27 Feb 1940
Page 1
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
This newspaper page contains 22 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Feb 27, 1940
Page
1
The narrator recounts a frigid southern tour from Biloxi to Florida, detailing blizzards, ice, and travel woes. They dodge gas shortages and cold snaps while visiting friends, enjoying meals, betting at Hialeah, and renting a beachside apartment before returning north.
The House Appropriations Committee rejected immediate 15 million dollars for a third Panama Canal lock project citing lack of plans. It approved 850 thousand for preliminary plans and cut Wake Island dredging and Guam harbor funds as part of a 203.5 million war department civil functions bill, trimming overall by about 16.6 million.
The narrator describes a 175 mile Miami to Key West journey along the stunning coastal highway built partly on the old Florida East Coast railway. It highlights a seven mile ocean bridge, the relaxed pace of Key West, and the slow, pleasant days away from resort crowds during a 5,400 mile tour.
Dr. J. K. von Lackum incumbent and Warren S. Smith filed papers for Cedar Rapids school board March 11. Von Lackum, a 17 year resident with three children in public schools, chairs the janitors and engineers committee and backs school lighting improvements. Smith is identified as the first outsider candidate to seek office.
Ten men signaled intent for the March 12 primaries in Cedar Rapids with five incumbents among them. Mayoral entries include Frank Hahn and Dale C Allison, while Wes Benesh faces James Beagle and R L Whelan. Other incumbents Burgus and Williams remain unopposed. filing deadline is Friday.
Fragmentary travel prose recalls strolling past garrulous vacationers and women in silver fox coats seen in Florida. The narrator notes they would not be hired to wear such coats, finding the sight unsettling yet oddly reassuring. More of this travel ogue to come.
The Bank of North America records in Philadelphia recently moved to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania show Benjamin Franklin’s account was overdrawn three times a week. The piece notes how a person’s spending reveals character and references Washington and Duke of Wellington as other figures whose check stubs tell their stories.
Cedar Rapids experienced steady temperatures under cloudy skies with early misty rain. Daytime highs hovered around 32 degrees, dipping to 27 by mid-morning, then rising to 31 by afternoon as ice formed on state highways prompting motorists to proceed with caution.
Chicago and North Western railway reports January net operating income of 2 756 dollars, reversing a 214 747 dollar deficit a year ago. Total operating revenues reach 6 876 991 dollars, up from 6 208 259 dollars in January 1939.
A house agriculture committee recommended a $350 million expansion of the farm tenancy program funded by mortgage insurance. The plan would create a revolving fund rising to $200 million in three years, with 3 percent amortization over 40 years and a 1 percent service charge. Loans require county committee approval and are modeled after the national housing act. Senate had a similar measure. lawmakers debated restoring $25 million in next year’s farm appropriation.
Dozens of families were saved by rescue boats as muddy flood waters spread across northern California. A 300 person migratory camp near Winters was flooded by four feet of water. Residents sought refuge on tables and boxes while the Red Cross reported loss of belongings and no food. Continuous rainfall worsened normally dry creeks, blocking highways and crippling rail service.
The Gazette hosts an amateur Ad-Rite contest with 26 Cedar Rapids firms offering 131 weekly prizes. No entry forms, no deadlines, and amateurs may submit unlimited ideas by Wednesday at 2 p.m. Ads judged on ideas not art. professionals barred.
Senators Herring of Iowa Brown of Michigan and Minton of Indiana said Europe’s war could force Roosevelt to seek a third term. Herring argued renomination is likely if he runs and could sway Midwest governors. Minton urged silence to avoid intra party conflict. Brown said only in an extraordinary emergency might a third term be warranted.
A noon hour prowler struck the Cedar Rapids Savings bank building offices of Fred Janda and Dr. R A Vorpahl 424 and 431 ransacking desks and openings but detectives say nothing was missing. Authorities say this marks the seventh or eighth break in by the same burglar who uses a thin steel tool to open doors then robs open safes and desks before waiting for managers. About 500 dollars has been taken in all eight incidents including a February 1 hit on four Iowa Theater Building offices and prior visits to the Dows Building twice.
Solomon Levitan longtime leader of the progressive party and six term state treasurer died at Wisconsin General Hospital early Tuesday of heart disease.
Wartime lampoon by Arthur Bugs Baer mocks peace propaganda and suggests traveling salesmen Welles and Taylor tour Europe. The piece critiques propaganda and wartime promises, noting Mussolini and Hitler as figures in the tour. It uses satirical humor to question wartime assurances and past disappointments.
Myron C. Taylor Roosevelt's peace envoy to the Vatican met Pope Pius XII in a cordial 35 minute audience. Taylor delivered an autographed Roosevelt letter and was declared as the President's personal ambassador in a non formal credential scene.
The Washington school board meets at 4 p m with Attorney General guidance on selling the old Washington high school and land to the city for 1 with other consideration. Rankin says district voters lack authority to dispose of district property without adequate compensation. Board members doubt sale under current terms.
Police dropped the investigation after Chief Earl Stanley accepted Bill Pavlis’s explanation. Dickie Smith, 6, crippled, was wounded in the right leg at the Smith home as Pavlis unloaded a revolver while Mrs Smith showed it. He remains in fair condition at St Luke’s hospital.
Washington. Director W L Austin warns that nonresponse to the 1940 census risks legal penalties up to 100 dollars fine and 60 days in jail with higher penalties for false information and disclosure. Republicans attack the survey as overreaching as Senate to take up an investigation while the House votes 142 to 124 to block census funding.
London reports the RAF conducted its longest reconnaissance flights of the war as air raid alarms sound in Paris and Nazi troop movements appear along the Luxembourg frontier. Churchill vows navy expansion amid expected German pressure, while Berlin retorts the RAF over Berlin and other cities.
An air ministry communique reports RAF aircraft reconnoitering major Baltic ports and Berlin deep raids over central and western Germany. German fighters claim a Bristol Blenheim loss near Heligoland. Paris endures first air raid alarm since Nov. 23 with massed German flights and modest anti aircraft fire. Britain reports two German planes shot down near Firth of Forth and Northumberland coast. Churchill notes heavy U boat activity easing and announces five new battleships to join soon, while Barham and Nelson await repairs.
We want people to find what they are looking for at NewspaperArchive. We are confident that we have the newspapers that will increase the value of your family history or other historical research. With our 7-day free trial, you can view the documents you find for free.
People find the most success using advanced search. Try plugging in keywords, names, dates, and locations, and get matched with results from the entire collection of newspapers at NewspaperArchive!
You can also successfully find newspapers by these browse options. Explore our archives on your own!
Browse by location and discover newspapers from all across the world.
Browse by date and find publications for a specific day or era.
Browse old newspaper publications to find specific newspapers.