The Way it Was

100 years ago

At the Butler gas well

Work at the gas well in J.P. Edwards pasture was stopped at 10 o'clock last night, the driller's giving a reason they could not go any deeper until the well was cased and casing which had been ordered from the factory had failed to arrive. Mr. Martin went to Kansas City at noon today to hurry up the supply of casing, says the Butler Democrat.

Before leaving Martin informed a reporter that the indications were favorable for striking a good vein of gas within the next 50 or 100 feet. The drill for the past 24 hours had been in a stratum of oil and gas sand, and last night fire clay was struck at a depth of 440 feet.

50 years ago

Area hit by storm last night

Primary lines of the Missouri Public Service Company were down in three areas last night as a result of the heavy wind and thunderstorm. Most of the damage was done by wind whipping trees into the lines, fuses were blown and approximately 60 percent of the city street lights were shorted out. Crews of the company worked last night and were still repairing damage to the wires this morning.

The Southwestern Bell telephone company reported damage to its lines was slight. About a dozen telephones had been reported out of order as a result of the storm and service to those residents was expected to be restored by noon.