History lives in the pages of the Obituary, and now, we’re bringing it back to life with Today in History. Each day, we will revisit notable news items from our archives, offering a glimpse into the events, people, and moments that shaped our community, the region, and the state of North Dakota and Minnesota.
From major milestones to forgotten curiosities, this feature will highlight the stories that once made headlines — just as they appeared in the Herald on this day in years past.
Join us on this journey through time, and discover how yesterday’s news connects to today’s world.
PUBLISHED ON MARCH 10, 1931
DEEP SEA DIVER TO ARRIVE HERE TODAY
Captain Thompson Will Lay Intake in River for Waterworks.
Captain H. H. Thompson of Duluth, deep sea diver, will arrive in Grand Forks today to lower the intake pipe for the new city waterworks into place in the Red Lake river.
In the meantime, W. H. Larson of Starbuck, Minn., president of the Starbuck Construction Co. in charge of the intake project, arrived here Monday and assisted his workmen to speed the work at the pumphouse in East Grand Forks, to which the intake lines will be laid this week.
Lead was run Monday into the joints in the pipe section Captain Thompson will place in the river. The outer 12 feet of the pipe is perforated with hundreds of tiny holes and will act as a strainer to keep rubbish out of the intake line.
In preparing to lay the river section of the intake, Captain Thompson will place 12 x 12 timbers crosswise on top of piles already sunk in the river. The cross timbers are called headers and on these the intake line will be laid.
After laying the pipe Captain Thompson will return to Duluth. Workmen will lay the balance of the intake line from the pumphouse to the river edge and the diver will return later to connect this part of the intake line with the river section of the pipe.
When the pipes are connected, the water will flow from the river by gravity feed into the well to be built in the pumphouse. From the well, it will be pumped into the discharge line leading to the filter plant in Grand Forks.
Federal Prisoners to Be Housed at Grafton
Grafton, March 9, 1931 — Walsh County’s jail here will house some of the prisoners arrested by government officials, according to an agreement reached by county officials and the federal government. In the past, all prisoners taken at border towns north of here have been moved to Crookston and Grand Forks. It is understood here that arrangements have also been made to keep some of the prisoners in the county jail at Cavalier.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.