The following excerpts are exactly as published in that particular issue of the Lansing papers.
February 26, 1930
Harpers Ferry
Mr. and Mrs. Mike Sadler are receiving congratulations on the arrival of a baby girl at their home recently.
The first base ball of the season was played at the Harpers Ferry park Sunday, Feb. 23. California people please note.
John Luster moved the telephone, hardware stock and household goods last week into the Byrne’s building, which he purchased recently.
The ice went out of Harpers Slough Monday, Feb. 24, and motor boats were heard early Tuesday a.m. on their first trip of the season.
The Walter Valley family moved Tuesday into the Fitzgerald building recently vacated by the John Luster family, and which Mr. Valley purchased some time ago.
Waterville
Thunder, lightning and rain, with the temperature about 60, is not a common thing for this country on February 24th, but that is actually what we had at Waterville. Frost is about all out of the ground and farmers can begin breaking sod any time.
Well, our girls’ basket ball team lost the county championship, which they held for three years, at Postville, Saturday, New Albin being the victor. The girls are good losers so none of them are sick over it.
Lawrence Slattery and Earl Hermanson took advantage of the day off Washington’s Birthday and went to New Albin Friday evening to take in the dance. Perhaps the boys have other attractions, too.
Cherry Mound
Monica Kinley won first place in the Declamatory Contest at Waterville last Monday evening. All of the contestants taking part did remarkably well.
A beautiful statue of St. Patrick, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Wm Heffernan, arrived last week for St. Pius’ church.
Bridge Plans Changed
By Weather Conditions
Mr. Ben Storey, General Superintendent of the Industrial Construction Company of Minneapolis, who have the contract for the four piers for the high bridge here, arrived in the city last Wednesday afternoon and gave orders for a decided change in the construction work which has been in progress here day and night since early in the New Year. His orders contemplated a stoppage of work on piers 3 and 4, on the east side of the channel and a shifting to piers 2 and 1, on this side of the river. This was the result of a conference with government officials at St. Paul the day before. The War Department, which has charge of the Mississippi river and its tributaries, expects an early opening of navigation and a busy season this year, and gave orders to the industrial Construction Company to get at least 500 feet of their temporary bridge out of the river and open a channel that width for river traffic by March 10th. There was nothing left for the company to do but obey and hence Mr. Storey’s visit here. They had over 200 piles on the ice ready to drive in the two coffer-dams on the east side, besides other material, machinery, etc. Mr. Storey gave orders to have everything removed from the ice and the temporary R. R. track and piling the requisite distance pulled out. The piles, machinery and track were safely stored by Saturday but the rapid rise of the water in the river prevented getting the big pile-driver and crane to this side for use on piers 1 and 2. The ice started to move Sunday afternoon and the water came to a stand about the same time after having risen 41⁄2 ft. The stage now is 7.8 ft. and as there was a -.1 drop at LaCrosse Monday night the peak has been reached for the present and there will be a rapid decline.
The main body of ice started Monday forenoon and for a time it was feared both coffer-dams would go out but they stood the great pressure nobly. Hundreds watched from the shore all day Sunday and Monday and the bridge employees busied themselves dynamiting the ice in places. Between 4 and 5 o’clock in the afternoon there was another breakaway and then it was apparent that the danger to the coffer-dams was past.
The bridge company loses nothing by the early break-up, having a contract with the Industrial Construction Co. of Minneapolis for $193,000 to complete the four piers. The latter company can felicitate
themselves on the very small loss they have sustained, mainly confined to a few piles, plank and the consequent delay of the early break-up.
The big pile driver and crane is safe on east bank of the river and will be ready in a short time to resume work over there instead of on this side as contemplated at first.
Several carload of 3-inch plank for the bridge were unloaded last week, as well as more crushed rock. The under-water pile driver is now here and everything will be in readiness to go again in a few weeks.
Lansing
Northbound trains were late last Thursday on account of a wreck of train No. 30, at Buena Vista, that morning, on which Floyd Rundle, former Lansing boy, was one of the mail clerks. Luckily, no one was injured.
New Albin
Due to the mild weather and sunshine the past week, the lower Iowa River overflowed its banks and flooded the valley from bluff to bluff. The railroad bridge south of town was also in danger for several days, as the ice gorged against the bridge and obstructed the flow of the water.
South of the bridge the farm lands were all under water as was the Riser, May & Steele and Humphrey farms. The Lansing-New Albin road has also been flooded; also the Winnebago Creek north of town has been out of its banks. At this writing, Monday, the water is again down to normal.
Leo Fink of Lansing has been assisting at the Pottratz blacksmith shop the past week, Mr. Pottratz being laid up for several days with a sprained back. He is now back on the job.
English Bench
Gene Bulman has taken a position as clerk in the Coppersmith store at Dorchester.
A number of the neighbors hauled gravel last Tuesday for Rev. Prust, which he will use to build a garage.
John Hawes had the misfortune to cut his foot Saturday while splitting wood. His brother Albert underwent an operation for goiter Saturday and his father, Frank Howe, is also a patient in a LaCrosse hospital. The family seem to have all their trouble at one time.
February 28, 1945
Paris, Feb. 23, (INS) – Supreme allied headquarters announced late tonight that the American 9th and 1st armies launched a “powerful new offensive” and smashed across the Roer River early today in a broad front and headed for Cologne and the German Rhine. The gigantic blow was unleashed after a preparatory bombardment by the greatest concentration of American artillery yet assembled in any sector. The Roer defense line, it was announced, was “breached” and the fighting moved on to the great Rhineland plain that sweeps to Cologne.
U. S. Pacific Fleet Hdqs., Guam, Feb. 25, (AP) – Japanese bodies piled up today in the path of the savage fight for Iwo Jima’s central airfield. Enemy resistance against the northward drive of Yank marines continued at a fanatical pitch. Of Iwo’s estimated 20,000 Japanese defenders 2,799 have been counted dead. Tank led marines, supported by the guns of warships, were driving ahead slowly. The last report of American casualties was placed at 5,373, of which more than 600 were
dead.
Waukon
Word was received by the Joe Reeder family Sunday from the Navy Department informing them that their son Donald F-1-c had died of a skull fracture in New York City and that the remains would be shipped to Waukon for burial. No further details were given or likely to be known until the remains arrive with an escort.
Memorial services were held at St. Patrick’s church, Waukon, Tuesday morning for Corp. Gerald J. Ahearn of Waukon, who was killed in action October 5, 1944 in Holland. A Requiem Mass was celebrated by the pastor, The Rev. Ernest J. McDonald. Members of the Ralph D. Waters Post of the American Legion, veterans of World War II and Spanish-American War veterans attended the services in a body. Taps were sounded at the close by Al Hummel, bugler. Fathers P. F. Reynolds and T. P. O’Toole were present in the sanctuary.
According to word received from the adjutant general, Clement Keenan, 25, son of Charles Keenan, Waukon, has been released as a Jap prisoner and was reported in poor physical condition. The young man was released from the Los Banos prison camp in the Philippines, where he had been a prisoner of the Japs for the past three years.
Harpers Ferry
Supt. Herbert Jenkins entertained the girls basketball team at a dinner and show at Waukon Monday evening.
Pvt. Harlan Luster and Pvt. Emmet O’Brien of Camp Hood, Texas, are here on a 10 days furlough which they are spending with home folks, the John Luster and Joe O’Brien families.
Lansing
Pvt. Donald Hammell, who is with the Engineers of the army air corps, arrived Friday on a ten days furlough which he is spending with home folks, the Joe Hammell family north of town. Donald says it is his last furlough in this country as he expects to be sent overseas in the early spring. He came here from Spokane, Wash., where he has been training the past several months.
A recent letter to home folks from Pvt. Norbert Aschom states that he landed in France and hurriedly put to work. He is with a medical unit and censorship prohibits him from telling what he is doing or exactly where he is located now.
CM2-c Harold Peterson arrived from the west coast last week and spent some time at Carroll, Iowa, with his sister, Mrs. Lawrence Henning and family before coming on to Waukon to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Will Peterson. Harold has been at sea several months and came to Lansing yesterday to enjoy a part of his leave with his brother Jim and another sister, Mrs. T. A. Bechtel and family.
CBM James Seeley arrived here Thursday evening from the Pacific coast on a 28 days leave which he is spending with home folks, Mr. and Mrs. Mart Seeley and other relatives and friends, Jim will be in the navy 8 years in May and is being transferred to another ship at this time. His cousin, CBM Ray Sweeney, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Sweeney, sent a telegram to home folks recently upon his arrival in the states and is expected home in a week or two from a California naval base.
A letter from MSgt. John Casey, who has been nearly two years on the Persian Gulf with the U. S. Army, to home folks, Mr. and Mrs. Con Casey,
said an able bodied seaman of the U. S. Merchant Marine by the name of Leslie Fink, of Lansing, walked in to see him a couple of weeks ago and they spent three days and three nights together, read a bunch of Journals and talked about Lansing. Leslie will be back to this country in about three months and John expects to get back next fall if everything goes all right.
Word from TSgt. Dick Terry reports that he has been recently transferred to the Willow Run plant of the B-24 bombers near Detroit, Mich., from his former base at LaJunta, Colo., where he was stationed a long time.
Dick is taking some special work for the U. S. Air Corps, in which he has been serving for several years. His wife and baby are still with home folks, the Al Lankford family.
New Albin
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Heiderscheid are rejoicing over the arrival of boy No. 2, born Thursday, Feb. 22, at home.
Pvt. Donald Hosch of Camp Hood, Texas, arrived Monday and is spending a 7 day furlough at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hosch.
Cpl. Fred Breeser left Friday for Hot Springs, Ark., after spending a 21 days furlough at the parental Mr. and Mrs. Carl Breeser home.
February 23, 1955
Harpers Ferry
Don Cota took Pfc. Victor Evanson as far as Des Moines Friday where the latter joined other army men who drove from there to Fort Huachuca, Ariz., after a weeks furlough here with his mother, Mrs. Bessie Evanson and other relatives.
Waukon
Mrs. Ida Collins of Waukon last week sold her 102 acre farm on highway No. 9 near Lycurgus to Bob and Paul Anderson of the Anderson Produce House. The farm was the former John W. Rice farm. The new owners expect to convert it into a turkey farm in cooperation with their produce house and should prove a valuable venture. The Walter Treoendle family are living in the house on the farm.
Lansing
The Conway Lake a couple of miles north of Lansing on the New Albin road has been the mecca of fishermen the past weeks as great catches of all kinds of game fish are reported being made there every day.
New Albin
A/2c Leo J. Whalen left Friday morning for Camp Kilmer, N. J., from where he will report for overseas duties in Germany as a Radar Repairmen with his unit. He spent a 20 day furlough here with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Whalen.
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