January 18 - 24: Compiled by Dave Humphrey from the archived newspapers held at the Cranbrook History Centre and Archives
1918
Juvenile runaways caught in Cranbrook … Earl Holmes and Ralph Fern ran away from their home in Spokane on Wednesday. They were traced through to Cranbrook and on receipt of a telegram to-day from the Chief Probation Officer, Chief of Police Hersey found that the runaways had stayed overnight at the Y.M.C.A. and this morning had found friends in the city. The boys whose ages are about 11 and 14 are being held by their friends pending the arrival of the father of one of them, who is expected on Friday.
Dance party … On Saturday evening a party of twenty-two motored to the ranch house of Mr. Heath, a few miles from the city and spent a very enjoyable time at dancing and playing cards. At midnight, dancing ceased and a delightful supper was served.
Those entertained were Misses Janet Richardson, Josephine Drummond; Nettie Terrace, Gladys Hickenbotham, Beryl Cameron, Delphine Drummond, Enid Gill, Mary Terrace, Gladys Spence, Frances Drummond, Mrs. Mackay and Mrs. E. H. Pym, and Messrs. A. Moran, F. H. Pym, J. Barrett, Stewart, Morris, E. Spence, E. Stevens, J. Mackenzie, Spry Morris, J. F. Guintoni and M. Leak. Mrs. F. R. Morris acted as chaperon and proclaimed duties light and indeed enjoyable.
Great War Veterans Association Ladies’ Auxiliary formed … A Ladies’ Auxiliary in connection with the Cranbrook Branch of the G. W. V. A. was organized at a meeting held in the City Hall on Monday afternoon. Mr. C. H. Phillips opened the meeting and briefly explained the objects of the auxiliary.
On receipt of information from Nelson, Vancouver and elsewhere, with regard to auxiliaries that have been established for some time, the committee will proceed to draft rules and regulations. In order that the auxiliary may complete its organization as rapidly as possible the following officers were elected, viz: President, Mrs. J. Laurie; Vice-President, Mrs. J. A. Genest; Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. T. C. Phillips; Executive, Mesdames. W. G. Adlard, Dan Campbell, J. George, Walter Reed, George Smith and W. W. Wolfer.
Honor list … A recent honors list contained the name of Corporal J. Bird, who has been awarded the Military Medal. Mrs. Bird, who is at present at Waldo, received word a little more than a month ago that Corporal Bird had been gassed, blinded in both eyes and was also suffering from shell-shock. When he last wrote, he was at Exeter, England, and his many friends in the city and district will be glad to know that he was able to report improvement.
Commemoration … At the meeting of the local branch of the St. John Ambulance Association on Tuesday evening, arrangements were made to commemorate Ypres Day, April 22nd, by holding a “Flag” Day. During the day small flags will be sold by members of the Association and in the evening a war film and patriotic entertainment will be given at one of the moving picture houses. All the merchants and citizens will be asked to co-operate by decorating their windows in a patriotic manner and in displaying as many flags about the city as possible.
Ashton Powers decorated on the field for exceptional bravery … Young Cranbrook Hero Wins the Military Medal. Ashton Powers, aged twenty-one, son of Mrs. Emma Dupont, Armstrong Avenue, is one more of our Cranbrook boys to win marked military distinction.
He enlisted in the 172nd. Under Colonel Vickers at Windermere, the battalion being recruited almost entirely from the lads from Windermere, Invermere, Wilmer and the valley of the Columbia down to Golden.
Ashton—everyone knows him best by his Christian name—-was a schoolboy here with us only the other day, tried the life of a chemist with the Beattie Murphy Company for a time and fleeted for the more spacious, the wider life of the big ranch of his uncle, Rufus Kimpton, at Windermere where he rode the range, roped his steer and handled his rifle with the best of the many fine fellows, but real “tough guys,” who can realize themselves in that virile atmosphere.
When the blast of war blew in his ear he got his mother’s blessing on his determination and was away with the rest of the lads. Then overseas in the trench, with the bombing squad where he bombed to such purpose that he was sent off to teach others his fine, practical art of making Hxns smaller by a leg or two.
Soon after, he was appointed dispatch runner. It takes a man who is an athlete and one of absolute pluck and initiative to make a dispatch runner, but it helped him to achieve the following most honorable record: On the 18th December last he was decorated by General Watson on the field for exceptional gallantry in carrying messages of vital importance under heavy rifle, machine gun and shell fire. Note that he was decorated on the field.
There it stands the simple record of a soldier and a man. Just to show they thought well of his exploit, his officers allowed him fourteen days leave of absence, the first time he was out of the danger zone for over nine months. He, naturally, went to London and, as proving how our Canadian boys are appreciated, was there entertained with two other chums of his by Lady Verona S— , from dewy eve till near dawn.
Next day he almost tumbled into the arms of Carl Gill, son of Tom Gill, another of our Cranbrook lads, for whom he was seeking high and low.
Carl is in the Flying Corps now and it was from him the first intelligence of Ashton Powers’ distinction was received.
The Military Medal will be sent to Mrs. Dupont whom we very heartily congratulate and in whose pride of her brave son we all share.
Transcontinental highway to Cranbrook … At a meeting of the Executive of the Cranbrook Board Of Trade especially convened on the 21st day of January, 1918, for the purpose of considering and dealing with the matter of the National Transcontinental Highway, it was proposed by Lester Clapp, Mayor of Cranbrook, seconded by William Henry Wilson and carried unanimously.
That whereas the Dominion Government has now under its consideration the construction of the National Transcontinental Highway to the Pacific Coast, which is to enter South East British Columbia at the Crow’s Nest Pass and thence via Fernie, Elko and Cranbrook to Creston where it is proposed that the Kootenay Flats and the Kootenay River be crossed by ferry and bridge and connection made with Salmo, or the most feasible point to the west, by a road to be constructed up Summit Creek to the summit of the Nelson Range and down Sheep Creek to the valley of the Salmon River, thus completely isolating Nelson, a city deserving of every consideration by reason of its industrial importance, its energetic progressiveness and the excellent accommodation and varied attractions it, and its vicinity, offer to tourists.
And Whereas the actually shortest route for the proposed highway between East and West Kootenay is via Fernie , Elko, Cranbrook, Marysville to St. Marys Lake, (one of the scenic wonders of the interior of British Columbia) Meachen’s Ranch and the west fork of the St. Marys River to the Old Office Camp and thence by the low pass over the Purcell Range, to the Silver Hill mine and to some convenient point on Pilot Bay, or Kootenay Bay, whence the transfer of passengers and motor cars across Kootenay Lake can be effected by gasoline barge in twenty minutes to Queen Bay and Balfour which are directly connected with Nelson by motor road.
A new road of fifty miles would connect the existing road from Pilot Bay to the Silver Hill mine with the existing motor road from Meachen’s Ranch to Marysville.
And Whereas the proposed St. Marys River, Pilot Bay-Nelson route would not alone open up a scenic area of wonderful impressiveness of mountain, glacier and torrent, and also an almost unexplored hunting country abounding in silver-tip, black bear, caribou, goat, cougar and deer, but also a tract of over five hundred square miles possessing enormous resources in timber and minerals such as copper, iron, (mostly magnetite), silver, lead, zinc and molybenite.
It is very respectfully suggested that the best grade and alignment for the proposed road from the Old Office Camp to the summit of the Purcell Range be first carefully explored by men accustomed to the mountains and to finding passes through them, before the expense is gone to of having the engineers of the Nelson and Cranbrook Districts finally pass on the matter.
It is therefore resolved that the Cranbrook Board of Trade hereby places on record its unanimous conviction that the route for the National Transcontinental Highway from Cranbrook to Nelson via the valley of the St. Marys River and Pilot Bay should be examined by really competent persons and reported upon, so that the Dominion authorities be in a position to form a properly based opinion as to the shortest, most economical and most advantageous route between East and West Kootenay.
And be it further resolved that copies hereof be sent to the Honourable Doctor J. H. King, Minister of Works, Victoria; to Doctor Saul Bonnell, M.D., M.P. to Robert F. Green M.P., to Fred A. Starkey, President of the Associated Boards of Trade, Nelson, to the Boards of Trade of Fernie, Creston, Pincher Creek, Coleman, Macleod, and Lethbridge and to the respective editors of the Nelson Daily News, the Cranbrook Herald and the Creston Review, to the end that they, and each of them, in his and their respective spheres of influence may act energetically in the spirit hereof.
R. E. BEATTIE, President, A. L. McDERMOTT, Secretary.
Fancy dress carnival … A fancy dress carnival took place at the skating rink on Wednesday evening which was much enjoyed by those who attended. The ice was in good condition and a good crowd of both spectators and skaters was present.
Many of the costumes showed considerable care in their preparation, and the task of the Judges, Mesdames Clapp and McBride, Miss Cherrington, and Mr. Raworth, was not an easy one. There were Pierrots, Tramps, Spanish Girls, Columbias, Clowns, Dutch Girls, Happy Hooligans, Charlie Chaplins and many others. Miss Viola Sarvis as Britannia won prize for ladies’ best fancy costume; Mr. Orville Thompson, as a Highlander, prize for best gents’ fancy costume; Patricia McDermot as a Russian Girl, prize for best girls’ fancy costume, and Fred Briggs as “Saturday Evening Post” prize for best boys’ fancy costume.
Miss Richardson as a clown won prize for best ladies comic costume; Mr. G. Ladds as Lumber Jack, prize for best gents’ comic costume; Delphine Bennett as a Tramp took a prize for best girls’ comic costume, and Arthur Gill as a Ghost, prize for best boys’ comic costume; Donna Argue as a Highland Girl, and Gordon Woodman as a Chinaman, won honorable mention and season tickets.
Among other costumes that attracted particular attention were a Pierrot by Miss Grace McFarlane, Winter by Miss Irene Beech, and a Fairy by Miss Irma McNeill.
Coffee, sandwiches and cake were served in the refreshment room by the Misses Bertha and Alice Brown.
The only drawback to the entertainment was the absence of music, which however was not the fault of the manager of the rink, who had made every effort to obtain a band for the occasion but was not successful.
This is an institution that should be well patronized by the local young people. Mr. Brown is giving the ice his personal attention, and doing all in his power to make the rink a source of entertainment for the public.
An appeal from Belgian prisoner of war … The following note, which is self-explanatory, was received by us recently: Amersfoort, Dec. 12 Mr. Editor-in-chief, Forgive me my daring in writing you these few words. I am a Belgian interned soldier and should like very much to receive for collecting, used postage stamps, helping me to pass the longness of my captivity.
I dare hope, Mr. Editor, you will be so kind to insert, in your esteemed paper, an advertisement for which I thank you very much beforehand.
With all my kindest regards, I remain, Sir, John Corthals, Belgian Soldier Interned at Amersfoort, Holland.
Rod and gun club … An association only recently formed but which, by the strides it has already made undoubtedly fills a long felt want in this district is the Cranbrook Rod and Gun Club.
This organization already has a membership of 47. Mayor Clapp, the President, occupied the chair at a meeting held on Wednesday evening when the principal maters receiving attention were the appointment of a Fisheries Inspector for East Kootenay and the desirability of stocking the waters in the district.
Since the death of Mr. John McLeod the Kootenays have been without a Fisheries Inspector and it is felt that there should not be only one for the entire district but separate officials for East and West Kootenay.
In connection with the stocking of St. Marys Lake, Upper Moyie Lake, Munro Lake, Premier Lake and Deep Lake, an application is being sent to the Chief Inspector of Fisheries, asking for a total of 100,000 fry of suitable varieties.
Both these matters are to be taken up with the parliamentary representatives for the district.
An offer has been received from Dr. Henderson of Creston, of some pheasants with a view to introducing these birds into the district and it was suggested by Drs. Green and MacKinnon that enquiries be made regarding Hungarian Partridge which have been successfully introduced into Alberta.
A committee comprising the President, Secretary, and Deputy Provincial Game Warden, A. A. Ward, were appointed to draft a constitution and bylaws for the Club. Mr. E. T. Cooper will be glad to hear from any sportsmen in the district who desire to join the Club.