The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1943-07-22
On This
Occasion

Letters of congratulation on the 50th
birthday OF The Ely Miner and let
tiers OF coincidence on the passing OF
Mrs. Schaefer have been coming from
all parts of the country the past week.
We again wish to thank all for the
kindness shown. Having been IN the
newspaper business in Ely almost 81
year, we figured that we had made so
enemies a year (the average charged
by eminent Statisticians for a country
newspaper and accordingly were OF
the opinion that in our case We did
not have very many friends left.
However, in the past weeks, We have
revised our opinion Of human nature
as a whole and have come to the con-
clusion that the statisticians were
wrong-especially in our case. Man
like, we, of course, patted ourselves on
the back for the many kind letters,
newspaper notices, kilograms and
floral tributes received, forgetting TO
consider our late better half and the
thousands of friends she had made
during active social, civic and fraternal
life on the ranges and throughout the
state.
OF particular interest and apprect-
o+a<I ,,yayo +La oOy,,r,ap+c r,ada bv orr
newspaper friends on our anniversary.
Dad" Lammon IN his Coleraine News
rather naiveIy brought out the 80
enemy" proposition when he said:
'The Ely Miner is so years old. Its
birthday was recently celebrated.
Peter Schaefer, for the entire 40 years,
has been its publisher and editor, and
still has friends in Ely. They used to
say that a country newspaper that
failed to make so enemies year was
a molIycoddle; and perhaps Pete has
made them, but one thing certain, he
never kept them; but he did keep his
friends, and they have grown from
year to year. Schaefer has lost none
of his punch in his nearly half CEN
fury of service. The Miner is bet
ter paper today than it was 10 years
ago, 20 years ago, or 40 years ago. His
column On This Occasion grows bet
ter all the time One does not need
to go to Ely to hear people say, when
they see a copy of The Miner, Let's
see what Pete Schaefer has to say
In his issue of June "a, Pete gets
reminiscent and gives resume OF
newspaper history, starting in with
some of the early casualties. He was
employed on The Ely Iron Home,
established in 1888 by Dr.. Fred Bar
rett of Tower, from 1891 to 1893. That
was before mining began on the Me-
saba range. He was a high-salar1ed
man, getting s18 per week and work.
ing Is hours per day, with the assls-
lance of his young wife, who helped
out. thrown in Parties in Ely, so Mr..
Schaefer, with his sly humor, records,
thought too much Of the money was
going outside, so finally The Iron
Home succumbed to The Ely Times,
and Schaefer retired to his old job at
Tower"
Dad" in his comment, says many
more nice things about The Miner ana
concludes with a tribute to Jack Sera-
phine, who has been with US, through
thick and thin, for A years. We have
said many times in tese columns that
I'VE thank our enemies as well as our
friends" The friends for their kind
words. and the nemies for having
noticed our efforts enough TO become
peeved. There are times when we
boil and our pencil becomes scorching
hot. but we cool off and let these
things pass without printing our pet
peeves for the public mot Interested
in the shortcomings Of neighbors ex-
cept over the back-fence gossip rouse)
to read.
Sometimes we think that the OLD
Duluth Rip-Saw should be revived and
a deflation process worked on some OF
these super-beings who have abrogated
TO themselves the task of running ev-
eryone's affairs on their egotistical
power-soaked plan. The deflation
process viii most likely be completed
after the war when our American SOL
der boys return to normal life and
Mace some towns We know on an
American basis. These boys viii fcr-
oet racial. national and DELICIOUS cif-
fereuces now being stressed by the
windjammers. and keep the country
On a four-freedom American piar
which has proven so successful II
spite of the pomperous ideas Of tnes'
gutter snipes" who have assumed
supreme powers and brass oecaus'
someone failed to stick pin IN then
Tps,pN