Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 27, 1973 Page: 5 of 20
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THE RIO GRANDE CITY HERALD PAGE 5 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1973
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b.
y
i.
Energy Crisis Has People Rushing
People are rushing these
days toward a new form of
warmth as energy supplies
shrink and thermostants whirl
backward. It is called "the
wood fire."
At least this is new to a
whole generation or maybe
three or four which have been
kept snug all these years with
central heating.
Ah, it does sound romantic.
Throw a log on the fire. Sit in
front of the blaze, and watcn
the flames, dreaming of all the
vast things that will be done.
Call up the gas company and
tell it to cut off the service and
send no more bills.
Good luck, friend. It's not
that easy.
Yet it is a good thought and a
lot of people are thinking along
those lines.
If you don't believe Texans
are considering wood fires now,
listen to Mrs. Frances Hill of
Miles, a short distance out of
San Angelo.
A norther hit out there
recently and she writes, "The
price of wood heaters (stoves)
has jumped from $60 to $120
... Flannelette (a form of
warm clothing material) is al-
most impossible to find."
Was driving in the country
the other day. At least it was
country on each side of the
road which was a superhigh-
way jammed bumper to bump-
er, everybody tailgating.
Several vehicles were bring-
ing firewood back to the city.
One man was pulling a rent-a-
trailer. Others had the back
ends of pickup trucks filled.
Some sedans had trunks loaded
with wood.
If you're going to have a fire
you've got to scrounge up the
wood, which is not simple this
fuel-short season.
Austin, for instance, is get-
ting quotations of $50 a cord for
firewood, and people are driv-
ing there from other places be-
cause it is so cheap.
Dallas wood cost $35 a cord
last year but is being quoted
this fall at $60 to $65 with an
estimate of $75 shortly. Some
wood yards are talking about
being denuded of their supply,
built up during the summer, by
Christmas.
One dealer blamed the short-
age and resultant inflation on
new, high-priced condominiums
and apartment which just must
have a fireplace.
These slick new residences do
not expect to get any heat from
their fancy fireplaces. The fire
is just something to look at.
The same shortage is happen-
ing to wood-burning stoves.
The Portland Stove Foundry
in Maine had 500 stoves clutter-
ing up the place and very few
sales a few months ago. Now it
can't meet the demand and is
planning another foundry.
It is comforting to know that
the federal government in the
persons of the rangers of the
National Forests and National
Grasslands are sympathetic to
persons facing a firewood
crisis.
It, or they, have announced
that homeowners may come on
the forest or grassland—which
presumably includes some
trees, too—and cut their own
firewood from the deadfall ly-
ing on the ground.
These amateur woodcutters,
however, must get a permit.
Commercial wood dealers can
To Wood Piles
do the same thing by paying a
fee.
The rangers probably issued
the invitation with mixed emo-
tions for they were careful to
add a statement about safety.
The very thought of woods
full of city fellers using rented
or borrowed axes or chainsaws
probably has sent the rangers
to headquarters demanding
first-aid kits and possibly alert-
ing all ambulances and hospi-
tals within 200-miles.
All these city amateurs are
going to find that gathering
firewood is hard work. That is
one reason the wood dealers
are having trouble getting a
supply—not many people are
willing to nut out that much la-
bor.
Wood has been used since
man discovered fire. The pio-
neers used fireplaces because
they only cost a man's work,
not money like stoves.
Stoves came along later in
this part of the country and
were more convenient. One of
the favorites in the cow country
was the "bachelor stove."
This small stove had a flat
surface on which a cow camp
cowboy could cook his meals
while keeping warm.
Fireplaces and stoves require
some place for the smoke to go.
And where there is smoke, soot
settles in the chimneys.
We know one pioneer who
thought he knew how to clean
the chimney each fall.
T'was The Season To Be Jolly
'Twas the season to break his three-drink limit, too.
What the heck, though, the Christmas Season comes but
once a year, right? Sure it does. Assuming you're around to see it.
Just remember, some people have a lower tolerance to
alcohol than others.
For them, one or two drinks can be trouble when they try to drive.
If you're feeling a little too jolly after this year's big party,
call a cab or get a sober friend to take you home
It could have a lasting effect on your happiness.
drive
friendly^
Governor's Office of Traffic Safety
dkivk s\i kly...w;<: u si; w i; low; vor
FIRST STATE BANK & TRUST CO.
LAREDO FURNITURE DISTRIBUTORS
RIO GRANDE CITY LA CASITA FARMS INC.
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Trejo, Raul. Rio Grande Herald (Rio Grande City, Tex.), Vol. 31, No. 47, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 27, 1973, newspaper, December 27, 1973; Rio Grande City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth194439/m1/5/: accessed July 11, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rio Grande City Public Library.