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pWSfSflPP " * ' /• ' * /*•< * ^ ->' „ "* w 7^ t THK McHEHBY PUIMBEALKB, THURSDAY, HAT IB, 1927 - <• ^ "" k Tr"& 1 "p-DISCOVERING ILLINOIS" By LESTER B. COLBY, Illinois Chamber of Commerce Eighty per cent of all fuel burned to keep the thousands of miles of the great Chicago & North Western railway system in operation is Illinois coal. More, it is all mined in the vicinity of one Illinois town. That town is Gillespie, in Macoupin county. It supplies this one railroad with about 3,500,00 tons of coal each year. The company since 1903 has operated a coal road, from Gillespie via Peoria to Nelson, 111., where it connects with the main system. This branch, over 105 miles of its trackage, has £hever handled any passenger traffic. Until this spring it never hauled any general freight. It was built and operated exclusively engines do nothing but haul coal to fuel the mother road: Twenty-six trains from Gillespie to the main system of the North Western. The railroad operates four mines in the vicinity of Gillespie. When they are going full blast they employ 3,600 men. Two of the mines were opened in 1903, the third in 1905 and the fourth in 1917. The mines have a combined capacity of approximately 21,000 tons of coal in an eight-hour shift. The record of one mine in eight hours is 7,177 tons, made on February 25 of this year. Gillespie is the largest city in Miacoupin county and is about midway between Springfield and St. Louis. It has a population of 6,400. Benld and Wilson, almost adjoining Gillespie, have about 3,300 and 2,500 inhabitants respectively. Something like 20,000 persons live within ten miles. There are six coal mines within fe radius of three miles. The chief business of this group of towns is coal. The four mines supplying coal to the North Western railroad are operated by a subsidiary, the Superior Coal Co. Its payroll in 1926 was $6,256,946. Combined payrolls of Gillespie totaled more than $7,000,000. S. P. Preston, editor of the Gillespie News, sold me on the idea of visiting Gillespie to get this story. He is the only country editor I ever knew to drive a Lincoln car. When I worked on a country weekly we had a horse and buggy. He says there is more Lincolns in Gillespie than any city of its size in the state. "Pres" told me if I'd come to Gillespie he'd spread the town out in the sun, let m« look at it, and get surprised. I was surprised. Gillespie BUILD WITH AND SAVE MONET Manufactured by Frett Bros. & Freund, i MASON CONTRACTORS WesttfcHenry, Ujiv Telephone 600-M-l or 86-fe, •4 • Cuts Fuel Bills w-csw B l«S8» VHSBW . 1 VLT itfHSSRemi' j liwHagThwrncM and makes house warmer Before the application of Thermofill, the upstaif* rooms of a two-story stucco house averaged 4 degrees colder than downstairs. After the application of 2 inches of Thermofill betweenjoist* on attic floor, upstair* rooms were actually I degrees warmer tha*! downstairs and the house was satisfactorily heated with the hot water plant at 30 degrees lower temperature* The owner installed Thermofill himselfc The cost was only a few dollars. You can't afford to be without Thermofill this winter. 1HERM0FHL The Dry Fill Insulation McHenry Lumber Co. Phone 46 Weit McHenry s Practical tests tell us it's the best Flat Wall Paint on the market XTINE leading brands of IN flat wall paint were tested on a wall by a skilled fainter for wash ability, ease of application and appearance. Then, foiir judges examined and rated each paint. The rating proved to our satisfaction that Devoe Velour Finish is the best flat wall paint oa the market. 'PmcticalTests cProve Devoe Quality JOHN F. BRDA Phone 161 MpHenry, EL I is unique as a coal mining center It's unique in that it seldom gets "in the papers." You don't read of mine disasters in Gillespie, murders, .forays by gunmen, bootleg wars or any wildcat strikes. There hasn't been a local strike in ,the Gillespie district in ten years, "fhe men are out now And the mines are closed but that is because all union mines are closed throughout Illinois. The railroad has more than 1,000,000 tons of coal above ground for just such an emergency. Scotch miners and their descendants prevail in and around Gillespie other peoples. Out of a population of 6,400 there are nearly 1,100 students in the common schools, 408 in the high school and 280 in parochial school. No race suicide is evident. In these stories I have seldom talked about schools or churches or paving or other commonplace things. But in this city, built up so swiftly around mining camps, it seems remarkable that (there should >be so good a high school, five good pride schools so well built and so excellently organized a parochial school. We visited the schools and found the students bright and well dressed and clean. The three banks in Gillespie have more than $2,500,000 on deposit. Come with me now and we will go on a bit of an adventure. A trip down into one of these mines has been arranged. We get our miners' lamps, open flame, for there is no danger of explosion here. We do not take the trouble to put on overalls. There is little dust and the mines are clean. We go to the shaft and step onto a platform dangling from a cable. Each of us takes a firm handhold. A whistle sounds and we drop, straight down, for 500 feet. It is inky except for our lamps. We come to a velvety stop and step out. Here is the central point of a series of tunnels. * Each is electrically lighted. Narrow gage railroad tracks with overhead trolleys radiate. A train of open cars comes up. Clean sacks have been laid over the sides of the cars because they have been used for coal. We get in and dash away toward the outer darkness. A couple of miles away we come to the chambers which have been most recently worked. -We learn how the electrically driven machines shear under the veins of coal, how they make vertical cuts, how the men put in the shots and shoot the coal down,* how it is sorted and loaded". We learn how this mine has among its working forces more than 200 trained lifesavers. We learn that twenty-four men carry first aid boxes with them during every hour they work and have them always at hand. We find hospital equipment under ground and above ground. We are told that at times the Gillespie mines have held the state record for tons of coal mined per accident. This Superior Coal Co., which is acting as our host, owns 45,560 ^acres i of coal rights. After twenty-four years of continuous operation it has mined out 8, 830 acres. It has 36,730 acres yet to mine or about 250,000,- 000 tons of mineable coal left. Under present methods it is possible to recover only about half the coal. The rest must be left to hold the "roof" up. In the beginning these mines were sunk with view to lifting 2,000 tons of coal per day each. Today they average more than 5,000 tons daily. That gain is credited to improved methods of operation. As we go through the mine we arei guided by officials of the company) and officials of the union. At first I thought this seems rather odd for the j miners are out on strike. But, think-' ing it over, it seems to be sensible i enough. The strike is not local. These j men have no quarrel. They are busi-1 "ness men. It is pretty decent all around. | Perhaps it indicates why Gillespie | is well-built and .apparently more I substantial than one might expect of j a coal mining town. From the above you may be led to believe that there is little in Gillespie other than coal and the businesses that grow upon it. There are other natural resources. Sixty oil wells are j producing in a field not far distant i from the city. They are not large I wells but they yield steadily and the | field is growing:. Much formation is yet to be drilled. Besides that five natural eas wells j with a potential capacity of 35,000,- j 000 cubic feet a day have been drilled.! They are capped now, waiting for some industry that can use the gas. Geologists say that the gas field.; struck at 600 to 800 feet, had barely! been tapped. Around Gillespie aro valuable clays. I Water is abundant. The town has a 75-acre reservoir, each mine has a; never failing individual source of supply held in artificial lakes. Even the country club, a few miles out of town, has nine holes with more trick water hazards in it than I have ever seen in the same area. It is the only golf course I know where one uses a ferry to get from the last hole to the club house. The cuff links 'were won by Fred Meyers. Miss Laura Smith of Johnsburg was a Thursday guest of Emma May m the home of Joseph Lay. Eleanor Miller of Waukegan was a week-end guest in the home of her aunt, Mrs. John Lay. .Donald Winn of Chicago spent Saturday and Sunday with his sister, Mrs. Joe Wagner. Mr. and Mrs. Joe J. Wagner and son, Donald, motored to Woodstock Wednesday, returning' Thursday they were guests while there of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gabe. Mr. and Mrs. Reed Carr, R. G. Hoffman and Mrs. Fanny Carr drove to Terra Cotta Sunday. Mr. Hoffman remained for a few days with Mr. and Mrs. Frank McMillan. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Franzen and family of Ringwood were Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Wagner. George Vogal and Mrs. Edwin Vogal of Solon Mills transacted business here Saturday forenoon. Thirty relatives and friends gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Pepping, Sunday and spent the day. Dr. and Mrs. Blakeman of Chicago were Sunday guests at Clyde Parleys'. Mr. and Mrs. Math Lay were called to Johnsburg Friday evening by the illness of the latter's father, Stephen Schmitt. Mrs. George Richardson, Mrs. Robb Sutton and daughter of Solon Mills were callers here Friday. M!r. and Mrs. Sullivan and two daughters of Walworth were among the Sunday guests at Charles Behrnes. M)rs. Thomas McAffterty and Mrs. R. C. Oxtoby motored to Waukegan Thursday. Sunday, May 15 at St. Peter's Catholic church eighty children made their communion. The church was beautifully decorated with natural flowers. At 7:30 o'clock four little girls dressed in white and carrying bouquets led the children to the altar. The girls all wore veils held with a wreath. Twelve of the children who made their first communion were: Elmer Adams, Raymond Adams, Constance Jackson, Arlean Nett,'Kathleen Justen, Stanley Kattner, Edwin Klein, Merlin Engles, Edawrd May, John Clark, Mildred Freund. Clyde Parfrey was a Chicago passenger Friday. Leo Lay of Chicago was called home Friday evening on the midnight train by the sudden illness of his grandfahter, Stephen Schmitt of Johnsburg. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Winn are the proud parents of a baby son born to them Sunday 15 at Janesville. Mr. and Mrs. Math Nimsgrem had guests over Sunday. Edwin Pierce of Waukegan and friend called Saturday at his grandfather's Silas Pierce. Ed Bell transacted business in Ringwood Friday. Glen Esh of Watertown was a Wednesday evening caller at the home of his sister, Mrs. Bertha Esh and family. Joe Wagner from Iowa is spending a few weeks with his brother, John, he is also wrecking his hotel property which has been vacant for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. L. Jackson returned home Sunday after spending the winter months in Florida. Mrs. K. Lopeman had guests over Saturday in her home. On May 8 John Bauer, Jr., better known as "•Buddie" passed away af his home in Waukegan after a period of many months illness. Although his death was sudden at the last it came unexpected. He is the fuorth son of John and Maggie Bauer, formerly of this place, but moved to Waukegan about nine years ago. The funeral took place at the Catholic church in Waukegan and burial at McHenry. Mrs. Peacock motored to Waukegan the first of the week in cbmpany with her father. Mr. William James of Antioch. They were callers at the former's brother Frances James. Miss Nora Bretz celebrated her 19th birthday, Saturday evening by inviting twenty-five of her friends to help her spend the evening. Bunco was the amusement of the evening. At a late hour a delicious lunch was served. She received many useful gifts. Those present were: Misses Alvena Engles. Fannie Bretz, Bernice •Toeekle, Genevieve Kattner, Regina Kattner. Mayme May. Katherine May, Emma, May, Vera Pepping, Helen Pepping, Agnes Weber. Marguerite Clark. Jimmy Beers, Joe Bretz, A1 Britz, Norbert Klause, .Toe Klause, Arthur Klein, Edmond Keefe, George May, Paul Weber and Raymond Clark. Mrs. Behrnes of Walworth spent Monday with Mrs. Charles Behrnes. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Mecklenbung and Mrs. John Zomstroff of Genoa City were callers here Monday, afternoon. SPECIAL ASSESSMENT NOTICE In the matter of the petition of the City of McHenry, McHenry County, Illinois, to levy a special assessment for an improvement in said city consisting of a connected system of sanitary sewers, providing for all necessary manholes, etc., in and along a portion of Ringwood Road in said City of McHenry, McHenry County, Illinois. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to all persons interested that the city council of the City-of McHenry, McHenry County, Illinois, having ordered that a local improvement be made consisting of the construction of a connected syste mof sewers for sanitary purposes, providing for all necessary manholes, house junction branches and vitrified stoppers, all connected and completely installed in place, including excavations and back filling in and along a portion of Ringwood Road in said City, as provided for in and by an ordinance passed by the City Council of the said City on the 2nd day of May, A. D. 1972, and approved by its mayor on May 2nd, A. D. 1927, entitled "An Ordinance for a Connected System of Sanitary Sewers in a Portion of Ringwood Road, in the City of McHenry, McHenry County, Illinois" the ordinance for the same being on file in the office of the City Clerk of said City of McHenry, and having applied to the County Court of McHenry County for an assessment of the costs of said improvement according to benefits, and an assessment therefor having been made and returned to said Court, which assessment is divided into ten per cent per annum; the final hearing thereon will be had on the 31st day of May, A. D. 1927, at the hour of ten o'clock a. m. or as soon thereafter as the business of the Court will permit. All persons desiring may Emm Acton Many a man who ts willing to admit he doesn't know anything about the stags will still persist In acting the fool. SPRING GROVE On Saturday, May 7. occurred the marriage of Miss Mfertha Freund and Mr. Bert Cussey both of Chicago, ceremony was solemnized at that olaee. Their attendants were Miss Lillian Freund of McHenry and Mr. Edward Stewart of Chicago. The wedding dinner was served to about twenty relatives and friends. They left for^the city in the evening and Monday morning left on a wedding trio to Canada. Mrs. Thomas McAfferty. Mrs. R. A. Oxtoby, Mrs. Edna Sweet and Mrs. Leplee motored to Kenosha Monday afternoon. A card party and dance at Spring Grove, sponsored by the Lotus Woman's Country club for the Mississippi river flood sufferers, was well patronized and we wish to thank those who cooperated with us in making it a success. The music, hall, and the tickets were donated, also a set of cuff links by Mr. McGee of McHenry and the entire proceeds amounting to $135.00 was sent to the Red Cross headquarters through station WMAQ. For BETTER GLASSES BETTER VISION BETTER SERVICE See ML HENRY FREUND Optometrist 1! Pries Bldg. McHenry, Illinois. <; Hours: 7 to 9 p. m. except Sat- \ • > urday; Wednesdays 9 a. m. to II 9 p. m. «• Phones: Office McHenry 182 Residence, McHenry 175. -- ' o <i • " file objections in said Court before said day and may appear at the hearing and make their defense. Dated at McHenry, Illinois, this 12th day of Mlay, A. D. 1927. CHRISTINA YOUNG, Person appointed by the President of the Board of Local Improvements of the City of McHenry, Illinois, to spread said assessment. 49-2. _ Spider* Ballooning, says the I>earborn dependent. Is the method of tion used by many species of spider*. Standing in an open space, with tiw body elevated, the spider projects froM the spinnerets a line of silk whick continues .until the spider feels tin pull of the wind. It releases its faoM as It is borne away. John J. 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