St. Charles History

              St. Charles Basks In Old 
Fashioned Neighborliness! 
 
Good, old fashioned neighborliness returned to the earth when the storm brought disaster to many families through power failures, trees down on roofs, telephone wires down, etc. Neighbors looked after each other and many people were seen carrying coffee filled thermos bottles, food, and other such things as charcoal, flash lights and gas burners to the folks next door. 
This neighborliness even extended from large organizations to those made miserably cold and uncomfortable. The Illinois 
State Training School for Boys offered up to 1,000 gallons of water to anyone who would bring their own containers to the main gate. 
Pheasant Run Lodge offered greatly reduced rates to all who were in need or shelter and Harry Mondfrans, resident manager, said, "This policy will continue as long as the storm continues." The St. Charles Community Center remained open at all times to provide shelter and the new Emergency Control Center, the Civil Defense disaster area was opened for the first time to provide warm shelter. 
At the Hotel Baker every room was used and all available cots were set up to accommodate as many people as possible. Floyd Hawk, manager, said "People have been coming in with jugs, cans and buckets for water." 
At Delnor Hospital which is equipped with auxiliary generators Administrator Jack Taft reported that at no time were services to patients curtailed in any way. 
City officials estimate that at least 5,000 calls have been received by the Police, Fire, Elec- 
trical, Water and other city departments. Many calls have come in on the Fire Dept. phone which never should have been placed there. As late as Monday evening four men were working constantly answering phones in the city electrical plant. 
Fire department personnel responded to calls for aid from Dunham Woods Riding Club, Silver Glen Road, Route 25 north of St. Charles, Route 31 north of St. Charles and to Valley View. 
Many rural residents nave called the St. Charles City Hall when they should have called other utility companies which serve them. 
City water and electrical crews have worked as many as 30 hours without rest. The' dedication of these . men to their responsibility to the citizens a St. Charles has been noted by all city officials. 
Weather Outside Was Frightful 
DESTRUCTIVE ice coated branches, wires, sidewalks and roads Saturday, Sunday and Monday as the valley wrested with nature in one of the worst ice storms in memory. Scenes such as the one above, where branches crashed periliously close to homes were seen in almost every block, and city power crews in Batavia, Geneva, and St.' Charles struggled against mounting calls of no service.	-(HERALD PHOTO) 
THESE THREE boys, released from school by the snow storm on Tuesday, delighted in snowballing HERALD photographer Glenn Haines as he took the page 1 photos for this edition. No school was held in the Tri-Cities as buses and cars could not navigate the tortuous roads. St. Charles also had no school on Monday, when ice made roads 
impassible.	(HERALD PHOTO)