From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on January 16, 2025 by admin

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

January 15, 1885 – The Calgary
Weekly Herald

A man named Christie is in the guardroom at the barracks on a charge of attempting to shoot another at Silver City. Christie and the man got into an altercation in a shack and Christie tried to take a shortcut to a conclusion by pistoling his antagonist. The pistol misfired and the man knocked over his would-be murderer and handed him over to the police. Just to see if the pistol was in the habit of misfiring, it was shot off several times, but that single cartridge was the only one that failed to do its duty.

Those who complain that we in Edmonton are too far north should remember that we are at the same latitude as Liverpool in England and five degrees, or 350 miles further south, than the mainland of Orkney. It is further south than any part of Scotland, Denmark, Norway, or Sweden, the greater part of Russia in Europe and nearly the whole of Siberia.

January 14, 1911 – Bow Island
Review

The storm raging through Western Canada, bringing with it intense cold and blinding blizzards, has hit the railway hard. From Lethbridge west trains are stalled along the tracks. The storm showed signs of abating but then picked up again and is raging with increased fury today.

The Progress in Saskatchewan has reported three deaths, one in Estevan and two others in Pinto, on account of the storm. In Estevan, Mrs. Weir and her adopted son of 13-years-old went out to bring in cattle who had strayed. The cattle had separated with Mrs. Weir going one way and the boy the other. Hours later, Mrs. Weir arrived at a neighbour’s house exhausted, but the boy failed to return and his body was retrieved the next day. Mr. Weir got caught in the storm in Bienfait, the result being three small children were left on their own at the house and were much distressed. In Pinto, Mrs. Wright and her son attempted to reach the stable in the late afternoon or early evening to do chores, but never made it, getting lost on the prairies and perishing.

January 16, 1914 – The Empress
Express

Drawn by the announcement of a profit-sharing plan at the Ford Motor Co., thousands of unemployed have been arriving in Detroit all anxious to get jobs at a minimum wage of $5 per day.

The heavy traffic near St. Paul’s in London has shaken and cracked the columns of the cathedral so seriously that the government is considering how the vibration could be lessened. All large cities are in a state of constant vibration. In London, Manchester and Birmingham, there is not one square inch of soil that is perfectly still. In some large towns, it has been necessary to insist on iron drainage pipes instead of earthenware ones. Though embedded in concrete, the average earthenware pipes last only a few weeks.

Rumour has it the liquor license inspector paid a visit to the city this week but failed to favour us with his presence.

George Crawford was using his engine to chop feed and it was running okay for awhile and then started backfiring. Crawford was standing in front of the machine when it exploded, blowing the entire engine to pieces. He was found unconscious and quickly moved to the house, gaining consciousness soon after and able to talk with the doctor who was summoned. It is believed he will make a full recovery.