Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

February 21, 2001, Page 13

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

February 1901

 

Promptly at 12 noon on Feb. 4, the US flag was run up the masthead of the battleship Wisconsin.  It was at anchor off the Union ironworks and Capt. George C. Reiter took official charge of the great sea fighter in the name of the United States government.

 

The bronze figure of the badger and shield, a gift of the people of Wisconsin, to be placed between the guns and forward turret of the battleship, arrived at the Union ironworks a few days ago.  It will be placed in position, but the formal presentation will not take place until the arrival of the battleship commission with the silver service next spring.

 

Ships never sail on Fridays as sailors are very superstitious about that day. For that reason, the new battleship Wisconsin, ordered to go into commission Feb. 1st, had to be delayed a day or two. The sailors would have considered the ship unlucky and would not have served aboard her, had the ship left on Friday.

 

Will Sternitzky will take the mail deliver job in the Lynn area.  His wage will be $156.50 for a year’s work.

 

One reason why the City of Neillsville should be expanded to take in all of eastern Pine Valley is that the town is notoriously slow about opening up roads.  We happen to know the situation of the Nal French district south of town.  There the schoolhouse has been moved off the main road and children from the Zschernitz neighborhood have to tramp through the woods.  If they walked around by the road, it would be a pitifully long trip to get to school.  This is all because Pine Valley authorities have neglected to open the French Road through the east section.

 

Every resident on a Neillsville street that has a water main should be a water renter. If for no other reason, his family could then possess a bath room.

 

Gus Hoesly has completed his plans for building a new house this spring.  He has obtained a lot in the Furlong property on North Hewett Street.

 

A disastrous fire struck at Merrillan on Tuesday.  It started in the Miller’s Exchange Hotel and swept northward.  It destroyed the entire block except the corner saloon near the train switch track.  A small barber shop, adjoining the saloon, was moved away by means of a rope and locomotive, enabling the firemen to work and save the saloon.  A small amount of insurance won’t cover the $10,000 loss.

 

Neillsville has been in a festive mood this winter.  More social goings-on have been recorded than ever before. They are not the claw-hammer coat variety, nor the kind that is all agony and starch. There are just a lot of good-humored, clever people who don’t shy at a pack of cards, though well-dressed and happy, go out for a good time. 

 

Everyone can feel the hospitality, everywhere.  Dr. and Mrs. Matheson exemplified this mood on Friday evening, when they entertained as many people as their commodious residence could accommodate at games of euchre.  This deep and engrossing card game seems to be a happy means of mixing the crowd when playing progressively.  The lunch served was equally as nice as the card game.  Mrs. H. S. Brooks won the chrysanthemums and H. W. Klopf took the pocketbook. Cigars were the attraction up in the doctor’s atelier.  Not a soul left the party until 1 a.m.  (An atelier is a study or work-shop. D. Z.)

 

Neillsville people hardly realize how great a problem sewage lines can be in a city.  In our city, being situated on the slope of hills, the sewage drainage is so perfect, not (no) trouble is experienced.  At Marshfield, being situated on flat land, they are discussing installing concrete tanks to run the sewerage into. There, the sewerage will be left for bacteria to destroy, later to be removed.

 

The B. E. Luethe Warehouse Co. buys dressed hogs, live sparrows, onions, hides, furs, pelts and grain. They also sell dry wood for $1.25 per cord, delivered.

 

On Tuesday evening, Feb. 12, 1901, Everard F. Sterling, only son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Sterling, and Miss Anna L Rhea, was solemnized at the home of the bride’s parents in Thorp.  The home was artistically decorated in honor of the event. The ceremony was performed by Rev. J. B. Bachman in the presence of relatives of the two families.

 

Last Wednesday morning, there was some excitement in Abbotsford.  Mrs. H. C. Hanna was traveling from Curtiss, into Abbotsford, when her horse became frightened by train engines switching on the track.  As the horse bolted forward, he turned the corner of Meyer & Chase’s store, tipped the cutter over, throwing Mrs. Hanna out onto the street.  Luckily, she wasn’t injured in any way.  The horse then ran into the barn of A. H. Young and after jumping around, ran out onto the sidewalk in front of the post office. Then, he ran past Denny & Olson’s business, left the sidewalk in front of Ed Austin’s butcher shop and made a direct line run across the street for C. W. Shumway’s general store where he broke two large pane glass front windows.  The runaway horse frightened the team of Ed Austin, that were standing in front of the butcher shop and they broke away. Going at a lively speed, Austin’s team ran down the street and started in the direction of Dorchester.  Austin borrowed a nearby horse and cutter, taking off after his run-away team.  He found them about two miles from Abbotsford.  It is miraculous that no one was injured in all of that commotion.  Mrs. Hanna’s cutter was smashed into pieces, but she can be thankful that the results weren’t worse. 

 

Mrs. E. M. Lawrence of York Center did not go to Minnesota last week, as was reported in the Press.  She did go to Granton planning to take the early morning train, but no means was provided for flagging the train, so it sped by, not stopping.  We think it would be a good idea for the Omaha Company to provide a proper signaling system.

 

The Neillsville City Council met last Wednesday evening and set salary cuts for the city officers. The city treasurer’s salary was cut from $300 to $250; the city clerk, from $250 to $225; the marshal and street commissioner, from $550 to $450; the poor fund commissioner, from $85 to $75; city attorney, from $125 to $100. This cut on the yearly salaries doesn’t apply to the present city officers; but will go into effect at the spring election after the next term of officers are selected.

 

February 1936

 

New storm sheds have been put on the entrances of the Neillsville South Side Graded School to protect the children from the huge icicles that form on the eaves above the entrances.

 

C. C. Sniteman Co. has valentines for sale at their store with 71 kinds at ½ cent each and 64 kinds at 1 cent each.  They also have some valentines at 2, 3, 5 and 10 cents each.

 

Additional funds for state rural road construction, lake and stream improvement and liming program of the Works Progress Administration will be asked for by M. W. Torkelson, state WPA administrator. 

 

Torkelson said he would bring to the attention of federal WPA officials, the need for additional funds if the programs are to continue beyond April 1.

 

The state administrator intends to secure grants for the expansion of time on the WPA farm to market highway program and for the improvement of secondary highways in the state.

 

Torkelson reported on the projects that have been completed by the WPA in Wisconsin, now numbering 198.

 

Torkelson said that the largest number of completed projects is located in the southern part of the state, where highways and streets, public utility and public building projects account for much of the WPA work.  In northern areas, where conservation work can be carried through the winter, many projects were set up to operate over a long period of time.

 

He reported that 63 highway, road and street projects have been completed, 24 farm-to-market road projects, 24 school houses were repaired and improved; one school house constructed; four county institutions, three recreational buildings and nine city and county administrative buildings were repaired.

 

Ten parks, five playgrounds, an athletic field and a golf course have been improved.  Four new parks have been constructed; 15 sewers and 14 water supply systems extended and seven drainage and flood-control ditches constructed.

 

Forty-six thousand dollars of WPA funds have been set up for building of sub-grade and drainage structures from Neillsville and northward, from the end of the city pavement.  This project will relocate Highway 73 at several points.

 

The county highway commission together with B. O. Henderson, who represents the state highway commission, secured the right-of-way along the above mentioned relocation.

 

A marl bed, high in lime content, has been discovered just ten miles over the Chippewa County line from Clark County, west of Stanley.

 

The marl bed, which ranges from 4 to 8 feet in thickness, is covered by a four foot layer of black dirt.  It is thought that years ago this bed was a lake bottom because of the tiny snail shells and other indications of lake bottom vegetation.

 

The farmers in the northwestern part of Clark County will be near enough to get their lime from this bed at attractive prices.  WPA steam shovels are engaged in digging the marl out.

 

Undermining of a street by water almost proved disastrous to a horse owned by Joe McKimm here on Friday.  While McKimm was driving down Court Street, about noon, the weight of the horse broke through the street and the animal fell into a pit that measured more than six feet deep.

 

A wrecker from a local garage had to be obtained to extricate the horse which was lying in the watery pit. More than an hour was consumed in getting the horse out and on the solid street again. One of the horse’s hind legs were encased in ice from its stay in the pit of water. 

 

It is believed that a nearby broken water main caused the flow of water to undermine that part of the street in its path. The upper part of the street at the breaking point was only a shell, eight inches thick where it collapsed. 

 

A new farm and cheese factory inspection project has been started in Clark County with County Agent W. J. Landry as the supervisor.  The men that have been selected to do the work on the project are: Bernard Elmendorf, of Thorp, Ferdinand Marks, Abbotsford; August Stremikis, Tioga; Ernest Stephanson, Neillsville; Andrew Billman, Granton; Charles Boyer, Abbotsford; and Lee Henderson, Stanley.

 

The Dairy Farm inspection reports ask for information on the farm, water supply, barn, farm animals, dairy herd condition, and care of milk and utensils and the disposition of milk.

 

The project workers met recently with Roy Southard, of the Department of Agriculture and Markets of Wisconsin and with W. J. Landry, supervisor to receive instructions pertaining to their work.

 

The Town of Weston needs a Community Hall since the two old store halls in the area hve been condemned as fire trips. 

 

Tony Hemp, of the Globe area, said he heard a woodcock crowing a couple of weeks ago and that’s a sign of spring coming with warm weather. We are wondering which of the two, Tony or the woodcock is the better spoofer.

 

The Neillsville City Council has set a salary schedule for the city workers wage scale.

 

Water Department: Supt. of Water Dept. N. P. Blau, $80 per month; Assistant Water Supt. Thos. Kennedy, $65 per month; Clerk Wm. Hemp, $40 per month; Treasurer H. L. Albright, $25 per month; Distribution Supervisor A. F. Arndt, $25 per month.  

 

City Department: Chief of Police Fred A. Rossman, $75 per month; Officer Geo. Cramer, $60 per month; Officer Wm. Schroeder, $60 per month; Cemetery Sexton Edward A. Gault $85 per month; City Clerk William Hemp, $60 per month; Police Justice A. E. Dudley, $360 per year; City Attorney C. R. Sturdevant, $300 per year; Poor Folks Commissioner G. C. Deutsch, $100 per year (with special emergency salary of $25 per month if we go on our own system of relief); Mayor Fred Stelloh, $192 per year; Fire Warden C. B. Dresden, $50 per year; Fire Chief W. F. Dahnert, $5 straight time; firemen, $3 for first hour and $2 for each additional hour; False alarms, 50c; Assessor L. C. Miller, $250 per year.

 

Labor is 32.5 cents per hour, 8 hour day and 6 day week; 45 cents an hour for skilled mechanics where tools are furnished.

 

Truck hire is 60 cents per hour. Fire truck services; 30 cents per hour for cleaning, repairing and putting into condition, charges for pumping ponds, cellars, drains and such, with fire engine, not at a fire, will be fee of 50 cents per hour. 

 

Election Board 40 cents per hour, city to furnish meals.  Aldermen will receive $4 per meeting.

 

City Health Officer $150 per year

An early 1930’s view of the Hewett Street 500 block, from the Sixth Street intersection, looking south. Customers were out and about, busy shopping in the downtown stores. The barber shop sign on the A & P store drew attention to the barber shop in the basement of that building.

 

 


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