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About La Grande observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1959-1968 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1959)
Remedial Steps In Solving City's Sewage Problems Deemed Necessary By RILEY ALLEN of the State Sanitary Authoritv of the hydraulic load would alle Iff malfunction Is caused by the phi ii coiM.tuks virtually rccon stimt.un ol the entire plant. That would a!o present the problem ot ho' Ma. would be disused of during the estimated two months of rci oiivtriiclmu. The same turn estimates the cost of a completely new lagoon s-ystcm at to ooo which is con siderably lower Leu Maintenance The sccoiul.i y advantage of the lagoon system is a much lower cost in maintenance which is csti mated at $3.(HMi vr year. The pre sent me ha'iical plant costs about $;!." to oiH'iate The difference is primarily that the lagoon system is so very simple of construction that little mamtence is required The only mechu-iicul devices are a pump, a pipeline and some valves for diverting the sew aye from one pond to the alternate. The primary maintenance will lo the cutting of the grass inside the fences sur rounding the ponds and prevention of formation of tides in the dikes. There are an filterine devices has been obtained by the city Observer Staff Writer It is deemed imperative that the city of La Grande take remedial steps toward the solving of its sew age disposal problem. That such a problem exists is evident by excerpts fiom a letter dated Sept. 25. low. and signed by Kenneth H. Spies, Deputy State Sanitary Engineer, o:ie of which said: "In July, lj3, representatives made a thorough survey ot the sew . age treatment plant, including com plete sampling of the processes, and issued a reiiort which included recommendations for improving operation a'd maintenance Be cause tlie findings outlined in the report showed that the treatment plant as it existed was not capab'e of producing the degree of treat ment required by Oregon lus. . ." Partially Successful It was believed that reduction viate the situation by construct ion of storm sewers, diverting this water elsewhere. A bond Issue of $230,000 was passed end the Job was completed about 1950. Even this action was only part ially successful because the orig inal construction of the plant was. by this time, obsolete and its abil ity to filter and purify reduced to only a portion of its capacity to function when new. filling up of Jhe filler beds They are almost impervious und incap able of either mechanical filtration or of supporting the abundance of bacteria necessary to do the job. The replacing of this used up material and the recoasti -net ion of the present plant to where it will function properly is estimated by the engineering firm of Corn ell. How land, Hayes and Merri field at a minimum of $-1.17.000. io nug up smie bacteria literally This is about 40 acres more than is needed at the presenL Con struction of about 14 miles of pipeline will be needed from the present mechanical plant to the intake of the new ponds. There a -diversion box is needed with two pipes and valves which will govern the flow of sewage Into the main pond or the alternate. These pipes will terminate in the centers of the ponds where they will discharge their waste ma terial. No Speg Construction of the ponds con sist of dikes, somewhat higher than a man's head, around each 45 acre pond. Only enough ex consumes the sewage, and evap oration in the ideal season will maintain , constant level of about leet of water in the nonds. During periods of low evaporation the plan calU for chlorination of Mic waters which bypass the ponds. Construction of the lagoon sys lem is a simple one though of some proportions. An option on 230 acres in a strategic location Two Elgin Teen-Aqers Killed In LA GRANDE OBSERVER 5 1st Issue 64th Year Howling Storm Sweeps fast With Rain, Snow CONFER ON AGENDA Miss Jeanne Jewett, admini strator of the State Public Welfare Commission, con fers with Commission Chairman J. H. Luihn during a break in the commission's meeting here yesterday. (Observer Photo) Revised Medical Care Plan For Indigents Is Outlined By BILL BEBOUT Observer Staff Writer A revised medical care plan for Oregon's public assistance recipients which would put the responsibility for determining the amount of aid necessary on the physician instead of welfare agencies was outlined here yes terday by the State Public Wel fare Commission. The plan, w hich the commission hopes to put in operation in some counties in the noar future, would give Oregon physicians the right to proceed with -diagnostic and treatment services without "un necessary red tape or obstacles." r. James Stewart, chief med WORLD OF MAKE Small Fry To Knock On Doors Tonight In Halloween Venture By GRADY PANNELL Observer Start Writer The world of make believe will un'old before the eyes of La Grande's small fry tonight when th"y knock on doors and ring bells to usher in Halloween. For the to's. it's the one ni'ht they believe in fiercely, and they will tell you that behind every bush and rock lurks a goblin of some sort, their fallow companion of the murky night. The other boy or girl behind some grimacing false face and equally severe garb is net one of them, they say. "he's some kind of spirit from way out there And so they go their paths of adventure, each older age brac ket daring to go just a little hit farther and a little more reck lessly th.,,1 iiu.y did the year lie-foro. ,r.-..'. .VMS. i.i '. ' y 0 ical consultant to the commission, said. Responsibilities The plan would also leave hospital administrators free to provide services and facilities requested by the attending phy sician with a clear understanding of the agency's responsibility and limits of responsibility, Stewart said. Dr. Stewart said that policies and procedures concerning the provision of drugs are now being formulated and Dhvsicians anri pharmacists will be made aware of ine agency s resources, and the See REVISED Page Two BELIEVE- A grinning, lighted pumpkin will sterile them, but not for long; each dark shadow is a witch riding a broomstick; a black cat that should chance to cross be fore them is an age old meaning handfd down from mother or dad, and the moaning wind is the voice of the dead. H.'lloween is almost as o'd as humanity, starting in pagan days as a "religious type observance" in the autumn when a certain weekend was mourned. When the summer sun dropped south and the chill winds blew, the Celts observed the occasion in deadly earnest; they sacrificed human lives in an effort to bring back the sun. The Christians observed Hallo ween while still in the catacombs. In the early 800'f certain day waf declared All Saint's Day and LA GRANDE, OREGON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1959 United Press International A vicious autumn storm swept eastward toward the central plains states today, leaving behind wide spread damage, closed schools and highways, stranded hunters a'ld hundreds of homeless Rocky Mountain residents. The whistling storm lashed out of California and the Southwest into the mountains Friday. Heavy snows, flash floods and 92-mi lean-hour winds combined to cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. I The storms left three persons dead, all in Arizona, where rag ing rivers formed in deserts and Phoenix reported a rare snowfall, i At Ogden. Utah, live Red Cross 1 reported the winds had ripped roofs from many homes and had toppled scores of power lines. plunging hundreds of homes into a chilly darkness. Four inches ot snow fall at Ce dar City and Parowan, Utah, and Imperial and North Platte, Neb., reported five inches. The weather bureau said the storm would spread through Kan sas. Nebraska and South Dakota before dyiff-. out.. Snow .was r ported falling last night in eastern Colorado, Wyoming, Northern New Mexico. Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The snow was mixed with freez ing rain in many areas, laying a glaze of ice on highways in Colo rado, Kansas and South Dakota. and delaying the plane carrying me Air rorce Academy's football team to New York for its game witn Army. Speeding By Young Drivers Nets Arrest Two teen-ace drivers nvr rested last night for conducting a speed contest on Adams Ave. One offender was talrpn intn custody at Fourth Street and Jelterson Avenue and the other arrested at the police station at 9:30 p.m. Bail was set at $25 for both parties and a hearing sched uled lor 3 p.m. Monday. Conditions Critical Two Oregon hunters, trapped for about four hours in the wreck age of their jeep Thursday night, were still reported in critical con dition today at the Grande Ronde Hospital. They arc Donald Kaulf man, 28, Canby, and John Fisher, 44. Hubbard. WEATHER Fair through Sunday; highs 53 58; low tonight 20 25. the hallowed or Halloween Day wes established. "Old wives' tails" kept alive the ancient beliefs and customs of Halloween, however, as the stories told of tortured spirits reaming the earth seeking re venge on their enemies. Our early ancestors used to carry lanterns on Halloween to frighten off the bad spirits. The Jack O' Lantern is a custom that descended from this early be lief. Halloween today is known as the eve of All Saints' Day, and in the spirit of the occasion the young people especially the children SarD themsevles in make believe. In keeping with the local ob servance by children, Police Chief Oliver Reeve atated that "trick or treat" night would b tonight. fern- S ,( r-s &vvK Vk gray COLLEGE RECRUITMENT Vernon fiarkhurst, left, shows La Grande High School students Dave ' Slab'augh, Dick Roth and Leroy Moblcy (left to right) an entrance requirement sheet on the Uni versity of Oregon. Barkhurst was one of several persons visiting the local school from colleges and universities throughout the st ate. Other colleges represented were Ore gon State College, Oregon Tech and Portland School of Nursing. Observer Photo by Joe Diehl) Fear Mexico Death Toll 2,000 Following Cyclone And Floods MEXICO CITY 1 111 '-Authori ties feared today the death toll in a cyclone-w hipid series of floods that wiped out ten West Coast communities Tuesday may rise as high as 2,000. Nearly 800 persons were report ed dead, 600 in the community of Minatitlan alone but it appeared the death toll would be much Elks Dance Tonight La Grande F.Iks will hold their annual Halloween dance tonight at 10 o'clock at the Klks Lodge, j EXAMINE DEATH CAR Members of the family of Shelia Stine and a State Police officer examine the auto in. which the bodies of the teen-age girl and her companion, John Kennedy, Jr , were discovered this morning by several young Elfjin hunters. Authorities were baffled over ihe accident which apparently "happened sometime last night. ' (Observer Photo) f- wi iviwnh fcw i viii wi r -nw- 6 Paget 'vt. i v v h hither. Another 13. persons were reported critically injured in Min atitlan. which had a population of only 900. It was reported earlier that most of the town's population was buried under tons of mud that cascaded down upon it. The mud was loosened by heavy rains driv en by violent, cyclonic winds. The storms and floods brought devas tation to four states on the Paci fic Coast. A reporter for a Mexico City newspaper reported only one member of a 100-man army garri O l) Wreck Five Cants son at Minitatlan survived. He said the survivor, Lt. Salvador Botello, "is on the brink of in sanity and speaks like a man in his sleep." The reporter, Roberto Cardenas, said he flew over Minitatlan, now covered by a vast, still layer of water and mud. He said the "cemetery city'' had a terrifying "Dante like look" of silence and destruction. President Adolfo Lopez Mateos was in personal charge of efforts to bring relief to survivors in the disaster areas. , ")XW Objection To Plant Site Noted La Grande city commissioners will meet with residents of the Is land City area at 7 30 p.m. Mon day following a wave of protests by some county residents who live near the site of a proposed lagoon type oxidation sewage treatment plant. The meeting is scheduled at the Island City Farm Bureau hall and is expected to pack in many resi dents of the area who are voicing objections to a sewage treatment facility northeast of the city's pre sent treatment plant. City commissioners also will meet with local residents Tues day night at the Junior high school auditorium to discuss Friday's $3G0.0OO bond election for the new sewage facility. Voices Objections Dr. F. M. Kovach, Island City veterinarian, summed up most of the objection today when he told The Observer. "1 am against la goons for sewaRe because I don't want to live next to them. The plant would reduce values," he said. He added that he had invested heavily in his home and acreage in the county and that the proiMised oxidation ponds would adjoin his property. "Lagoons would probably bring in an undesirable type industry such as rendering and packing plants," he stated. Dr. Kovach said there were about 20 property owners in the immediate vicinity of the 230 acres that the city has an option on for the proposed new sewage facility Elgin Pair Found Inside Burned Auto By BILL BEBOUT Observer Staff Writer ELGIN (Special)-State Po lice were probing the burn ed wreckage of an automobile near her this morning when the wreckage was discovered bout 10:15 a.m. with Hi bod ies of teen-ege pair inside. Pronounced deed upon ex amination by Deputy Coroner Everettt C. Abbott, La Grand, and investigating Stat Police out of La Grand, wire John Kennedy, Jr., If, and Shelia Stine, 15, both of Elgin. Police were able to deter mine only that the ten-grt hed left last night for a dene at Elgin. Whether or not they had ever arrived at the dene was net Immediately known. The ut had left the Ian that led Int the Stine girl's home, apparently headed in the opposite direction, and hed traversed a plowed field for 300 feet, ending up in a large ditch. The engine of the car ap parently caught fire, the In tens heat melting the plastic dashboard instruments. Caus of Hi fir was not known. Extent of the fir or caus ef death had not been determin ed by press time. Young Kennedy was a grad uate of Elgin High School. The SHne girl was a student at the schi, authorities said. The car was discovered by Elgin hunters four mile north ef her in Hi Rock Wall Grange region. Plane Down With 27 Aboard Over Virginia CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. IL'PK A Piedmont Airlines plane with 27 persons aboard was long over due today on a flight from Wash ington to Roanoke, Va.. and ap parently had crashed in a rugged stretch of Blue Ridge Mountain country. An air and ground search was bogged down by bad weather. Fog, mist and a slight drizzle settled over a 40-square-mile area of the desolate mountain terrain where the DCS disappeared Fri day night after a routine radio call to Charlottesville for landing instructions. There was little hope for the plane, which would have run out cavating is done to remove the soil and expose an impervious material, capable of containing the sewage and preventing seep age. This point is important there is no seepage there can be no seepage because the water level must be maintained at near the 44 foot level or the ponds won't function properly. What happens to the solids? Bacteria consumes it as is prov ed by a plant in South Dakota that has been in operation since 1928. The build-up around the discharge pipes in an alluvial fan with maximum depth is about IV, feet with still 3 feet of water over the top of it and no solids of any kind visible. This would suggest a life for the ponds of about 60 to 100 years. "Suggest" is the only safe word to use since there are no ponds ot that tgc in existence. A recent article in The Ore- konian concerning a similar pro ject in Prinoville sounded an ominous note.' The writer was giving only part of the story, however, when he suggested that there was no guarantee the instal lation wuld be accepted. That is true so far as it goes. It is, al so true that the mechanical fil tration plant would not be guar anteed or accepted until thor oughly tested . and proved. The authority does not guarantee any thing, even a water system, until it has been checked out and deemed operational and satisfac tory. There is every bit as good chance that the lagoon system will give an acceptable end pro duct as there is that the mech anical filtration plant will. Beware The Stat What happens, if the bond is sue is rejected by the voters? The alternative is most un pleasantit borders on the die- - tutorial. . ' Since the Btate Srtrtarr AJV v ority has been patient with this city for about ten years lt ia -reasonable to assume that their patience may be wearing t bit thin. It is within its power to take legal action against a city as it has done in a number of in stances, including Portland. It might possibly construct a sys tem of its own choice and de mand payment from us. The price could be formidable. Our decision is based on infor mation obtained from the most competent sources, from men who have been struggling with the problem for years and a high ly reputable engineering firm as well as the State Sanitary Author ity. There can be only one ans wer on this issue. A favorable vote would mean an initial savings to the city of $100,000 is well as an additional $20,000 yearly in maintenance. The savings would be reflected in individual tax statements and the monthly garbage bills. It would be considerable. An Added Safety Factor That the number of acceptable available sites is limited is a well recognized fact. But it seems most unfortunate that the site chosen is so near an area where several houses already exist and in an area thai has the potential of be ing further sub-divided as the movement to the country increas es. Unless the ponds are completely scaled and made to function per fectly there may be some con tamination from seepage. Should this happen the water supply of a wide area could bo ruined. As an additional safety factor It seems the logical thing to search for an area where there are no existing residences where the wa ter table Is low and one that Is not likely to become desirable in the near future. It's quite an or der. of fuel at p.m. (p.s.t.. but a massive search was mobilized In hope it made an emergency land ing or crashed in such a manner there may have been survivors. Ground parties were sent to In vestigate one report from a farm er Just north of Standardsvillc, Va , that he heard an explosion last night. The Civil Air Patrol said it had no verfication of the report but intended to check all leads. Piedmont said the plane had to be presumed down in an area about 20 milet north ol Charlottes ville and about 100 milef south of Washington.