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January 26, 2022, Page 9 Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"
Extracted by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.
Index of "Oldies" Articles |
Clark County News
January 24, 1952
First blizzard hits county bringing 8 inches of snow
Crews work 24 hours a day to keep main highway open
Winter’s first blizzard, which roared into the county about 6 p.m. Monday night, left a total of eight inches of snow before its departure late Tuesday night.
Fifteen county highway two-man crews, using motor patrols and plows fought to keep the main highways passable, working the clock around through Wednesday. Town roads were, for the most part, closed all day Tuesday and most of Wednesday as the county began the monumental task of digging itself out.
The storm added considerably to a full week of bad weather. About 1.16 inches of freezing rain fell from Wednesday until Sunday of last week, with the alternate melting and freezing coating walks and highways with a layer of glare ice.
The temperature, which hovered in the 20s during the storm, took a plunge to an official eight degrees below at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, adding to the discomfort of snow shovelers.
Until Wednesday morning the trains managed to maintain schedules; however the east-bound, due about 5 a.m., arrived around 10 o’clock Wednesday morning. Buses were mostly on time, although the early morning east-bound bus was an hour late Tuesday morning. Tuesday night the east-bound bus was almost three hours late, delayed by an accident near Eau Claire. No accidents were recorded in the county despite the near zero visibility during the storm.
City crewmen, also working 24 hours a day, kept the main streets open at all times. Sand crews were busy both nights keeping the Hewett and Fifth street hills passable until the supply of sand was exhausted.
Although outlying farms were snowbound, no tales of people stranded were reported to county officials.
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Dog bites policeman; police bite owner for $5
A get-tough policy toward the stray dog problem was adopted by the Neillsville police department last Monday when one of the dogs turned on a city policeman and bit him severely in the left wrist.
Bill Tufts, owner of the dog, paid a fine of $5 and costs in justice court Monday after pleading guilty to a charge of allowing his dog to run at large off the premises.
The police have promised the same treatment to the owners of other dogs which have been running at large, virtually in packs for the last month.
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Not always fire where smoke, volunteers find
Neillsville’s volunteer fire department was called out last Friday afternoon about 5:10 when a vacuum, created by a huge exhaust fan at the Svetlik Motor Company, sucked smoke out of the furnace, filling the garage building with smoke. The suddenness with which the building filled with smoke caused an alarmed mechanic to summon the fire department. After the fan was turned off the smoke dissipated. No damage was done.
The fan is located in the paint drying booth and is usually turned on for only a few minutes at a time. There was a lot of painting at the garage that afternoon and the fan was accidentally left on, creating the vacuum.
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Induct 24 county boys into the armed forces
Twenty-four Clark County youths left this (Thursday) morning for Minneapolis and induction into the armed forces, filling the January quota of the Clark County selective service board. At the same time, 50 youths went to Minneapolis to take their pre-classification physicals. Coffee and donuts were again served to the boys by members of the VFW auxiliary.
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January 27, 1972
Kids vie with engine snarls at home here
It was a toss-up as to which made more noise at Winnebago Children’s Home last Saturday, the excited laughter of children or the snarl of 30 snowmobiles that raced around the campus, etching patterns in the new snow.
Bernie Zimmerman, member of Winnebago’s advisory committee in Marshfield, volunteered in December to enlist enough friends so snowmobile rides could be given the eight Winnebago boys living in the Marshfield group home. Volunteers poured in and when the number reached 30 the project was moved to Winnebago’s campus in Neillsville.
Arriving at nine o’clock, the 30 business and professional men spent the next two hours giving rides, with children driving the careening sleds in crisscross trails across the new playing field, while owners hung on, providing the balance and judgement needed to avoid accidents.
By noon the sleds, 25 children and five staff members had been transported to Wildcat Inn, where they enjoyed their hosts for a barbecue luncheon. Following lunch, they re-boarded the snowmobiles for a four-hour trail ride through the woods that edge the beautiful Black River.
For Winnebago’s children, Saturday was easily the high point in the winter’s recreational season.
Zimmerman and his crew of volunteers were so enthusiastic they plan to come back to Neillsville in a few weeks and do the whole thing all over again.
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Happiness is a snowmobile ride. At least that is what this young resident of Winnebago Children’s Home is saying with his smile as he sits behind Bernie Zimmerman of Marshfield, a member of the home’s advisory committee. (Press photo Jan. 27, 1972) |
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New telephone service Monday
Automatic identification of station-to-station long distance calls will come Monday to Neillsville subscribers of the Badger State Telephone Company, but it will not be available to Granton and Chili subscribers until later in 1972.
This was the effect of an announcement made this week by the company.
To use automatic identification, Neillsville telephone users will just dial two digits prior to dialing the area code and exchange number. When that is done, the operator no longer will come on the line requesting the number from which the long-distance call originates.
Each Neillsville subscriber will receive his own identification number in the mail within the next few days, according to Larry Ware of Medford, manager of Badger State and Midway Telephone Companies.
Collect, person-to-person and credit card calls will continue to be made by dialing “0” for the operator.
The automatic identification for station-to-station calls, in Neillsville starting Monday, and in Granton and Chili later, is made in conjunction with other major equipment changes which are underway in these exchanges, Ware said.
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Flashes and bolts accompany storm
An unusual weather phenomenon – thunder and lightning during a heavy snow store – accompanied Monday’s seven-inch snowfall in the Neillsville area.
Some of the older residents said they never had heard thunder or seen lightning during a snowstorm before; a few others thought they had heard thunder, but never had seen lightning during a snow storm.
The native Indians or weather theorists may claim some legendary significance to such a phenomenon; but, insofar as The Press was able to ascertain, it was just unusual.
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Stolen car used as mailbox ram
An automobile belonging to Bruce Klock of Curtiss was stolen from the Colby park last Friday night and recovered the following day in Abbotsford, the sheriff’s office reported this week.
Between the two communities, three miles apart, the car had traveled 100 miles. It has been damages extensively on the front doors of each side.
Sheriff’s officers said that two juveniles who admitted to taking the car also admitted that they had used it to hit mailboxes on both sides of roadways in the area. No estimate was made as to the number of mailboxes damaged.
The juveniles, 15 and 16 years of age, are awaiting an appearance in juvenile court.
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January 23, 1992
Red Cross volunteers honor new members
The Red Cross volunteer group of Neillsville Memorial Home is pleased to welcome four new members to the group. They are Marie Meier, Angie Dux, Vivian Schutte and Lanette Drexler.
These four ladies have recently completed classes held at the nursing home and were honored at their regularly scheduled afternoon program held December 18th.
The group is wearing new uniform tops in a colorful cardinal red; they are as cheerful in color as the ladies are at giving their time and talents to entertain the residents at Memorial Home every Wednesday afternoon.
We take this opportunity to thank the Clark County Shopper for running the weekly ad that has helped us recruit our new members.
We are always looking for new volunteers, individuals or groups to help entertain the residents.
The group currently has about 25 active members.
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The 1992 Red Cross Volunteers are: (front row) Lorraine Flynn, Ione Bruhn, Ruth Celar, Vivian Schutte, Ella Kemp, Dora Hoffman, Eleanor Kuechenmeister. (Back row) Lanette Drexler, Imogene Ampe, Lillian Kalsow, Bessie Spangler, Hedy Bell, Marie Meier, Helen Beyer, Paula Mueller, Ella Hoffman, Fran Larson, Nelda Hoffman, Pearl Wasserburger, Augie Olson and Lucy Steinhilber. Missing Florence Eberhardt and Angie Dux. (Press photo, Jan. 23, 1992) |
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City seeks safe sledding
With up to 70 kids whizzing down a hill, one would expect some ice buildup on the previously soft snow, fun for the kids, yes, but when the bottom of the hill runs across a road, problems can be foreseen. This has been the problem, this year, and in years past at Mt. Mouldy, located on the east side of Neillsville.
“It was a very dangerous situation,” said Tom Woods, Neillsville Chief of Police.
When the problem was first noticed by the police department, logical steps were taken to try to stop the speeding sleds from crossing into the road.
“First, I scolded some kids for running into the road, but when they wanted to stop, they couldn’t because of how slippery it was,” said Woods. “It seems as though it started as a game with them, to see who could go the farthest the fastest, by then there was no way to slow down.”
In cooperation with the Public Works Department, snow that was gathered after street removal was placed at the bottom of the hill to build up a hill that would slow the sledders down.
“That worked for a certain amount of time,” continued Woods.
But after enough sledders had made their way up part of the new hill eventually the sleds were able to make their way over, and into the road again.
This week, the Public Works Department will be trying one more method and place sand at the bottom of Mt. Mouldy, which should slow the sledders down immediately.
Woods added that although there are children at play signs to warn drivers, the sign from the east is placed in the middle of the sledding area, so the drivers do not have adequate warning.
At the last city council meeting, Woods recommended to the board that new eye catching, brighter and/or larger “children at play” signs be put on East Second Street, by Mt. Mouldy.
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