Students at Stewart Indian School Leaning sewing in about 1900.
Saturday
150 Years Ago
Virginia and Truckee Company: Quietly but steadily, the big machine shop is receiving its complement of handsome machinery. The great lathe, the screw and bolt machines, the hydraulic wheel adjuster and the lathes have already been mentioned. Within a few days past they have set up the wheel-boring machine and a thing that we take to be a sort of heavy punch. The big planning machine is getting put into place; and yesterday, we noticed a gang of workmen putting up the steam hammer.
140 Years Ago
In brief: A newspaper down in Arizona has discovered a cave filled with silver plated skeletons.
Bret Harte has dramatized his “Luck of the Roaring Camp,” and the Madison Square Management has bought the play. Harte wanted $10,000 and a percentage but finally took the percentage without the $10,000.
Extra: Railroad items: Conductor Follet got pretty severely bruised about the head and face while on top of a box car. He had gotten up on the car to set up a brake and while going under the flume near Parker’s mill, just to the other side of Washoe, he was walking toward the rear end of his train with his back to the flume, when he got struck by the flume on the back of his head. He was knocked flat down upon the roof of the car. Lucky to get off with an unbroken neck, he had a pretty severe bruising about the nose and lips.
130 Years Ago
Sad accident: While Mr. and Mrs. H. Springmeyer were absent from their ranch near the creamery Sunday, a seven-year-old son got ahold of a shotgun and put in a shell. While playing with his nine-year-old sister, Edna, the gun discharged and the little girls under jaw was shot away. She died yesterday morning. She will be buried in Genoa.
110 Years Ago
Water complaints: Dr. Lee and others have filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission against the Carson Water Co. They complain that the water company is discriminating in its service, in that they have to pay an exorbitant price for water, while neighbors who use just as much only pay one-half of what they do.
70 Years Ago
Block letters awarded. Lettermen include captain Norm Scoggins and Louis Nelson; Ken Longero, Paul Howard, Ernie Johnson, Tom Fettic, Joe Gillie, Ed Allison, Norm White, Chet Wood, Harold Gotelli, Joe Baxter, George Allison, Bill Oliver, Larry Sullivan, Dave Ladd, Harlan Elges, Bill Newton, Bill Hann, Bill Holcomb, Tom Pardini, and Mike Sturgeon.
Sunday
150 Years Ago
Clairvoyant: Senoea Clara Antonia, a clairvoyant, or seer, may be consulted on matters of business and sentiment, such as love and a desire to be famous and the like, in her room in the Ormsby House.
140 Years Ago
Skipped: The two humbugs Melrose and Shannon who attempted to salt the prehistoric mound near the state prison in Carson City, have now left for San Francisco where they are negotiating with the Academy of Sciences to sell their discoveries for a large sum.
Warden Bell informs the Appeal that he inspected the mound and there is not the slightest trace of a tunnel. The two camped in the vicinity. He considers them the clumsiest kind of imposters. The only thing that surprises him is that they did not steal the prehistoric tracks and lug them off to San Francisco. Nothing less than relics of the Pliocene age will pass muster in Carson, and they can only be found in a good state of preservation.
130 Years Ago
Horse manners: A writer says that whenever a horse driven by him balked, he has gotten out of his carriage, gone to the horse’s forefoot, lifted it from the ground and struck the shoe a few blows with a stone. He has never failed to start a balky horse.
110 Years Ago
Advertisement: “At Hanke’s, fresh fruits candies, and ice creams — hot drinks, chili con carne, noodles and sandwiches, fresh Carson eggs. The Bon Ton, phone 1-3-9-1.”
70 Years Ago
Advertisement: “Carson Theater — ‘The White Witch Doctor,’ with Susan Hayward, Robert Mitcham and Walter Slezak.”
Monday
150 Years Ago
Robbery: Tom Carson was robbed of a trunk, an overcoat and toiletry things. He rooms in one of those little French looking, low roofed snuggeries at Philo Rice’s. The burglars got in and shoved the trunk out of the window. There were a lot of pictures and a lace shawl Tom’s aunt had put there for safe keeping and his militia pantaloons… The trunk was found with some of the things in Sweeney’s field, back of Miss Clapp’s place. No clue as to the guilty party.
140 Years Ago
In brief: Eggs have been uncommonly scarce for the past few days.
William Love, the Cherry Creek attorney, is in the city on legal business.
The Masherdonian (sic) Phalanx is what the Chronicle calls the pugilists.
130 Years Ago
Squirrely: S.C. Thomas says that although he planted many acres of wheat, he did not harvest a spear of grain on account of the devastation of ground squirrels which were unusually numerous this year. The vegetables were badly treated by these little animals. (Winnemucca, Silver State)
110 Years Ago
Juvenile court: The women’s clubs of Tonopah have been circulating petitions requesting the proper authorities to establish a juvenile department attached to the district court of Nye County with the recommendation that Miss Mary J. McNamara be appointed probation officer. The request was refused.
70 Years Ago
Nevada Day: The Nevada Day Committee estimated that 40,000 visitors to Carson spent some $200,000 during Nevada’s recent two-day birthday party.
Tuesday
150 Years Ago
Extension of the Episcopal Church: The frame, roof and side boards are up, and all the externals wanted to complete this new part are here – shingles, weather boards, windows and paint. It will now be quite a cathedral. There are some “benefits of clergy” which all must admit; and whatever indicates the prosperity of so pleasantly profitable an organization as our St. Peter’s Church, we are glad to make note of.
140 Years Ago
Washing with kerosene: Families in Carson have adopted the plan of washing clothes with kerosene oil, while others refuse fearing it will scent the clothes. Anyone who will take a tablespoon full of kerosene to a gallon of water along with a small quantity of common yellow will find a chemical compound that makes clothes as white as snow.
130 Years Ago
Nevada Rancher tales: Dear Ed. Appeal — In the Public Comfort Building of the Fair, which is much frequented by ladies, I rescued a tall and beautiful blonde from a terrible dilemma. A mouse ran across the floor in a vicious and riotous manner causing great rustling of skirts, chair climbing and fainting… Catching the reeling blonde in my arms I shouted to the ladies I was there and helped my charge out of the building. When refreshed with a drink of hot claim juice from the Rhode Island exhibit, the trembling creature told me she must hurry away as she had to do a lion taming set. Later I saw her banging a Numidian lion over the head with the butt of a riding whip and also kick the posterior of a Bengal tiger all over the ring, amid the vociferous applause of the delighted populace.
110 Years Ago
Conductor shoots cowboy: Thomas Cunningham, a freight conductor on the Tonopah and Goldfield railroad, shot and dangerously wounded Clarence Beall, a former Texas cowboy over a remark made by the latter to one of the dance hall girls. He was shot through the stomach and bowels and little hope is given for his recovery.
70 Years Ago
Robbery: Burglars broke into the Kelly and Lindsay grocery store in the darkness hours of morning and stole between $200 and $300 from a steel safe. They broke open a window in the rear of the store and forced open a door. The grocery’s heavy 600-pound safe was taken out of the door.
Sue Ballew is the daughter of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.