June 1943: Laurel High School girl drowns in Sioux City pool

A recent column mentioned that Editor Allison’s son-in-law, Joseph E. Bullock, was the captain of a Liberty ship.

These 10,000-ton freighters were the Volkswagen Beetles of the shipping industry. Each ship cost approximately $1.5 million and took about 30 days to build. Some of the work, including welding, was done by women.

Liberty ships were used to transport food, war materials, and other supplies to Allied nations and, according to Nebraska Congressman Karl Stefan some of the ships returned with prisoners of war.

Stefan noted thousands of German and Italian POWs were being sent to prison camps in southern and southwestern states but would later be redistributed to camps in other states including Nebraska.

Several thousand POWs would be sent to Fort Robinson where they would be “denazified” and put to work on farms and ranches.

Many of the German prisoners sent to Fort Robinson were veterans of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Although the war in Europe ended in May 1945, some of the German prisoners were held until 1946.

Strange, how we are taught that the Nazi’s use of slave labor was a terrible thing, but was fine and dandy when we did it. Incidentally, not all Germans were Nazis any more than all Americans are Democrats.

Shipyards on the West Coast also were turning out ships at a record pace.

The Advocate noted the need for workers was critical and recruiters from the yards at Bremerton, Washington, were hiring entire families including boys and girls over the age of 16.

Congressman Stefan said the shortage of tires, gasoline, and food was getting worse, especially on the East Coast where a complete ban on pleasure driving was imposed in 12 states and the District of Columbia. The Middle West may be next, he said.

The tire shortage already was getting worse in Cedar County.

During the first three weeks in June, the County Rationing Board received applications for 260 tires. It was expected that more applications would come in by the end of the month. “The quota for June is 226 tires and the Board cannot exceed that number,” said the Advocate.

Oliver Seim of Hartington, who had chaired the Rationing Board since it was established in December 1941, submitted his resignation due to the pressure of trying to farm and also serve on two boards. The rationing board was an especially thankless job. His replacement was Alva Forinash also of Hartington.

The shortage of gasoline and tires seemed to be taking a toll on sideroad romances. “It is funny to watch the antics of a couple of old clowns who seem to imagine they have a military secret. Due to the bad condition of side roads and the shortage of gasoline and tires, they have been having a hard time with their courtship. They have been seeing each other occasionally but for the most part it’s a game of trying to dodge the husband of the female member of the party.“ And the couple in the black sedan – the butt of many of Allison’s editorial columns – had not been sighted in several weeks.

Tires and gasoline were not the only items in short supply. There was a growing shortage of meat, particularly in the large eastern cities. Congressman Stefan noted that there was no shortage of meat for people with money or connections. Many people, presumably those with little money and no connections, were becoming vegetarians, he said. They were afraid the meat they were able to buy came from horses or diseased animals.

At least part of the meat shortage was caused by government regulation. In an attempt to control inflation, the Office of Price Administration announced plans to roll back price ceilings on meat and other products to September 1942 levels. Congressman Stefan noted that cattle feeders had been bombarding Congress with protests because they could not make a profit under the new regulations.

In June a meeting was held in Hartington to organize the Cedar County Livestock Feeders Association. Dwight Burney was named chairman. The consensus among the feeders was that they could not produce cattle at a loss and stay in business any more than eastern manufacturers could produce war material at a loss and remain in business.

There did not appear to be a shortage of meat in Laurel. The Laurel Creamery and Lockers noted that it had processed more than 33 tons of meat since the first of the year and was making more than 10 tons of butter each month.

The small grain harvest was approaching and most of the wheat, oats, and barley still had to be fed by hand into threshing machines. But before the grain could be threshed, it had to be shocked. Shocking involved picking up bundles of grain and setting them on end to dry. Farmers who needed help were asked to contact a member of the local Shocking Committee: Frank Sohler, Art Chederquist, or Cy McCullough. They would arrange for volunteers to go out in the evenings and help with the work.

A tragic accident claimed the life of Annabelle Smith, the 16-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Smith, who farmed north of Laurel on the Dixon County line.

After completing her sophomore year in Laurel High School, Annabelle was sent to Sioux City, Iowa, to work as a maid for Mrs. Ruth Kass, a widow who lived on the north side.

On June 23, Annabelle took Mrs. Kass’ 11-year-old daughter swimming in the Leif Ericson pool. Annabelle, who was thought to have a weak heart, apparently passed out and sank to the bottom of the pool.

She remained underwater until a diver struck her body after jumping off the high board. She was pulled from the water, but could not be revived.

Annabelle, her parents, and an older brother named Kurtsy are buried in Laurel. Martha, the last of her 13 siblings, died in Minnesota in 2020.