUTH. CASS COUNTY, NEBRASKA. MONDAY, JULY 14, 1958 TEN CENTS PER COPY NUMBER 68 mm When Will Flood Dams Be Built Here? Payment Of Flood When will flood control dams be built here? Just as soon as people who have pledged money to help with the local portion of the cost -sharing "bargain" program have paid what they promised. Paul Fauquet, Flood Control Administrator here, says the question above Is one which Is asked of him daily in Platts mouth. And, It is asked by people who have every right to ask it those who have already paid what they pledged to pay and are waiting to see some action. That action is needed is evi dent to anyone with the gift of a little foresight. Twelve inch rain to the east of Plattsmouth and history of similar rainfall to the west and south give people here "just cause for alarm," Fauquet says. However, the local watershed area (In this case Plattsmouth) is responsible for providing land and funds for costs incidental to start of the dam building in the co-operative enterprise. It's little enough to ask, ac tually, considering the federal government Is willing and wait ing to pay complete cost of con struction. Fauquet says, In reply to: "When are these dams going to be built?" "Plans for final design for the dam designated as 10-A (the west Plattsmouth dam) are in the design department of the Department of Agriculture at the present time. They should be forthcoming in a very short time. "Plans for 18-A (the Sullivan dam) were completed nearly two years ago and contracts could be let and work started within 60 days." The flood administrator con tinues: "Our problems have been many. Our most important are two, land rights and money. "With reference to the first, we have negotiated and pur chased at fair prices nearly all the land rights needed. In one case; we have found it neces sary to resort to Court action. We have obtained a condemna tion award and because the award seemed excessive we have taken an appeal to the District Court. "With reference to money, ample funds to carry out the early construction program were pledged. Upon request for pay ment of the first one-half of the funds pledged, about half of the 4 Cass County Farm Families To Get Awards Four Cass County farm famil ies are to receive the Nebraska Pioneer Farm Award during the Cass County Fair, Aug. 15. Handsome engraved plaques and framed certificates will go to Herbert L. Stander, Mrs. An drew Stander, and August A. Stohlmann, all of Louisville, and to Raymond Pollard of Nehaw ka. All are descendents of fam ilies that started a century of farm ownership in 158. The uniquet award, co-sponsored by Ak-Sar-Ben, Omaha, and the Nebraska Association of Fair Managers, is made annually to owr.rs of farms which have remained in the same family for 100 years or longer. Omaha Youths Hit Trouble This Morning This morning at an early hour when Officer Estill Jen kins was making his auto pat rol of Washington avenue, he noticed a car filled with youths and bearing a Douglas county license. He stopped the party of five boys ranging from 18 to 14 years of age. They stated that a youth that they had met a few days ago, stopped them in Omaha, and told them to take his car for a ride. They came onto Platts- mouth and into trouble. The officer took them to the j city jail and inquiries of Oma ha police developed the car had been stolen there. This morning the owner and members of the police depart ment came down and took the boys back to Omaha. Journal Want Ads Pay off Pledges Key To Program Control, Administrator Says amounts needed were paid in. "Not nearly half of those who pledged (numerically) have j paid "What are we waiting for?," Fauquet asks. "Certainly this Is your Flood Control Program. It is your pro perty we propose to protect. It takes a little of your money to do it. "We came around once and Pi Y.' NEBRASKA HIGHWAY 50 scene on State 50 south of the f ' , 1 , If" ' : If'' Off ' WIND, TOO Wind accompanying: rains at acuse. There is little to be done to protect ag Syracuse and Cook downed trees like these ainst wind BUT FLOOD WATER CAN BE CON shown near the Otoe County Fairgrounds, Syr- TROLLED. Photos Curtesy Nebraska City News-Press uragnne tauy Made at The Cass County Board of Commissioners Friday bought a dragline for general county use after spending most of the day considering bids from six man ufacturers of equipment. The price was $15,285 which will be paid in 12 monthly in stallments and without interest, the county clerk said Friday afternoon. Actual bid price was $20,202, less trade-in allowance and less cost of the bucket for the drag line which will be bought sep arately at a saving. Construction Service Equip ment Co. of Omaha which bid Bueyrus-Erie equipment was the successful bidder. It allowed the county $3,507 on a six year-old Michigan dragline as trade-in. The bucket, a new item which the commissioners located at Ashland will cost approximately $1,200 and represent a saving of more than $200 under the price the dragline would have carried equipped with bucket. Too, the specially-purchased bucket will be more durable. Capacity of the dragline is 10 tons. It is truckmounted and self-propelled of course. It has two engines, one for propulsion ! and one for the drag line. While the commissioners en vision mostly bridge work for the new equipment, it will also be used to unload bridge lumber and piling, grade ditches and load all types of sand, gravel and earth materials. Purchase of the dragline in the 12-month period under bid procedure and without interest is believed to be a great saving for the county, perhaps of as much as $7,000 or $8,000. begged of you, individually, to sign the pledge. Do we have to come now and beg individually for you to pay it? ' Remember, we aren't getting paid for our time in this matter and we are no more affected by flood damage than you are. Let us compare your flood 'insur ance premium' with the insur ance premium you pay for your This was the Cook corner Saving Best price the Commissioners could eke out in preliminary search before ' setting up the sealed bids was about $22,000. Earlier, consideration of pur chase of the dragline had pro voked a legal question. Consid ering a purchase-agreement ar rangement as has often been done in the past, with payment spread over many months, the way an individual buys on the installment plan, the Commiss ioners asked an opinion of county attorney James Begiey. Both he and the attorney gen eral opined that such an agree ment extending beyond the fis cal year in which it is obligated should not be made. The Com missioners should not, it was said, obligate another budget period for payment of drb;. Friday, the Commissioners be gan their special bid-taking meeting at 10 a.m., wound up about 4 p.m. This summer, the board was faced with replacement of cost ly repair of the Michigan drag line which had already been re paired many times. THE WEATHER Compiled for the Plattsmouth Journal at the Masonic Home Weather Station, Plaitsmouth Neoraska. July 10-11-12-13, 1958 Date High Low Pree Thursday 83 ( 64 1.75 Friday 80 65 .25 Saturday .. 80 62 .00 Sunday 81 64 .00 Forecast: Possibility showers, cooler tonight. Sun sets at 7:57, rises Tuesday at 5:03. v M5 -:22:b; ' fire, and related hazards, insur ance. "The amount you nave been asked to pay, in most cases, is in total less than you pay for your year's fire insurance. "I do not believe that any pro perty owner Is being asked to pay for flood protection as much as five years advance premium payment on adequate fire in surance for his property. Thursday. A foot of water covered the highway after a 6.41 - inch rain during the night. via rp. Wheat Report From Louisville LOUISVILLE (Special) Bud Wirth reports that he had one six acre field of wheat that was producing about 55 bushels to the acre, and that another six are field will produce about 45 bushels per acre. Dayton Hennings thought that his wheat would make 35 bushels or more to the acre. Emil Heier reports that his wheat weighed 62 pounds and tested 12 per cent moisture. Court Ruling On Land Ownership On Missouri River The Nebra ka state supreme court has ruled on a problem of land ownership on the Miss ouri river. The problem developed when a channel separating the shore and an island dried up. Did the new land belong to the owner of the island, or the owner of the thore property? In effect the high court held I that part of the accretion and reliction lands belong to each owner. The decision reversed the judgment of the Washington county district court. Earl M. Burket and others, owning land along the river, brought the action against R. E. Krimlofskl, et al., who claim ed ownership of an island in the river. The plaintiffs sought by the action to quiet title to ac cretion and reliction lands which had been built up and formed between the island and the Ne braska shore. Mr. and Mrs. Don Wolf are spending two weeks at Madison, S. D at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Jaton. "But, you cannot buy flood insurance for those properties. Why? Because the hazard for flood is so great that no insur ance company will undertake to write it. "Not one of you would spend one restful night without fire insurance. Why don't you pay your flood insurance so we can finish buying our land rights and go into construction?" Recently, the City Park Board contributed funds and loaned other money to the flood con trol program in a special action because it is interested in devel oping the site of dam 10-A as a recreation area and didn't want the program to fold up before it got started. This money and pledges paid by a portion of those pledging have made it possible to keep the program alive this far. Unless the remainder of money is paid in and construction is be gun there is a danger, no one knows how great, that federal funds for flood control which would come here might be spent elsewhere. Many communities have asje ed federal aid. Many more will ask. Plattsmouth has a high prior ity because of its flood hazard but time may be running out, both on the chance at federal assistance and on the interval between the last devasting flood here and the next. The next could be prevented. It'll take co-operation. Area Swept By Heavy Rain On Thursday Nite One of the heaviest storms of the summer season struck this section of Nebraska Thursday night, causing gieat damage in the southeastern counties of the state but fortunately Platts mouth had the northern part of the county escaped the deluge that engulfed the southern por tion of the countv. Here in Plattsmouth, the rain fall as recorded showed two in ches but was carried very well by the sewers and had 'none of the thrilling features of other years when the streets in the business section ran curb deep. The storm caused some crop damage over the county and was especially heavy in the south portion in the vicinity of Union. There, the heavy rain was inter spersed with hail, some as large as golf balls. Hail did some da mage to corn. : The Missouri-Pacific railroad was hard hit by flooding at At chison and the Kansas City-Omaha trains were held up from Thursday night and later train service was routed by way of the Burlington. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Tritsch returned Sunday from Lake Okiboji, Iowa, where they stayed at the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Stewart IV, Omaha. A pleasant occuranae while there was almost daily meeting with Phil and Alice (Faye) Harris and their daughter Phyllis who were staying with C. A- Swanson, the frozen food, family nearby. : - - - - rf ' ... - I CARRIER GETS CITATION Glen O. Sa win Thursday was presented a citation from Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield and a letter of Commendation from the regional postal director, Wichita, Kans., for 36 years of postal service. Plattsmouth postmaster Leslie Niel gave th awards as other local postal personnel look 3,642 Vehicle Titles Written In County The Cass County clerk's of fice reports that it wrote 3,642 vehicle titles in the fiscal year from June 30, 1957, to July 1 1958; notated liens on 1.357 ti tles and released 1,013 liens. For this, the state received $2,607.60 in fees. Chattel mortgages filed for this same period were 2,965 and 3,075 chattel mortgages were re leased. Fees paid to the county trea surer from this office totaled $4,089 for the fiscal year. The county paid bounties on 193 foxes and 99 coyotes for a total of $730. Total expense for the county clerk's office the past fiscal year was $10,247. It compares with $10,532 for 1952-53; and $10,924 for 1953-54. Chief work of the clerk's of fice is handling all claims a gainst the county and assisting with proceedings of the Board of County Commissioners. C of C Has Semi-Annual Meeting Here Chamber of Commerce ex penditures were $5,115.14 the first six months of this year, manager Dale Bowman reported at the organization's semi - an nual meeting attended by 15 C of C members at Consumers Hall Thursday night. The year's budget is $11,590 compared with $10,100 in 1957. A report of the Bridge Com mittee showed 10,140 cars cros sing from Iowa on "free toll" Saturdays with the average 406 cars at Saturday Jan. 1 through July 3. A new high was set one Satur day when 457 cars crossed in the free bridge program, the report noted. A total for the year near 22,000 is expected. Members paid for the year through July totaled 153,' the Membership Committee report ed. Ninety-six had paid in full and 57 had pledged accounts. Leaves For Service Marvin Eugene Kupke of Mur dock departed July 3 for camp Carson, Colo., to be enrolled in the military tervice of the coun try. He was the only inductee from Cass County. Cass County Expenditures for Fiscal 1957-1958 Summarized Cass County expenditures in fiscal year 1957-1958, ended June 30, totaled $508,297.05, county clerk Chas. Land reported to day. This compares with the $561, 000 which was budgeted at the beginning of the fiscal year. Of the expenditures, $262,231 .91 was to be raised by tax levy, the remainder by other means of income such as license revenues, from other revenue sources and from receipts from taxes other than the county levy, etc. By funds the expenditures in fiscal 1957-58 were: General. Fund $170,185.60 Welfare (Asst. Adm.i 13,257.63 Poor Relief 10,255.35 Bridge Fund 54.224.30 Rd., Dist. No. 1 52,416.78 .n - - , . 1 1 , . j Girl At Carole Ann Williams, 12. of Plattsmouth drowned Sunday about 1 p.m. in a deep sand pit lake at Holnntn's lake area north o here on U. S. 73-75. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Williams, 1301 Rock Bluff Road. Carole Ann, her sister Barbara and Norma Colbert, a friend had gone wading in what they thought was shallow water in the large lake east of Holman's Tavern when Carole Ann suddenly dropped off Into deep water. ., I She struggled and called for ury council Meets Tonight A possible police appointment and appointments to a city planning commission will be among business to be considered I when the City Council meets tonight at 8 o'clock at City Hall for Its regular session. Mayor Grant Roberts hopes he and the Council can review applications for police work and agree on a replacement for of ficer Ambrose Claus who re signed. The mayor said he has a list of persons in mind for appoint ment to the planning commis sion and is anxious to see the commission reactivated. He favors staggered appointments so the commission would be con tinuous in part. Bad Check Suspects Held Two men aged 27 and 37, one from Omaha and the other from Iowa Falls, Iowa, are be ing held in the County Jail on open charges investigation pending further by Sheriff Tom Solomon into a check writing spree. The first man was arrested Saturday night by City Police men Kenneth Dunlap and Eslil Jenkins and turned over to the sheriff's office for questioning. The second man was arrested later by Chief Fred Tcsch and Solomon. Solomon said the two men came to Plattsmouth Thursday and cashed two worthless checks in the amounts of $45 and $43 dollars. They returned Saturday and passed another check in the amount of $80. The owner of a store alerted officers and assisted in their ap prehension. Rd Dist. No. 2 57,760.20 Rd Dist. No. 3 68,460.32 Mail Rt. Rd. Fund . . . 70,904.49 Fed. Match. Rd 10,831.88 Total , $508,297.05 o The 1957-1958 budget and a mounts to be raised by county taxes were as follows: Budgeted Levy General Poor Relief $199,000.00 $117,356.89 27,100.00 70,500.00 58,245.92 72.146.05 94,608.03 80,800.00 13.759.08 27.518.16 17.045.08 20.832.87 25,251.96 40,467.87 ! Bridge I DLst. No. 1 Dist. No. 2 Dist. No. 3 ! Mail Rt. ! Fed. Match. 58,500.00 1 I Total . . ."$561,000.00 $262,231.91 ed on. Sawin was rural carrier here the past 10 years until his retirement May 31. In the photo are, from left: Frank Bierl, Russ Nielsen, Howard Dodds, Jim llanika. Irnest Janda, Willard Brink, Lowell Hopkins. Theodore Ptak, Sawin, Vern Hendricks, Leo Brink and Niel. Hlolmoini s help but none of the girls was able to swim. The other two pirls ran to Holman's for help but it was possibly 25 minutes before help arrived, Sheriff Tom Solomon said. Divers searched for Carole but pressure in the deep water hurt their eardrums and they could n't stay down long. Solomon and county surveyor William Coak ley dragged the lake bottom with hooks operated from a boat without finding the body:1 Finally, Emery Doody, man ager at nearby Merrltt's beach, brought two of his lifeguards, William Mitchell and Jay Hicks. Using an aqualung they took up the search. About 3 p.m., Mitchell dis covered Carole Ann's body in about 20 to 25 feet of water about 75 feet from shore. Mrs. Williams said the girls had Intended to go to Merritt's Beach when they left about noon. The drowning was the third in Cass County this season and the second at Holman's lake area where there are no life guards. Earlier an Offutt Air i Base serviceman was drowned i in the lake north of the tavern. Early this summer, a Lincoln Air Force Base airman drowned in a lake at the state recreation area, Louisville. Carole Ann Williams was born Nov. 1, 1945, at Omaha, daugh ter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wil liams. The family moved to Plattsmouth in 1950 where Car ole since made her home. Carole was a student at St. John's Parochial school and would have entered the 7th grade this coming fall. She was active in school and church act ivities, a member of the Junior Sodality and of the St. John's church choir. Survivors are her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Williams; brothers and sisters, Barbara, Harold Jr., Wayne, Betty Jo, Jimmy all of Plattsmouth; grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Wil liam Williams, Plattsmouth; grandparents, Mrs. Earl Preston, Grand Island, and Ed Buhrman, Grand Island. Classmates will serve as altar boys at the funeral services which will be held on Wednes day at 10 a.m. at St. John's Church. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph Przudzik will celebrate the mass. Altar boys will be Jim Bierl, Larry Brink, Jack Eiling and Alan Holoubek. Burial will be at Holy Sepu lchre cemetery. Pallbearers will be school friends, Dwayne Haith, Bob Pucelik, Brian Nelson, Dwayne Whelan, Francis Le bens and Keenan Eiting. Rosary will be Tuesday even ing at the Caldwell - Linder chapel at 8 o'clock. Visiting hours will be Tuesday from 4 to 6 and 7 to 9 at the Caldwell-Linder chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials for Carole Ann may be made to St. John'j school. Marie Fitzgerald Dies at Farm Home Saturday Morning Saturday morning at the farm home near Murray, Miss Marie Katherine Fitzgerald, 67, mem ber of a pioneer family, passed to the last rest. She has been ailing for the past five years and in the last two years has been confined to the home. She was born August 16, 1890 at Plattsmouth, daughter of Ed ward and Anna Schlater Fitz gerald. She has spent her life time here with her family nnd friends, a lady known by a large circle of acquaintances, who share the family the sorrow that her passing has occasioned. Her family has long been ac tive in the community life, her maternal grandfather, Conrad Schlater coming here in terri torial days and had much to do with the development of this section of Nebraska. Members of the family have been active in the business and social life of the community down through (Continued O Page 6
