The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Compiled and Edited by Virginia Ross
Stronghurst Graphic, July 3, 1924
HAVOC WROUGHT BY STORMS: While Henderson and Warren Counties were not so hard hit by the storms as some other localities, the damage from wind and flood will aggregate a considerable sum. Most of the business houses in Monmouth suffered loss from the inroads of water into basements during the Friday night and Saturday morning flood while the wind played havoc with shade trees, telephones, telegraph and electric power lines. The suspension of electric service necessitated a reversion to primitive methods in the conducting of various line of business. The two daily papers of Monmouth combined forces on Saturday and succeeded in getting out a hand set two page paper between them, which they claimed to be the most expensive edition of the two papers ever issued.
Biggsville was visited early Saturday morning by the most terrific electrical storm ever experienced, taking on the nature of a tornado in violence. Trees and electric and telephone wires were scattered by the wind, buildings unroofed and houses moved on their foundations. The James Stevenson home located on the bond issue road west of Biggsville was in the direct path of the storm and was partially demolished. At the Oak Grove Fruit Farm a little farther west more than 100 fruit trees of various kinds were destroyed. The Miller Construction Co., which has been engaged in hard road construction work near Biggsville was a heavy loser from the storm as their entire plant was practically submerged by the flood which resulted in much of the machinery spoiled. In addition to this much of the newly constructed road was washed out and damaged to such an extent as to make it necessary for the work to be all done over again.
Stronghurst vicinity escaped with a minimum of property loss there being comparatively little wind accompanying the rain which fell. The downpour on Saturday morning, however, amounted to a deluge and there was probably a new record established in the amount of precipitation. The lowlands of Ellison Creek on the north and Honey Creek on the south were submerged and these creeks converted into rivers many rods wide. The water rose to within a few inches of the roadway of the bridge spanning Ellison Creek near the Hartquist place and the dirt approach to the bridge on the north washed out to the width of a rod or more. Farther west the breaking of the levee near the Tom Dixon place allowed the flood waters of Ellison Creek to invade the drainage district and the fine fields of wheat and corn were soon submerged. The condition created was relieved somewhat by the expedient of dynamiting the levee on the east bank of the Mississippi River and allowing the water to pour out into that stream. It is said that before this levee was blown, the level of the water in the drainage district was fully three feet higher than the river levee. It is impossible to estimate the damage to crops in the district as much will depend on the heavy silts left by receding of the flood and also upon the weather conditions which prevail from now on:
Come and Get Saved: The battle against the entrenched forces of sin and iniquity in Stronghurst community was opened by Grady T. Cantrell evangelistic party last Sunday evening in a union meeting of the village churches in the big tent which was erected the latter part of the week in the village park. In addition to the congregations of the churches here there were many people present from Lomax, Dallas City and LaHarpe, where the evangelist has demonstrated his power to move men and women to turn from the way of evil and to seek the higher and better way of life. At this opening meeting Mr. Cantrell emphasized the need of personal work and of re-consecration on the path of God's professing children if they desired to see a real raising of the community to a higher plane of living and a revival of pure and undefiled religion:.
On Wednesday evening the use of the tent where the meetings are being held was given over to a meeting of the Ku Klux Klan at which a national speaker for that order expounded its principles and purposes. This evening (Thursday) the evangelist will preach on the Bible as the Word of God and on Friday evening, July 4th will speak on "Americanism."
The spirited singing led by L.E. (Red) Pcaut is an important feature of each service. Mr. Pecaut has the happy faculty of getting people to sing without "fussing" or coaxing and this makes this feature of the services especially enjoyable:
HOW TO PICNIC 1924 STYLE:
CIRCUS COMING TO BURLINGTON: Circus enthusiasts of this community are keenly interested in the appearance of the John Robinson Circus and Trained Wild Animals appearing in Burlington on July 7th afternoon and night as no circus creates so much pleasure and joy among its patrons as a visit of the "Oldest and Best." The John Robinson Circus and Trained Wild Animals are now on the 101st annual tour and the program embraces features and novelties never presented before by any tented organization. Thousands of dollars were spent this year in purchasing trained animals from European as well as African and Asiatic dealers and with assistance of old "Dr. Stork" at the winter quarters in Peru. The John Robinson management asserts its superiority to savage training beasts and also the largest baby zoo in the universe:
BIGGSVILLE BRIEFS:
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS:
The Stronghurst band has been engaged to furnish the music for LaHarpe's Fourth of July celebration which means that there will be nothing lacking in that feature of the program. From Joliet, R. T. McDill writes as follows: "I am here on my old job. I have charge of Solitary. The population of the prison is the largest in its history, 2092. They are building a new prison which when completed, will be the largest and most modern in the U.S. The wall encloses 60 acres on the state farm of 2000 acres, the labor on which is performed by prisoners." With no public celebration here of the nation's birthday tomorrow, Stronghurst citizens will observe the day in such manner as appeals to their individual fancy.
LOCAL AND AREA NEWS: Raus Richey left on a business trip to Kansas. Frank Johnson shipped a car load of stock from Decorra and also a mixed car load of hogs and sheep for the Chicago market. Mr. and Mrs. Chas. F. Heisler are the happy parents of a baby boy born to them last Tuesday morning at the Burlington Hospital. A son was born on Wednesday morning of this week at the same hospital to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Liby of Biggsville neighborhood. The mother was formerly Miss Opal Billups of Stronghurst. Section foreman T. E. Walker with his crew of men have been helping with fixing the washed out track near the Knox station east of Galesburg caused by the recent heavy rain. Mr. and Mrs. Chester Adair and Miss Edna Dobbs attended the funeral of Bert Wheeler, who died in Judith Gap, Mont. On June 20; he was buried at Williamsfield Ill. last Thursday. He was the brother-in-law of these ladies. The ministers of Warren and Henderson Counties with their families enjoyed their annual outing at the Biggsville Park. Some sixty or more were present and enjoyed a sumptuous picnic dinner served cafeteria style. A public sale of forfeited shares of stock in the First National Bank of Stronghurst was held at the front door of the bank. The 121 remaining shares were struck off to A. A. Worthington; he was acting as the representative of a number of well known and substantial business men who have firm faith in the future of the banking institution.
CARMAN CONCERNS: The storm of Saturday morning, wind and rain caused the levee to burst in three places about four miles north of town causing many acres of land to be overflowed. Several of the farmers have lost all their wheat and corn crop. Dannenburg Bros. shipped one car load of cattle and hogs to Chicago. Louis went along with them and returned the last of the week. Mr. Glenn Mooney and wife of Burlington, who have spent the past three months at the home of his mother in Missouri, report them losing all of their crops by water. Glenn and his wife will come here and stay for the summer or until work picks up on the railroad as fireman. He will work for his uncle, Robert Gillis who is section foreman of Carman. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wisbey just returned for a three month visit with their daughter and family, Mrs. Reuben Marsden of Iola, South Dakota. Mrs. Fred Clover has been at the Waldo Johnson home helping care for her niece and babe. Mr. Samuel Howell is very sick at his home with plural pneumonia. Chester Babcook, son of George Babcook, enlisted in the Navy last week.
- OBITUARIES - BENTON HARBISON: The funeral of Benton Harbinson, an aged and highly respected citizen of Media who was found dead in bed, will be held at the M. E. Church. Mr. Harbison had been having trouble with his heart for some time but seemed in his usual health when he retired the night before. He was a farmer and one of the heaviest stock holders of the Media State Bank. He is survived by several nieces and nephews. Interment will be in the Ellison Cemetery.