From the Lawrence Daily World for July 16, 1910:

“There will be no shortage in the teaching force in Douglas county’s rural schools this year. Of the number attending the normal institute, who took the examination last month, sixty-eight succeeded in making satisfactory grades. The percentage of failures were much less this year than usual according to the report of the examining board…. The versatile fire laddies received an emergency call last evening to assist in extricating a horse from the old brewery cistern. The animal was one of a team, with which Thos. Drisdom was plowing in the little field across Brewery Run. Suddenly and without warning one horse sank out of sight. The horse had broken through the covering of an old and forgotten well, formerly used by the brewery as a cooling chamber. Its covering had become heavily sodded with earth and had probably been plowed over for years. The horse had slipped in backwards and the harness kept it from sinking in the water which reached nearly to the top of the well. The fire department responded promptly and with the derrick apparatus used in reaching high elevations, the horse was swung out of its cramped position. Aside from a natural stiffness, the animal appeared none the worse for its experience.”