Almanac: This week in south Lake County history

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Updated: February 21, 2012 4:00PM

100 years ago

February 23, 1912

The sheriff’s office was crowded all day Monday with Cedar Lake witnesses who were called to tell what they knew concerning the man found frozen to death in the Binyon barn, and had the appearance of being in a fight, the proceedings being held behind closed doors.

The Inquest

Cedar Lake witnesses were examined all day last Monday behind closed doors in the sheriff’s private room on the case of “Tom Delaney,” found frozen in Binyon’s barn at Cedar Lake, with cuts and bruises, but at this writing, Tuesday morning, nothing has come to the surface as to how or where he met his death. While it is the general opinion that he was carried and put in the barn, and the majority think he was murdered, no proof has been found to locate the blame.

The officers went again to Cedar Lake Tuesday morning to locate two men who are supposed to know something about the case, but thus far the chances look slim to ever find the cause of his death.

It is said he spent a night in our jail a few days before he met his death, and as near as can be judged he was a full-fledged tramp. It is quite probable the corner’s verdict will say he came to his death by foul means, as the clot of blood found on the brain was thought sufficient to stun him until he froze, but now or where it happened will probably never be known. He seemed to have completely dropped out of sight after visiting the Binyon Point saloon sometime Saturday afternoon.

Sheriff Grant said on Wednesday morning he was convinced it was murder, and that he hoped yet to fathom the mystery, and had a fresh trail.

The Underwood-Pfeil wedding, after a courtship of eighteen years, should be consolation for the old maids and bachelors in this place. All they have to do is to hang on and all will end well.

75 years ago

February 26, 1937

W. F. Martin, rear commodore of the Cedar Lake Yacht Club, has purchased the class E sloop “Hummingbird.” This speedy racing yacht took all the honors at the Pine Lake Yacht club last year and finished third in the Inland Lakes regatta with fifty other contenders. The “Hummingbird” is a Johnson built boat of the latest design and equipped with a revolving mast. At the end of last season Martin was putting his sloop, the “Wow It” right in front and with his new boat one can expect him to show the old-timers a few new tricks. Mr. Martin is anxious to see his class E sloop which he sailed last year, the “Wow 11”, stay at Cedar Lake and is willing to make a very attractive offer to anyone desirous of keeping her keel on the lake. The boat may be seen at Lassen’s garage and full particulars may be secured from Mr. Martin at 35 Ruth street, Hammond.

Bids on the construction or repair of fifteen bridges on state highways in eleven counties will be opened by the State Highway Commission on Tuesday, March 16, James D. Adams, chairman, announced Tuesday. Projects in the letting have a total estimated cost of $251,500 which will be paid from state and from federal-aid funds.

50 years ago

February 23, 1962

Gov. Matthew E. Welsh and Lt. Governor Richard O. Ristine have joined in bipartisan support of an effort to defeat Senate Bill 1797, by which U.S. Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois hopes to block construction of an Indiana port at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Welsh and Ristine are confident that they will win in the hearing scheduled February 26 and 27 on the bill by which Senator Douglas hopes to set aside 9,000 acres of land, including the port site, as a “lake shore” park. Governor Welsh is ready to proceed quickly toward acquiring land for the port and consistently supports the Burns Ditch site, rather than other Lake county possibilities. He has $2,000,000 appropriated by the legislature to buy the land and the papers are in order to close deals for the Burns Ditch site.

Welsh feels the port is vital to Hoosier economy, since it is likely the U.S. will join the European Common Market and Indiana will engage more in export. He is willing to start the construction of the $80 million port through bond issue, like the toll road. The Governor would proceed without Federal matching funds. He will try to get the matching funds later. Four big Indiana grain companies want the state to build and lease to their use a 10-million bushel elevator at the port site. They will use same jointly, rather than each building an elevator. Preliminary surveys estimate 600 million tons of Indiana soft coal annually will be shipped from the port. Indiana grain, much of which goes now to Georgia to feed chicken broilers, will go abroad to markets like England through the port. The broiler business fed by Indiana grain in Georgia and shipped to the meatless nations of Europe will then come through the port, so reviving the broiler industry in Indiana. The port will be an outlet for steel products and other manufactured goods and incoming will be iron ore to feed the steel mills. “

“Next week’s hearing will be held in Washington on Senator Douglas’ bill which, if it passed, would effectively throttle economic development of a port of northwestern Indiana. Hoosiers cannot permit this to happen. The basic issue at stake is weather Indiana has the right to build its own economy and seed on its own to obtain more jobs for its people and more business for its commercial firms. The prospect of competition form a Port of Indiana has spurred Chicago interest, led by Senator Douglas of Illinois, to seek Federal means to block for all time Indiana’s direct water access to the Great Lakes and foreign markets.”