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Newspaper
Cameron Herald
Location
Cameron, Texas, United States of America
Date
May 09, 1940
Page
4
A bolt struck near a pasture outside San Antonio killing horse rider Julian Vasquez and two dogs that were accompanying him. The incident left the horse also dead, with investigators noting the sudden nature of the event.
Joseph Monier, 85, renowned Old Trail Driver and pioneer freighter, died in San Antonio. He was buried at Castorville, his hometown, marking the end of a storied career in early trucking and transportation.
University of Texas botanist Dr. C. B. Tharp states five thousand species of wild flowers grow in Texas, more than in any other state. He notes the abundance highlights Texas as a floral region and calls for interest in cataloging local flora.
State Game Department reports that colored folk in DeWitt County capture and eat armadillos. They consider the meat excellent and say it tastes like small pigs.
Rio Grande Valley citrus shipments for this season total about 22 500 carloads, down from around 30 000 carloads last year. Excludes about 10 000 carloads processed in valley canning plants.
W. H. Richardson, chairman of the State Police Commission, warns that without coordinated resources from individuals and agencies the 1940 death toll could reach 1,900, 316 more than last year, highlighting a campaign against reckless driving.
The San Jacinto Monument on the battleground opened officially. Ike Moore says 348,880 people have signed the register, with visitors from every state and 26 foreign countries.
A 14 foot sawfish, likely the largest in local waters, was caught in a shrimp boat net by Captain Rhodes of Texas Bayou. The sea giant fought for two hours before being subdued and brought on deck, during which two of its teeth broke off.
Cutting crossties for railroads is a big industry in parts of East Texas. A Shelby county tie-buyer reports buying as many as 30 000 ties in a month as prices range from 50 to 40 cents each. Farmers do much of the tie hacking during slack days from farm work. Timber includes pine cypress black gum red gum sweet gum tupelo gum and magnolia. Two workers can cut 40 ties a day. Rail beds have used wooden ties for about 100 years with few changes in the equipment.
District Census Supervisor Frank Sharp of Houston released that a 60yearold fisherman and his 58yearold wife have 24 children, with a 25th expected, all born about a year apart since their 25year marriage. The family, all at home in a sixroom rural frame dwelling, includes fourteen sons and ten daughters and remains in good health. Names withheld due to confidentiality.
A string of caves unearthed south of Gatesville in Coryell county extends 18 miles in one direction and plunges over 200 feet deep. In other Texas items, about 5,700 buses carry 280,000 children daily to schools, rancher T R Turner of Melvin reports a mother goat delivering four healthy kids, and Dallas Zoo adds a Mexican iguana found in a banana carload.
Two bales of fabricated cotton were used between layers of asphalt in a half mile stretch of road from Arlington High School to the Dallas Pike. County officials will monitor the pavement closely to learn cotton’s value as a road base.
For the fourth consecutive year Waxahachie in Ellis County earned a National Safety Council plaque from Chicago for completing a year without a traffic fatality.
An auto driven by J. A. Lott of Carlsbad New Mexico struck two deer on a Kerrville area highway. The deer ran head on into the front and side of the car. No injuries to the driver are mentioned.
A San Antonio greenhouse houses 1200 orchids including specimens from Singapore Hawaii Africa South Sea Islands and the Amazon forests. The exotic blooms command high prices and attract interest from collectors.
Primitive crafts give way to industry as 5,000 men and boys in East Texas harvest gumwood baskets. Workers cut thin veneer with machines to build packing baskets for fruits and vegetables. Baskets are shipped by carload lots to markets across the United States.
Fire Marshall J. W. Thompson reports that careless smokers and children allowed to play with matches caused more than one third of Dallas fires in March, totaling 90 incidents.
Texas secured second place for reducing traffic casualties in the Southern division. Beaumont ranked second nationwide among cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000. The competition was sponsored by the National Safety Council.
Fred J. Jackson Cameron cafe operator houses a collection of more than 400 pipes valued at $5,000. The collection, one of the country’s largest, includes a 225 year old Virginia maple pipe dating to Sir Walter Raleigh’s era.
Texas produces 1.5 billion dollars of raw materials each year while manufacturing yields only 2.5 million dollars. The stark contrast highlights a lopsided economy with massive raw resource extraction versus minimal finished goods.
Brownwood, Brown County, population 15000, reports 500 days without a traffic fatality. State police cooperate with local authorities in driver cautions and efforts to uphold the safety record.
J R Holladay of Brownwood found two burglars hiding in a closet when he returned home. He held them at bay with his revolver until police arrived. Later he learned the weapon was not loaded.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority reports a 24.3 percent rise in certificated aircraft and a 52.2 percent rise in certificated pilots in Texas. As of April 1, there were 649 certificated aircraft and 1615 certificated pilots in the state.
The division engineer approved an $8,288,465 contract bid by the Guy F. Atkinson Company of San Francisco for the main earthen embankment construction of the Denison Dam.
April pension checks averaged 9.69 dollars, up 29 cents from March. The number of pensioners declined by 399, with 119,349 checks totaling 1,156,634 dollars issued in the period.
The 1939 annual report by State Comptroller Sheppard shows total receipts from all sources at $175,216,238. Ad valorem property taxes drop from $21,528,475 in 1938 to $14,963,516 in 1939. Cigarette tax income reaches $6,890,109 for 1939.
The executive secretary of the Texas Game Fish and Oyster Commission announces lease of 144,757 acres across six sections of the state for restoration of deer, turkey and other game species.
Sixty percent of 1,500,000 motor vehicles registered in Texas in 1939 were tested in safety lanes operated by the Public Safety Department. Of those tested, fifty percent failed to pass the first inspection.
Officials of Texas Dogwood Trails estimated 20,000 visitors toured roads through the dogwood blossoming area of East Texas on April 1. Traffic conditions were heavy around Tyler Palestine Fairfield Athens Jacksonville and Crockett.
Onah Jacks of the Texas A and M College Extension Service reports 36,809 girls enrolled in 4-H club work in 1989. The 1939 figure shows a substantial increase over 382,858 in 1988.
Texas A and M College teams captured the William Randolph Hearst trophy for senior ROTC units of the Eighth Corps Area, winning the national ROTC rifle competition, as announced by corps area headquarters.
About 200000 ducks spent the winter on a U S game refuge south of Muleshoe in Bailey county. The refuge covers about 7500 acres, including a lake three quarters of a mile long created by a dammed creek. A warden fed the ducks an average of 500 pounds of grain daily raised on the refuge.
Hunters across 108 Texas counties destroyed 18 018 varmints in 1989 under the Predatory Animal Control Association. The tally includes 14 902 coyotes 2 914 bobcats 21 mountain lions and 896 wolves.
Dr. Co C Albers of the University of Texas cultivates medicinal weeds in his garden. He envisions a potential drug farming industry in Texas stemming from experimental weed farming and herbal medicines.
Elmer Guthrie, a World War veteran living at 212 N Marsalles street Dallas, wears on his top sergeant coat the Distinguished Service Cross United States Croix de Guerre France Distinguished Service Order England and the Medal for Military Valor Italy. He is credited with capturing 89 Germans single handed.
A 120 ton granite monument was dedicated in New London on March 18 to memory of 280 pupils and 14 teachers who died in the March 18 1937 school building explosion.
The article notes that Texas is among nine of 48 states without an advertising appropriation. It states that 89 states will spend 4,400,000 dollars in 1940 on local regional or national campaigns via newspapers magazines billboards and direct mail per Editor and Publisher.
Total inmates confined in the 12 units of the state prison system on March 25 1940 were 6913, a decline of several hundred from July 1939.
Bobby Kirchner won the spinach eating championship at Crystal City Spinach Festival in April, consuming 18 ounces in 59 seconds to edge out other contestants.
Elisha Chambers and his 13 year old son brought 65 rattlesnakes to Lampasas and received a Bell County bounty of 20 cents per snake. The total payout was 12 dollars and 60 cents. Snakes ranged from six feet three inches to small varieties. largest measured 15 inches in circumference and weighed 84 pounds.
Jeff Hamilton, Bell county's longtime figure, celebrated his 100th birthday in Belton after living with General Sam Houston from age eight. He recalls nursing Houston until the general's death and says he served Houston for years.
Traffic officers say courteous conduct angles reduce road hazards and cut losses by half. Courtesy would curb road hogs, center stripe drivers, cutters in and out of lines, light jumpers, the hurried driver, and those who fail to dim headlights for oncoming traffic.
No. 1 cattle state Texas still leads the nation, producing about 3,000,000 more head than any other state per Dr. F A Buechel of the University of Texas. Cattle census has fallen from 7,800,000 to 6,667,000 head in 20 years while dairy herds grow from 500,000 to 1,443,000 head.
A cache of Republic of Texas currency totaling $4,347,074 was stored in a metal locker room of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Issued when Texas was a republic, the notes were worth 100 cents on the dollar at issue but were retired by the state at 76.9 cents. Today its value rests mainly with curio collectors.
Frank Martin, once of Red River but now trading in Bonham, lost both hands in a pre mature blast in East Texas. He visited County Judge Corley in Dallas who has steel hands and shows Martin how to use his hooks. Martin remains optimistic and sociable, greeting friends with his steel hooked hands.
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