Feb. 4 - 10: Compiled by Dave Humphrey from the archived newspapers held at the Cranbrook History Centre and Archives
1917
Waldo news … The suspension bridge across the Kootenay here was the scene of a very narrow escape on Sunday last.
Dave McNeill, a teamster in the employ of the Ross Saskatoon Lumber Company, was taking a load of lumber across the bridge, and his sleigh in some manner skidded and ran into the fence knocking part of the same down, and the whole outfit was all but dropped into the river.
This caused the bridge to assume a very dangerous angle, and several anxious minutes were spent getting the team and load off the bridge, which was accomplished without any further damage being done.
We presume someday the Government will wake up and endeavor to put in a decent bridge.
Hockey … It was a good game of hockey Saturday night between Kimberley and Cranbrook and spectators got their money’s worth.
The Kimberley lads are a husky bunch but are handicapped by the fact of having only a small open-air rink to practice upon, but despite that they put up a strenuous game and at no time allowed the local boys to take it easy.
The game resulted in a win by Cranbrook with a margin of eight to four, one goal by Kimberley going through the nets, and not having been counted at the time.
The game was remarkably free from roughness, only one player being penalized, though one of the Kimberley players was guilty of very unsportsmanlike conduct in slashing an opposing player over the legs on one occasion after the puck had passed. This was the only feature to mar the good feeling and gentlemanly conduct of the visiting team.
For Kimberley Newman at cover-point and Heintzman at centre played a star game while for Cranbrook McIlwaine starred in individual plays. Gus Kay also put up a snappy game and has the makings of an effective player.
Both teams were weak on combination play and, particularly on the part of the Cranbrook team, it was largely a game of individual rushes.
This was the first appearance of the Cranbrook team on local ice against an outside team and their showing was a matter of pleasant surprise. Individually the players are all good, and with more team work and combination play they could put up a game that would have all comers guessing.
It is to be hoped they will arrange another match before the season closes.
Does it mean the doom of women’s skirts? … For how many ages have women been hampered and inconvenienced by the skirts and underskirts of varying degrees of voluminousness as dictated by Dame Fashion, and are they at long last to break the chains of fashion and custom and discard the skirt for something better?
The foregoing question has been raised by the action of the women munition workers in the old land and latterly by the women workers in Canadian munition plants discarding the skirt and donning men’s overalls.
It was at their own instigation that they exhibited a desire to take the places of the men who had gone to the war. The women of England are making munitions and replacing those at the front in almost every kind of trade, and it is nowadays considered to be abreast of the times for the women of Canada to do a similar work and their little bit to help the country in times of need.
A shortage of man labor has given the women every opportunity, and they have risen to the occasion. In the C.P.R. Angus shops at Montreal the women have been first with the ambition of emulating their sisters in England who are now wearing overalls just like men, and now they also “wear the breeches.” They are glad of the change, for the skirts often hampered their work. The overall gives them much comfort and has been found of considerable convenience, particularly in the paint shop. The overall gives them more confidence in carrying out the work.
Without the women the Empire cannot win the war.
Will the emancipation of women from skirts be confined to the munition workers or will it extend to women in every walk of life? No mere man will dare to answer that question.
Serious accident to young lad … Waldo, Feb. 6.—While some children were at play last Saturday in the inside of the Baker Lumber Company’s Mill, a small boy by the name of Lomas tripped and fell down the Band Mill Shute, a distance of some eighteen or twenty feet.
The rest of the children at once raised the alarm, and on being picked up by some of the workmen it was feared at first that he was dead. However, on being examined by the doctor he was found to be suffering from concussion of the brain, having a cut in his head some three and a half inches long.
He did not regain consciousness for several hours after, but is now doing as well as can be expected.
Preserve those letters … There are but few women nowadays but have a treasured bunch of pencil written letters from their men at the front or in camp. But many of those letters, though only written a few months ago, are already fading. Here is a simple preservative for pencil written letters: Mix one part of skimmed milk with one part of water, and with a camelhair brush paint the mixture over the pencilled sheet, spreading on a flat board to dry.
Christ Church library … Christ Church Library is now open to the public. There are about 400 books, including an amount of modern fiction and a number of standard works. The library is open on Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 5, and Saturday evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
Ouch! … While playing hockey at the rink one night last week Bob Burch was struck in the back with the puck. The shot was a hard one but at the time it was not thought that the hurt was serious. However the following evening on consulting a doctor it was found that two ribs were broken and in consequence Bob will have to give hockey a rest for a while.
Fire … An incipient blaze in the rear of the Cosmopolitan Hotel caused some excitement Monday afternoon but quick action by the fire department prevented serious damage. The fire started from the chimney, but there will be little loss except that caused by smoke and water in the part affected.
Black and White ball … Six Cranbrook young ladies, the Misses Grundy, Kershaw, N. Terrace, M. Terrace, J. Drummond and Mrs. Howard, were hostesses at a unique and enjoyable ball last Tuesday evening at the Maple Hall.
The affair was arranged and the entire expense borne by the young ladies, and took the form of a Black and White Novelty Ball.
The costumes, both ladies and gentlemen, were all of black and white, the hostesses being garbed in black Perrett costumes with white tassels. The hall looked very pretty with black and white decorations, and the novel programs were in themselves a work of art, made of black hearts printed in white ink.
No pains were spared to give the guests one of the most delightful evenings possible, and by appearances they certainly succeeded.
Dancing commenced at nine-thirty with supper at twelve, tables being laid and a very dainty supper served by the ladies.
The music was supplied by the Kootenay Orchestra, and the floor was in splendid condition for dancing.
About thirty-five couples were present, and everybody being in black and white it was a pleasing spectacle.
Miss Grundy officiated as floor-manager and certainly made a very capable one.
The party broke up at two-thirty with everyone joining hands and singing “For Auld Lang Syne.”
Letter to Judge Thompson … W. A. Rollins, an old Cranbrook boy who was wounded in the fighting on the Somme, in an interesting letter to Judge Thompson, says:
Dear Judge: Glad to receive your letter some time ago. Have more time to write now as I am lying in a bed here in Birmingham Hospital.
We were down on the Somme and I thought I was going to come through it OK. It was our 60th day there and we were soon going out, as our battery was pretty well cut up.
We had a fairly easy time and not many casualties down at Ypres. Went through St. Eloi and Hooge fights, but when we went to the Somme it was just plain hell. It is as much as a man can do to stand it, but we do.
You can take my word for it, Judge, the British men wherever they come from are great, wonderful, man to man they are better than Fxxxz.
Just think of boys marching over to take his trenches and dozens of machine guns trained on them, shells, bombs, and anything else hell can invent being used against them, and still they stroll over with pipes going, and when they get there Fxxxz generally gives up. I was up the day we took Regina trench and held it.
The Essex were going over there just the same as going for a stroll. Saw Harry Cody and Martin and was going down to look up the other boys I knew when I was hurt. Fxxxz had been throwing gas shells at us all night. I just stepped out of my dugout and that is all I remember.
I woke up three days afterwards in Rouen with a compound fracture of the skull, the helmet alone saving my life.
Well, Judge, I wish it were over. Do not like a soldier’s life; there is not one single good feature about it. The dirt, filth, etc., nearly drives you crazy, but I would sooner be buried in a shell-hole in France than have those German swine over us.
I am glad I had enough man in me to try and do my best, but as I tell you Judge, I detest the whole thing. Fxxxz never showed much mercy to our boys when he had the best of it, but wants mercy when we have the best of it.
The French Canadians are the boys to show them what war is. The day we took Courcellette they were “moppers up,” that is, cleaning out the dugouts and deep hiding places. Fxxxz got his that day.
Frank Anjoie, who used to live there, is with them, and they certainly are dandy fighters. The B. C. Battalions all have great names out here and are second to none.
W. A. Rollins
New ice house … A new ice house of 300 ton capacity is being erected by the Cranbrook Butter Co., so that they may have an ample supply of ice for their use during the summer.
The method of storing the ice is however somewhat of an innovation. Instead of cutting the ice from a lake or pond and hauling it in the usual way the management are making their ice in the icehouse in one solid block, freezing layer upon layer, and when the warm weather comes will saw it out block by block as they need it. It is a more economical way and is said to be quite satisfactory.
Partnership dissolved … The partnership existing between Dr. King and Dr. Green since 1903 has recently been dissolved on account of Dr. King’s departure from the city, and a new partnership formed between Dr. Green and Dr. MacKinnon.
While there is sincere regret in the city over Dr. King’s loss, at the same time the wants of the district in a medical way will be well looked after by Drs. Green and MacKinnon.
No introduction on the part of the Herald is necessary for either of these gentlemen. Dr. Green is known to practically every man, woman and child in the community and is deservedly popular in all quarters, while Dr. MacKinnon during his six years in Cranbrook has made a host of friends and is recognized as a clever medical practitioner of much more than average ability.
Will be worth seeing … Those who witnessed the meritorious and pleasing performance of the King Edward’s School a year ago will be sure to take advantage of the opportunity of seeing the children put on “The Midsummer Night’s Dream” next week, Thursday, Feb. 15th, and those who did not see them last year should make it a point to do so this time.
The annual entertainments put on by the King Edward’s School differ very radically from the ordinary school concert and the recitation of children’s “pieces”. The various characters of the play are all elaborately costumed and the children go at their work with a zest and earnestness which makes their presentation very lifelike.
In addition they give a number of fancy costume dances in a finished and artistic manner.
The Herald takes great pleasure in heartily recommending its readers to take in the entertainment given by this school next Thursday.
U.S. breaking relations with Germany … Washington, Feb. 3rd.—Diplomatic relations with Germany have been broken. Count Von Bernstorff has been handed his passports and Ambassador Gerard has been ordered from Berlin.
Notice of the break was outlined in a detailed address by President Wilson to a joint session of congress at two o’clock this afternoon.
Decision to break was reached after the president’s conference with the cabinet and members of the senate on Friday.
The President by those conferences came to the conclusion that the country would stand solidly behind him in breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany.
Whether the break with Germany would be accompanied by similar break with Austria-Hungary could not be learned definitely. Inasmuch as Austria is understood to have endorsed the action of Germany, however, this action is expected to follow if it has not already been taken.
Breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany does not mean war, but easily may lead to war. It is an act of protest characterized in the usage of nations as the “measure short of war.”
Carnival … The weather on Friday night was almost ideal for a carnival and the ice was good. There were some good costumes on the ice but one of the most original, Rocky Mountain Dick as the re-incarnation of the genuine story-book hobo, came in too late to compete for the prize. The judges were W. Curry and A. McDermott, and the prize-winners were as follows; Best dressed gent, O. Thompson, Highlander; Best dressed lady. Miss Lottie Leask, Grandma; Best comic gent. Roy Leask, Clown; Best comic lady, Miss Bardgett, Clown; Best dressed child, Lilly StEloi, Indigenous Girl. The band was in attendance and skating was enjoyed after the carnival.
Mining news … The mining season of 1916, altho’ showing a very decided improvement in the mining position, will not go down in history as a record breaker for this district in point of number of properties being opened up, but it has engendered a feeling of confidence that will take expression in 1917 in continued exploration and development.
The success of the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Co.’s management of the Sullivan Mine is drawing a great deal of attention, and the tonnage shipped being steadily on the increase is proving a first class advertisement, it will not be long before this property ships one hundred thousand ton per annum.
In the Spring the extra high water put the compressor out of business for a time, so that the work of pushing the main tunnel had to be abandoned for a short time; this trouble was rectified, a new wagon road built, new bunk house erected and many other improvements inaugurated, so that now it is a well-equipped mine with a great many years of ore reserves established.
There are over 200 men on the pay list at present and the force is being increased as fast as possible.
The St. Marys country did not receive the attention that it deserves; the want of transportation evidently militating against its progress; the engineers who have examined one or two of the properties have signified their intention of returning and one property was taken up under bond and is turning out fairly well. This is the Park Group at Marysville.
Some interest was taken in Perry Creek, the free milling gold quartz camp, but the results were somewhat disappointing; this, of course, is not to be wondered at as properties of this description require special treatment in the hands of someone familiar with that kind of ore; it is an entirely different proposition to properties carrying smelting ore. The large initial cost of building a mill before any return can be obtained make engineers very wary of committing themselves unless they are fully acquainted with what is a special study.
A successful operator of a low grade free milling property must be a specialist.
In the Fort Steele district the owners of the Victor Group are steadily going ahead with the development and by spring expect to have a large amount of tonnage in sight and on the dump; this property should become a regular shipper as soon as the weather permits the construction of a road; the ore is silver and carrying a small percentage of zinc.
North of Elko is situated the Burton Group, which is being developed by Mr. A. T. Caldwell and from which two car loads of ore have been shipped with satisfactory results; this is a copper property and should become a consistent shipper.
The Quantrell property on the North Star Hill has also shipped two car loads of ore with good results. This is a clean silver lead ore and as such is in great demand at smelters; the development work is showing up well and it is hoped to include this property in the list of regular shippers.
The Stemwinder property between the North Star and Sullivan properties has been the subject of an examination for the Federal Mining & Smelting Company and report says that the examination was entirely satisfactory; the taking over of this property by such a company as the Federal would certainly be an item of moment, as the ore being apparently too low grade to ship, is in such quantity as to warrant the erection of a mill or concentrator, a highly advantageous asset to the community.
The Moyie district has been very quiet; the St. Eugene has shipped under lease a few hundred tons of ore, but the Aurora and Society Girl are shut down.
The Empire on Bridge Creek has been developed a little this year with very satisfactory results.
It is the intention of the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company to install an experimental concentrator in the St. Eugene buildings for the purpose of finding an efficient method of handling part of the Sullivan ore, which in its present condition presents some slight difficulty.