Day in history for April 10, 2002

1852 -- 150 years ago

A bill has been introduced in congress to establish a federal agriculture bureau. Such a bureau, to advise farmers, would require four employees and would cost $16,000 a year to operate.

1877 -- 125 years ago

Residents of Milan appointed William Kerr, Jacob Frysinger and Benjamin Goble to raise money for lawyers who would attempt to get damages paid to owners of property flooded by the south branch of Rock River.

1902 -- 100 years ago

Four teams of the Three-I League favor allowing M.H. Sexton of Rock Island to accept the presidency of the Western Baseball League, while he continues to serve as head of the Three-I.

1927 -- 75 years ago

While staging his fourth hold-up of a street car within two weeks, a bandit fired a bullet at motorman Fred A. Cordell of Rock Island.

1952 -- 50 years ago

The first major surgery to be performed in the new addition of St. Luke's Hospital, Davenport, took place yesterday when Clarence West of Davenport underwent an appendectomy.

1977 -- 25 years ago

More than a billion tons of coal lying beneath Henry County's rich farm land probably will remain there for decades to come, despite the growing emphasis on coal as a cure for the nation's energy ills. Agriculture leaders, mining officials and geologists agree that the quality of the coal is too poor and the seams too thin and scattered to jusify tearing up $4,000-an-acre soil.

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