The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-03-13

(, don't think OF ourselves when we re-
member the poor dead women and
babies down there under the water
Don't forget to tell people to send
us food and clothes and medicine. We
don't need money. II would be in the
way and 1t can't buy what We need.
Don't forget to tell them that-good
night, New York"
Now that the heroic deeds OF Miss
Mcnamara and Miss BarnelI in the
face of explosion and flood have been
recorded. it is time that the case of
the telephone girls in the exchange in
Suffern, N. ", was considered. Those
girls had to face the peril Of FIRE when
they committed themselves to the task
of remaining at work summoninS as
sistance from neighboring towns. The
peril was SO imminent that the heat
cracked the windows beside which
they worked.
The fire started early in the morn
ing of September 90, 1915. 1t destroy
ed the largest hotel in the town, the
Rockland house, and for time threat
ened the town itself
From the windows OF the exchange
the telephone girls were able to grasp
the extent of the blaze, which was
famed by high wind. Without undue
ae!hs-a::on tho girls summoned as
sistance from the fire departments in
Paterson, Ridgewood. Spring Valley,
Tuxedo, Ramsay, Waldwick. Lawrence
and other places.
The girls had been notified to leave
their posts because of the impending
danger. This they absolutely refused
to do until they were assured that
their efforts had brought the needed
assistance.
In January. 1915. the west furnished
proof that the plucky telephone girl
was not product OF any particular
locality. 1t was on January 16 Of that
year that three yeggmen tried to
break into the telephone exchange at
Anadale, kans., and destroy the means
OF communication after cutting the
telegraph wires in the Missouri Pa
cific station soon after o'clock in the
They might have succeeded had 1t
not been for the courage displayed by
Miss Clara Dressed, 10 years old, the
telephone operator. She was awaken
ed by the splintering OF the door
panels. She reached for an automatic
revolver and began firing, the robbers
before the unexpected at
tack
AS she shot she pushed the plug in
to the number Of Town Marshal
He,der and notified him OF what was
happening The marshal rang the |
fire bell The town began to wake up. |
Miss Dressed in the meantime had
got the Wichita police on the wire |
and eight policemen started along the |
Missouri Pacific tracks.
Despite the fact that their presence /
in town had been made known by Miss |
Dressels prompt action in notifying |
the marshal, the robbers set to work |
to blow open the vaults in the stats |
bank For two hours while the safe
blowers worked their pals outside
stood off the citizens, who had been |
aroused By the telephone girl. With /
the entire town firing in their direc-
ton, the yeggmen worked coolly.
Three hundred shots were poured in /
TO the bank, and every window in the /
main street was broken by the fus-
llIade.
After the third attempt to blow the
safe had exhausted their supply OF
dynamite the robbers got into an auto
mobile and drove off. followed by
many shots. The machine broke down
and they were forced to take to the
railroad tracks, where the police
from Wichita, summoned by Miss
Dressed, met them. Three Of the yegg-
men were captured, but fourth es-
capped