Decorah public opinion., March 01, 1922, Image 1

About Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928

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OIL IN IOWA TOLD
OY GEOLOGISTS
Texa*. Oil Ledger Tells About the
Oil Situation in lowa in a
Recent Issue.
GIVES FACTS ABOUT
WINNESHIEK COUNTY
Northeastern lowa Has Section
Which Was Missed by the
Glacial Slides.
The following article taken from,
(the February 25 issue of the Texas
Oil Ledger, one of the largest cir
culating oil papeis in the country
will be read with interest by every
body interested in fche oil situation
in Winneshiek:
lowa, from a geological viewpoint,
as obstructed from structural study
by the fact of the glacial drift that
in ages past did pass over lowa,
as well as other northern countries,
leaving a deep glacial deposit, which
has in most sections of lowa left in
its path a deep covering of glacial
deposits over the mother surface,
therefore making it almost impos
sible for detail structural 'study.
However, in Northeastern lowa, prin
cipally in Winneshiek County, there
is a seqtion which was missed by the
glacial slides, leaving exposed in
this district the mother surface.
After having had some capable
geologists work out this section of
lowa, and receiving favorable re
ports as to the possibility of oil and
gas in ithis vicinity, these facts,
coupled with the 'fact that within
Winneshiek County are seepages of
oil and escaping gas. At Decorah,
lowa, county seat of Winneshiek
County, a gioup of prominent men
have associated themselves together
and have organized the Decorah
Pioneer Oil & Gas Company (an
lowa corporation) for the purpose
•of drilling a test w-ell in that sec
tion of lowa to see if petroleum
and its family have been hitting there
for ages past-
Hie company has its derrick com
pleted and has let the contract for
the drilling of the well to a depth
of 4,000 feet unless oil or gas is
found at a lesser depth, and will
start drilling at once. Thi* com
pany has the first standard derrick
erected in the State of lowa, also
the first charter ever issued by the
State of lowa for such an exploita
tion. The officers are prominent men
locally, and do not in any of their
literature make any promises of un
told wealth, but clearly state that it
is purely speculative and may end in
nothing or may be the biggest thing
ever produced in lowa.
With the above facts as the pol
icy of the company these men are
exploring with 10,000 acres of
leases in said company, and should
they be successful the farmers and
land owners'of that section will not
be worried in the future about 20
cent corn or the agricultural bloc;
but, instead, will be wintering on
the sunny slopes of California _ or
the sands of Florida; and, since
Illinois on the east is producing
oil, it is not impossible that thus
company’s efforts will be in vain.
What Mother Earns
That excellent country newspaper,
the West Point (Neb.) Republican
carries the following story in its
current issue and declares that every
newspaper in the land should print
it. We agree, and here it is:
“She never earned any money—
she lives on an Ohio farm, but she
lives on almost every other farm.
She is somebody's mother, maybe
your own. She has earned nothing.
No, but during her thirty working
years she has served 432,983 meals;
she has made 3,123 garments; 32,000
loaves of bread, 5,390 cakes, 7,932
pies, 1,500 gallons of lard; she has
grown 1,432 bushels of vegetables,
ami has raised 7,660 chickens; churn
ed 5,430 pounds of butter; put up
3,625 jars of preserves; scrubbed
177,725 articles of 'laundry; and she
has put in 35,839 hours of sweeping
and washing and scrubbing. At ac
cepted prices for this work it is
worth $115,480.50. She cari’t retire
on her savings—she has to keep on.
Not earning! No. How do you
define the ordinary woman’s contri
butions to her family wealth? —Col-
lier's Weekly.
Waterloo Dog Past 20 Years Old
Waterloo—The Methuselah of dogs
was registered with the county trea
surer recently. His name is Shep and
he is listed by his mater, John Over
of Washburn, as 20 years old, a ver
itable centenarian as dogs go. The
average life of a canine is fiom 10
to 15 years. Shep is a dog of un
usual intelligence and training and
has been in the Over household since
he was a pup. “He is just like one
of the family, and while he is too
old to be of much use, we just didn’t
have the heart to shoot him,” Mr.
Over said.
BIG PROGRAM AT
MITHER COLLEGE
Luther*. -debts Union Convention
And N C. A. Conference
on Coming
MANY VISITORS
Eleven Schools Will Have a Re
presentative And it is Expect
ed 150 to 200 Guests W ill
Be Here.
Luther College will stage its sec
ond Sixtieth Anniversary celebration
during the coming week when the
college will entertain the Lutheran
Students’ Union convention and the
N. I. C. A. Conference tournament.
The festivities of this week, while
not being worthy of the prominent
place given to the festivities of last
October will be of almost equal im
portance to the college in an indirect
way.
Incidentally, Decorah will enter
tain between 150 and 200 guests for
more than four days. There will be
two or three representatives from
nearly all of the 21 schools belong
ing to the Students’ Union. Ten
schools will have basket ball teams
here with substitutes and coaches.
Three schools will have debating
teams and coaches, and eleven
schools will have a representative for
the declamatory contest. Besides the
representatives from the schools,
there will be a number of speakers
and a fairly good number of visitors.
As announced last week, the pro
gram will open Tuesday morning
at ten o’clock and will continue for
four days with something doing at
almost every hour.
For those who like to listen to
good speeches, the Union
and the debates and declamatory
contest will afford an excellent op
portunity for enjoyment. The Stu
dents’ Union program includes some
of the ablest speakers in the Nor
wegian Lutheran church of America,
besides the outstanding students in
each of the 21 schools belonging to
the Union.
In the line of athletics, the op
portunities for a real treat are al
most equally promising. Ten schools
will participate in the events in bas
ketball and each school will play at
least twice before being eliminated.
The teams winning the semi-finals
will play for the Luther College Cup
on Thursday evening. The losers in
the semi-finals will play a match on
Thursday afternoon.
Watch the ad in this issue for ac
curate announcement of the program.
Duck Farm at Oakville
Oakville, lowa—An interesting ac
count of a “wild duck farm’’ located
near Oakville, is related by United
States Deputy Game Warden Harry
Anderson of Davenport, who recently
returned from Oakville.
Although the migrating season for
wild ducks has long since passed, an
estimated number of 10,000 ducks are
to be found at Greenland farm, near
Oakville, where the biids are fed by-
Allen Green, caretaker of the prop
erty.
A lake approximately a mile long
on the farm is utilized as a feeding
ground for the wild fowl. Adjacent
to the lake is a long, nariow drain
age ditch where the ducks have re
mained <luring the winter months. On
the occasion of Game Warden An
derson’s visit to Oakville he wit
nessed the feeding of 10,000 wild
ducks by Mr. Green, who has had
charge of the feeding of the birds
all winter.
“A few ears of corn were thrown
out on the ice of the lake by Mr.
Green”, said the game warden, re
lating the incident. “Green gave a
peculiar call, and in a few minutes
the sky was dark with flying ducks
rising from the nearby drainage
ditch. The birds greedily ate the
corn scattered on the ice, and fully
10,000 birds covered the surface of
the ice. The ducks were so tame
that many of them flew quite close
to us during the feeding.”
The fact that the drainage ditch
near the lake remains unfrozen dur
ing the winter accounts for the birds
remaining on the farm during winter
weather. According to Anderson, the
caretaker of the farm has already
fed the duckc five wagon .loads of
corn this winter. The birds will in
all probability remain where they are
fed throughout the winter.
%
DECORAH, WINNESHIEK COUNTY, IOWA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1922
WIL ill: HERE
WANT FORMER
RESIDENTS NAMES
Winneshiek County Home Coming
Committee Wants Names and
Addresses of Former
Residents.
SEND YOUR NAME
TO COMMITTEE HERE
Invitations to Homecoming Will be
Sent to all Former Residents
Whose Address Can be
Secured.
The publicity committee of the
Winneshiek County Home Coming
to be held in Decorah next August
is desirous to get the names and
address of all former residents of
Winneshiek. A blank is printed in
this issue of* Public Opinion to be
used for the purose of sending in the
names. Look it up and mail] in the
names at once, so that the committee
can send out invitations.
This Homecoming will be one of
the greatest events ever held here,
and right now hundreds of old resi
dents have signified their intention of
visiting the old home town next Au
gust.
The Homecoming will be held dur
ing fair week. The fair dates are
Aug. 8,9, 10, 11, but-the Homecoming
program will be on the entire week.
CLUB TO MINNEAPOLIS
L. C. Turning Club Will Go to
Northwestern Gymnastic
Tournament.
The Lather College Turning Club
will go to the Northwestern Gymn
astic Tournament at Minneapolis the
twenty-fifth of March. On March
second the Turning Club will give a
demonstration of this work at t.he
college gymnasium.
In former years the people of De
corah have greatly enjoyed the en
tertainment staged by >the Luther
College Turning Club. Last year the
exhibition was enthusiasticallly re
ceived. year the Turning Club
has been under the skillful supervi
sion of Prof. Francis Peterson, and
is prepared to give a better exhibi
tion than ever before. The program
is elaborate and well proportioned.
It will include severall daring
“stunts”, many beautiful acts, requir
ing skill and strength to perform;
numeious features displaying grace
ful form and exhaustive practice.
The “fly away” and “giant circle”
aie simply sensational. Among other
things there will be rollicking clown
acts, difficult pyramids, tumbling
and diving, an Indian club drill, «nd
good peppy music thioughout.
A delightful entertainment is guar
anteed. The “turners” will furnish
the “thrills”, the “clowns” will fur
nish the “mirth”, and the “pep-band”
will furnish the “gaiety.”
Don’t miss the evening March 2nd
at the college gymnasium.
The amount of gold in the waters
of the ocean cannot be known, but
there are millions of tons of it. One
estimate places the amount at $50,-
000,000 worth for every inhabitant
of the globe. The only difficulty is
to get it out.
It is awfully hard to do two things
at once—which is probably why so
few people can forgive and forget.
There are two kinds of people
alway’s in hard luck: them that did
it, but never thought; and them that
thought, but never did it.—Josh Wise
Winnesheik County Home Coming
Local Committee Wants Names and Addresses
of Former Residents.
The publicity committee of the Winneshiek County Home Coming
desires to secure the names and addresses of 'all former residents of the
county, in order that invitations may be sent to them to join in the big
home coming festival, August 7th to 13th.
The readers of this papev are urgently requested to send in the names
of relatives or friends to whom they desire invitations to be sent. Clip
out and use the blank below:
WINNESHIEK COUNTY HOME COMING COMMITTEE,
DECORAH, IOWA
Please send invitations to the Home Coming to the following former
residents of Winneshiek County:—
Name ~..
Address
Name
Hm
Address
Name
Address
Name
Address
Yours truly,
Mail or hand this blank to Winneshiek County Home Coming Com
mittee, Decorah, lowa, or to the editor of this paper, who will see that it
reaches the proper officials.
"**•’*“ *-1
THE COMMERCIAL
CLUB DBIVE
The Renewal of Membership Drive
Friday Great Success With
Practically AH Member
ships Renewed.
WORK COMPLETED
IN TWO HOURS
Checks Were Made Out in Advance
And Practically Everybody
Was Ready for the
Solicitors.
The renewal of membership drive
for the Decorah Commercial Club for
1922 memberships was staged here
last Friday morning, and in two
hours practically all of the work
was completed.
About a dozen teams started out
taking different sections of the city
and the work was completed rapidly.
Neatly 200 were interviewed ami
paid their 1922 membership of $lO
each. A number were out of the
city ami one or two teams were
unable to report, but members are
being signed up right along, and it
looks now as if the membership will
reach around 300. Many new mem
bers were taken in, and very few
of the old ones dropped out.
The drive was an unqualified suc
cess and the club now is in pros
pect of going ahead and being one
of the strongest factors in the city.
Everybody is working together and
1922 promises one of the best years
in the l story of Decorah.
FAIR ATTRAtTIONS
Many Fine Ones Booked in Chicago
Last Week.
Secretary E. J. Curtin of the fair
and Mr. Ben Bear one of the direc
tors, hook a number of fine attrac
tions for the fair this year.
Barth Hoop Rolling Novelty in a
marvelous display of hoop lolling.
The La\r>ns, sensational hand to
nand equilibristics, performing won
derful leats of liam. and finger tip
balancing and aerobatics.
Brody and Delavan comedy perch
artists in a wonderful display *f
perch equilibristics. They fill in
their marvelous stunts with plenty
of new acrobatics and comedy evolu
tions.
Chilcott’s Novelty, the act unusual,
featuring aerial trained clogs. Chil
ean performs on the tight wire, his
body revolving on the aerial wire and
the dogs running the opposite dir
ection simultaneously. This together
with a great many other juggling
and feats. A never ending delight
and wonder to bath young and old.
Three Lenores, one gentleman, two
ladies, in a pulse quickening per
formance of aerial casting, featuring
single and double somersaults from
catcher to catcher, including a series
of mid air evolutions, performed by
arti.its of renown.
Five Flying Fishers, world’s
gieatest sensational flying return act,
performed on an enormous 'aerial
structure, superlatively beautiful dis
play of mid air acrobatism, includ
ing singles, doubles, pirouettes, fea
turing Chas. Fisher, who will per
form a triple somersault into the
net. The Flying Fishers have been
featured with the Barnum& Bailey
and Ringling Circus. 11l this parti
cular line of work this troupe stands
alone.
It is easier to tell others how to
be good than it is to be good our
selves—and not brag about it.
A rolling stone is seldom on the
level. •TO!
TELLS WHY HE
IS A MEMBER
J. H. Raker, Former Decora hi an, Now
of Richfield. Nevada, Tells
Why He is a Member
of the Commercial
Club.
GIVES SOME VERY
PERTINENT REASONS
Says it is Team Work That Wins
the Ball Games and Same is
True of Commercial
Club Work.
The following will be read with in
terest by many. Mr. Baker is a
brother of G. F. Baker, the lumber
man of this city, and is located at
Richfield, Nevada, in the lumber bus
iness. He tells why he is a member
of the Commercial Club aifd gives
some mighty good reasons:
Why Am I A Member of The Com-
mercial Club?
The Reaper will ask prominent
members of The Richfield Commer
cial club the very pertinent question
why they joined and are members of
the club. The first one interviewed
by us was President J. H. Baker, and
here is what he has 'to say:
“Why am I a member of the Com
mercial club?
“There is no established modem
organization that seems able to re
spond to the need of such a com
prehensive work as the Commercial
Club. It can and should represent
all classes of people in the commun
ity.
“The opportunities and responsi
bilities of thus local organization is
therefore very great.
“There was a time when a Com
mercial club was supposed to inter
est itself in purely business prob
lems, but the modem Commercial
club is much greater and more im
portant institution than the old.
“It should be alive <to every inter
est and in touch with the commer
cial and industrial situation at home
and abroad.
“It should be fully informed on
every phase of life hi the community
and in sympathetic touch with the
needs anti inspirations of the people.
“It should, in fact, be the very’
backbone of the community anti the
sponsor for every constructive insti
tution or effort.
“It should be both the architect
and the builder of a great anti better
community and it should have bath
the moral and financial strength of
the people to enable it to get back of
every proper effort for civic advance
ment.
“The Commercial club should bo
the means of holding its people 'to
gether in the accomplishment of
many common purposes and thus
building up the civic pride and keep
ing alive that unselfish spirit which
makes for continued progress.
“A nation is the sum of its indi
vidual communities, so why not as
sign the task of rebuilding this, the
greatest nation of patriotic, peace,
loving, God fearing, able, active, am
bitious people in all the work! to
the individual units that together
make the United States of America
what it is. Herein lies the great op
portunity of the Commercial club.
“The officers and directors have
tried to point out what can be done
as they realize “That individual
prosperity is wrapped up in com
munity prosperity, that’s why the
community business is y r our busi
ness.”
“If you wish the community busi
ness to be better, why not attend the
club meetings You know it is the
best team work that w-ins the ball
game and the same thing is true of
Commercial club work.”
The interview’s will be continued
and we will publish the answers as
they come in.
Three Cousins Die Same Day
lowa City—Three deaths in one
family on the same day spell sad
ness of unu-ual type for the Misses
Verda and Luta Dove, sisters and
business partners here.
A message from the old home town
of the Dove family, Barnesville, 0.,
announces the death of three of their
cousins on Feb. 2, of Dr. James Jud
kins of Barnesville, Charles E. Lee,
editor and owner of the Barnesville
Enterprise, and Walter Lewis. These
three cousins of the lowa City w*»
men died in Barnesville, Wheeling,
W. Ya., and Cleveland, 0., respective
ly. All were victims of pneumonia.
Mr. Lee had gone to the neaiby
iarger city to be in a hospital.
o
“Eastern financial interests have
made a great outcry against lecog
nizing the need of agricultural rep
re. entation on the board. That was
to be expected from the purely bank
er minded sort of people,” says Wal
laces’ Farmer “To those who can,
get their eyes off of coupons and
per cents, however, it has become
increasingly evident that agriculture
and business generally have go t
to have something to say tin the
future about the administration of
our credit machinery.”
TWELVE PAGES
GRAND JURY
INDICTMENTS IN
Grand Jury Returned Indictment*
For Murder Saturday Against
B. F. Kneeskem and
Matt Dotseth.
SEVERAL OTHERS
FOR MINOR OFFENSES
Kneeskem Placed in Jail
Held Without Buil to Answer
to the Indictments Against
Him.
Saturday morning the grand jury
after some three weeks of hard work
brought in their findings to Judge
Springer. Two indictments for mur
der were brought in against B. F.
Kneeskem, one for the slaying of
Irene Vanßrocklin ami one for the
slaying of Charles Vanßrocklin. The
defendant was duly arrainged and
took time to plead. He was held to
answer to the indictment without
ball and was placet! in jail Saturday
morning. He had been out on $25,-
001) bail, $12,500 on each charge.
Whether or not he will be per
mitted to bail is being determined
the judge, who is going over
evidence, and at this writing no
decision has been made.
Matt Dotseth was indicted for the
murder of his brother Alfred Dot
seth on the night of the firemen’s
masquerade on Feb. 2. The defend
ant appeared in person and by his
attorney Frank Sayre, and plead that
he was not guilty of the crime charg
ed in the indictment, and took time
to prepare for trial. He was grant
ed until the second day of the April
term of the district court for trial.
The matter of bonds in his case has
not been deeded at this writing, and
he remains in jail.
Knee-kern is represented by four
attorneys, E. W. Cutting, Decorah,
W. M. Allen, Ossian, D. I). Murphy,
Elkader and M. A. Harmon, Decorah.
The members of the grand jury
were Paul EgK<?. John Jordahl, C.
M. Wallhus, F. W. Dahins, Ed Espe
seth and J. J. Hovden. When they
appeared i.i the court room Saturday
morning oix cf them carried shot
gun or rifles, which were exhibits
in the case, and the guns were placed
in evidence before the court.
Nothing has been deteimined so
far whether the Kneeskern case will
come at this term or not.
SPILLVILE WILL
CELEBRATE JULY 4
Another Corking Good Celebration
Planned by the Good People of
Spillville This Year.
PLANS ARE NOW
Fine City Band of 32 Pieces Being
Organized in Spillville Now.
Which Will Furnish Music
On the Fourth.
It will be good news to hundreds
of people in this section to know
that our sister town of Spillville is
going to celebrate the glorious
Fourth again this year. This beauti
ful little city, nestled among the
hills, is one of lowa’s most pictures
que places, inhabited by thrifty, hos
pitable people, who make you feel at
home when you get into the confines
of their city beautiful.
Their beautiful, large park is a
show place in itself, and a most de
lightful place to spend a day, week
or month for that matter.
Spillville’s citizens are all pro
gressive and have built up one of
the livest little cities in lowa, and
everybody who visits it are always
glad of the opportunity of going
again/-
The Fourth of July committee is
already planning the program and
are going to work out a good one.
It is a well know fact that Spill
ville has a number of good musicians
and has had that reputation for
years. They are now organizing a
band and’have some 32 pieces, which
gives promise of being one of the
best in Northeastern lowa, and they
will be ready on the Fourth to ~eive
up some choice music.
From time to time we will give
data on ,the forthcoming program,
and it goes without saying that Spill
vilie will entertain another record
breaking crowd at their celebration
this year.
There is a growing sentiment in the
state for gravel and crushed stone
roads in perference to the exceed
ingly high priced paved ones. The
former is so much' superior to what
we have been accustomed to that it
would .-.eem we would be as well sat
isfied as to have something smoother.
—Maquoketa Excelsior.
NO. 9
UNDER WAY
4 M
11