Published: May 07, 2008 05:14 pm            

Letters to the editor - Thursday, May 8, 2008

Work day slated for Nickel Plate

I am better at building trails than planning for them. If you want to be part of something special, try to join us for part of the day Saturday.

We have scheduled a Nickel Plate Trail work day from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Plans are to meet at the future Nickel Plate trailhead in Bunker Hill. To get there, simply head east off of U.S. 31 on Ind. 18 toward Bunker Hill, and you will run right into the trail parking area.

We will be clearing sections of the trail with chain saws and loppers, as well as picking up a lot of trash and debris. Old shoes, long pants, long-sleeve shirts and gloves are highly recommended.

Come out for a little bit or stay for the whole day. Lunch will be provided and served at 2 p.m. Club Kokomo is donating soft drinks and bottled water, and the Friends of the Nickel Plate Trail are springing for lunch. Robin Cole is making sloppy joes, Joan Smith is doing backed beans, Gaynell Shirley is making cookies, so come out and be part of history. With your help, this trail will be paved from the Wabash to Cassville by the end of this year.

Leadership of the Nickel Plate Trail Friends will provide an update during lunch. Special thanks to Waste Management for donating a Dumpster for the cleanup effort.

If you have not ridden the section of the trail that was paved last November, bring your bike and check it out after the work session and lunch.

Charlie Skoog

Kokomo

Petty crimes getting out of hand in town

I am appalled at the rate of petty crimes in this community. I’ve had my lawn mower stolen last summer, chrome center caps stolen off my Buick, scratches on my car recently.

These may just be petty crimes, as I stated, but my neighbors and I are sick of it. We are working people. We pay for our cars, insurance, our homes, etc.

What I’d suggest if you are the one that’s reading this and doing criminal acts that you get an education and employment so that someday you’ll reap what you sow. Right now, you think it’s funny to vandalize other citizens’ property, but someday you’ll get caught and go to a place called jail or prison where the rest of us pay taxes, so you can live there!

Straighten up your act, respect your fellow citizen and do something productive with your life.

May God bless you.

Vickie Wood

Kokomo

Hollingsworth Mill also burned in 1914

I would like to share with the public a historical recurrence with the burning of the Hollingsworth Saw Mill. It was reported that the fire began when the employees were at lunch. We are all thankful that there were no injuries and for the great efforts of the personnel who extinguished the blaze and ensured the safety of others.

The Kokomo Tribune reported a similar fire on July 27, 1914. “Hollingsworth Mill Is Burning At Russiaville, Blaze Starts At the Noon Hour When Employees of the Place Were Absent.”

The mill, owned by Sam Hollingsworth, burned to the ground “destroying a great deal of lumber and machinery was unrepairably damaged.” The mill was located at the Cloverleaf Railroad, on a site where a previous mill was destroyed by fire. The heat was so intense that the tracks of the railroad warped.

That site currently houses Functional Devices. Sam Hollingsworth (1861-1940) was notably famous for his 1886 World Record endurance bicycle racing.

We wish the best to the Hollingsworth family.

Kirk Smith

Russiaville

        

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