I'll 1 < J NORFOLK WEEKLY NEWS-JObitNAL ; FRIDAY , JUNE 21 , 1 < J07.
STRANGE STORY OF THE FRIGID
YEAR OF 1B10.
HEAVY ICE FROZE 'lN AUGUST
The Year 1B1C Was Known as the
Coldest Summer Ever Experienced
in the United States nnd Europe.
Prediction In 1837 of Cold 1007.
Dunhury ( Conn. ) Mows : The year
1810 was known throughout tlio United
States niul Europe IIH the coldest ever
experienced by any ponton then living ,
There mo porBoiiH In northern Now
York who'lmvu boon In the hiihlt of
hooping diaries for years , niul It la
from the pages of nn old illury begun
In 1810 nnd kept up unbroken until
1810 tlwt the following Inforniutlon re
garding thin your without a ttnininur
linn boon taken.
January wan HO mild that niont per-
nous allowed thulr fires to KO out and
illd not burn wood except for cooking.
There were a few cold days , but they
wore very few. Most of the time the
ftlr was warm nnd springlike. Fobru
nry waa not cold. Some dayH were
colder than any In January , lint the
weather wna about the same. March ,
from the 1st to" the Oth , was Inclined
to be windy. It cuino In llko a Binall
lion and went out llko a very Innocent
Bhecp.
April came In warm , but as the
days grew longer , the air became
colder , and by the first of Mny there
was tv temperature llko that of winter ,
with plenty of snow and Ice. In May
the young buda were frozen dead , Ice
formed half nn Inch thick on ponds
nnd rivers , corn wna killed , nnd the
cornfields were planted again and
again , nntll It became too late to rnlso
a crop. By the last of May In thla
climate the trees nro usually In leaf ,
nnd birds and Mowers are plentiful.
When the last of May arrived In 181 < 5
everything had been killed by the
cold.
Juno was the coldest month of rosefl
ever experienced In this latitude.
Frost and Ice wore as common ns buttercups
torcups usunlly are. Almost every
green thing was killed ; all fruit was
destroyed. Snow fell ten Inches deep
In Vermont. There was n seven-Inch
fall In the Interior of Now York state ,
nnd the same In Massachusetts. There
were only n few moderately warm
days. Everybody looked , longed and.
waited for warm weather , but warm
weather did not como.
It wns nlso dry ; very llttlo rain fell.
All summer long the wind blow stead
lly from tlio north In blasts laden with
snow and Ice. Mothers knit socks or
double thickness for their children ,
nnd made thick mittens. Planting and
shivering were done together , and the
farmers who worked out their taxes
on the country roads voro overcoats
nnd mittens. ' * ' J.1 * * * > ) *
On Juno 17 there was n heavy fall
of snow. A Vermont farmer sent a
flock of sheep to pasture on Juno 1C.
The morning of the 17th dawned with
the thermometer below the freezing
point. About n o'clock In the morning
the owner of the sheep started to look
for his flock. Deforo leaving homo ho
turned to his wlfo and said jqklngly :
"Better start the neighbors soon ;
It's the middle of Juno and I may get
lost In the snow. "
An hour after ho had left homo a
terrible snowstorm came up. The
snow fell thick and fast , and , as there
was so much wind , the llcecy masses
piled In great drifts along the wind
ward side of the fences and outbuild
ings. Night came and the farmer had
not been heard of.
His wife became frightened nnd
alarmed the neighborhood. All the
neighbors joined the searching party.
On the third day they found him. Ho
was lying In n hollow on the side hill
with both feet frozen ; ho wna half
"
covered with snow , but alive. Most
of the sheep were lost.
A farmer near Towsbnry , Vt.t owned
n large field of corn. IIo built fires.
Nearly every night ho and his men
took turns In keeping up the flro nnd
watching that the corn did not freeze.
The farmer was rewarded for his tire
less labors by having the only crop of
corn In the region.
July came on with snow and Ice.
On the Fourth of July ice as thick na
window glass formed throughout New
England , New York , and In some parts
of the state of Pennsylvania. Indian
corn , which , In some parts of the east
had struggled through May and Juno
gave up , froze and died.
To tlio surprise of everybody , Ang
nst proved the worst month of all
Almost every green thing In this coun <
try nnd Europe wns blasted with frost
SEVENTY YEARS AGO.
An Old Weather Sharp Wrote "Thert
Will be No Summer In 1907. "
Cincinnati Enquirer : In those gooc
old days way bnck In 1837 , when the
vlneclnd porch of every vlllngo tnverr
sheltered one or more weather sharp ;
whose prognostications were baset
upon the presumed Infallibility of tlu
goosobono asa weather Indicator
there lived n man , name unknown
who modestly tied knots In weathei
predictions.
' He wns no "piker. " Ills prophesies
belted the world , nnd ho did no "back
tracking" when ho told the universe
what brand of weather was going tc
be.served to the world seventy yean
from then.
His predictions were printed In ni
almanac which was then popular , am
In going through the dusty drawers o
nn old bureau Mrs. W. C. Lnngonecker
leblor of Edward Durbai
nacs of the IPHUO of 18117. In scanning
In ICIIVOH the llrst thing that caught
lior eye was the following significant
Hontoure :
"There will bo no Hummer In the
vcar 1007. "
Tills stared from the musty pages
of the old almanac In n mattor-of-fact
way , IIH If Ita author had inrulo the
prediction hurriedly In order to get
liomo to Hiippur. Mrs. Langoncckor
lost no tlnio In writing to her father ,
rolatlvo to the Incident , and Mr. Dur
ban Immt'dlatoly cancelled his order
for a straw hat. That old phllonophcr
had IIH ! finger on the pulse of the fu-
line , for summer hasn't as yet present
ed her rosy cheek to bo kissed by the
owners of summer resorts. When
tosurrootloii day comes ho will pop
out of hlH forgotten grave nnd glee
fully cry : "I told jou so. "
CALIF M'COY ' TELLS TRAGIC STO
RY VERY DELIBERATELY.
HE SHOWS NO SIGN OF REGRET
LAUGHS AT THOUGHT OF MOTH
ER BURIED | N OLD SHOES.
EXTREME TYPE OF DEGENERATE
The Little Eleven-Yenr-Old Boy Guilty
of Matricide Tells the Story of His
Crime In Court With a Cool , Dellb-
crate Manner.
Dasaott , Nob. , Juno 15. Special to
The News : Callr McCoy , the eleven-
year-old boy who murdered his mother
last Friday , told to Judge Hall of the
juvenile court the awful story of his
cold blooded matricide In calm fashIon -
Ion and' In no way could Attorney
Douglas cause the Ind to show any re-
worse for hla crime.
The county "attorney tried In vain
to strike a single sympathetic chord In
the child but there seemed to bo no
sentiment In the boy murderer's make
up.
up.Ho
Ho Is no fool , this llttlo slayer of his
mother. In fact ho Is In n way bright
for his age , but In him seems to bo the
devil incarnate.
Laughs at Thought of Dead Mother.
For Instance , Mrs. Marsh , wlfo of
Sheriff Marsh , having the youthful
murderer in charge , asked the boy to
wash his hands and as ho started to
do this she heard him laughing nnd
asked what caused his merriment.
"Why , I was wondering If they bu
rled mother in them damned old
shoes , " ho said.
Every other word from the child's
lips Is nn oath. IIo Is surely a strange
typo of human life. IIo told his story
to the court with as cool nnd dellb-
rate an air as you please , and with a
boasting demeanor. Grown men who
heard the recital of the tragedy from
ho llttlo criminal's own lips declare
.hat It wns the most astounding , the
most outrageous story they had ever
Isteucd to.
Judge Hall pronounced a sentence to
the reform school until the boy Is
twenty-one years of ngo , nnd It Is safe
to predict a strenuous tlmo In that in-
stltutou for some tlmo to come.
LEG SMASHED IN HAY PRESS.
Atkinson Young Man Suffers Serious
ly From Accident.
Atkinson , Neb ; , Juno 17. Special
to The News : A very serious accl-
ilent occurred nt the homo of Fred
Maarten , twelve miles from hero. His
oldest son , aged 21 , sustained a badly
smashed leg In n hay press. The pa
tient was brought to n local hospital.
Everything possible will bo done for
him.
him.About
About fourteen years ngo n daugh
ter wns kicked by n horse , costing her
sight ns well ns the entire eye. Fred
Mnnrten Is one of the oldest settlers
In this part of the country nnd Is pros
perous.
The I. 0. O. F. of this place ob
served memorial service In the Pres
, byterian church at the regular hour
, for church , Rev. M. Angell hnvlng
charge of tlio same , and It was a most
Impressive service throughout. Dur
, ing the afternoon the Odd Fellows
with the ladies of the Rebckah lodge
proceeded to the Woodlawn cemetery
where the former members of this people
ple were sacredly remembered by
beautiful flowers nnd other service
A very large number attended nil the
day services.
Dr. Sturdovnnt has recently received
n very neat runabout. This Is. the
llrst auto In our llttlo city.
Prof. Bowen and wife of Wayne arc
: visiting In the town , guests of W. E
Scott's family , before attending the
normal school In O'Neill the coinlnt
week.
Miss Mildred Vough of Sheckloy Is
visiting at the homo of W. II. Argan
brlgth and will probably remain foi
the greater part of the summer.
The Children's Aid society of Now
York desires to plnco orphan chlldrei
In good homes either by adoption 01
contract. Children of all ngcs , olthei
girls or boys. Applications maclo t <
J. W. Swan , state agent , University
Place , Nob. , will receive prompt atten
n tlon. J. W. Swan , agent , Unlversltj
OUT OF TOWN GUESTS HAVE
BEEN ENTERTAINED.
CARD SEASON ABOUT ENDED
Preparations' For June Weddings Are
Still In the Air Musical Commence
ments Have Been a Feature of the
Week In a Social Way.
It has been another week of pleas
ure In social Norfolk. Not n few In
formal gatherings during the week
hnvo helped in keeping the calendar
tilled and the town has been busy. A
number of friends entertained quite
Informally for out-of-town guests. Juno
wedding prepnratlons have been" In the
air and musical commencements were
ii feature.
Pleasures of the Week.
The Ladles society of the Congrega
tional church gave n farewell party
for Mrs. W. H. Bridge on Thursday
fternoon at the homo of Mrs. Robert
.liter on Koenlgsleln avenue , Mrs. 1.
'owers and Mrs. W. H. Powers assist
ig. Fifty-eight gucstu were present
nd two very handsome dessert spoons
ere presented to Mrs. Bridge as n
often of esteem from the society.
. .Ight refreshments were served dur-
: ig the afternoon. Mr. nnd Mrs.
Jrldgo expect to leave Norfolk next
veek for Spokane , Wash. , to make
heir homo on the Pacific const. They
uvo not definitely decided Just where
hey will locate , but It will bo near
Spokane , where their daughter , Mrs.
IcCornnck , resides. The dessert
peens were presented to Mrs. Bridge
iy Mrs. E. M. Huntinglon , who dellv
red the following original poem :
A'o stood 'round the bridge together ,
And our'hearts were heavy nnd sore ,
Air the bridge was to leave Its moor
ings
\ would bo In our midst no more.
Vnd our faces were pale with sorrow
And our eyes would fill with tears ,
A > r the bridge wo so loved and cher
ished
lad been with us here for years.
nd had always stood staunch and
ready
When sorrow nnd care were near
Vnd all knew they could lean upon It
With never n thought of fear.
hat their strong bravo support would
tremble ,
No matter how heavy the strati ;
Vnd the thought of. our IOBJJ/brings
sadness /
So deep 'tis akin to pain ,
low often , Oh how often
In the days that are to be
, Vo will think of our bridge with long
Ing
And will hope , on life's restless sea
ho moorings will find strong anchor ,
That the waves will be bright and
clenr
And our love always strong and tender
Will follow It far and near.
. .
- " ' - - - - ; *
lore on the billow of friendship
Where so many home Interesls meet
We lay our gift and good wishes
And 'twill bear them to her feet.
Mr. nnd Mrs. W. II. Butterlleld eel
obrated their fortieth wedding annl
ersary Wednesday and Wednesday
evening they were guests of honor at
nn Informal party given for them at
he homo of their daughter , Mrs. P.
il. Sailer. Five hundred afforded
ileasuro throughout the evening , a
; lainty luncheon being served later.
High score prizes weio won by Mrs.
3. A. Bullock nnd Mr. W. H. Butter-
leld , Mrs. Bullock receiving a pretty
pinto nnd Mr. Buttertleld a deck of
cards.
Mrs. J. C. Slllt very pleasantly en
tertained n company of friends nt 1
o'clock Inchcon yesterday afternoon In
her home on The Heights. After a
lellclous luncheon had been served
table's were cleared for live hundred ,
which was enjoyed during the after
noon , " Mrs. N. A. Rnlnbolt won the
high score prize nnd Mrs. E. A. Bul
lock won the booby prize.
Mrs. C. H. Reynolds Informnlly en
tertained a very few friends for Mrs.
W. H. Bucholz Tuesday afternoon at
her homo on The Heights. Five hun
dred was Indulged In during the after
noon , Miss Helen Bridge winning the
prize , a dainty plate.
,
Mrs. D. Mathewson cnlorlalned a
small number of neighborhood friends
Salurday aflernoon for Mrs. Bucholz
,
of Omaha. A dainty lunch was served
during the afternoon.
Mrs. George. D. Butterileld enter-
talned a few friends at dinner last
Saturday evening for her father , Mr.
Doe of Davenport , who relumed lo
hlsjiomo on Monday.
Miss Otolla Pilgor , teacher In the
Fifth grade , took her class of pupils
to Machmucller's grove for a day of
jolly plcnlclng on Tuesday. A pleas
ant day was enjoyed.
Mrs. A. N. McGlnnls entertained n
few friends for Mr. McGinnls nt din
ner last .Saturday evening , the occa
sion being Mr. McGlnnls' birthday.
A pleasant dancing party was en
joyed by young people nt Marquardt
hall last evening.
jclub wns pleasantly en
tortnlned Tuesday night by Forrest
Htnory.
Mrs. D. Iliuini pleiinantly entertained
a few friends Monday nfternoon for
her guesl , Mrs. Morris Mayer of Al
bion.
Coming Events.
The West Side Whist club will bring
Its year to a close Monday evening nt
the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. Baum
hen the members will enjoy n C:30 :
'clock dinner and whist during the
veiling. Prizes will bo awarded to
Igh score winners afterward.
The wedding of Miss Nina Walker
o Mr. J. Earle Harper will take place
i'uesday morning In the First Congrc-
atlonal church. A reception will bo
eld afterward in the homo of the
ride's parents , Mr. and Mrs. M. C.
, Vnlker.
Mrs. Wynn Jlnlnbolt will ontcrlaln
iiformally at luncheon Monday after-
loon for Mrs. W. H. Bucholz of Omn-
a.
NEARLY 1,000 PERSONS PAID AD-
MISSIONS.
HAD AMUSING BASEBALL GAME
*
Fritz Von Seggern Did Some Mighty
Clever Acrobatic Work The Track
Was In Fine Condition and Some
Good Racing Resulted.
Tllden , Neb. , Juno 15. Special to
The News : Nearly 1,000 people paid
.dmlsslon to the carnival grounds hero
Thursday nfternoon to witness the
ports provided for Tllden's matinee.
The track was In fine condition and
omo very pretly contests resulted.
n the free-for-all Miss Gund , owned
y Cnl Mnttheson , took first place ;
Bessie Billion ( Osborn ) second and
Broker Bill ( Kay ) third.
The 2:40 : trot or pace was won by
illnnleOnelda , Miss Johnson second ,
esslo third.
The winners of both races were drlv-
2n by Col Matlheson and have been
n training In Tllden for several
months.
A one-sided baseball game furnished
omo amusement and a whole lot of
ll&nppolntment to Tllden people. The
inslness men of Battle Creek were
iltted against the business men of
llden nnd the latter failed to score
ivhilo the visitors hnd nine runs to
heir credit at the close of the game.
he Bntlle Creek band rendered some
; ; oed solecllons of music and Frllz
Van Seggern added considerable to
he enterlnlnment by his clever acrobatic
batic work.
ELKHORN VALLEY EDITORIAL AS
SOCIATION MEETS.
COTTON CHOSEN PRESIDENT
The Next Meeting of the Association
Will be Held at Valentine the First
Saturday in June of Next Year.
Ainsworth , Neb. , June 17. Special
: o The News : The Elkhorn Valley Ed
.torlal . association held ils elevenlh an
mini convenllon hero Saturday and
the crowd appeared to enjoy Itself as
only editors can. The attendance was
ijooil considering the delapldated con
.lition of train service.
The association voled lo hold Us
next meeting In Valentine. President
J. M , Cotlon of Ihe Ainsworth Star-
Journal was elected president and I.
M. Rice of the Valentine Democrat
ecrctnry nnd Ireasurer.
At C0 : ! ! o'clock the citizens proparei
a line banquet of which the editors
partook and the evening was spenl
until n late hour in speech making
nnd dancing. Music for the occasion
was furnished by the Ainsworth mill
tary band and drum corps.
A Narrow Escape.
Springvlew Herald : On last Friday
the llllle six-year-old child of Annlo
Shaw , daughter of John Reraes , wns
accidentally shot by the molher. The
mother was standing In the door am
reached around behind It for a twenty
two rlilo to kill a dog in the yard. In
Iho oilier arm she held a lllllo baby
Just as she pulled the trigger the six
year-old child ran In front of the gun
going out of the door and the hullo
passed through the back of the neck
making a deep wound which bled pro
fusely. Dr. White went out and
dressed It but was not able to probe
for the bullet at thnt lime. Laler he
found that tl had simply made a deep
cut in the neck and passed on. HO
found that she was paralyzed In the
right arm and her face badly swollen
when he was out on Sunday but he
thinks that she will recover in duo
time. She was so close to the gun
that she was powder buned.
Chamberlain's Colic , Cholera and D
arrhoea Remedy.
There Is probably no mcdlclno'mnd
that Is relied upon with more Impllcl
confidence than Chamberlain's Colic
Cholera and Diarrhoea Remedy. Dur
Ing the inoro than one-third of a con
lury In which It has been fn use , people
ple have learned thnt It Is the one rem
edy Hint never fnlls. When reduced
with wnter and sweetened It Is pleas
ant to take. For sale by Leonard th
druggist.
LEADING A HORSE WITH ROPE
AROUND HIS NECK.
HORSE RAN , DRAGGING THE LAD
'hrce-Yenr-Old Child of Mr. and Mrs.
C. B , Horax , Living Twelve Miles
Northeast of Ncllgh , Meets Violent
Death.
Ncllgh , Neb. , Juno 1C. Special to
'he News : The three-year-old sou of
! . B. Horax was strangled to death
estordny noon at the homo of his par-
ills on Iho Willow , Iwelve miles north-
nist of Ncllgh.
As near ns reports can be obtained
t appears that the lltlle fellow wns
ending a horse to wnter nnd hnd
houghtlessly wrapped the rope around
ils neck. When the mother went lo
ook for her son she saw him dragging
ifter Iho running horse. She Immcdl-
itoly gave chase and followed a short
llstnnce when the rope had untwisted
tself from the child's neck.
Word wns at once telephoned to
lalnvlew for n doctor who responded
is soon as possible , but the spark of
Ife had no doubt fled before the moth
er had reached her son.
NORFOLK'S RAILROAD INDUSTRY.
The whistling of a locomotive , the
crash of freight cars as they roar to
other In the switching yards and the
click of telegraph Instrumenls are mu
sic lo Norfolk's ears.
Noisy nervous swllch engines chug
ging back and forth on the mils , Ihelr
mokeslacks chqklng and Ihelr bells
llnglng all day long nnd nil night too ,
nay be almost termed Norfolk's heart ;
very throb up and down steel threads
uenns life blood pumped Into Norfolk's
ommercinl arteries.
Norfolk enjoys the distinction of be-
ng , outside Lincoln and Omaha , the
Ivclicst and one of the largest cities
n great Nebraska stale. Wllhout the
crashing of freight cars , the clicking
of railroad lelegraph keys , and the
chug-chug of monster steel animals
hat gallop over these prairies drawing
real trains of men and cattle and
merchandise Norfolk would have no
Iceuse lo Stanton's size. For Nor-
oik , unlike Stanlon , Is. not a county
eat.
eat.Norfolk
Norfolk has approximately 5,000 pee
ple. Pretly nearly 2,500 of those peo-
) le are In Norfolk by virtue of the
railroads that are here. Between 400
and 500 men who make their livings
n railroad work of one kind or an
other , live in Norfolk. That means
hat between 2,000 and 2,500 persons
men , women and children are kept
n Norfolk to carry on that portion of
, he transportation Industry which Is
operated from this city as a center.
And a good many more people find It
lossiblo to make livings In various
Ines of business because of the 2,500
customers created for them here by
: he railroad payrolls.
Means $30,000 to $40,000 Monthly.
Practically Norfolk's only large pay
roll today is the railroad payroll.
Between $30,000 and $40,000 In cash
money Is paid out In Norfolk and to
Norfolk men every month In the year
by railroads that center here. That
means not far from a half million dol-
ars a year goes Into Norfolk's stomach
ach through Iho railroad Industry's In-
slrumenlallly , lo say nolhlng of the
other hundreds of Ihousands of dol-
ars distributed here each twelvemonth
jy people passing through and living
: iere for the sole reason lhat Norfolk
s a railway center and that trains run
in and out of hero with frequency.
Between Norfolk and Dallas , South
Dakota , there are a good many thrlv-
ng towns ranging In populalion from
200 up lo 1,500. Each one exlsls on
: he trade created by the farming dis
trict around it. With Norfolk's rail
road Industry removed , this city would
1)0 supported solely by the farming
Industry round about , and a town of
perhaps COO would sland where Ihe
present populous and growing cate
way to Ihe new northwest holds forth.
But fate decreed Ihal Norfolk should
be built Into the .hub of a wheel with
metal spokes which should radiate out
for many miles into many dlrecllons
over fertile plains of the middle west.
And added to the 500 or COO people
that we might have had as a trading
point for the few miles of farming ler
rltory In the neighborhood , Norfolk
has been stimulaled by Ihe couple of
thousand people located hero to run
the railroads Into a city of possibilities.
For besides giving work to the extra
barbers who shave them , bakers who
bake for them , liverymen who haul
them , and merchants who supply them
with calico nnd shoes and sugnr , these
rnllronds , leading out from hero nnd
penelrnllng vast areas of rich regions ,
give Norfolk an opportunity to become
the great central trading point of the
grent northwest , nnd the opportunity
only needs to bo taken advantage ol
to produce a yet further growth in the
lown.
Three Railroads Here.
Norfolk is made n railroad center
by three lines thai enler Ihe clly. The
Chicago & Northwestern , the Union
Pacific and the Chicago , St. Paul , Mln
nenpolls & Omaha roads all enter Nor
folk nnd the three combined make li
what It is , over and above what It
would bo as a country trading point.
For the Chicago & Northwestern
road , whoso president and directors
passed through the city this week
Norfolk Is the official center for the
entire states of Nebraska and Wyom
ing , and for a part of South Dakota
This is the terminal point of the Co
lumbus-Norfolk branch of the Union
'nclflc , and the terminal point for the
Sioux City-Norfolk branch of the Chi-
ago , St. Paul , Minneapolis & Oumlin
Inc.
Inc.The
The three railroads employ between
00 and GOO people who live in Nor-
oik nnd buy their bread nnd butter
lere. Many of them own homes. They
\rc represented In all branches of the
city's life In the city council , the
> oard of education nnd In all ropresen-
ntlve organizations.
There are three railroad stations in
Norfolk a union depot operated by
ho Union Pacific and Omaha roads ,
mil two Northwestern stations , one nt
ho Junction a mile from the business
lortlon of the city nnd the other up-
own. A new $25,000 uptown station
s about to be erected by this road and
1 new depot will probably also be built
soon by the Union Pacific.
Among the officials stationed hero-
or operating the Chicago & North-
vestorn lines are S. M. Braden , gen
eral superintendent ; C. II. Reynolds ,
llvlslon superintendent ; E. O. Mount ,
ralnmaster ; E. Sly , chief train dis
patcher ; S. T. Reynolds , night chief
llspatcher ; W. B. Alton , round house
'oremnn ; A. J. Colwell , general fore
man of bridges and buildings ; P. Staf-
ord , roadmastcr ; J. C. Spellman , road-
master ; C. A. Anderson , foreman of
car Inspectors ; H. C. Matrau , agent ,
fho Union Pacific has In Norfolk two
officials , N. W. Clover , commercial
igent , nnd C. W. Landers , station
agent. For the Chicago , St. Paul , Mln-
icapolis & Omaha road Mr. Landers
s station agent.
Norfolk Is the hub of the Northwest
ern lines In Nebraska , train operations
over 855 % miles of track In the east-
rn division of Nebraska being direct-
d from this city. The general super-
ntendent's office In Norfolk has su-
) orvislon over 1,755 miles of track.
The lines directed from this point ex-
end to Missouri Valley , Iowa , Omaha ,
Veb. , Lincoln , Superior , Hastings ,
Long Pine , between Oakdale and Scrlb-
nor , nnd Dallas , S. D. The general
iiiperlntendent here has all of this ter-
itory and , added to It , the lines to
Bander , Wyo. , and Deadwood , S. D.
Commercial Agent Clover for the Un-
on Pacific , the only railroad man who
has a down town office In Norfolk , has
supervision over northern Nebraska in
ils department. Besides officials , the
Union Pacific and Omaha roads em
ploy about sixty men whose headquar-
ers are In Norfolk , Including train
men , enginemen , trackmen and office
men. The Northwestern's list of em
ployes In Norfolk exceeds 400 and in
cludes nearly 150 trainmen , about 100
enginemen , a couple of score of shop
and repair men , a ha'lf hundred bridge
builders , a number of track men , sta-
lon forces , switchmen and office men.
Upwards of thirty miles of parallel
steel bars gridiron portions of Nor-
'olk . In the Northwestern's extensive
'relght and switching yards at the
Junction there are close to fifteen
miles of trackage while the Union Pa-
: ific and Omaha roads use more than
.en miles uptown.
Beyond the couple of thousand of
people located In Norfolk merely be
cause of the 400 to 500 men here who
do the work of running the trains , the
'act that railroad tracks of all this
northwest point Into Norfolk as the
starting point and ending point and
point of ensemble , has meant much for
he city's growth.
As one Indication of this may bo
mentioned the colony of energetic
commercial travelers who make their
homes here because the trains run
ning In and out of Norfolk In five dl-
ectlons give them a superior advant
age over drummers of other locations.
There are between eighty and 100 com
mercial travelers in Norfolk , meaning
somewhere In the neighborhood of 400
.icople. And their value In helping to
support the city Is eminently self-evi
dent.
As another Indication of the import
ance of the railroad accessibility of
Norfolk , It may be said that there Is
not a business Institution In Norfolk
which Is not larger by virtue of the
surrounding territory , brought close
Lo this city by reason of railroads , v
ban It could possibly be were this a
normal agricultural trading point. In
fact a grent many business Institutions
in Norfolk , which hnvo been discussed
In this column at length during the
past year , exist purely by virtue of
this location nnd could not be here at
all but for the trains that steam In
and out of town many times a day.
There are eighteen regular exclusive
passenger trains In and out of Norfolk -
folk a day and twenty-one regular
scheduled freight trains , so that the
rails are kept warm most of the time.
In stock season there are , of course ,
ninny extra trains each day , carrying
fatted cattle nnd hogs from western
Nebraska to packing markets.
To discuss the railroads of Norfolk
is almost to discuss Norfolk. For be
sides the railroad families here , con
stituting almost hnlf of the city's popu
lation , many of the business Institu
tions In the city of which Norfolk is
proud , and many of the homes hero
thnt help mnko the community what
It Is , stand In Norfolk In their prosoi\t
proportions because Norfolk Is a rail
road center and because the territory
probed by the steel bars running out
from hero Is a vast one nnd n fertile * \
one. Norfolk- , the center of this ter- f \
rltory and its gateway by reason of \
Its rallroad-mado location , Is 120 miles >
from Omaha , 13G miles from Lincoln
and seventy-six miles from Sioux City
The whole Held Is far enough away
from those commercial centers to
make Norfolk , the hub , the largest
city In the northern half of the state
for all time to como.r
When the vlstllng team wins , about
all the credit It gets is a reputation
for being lucky.