Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1905 — Editor Ricketts Badly Hurt. [ARTICLE]

Editor Ricketts Badly Hurt.

There wasa bad automobile accident iniGarroll county, Thursday morning. James Shirk, a Delphi hanker, LaiLstarted for Monticello in a fine new automobile, having as passengers. V. L. Ricketts, •editor of the Delphi Journal, Eras er Thomas, .a farmer and Stock - man, Abram Burkhalter, a county commissioaerand M. M. .Murphy, a druggist When.just-past Yeo man, ■while going as observers thought, about 30 miles an hour, he lost control of the machine, and it jam pedal bigditch, and stuck a boulder-em the opposit bank. - Mr. Shirik was not injured but all his passengers were all very painfully hut inonetvery seriously hurt except Mr. Burkhalter, who got a compound fracture of both bones of the Jeftleg, below the knee, and Mr. Ricketts Who was badly cut on the head and • one leg, and badly jolted an sthe < chest. In his case internal injuries are feared. The automobile was badly wreck ed, and Mr. Shirk says'it ends his automobiliag career. lewis WxntsHPrice Onsted. W. L. Lewis, under whose name as engineer Judge Thompson conducted the former-unsuccessful sale of the Iroquois ditch, has begun quo warranto proceedings in the circuit court, 'asking that Myrt B. Price be removed.as such engineer and himself be 'reinstalled in the position. In his [complaint he intimates that the commissioners had no legal right to remove trim. Judge Han ley has made the writ returnable on Oct. 3rd which will be four days after the date set for the second selling of the ditch. There fore this proceeding upon Mr. Lewis’ part need mot necessarily interfere with that very important proceedings. Another Jasper Coanty foal Hine. According to .the fallowing from the Wolcott Enterprise, there is a prospect of a coal mine being opened over in the east pant of Carperter township. However there is as yet no great occasion for excitinent nor real estate booming over the find, as it probably is only a small pocket, the vanishing point, so to speak of the coal measures further south. The Enterprise says: Coal has been found for a certainty in a well being drilled by Homer Rogers and Peter Beripter at the Green school house in Jasper county, northwest from Wolcott. The drilling was at a depth yesterday of about 175 feet and it is asserted that there have been more or less indications of coal in the sediment drawn from the the last fifteen feet or more, but finally a chunk nearly an inch square was drawn out that is uu-I mistakably coal apparently of a very fair quality, and all who have been watching the progress of the drilling are of the opinion that a good vein of coal underlies tie surface in .that locality. No positive information can be learned, but it is very likely that a further investigation of the matter will be made soon to determine whether the drill happened to strike a very small deposit of the fuel or if there is a sufficient quantity there to warrant the expense of sinking a shaft (and deve loping the vein of coal supposed now to exist there. As the question of the substance being coal is not disputed, it seems that there is sufficient evidence in hand to test the extent of the supply further. A New Bridr* For. The co mini so. Saturday had a special session and let the contract for a much needed new bridge over the new Kent ditch, west of town, on the Bunkum road, it is to be a steel bridge, 60 feet long, 16 feet driveway, and to cost $1,273. The Pan American Bridge Com■pany got the contract.