Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 252, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1913 — 27 HEAD OF STEERS DROWN IN RIVER [ARTICLE]

27 HEAD OF STEERS DROWN IN RIVER

Property of S. R. Nichols Whose Loss Will 14 Were Rescued. ♦ S. R. Nichols, former treasurer of Jasper county, has come in for a tough piece of luck financially, having lost 27 head of good steers by drowning. Some tipie ago he shipped two carloads of steers from St. Louis for fattening purposes. The cattle were placed in a pasture near Burk’s bridge, 4 miles north of Rensselaer. Some time Tuesday night the cattle, possibly as the result of stampeding and possibly driven by the snow storm, walked into the river, which has a soft, mucky bank at that point. John Behrens, who came to town early in the morning, saw the cattle, many of - which were dead, and reported it at once to Mr. Nichols, who procured assistance and fourteen cattle were removed from the stream, some of them almost exhausted, while 27 dead ones were still in the stream up to noon today (Wednesday). The cattel are worth at least $55 per head, which will make his loss around $1,500. Of course, there was no insurance on the cattle and the loss will be complete, being a great hardship on Mr. Nichols. * As the day is very chilly and a cold rain has been falling part of the time, the rescue process # has

bien slow. The dead cattle will be skinned for the hides, but nothing can be done with the carcasses unless they can be Shipped for fertilizer. • '