Good Old Days – 03-14-14

Compiled By The Sidney Sun-Telegraph Staff

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

March 15, 1913

'Two Wrecks Kill Nine – Shocking results of The Storm in Railroad Fatalities'

This seems to be a week of calamities, the climax being several wrecks in Thursday nights storm. Details are meager as we go to press at five o clock Friday evening, a howling blizzard preventing any approach to authorities who themselves are unable to get full details.

The first wreck occured at gothenburg, when number 12, the Denver passenger train, ran into number 4, killing four and injuring eleven, according to the best accounts available at this hour.

A wreck at Herdon, thirteen miles west of Sidney, took place in the storm when freight train ran into a stock train, both east bound. A caboose and two cars of the latter were consumed by the fire.

The missing are Ray Phillips, conductor, Chas. Credit, brakeman, and four stockmen, all supposed to have perished in the fire of the caboose. Should they have been buried alive in the wreckage they have undoubtedly perished from the cold.

A wrecker and Sidney Doctors were rushed to the scene, but the wrecker was stalled out near the disaster and could not move either way nor could a human being exit outside the car door, so the last heard before the wires went down the terrific storm, was nothing to do but wait for the storm to lay. A switch engine then started out of Sidney to assist the wrecker but it stalled a short distance west of the depot.

Phillips and Cradit are both well known here and while the worst is believed as we go to the press, better news is hoped for.

The nearest version of the wreck is that conductor Buckingham of the second freight, had orders to run his train to Potter and stop there. Upon slowing down at Potter , conductor Buckingham jumped off and supposed his train was stopping in the east yard. The storm was terrible and it was apparent that the engineer, blinded by snow, mistook the station for Dix and supposed he had another station to run to get to Potter. He did not know his conductor got off. neither did the conductor know that his train went on. Still, damage might not have happened but for the fact that engine of the train ahead died in the storm and was unable to get out of the way and unaware of any danger and had no means of notifying Sidney of its stalling.

The stalk train of 37 cars came in the morning from Herdon wreck. Beside the five missing two injured are being cared for.

75 YEARS AGO

March 14, 1939

'American Legion To Mark 20th Birthday'

The twentieth anniversary of the American Legion will be observed by Sidney Post No. 17 and most other legion posts throughout the nation Wednesday night. A nationwide broadcast by the national commander will be the highlight of the evening. In Sidney the veterans will hold a special meeting to hear the broadcast. Local veterans also arranged a special program for the anniversary. Paul L. Martin, as first commander of the Sidney post, will be toastmaster.

All past commander either will speak or will be represented by letters. Ray Greenlee is the present commander. After the nationwide broadcast the legion will hold a shrimp feed and social hour.

50 YEARS AGO

March 17. 1965

'Jones Center Grand Opening Set April 8-10'

Business at the new Jones Center, shopping site between 10th and 11th on Toledo Street, will be in full swing by early April, according to Arlo Jones, owner.

A grand opening encompassing all of the firms in the shopping center has been set for April 8, 9 and 10. A number of businesses and professional offices have been open and operating for several weeks while construction work sped along.

Ready for public viewing early next week will be in Fix Pharmacy which is now in the process of being stocked. Operator and manager of the firm is Richard Fix, formally of Sterling. Owner of the business is the Center Drug Inc. of which the incorporators are Mr. Fix, Ray Cruise and Mr. Jones.

25 YEARS AGO

March 17, 1989

'Tribute To Veterans'

A War Memorial, honoring Americans who who fought in all the nations battles, will be erected in Sidney's Legion Park.

City Council approved plans, five years in the making, at its Tuesday night meeting for a tribute to the nations veterans. The Memorial will feature an American flag large enough to be seen from Interstate

The War Memorial is the culmination of a dream on the part of Bill Kelley, president and L.L.(Swede) Nelson, treasurer, of Living Memorial Gardens, site of which is almost immediately north of where the War Memorial will be erected.

The centerpiece of the memorial, the large "garrison" American Flag will be highly unusual because of it's size, Nelsen said. It will be 20 feet high and 38 feet long. Kelley and Nelsen are convinced that few people have ever seen a flag so large. But they will, on the Fourth of July this year, if the project moves according to schedule. That is the date intended for the proposed date of the memorial.

Planners envision the flag, attached to a pole perhaps a hundred feet tall, to be placed at the center of a three-quarters circle of confer trees, the inside diameter of which will be 80 feet.

A memorial wall, three feet thick, will have spaces, dirt filled, that will be planted with soil in which ivy will grow between plaques of cast aluminum, 18 by 24 inches in size, containing information about armed conflicts in which the nation was involved, including Indian uprisings. Brief texts have been prepared by Sidney resident Dorothy Holoway.

The Flag, made of either nylon or polyester, will be illuminated at night, so that it may be displayed at constantly, in accordance with prescribed etiquette, Nelsen said. Different, smaller flags are to be used during periods of stormy weather and for half-staff occasions.

Nelsen said, too, that while Living Memorial Gardens is responsible for the War Memorial, the memorial will be separately funded. Flags are to be flown over the memorial are expected to arrive before the end of the current school year and are expected to be displayed at Cheyenne County schools and in neighboring schools.

Memorial plaques are to be placed in the tree surrounded area in memory of deceased veterans for "an anticipated contribution of $25."

10 YEARS AGO

March 17, 2004

'Police Warns Against Phone Scams In Sidney'

A telephone scam is apparently being worked on unsuspecting Sidney Residents, warns the Sidney Police Department. Apparently on March 16, residents were receiving telephone calls from a company representing it self as "Grant Company"according to SPD press release. The caller asked for the potential victim to give out his or her bank account number then asked permission to electronically withdraw a certain amount of money from the account."The promise is that the victim will receive grant money equal to the amount withdrawn added to their bank account each month for life"

"If you receive such a call as this, do not give the caller your bank account number. If you have received a call and have given your account number to a person purportedly representing such a company, the Federal Bureau of Investigation recommends that you immediately have your bank close your account and reopen under a different account number," said the SPD release. In all cases, report any such incident to the police.