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Iowa City Press-Citizen from Iowa City, Iowa • 3

Location:
Iowa City, Iowa
Issue Date:
Page:
3
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

rPESDAY, JULY 25. 1933 IOWA CITY PKESS-CmZEX PAGE THREE $6,000 Remodeling Project Undertaken by Congregational Church Leader in New Industry Plan Want Vacation? Take a Trip Over Branch Line TWO FIRES NEARPARNELL Large Barn on Ruegseg-gcr Farm Destroyed, Stack Burns You'll Find Beautiful Country, Relaxation On 72 Mile Trip softened light of early evening, corn cribs still bulged with last fall's harvest and news of the latest kidnaping faded into the furthest mental recess. Pick Up Car of Butter Keswick, Webster and South English had stock for the extra; Wellman a car of butter. It was a nine car train when it left Well-man with only a stop at Riverside for coal and water and the switch at Iowa River Junction ahead. The kerosene lamp over Conductor Rubek's desk shed a soft radiance over the rear half of the car.

Up ahead two stockmen dozed while the conductor worked over his reports with car numbers, tonnage, destination, place in the train and the score of other facts that go to make the life of a freight conductor anything but easy. A special report was required for the stockmen riding the train. Writing at the desk of a caboose and writing legibly enough Lawn Social at West Liberty Church Tuesday WEST LIBERT Ladies ot St. Joseph's church are sponsoring a lawn social Tuesday, July 2oth. on the lawn north of Hotel Moylan.

Serving will begin at 5:30 o'clock. Public is invited. Mrs. Frank Moylan is in charge of arrangements. Woman's Relief corps members and their families will hold their annual picnic Wednesday at the fairgrounds.

Dinner will be served at noon. Miss Martha Jayne, instructor In summer school at Upper Iowa university, is visiting her parents. Dr. and Mrs. W.

B. Jayne, and her brother. Harold Jayne, and family of Riverside, 111., who are also week-end guests at the Jayne home. Mr. and Mrs.

Wilbur Gander and two daughters, Barbara and Le-Yc-rn, rent mod home Saturday from near Shelhyville, where they had passed the last week with Mr. Zander's parents, and Mrs. M. H. afliuler, and his brother, Darrell Gander.

The three latter accompanied the, Wilbur Ganders heme and arep assing the week here. Mr. and Mrs. Noble. Brown and son, Fred, of nar Shelhyville are also puests at the Gander home.

Mr. Brown is a hrnthr of Mrs. Gander. taken over by the Rock Island. Conductor Rubek knows every foot of the branch.

He lived In Montezuma for years when business was booming and Wellmaa was his home two years when one of the freights turned around there. The extra rolled through Kalona like a mail train and pounded west through the English river valley. Conductor Rubek jerked a thumb toward the river as the train rumbled over the bridge. "Two of my youngsters nearly drowned in a hole over there," he said, a little grimly. "My older girl pulled the boy out." Railroads vs.

Truck Wellman was passed at o'clock and the grades stiffened. There was a tight curve and a boarded up station with a faded sign, "Nira," -appeared to bur light. Higher up the hill was a store and several houses. The siding there is overgrown with weeds and the stockyards long since abandoned. Perhaps it is an indication of the fate for the branch lines but the railroad men who are fighting for their jobs are hopeful.

"The pleasure cars take the pas-fcenger business and that hurts, borne, but it's the trucks that have cut the freight traffic. If the public would Just compare the wage scales paid by the railroads with those by the trucking companies and take a look at the tax books, they'd realize which method of transportation means the most In the fight for prosperity." Maybe they don't say it all the same way, but all railroaders agree on the principle. Kinross went by at 3:10 o'clock. The conductor waved to the agent. "That fellow's an artist.

He can FARNELL Fire completely 'destroyed a large harn. the old house and several smaller buildings on Hie Guido Rurtgscggor farm east of Pavnell Monday The large modern residence and all contents and another barn were saved. The Williamsburg and Parnoll fire departments answered tlie call for help. The threshing crew wru at work and sparks from some part of the machinery are thought to have caused the blaze. Straw Stack Bums Fire completely destroyed the straw stack on the Alfred Blount farm about two miles cast of Par-nell Saturday while a crew of men were threshing.

The Williamsburg fire department responded to a call for help and the flames wore prevented from spreading to nevrby buildings. A similar accident happened during the threshing on this farm two years ago. any extra fare limited on the rails. Once outside the yards here, the 1469 started rolling over the steel. The extra swung around the curve to the bridge over the Iowa and the air went on hard.

The whistle shrilled but a herd of goats up ahead took their time getting off the right-of-way until Engineer Greer opened the cylinder cocks and dusted them off with a cloud of steam. The line south from Iowa City to Iowa River Junction was built in the summer and fall of 1879 when the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern came into Iowa City from The B. C. R. and N.

was throw-in? its steel southwest to tap the then thriving coal fields at What Cheer. Mr. L. O. Leonard, now historian for the Rock Island lines and now an Iowa Cltian, helped with the survey and engineering for the road to Iowa River Junction and then west to Riverside.

Mr. Leonard's father was then a member of the university faculty, which he headed at one time, and was also city engineer. Young Leonard was also an engineer on the bridge over the Iowa, which was built by the Louisville Bridge and Iron company of Louisville, Ky. The original bridge still stands, braving FISK AWARDED PRIZE OF $100 FOR BEST PLAN Work Will Include New Choir, Organ Loft And Changes in Color Scheme Prire of $100, offered to the architect who submitted the best plan tor remodeling the auditorium of the Congregational church, has been awarded to Mr. Henry l.

Fisk, University of Iowa graduate. Mr. Fisk, who now is in Iowa City, won the competition from Mr. Mark Anthony of Cedar Rapids and Mr. J.

Bradley Rust of Iowa City. His plan involves both construction and redecorating, with major parts cf the $6,000 Job including it choir and organ loft and celling beams, as well as the application of a new color scheme. Son of the late John M. Fisk, for many years superintendent of the university's ground and buildings department, Mr. Fisk was graduated from the university in 1924.

He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, and for three years worked In Washington, C. with Alexander B. Trow-bridge, nationally-known architect. In addition to being judged prize winner, Mr. Fisk was appointed to supervise the reconstruction work.

It is likely that work will start before August 15th and will be com-pleted late in September. Dr. Andrew H. Woods served as chairman of the church's planning committee. so that it can be read the next day becomes a real art.

Up in the cubby the night air was cold. The brakeman passed up a jug of water. A sharp cry from Conductor Rubek stopped the Jug In midair. Watch That Jug "Don't point the Jug ahead when you take a he warned. "Turn it sideways." The course of the jug chanced, he explained.

"Just suppose we headed for the ditch while you were drinking and the jug was filmed straight ahead. It would go right down your throat. Turned sideways, then if we go off the pike the jug won't sniash your face in." Riverside was aglow with light from the dlamondball field. Coal rumbled down the chute, water gushed into the tank. The extra George A.

Sloan, above, as president of the Cotton Textile Institute, probably will be the first American manufacturer to direct an industry under terms ot the national industrial recovery act. The cotton men were first to have their code accepted, and as soon as details of the cotton processing tax and acreage reduction are settled, this industry is expected to. put its terms in effect. 66n 99 BY GRAHAM M. DEAN Two ribbons of light steel that stretch down the valleys and skid around the hills 72 miles of railroad that a score of years ago hummed with traffic that's the branch line of the Rock Island which extends south and west from Iowa City through a rich agricultural region to The once prosperous line is now reduced to one accomodation train a day each way with hardly enough traffic to warrant the operation of the line.

The morning accomodation for Montezuma departs from the main line station immediately after the arrival of the mall and express from the east which comes In on No. 9. The "up" train which leaves Montezuma at 4 o'clock In the morning pulls Into the Iowa City yards at 11:15 o'clock. Real Relaxation If you want a day's vacation, don't care much where you go, desire a little relaxation that is really different, buy a ticket and climb aboard the branch line train. It may not be In operation a great many more years and the old line winds through some valleys that are ecenically beautiful.

If you have good luck and can get a permit to rMe the stock extra which runs light to Montezuma each Saturday afternoon and returns picking up loads of live-: stock you'll have a vacation that Is unique. The stock extra, an engine and a caboose with a crew sent down from Cedar Rapids, runs light to Montezuma. They usually clear the local yards about 1:45 o'clock and with a clear track ahead, start galloping for the other end of the steel. On this Saturday Charlie Rubek was in charge of the train, Her-schel Greer was the brakeman. Hay Dew was throwing the coal and Walt Herr kept the 1469 humping along over the sags and trades.

Better Than Extra Fara Conductor Rubek dusted off the "cubby" atop the caboose. Brake-man Greer handed up some cushions and with the windows open and- the 1469 ahead rocking along Mrs. Horton Writes of Trip Through Southwest in a letter to the Press-Citizen mailed from Taos, New Mexico, Mrs. Derward Horton of Hills, write Interestingly of her trip through the southwestern states, as a member c4 the omnibus expedition which left Wichita, Kansas. Tuesday, July ISth.

Traveling through Oklahoma and New Mexico, some of the enjoyable features out for the end of the line. Thorn-1 burg, junction for the 5 mile line to What Cheer, Gibson and Barnes the ice and floods of the river for more than half a century. Profusion of Flowers Once across the bridge, the 14fi9 rolled around the long curve south of the airport and headed south. Wild flowers grow In profusion along the right of way and there Ip a feeling of peace and real contentment as the extra Jogs along. Indian lookout, towering and heavily wooded, looms to the right.

To the left there are inviting pools and clumps of trees that offer dense shade. Turtles, their sleep interrupted by the exhaust, slid into the water. Engineer Herr blasted his whistle for Hills and we slid by the two-Btory brick station, the best City passed in rapid succession and the" extra steamed into Monte-' zuma at 4:30 o'clock. Everyone' whistled out, a crimson stain above the cab as Fireman Dew fed coal Into the ever-hungry fire. The extra took the curve at Iowa River of the trip were stops at Texhoma.

where a rodeo was staged and at Raton where the tourists viewed lent a hand in turning the 1469 i make all kinds of figures in clay." Thousands of Ducks Just east of South English a field of white loomed ahead. It looked like flowers at first glance but it moved. Closer inspection revealed hundreds and hundreds of ducks, all In one large, green field. Now the extra was out of the valley, up on the flat country. The Milwaukee tracks at Webster clattered underneath at 3:35 o'clock.

the beautiful mountain scenery. on the turntable. Over in the The travelers plan to pass three days in San Diego, Calif. Marks the stockyards shippers were busy loading two cars, one of cattle and one of hogs while down a Junction. Brakeman Greer swung a highball and the 1469 straightened its train out for the last 12 miles of the run.

Car lights, like fireflies, dodged along the paved road to the west. Indian lookout was grim and silent in the night. Ahead the red nearby track clattered the afternoon M. and St. L.

passenger from to the main line and the extra was at the end of the run. How long this picturesque Grinnell. We were 47 miles out of Iowa City. The return trip started at 6:50 At Keswick there waa an unex o'clock with two cars of stock be and green lights of the airport Williamsburg Girl Has Her Leg Broken When Hit by Tractor WILLIAMSBURG Audrey Austin, seven-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.

Charles Austin, living eight miles southeast of here, was badly Injured at her home Saturday. While sitting on a Farmall tractor, which her father had propped aud was working on the engine, the tractor slipped off the prop and she fell directly In front of it. The tractor hit her, breaking Iter leg Just below the hip, and alio the two bones below the knee, cutting the flesh badly. She was taken to the University hospital Jn Iowa City. stretch of steel will continue to do business depends on the traffic.

It is the main artery for the transportation Of heavy freight to the 14 towns It. serves. pected atop. The accomodation, looked like a great railroad term' tween the engine and the caboose. Shadows were lengthening, the I lnal.

The 1469 rumbled over" the which should have been at Montezuma, was standing on the main countryside was clothed in the bridge, coughed up the steep grade line built on the branch. The track veers away from the highway, following the aurvey made 54 years ago by Mr. Leonard. Swing West At Iowa River Junction the line swings west. It had taken halt au hour for the leisurely trip from Iowa City.

There's a stop for coal and water at Riverside, then "high balling" westward without another stop scheduled until Mon-tetuma, 67 miles ahead. This "Must be a little business for a change," grinned the conductor as he stuck his head out the window of the cubby. Turn Engine Around There was good-natured banter between the crews as the extra it was as pleasant as a seat on stretch was built In 1880 and later passed on the siding and pulled Reach I I 1 1 LL- LJ LJ 4 i i Vv I I ix V. ft I if (, a Lucl ay IB 1 it alwaus Tot Luckies Please ft jr $7.50 DOWN $7.50 PER MONTH Plus Small Carrying Charge Before you buy any refrigerator at any price, make sure you can answer these questions: What is cubic foot capacity and shelf area! Is the unit efficient and reliable? Is it porcelain finished inside! What is the responsibility of the jy nmt7i seller! Now my fiance and I both smoke Luckies The more you investigate the new COLDSPOT, the more you'll be convinced of its outstanding value. It satisfies every desire for quality.

Its reliable performance is making thousands of new friends everywhere. Now at only $79.50 for the 4 cubic foot size. Roomy interiors and rounded corners and flat wire removable shelves; modernistic chrome plated hardware and broom high legs. DON'T FAIL TO SEE IT AT SEARS' Mi I myself on my sense of daintiness for, my cigarette does touch my lips andisapcrsonal.intimatethingwith me. Naturally "Toasting" means to me even more than it does to a man, for fwrity Is somethtng that a fastidious woman appreciates highly.

It wasn't always so. In the beginning I tried his brand, and I got him to try mine. Well, he liked mine, not for the same reason that I say "Luckies said Luckies taste fine and they're ever so mild. But I'm a woman and I pride I. Iowa City, STORE HOUR 8:30 to 5 P.

M. Siturdsy 8:30 Till P. M. because toasted ML.

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About Iowa City Press-Citizen Archive

Pages Available:
931,221
Years Available:
1891-2024