Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI, January 22, 2014 Page 11

The use of sprinklers for making logging roads has become about universal. For a week or two it has been impossible to get any kind of mechanical work done, as every mechanic has been employed in making sprinklers. They are built on one general plan, that of a large tank of pine plank the length and width of a pair of logging sleds and about four feet high. Different kinds of pumps are being used, but none so far have been found much more economical or effective that the old- fashioned barge pump. A good sprinkler, exclusive of the sleds, costs $40 and when it starts for business you would take it for the ark on runners undergoing a vigorous bailing. The latest improvement is a sheet-iron stove for thawing the ice that accumulates on the inside.

Several liquor dealers of this place were hauled up last week for selling liquor by the bottle and were pretty heavily fined. It is claimed by them that they were ignorant of the law and did not suppose they were going into the wholesale business when they filled pint bottles.

There will be no trouble about the ice supply net summer if people are prudent enough to provide for it this winter. We notice some already taken off the pond in blocks about fifteen inches thick and as solid and clear as crystal.

The cigar trade, which was reported rather dull during the first and several days of the present month, has revived wonderfully since that time.

Charley Pond contracted for some black ash vinegar the first of the week. Dave Brown and Charley Crocker have quit dealing in the stuff.

Last Friday morning a wail went up from almost every house in the village in which houseplants were kept. Frost had done its work and withered leaves and drooping stems were all that were left of many a fragile flower.

The demand for wood sawyers appears to be greater than the supply in this village, and a number of woodpiles have been pre-empted by followers of the calling, while the owners thereof are out of fuel a great portion of the time. Those are fortunate who depend upon their own labor for necessary warmth.

Henry Klopf having left the employ of his father, Mr. Fred Klopf, of this village, has opened up for himself at Henry Myers’ drug store, where he will be found ready to attend to the repairing of watches, clocks and jewelry. He has already ordered and will soon receive an entirely new stock of Jewelry of the latest styles and patterns. Henry is a first-class workman, an honorable dealer and should receive a liberal share of patronage.

George Andrews and H. LeRoy of Greenwood are getting up some of the best tote sleds we have ever seen and should receive a call from anyone in want of an article of the kind.

Mr. Charles Sniteman, of Fort Atkinson, takes Mr. Slocum’s place in Myers’ drug store. He comes with good recommendations as a druggist and a gentleman. We believe from a brief acquaintance with him that he will make a worthy successor to Frank.

Advertising does some good, even to scalawags. Mr. G. Sterns recently advertised an animal taken up and a few days after, the notice appeared that the animal was stolen from his premises, presumably by the owner, to save the legal charges.

H. D. Crooker’s hydraulic and atmospheric pressure clothes-washer will wash any clothing, from the finest fabric to a carpet, without the least wear to the clothes. It’s the simplest washer ever invented and occupies no more room than a broom. What we claim is that framers cannot produce pantaloons, bags, horse-blankets, overalls, carpets or bed clothing so dirty that this washer will not wash them clean in every instance.

We will do the washing of any family in town gratis, for the purpose of exhibiting the machine. Leave orders with the under-signed. Allen & Guthrie, Agents

Diphtheria is still at work among the children of Garden Valley, Jackson County. Two children of Zenus Wright were buried together last week, both victims of the disease.

Some little talk has been made through our town in regard to what our town board has done with $800 road money appropriated. We have procured a statement of the board as to what they have done with $736.90 of the amount. Here is the exact statement:

New turnpike, 32 ft. wide, 530 rods, $478; New turnpike 22 ft. wide, 80 rods $11; Cut and cleared road, 4 rods wide, 460 rods long $100; Re-turnpiking, old pike 480 rods $80.40; Money paid on small bridges, culverts and road repair $67.50= $736.90.

Mrs. Earl Pierce has established a record for masculine hunters to shoot at, if you’ll pardon the pun.

During the 1958 squirrel season, she has shot 115 fox and grey squirrels with a .22 rifle. A crack shot, she has always spent much time in the out-of-doors. And what do you think she got for Christmas? A brand new .22-caliber rifle!

Some friend, signing the gift “from Santa,” also put a squirrel under her Christmas tree. She did not take part in the deer hunt in November, but remained at home to do the chores while her husband bagged a deer.

A rare animal is being imported by the State of Wisconsin because it has an even rarer appetite for porcupines. And Wisconsin has an over-abundant population of porcupines.

The import is the fisher, a tree-dwelling animal that resembles a large marten. It is about the size of a fox and is related to the weasel, mink and badger. Known scientifically as Martes pennanti, it is also called a pekan, or fisher marten, the National Geographic Society said.

The fisher has a ferocious disposition and will tackle any animal up to a bear. It is fast enough to dodge a porcupine’s lethal tail, flip it over, and bite into its unprotected throat or belly. The few quills the fisher may absorb in the fight later work free from its tough skin.

Although the fisher can be troublesome in its own right, it cannot match the depredations of the vegetarian porcupines.

A porcupine’s favorite dish is in the inner bark of a tree. It does not, however, eat all the bark off a single tree, but nibbles on many, often just sufficiently to kill them. It is estimated that a single porcupine is capable of killing 2,000 trees a year.

Fishers are currently found in forests from Labrador, northern New England and New York to British Columbia and western Alaska. They also roam in the Western mountains as far south as northern New Mexico, according to the society.

As the nation’s timber resources have dwindled and more careful conservation and harvesting practices have come into use, the porcupine problem has become increasingly important.

All states with forests particularly those in the northern part of the country, have porcupines in abundance. A number of them, including New York, are watching the Wisconsin experiment with interest. If successful, it may be extended to other states.

(Now we know how the fishers came to be present in our Clark County forest areas, and are still seen by hunters when out in the woods. And, yes, those little varmints are of a vicious nature. DZ)

Hewettville is a name, which is occasionally upon the tongues of the present day residents of Clark County. The location of the place and the nature of it have been lost for most persons in the dimness of the olden days. There has been no Hewettville since Aug. 8, 1886. It is a ghost town more completely, perhaps, than any other old site in Clark County.

Wishing definitely to locate the site, the editor sought the help of Fred Lenz, old time citizen of the Town of Hewett. Mr. Lenz went with the editor to the site and pointed out the location of the buildings.

The main building, housing the chief enterprise of the little community, was the saw mill. This was a business of the old Hewett family. It was located on the east bank of Wedges Creek, close to the water, a little west of the residence now located on the east side of the creek.

All the rest of Hewettville was in the immediate vicinity. There was not much of it, perhaps five or six buildings of various sizes, mostly constructed roughly, for temporary use. The main building was the hotel or boarding house, which was a little northeast of the saw mill and on the north side of present pavement of U. S. Hwy. 10. Another way to fix the location is to say that it was close to the intersection of U. S. Hwy. 10 and the road that leads into the county park at the Snyder Dam. There were three or four buildings, all of them connected with the Hewett enterprise and none of them of a permanent nature. All of them, rested on temporary foundations, such as wooden blocks.

In addition to the saw mill and the buildings, Hewettville had a dam on Wedges Creek and a canal, which led from the dam to the saw mill. The dam was in the location of the present dam, but was higher and thus impounded more water. The canal ran from approximately the east end of the dam and across what is now U. S. Hwy. 10.

The end of Hewettville came August 8, 1886. That date is definitely fixed in the history of the Pollnow family of the Town of Hewett. Just four days prior to August 8 a little lady arrived in the Pollnow family, she who later became Mrs. P. M. Warlum. At the age of four days she beat a hasty retreat before a rushing forest fire. At that time she was a passive factor in the events, but with the help of her parents she got out of danger.

On August 8, Fred Lenz had gone blueberrying at the Spaulding shanties, a logging camp some distance west of Hewettville. With him were other children of about his age: Rose Frank, Ed Payne, John Lenz and one of the Dux children. As they were picking berries, they saw smoke in a column straight up. The location was to the west, near King’s Mill. At first there was no rushing or roaring; there was little wind. But soon the wind came up strong. What had been a column of smoke became a roaring wall of fire, racing through the woods. The children ran in fright. As they ran, they came upon the horse-drawn rig of the Carl Schultz family. A small tree had fallen across the rig. They all helped clear the tree from the rig. Then all of them hurried in panic from the roaring, racing flames.

The fire made short work of Hewettville. All the buildings were of a flimsy construction. They were made to feed flames. The fire licked them up and moved on to the east. It stopped about the beginning of Globe road, which was almost the front line of the farm country of its day.

Hewettville was named for James Hewett who came to Clark County in 1856. The Town of Hewett was also named for him. He was a logger, farmer and a merchant. He built the first brick store in Neillsville, on the corner of Fifth and Hewett Streets. It will be noted that the main business street in Neillsville is also named for him. James Hewett died in 1907.

The first baby born at Memorial Hospital in 1959 was born to Mr. and Mrs. Verland Schmidt, Rt. 3, Neillsville, at 10:30 a.m., January 1^st. she has been named Mary Kay. Her parents live in the Town of Weston.

Rural fire departments stationed in Neillsville and Granton extinguished hot chimney fires in York and Pine Valley townships Sunday.

Considerable damage was done to the George Bredlau farm home in the Town of York. By the time the Granton department arrived the chimney had cracked and flames had ignited the wall of an upstairs storeroom in the brick house. In addition to the wall and chimney damage, considerable smoke damage also was reported.

Another hot chimney fire was extinguished by the “four-township,” rural department at the Frank Zank farm home, about 6:55 p.m., Sunday. Fire Chief Harry Frantz reported that it was “about the hottest” chimney fire he had seen.

Following the marriage of Celia Reed to Julius Benedict, 80 years ago, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Reed on Pleasant Ridge, Town of Grant, the Rev. William Hendren, Presbyterian minister, stepped into the backyard and twisted together two small elm saplings.

The saplings at the time were smaller than a pencil in diameter. The “wedlock” has continued down to the present time. The saplings are now one tree, more than 36 inches in diameter at the base. They tower 75 feet into the sky. Located about 40 feet from the northwest corner of the residence, it appears as one tree today.

The Jordahl brothers, Neillsville retail merchants, have taken an option on the old Paulson residential property at the corner of Grand Avenue and West Fifth Street, with the expectation of building a large retail store there this spring.

The plan is to erect a one-story building, approximately 132 feet by 68 feet, fronting on West Fifth Street. Building designs now are being studied in preparation for the drawing of detailed plans, according to Chuck and Jim Jordahl, the brothers.

Their plan is to retail their present Gamble store location for hardware and allied items, and to stock the new store with furniture, appliances and other larger items.

Orders taken for three new special-type police cars for the Clark County traffic department were place by the law enforcement committee Monday afternoon.

The committee accepted the bid of Fel-Gross Chevrolet, Inc., of Neillsville. The county will turn in the three present traffic cars, two of which have approximately 46,000 miles on them, and one with about 38,000 miles. The cash payment involved is $2,383. As it is a municipal purchase, no federal tax is involved in the price.

The new cars will be equipped with 250 horsepower engines, four-barrel carburetors and dual exhausts.

Suzi Arden, a network television star with “Red Foley’s Jubilee U. S. A.,” will appear in person at the Silver Dome, five miles west of Neillsville on Highway 10, tonight.

The first brick building in Neillsville and Clark County was built by James Hewett, which was known as the

Hewett & Woods Store; it still stands on the northwest corner of Hewett and Fifth Street.

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