The Way it Was

Useless to telegraph

SAN FRANCISCO -- The delivery of telegraphic messages from outside points to people in San Francisco is an impossibility. The messenger service of both the big telegraph companies no longer exists. Even had the company an arraign of messengers they would be of little value, for the reasons that the people are scattered far and wide, and that a journey from the ferry building to the western addition or to the refugee camps consumes many hours.

Most of the automobiles have been impressed into the service of the police or military authorities and these have but one circuitous route from the one telegraph station at the water front to municipal headquarters and the upswept western portions. This is by way of the northerly water front lines. Nearly every street has been made impassable by the fallen portions of buildings.

50 years ago

Investigates a prowler report at farm Friday

Vernon County Sheriff Les Hunt was called at 9 p.m., Friday to investigate a prowler in a barn on the Glen Vandenburg farm seven miles northwest of Nevada.

The sheriff said the Vandenburg's stated that they had seen a man standing at their gate and asked him what he wanted. The man replied that he had run out of gas and had been at the gate about 10 minutes. When told to move on, he ran into the Vandenburg's barn.

He was described as between 35 and 38 years old, five feet seven inches tall, wearing a gray sweater, khaki pants and black shoes.

The man apparently left the barn and ran away while the Vandenburg's went to the next farm to telephone the sheriff.