100 Year Old Weblog ~ News From 100 Years Ago That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

August 1, 1908

THEY'LL EAT IN A GRAVEYARD.

One of the Pleasures Reserved for

Visiting Cemetery Superintendents.

The twenty-second annual convention of the Association of American Cemetery Superintendents will be held in Kansas City August 11, 12 and 13. Members of this association from every state in the Union will be present. Mayor Thomas T. Crittenden, Jr. will deliver the address of welcome and other city officials will contribute to the programme. William H. Dunn, superintendent of parks will deliver an address on "Oiled Roads," and George E. Kessler, landscape architect, will talk on "The Cemetery." Among other things scheduled on the program is a luncheon at Mount Washington cemetery at 1 o'clock, August 12.

Labels: cemetery, conventions, George Kessler, Mayor Crittenden, Mt. Washington

May 24, 1908

MINISTERS SOAKED

DURING AUTO RIDE.

Not Enough Cars to Carry

All the Presbyterians.

Three hundred ministers and commissioners to the 120th general assembly of the Presbyterian church got a soaking yesterday afternoon that was unorthodox to say the least. In less than an hour after they has started on a two-hour automobile ride over the boulevards and through the parks of Kansas City, the rain suddenly fell in torrents and it continued falling for nearly an hour.

This feature of the ride was not according to schedule and neither was that contingency looked for when the start was made from Convention hall. The ministers and commissioners started out without umbrellas or raincoats and many of the automobiles were without hoods so they got a genuine soaking. When the rain first began falling, many of the automobiles deserted the line and made straightway for Convention hall or for the hotel of the commissioners. Others stayed in the line and completed the ride.

On the whole, the plans and arrangements for the automobile ride did not work out as well as the committee had expected. While more than 100 automobiles had been promised, not more than fifty showed up at Convention hall at 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon. These were speedily filled by the waiting commissioners. Enough tickets had been distributed to fill the number of automobiles expected and consequently there were many disappointed commissioners. Those who were unable to secure seats returned to their hotels.

THESE KEPT DRY.

The "Seeing Kansas City" cars took care of a great number of the commissioners and their wives. Some preferred this ride to the automobiles because of the fact that they were allowed to take the women with them. The cars were sent over the usual route. The automobiles were sent over the most advantageous route in the city. They were headed by guides on motor cycles.

The start was made from Convention hall promptly at 2:30 o'clock. E. M. Clendening was master of ceremonies.

"Are you all ready?" he called down the line.

Shouts assured him they were. The sharp pop-pop of starting motors and the pungent smell of burning gasoline next greeted the ears and nostrils of the ministers and commissioners. Then slowly the line started down Thirteenth street to Grand avenue. The ministers joked each other and the good natured taunts of those left behind were directed at those in automobiles.

"You needn't hold your head so high just because it is your first ride in an automobile," yelled one as a friend disappeared down the street in one of the six cylinder cars.

"Did you never see an automobile before?" asked one commissioner of another who was examining the steering gear of one of the machines.

"I see plenty of them now, if I have never seen them before," returned the friend.

Altogether, it was a good natured and happy bunch of ministers, elders and commissioners that took that ride. They had had two days of strenuous work in the sessions of the assembly, and the afternoon gave opportunity for a general laxity from those arduous duties. William Henry Roberts, the former moderator and now stated clerk; the Rev. B. P. Fullerton and E. M. Clendening occupied the first automobiles.

PICTURE CARDS AND BOOKS.

Post card souvenirs and souvenir books illustrating the parks and boulevards of Kansas City were handed to the commissioners before they stepped into the automobiles. The booklets were given by the park board and besides the illustrations of the parks and boulevards contained some facts and figures concerning the city. These facts and figures were prepared by the Manufacturer's and Merchants' Association. This is the first opportunity that the park board has had of giving these booklets away. The post cards contained this printed message which the recipients were directed to send to their home folks:

Dear Home Folks: Having an enjoyable visit here. Am an honorary member of the Commercial Club's Prosperity Club. The motto is "Look Pleasant, Be Cheerful, Talk Prosperity. Yours --"

Labels: automobiles, churches, Convention Hall, conventions, Edwin Clendening, Grand avenue, ministers, Seeing Kansas City, Thirteenth street, weather

January 26, 1908

WILL BE TREELESS

IN FIFTY YEARS.

Condition Which Foresters

Say Confronts Southwest.

Lumber dealers of Kansas City and the states of Missouri, Knasas, Arkansas and Oklahoma generally, are centering all interest upon their twentieth annual convention, which is to begin in the city Tuesday morning. Between 1,500 and 2,000 of them have notified Secretary Harry A. Gorsuch of their intention to attend. Among these, at least 500 will be women, perhaps teh largest percentage of women that ever atended a purely commercial convention in this city.

All the indications point to the most important series of meetings in the history of the association during the three days the convention will last. Matters of such weighty imporance as the government efforts at forest preservation and the institution of the parcels post will occupy a great deal of the time, and the discussions upon these are to be led by some of the most important authorities upon the subjects to be secured in the whole United States. It is expected that these will attract not only the lumbermen of the Southwestern district, but of the entire West.

Overton Price, chief assistant forester of the department of the interior, will be the chief speaker upon the matter of forest preservation. His talk will be particularly interesting in view of the recent statistics compiled about the forests of Arkansas, one of the most important to the Southwestern district. It has been ascertained that there are about 100,000,000,000 feet of standing timber in that state, of which 20,000,000,000 is pine. In the year 1906 the total cut in that state was 2,000,000,000 feet, the largest in history. It is estimated that at this rate, in fifty years this will all be cut, assuming that growth will be offset by the deforestation and waste.

In Mr. Overton's address he will outline the plan whereby the government proposes to eliminate the extravagant wastes with which the forests in that state have been slaughtered. A large delegation from Arkansas will be present to learn the plans proposed and to secure hastiest cooperation with the government.

Labels: conventions, oklahoma

February 1, 1907

IT WAS THE LIMIT.

WOMEN SOUVENIR HUNTERS

TOOK COLLINS AT HIS WORD.

LUGGED OFF A HEAVY DOOR.

"YOU DON'T MEAN WE CAN

HAVE IT?" THEY COOED

"Sure, I Do," Said Collins, and His Eyes Nearly Fell Out When

They Carted Off an $8.50 Door That

Weighed Forty-Eight Pounds

R. J. Collins, manager of a sash and door manufacturing company, had an exhibit at the Coates house in the club room durning the Southwestern lumbermen's convention this week. As a souvenir his firm gave away a little door, about eight inches long and five inches wide. After about 3,000 had been given away, the supply ran out yesterday right after the noon hour.

About 2 o'clock two wwomen walked into the room. Mr. Collins greeted them effusively, and gave them each an American Beauty rose. He had a large jar of the flowers for the fair sex visitors.

"Haven't you got some doors that you are giving away as souvenirs?" asked one of the women very sweetly.

"Why -- why --no --yes --yes," said Collin. "We have just those two left," and he pointed to the south wall against which stood two full-sized, regular house doors, with glass panels.

Are you giving them away?" said the other woman, eagerly.

"Yes," said Collins, He thought he was having a little joke, and the women were appreciating it.

"Well," said the first woman, "would you give us one?"

"Certainly," said Collins, The thing looked serious, but he determined to be game.

"And may we take one?" said the other woman.

"Help yourself," he said with a grandiose flourish.

"To his utter amazement and astonishment, the two women grabbed hold of the door, stood it on one side, and then, each taking an end, started out of the room.

"It's heavy," murmured one of the women, "but I guess we can m anage it. Can you carry your end?" The other woman cooed an affirmative.

They pushed out the crowded hall toward teh lobby. The door weighed forty-eight pounds, but was more awkward than heavy. One of the women slipped and almost fell. She exploded mirthfully, took a fresh grip, and they plodded on. They reached the lobby. Several hundred lumbermen stood glued to the marble tiling, speechless. But the women never noticed. They swung out of the north door of the hotel and onto the pavement. There they placed the door against the wall of the building.

They hailed an expressman, had him load the door into his wagon, gave him an address, and away he went. Unruffled, except for a few dislodged locks, they returned to the hotel and quietly went upstairs, pursuing thier quest for souvenirs.

Just as the women were getting throught he outside door w3ith their prizes, E. W. Gardiner spied them. He rang for a porter.

"Go find out at once about that," he said. "Ask the sash and door exhibit in the club house."

The porter ran into Collins.

"It's alright," said the latter. He came out and told it all to Gardiner, and then to L. M. Firey, the manager. Then he bought the cigars.

"It's on me -- it's on me," mumbled Collins weakly. "It's on me. I spotted the womwen as souvenir hunters as soon as they hit the place. I was out of the little doors, so I thought I sould spring a joke and tell them to take a big, real one. And they took it. I'm game, though. The door is theirs. It's worth about $8.50. I'll stand that allright, allright. The way they worked to lug it out of the hotel was worth the money. That's the limit on souvenirs. I've seen all kinds of it -- but that's the best, isn't it?" HE turned to Firey and Gardiner. They nodded their heads.

Give us some more cigars," said Collins. I'll have to steady my nerves."

Labels: cigars, Coates house, conventions, flowers, hotels