The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, September 19, 1941 Page: 1 of 4
four pages : ill. ; page 23 x 17 in. Scanned from physical pages.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Winkler County News
Friday, Sept. 19,1941
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas
Volume 5; Number 27
Killmer Favors
Lets
Be Sure
Southern Route
AN EDITORIAL
of
Side
Issues
BY H. G. VERMILLION
--
I
*
(
Kermit To Meet
*
Kermit
commissioner,”
Austin Street Torn Up; Paving Work To Begin Monday
Walton Field's
Face Is Lifted;
Box Office Built
Mrs. J. R. Sparkes of Enid, Okla.,
is visiting her son, Roy Sparkes
and Mrs. Sparks. The Sparkes’ spent
last weekend in Carlsbad and visit-
ed the Caverns.
I I
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Gardner made
a business trip to Monahans Mon-
day afternoon.
Donivee Purify, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. G. P urkey of Kenrzfc who recently won a two-year motion
picture contract with Paramount Studios in Hollywo od, is shown above receiving pointers from the old
master Director, Qecil B. DeMille. At right is Mrs. W. H. Ball, under whom Miss Purkey studied at College
of Mines in El Paso. Winnie Lee Purkey, Donivee’s s ister, will rteturn to College of Mines this year.
(Picture Courtesy El Paso Times)
County Commissioner Gene Crut-
cher, who reported a heavy down-
pour in the southeast part of the
county Tuesday, says that the rain
so far this year in portions of the
county is four or five times the
normal 10 inches or so around here.
'For the ranchers, that’s somp’n.
County Surveyor Fritz Estill, who
flies a plane in his spare time, said
he flew over the big sandhills to
the northeast a few days ago, and
there were numerous lakes in the
depressions the wind has scooped
out.
That’s somp’n too.
Cattleman Pink Mitchell, who has
lived in Winkler County 42 years
•and thus might almost be counted
one of the original settlers—it was
too dry for the Indians—says this
is the wettest year he has seen until
now.
“I’ve seen other years when the
(Continued On Page Two)
HI
$5 FINE FACES
BARRICADE BREAKERS
Motorists who break the bar-
ricades While Kermit’s paving
project is under way, or who
evade the barricades by driv-
ing onto streets where work is
in prograss through alleys or
driveways, are subject to finjes
in Corporation Court, and the
law will be enforced, City Com-
missioner T. H. Herrin warned
Thursday.
—
Rushing Of Project
To Be Attempted
If Weather Good
All Teachers Pledge
Selves To Purchase
Defense Bonds
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot 'of Ros-
well, N. M., will be Sunday guests
of Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Hoover. Mr.
Wilmot will speak at the Communi-
ty Church Sunday night.
GIRL PEP LEADERS
OF K. H. S. CHOSEN
Shirley Barnes and Dorothy Wat-
son were selected as girl pep lead-
ers for Kermit High School at a
pep squad meeting last Monday.
These girls were chosen for their
ability and aptitude of this job.
“Blossom” Watson, Junior Shaw
and Carter Stewart were selected
as the male leaders. Junior Shaw
was elected for his second year.
Insurance Week
Essay Contest Set
One of the highlights of the ob-
servance of Fire Prevention Week
in Kermit Oct. 6 through 11 will be
the holding of an essay contest by
Dan P. English, Kermit insurance
agent. He will pay a Kermit High
School student $5 cash for the best
essay presented to him on “How
We Can Prevent Fires.” A prize of
$1 will be given for the best essay
on fire prevention in each grade
from the First through the Eighth
Grade.
The essays must be turned to the
English insurance office by 6 p. m.
Oct. 6. Prizes will be awarded Fri-
day, Oct. 10 at the schools.
The winning essay will be pub-
lished in The Winkler County News.
k .-^8
■■'I; • •
First actual work on paving
‘37 blocks of Kermit streets began
Thursday when Austin street, main
east-west artery, was blocked from
the Texhoma Hotel to the Jal
Highway Traffic Light, and coun-
ty road equipment ripped up old
pavement and otherwise prepared
for laying of pavement Monday.
C. :Hunter Strain, San Angelo
contractor on the paving work, wias
in Kermit during the week; and
said his equipment, held up last
week by rains, would be in Kermit
Monday. He secured and cleared
land’ for building of gravel and other
stockpiles at the west end of Ker-
mit, and otherwise made final pre-
parations.
Under the plan of operations ap-
proved by the Commissioners Court
Wednesday, Austin Street first will
be paved the full seven blocks from
the Texhoma Hotel to the turn past
the Courthouse on the eas. Then a
> •• . ■ .
Bill
F J
B »j
ips '
Rfe ■
’■ •X’X-. - ■
2 Wells Brought In
Just East Of City;
Deep Test To Go On
Two oil wells were brought in in
the Permian Kermit Field 'just east
of Kermit during the week, while
the Magnolia Company’s No. 1 Wal-
ton deep test completed condition-
ing of hole iand setting of casing
and prepared to begin deepening
hole again within a few days.
Beth the wells shot were on Seth
Campbell’s property. Hal Peck and
J. H. Croft of Midland, leasors and
drillers, brought in their Seth
Campbell No. 1 Monday shooting
it with 400 quarts of nitroglycerine
at a depth of 3322 feet.
The well flowed
through casing within
overnight, and the next day after
cleaning operations were successful
in short order begain flowing at an
accelerated rate. Results of a test
scheduled Thursday were not avail-
able, but Croft estimated the well
would produce 300 barrels a day.
The well, one of the closest pro-
ducers to Kermit and very impor-
tant because it extended the pool
a half mile south, impressed itself
on Kermit’s east side residents by
sending them a strong smell of gas
and oil.
The Texas Company well was
shot late Wednesday. Initial pro-
duction was reported at about the
same as the Peck and Croft well.
The Magnolia deep test, with
casing set and cemented Thursday,
was scheduled to remain status quo
for 72 hours while the cement hard-
ened, and then continue past its
present 8341 feet depth to an un-
disclosed depth.
City of Kermit’s j
Tax Rate Increased’
To$1.150n$100
rw
I III '
Crane Friday
Kermit High School’s Yellow Jackets, sound of limb but a bit bruised
in spirit after last week’s 28-0 thumping at the hands of the Brown-
field Cubs, will launch into the perilous District 7-A schedule at 8:30 p.
m. Friday on Walton Field against the Crane High School Cranes, a
team rated in much the same class as the Yellow Jackets.
Crane beat Stanton by two touchdowns, so the Kermiteers should
be slightly favored, but football be-<S>
ing what it is, the game is destined
to be one of those anything can
happen affairs.
Reports are that Crane has much
the same type of team as the Yel-
low Jackets—light but shifty and
fast.
The Brownfield game was just a
case of the good big squad against
the good little squad. The Cubs had
about three times as many men
suited out as Kermit, and ran in
substitution after substitution.
FIRST HALF NOT BAD
This was all right while the Yel-
low Jackets were fresh, and the half
ended with the Brownfield team
leading only 7 to 0 by virtue of
an early surge for >a touchdown
and extra point. As a matter of
fact, the Kermit team led in first
downs in the first half, 7 to 6.
But the second half, sadly, was
different. The Cubs rampaged to
an early touchdown in the third
quarter, then romped for two more
in the fourth, and made all extra
tries good for the 28-point total.
Kermit’s greatest scoring threat
came in the first half when Bob
Neely passed to Raymond Myers on
I a short screen pass play, and Myers
raced 53 yards behind good inter-
ference before he was pulled down.
But that was the end of the
threat, and almost the end of the
game as far as the Jackets were
concerned. It was pass, pass for the
Yellow* Jackets, and then if no first
down, a punt. Several first downs
came but not enough in a row.
Junior McKee played <a stellar de-
fensive game, and Neely’s passing
was outstanding.
Coach Bull Kotrola abandoned his
T-formation during much of the
game in favor of a more widely
spaced passing formation, but said
(Continued on Page Four)
03S
low
Kermit’s city tax rate was raised
to $1.15 on the $100 valuation
Thursday night by the City Com-
mission to meet anticipated tax val-
uation deerteases and slightly in-
creased expenditures.
The new tax rate is split up into
90 cents for the city’s general fund,
10 cents for interest and sinking
funds, and 15 cents for street im-
provements.
The old rate was $1 per $100 val-
uation. On an assessed valuation]
in the city of $576,000, the increase
is expected to net only about $860,
but the city could not operate on
the $5760 that would be brought in
by the $1 rate, City Commissioner
T, H. Hfcrrin said in advocating the
new rate. The motion for the rate
was made by Commissioner Dick
Madison. Mayor Bill Wilson was
absent.
Since the city collects about 1300
annually on its 2 percent gross re-
ceipts utility tax, the anticipatedi
tax revenue is something over $8000,
including returns from licenses and
other miscellaneous fees. The $1.15
tax rate alone would bring in $6624
on 100 percent collection.
S3
MB
,■,
aft
Kermit Girl Learns How In Hollywood
88 barrels
12 hours
Kermit residents will see a chang-
ed Walton Field when they go to
the Kermit-Crane game at 8:30 p.
m. Friday.
During the week the stands have
been repainted, reserved seat sec-
tions set off between the 40-yard
lines, a ticket booth erected at the
automobile entrance on the eastern
side of the field, and most import-
ant from many fans’ viewpoint, a
scoreboard erected at the southern
end of the field.
Superintendent B. F. Meek had
reserved seat tickets printed for all
seats between the two 40-yard lines
for the season, and put vn sale
books of reserved seat tickets that
would cost $4.50 for the individual
tickets. The books cost $4.
In addition to other general re-
furbishing of the field, including
painting of fencing and so forth,
the county scraper leveled the
driveway around the field.
Every teacher in the Kermit
School system has agreed to pur-
chase one or more U. S. Savings
Bonds by Dec. 1, School Superin-
tendent B. F. Meek told the Lions
Club Thursday.
He urged the Lions Club mem-
bers to buy bonds, and introduced
Joey Wilson, teacher, who sang,
“Any Bonds Today,” theme song of
the bond sales campaign written by
Ir ig Berlin and copyrighted by
Secretary of the Treasury Henry
Morgenthau, Jr.
Meek said the Kermit High
'School Student Council had set up
committees to carry the campaign
for buying savings stamps to the
student body, and it was hoped to
get 100 per cent participation in the
savings stamps purchasing pro-
gram.
Lions voted to sponsor a carnival
with the American Legion and Vol-
unteer Fire Department.
They also voted to entertain Ker-
mit High School football players at
a banquet, iand to have an enter-
tainment for the teachers in the
local schools.
Rev. J. P. Lancaster, chairman of
the Winkler County U. S. O. drive,
reported the drive netted $343.50,
falling $56.50 short of the aim.
Winkler County’s controversial $550,000 road bond proposal took a
new turn Wednesday when County Commissioner Fred Crosby of Wink,
who had been accused of selfish motives in the matter of a road to Men-
tone because he owns the gas distribution system in Mentone, said he
had no hope of retrieving his investment there, and obtained from Dist-
rict Highway Engineer R. E. Killmer a statement that Killmer believes
______-^>the proposed route of the Mentone
road through Winkler County would
be the best route also for a cutoff
to El Paso.
Killmer attended the meeting to
give an estimate of the cost of
building the highway to the Loving
County line towards Mentone and
to Andrews County. He said the
previous estimate of $15,000 a mile
by his office was as close as he could
come.
The southwesterly read toward
Mentone, he said, would intercest
the most logical route across the
Pecos River and on west at the
Loving-Winkler County line. Thence
he said, the logical route for the El
Paso cutoff would follow the oil
pipeline west to Orla and beyond,
and turn northwest at the Deleware
Mountains just east of Signal Peak
to intersect the El Paso-Carlsbad
highway on the highlands to the
east of Signal Peak.
NORTHERN ROUTE OUT
In answer to questions by mem-
bers of the Court, Judge S. M. Hal-
ley, J. B. Walton, County Survey-
or Fritz Estill and others preent,
Killmer said the formerly proposed
more northerly route across the
Red Bluff Dam would be impossible
of construction because the dam is
too narrow for use as a roadway,
and widening it would be more ex-
pensive than bridging the river.
Crosby said he had envisioned
completion of a road to Mentone,
then building a highway from near
Orla to the Signal Peak connection.
He asked Killmer if he thought the
; state would take over a road from
Kermit to Mentone if it were graded
■ but not topped with the state to
apply the topping.
Killmer said he could not express
policy for the Highway Commission,
but that the state would be far
more apt to take over such a road
if it were topped the entire distance.
Crosby said he believed if the road
could be built to Mentone and one
from Orla to Signal Peak, the state
then would see the necessity of
bridging the two ends of the “V”
thus formed, and build a cutoff
across Loving County from the
Winkler County line to Orla.
Two years ago, he said, the High-
way Commission advised a delega-
tion from Loving County to get the
grade up on the proposed Kermit-
Mentone highway, and then come
back to see the commissioners
about the state taking over the
route.
“The route to Red Bluff on the
proposed cutoff to El Paso would
be more expensive. The pipeline
route is" preferable. I said that sev-
eral years ago when I made ia check
of the routes, and I still say it,”
Killmer said.
CANYONS IN WAY
If he pipeline route were follow-
ed, the highway would cross the
Pecos River about six or seven miles
below Red Bluff Dam, Killmer said.
Cressing any farther north than
that would be prohibitively expen-
sive because of the deeply eroded
canyons and gullies encountered, he
said.
Crosby said Loving County com-
missioners had promised to go
through any procedure necessary to
condemn right of way through their
county for the cutoff road, if they
get the Kermit road.
However, several present said
Loving County is badly in debt and
could not go through any procedure
requiring expenditure of any money
to speak of.
Judge Halley asked about “that
four and a half miles we built out
West of here” las a WPA project.
The road, due west from Kermit
cost about $20,000, he said.
“That was a part of Judge Ely’s
dream of a cutoff to El Paso when
he was highway
Judge Halley said.
Killmer said the Highway Com-
mission made the location of the
road already built, on the old pro-
posal to carry the road across Red
Bluff Dam.
Crosby, however, offered to bet
i Killmer a good hat the Highway
Commission had nothing to do with
the $20,000 project.
, Walton said Killmer’s predeces-
, sor as district engineer, Finley, had
(Continued On Page Two)'
north-south street not yet selected
will be blocked off and paved, and
will serve as a detour street while
other streets are in turn blocked off
and paved.
A-’srjn Street probably will be
blocked for about five days unless
rains hold up the paving work, it
was said.
PENALTY PROVIDED
Strain said he expected to com-
plete the paving in two weeks,
barring unfavorable weather. His
contract calls for completion in
25 working days from Sept 1, with
a $25 penalty for each day he goes
over that time. He must complete
the work in about two weeks if he
is to come within the contract, and
County Surveyor Fritz Estill said
Wednesday he believed it possible
the work may be completed in that
time. Rams, of course, would delay
the work, but rained out days do
not count on the contract.
A report by the Fort Worth aud-
iting firm of Sproflies, Woodward
and Company to the City Commis-
sion recently showed that $33,800
already has been expended on the
paving project in preparation for
the topping, mostly in applying and
building sidewalks and curbs on the
streets to be paved. Since Strain’s
contract calls for expenditure of
about $10,000, the 37 blocks At pav-
ing will have cost about $45,000.
The audit showed the city had
received $9,852.08 in cash from, pro-
perty owners in special assessments,
had borrowed from banks $7000, and
had received from the county’s
half share $15,248.
The county still owed $1,651.80
upon its half of the expenditures,
the audit showed.
H
p
ip
R. E. Killmer, district engineer
for the Texas Highway Department |
located in Pecos, sided with County
Commissioner Fred Crosby of Wink
in a Commissioners Court meeting
by saying that in his opinion the
most practicable route to follow for
a- cutoff highway to El Paso would
be the route of the proposed Ker-
mit-Mentone road from Kermit to
the Living County line, and then
straight west along the oil pipeline
until the Deleware Mountains are
reached just east of the of the pro-
posed junction with the Carlsbad-
E1 Paso highway.
This, of course, still would leave
Mentone high and dry as far as
a through highway is concerned.
But Crosby says he never expects
Mentone to amount to anything
anyway; that his motives are pure-
ly disinterested despite the fact that
he owns the Mentone gas distribu-
tion plant, and that anyway he isn’t
making any money on the plant
and after this winter will pull up
the pipes and sell them for junk
unless he stops losing so much
money.
He says if the road to Mentone
goes through perhaps a highway
to connect with the El Paso-Carls-
bad highway at Signal Peak could
be constructed from the present
Pecos-Carlsbad highway beginning
at a point’ near Orla, almost due
north of Mentone, and that then
possibly the state, seeing the V
made by the Kermit-El Paso high-
way to go to Mentone, would build
a highway straight across Loving
County to eliminate the V.
Perhaps all this is so. But others
present brought up some questions.
Did not the Texas State Highway
Commission at one timfe designate
a route straight west from Kermit,
to cross the Pecos at or near Red
Bluff Dam, as the one it would
authorize aS a cutoff if it ever got
around to building such a highway?
And did not Winkler County spon-
sor a $20,000 WPA project to gradp
up a highway straight west for 4J&
miles, on the strength of the High-
way Department’s location, of the
highway?
Crosby brought up the point the
county spend a lot of money to the
east once on a highway to connect
with one to Odessa, and then Ector
County decided it would rather con-
nect somewhere else, and miles of
highway had to be rebuilt. He ad-
vanced this argument, however, in
opposing the proposed road to An-
drews, saying Andrews County had
made no definite commitment about
meeting the proposed Winkler
County Highway.
He said the Loving County Com-
missioners Court had made a ver-
bal agreement to secure any kind
of right of way across the county
however, if the Mentone road is
constructed.
' So, where do we go from here,
boys? Before any kind of election
is held to vote an any kind of bonds,
it grows more and more plain, the
voters of Winkler County had bet-
ter be quite sure the highways to
be built where they will do the
county seme good, and will connect
with highways that are going some
where.
A highway to Mentone would be
of little value. A cutoff highway
to El Paso would be of inestimable
value. A highway to Andrews would
be of some value.. But. Winkler
County cannot build any highways
outside of Winkler. County. And
$550,000 is a lot of money to spend
valueless by the whims of officials
of the stake or other counties.
All interested in the proposed
highway bond election had better
be at that hearing of he Commis-
sioners Court at 10 p. m. Tuesday,
Sept. 30. It should prove quite in-
teresting.
Iwh
I ■
IJH
On the theory that when a man
bites a dog, that’s news, when it
doesn’t rain in Winkler County,
that’s news. This year.
Other years the sand may blow,
the cattle may range far in search
of forage, the ranchers may moan
and the desert plants probe deep
into the earth for moisttire. Not this
year.
Instead we have have lakes in our
streets, lakes in the sand dunes to
the northeast, flowers on our sand-
hills, pollen for hay fever sufferers,
grass and weeds for the cattle so
they must feel that this is a strange
land. Cur cars get mudsplashed the
day tafter they are washed. It rains
■almost daily, and sometimes, it
seems, 'hourly. lit (sprinkles and
drizzles and showers and cloud-
bursts and sometimes it just plain
rams.
This is nv Complaint. I’ve lived
in a dry land so long it would tak®
more than a little rain to make
a soak out of me.
But all we’ve had in Kermit since
I’ve been here is “unusual weaher”
until sometimes I wonder if we
don’t have ia bunch of transplant-
ed Californians around here.
Bls
I ■ Wh I
I
f
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Vermillion, Henry G. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 5, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, September 19, 1941, newspaper, September 19, 1941; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1227189/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Winkler County Library.