The News From Dysart - First Two Weeks of February 1914
City News
At a regular monthly meeting the Town Council reviewed a number of applications for the position of Superintendent of the Eclectic Light Plant. W.D Crowl was hired at a salary of $76.00 per month. George Geyer was hired as night man and will continue his position as Marshall. He will draw a salary of $75.00 per month. Mr Crowl has been at work doing electrical work since last November. He is a young man who came here from Chicago. Mr. Geyer has been in the employment of the city for seven years. Mr. Geyer will be performing the task of meter reading and collecting fees which he will deposit with Mr. Irvin Moeller at the Dysart Savings Bank. Residents who pay their fee before the 10th of the month will recieve a 10% discount on their bill. The electrical engineer will be in town next week to test the equipment. The planned date for opening the plant is February 18.
Business News
John Mowery is working on a proposal to supply Dysart people with ice at retail during the coming summer. His plan is to deliver by team every day, as Dysart currently has no ice dealer.
Farm News
Shroeder & Goken shipped eleven cars of cattle to the market. Carloads were received from Henry Fischer, E.N Riddlesbarger, August Jansen, Henry Siemens, Dengler and Schreck, Lorenz Lorenzen, Albert Witt, Rudolf Siemens and Ben Lorenzen.
G. J. Monroe purchased a yearling filly from W. H. Bechtold, of Breese, Illinois and had the colt shipped here last week by express. Mr. Monroe believes he has added a fine animal to his bunch of fine horses.
T. B. Grain Co & Marsau shipped nine carloads of hogs from Dysart last week. They received carload lots from H.P. Jensen, John and Ed Powell, Dan Rinker, Peter Untiedt, Frank Bragonier and John Hack.
Dave Reddick shipped a load of fine horses from Dysart to Thomas at Waterloo. There were seventeen and he was paid an average of nearly $20 per head.
Wilson Bros. are advertising a closing out sale to be held Febuary 13th. They will sell 21 horses, 74 head of cattle, 100 hogs and their farm machinery.
Social Happenings
Fred Steaffler and his seven-year-old son of Sheyboygan, Wisc., came last week for a visit with Fred's sisters Mrs. Charles (Emma) Burmeister, Mrs. Henry (Wilhelmina) Kusel and Mrs. John (Caroline) Selk. Mr. Steaffler has sold his farm in Wisconsin, and he expects to spend several months here in Dysart.
Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Moeller of Dysart were in Cedar Rapids yesterday. They came to attend the meeting last night of the White Shrine No. 1 an organization recently formed by members of the Eastern Star. Mr. Moeller is cashier of the Dysart Savings bank
Editor's Note: The Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem started in 1894 in Illinois. The organization continues today, and their website says they provide funding for medical care.
School News
The Senior Class of 1914 is beginning their preparations for graduation. They had several evening meetings where they decorated the the west end of the assembly room in the school colors of black and orange which included a dinner of oyster stew. Their class motto is "Work and Win" They have agreed to perform a modernized version of the Merchant of Venice as their Senior Class play in April.
Some of the students have been out looking at colleges for post-graduation. Dewey Thiele recently traveled to Waterloo explore the Waterloo College of Commerce where he may go to improve his salesmanship skills. Jane Heinrich has gone on a visit to Iowa Falls where she is considering going after graduation.
Editor's Note: For more information on the Waterloo Business College, you can visit: https://www.lostcolleges.com/waterloo-business-college
In what may have served as inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock, a female teacher in Wales was recently attached by a hawk which flew in through an open window in her classroom. The bird was clinging to her blouse and was only dislodged with difficulty when a male teacher came to her rescue. The bird is now in a cage in one of the classrooms.
Entertainment
Deaths
John Kavalier formerly employed as a section hand at Chelsea, Vining and Elberon, died at the home of his sister, Mrs. John Ash, in Dysart last week. He had been living with his sister for the past couple of years due to illness and had been seriously sick for several months. He was bedfast for only two weeks. Yellow jaundice was the cause.
John Kavalier was born in Bohemia in 1871. He came to America with his parents when he was six years old and settled with them near Vining, Iowa. He was married in 1895 to Mary Korble who died six years ago on the 8th of February. He was very superstitious about that date and stated to friends that if he could live till then he felt that he would get well. But he had not the strength to live till that date. Born to this union are the sons, George and Albert. When he was first married, he lived at Chelsea where he worked on the section. From there he moved to Vining and then to Elberon, continuing his section work at those places. He was at that work for about thirteen years. After his wife died, he has been making his home around Dysart with his relatives and working for those that needed his help.
Mr. Kavalier was well known among the farmers in this vicinity. He was a willing worker and those that have been used to his help will miss him greatly. Tuesday morning, a short prayer was made at the John Ash home by A. R. Kepple and the body was taken to Elberon where the funeral was held at the Methodist church. The services were conducted by Rev. Powell, of the Evangelical church of Vining, the same minister that conducted the services over the body of the mother of the two orphan boys. Interment was made in the National cemetery, five miles southwest of Elberon.
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