People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-02-25
The B. of L. F.

Almost every person present had
some complimentary remark to pass
upon the neatness and beauty of this
deliberately furnished lodge room, and
the enterprise Of the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Firemen. There is quite
an interesting bit of reminiscent his
tory connected With the B. of L. f.
organization in this city, which can
not but be of interest to the general
public.
The lodge was organized in Odd
Fellows hall by Vice Grand Master
Hannahal, one afternoon in June,
1887, with fifteen charter members.
1t was christened Big Flint Lodge,
No. 359, by Chas. Weddle, who was a
charter member. The following were
charter members: Thomas Brown, c.
H. YOungblOOd, Ed Hansen, Ed Dix
son, Ed Herring, ]. W. Kalfus, John
Kiethley, Sherman Lupher, BENZ. |
Anderson, William H. Shields, Chas.
Weddle, John ScOw, John Eddy, MIS-
souri, FetterOlf and George LaughtOn.
Tom Brown is now an engineer at
Chanute. Charlie YOungblOOd is run
ing an engine on the Merchants
bridge at st. Louis; Ed DixSon is an
engineer on the Union Pacific some
where in the northwest; John Keith
ley was still firing out of Chanute on
the COffeyville run the last that was
heard of him; Ben Anderson is
hOstling at Moline; Billy Shields went
to Denver III 1887 and ran an engine
on the D. & R. g., but is now farm
Ing near Lawrence; John Eddy was
running an engine between Chanute
and wellington until a couple of years
ago, when he was discharged. He is
now in the shops at Ottawa. Missouri
Fetterolf is running an engine out of
Chanute and George Laughton has an
engine on the D. & R. G. running out
OfiLeadville. KalfuS is also at Ottawa
In the shops. John Scow has a pas
senger run as engineer west ofaWood-
wood. Ed Hansen, Ed Herring, Sher-
man Lupher and Charlie Weddle are
still in Wellington and all of them
have engines. They have come to be
regarded as part Of the Santa Fe
property here.
The officers of the B. of L. F. were
John Eddy, appointed postmaster;
Thomas Brown, master; Ed Hansen,
viCe-maSter; Ed Herring, Secretery;
Charlie Weddle, collector; Ed Dixson,
receiver; VIM. Shields, magazine
agent; George LaughtoD, warden;
Sherman Lupher, conductor; John
ScOw, inside guard. VIM. Shields,
outside guard. The trustees were,
Laughton, Shields and Scow. The
board of adjustment was composed of
ThoS. Brown, VIM. Shields and Ed
DixsOn.
There are only four pastmasterS in
the lodge. When the B. of L. f. get
good officer they keep him in the
chair until he mutinieS. John Eddy
was the first postmaster, TOmiBrOWn
was the second, Sherwood Guy was
the third and Steve Barner is the
present postmaster. Joe Busch is
master at present and stands little
show of becoming postmaster before
he gets an engine and is raised 10 the
B. Of L. z. lodge.
Last year the ritual of the B. of l..
F. was changed, requiring the work
to be performed at night. The Fire
men were unable to secure a hall in
the city for night work, and when
c. +. Luening concluded to rebuild
on South Washington avenue thew
decided to secure hall of their own.
Accordingly they signed a lease fol
i've years from the 18th day of Febru-
airy, 1896, for period of five years
They have fitted it up at great ex
pense and now have the finest furn
lshed hall III the city. Every cent i:
paid on the hall and the lodge still
has plenty Of money in the treasury
The memberst ip is composed of fire
men who work in and out of yelling
ton. There ARE twenty-four in all
Several lodges meet regularly in thei
hall. among them being the ladies
auxiliary to the B. of L. F. The
have a commOdiOus ante-rOom whicl
is used also as banquet room.
The furnishings to the hall cost tn
hremen all Of $500. The finest O
furniture serves the lodge for meet
Ing purposes. Tucker Hill Lodg
1.-THE auxiliary, has conslderabl
property iu the hall also. Thei
banquet ware is very costly and ther
is an abundance Of it.
A huge picture adjoining the wa
contains the ikenesses of the charte
members of this very useful and esser
tial auxiliary. They are Mesdame
John T. Pryor, Charles Kellar, A. I
Aldridge, president, Michael Veitf
Katherine Beard, Pattie Beard
Stephen BarDer, S. ]. Cotton, Jane