Glancing Back for Sept. 22: Fire demolishes Humboldt barn
Sept. 22, 1924
It is estimated that 25,000 or more people journeyed to Rantoul Sunday and witnessed the annual aerial demonstration at Chanute field. There were possibly 500 cars from Mattoon, it is said. The program was a generous one, during which the most daring of aviation work was done, including specimens of bombing, pursuit, battle formation and attack and burning of observation balloon ... MATTOON — The equinoxial storm was lenient with Mattoon and vicinity. There was quite a strong breeze, but few branches of trees were torn off. The rain was almost fitful, except for a short spurt, and the gauge showed but two-tenths of an inch of rain had fallen in Mattoon. There were but a few slips in the lighting system. This was caused by temporary disturbances when limbs were blown on the wires at points west and north of Mattoon, the Public Service Company offices said this morning. No telephone trouble was experienced here. The immediate effect of the wind and rain was a sharp cooling off of the sweltering heat which had prevailed for 36 hours previous. The barometers began several days ago to give warning of the seasonal storm ... MATTOON — O.L. ("Heavy") Gallbreath and his fifteen-year-old nephew, James Gallbreath, in charge of an eating house in North 9th Street, were arrested by Police Chief Portlock and City Scavenger French Saturday afternoon late, following a search of the premises by Deputy Sheriff Shirley, armed with state search warrants, when seven small bottles of whiskey are said by officers to have been found. It is claimed that prohibition enforcement officers had purchased two-ounce bottles of whiskey on the premises, paying therefor fifty cents each.
No paper, Sunday.
CHARLESTON — Coles County will receive $85,000 in a lawsuit settlement with convicted drug dealer Lowell E. Kelsey, according to terms State's Attorney Steve Ferguson has released. Ferguson honored a request under the Freedom of Information Act that the Times-Courier and Journal Gazette filed seeking the settlement terms. The County Board at its meeting last week approved the settlement, which included a confidentiality clause that prevented any party of the lawsuit from disclosing the terms. Ferguson said he expected to have to honor the newspapers' request, but was obligated under the confidentiality clause to wait until that request was made before releasing the details of the settlement ... MATTOON — The City Council appears to have a consensus on one issue related to city administration: Either a city manager or a city administrator is needed to pull together city operations. Thomas Christie, the Wood River city manager, outlined pros and cons of the city manager form of government and of hiring a city administrator. His discussion with the council followed a presentation by Commissioner Lois Vonderheide of results of a survey of other Illinois cities ... HUMBOLDT — Fire officials are speculating that dry hay that overheated may have started a blaze that razed a large metal barn near Humboldt Tuesday morning. The metal barn, owned by John Mast of rural Humboldt, was a complete loss, incurring damages of between $2,500 and $3,500, according to Humboldt Fire Chief Bill Cobb. "When we arrived on the scene, the barn was completely engulfed," said Cobb. "It was too hard to put out." Humboldt fire personnel arrived shortly after 7 a.m., when they were notified of the fire. They received assistance from Arcola, Arthur, and Cooks Mills firefighters, who remained on the scene until 1 p.m. The barn, located about two miles west of Humboldt, contained a few tractors and a large amount of hay that still posed a danger of re-igniting nearly ten hours after the fire started.
Contact Clint Walker at . To read more about any of these items, consult the online archives at JG-TC.com .
Community Content Coordinator
