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About Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1910)
POPULA CENTER likely to Remain Within the State of Indiana. Indications Are That the New Census Will Not Move It Far Wicker, ham and Nagel to Report on Alaska. Washington. Some spot In Indiana 'probably will mark the center of popu lation of the United States for another ten years. It Is worth while to em phasize the word "probably," because there is not available at this time very much definite information on which to base speculation as to where the center of population will be. The officials In the census bureau who have access to the population re turns refuse to speculate at all. Out siders without a great deal of Infor mation in hand on which to base an opinion are disposed to predict, that the "center" will not move very far from the point six miles southeast of Columbus, Ind., where It is now es tablished. The census figures so far made pub lic show that there has been an enor- E. DANA DURAND, Director of the Census. tnous increase In population In the southwest during the last ten years. The northwest has also grown rapidly In population. If one examined the re turns from the southwest and the northwest without taking into account the fact that the east has also in creased Its population within the last ten years, he would be inclined to say that the center of population would be pulled a considerable distance west ward. A fact worth bearing In mind is that the Increases in population In the east particularly .have been In the larger cities, and It Is true, of course, that there are more large cities In the ast than in the west. Another fact that will undoubtedly have a bearing on the "center of population" Is that the millions of Immigrants who have come in during the last ten years liave nearly all camped In the eastern section of the country. By the census of 1900, the center of population Is in the following posi tion: Latitude, 39 degrees, 9 minutes, 36 econds. Longitude, 85 degrees, 45 minutes, 4 seconds. This particular spot, as Is generally known, is at a point Bl miles south cast of Columbus, Ind., and is marked ty a monument. In the ten years from 1890. to' 1900, the center of population moved westward 16 minutes and 1 sec end, or about 14 miles, and southward 2 minutes and 20 seconds, or about 2 miles. It Is a comparatively easy matter to nscertain the center of population aft er the total count of the people of the country is known. This total count for the thirteenth census will not be tcnown before the 1st of October, and possibly not before the 1st of Novem ber. Center Moves Westward. The center of population has moved almost due westward since 1790, when It was at a point some 23 miles east of Baltimore. From 1790 to 1800, It moved almost due west to a point 18 miles west of Baltimore. In the next ten years, from 1800 to 1810, It moved -westward and slightly southward to a point about 40 miles porthwest by west of Washington. D. C. That slight deviation toward the south was ac counted for by the annexation of the territory of Louisiana. From 1810 to 1F20, it took up its march westward again, with another slight deviation to the south, and brought up 16 miles north of Woodstock, Va. In the ten years between 1S20 and 1830, it con tinued to move westward until It halt ed at a point about 19 miles southwest of Moorefleld, In what is now the state of West Virginia. Between 1S.10 and 1840 there was a fil'ght movement northward and the point" was located 16 miles south of Clarksburg, In the present state of "West Virginia. In the next ten years, 1M0 to 1850, It moved west and slight ly southward again and halted 23 miles southeast of Parkersburg, In what is now West Virginia. Between 3850 and 1860 there was a second slight bending toward the north, and It reached a point SO miles south of Chllllcothe, O. The sharpest turn northward was between 1860 and 1870, when It reach ed a point 48 miles east by north of Cincinnati. During the succeeding ten years, between 1870 and 1880, It veered to the south slightly again and reach ed a point eight miles west by aouth of Cincinnati. In the next ten years It moved back to practically the same latitude It oc cupied in 1870, ana in 1890 was lo cated at a point 20 miles east of Co lumbus, Ind. During the ten years be tween 1890 and 1900 the "center" moved westward a little less than three miles, and as has already been stated halted at a point six miles south east of Columbus, Ind. This move ment between 1890 and 1900 was the smallest In one hundred years. FEDERAL IRRIGATION INQUIRY. B. Dana Durand, director of the census, Is seeking the advice of all persons possessing first-hand know! edge of the subject of Irrigation with a view to devising a schedule of In quiries which will elicit adequate in formation concerning the extent and effect of that system of reclaiming land for the purpose of agriculture This census or Investigation was or dered by congress in act amending the census law passed last February, Under Its provisions the director Is ordered to ascertain the area of Ir rigated lands In the arid regions of the country; whether such irrigation Is carried on under state or federal laws; the prices at which irrigated lands, Including water rights, are ob tainable; the character and value of crops produced upon them; the amount of water used for an acre; the situation of the various irrigation en terprises, together with a description of their methods of construction, their physical conditions and the amount of capital invested therein. In taking the agricultural census the field work for which has Just been completed, the census office furnished the enumerators with a supplementary schedule relating to irrigation. These questions, however, did not develop all the Information asked by congress and nine different schedules are being prepared for special agents of the census bureau. In connection with these new schedules the director Is asking the advice of government and state officials, corporations, experts and the special pgents themselves who have been selected because of their special fitness to do the work INVESTIGATING ALASKA AFFAIRS Washington. Attorney Genera Wlckersham and Secretary of Com merce and Labor Nas?l have not gone to Alaska for their health. What may be termed the "Alaskan situation" is giving President Taft much concern He desires that these two members of his cabinet shall sift to the bottom numerous controversies with respect to the government of the territory. After they have studies the situa tlon first hand he wants them to tell him what they think of his plan of having congress install the commls slon form of government up there. H? wanted congress to provide this new form of government at the recent ses slon; at his suggestion Senator Bev eridge, chairman of the senate com mittee on territories, introduced a re organization bill, but so much opposi tion developed that the legislation was temporarily abandoned. it .VV- :-v.w.. V'. (r - t i J. 'v. Attorney General Wlckersham. The president wants to know, too, whether there Is anything In these stories that a syndicate In which J. Pierpont Morgan and the Guggenheim brothers are the Influential factors, is In a fair way to gain possession of about everything of value in the ter ritory. Then there are numerous local quarrels that have been brought to the attention of the president. Of course, the broad question relates to the future of the territory. It is Incumbent on this administration to adopt a general policy with reference to the territory a policy that may be safely followed for a generation to come. In adopting a general policy the question as to how the vast wealth of the territory is to be dealt with must be settled. Is It to be locked up for generations to come, or is it to be made available for the use of the present and succeeding generations under proper restrictions? Messrs. Wlckersham and Nagel ex pect to spend at least a month In the territory. They are under Instructions to visit as many parts of It as they can In that time. James Wlckersham (not related to the attorney general), the territorial delegate In congress, wants home rule for the territory and Introduced a bill providing for an elec tive legislature of 24 members -our representatives and two senators from each Judicial district. Wlckersham says the territory has more coal than Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio; more gold than California and Colorado put together, and more copper than Montana and Michigan. The prize Is the greatest within the gift of the United States, he asserts. GENERAL NEWS OF WILL NOT LOSE PRESTIGE. Columbus, Indiana, Will Remain Cen ter of Population. Washington Columbus, Indiana, is not destined to lose any prestige it may have enjoyed during the last de cade from being marked on the census maps as the place nearest the center of population. It probably will con tinue in the vicinity of that mark after the full developments of the thirteenth census become known unless the esti mates of the census officials fail. The returns received to date indicate a fairly even growth in all directions from the present central point. Only a small percentage of the total population has been announced thus far, but enough , is shown by the gen eral trend to justify some generaliza tions. Probably the most important of these is that the Eastern states are holding their own to such an extent that the "pull" of the West will not be sufficient to disturb greatly the present equilibrium. Up to date the full population of only two states, Rhode Island and Ok lahoma, one east and the other west has been announced. The increase in Oklahoma, amounting to 109 per cent over the population of the same area in 1900, is phenomenal, and is due to its attainment of statehood and to the opening of new and rich territory. The same conditions do not exist else where, for even though Arizona and New Mexico are coming in as new states, neither presents the attraction of Oklahoma in the way of newly available soil. Many sections of the West, however, will do credit to the traditions of ttlat region. The state of Washington will make a marked gain in all districts. Portland, Or., is sure to make a big showing. Of all the Southern states, Texas will make the best showing. STATE DEPARTMENT PLEASED. Officials Favor Estrada, Who Pro tects American Interests. Washington While official dis patches were lacking, scarely any doubt remains in Washington that the Madriz forces have been crushed in Nicaragua and that General Juan Es trada, leader of the insurgent, has succeeded Madriz as temporary presi dent. Only the staunchest adherents of Madriz believe that his cause is not yet lost. Dr. Barrios and Sebastian Salinas, Madriz commissioners to Wash ington, refused to believe the reports from Managua and Bluefields of the Madriz reverses. They contend that even if Granada had fallen, another battle would be necessary before Managua could be taken. Instead of Madriz having fled to Corinto on the coast, they declare he is fighting at the head of his army and for that reason alone he has depos- ted his power with Jose Dolores Es trada, a brother of the leader of the insurgents but not a follower. State department officials declined to discuss the developments. It is known that they are pleased with the reported downfall of Madriz, and that they look with favor on General Juan Estrada, whose treatment of Ameri cans and whose protection afforded to American interests along the coast has been the subject of praise repeatedly. VALUED RECORDS LOST. mmigratlon Data of 1868 Is Missing Since Date Unknown. Washington Secret service opera tives are trying to locate immigration records of great value that have disap peared from the State department ar- hives. The figures for the last three- quarters of the fiscal year ended June 30, 1868, are contained in the missing documents. No motive can be assigned for the theft. . The immigration commission, in compiling a table of the total immigra tion since the year 1822, sent to the State department for the records of the sixties. No trace could be found those of 1868, covering an import ant period, that following the close of the Civil war. Information concerning the docu ments has been wired to the secret ser vice branches at rortiana, an t ran cisco, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Bal timore, Charlestown, Savannah, Key West and New York, the chief ports of entry in the United States. Bank Notes Antiseptic. Washington To the Old National Bank, of Spokane, Wash., belongs the istinetion of circulating the first anti septic National bank notes. The Uni ted States treasury is experimenting with devices intending to launder dirty bank notes into bright, crisp new ones, but the Spokane bank has the first san- tary money on record. Fifty thousand dollars in bills just put out by the bank were signed with an ink that consisted largely of carbolic acid. Forest Service Delays Reply. Washington- Forest Service officials are delaying a reply to Acting Gover nor Bowerman's message, offering the aid of the state militia to determine hether the War department will order troops from other departments to aid in subduing the flames. All the avail able troops in the department of the Dakotas are now engaged in fire-fighting. Troops to Aid Indian Officials. Washington The War department as telegraphed the commanding officer of the troops at Republic, Wash., to render all assistance to the Indian offi- als in combating the flames on the Colville Indian reservation. NATIO HAL HAPPENINGS LOGS MENACE NAVIGATION. Government Asked to Prevent Care less Rafting in River. To devise some means to prevent millmen and tow boat operators from permitting hemlock logs to escape from booms, Superintendent Groves of the Port of Portland dredges, will con fer with the Corps of Engineers, U. S. A. In the past week four logs have been hauled from the channel, two in the Willamette river and others in the Columbia, and four or five others have been located and will be removed at once. "These logs are bound in the rafts with a rope, so that the butts will float, as the base of the hemlock will sink at once on being freed," said Cap tain Groves. "It appears that when rafts are taken in tow the friction, caused by the moving of the logs, soon severs the rope and they sink. The logs are 20 or 24 feet long and we have found when they rest in 30 feet of water, with the lighter end swaying with the current a few feet below the surface, they constitute a serious men ace to navigation.. We have suffered in the past from steamers striking them, because it is impossible to know where they are. We hired a diver to place a chain around one last week and when he went over the side and stood on the log, as it floated in an upright position, half of his helmet was above water." MILITIA MUCH IMPROVED. General Maus Praises Showing Made at American Lake. Vancouver Barracks, Wash. When asked for an expression of his opinion of the good accomplished by the in struction camp at American Lake, Wash., this summer, General Marion P. Maus, Commander of the depart ment of the Columbia, under whose direction the maneuvers were held, said : as iar as the National guard is concerned, their instruction has been excellent, and they have shown great improvement, but the regular troops were ordered away to fight forest fires. When I left nearly every company had gone, with the exception of a few stragglers and details. The general opinion is that the maneuver camp was very satisfactory despite the many difficulties under which the instruction was held. . The regular troops all had three weeks of good instruction. "The National guard had their full instruction, except the Idaho regiment, which left one day in advance to fight the forest fires in the Coeur d'Alenes. I am well pleased with the maneuvers as a whole and believe that great good has been accomplished by them." TAFT HAS MANY VISITORS. Politicians "Jutt Drop ' In" to Chat With President. Beverly, Aug. 27. Mr. Taft found himself in the midst of a number of political conferences today. Nearly all of the his visitiors "just dropped in." The first of these were Senators Brandegee, of Connecticut, and Colonel Isaac Ullman, of New Haven. Colonel W. R. Nelson, of Kansas City, drove over from his summer place at Magnolia and had a long chat with the president. The afternoon brought Represents tive J. W. Weeks,- of Massachusetts; ex-Governor John F. Hill, of 'Maine, and Republican National Committee man Estabrook, of New Hamphsire. All came to talk politics. . Continuing his conservation policy, President Taft tonight sigred an order withdrawing 8,265,970 acres of coal lands from entry in Idaho. Bids on Sea Dredge Asked. Pacific Coast firms are to have an opportunity to bid on the ocean dredge authorized for the Coos Bay bar, for which an appropriation of $300,000 was made in the last rivers and har bors bill. With a view of gathering data on needed improvements over the dredge Clatsop, Major Mclndoe and Major Morrow, Corps of Engineers, U. S. A., will visit the lower harbor and spend some time on the Clatsop. Designs for the new dredge are to be drawn in the East and it is not im probable that she will be constructed there, as she is to be of steel and the government officers assert that the craft can be completed at a lower cost on the Atlantic coast, but the cost of bringing her around the Horn will be $15,000 or $20,000 and should local bidders file proposals below the cost of construction and her operation to the Pacific Coast, it is not doubted that preference will be given them. King Seeks World Peace. London The Daily News publishes a statement that the origin of Colonel Roosevelt's suggestion for an European peace league, made at Christiania dur ing his recent tour was a memorial pre pared by the king of Italy, which the king asked Colonel Roosevelt to deliver to the Emperor of Germany. It was before the Nobel Prize commission at his Christiania address on "Interna tional Peace," that Colonel Roosevelt made his plea for a league of peace. Population Near Double. Washington The population of Con nellsville Borough. Fa., is 12,845, as compared with 7,160 in 1900. The population of New Albany township, Indiana, including New Albany City, is 25,275, as compared with 24,275 in 1900. SHOWERS QUENCH FIRES. Weather Comes to Rescue of Idaho and Montana Forests. Spokane, Aug. 24. Light rain be gan to fall this afternoon in Wallace and other Coeur d'Alene mining towns that have been scorched or threatened by the forest fires, and the weary fire' fighters took new hope. Nothing but a heavy downpour will quench the flames that are eating up the big trees of Northern Idaho, Northwestern Mon tana and Northeastern Washington, however. The Idaho militia and United States troops are on the way to do battle with the red invader, but the soldiers can accomplish little more than protection of the threatened towns. Ranger Kottkey, who with 200men was reported as missing, is unharmed He was never near Wallace, as report ed, but was near Adair, Idaho, on the Milwaukee. He reached Missoula this morning and reported his men safe, ex cept two packers. Tonight he left Missoula at the head ol a party which went to search for missing fighters along the line of the Milwaukee, where it is believed all will, in time, be lo crated. Ranger Van Dyke, on Independence creek, and Ranger Derrick, at Saltese, Mont., both reported tonight. It had been feared that Van Dyke's crew of 75 men had been cut off. The most sensational rumors of loss of life continue to be circulated, but it is impossible to verify them and it seems likely that, aside from losses among the national rangers, the num ber of dead in the three states will not exceed 100. The known victims of the forest fires number 53, as follows : In and near Wallace, Idaho, 38; in and near Newport, Wash., 8: near St, Joe, Idaho, 6 men, supposed to be for est rangers: at Saltese, Mont., 1. The Idaho militiamen are on the way from the encampment at Ameri can Lake, near Tacoma, to the Coeur d'Alenes. President Taft notified Governor Brady today that he would send to Idaho all the troops available, but that United States soldiers could not be used for police duty. Governor Brady will go to the front tomorrow. None of the towns in Idaho are in im mediate danger, it is believed. WATER FIRM BANKRUPT. College Professors Prove to Be Poor Business Men. Boise, Idaho The Grandview Land & Irrigation company was declared bankrupt by Judge Bryan, of the Seventh judicial district court, sitting at Caldwell. George F. Fenton was appointed receiver, under $7,000 bonds. He took immediate charge of the canal system. Complaint against the company was filed by N. C. and Harriet J. Massey, heavy land owners, who chrged that the officers conspired to bankrupt the settlers, that their orchards and crops are ruined, owing to failure to deliver water for irrigation, and that the money paid the officers was used per sonally by them instead of on the sys tem. Professor Holden, former president of the University of Iowa, is president of the company. CLAYTON SURROUNDED BY FIRE Passengers on Train Bring News i'That Town is Doomed. Spokane, Aug. 24. Passengers on a Spokane Falls & Northern railroad train which arrived here tonight re ported that when the train passed through Clayton, Stevens county, Washington, this afternoon, a great forest fire had almost reached the edge of the town, which apparently was doomed to destruction.' Clayton has several hundred inhabi tants and is the seat of an important sewerpipe industry. Destruction of the town would involve large financial loss, but probably no casualties. There is no way ,of obtaining further news, wire communication being cut off. Josephine Has Ten Fires. Grants Pass, Ore., Aug. 24. Ten forest fires are burning in Josephine county. The local forest officers are working their men day and night. The force has been doubled. Besides these regular fire fighters farmers are being drafted, while many whose prop erty is endangered are banding togeth er for the best protection that can be had. Of the ten burning districts, two are taking on a serious aspect. At Six-Mile creek, the fire has spread over a territory 15 miles square. Wind Storm Spreads Fire. Walla Walla, Aug. 24 This section tonight experienced one of the worst wind ar.d dust storms of the year, the storm having extended generally over Southeastern Washington and North eastern Oregon, where forest fires are raging in the Wenaha reserve. Thirty men left W alia V alia for Elgin, Ore., in response to a call issued by Forester J. M. Si-hmitz, and about 20 left in automobiles to assist in controlling the fire in the timber on Looking Glass Canyon. Another large force will be divided between Toll Gate and Elgin. Pope Balks at Fashion. London A dispatch from Rome re ceived here by a news agency states that Pope Pius X has requested all bishops to publish pastoral letters dis approving prevailing feminine fash ions. Several Italian bishops, says the dispatch, have already done so at Milan, Turin and Venice. At these places priests are denouncing in church es the scandalous attire in which wo men have been appearing in public places. I FIRES START But Three Houses Are Burned at Wendling, Oregon. Yacolt, Wash., Menaced, and Every Available Man Is On Fighting Line Camps Burn. Eugene, Or., Aug. 25. Fire swept into the town of Wendling from slash ings nearby early last night and wiped out all but three houses. Heroic work of 150 employes saved the mills of the Booth-Kelly Lumber company. When the flames entered the town, the women and children were rushed to Marcola, and later came into Eugene, in charge of A. C. Dixon, manager for the company. Telephone and telegraph wires be tween here and Wendling went down early, but a courier arrived shortly be fore midnight with word that when he eft the burning town at 9 :30 the big mills were in no immediate danger. The mill men were then taking their first rest in 48 hours. The company store was saved from the flames, but the bunkhouses, church and school house and all residences in the village were licked up like so much tinder. The fire started from slashings near the town. Men had been fighting the fire for two days, but, with the high wind in the afternoon burning brands were swept over the neaus oi ine firefighters and within an hour the residence section of the town was in ashes. While the flames were in progress 75 loggers fought their way through the burning district and assisted in saving the mill property. A telephone message from Hale at 9:45 last night brought the report that the fire raging along the Wild Cat and over the divide from Hale is not so serious, but grave fears are enter tained if the winds rise again. Three families near Walton weie driven out and their homc3 burned. Those who lost their homes are A- E. Whiteaker, W. W. Lyons and Julian Davies. Hale also reports a big fire over in the Deadwood country, which destroy ed the home of A. Almosi. The stagedriver from Hale to Eu gene reports that the fire now raging in that vicinity has a frontage of eight or ten miles. He does not think the stage between Hale and Maple ton can make the trip tomorrow. Yacolt, Wash., Aug. 25. -Between 250 and 300 men, employes of the Twin Falls Logging company, of Ya colt, are penned in behind a fire and are unable to reach Yacolt. Whether or not any have met death is not known. There is only one avenue of escape. They can go down Fly creek and reach Chelatchie prairie. How- ever,t hey are now doing all they can to stop the flames, which are consum ing the fine timber Camp 5 is re ported destroyed and camps 7, 8 and 9 seem doomed. A Northern Pacific en gine brought in a man to Yacolt with his arms so badly crushed that one was amputated. A heavy burning limb had struck him. The fire on Fern Prairie last night swept down on the little town of Shanghai, and at 9 o'clock eight houses had been burned. The North Bank mill has been burned, with a loss of about $11,000. The fire has been burning all day in the Weyerhaeuser timber. A big fire on the Little Washougal is raging five miles above La Camas, and 50 men t.ave been sent from La Camas to make a valiant fight to keep it on the other side of the stream. Re ports come in telling of the burning of grain fields and barns filled with hay and grain. Fletcher's woods are on fire. Being caught in the fire, the fine dairy herd of Mr. Courter perished. Mr. Courter had a good-sized herd and it is said that all were burned to death. Town of Ashland is Saved. Ashland, Or., Aug. 25. Three hun dred men were desperately fighting fire last night in Ashland canyon, two miles above this city. Last night the wind had died down and much progress was being made. Yesterday was a day of wild excitement in Ashland. Early in the morning the wind was low and no apprehension was felt. About 11 o'clock the wind suddenly gained great velocity and lent an added fury to the flames, which were sweeping down the canyon toward the foothills in which the little city. Woman May Be Lyncher. Zanesville, O. Mabel McManiway was arrested here and will be held for the Newark authorities in connection with the Etherington lynching, July 8. On the night of the lynching a thrill ran through the gathering around the gallows pole when a woman, standing on an automobile, shoved through the crowd into the very heart of ihe throng. Standing on the seat she cried to the leaders: "Pull him a lit tle higher so that I can see." Jap to Wed Indian Girl. Seattle, Wash. Helen Paynes, an Indian girl, and U. Kagomi, a Japan ese, have taken out a license to marry. No objections were made when the license was applied for. The couple left in company with August Bill, a brother of the bride, to find a minister.