The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-13
North Side Neus
TO SURVEY SITE
New POStOffice VIII Be Built
Next Fall, Rigby Says.
Plans for Structure Have Not
Yet Been Drawn.

X. Y. Parkhurse, North Topeka en-
gineer, has received the contract to
make the Typographical survey on the
property where some day, it is hoped
a new postoffice may stand. This
means that Mr.. Parkhurst will ties;
the soil strata and make a report upon
which an estimate can be made of the
cost of the basement and excavating
for the building.
A report was circulated that the
construction of the postoffice would
commence in Il short time. This re-
port was denied by w. Q. Rigby, post
master THE new structure will not
be erected before next fall he as
serted. THE plans for the North To-
peka office have not yet been drawn
They must be completed, and sub
mitted to the supervising architect be-
fore any step can be taken toward
construction. The plans for all branch
offices such as that for North Topeka
are from a standardized plan, with
notifications adapted to peculiar To-
cal conditions. The North Topeka
branch station, as it will be called,
will be a branch of the Topeka post
Office and not an independent struc-
ture.''
Fifty-eight thousand dollars will be
available from the original appropria-
ton for the construction work
Amelia Vance Pennington Rice,
who died March 7. at the home of her
daughter, Mrs. William Kemp, was
one of the early Kansas pioneers. She
was born in Trimble county, Ken
lucky, in 1926. In 1s47 she married
David S Rice of Scott county, In
diana, and in 1855 the couple moved
to Kansas after a years residence in
Missouri They settled on a tract of
land in southern Jackson county,
which they obtained from the govern
LON
OF the small group of settlers who
took land in this region in the early
DAYS. Mrs Rice was the last survivor
Half a mile from the Rice home
stead was an Indian village. Mrs.
Rice could relate many thrilling eX-
periences with the Indians and Dor
derers. Often she was compelled to
remain alone with her nine children
in the frontier cabin while Mr.. Rice
made the trip to the Missouri river
towns for supplies. In 1877 Mr.. Rice
died.
Mrs. Rice was acquainted with
many of the prominent figures in early
Kansas history. She had an intimate
with the exciting events
of the border days, her husband hav-
ing fought in some of the clashes be-
tween the contendnig factions. She
was a devoted worker in the church
and regularly attended the services
helQ IN the llIIl6 GOck SCHOOL mouse
near the old Rice home. Mrs. Rice is
survived by thirty-one grandchildren
and twenty great grandchildren. Six
of her nine children survive her They
are William f. Rice of Hartshorn.
Okla; Mrs. Mary Kemp and Mrs. An
ME E. Cole of Topeka; Jorn w. Rice
of Hoyt; Mrs. Amelia Stockdale of
Guthrie, Okla, and Mrs. Ida j. Carther
of bearing, Kan.
The crew at No. l fire station was
called at o'clock this morning to the
home of c. NJ. Robinson, 1926 Harri-
son street to extinguish a small blaze
resulting from a defective fiue. But
slight damage was done.
An unusually large number of fires
have been caused by defective fiues
and by sparks falling on roofs during
the winter. This is a result of the ex-
IRENE drouth. The shingles on the
roofs have become so thoroly dry that
a spark which would ordinarily die
out ignites them and causes damage.
The normal winter SHOWS which keep
roofs in safely damp state have been
entirely lacking. A defective fiue,
which would in normal times cause no
dltnculty has also become source of
danger from the same cause.
Social and Personal.
Miss Freda Hirschberg entertained
a number of friends at birthday par
ty Monday evening at her home on