Looking Back

These stories from the past first appeared in The Sidney Telegraph. Original writing is preserved, though some stories were shortened for space reasons.

100 YEARS AGO

‘Poison For Medicine’

March 29, 1913

Miss Mabel Brewer made a mistake Sunday which might have cost her her life. She was not feeling well and took a medicine bottle from the shelf and took a dose from it.

One swallow was enough and a scream brought her mother who promptly gave her mustard and water while another member of the family called a doctor by phone and still another ran for milk. The doctor reached there almost at once, but except for the mother’s prompt action the girl would have died. The medicine proved to be formaldehyde in a diluted form and she was able to be up Thursday and is out of danger though still with a very raw throat.

75 YEARS AGO

‘Jurgensen Appeals To Court For More Time’

March 29, 1938

Richard F. Stout and Jay O. Rodgers of Lincoln, attorneys for Lieut. Gov. Walter H. Jurgensen, asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to extend until next fall the time set for filing briefs in Jurgensen’s appeal from his conviction in district court on an embezzlement charge.

The attorneys file two motions, one asking the final day set for filing briefs be extended from April 9 to September 9, and the other seeking permission to file a supplemental transcript. Arguments on the motion were set for April 4.

Stout and Rodgers told the court that they had ordered the necessary bill of exceptions but that the district court reporter was so busy he would be unable to get to it until late in the summer.

Stout also said it would be necessary for him to attend a military encampment at Camp Clark, Mo., this summer, as well as the Nebraska National Guard camp at Ashland, thus denying him sufficient time for preparation of Jurgensen’s appeal.

Jurgensen was convicted last February 9 of embezzling $549.71 from C. C. Kaderli, depot agent at Potter. His appeal to the supreme court was filed March 9.

50 YEARS AGO

‘No Damage

Here From

High Winds’

March 29, 1963

The government weather observation station at the Sidney airport reported high winds at Sidney Thursday night which started at 9:45 and continued at rather high velocity until midnight, then continued blowing at considerable speed until about 5 a.m. Friday.

At 9:25 p.m. the wind was blowing west, north-west at a rate of 46 miles per hour and was gusting at 77 miles per hour. The hourly readings continued to show velocities at 40 to 45 miles per hour and continued at this velocity until about 5 a.m. At that time the wind had died down to about 15 miles per hour.

Blowing dust cut visibility to seven miles, it was reported. Frontier flights were able to land and take off with no difficulty, and no other aircraft attempted to land during the wind storm it was said.

Police in Sidney said there was no apparent damage from the high wind, as no reports of damage were received at the station.

25 YEARS AGO

‘Gurley Derailment

Stops Traffic For

Three Hours’

March 30, 1988

‘Rail spread’ was being cited as the cause of a late Tuesday derailment in Gurley which derlayed Burlington Northern trains up to three hours.

According to W. W. Ricket, assistant superintendent of transportation at Alliance, the mishap apparently happened shortly before he was notified at 9 p.m. He said the derailment was on the elevator spur in Gurley.

“They were backing a train in there to pick up a car. After they coupled, they started out and the rails spread, dropping an engine onto the ground .” He said no equipment was damaged in the incident, although two engines had pulled out onto the main line far enough to block it from both north and south. The train was reported to have had four engines.

Filsinger’s were called out shortly after the derailment and departed with three pieces of heavy equipment for Gurley at 10:15 p.m. According to Ricket, the derailment was sufficiently cleared that trains were allowed to pass about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday.

“We had a train delayed approximately three hours at Dalton,” the assistant transportation chief said. He reported four trains were delayed up to two and a half hours at Sterling and one was delayed two and a half hours at Gurnsey, Wyoming. Early Wednesday morning trains passed through Sidney closer together than apparently normal, with at least three after 5 a.m.

10 YEARS AGO

‘Police Department

To Begin Motorcycle Patrol’

March 27, 2003

The Sidney Police Department will soon have a motorcycle patrol.

Chief of Police Larry Cox told the Sidney City Council Tuesday that two new Harley Davidson cycles will be received by the SPD in April from Black Hills Harley Davidson. He said the department applied through a Harley Davidson program that provided the cycles to police departments. Cost will be a $1 for each cycle.

Sgt. Joe Rieken and Officer Tim Craig, will be the officers assigned to the cycles. Cox said they should begin patrolling this summer.

Several other communities in the area have also received cycles through the program, Cox said.

The chief also said the SPD now has a web site, set up by two Sidney High School computer students. Cox said the site may be accessed at http://www.sidneynepolice.org.