Looking Back for Sept. 22, 2021

1921 – 100 YEARS AGO

The Ford car owned by Miss Alice Applebee was damaged by the 8 o’clock streetcar this morning at Pearl Street and Lincoln Highway as Frank Lewis, who was driving, attempted to turn onto Lincoln Highway from Pearl Street. The fender, wheel and radiator of the automobile was damaged, but the driver was not injured. Motorman Anderson, in charge of the street car, did not stop but investigated the matter upon his return from the Normal gate.

Repairs on the Haish factory building at Sixth Street and Lincoln Highway, now occupied by the Nehring Electrical Works, have been completed, with perhaps the exception of some inside work to be done. The building was damaged in the wind storm of several weeks ago, and a greater part of the roof at the west end of the building was blown into the street. The third story on the west end of the factory has not been rebuilt, due to the fact that the Nehring people were not using the space except for storage purposes and there is sufficient storage without this part of the building.

DeKalb grocers are soon to have a little contest all their own, a window trimming contest, the winner to be given absolutely free a half page space in The Chronicle to advertise anything he chooses and use as much printer’s ink in that space as he can crowd in. The only specification of the contest is that the grocer must use Calumet baking powder entirely for his window or literature and display material advertising the well-known leavening agent.

St. Alban’s School for Boys at Sycamore opened Monday. The attendance is large. The buildings have been repaired and furnished and put in fine condition and the prospects are for a very successful school year.

Police department officials are today looking about the city for an Excelsior bicycle which was stolen from Richard Lahti some time yesterday afternoon. The notation on the police book does not give out any information as to the whereabouts of the bicycle at the time it was stolen but the authorities are in possession of a detailed description of the property.

With all other work going on as rapidly as possible, the grading of the property surrounding the new Sisters hospital on North Street between First and Second street is well completed, although some of the work is expected to be given further attention. It is understood that inside work has been going on for many weeks with the plumbers and others hard at work on the installation of various equipment.

1946 – 75 YEARS AGO

Officials of the Niagara Frontier Park Commission in New York are waiting for heavy mist to clear from the lower Niagara gorge today to determine how much rock had been shaken loose from the brink of the American falls by an earth tremor. There now appears to have been two distinct rock slides which created a noticeable change in the contour of the 168-foot falls.

Announcement was made today by the War Assets Administration of the sale of the surplus wire plant in Sycamore to the Diamond Wire and Cable Co., of Chicago Heights, for $601,000. This is the south mill that was operated by Anaconda Wire & Cable Co., during the war. The Diamond Wire and Cable Co. secured all of the 21 buildings, equipment and machinery in these buildings. The new firm here will manufacture building and code wire needed in the housing program for veterans.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Eakle of Waterman, Mr. and Mrs. A. Soudegaard of Dwight, Robert White, Jack Clark and Ivan Williams left Thursday with the battleship float for San Francisco, Calif., where the float will be entered in the National Legion parade.

Workmen are busy at this time preparing the building on North Genoa Street in Genoa, which will house the factory of the Babson Brothers of Chicago who will manufacture Surge Milker Stalls.

Steeplejacks have finished the task of renovating and painting the water tower and tank, inside and out. They found the job badly needed as there was much rust in the standpipe and tank.

Last evening about 6:20 o’clock the DeKalb rural truck was called to the farm tenanted by Lyle Johnson where a barn filled with hay was destroyed by flames. The farm is located in Milan Township southwest of Malta and is owned by George Bartlett. Although the barn was destroyed, it was possible to save two cows.

Mr. Cook of Sycamore does not believe in the old saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed,” today as he is spending 30 days in the county jail. It seems that Henry Loritizen fell into the shrubbery and was in trouble in front of the county jail. Cook, hearing his friend was in custody, proceeded to the city jail. When he arrived, Traffic Officer George Meier was awaiting him and escorted him to the back cell. To Cook’s dismay he did not find his friend, instead he found the cell door located by Officer Meier. Loritizen and Cook were taken before the Justice of the Peace with the charge of being drunk and disorderly.

1971 – 50 YEARS AGO

The Daily Chronicle’s “Friendliest, Most Courteous” campaign is off to a strong start with hundreds of ballots pouring in each day. After the initial ballot tabulation, the first “friendly, courteous” employees to be nominated were Mrs. Barbara St. Laurent, cashier at Brown’s Super Market Inc., and Chuck Wallin, assistant manager at Ace Hardware in DeKalb.

It can’t be said that the wives of DeKalb’s firefighters don’t get involved in their husband’s jobs, but at least one male is needed to hold their hose. This was the case Sunday during the Shabbona Fun Days as the women took a turn in the water fight competition.

DeKalb police arrested a 20-year-old DeKalb man and charged him with burglary Sunday at DeKalb High School. In a separate incident, more than $1,449 and 23 guitars were stolen from Henderson’s Music Store in DeKalb. The man was arrested Sunday a little after midnight in the high school. He was arrested in the hallway of the school. Entry into the building was gained with a pass key.

1996 – 25 YEARS AGO

The question of building a new trailer park in Kirkland sparked heated debate at last night’s zoning committee meeting exposing division within the small community, which has surfaced since this summer’s flooding. The zoning committee denied the request for a special use permit which would have begun the process of developing the site, leaving residents of Congress Lake Estates trailer park, who have been flooded out since July, to continue to ask whether they will have a home in Kirkland.

Ronald McDonald hushed a book worm in his library Tuesday as he presented “Bookin with Ronald McDonald” to the students at Littlejohn Elementary School. Ronald emphasized the importance of reading, stating that readers are leaders.

– Compiled by Sue Breese