Otis, the young son of Robert L. Ward, had quite a bit of trouble with one of his ears and was taken to the hospital where a piece of glass was removed. About ten years earlier, when he was very small, Otis got a glass bead stuck in his ear at school, which was crushed while being removed. The ear troubled him ever since.
James C. Hart brought in John Ramsey’s first load of new wheat for Carter. Carter Mill & Elevator purchased the crop and paid 82 cents ($15.28 in today’s values) a bushel. Mr. Davis from the grain elevator solicited the businessmen and soon collected a nice premium of $21 ($369), which was presented to Ramsey. The wheat made an excellent test of 63 pounds. Major R. Sparks harvested the 10,000 acres of wheat on the Harriss farms. While heavy rains damaged the crop, the prospects were that it would yield from 17 to 20 bushels to the acre. Five binders sang for the harvest, three drawn by tractor and two with mules.
Nineteen-year-old Ray Spangler was riding home from Canute on his horse when rain made him quicken his pace. He stopped at Frank Mall’s yard where the horse slipped and fell; Spangler’s head hit the hard clay causing a concussion. The boy lived three days after the accident. One of his neck vertebrae was dislodged, which the undertaker discovered while embalming his body.
Judson Corn completed a large concrete swimming pool on South Adams Ave. It featured a graduated bottom from one to fourteen feet deep and heated water. Corn expected to cover the pool, which was about 100 ft. square; Ek City would then have a year-round natatorium.
Heavy rains up Red River caused a sudden rise in waters in Beckham County. The heaviest flood waters in years carried away three large wagon bridges north of Erick and Carter. The Rock Island bridge west of Sayre nearly went out. Since all the oil field traffic south of Sayre came across this railroad bridge, the damage considerably hampered development in the county oil field.
Earnest Hanni of three miles north of Doxey, died because of being hit with a baseball during a game at Berlin. When hit, Hanni was at bat; spectators say he dodged the ball, but it struck him on the temple knocking him to the ground. His brother picked him up and he soon regained consciousness and returned to the game for another inning. He became ill and grew worse until he lost consciousness. Dr. Tisdal removed a blood clot from the brain, but he never awakened and died shortly after.
Elk City Hospital was enlarged and remodeled. A new operating room, anesthesia room, kitchen, dining room, bedroom and hall were built on the south while the front part was used exclusively for patient rooms. The hospital was equipped with a gas and ether machine for administering anesthetics.
Although the First Baptist Church invited all the city organizations to attend their special musical program, it was surprised when the Ku Klux Klan showed up! They filed in one at a time, passing up one aisle and down the other and exited another door. The leader placed a letter addressed to the pastor on the table as he passed. Not a word was spoken, and they left as they came-their first public appearance in Elk City! The letter expressed their appreciation of the church’s work and declared they were ready to assist in promoting the cause of White Supremacy and the practice of Christian Principles, among other things.
Albert Hall’s mule team ran away coming down Broadway. When they got to the Library, they straddled the telephone pole, which broke the coupling pole of the wagon. Once loose, the critters ran down the street while the five hogs in the wagon went their own merry way. The two men in the wagon escaped unhurt. The mules were caught. No word on the hogs.
Luanne R. Eisler authored this article, which was taken from items published in The Carter Express, The Elk City Press and The Elk City News-Democrat; these newspapers can be found on microfilm at the Elk City Carnegie Library. Heritage Quest and www.dollartimes.com provided supplementary information.
