As the calendar turned from 1917 to 1918, the Great War raged on with no end in sight.
“Like heavyweights in the final rounds of a finish fight,” wrote William P. Simms, “the British and German armies during the first few days of the new year have returned to mutual sparring, watching for a lead.”
“The war zone is still snow-bound. The trenches are locked in ice, the gullies as hard as granite. Fragments of frozen earth sprayed by exploding shells are as deadly as slivers of the bursting shells themselves.”
The Galesburg Evening Mail published a special New Year’s edition to ring in the new year.
“The Mail knows that in the homes of its readers this New Year day there are many absences,” read an editorial, “our navy and army are composed not of hirelings, but of the young lives of our own blood and our own hearts.”
The issue mostly praised the manufacturing power of Galesburg.
“War’s convulsions have not shaken Galesburg’s industries. In fact, industrial Galesburg shows that the eagle has screamed with results here,” that paper read.
It seemed the war was going to last longer than through 1918, according to United Press correspondent Carl D. Groat, whose words appeared in the Evening Mail.
“1918 is destined to see some of the bloodiest fighting of the whole struggle,” he wrote. “President Wilson, as well as military men, says the vital decisions appear likely to come in that period, although probably the knockout cannot be delivered until later.”
The rumors that Galesburg’s soldiers who were once “Company C” but now part of the 123rd Field Artillery unit stationed at Houston, Texas, were soon heading to France began to circulate. They were likely to leave in the spring.
Beirne H. Coffman, former Galesburg High School and Knox College student, was reported to graduate from aviation school in Texas.
Ralph A. Kimble of Galesburg temporarily transferred to Wisconsin from Texas for special instruction in handling the motors used for heavy artillery. He would serve in major offensives at St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne and spent 53 days in the trenches.
Fifty-one names were submitted to the local police by the draft board, of men who had not yet responded to the board. However, 18 of those men, including Clyde D. Hatfield and Ben R. Altine, had already joined the service. Some of the other men on the list, including Royal A. Harshbarger and Harry R. Ball, would go on to serve as well.
Changes in public transportation in Galesburg were coming, as new conductor-free street cars would start running on Jan. 10. As a result, 13 men were to lose their jobs with the change.
Retta Snyder, former Galesburg resident, wrote of her work overseas as a Red Cross nurse, which consisted of constant bathing, changing of bandages and bed making.
“I am busy every minute I am on duty,” she said.
A grisly accident surprised Galesburg during the week, as the body of 25-year-old Roy Porter was found on the C.B. & Q. tracks at East Grove Street. A detailed description of the body, cut into pieces, was printed in Galesburg papers. One of the less-horrifying descriptions included that “the clothes were practically torn from the man and no features remained to the mangled form. Cinders and blood enveloped the remains.”
Porter had lived and worked at the tie plant for some time. It was believed he had been trying to hop of a train, but no one knew for sure. The coroner’s jury returned an open verdict. He was returned to his native home of Paris, Missouri, for burial.
McCollum Bros. candy factory, located on South Chambers Street, burned to the ground during the week. Only the shell of the walls remained. The damage was estimated at $50,000 (equal to over $880,000 today.) However, their new factory on Mulberry Street was already being constructed, and would soon open. 200 employees would have to wait for the new factory to open to go back to work.
Talbot Fisher is weekend reporter for The Register-Mail. His weekly column looks at life in Galesburg 100 years ago and its connections to the Great War. Contact him at talbotefisher16@gmail.com; follow him on twitter at @TalbotFisher16