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Show ijr Battle Creek Like the old Negro said, when they told him that Mr. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had made him a free man, "Lawd a massy, things sure do change." Mayor Burton H. Adams called at the house last Friday for an informal chat about things in general. Before he left he handed me an official city document dated dat-ed September 6, 1927. It was on the original letterhead of Mayor Frank B. Newman and was titled "Street Supervisor's Report ' for August, 1927." It read as follows: fol-lows: To Mayor and City Council Gentlemen: During the month of August, regraded four blocks on First North St. and one block on First East St. Harrowed and raked off rocks, drug and sprinkled same, and hauled rocks and gravel in front of tabernacle. Also regraded Locust Avenue and went over same with city drag. Regraded First West St. from Beers corner north to city limits, lim-its, raked off rocks, drug and sprinkled and are now hauling rocks away. Have been over all streets of city and brubbed all burdocks and thistles found in the streets, and are now mowing other weeds throughout the city. Respectfully yours, A. R. Winters, City Marshall It was also interesting to note, according to the list of city officers of-ficers on the letterhead that Mr. Winters was also "Street Supervisor." Super-visor." Other appointive officers were Charles B. Harper, city Judge; Sam D. Thurman, city attorney; Henson Nielson, superintendent of water works; J. E. Hardman, watermaster; J. Kemp, fire chief; Dr. O. E. Grua, city physician; Leo Harvey, poundkeeper; F. S. Humphries, sexton and Roy Dev- eraux, building inspector. City council members were Niels Fugal, William Lim, Fred C. Shoell, Joe Olpin and Joe Dick-erson. Dick-erson. S. A. Kirk was recorder and Marie F. Smith city treasurer. treas-urer. Well anyway, the report of Mr. Winters reveals that considerable was done back in 1927 with the equipment they had to work with. The "drag" referred to was no doubt a horse-drawn contraption as also was the harrow. The hand garden rake was another important impor-tant piece of road equipment in those days, 34 years ago. Former Mayor Frank Newman told me that the "regrading" could have been done by either a horse drawn machine or motorized motor-ized equipment. The first power road machine was purchased during dur-ing his administration, he revealed. reveal-ed. In addition to the changes in road equipment, and ways of doing do-ing things, there have also been changes in the activities of . the personnel listed on tire 1927 letterhead. let-terhead. Of the total of 18 Officials Offic-ials listed, only five are still living. liv-ing. Their names and current activities ac-tivities are as follows: Mayor F. B. Newman, high school teacher; City Recorder S. A. Kirk, semi-retired semi-retired lumberman; Building inspector in-spector Roy Deveraux, retired construction foreman; Pound-keeper Pound-keeper Leo Harvey, water and soil conservationist and farmer; Joe Olpin, undertaker. Most happily for all concerned, important major changes affecting affect-ing humanity come slowly. Otherwise Other-wise we might have trouble malting malt-ing the necessary adjustments. For instance, take the recent feat of Yuri Gagarin, the Russian Rus-sian "cosmonaut." In considerably consider-ably less than two hours he almost al-most turned the world upside down. So long 'til Thursday. |