Thursday, March 21, 1901
Sixteen carloads of pulpwood passed Marlinton Friday. Some of the logs looked as though they might be three feet in diameter.
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The Millinery and Ladies’ Supply Store at Academy will open March 27, 1901.
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Engineers are surveying on Stony Creek in the interests of a road from Cherry River to Marlinton.
LATEST FROM THE ELEPHANT
Turns Rogue and gets into Trouble.
Jumbo, the big African elephant on the West Virginia Farm is in disgrace. His owner, Mr. James Cahill, has been missing corn from his crib recently and at last detected where the thief had been taking it out one ear at a time from a hole in the side of the crib.
Thinking to catch the thief he set a strong steel trap inside the crib on the 13th inst. and waited results.
The next morning, he got up and went down to the barn and saw the corncrib torn down and scattered all over the barnyard. All the cows, hogs and colts in the barnyard had eaten their fill of the corn and trampled the rest in the mud. One cow was made very sick and a colt showed signs of being foundered.
The elephant could not be found for a time but was, at last, discovered hidden in the straw rick.
When he had been prodded out of his hiding place by means of a pitchfork, the steel trap was found on his proboscis. The elephant looked extremely sheepish and ashamed and when the annoying trap was taken off his trunk, he capered around the barnyard like a two-year-old colt.
The supposition is that the animal had been taking corn out of the crib at night and when he was caught in the trap, he was so enraged or terrified that he tore down the crib and scattered it around generally. Owing to his valuable service lately, he was not punished for this piece of mischief.
THE DROWNING
The cause of the accident at the Greenbrier Railway bridge above Marlinton was due to the fact that an effort was made to steer the dog raft, on which were Ed Burner, Burt Norton, Arthur Watson and John Gempler, to the left of the pier when the current naturally set to the right. The oars could not overcome the current and carried it right on the pier. When it was too late, an effort was made to throw the raft to the right of the pier, but without avail.
Last Wednesday, the body of John Gempler was found on a bar, where it had drifted, about three miles below the place of the accident. His remains were cared for by the undertaking department of Pocahontas Furniture Company.
His people live in New York. They came to Huttonsville and his brother drove here, and took the body back to Huttonsville with him, to be taken to New York.
Arthur Watson, who also was drowned, is one of the best-known woodsmen of Davis. He was for many years conductor of the log train at that place, and on one occasion had a remarkable escape. At the top of a long grade, four cars loaded with logs broke a coupling and started down a steep four-mile grade at night. A brakeman jumped in time, but Watson stayed with the train. The speed it attained was terrific, and it was said the lantern the conductor carried looked like a streak of light.
The train finally left the track, and search was made for some time along both sides of the right of way for his body by a number of men. He was found in Davis the next day, where he had gone after the wreck. He was wholly unhurt.
One of the bodies of the Italians was found about four hundred yards below the place of drowning Tuesday following the occurrence. Parties were hunting every day last week for the two remaining bodies without effect. The river had only an ordinary tide in it and it was thought that the bodies would not have drifted far.
There have been many drownings in Greenbrier River, but the bodies have heretofore been recovered shortly after with one exception. Some years ago, a woodsman on the drive went around a bend riding a log in sight of sixty or seventy men. He was not heard of again until his body was found some six months later.
The body of the Italian which was found was that of Raffi. He was 28 years old and leaves a wife and two children in Italy. He has a sister in Philadelphia. He had been in America two years.
Rossi, the Italian whose body has not been found, was 26 years old, unmarried and leaves no near kin. He had been in America seven years.
DRISCOL
We had a little rain last week and the men at Smith & Whiting’s camp jumped nine feet in a circle thinking they would get to walk on the floating logs but their hopes almost vanished as it did not rain hard enough. The men have almost all gone home from camp, as all the work is finished until the drive starts.
Cameron McElwee and Elihu Moore were up on the mountain Sunday and did not return until late at night. We won’t tell on them this time.
Mrs. P. B. McElwee and daughter, Miss Kate, are confined to their beds this week with grip.
Why don’t someone fix up the telephone line from this place to Marlinton? it is on the ground in some places.
