76 Years Ago
The November 24, 1949 Colorado Transcript included a Thanksgiving Proclamation by Governor Lee Knous. It also included an editorial, reminding us to be grateful not only for our Thanksgiving feast but for our homes, our senses, and our clothes. They followed this with a reminder to Shop Early For Christmas.
Four firemen and two School of Mines students had been injured while fighting a fire at Stratton Hall. "Oil used in an electrically heated oil bath became overheated and ignited." The firemen tried to extinguish the fire with water, which, when it came in contact with the overheated oil, caused an explosion. The building and instruments incurred about $2500 in damage. The assistant fire chief had serious burns on face, neck, right arm, and both hands. That same week, the fire department extinguished a brush fire at 7th and Arapahoe.
The police department was also kept busy. A 2 year old girl who lived at 21st and East Streets swallowed carbolic acid capsules and headache tablets. A patrolman was called, and he induced vomiting. A doctor pronounced her to be "none the worse for her experience." Another resident attempted suicide by drinking iodine. He was taken to a hospital and treated. A patrolman spotted a brush fire at 2300 Cheyenne. He hurried to the fire station, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and doused the fire. A woman who was traveling in the back seat of a car that was going down 19th Street at about 40 MPH suddenly opened the door and jumped out. "Her body skidded and rolled 165 feet before coming to rest." She was taken to the hospital, where she was still unconscious 9 days later.
The Chamber of Commerce was gearing up for holiday festivities. This was the year the "Welcome" arch was constructed, and the Chamber had ambitious plans to add Santa and his reindeer to the arch. The theme for the year was "The Spirit of Christmas - Quality Merchandise Priced Right." The post office planned to stay open late every evening for people sending holiday packages.
