Voices from the Past

December 5, 1924

To Sound Death Knell for Range Horses

At last a desirable use has been found for the undesirable range horses, commonly known as “cayuses”. They are being brought up and slaughtered for meat, the hindquarters being sent to Europe for human food while the forequarters are canned for dog meat.

Such was the information brought here the past week by Christ L. Jesperson of Baker, a buyer for Chapel Bros. of Rockford, Ill. He was on his way to interview several owners of range horses in this county with a view of contracting with them for the purchase of these horses. The horses are bought irrespective of age or blemish from cuts or lameness. The desired weight is anything over 900 pounds, for which the price is $5 a head, delivered at Saugus, Kinsey or Miles City in quantities of 1,000 head or more.

Mr. Jesperson said he is ready now to take 5,000 head of these range horses and is confident this country will supply at least 1,000 head. Now is the time for the owners to sell, he says. He recited the experience of one man who recently received $141 for 59 head of these horses at the Miles City horse sale. He stated his company had recently contracted with Mr. Ingersoll of the Commercial National Bank for 1,000 head of range horses.

McMahon to Use Air Ship for Service

C.B. McMahon, well known as the mail contractor between Miles City and Volborg, has made the initial payment on the Lincoln standard five-passenger airplane and expects delivery by the first of January. He will use this “ship” as he styles it for commercial flying between points both north and south of Miles City, having it ready for emergency purposes especially, such as conveying sick and injured people to Miles City and in carrying the mail should the roads become impassible for motor vehicles. It is also likely McMahon will demonstrate his ship in Miles City and adjacent places and be prepared to carry passengers for aerial joy rides.

The Lincoln “ship” ordered by McMahon has about the same spread of wings as the Smith plane which recently visited Broadus. It has a 220-horsepower Hispano engine, is guaranteed to reach an altitude of 32,000 feet with a maximum load of 2,500 pounds, will raise to an altitude of 10,000 feet in six minutes with a maximum load. The ship consumes 15 gallons of gasoline an hour and has a storage gasoline supply of 70 or 80 gallons. It has a cruising speed of 90 miles per hour and could easily negotiate a trip from Miles City to Broadus and return in two hours’ time.

Mr. McMahon is no novice as “air pilot”, for he has already had 65 air hours’ experience, having received his first instruction from Lowell Yerex, the English ace in a Texaco plane. He has piloted air ships from Miles City to Forsyth, Billings, Hardin and Lewistown and already is showing the ability for sky navigation as much more seasoned pilots. While he has executed tail spins, nose dives, etc., and has flown upside down, McMahon says in his commercial work his flying would be entirely devoid of any such thrills. He is enthusiastic over the future prospects of airplane navigation for quick emergency service and quotes statistics to prove that airplaning is safer as compared to other forms of travel for there has been one death by airplane accident to every 660,900 air miles against one death by motor cars to less than 100,000 miles and the ratio of deaths on airplanes is also less than railroad trains.

150-Ft. Wood Span for Powderville

The board of county commissioners has commissioned the Security Bridge Company to build a 150-foot wood span on the west side of the steel bridge at Powderville, in order to again make that thoroughfare passable for traffic. The crew of five men, under the foremanship of Jim Leech, left today for Powderville to commence their work there, which will take about 20 days to complete, depend upon weather conditions. They have just completed the work on the Broadus bridge and river channel. The Powderville bridge was also put out of commission by the unprecedented high water in Powder River the past year and has since remained closed to vehicle traffic. The damaged approach on the east side has been repaired and there is sufficient lumber on hand now to build the wood span over the washed-out area on the west side of the bridge. The bridge crew will get out the necessary 40 lengths of piling to be used, working them out of cottonwood trees. The pile-driver used here will be transported to Powderville by John Volkert in his truck.

In addition to the steel work on the Broadus bridge, consisting of the installation of the old 192-foot span and a new 120-wood span, making the total length of the bridge 552 feet, the bridge crew drove 138 lengths of cottonwood piling at the bend in the river just above the bridge and 148 lengths of piling across the river at the location of the artificial channel dug last summer. This piling was driven from 8 to 12 feet deep into the bottom of the river and is in two rows, six feet apart each way, extending about three feet above the water. The piling at the artificial channel was used to divert the current toward its old channel and just above the bridge the piling was driven to protect the roadway and approach on the west side of the bridge. This week the commissioners have faced the problem of checking erosion by the water around the end of the piling above the bridge for heavy matting placed there had the tendency of causing a whirlpool at the south end of the piling with prospects of the river eating around the piling and riprap work which would greatly jeopardize the entire improvements installed this fall. By using rock and debris the whirlpool came into subjection and it is now said the danger there is past.

December 2, 1949

Cattle Poisoning Is Suspected Near Boyes

Mysterious death of twelve head of cattle belonging to Frank Cornelio of Boyes caused Sheriff Claude Anderson to investigate the cause of their death. Undersheriff Dewey Stewart and State Livestock Inspector Henry Beason of Miles City performed an autopsy on the last two cattle that died at the Cornelio ranch. The liver, spleen and contents of the stomach of the two animals were sent to the state livestock sanitary board at Helena for chemical analysis. Sheriff Anderson was notified by the board that there were positive traces of arsenic in parts of the animals inspected.

Cattle Thieves Kill Steer with Bug Brand

Discovery last week of the head, feet and hide of a 2 year old steer under the highway bridge over big Pumpkin Creek by highway workers A.B. Moulton and Pat Webster revealed that the steer was carrying the Bug brand owned by D.L. Perry of Ashland. The hide was located 15 miles from the Perry range. Close examination revealed that the steer was shot with a .22 rifle between the eyes and the bullet was located in the back of the head. This precludes the possibility that the animal was mistakenly shot by hunters. Mr. Perry is offering a reward of $500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the rustlers.