City of Hurricane Mural; Photographed by Ken O’Neal
Editor’s Note:
The article which follows was published 25 years ago in commemoration of the Breeze’s 100th birthday. It tells the story of how the Hurricane Breeze came to be and is being reprinted in observance of our 125th birthday.
The October 16 date of this issue of the Breeze marks 125 years of delivery of the newspaper to subscribers by means of the U.S. Postal Service.
For more than 112 of the 125 years, the Breeze publisher has been a member of the R.F. Forth family. Upon the death of R.F. Forth in 1983, Irene Ambler became publisher and editor. Cookie Allen followed as publisher in 1994 with Ron Allen as editor. Ron has been both editor and publisher since 2020.
The Breeze Celebrates 100th Birthday
By Cookie Allen
On October 16, 2000, the Hurricane Breeze will celebrate its 100th birthday. Having reached the venerable and august age of 100, the Breeze itself, if it could speak, would have many interesting tales to tell. Since it cannot, this writer will do some reminiscing for it.
Founded sometime before 1900 by J. C. Henderson, the Breeze did not start out as the Hurricane Breeze. Mr. Henderson named it simply “The Breeze” and used it as an advertising paper for his store business.
Mr. Henderson sold the newspaper to Mr. J. C. Billups, whose first issue was October 16, 1900, as second class materal in the Hurricane Post Office. He didn’t change the name for some time because we read on the masthead of the fading, deteriorating issue dated February 16, 1901, that the name was still “The Breeze.”
At some later point, Mr. Billups changed the name to “The Hurricane Breeze.” Mr. Billups was also a storekeeper and used the Breeze as an advertising medium for his store but he also did plenty of writing besides composing advertising copy.
Stories that have been passed down relate that Mr. Billups had his own unique way of handling customers who didn’t seem to be in any hurry in paying their store bill. Right on the front page of the Breeze, there might be an article that would read something like this, “Bill Jones (fictional name) is in arrears in paying his account at this store. What we want to know is just when IS Mr. Jones going to pay his store bill?” A few times using that method would certainly urge the negligent offender that he needed to be prompt in paying his bills to J. E. Billups.
From all that has been handed down to us, it seems that Mr. Billups grew into being one of those truly unique American institutions called “weekly newspaper editors.” Many years after he had sold the Breeze, he was talking to my mother Irene Ambler. Mr. Billups told her that he had always regretted selling the Breeze and had enjoyed being a newspaper editor more than anything he had ever done.
For whatever reason, and although in years to come, he would regret it, Mr. Billups made the decision to sell the Breeze. My grandfather, Robert F. Forth, a young man fresh from Cook Creek Hollow and living in town for the first time, bought it from him on March 1, 1913.
The announcement of the sale, printed in that issue, is below:
Change of Ownership.
With this issue of the Breeze, J. E. Billups, former editor and proprietor, severs his connection with the paper, and Robert F. Forth, the purchaser, assume full charge, and to whom all subscriptions are payable, as well as all payments for advertisements and job printing executed after this date.
The plant will be moved to the Qualls building, and owing to the time required to move and set up the machinery, the paper may not be issued next week. Each Saturday thereafter, the Breeze will be mailed in time for the early mail.
On the front page of the March 1, 1913, issue, the Breeze also made news when it almost caught fire along with two other buildings. The front page story is below:
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE
House Destroyed And Other Losses
Effective Work Performed by Volunteer Company
At about two o’clock Wednesday morning the inhabitants of this town were awakened by the shriek and continuous whistling of a locomotive. The cause of the alarm was flames bursting from L. Litton’s house. Before the gallant volunteers could get themselves and equipment upon the scene the house was mass of smoldering ruins and one end of J. E. Billups’ dwelling was wrapped in flames. It seemed impossible to save this house, the Breeze building or the W. D. Hodges residence, which were in direct path of the flames, but by perseverance and well directed effort in which hardships were endured and risks taken this crew of tireless workers succeeded in accomplishing the seemingly impossible. The flames leaping from the Billups house were extinguished after the weatherboarding had been burned from part of the house.
A sturdy band of men and women quickly removed the household goods from the threatened dwellings to places of safety, but all except the part of Litton’s wares that was saved were soon returned to the places from whence they came.
Litton’s loss amounts to about $600 and was partly covered by insurance. Billups’ loss will be $50 to $199. No insurance.
That portion of Litton’s household articles that were saved were moved into the McCallister brick where the family will probably reside until they rebuild.
The fire originated in a smoke house in which some meat was being smoked, and which stood near the house.
This writer finds it ironic that during its 100-year history, the Breeze has been threatened with destructive fire three times – the 1913 fire; the fire in the late 1970’s which destroyed both the A. N. Sumner building and the Taylor building, extensively damaged the Main Street Art Studio building (present day Sergio’s), and scorched the roof of the Breeze Office Building on Main Street, and the 1996 fire at the Breeze offices on Hurricane Creek Road. From my perspective, that was the worst of all because I was trapped in that fire, and were it not for the grace of God and the fact that Charles Ray Harper rescued me from the blazing building, I wouldn’t be here today. I find it very interesting to note that in all three fires that volunteers gave unselfishly of themselves to quench the blaze. In 1913, it was “a sturdy band of men and women,” who helped remove furniture from the blazing building and in the late 1970’s and the 1996 fires, it was the Hurricane and Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Departments. The Breeze owes all of them a giant debt.
Besides the account of the fire, and the notice of the transfer of the newspaper, the issue that week devoted quite a bit of space to advertising on the front page. Two tobacco companies – the Hughes-Ellis-Boyd Tobacco Warehouse Company and the Huntington Tobacco Warehouse Company – both announced that they were open for business and welcomed sellers.
The Hughes-Ellis-Boyd Company announced the following:
“Bring your tobacco to Hughes-Ellis-Boyd Tobacco Warehouse Co.
Huntington, W. Va.
THE NEW HOUSE
Robt. Hughes, Presst. and Mgr.
“THE BEST LIGHTED HOUSE IN THE CITY AND THE BEST PLACE ON EARTH TO SELL YOUR TOBACCO.
“RAILROAD SWITCH, CARS UNLOADED PROMPTLY, FREE BOX STALLS FOR YOUR HORSES
“Hogsheads Furnished On Application”
“Correspondence Solicited.”
Burdette Brothers store was having a sale and proclaimed, “So bring your trade and money where it will always buy the most.” The store also wanted readers to take note of the fact that they “will buy cross ties this spring.”
Besides the advertisement, there was plenty of local news that week. Correspondents from various places in the county sent in the following news.
News from the County
Central Big Creek (No author given on article.)
Still Faulkner is very low of consumption.
Richard Hughes has been called to the bedside of his brother, Carson, who is quite ill of typhoid at Portsmouth, Ohio.
J. N. Roberts lost a large barn about 3 tons of hay Sunday by fire of unknown origin.
T. E. Hughes sold forty bushels of apples at Hamlin last week.
Burning plant bed is the order of the day here now.”
Personal Paragraphs (No author given on article.)
Burdette have consolidated their stores by moving the stock from the old drugstore stand to the Pierce stand.
A small son of G. L. Estes has scarlet fever.
Miss Erma McCann, who has been indisposed of Lagrippe, is able to be out again.
E. M. McCallister of Byrnside was in town last week and renewed his subscription.
J. T. Garrett and L. H. White, Culloden, were taking in the sights here last Tuesday.
We feel like we’d like to print a card of thanks to those who so nobly battled the devouring element to preserve for us a shelter, but the most expressive language at our command seems only hollow mockery, in comparison to our sincere, heartfelt gratitude.
Bowles. (No author given on article.)
“J. B. Burton, H. Faulkner, P. McGhee, Wm. Curry, and F. L. Bell left Monday for Huntington to dispose of their tobacco.
A. M. Jackson and Charlie Thompson are remodeling Rev. Hall’s dwelling.
Rev. Hall will preach at Simon Branch Schoolhouse on the first Sunday in March.
You could write for a mailing list to L. L. Burdette, Hurricane, if you were interested in “Single Comb Buff Orphingtons, eggs from three matings, 1st Cock, 2nd Ckl., 2nd Pen, Ashland, Ky. Eggs from $1 to $5 per setting.”
If you needed a laugh, you could have read “Shaving a Monkey – A coxcomb once said to a barber’s boy, ‘Did you ever shave a monkey?’ ‘Why, no, sir,’ replied the boy, ‘never; but if you will please sit down, I will try.’”
Now if you were feeling under the weather, you possibly would have had an interest in the products below:
“A Message To Railroad Men”
E. S. Bacon, 11 Bast St., Bath, Me., sends out this warning to railroaders everywhere. ‘My work as conductor caused a chronic inflammation of the kidneys and I was miserable and all played out. From the day I began taking Foley Kidney Pills I began to regain my strength and I am better now than I have been for twenty years.’ Try them.
Burdette Bros.
Are You Constipated?
If so, get a box of Dr. King’s New Life Pills, take them regularly and your trouble will quickly disappear. They will stimulate the liver, improve your digestion and get rid of the poisons from your system. They will surely get you well again. 25¢ at Hurricane Variety Store.
Pneumonia Follows a Cold – but never follows the use of Foley’s Honey and Tar Compound. It stops the cough, heals the sore and inflamed air passages, and strengthens the lungs. The genuine is in a yellow package with beehive on the carton. Refuse substitutes. Burdette Bros.
Now, if a company advertised that its remedy would unconstipate someone and it didn’t, or if someone still had a bad cold or “weak kidneys” after using other products, the company might be sued. However, at this time in history, almost anything went in advertising. Did the products help people? Who knows, but maybe in a way they did. The human body has a marvelous way of healing itself and if a person thought a remedy helped him, maybe the power of suggestion was at work and he felt better. Of course, some of the remedies contained enough alcohol that just by drinking the stuff a person would think he felt better.
My grandfather, or “Pap,” as we always called him, enjoyed being the editor of the Breeze as much as, if not more so, than Mr. Billups did. Never retiring, Pap was the editor of the Breeze from 1913 until he passed on to a better world in 1983, a period of 70 years as a small town newspaper editor.
Being a newspaper editor is something that grows on a person over a period of time and it grew on Pap as it did my mother. Both of them were born newspaper people. As a matter of fact, Mommy used to joke that she “had printers ink for blood.” From Mr. Billups to Pap to Mommy to Ron and me, the Breeze has been a labor of love.
For the rest of this year, until it turns 100 on October 16, 2000, the Breeze staff will be celebrating by printing more history of the past 100 years. We will be looking at some more old issues of the paper and enjoying a look back at a slice of life from days gone by.
The Breeze might be a little paper, but it’s always been a loud one. Now it’s time to celebrate, so Happy Birthday!
