The Lowden News, Lowden, Iowa February 6, 1936
Transcribed by Sharon Elijah, January 5, 2020

CEDAR COUNTY STILL IN GRIP OF COLD WAVE; COAL SHORTAGE FEARED

     With the mercury still hovering around the zero mark, a strong gale Monday night set the snow to drifting again and Tuesday morning found all traffic in this territory at a standstill. All roads and highways leading into Lowden were blocked in the forenoon. Lincoln highway was opened shortly after noon and traffic east and west was resumed.

     The high wind continued during the day, shifting the snow in great sheets across open spaces. There was no mail service in Lowden Tuesday and the rural mail carrier, who has been unable to travel his route but a few times during the past three weeks, continued on his enforced vacation.

     All consolidated schools in this section closed for the time being. Trinity school in Lowden closed yesterday morning for the remainder of the week.

     Cedar county and many other counties in Iowa are facing a coal shortage. The town of Charlotte was reported today to be without coal, as was also Grundy Center. Numerous other towns in Iowa are without fuel and some are completely isolated all roads being blocked.

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The Lowden News, Lowden, Iowa February 13, 1936

IOWA GOVENOR WARNS TO CONSERVE COAL

     Gov. Clyde Herring Wednesday called on mayors of all stricken cities to “confiscate coal if necessary” to keep Iowa families warm during the remainder of the cold wave.

     The governor also asked that all public buildings and schools be closed to conserve coal unless their operation is absolutely necessary. He had previously said that another blizzard would put the fuel famine situation out of control, and the weather bureau warned Wednesday that another blizzard is headed toward Iowa.

     In his statement the governor said: “Every possible step to conserve coal should be taken. If this blizzard arrives and the highways again are blocked, I hate to think what will happen.”

     West Branch—At 4 o’clock Tuesday morning, with the temperature at 18 below, Marvin Smith, snowbound on his farm northeast of West Branch, with a neighbor’s help, hauled Mrs. Smith on a homemade sled across a mile of drifted fields, over six fences and a creek, to highway No. 1, where he had shoveled his car out from a drift Monday, then drove thirteen miles to an Iowa City hospital where a daughter was born to the Smiths at 8 a.m. Both daughter and mother are doing nicely. Clarence—The public school was closed Monday and Tuesday because of the coal shortage. Dealers are doling coal out in small amounts. No suffering has been reported from lack of coal.

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The Lowden News, Lowden, Iowa February 13, 1936

CITY COAL USED AT TIPTON FOR RELIEF, NO SHORTAGE AT LOWDEN

     While plenty of coal was reported enroute to Tipton, the fuel shortage became very acute the first of the week. The city council of that town met in a special meeting Monday and agreed to let the three dealers have not to exceed four tons each from the city’s coal stocks to parcel out when the need was greatest. It was reported that many families are living in a single room in order to conserve fuel. The consolidated school at Tipton is still closed. Slow progress is being made in opening secondary roads, principally because of the fact that the county is ill prepared to fight the excessive amount of snow.

     The coal shortage in Lowden has at no time the past four weeks been serious until today. A reverse of the weather conditions of the past two days might make the fuel situation in Lowden a serious one. This afternoon the last load was hauled out from the D. W. Conrad sheds and it is estimated that H. Ruprecht has about 5 tons left in the sheds. Seven tons has already been taken from the local creamery’s supply.

     Business men and townspeople are in the country this afternoon assisting the farmers in shoveling through the drifts on secondary roads. The weather bureau is reporting fair weather for the next few days.

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The Clarence Sun, Clarence, Iowa February 13, 1936

IS WARMER WEATHER HERE?

     After twenty days of below zero weather, the lowest -26, the mercury on Saturday morning at 6:30 stood at 27 above. Then three more days of below weather came. Sunday -16, Monday -11, Tuesday -16, Wednesday, 2 above; and this morning 16 above.

     A total of twenty-three days of below zero weather is quite enough and it will please all to have moderation stop the weather being the principal topic of conversation.

     With the whole country covered with heavy snow the temperature will be kept lower than if the snow was gone.

     The snow that has fallen this week is still loose and only a slight wind is needed to tie up all the roads. The use of autos is not possible on any roads but the paved highways. The old bob sled is doing most of the transporting for the farmers. The sun came up this morning at 6:57 and will set at 5:32. The longer days will eventually show themselves in rising temperatures.

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The Clarence Sun, Clarence, Iowa February 20, 1936

     While Clarence has not been without some worry about the shortness of fuel, the community is in far better shape than most places. Three car loads of coal have come in this week and truckers bringing coal from the Rock Island county mines have helped ease the situation. Three Olin trucks got as far as Clarence on Friday night and learning that 38 was blocked north of Stanwood they sold their loads here and returned to the Coal Valley neighborhood for more, which was also sold here Clarence Drake also did some trucking of coal from Illinois.

     This morning was the first above zero morning since last Thursday. The six days of below zero of the past week makes a total of 29 below zero days since Jan. 18th. Only four days of above zero weather since that date. The past week at 6:30 a.m. lined up thus: Friday -3, Saturday -8, Sunday -10, Monday -6, Tuesday -19, Wednesday -15, Thursday 1. Snow and not so cold is the prediction which looks like the truth. The wind during all the past month has been in the northeast, north, northwest and west, but this morning it was in the southeast.

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