Reflections

The following excerpts are exactly as published in that particular issue of the Lansing paper.

March 26, 1930

Harpers Ferry

Father O’Sullivan of Wexford was a caller at Father Nolan’s last Thursday. He is enjoying his rides in a new Chevrolet car which he recently purchased of Spinner at Lansing.

Mrs. L. D. Terrance and baby of Bridgeport, Wis., came last week for a visit at the home of her sister, Mrs. Leo Heffern, and took home her little daughter, Helen, who had been at the Heffern home for two weeks.

Bridge Work Continues

Ben Storey, general superintendent for the Industrial Corporation of Minneapolis, who have the contracts for the cement and iron work on the Lansing bridge, was a visitor a couple days this week, inspecting the progress of the work, which he reported as satisfactory, under present

weather conditions.

The big pile driver is at present driving the piles in Pier No. 4 on the Wisconsin shore, and when that job is finished will work out in the river to Pier No. 3, the big steel coffer dam for which was sunk last winter and work on which was interrupted when the ice went out so early.

The company’s plan now is to install the cement plant on the Iowa shore and do the mixing there, and transport it to the piers on three small barges, which they will build themselves, starting work on them today.

In the meantime, the big drag line is at work on the island road part of the project and making good progress, and expect to work two 10 hour shifts daily in the near future.

Lansing

The old Henry Strong building on lower Main street is being repaired, painted, re-decorated, and connected with city water, and will be occupied by Mrs. Alice Bailey with her restaurant and ice cream parlor.

The government steamer Fury passed south Saturday evening, the first boat of the season. The General Allan went north on Monday, setting out the signal buoys along the wing dams. The first of the government barge line boats leaves Dubuque northbound on April 1st.

Joe Walters, of Dubuque, has the contract for re-decorating the Catholic church and began work on the job last week. He is the artist who did the decorating before and painted the large stations in the church.

Painter George Volkert has been refurbishing the interior of D. F. Wolf’s “Model Cafe’” and will have it soon in tip top shape. The local restaurants will enjoy a big business the coming season from transient bridge visitors, and Mr. Wolfe wants his place to impress them favorably.

Mr. R. G. Miller of this city, who is taking industrial census of Allamakee county, was a visitor at New Albin between trains Friday while pursuing his work.

Charles Fest, the steamboat engineer, who has been employed all winter on a lumber boat out of Memphis, Tenn., returned home last week, the business having slacked up badly. Charley had been to the Hot Springs and enjoyed a series of 21 baths just previous to returning home.

Mike Gavin and daughter Regina were at La Crosse several days last week, where the little girl submitted to a tonsil operation. They had intended returning Thursday but the child proved to be a “bleeder” and they had to remain until Saturday. She has since been recovering nicely.

Rudy Erickson retuned Saturday from a ten day’ stay in Chicago, where he took a special course of instruction for Majestic radio dealers and is now better prepared than ever to serve his patrons in that line.

Andrew Beck, Sr., arrived home Monday after spending the winter in Winnipeg, Canada, with his daughter, Mame, Mrs. M. J. Irwin, whose husband is a railroad yard foreman there. Mr. Beck reports 36 below zero as the coldest up there the past winter, but says he prefers to make his next visit there in “the good old summer time.”

Thomas H. Bakewell left yesterday for Churchs Ferry and other North Dakota points, expecting to be gone about three weeks, looking after his large land holdings in that state. Plenty snow there the past winter is a good augury for another bountiful crop this season, so Mr. Bakewell reports.

The Journal family had a letter this week from Mrs. Agnes Loftus Frey, of De Soto, Wis., who has been hob-nobbing with millionaire friends down east since last November, accompanying them to Palm Beach and Miami, Florida, from which latter place she writes on board yacht “Wilya,” under date of March 20. She expects to be back home by the middle of next month, “to hear about the bridge and straighten out my stock,” as she puts it. Before going south she spent two delightful days with a former Lansing lady, Mrs. Caroline Van Hoogenstyne, nee Carrie Gadfrey, and her daughter, Vinnie, of East Orange, N. J. Mrs. Frey plans now on remaining on board yacht with her friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Y. Dear, till March 28th, then motor home to Montclair, N. J., in their big Packard, seeing sights on way, and to be back in De Soto by April 15th.

New Albin

George Pohlman of the Jefferson Ridge, moved his saw-mill outfit here Friday and will saw the big setting of logs which have been drawn in the past winter by farmers and others. He began sawing Monday.

Joe Fink, who recently purchased the Erickson store building on Main street, and his associate, Chas. Tippery, have been quite busy the past few weeks improving the looks of the property. The building, which was two stories, has been remodeled into a story and a half, and carries a new corrugated tin roof. Mr. Fink informed the writer he will give the entire building a new coat of paint as soon as the weather permits, and with its fine location it should not be vacant very long. They have been busy the past week hauling ground to fill up the basement hole adjoining the building on the west.

A group of young ladies gathered at the home of Miss Ina Gantenbein Thursday evening. They all assembled in the basement where the evening was spent at roller skating. After several hours of skating they partook of a delicious lunch served by Mrs. Cora Gantenbein. Those present were: Mae Sires, Gretta Lager, Louisa Weymiller, Marcella Steele and Ina Gantenbein. Upon departing the guests all voted Ina a real entertainer and are looking forward to many more skates.

J. A. Schulze of Wheatland, was in town Saturday and gave the reporter an item which he thinks is a record breaker. One of his cows dropped a calf two nights before that was unusually large, weighing 140 pounds.

Wallace’s Farmer and Iowa Homestead a few weeks ago mentioned a calf that weighed 130 pounds at birth, claiming it to be the heaviest on record, and asking for anyone that can beat it. Although Mr. Schulze’s calf died, he is confident it would have lived had the cow received proper attention at the time and thinks his claim to the palm fully justified.

Looking Backward,

35 Years Ago (1895)

Cows are worth $30 to $40; hogs $8.00; sheep $5 to $7; corn 42 to 50¢ per bushel. Booth & Co. of Chicago quote the following prices on fish: Walleyed pike 4 1/2¢; pickerel, 4¢; black bass 7 1/2¢; white bass, 5¢.

James Doyle sold his place just outside South Lansing to Mrs. Alice Haines for $400. Wm Beardmore, Sr., sold his son 80 acres in Union City for $1,500 and will retire to Lansing to live. Peter Riser, Lansing hog king, sold 116 head to Nielander & Co., which brought him $1,361. Martin Simonson and George Gordon shot between 40 and 50 ducks on Sunday.

March 28, 1945

Paris, March 22, (AP) —

Two United States armies crushed all major resistance west of the Rhine today, including last-ditch Nazi stands in the great valley cities of Mainz and Ludwigshafen, and only some 4,000 enemy troops still fought on after one of the worst disasters ever visited on German arms.

Paris, March 26, (AP) —

The American 9th and British 2nd armies crossed the lower Rhine at four places or more on a 25-mile front today and up to 30,000 airborne troops assaulted German lines from the rear in the flatlands north of the Ruhr in a supreme bid for victory this spring.

Another Lansing Boy Gives Life For His Country

Mrs. Lydia E. Fink: I am deeply distressed to inform you corrected report just received that your son, Staff Sgt. Laverne Fink, who was previously reported missing in action, was killed in action on Dec. 7, 1944 in China. Secretary of War asks that I express his deep sympathy in your loss and his regret that unavoidable circumstances made necessary the unusual lapse of time in reporting your son’s death to you. J. A. ULIO, Adj. Gen. The above telegram was received Sunday evening by Mr. and Mrs. Leo Fink, of Lansing, relative to their youngest son, who was previously reported missing in action in a telegram Saturday, Dec. 16, 1944.

Since that time they had received a letter from the war department saying there was evidence that the plane he was on had come down in the vicinity of a city in China and further information was to follow.

A buffalo weighing 57 pounds and in all probability the largest of its kind ever taken in these waters, was caught by Ted Hogan of Lansing in his wing nets north of town yesterday morning. It was the center of attraction at the Lansing Fisheries Co. by whom it was purchased, many of the town folks going down to take a look at this enormous fish. The price had been up to 19¢ per pound on this particular species of the finny tribe a day or two before, and at the time of the catch it was reported to have been 13 cents per pound in the rough.

Word from some of the recent selective service inductee locates James Powers at Fort Bragg, N. C.; Johnie Beck and George Anderson, at Fort Riley, Kansas; and Herbert Bailey at Camp Hood, Texas. All men are in different branches of the army.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Aldrich returned home Saturday from their winter’s sojourn in Milwaukee with their children and families. Their son Truman, wife and baby motored them over that afternoon, returning home Sunday after an over night’s visit here with her folks, the Moritz Gruber family.

Gene Brennan was an over Sunday business visitor at Sioux Falls, S. D., where the construction company has a crew at work. He went over on Friday afternoon and returned home yesterday on the morning train.

M/Sgt. Harris G. Dee, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Dee of Waukon, is back in this country after approximately 40 months service overseas in the SWPA theatre of operations. He is in the Field Artillery and will arrive at Jefferson Barracks, Mo., today or tomorrow enroute to his home at Lansing, where he will visit his brother, Cletus Dee and family, and to Waukon on a furlough with home folks as well as other relatives and friends.

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Sheriff sold their home, the former James Doyle house just north of Black Hawk bridge to Herman Krzbietke and the Jack Sweeney family will reside in it and Mr. and Mrs. K. move into the vacant apartment in the Susie Bacon house on Front St. Mr. and Mrs. Sheriff have in turn purchased the Mrs. Emil Buege house next to the German Presbyterian manse and will move into it when vacated by the Joe Ferring family.

Oscar Thorson, of Des Moines, receiver for Black Hawk Bridge, was in town Saturday looking over conditions and going back next noon on the bus to make his report to the Federal Judge. The toll house have closed and Frank Sandry goes back to his previous position as manager of the Goodrich Produce Co. here. Lawrence Terry will enter the commercial fishing operations with Walter Bailey and Mike “Happy” Reilly is having a few days vacation. School opened this Monday morning but as yet arrangements are not completed as for the transportation of former Wisconsin students and so none are yet present. The school board is working out a plan by which they may be brought over here by boats or one boat if large enough can be secured. The privately owned “Donna Mae” of Lake City, Minn., is under consideration at the present time.

Word to Mrs. Catherine Assay reports her son, Lt. Frank Assay, as now back in the states and receiving medical attention at Valley Forge Hospital, Phoenixville, Pa. He had been hospitalized in both France and England before being returned to this country; his wife was over from Baltimore, Md., and spent a couple of weeks with him.

New Albin

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Easton received a letter from their grandson, T-Sgt. Hilman Easton, telling them he has been promoted to 2nd Lieut. He is stationed somewhere in France.

T/Sgt. A. M. Mead returned home last Tuesday after spending thirteen months in the Asiatic Pacific theatre of war. He wears the A. P. T. W. ribbon, the Purple Heart and Good Conduct medal. Mrs. Mead went to St. Paul the previous Saturday to meet him.

Pvt. Gene Lamb arrived here Friday morning from Tacoma, Wash., and is spending a 27 day furlough with his wife at the home of her mother, Mrs. Theodore Rouster, after spending 10 months overseas. He served with the 9th Division, 47th Infantry in the campaigns in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Pvt. Lamb wears the E. T. O. and also has been awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received in his left leg, shoulder and back. After his furlough here Pvt. Lamb will enter a veterans hospital at Tacoma, Wash., for an indefinite stay.

Waukon

Pvt. Reuben (Frank) Hager who is receiving care in the 20th general hospital in Burma has been awarded the “Purple Heart.” While serving in action on Jan. 23 in the battle of the Burma — Ledo Road he was struck by a Jap hand grenade and his legs were injured. Since Frank has been overseas his wife has been employed in Chicago.

Harpers Ferry

R. F. Meehan drove his son Staff Sgt. Howard Meehan to Prairie du Chien last Wednesday where he took the Zephyr on his return to army duties in North Carolina.

The Henry Jacobson family have purchased the former Mrs. Ella Ryan home and will take possession June 1.