0
rook .County . Journal
VOL. V.
vkpJilNEVIIiLK, CKOOK COUNTY, OREGON. JULY 25, 1901,
NO. to
TO DEVELOP LAND
Oregon Soil as Good as
That of Idaho.
What Irrigation Will Do
Ooolotrioal Survey Calls Attention
t to the Vast Extent In
Oroiron.
One of tho members of tlio Unit
fi 1 States (lei 1 wind Survey recent
ly culled attention to a striking
con t rant in tlio levclo)cment of the
country lying on each Bide of the
boundary lino between Oregon nnd
Idaho. In Southwestern Idaho,
near Rome City and the stato line
there in a considerable section well
developed hy irrigation. Owing
to the combined advantages of the
the rich character of soil, the favor
condition of the climate, and irri
gation, this diutrict contains some
of the Iwft fruit growing country
in tlio world. Just on the oilier
iide of the state line in Oregon
I' long the Malheur and Owyee river
txa;tly the same conditions exist,
riv ?rs, toit and climate, with the
exception of the applccation of
water to tho land by irrigation,
the vital condition. In consequ
ence this section, though but a few
miles distant from the other, and
just as, capable of high develop
ment, is a desert country. Hore
is the whole important question of
irrigation in the arid wee t in a nut
tdicll, with it homes, farms and in
dustry; without it, a desert.
Experienced irrigators of the
arid lands of tho Wet say that
where the character of the toil is
loose and sandy, as it is in many
partflof the central valley of Cal
jfomia and often elsewhere in the
West, it drinks up water put upon
it in a most astonishing way
Thousands and thousands of gal
Ions are rim over it and quickly
absorbed by the thirsty soil when
irrigation is first legun, and this
may be continued for two or three
years if tho soil is deep. After
several years of continous soaking,
however, during which time the
ground has taken in great quanti
ties of water, it reaches a condition
approaching saturation, when it no
longer needs more to make it suit
able for crops, and the question
may even become ono of getting
rid of tho surplus. It is a well
known fact that the country where
Fresno, in Southern California,
stands today, was orinally a desert
arid wasto where sheep had to
ecramblo for a living in a good
year, and frequently starved to
in a dry one. Today there are
thousands of acres of land under
cultivation there, and the problem
is no longer ono of irrigation, but
of drainage; and there is being
now seriously agitated in the San
Joaquin Valley the question of tho
construction of a great drainage
canal to drain off the irrigating
water. ,In the city of Tulare,
when the white people first went
there, wator could not be found in
wells at depths less than 75 to 100
icH below the surface of the ground.
Today it is impost iblo to pump a
well dry; it is even difficult to
pump it down ft foot; 10 or 15 foct
below the surface the country
seems to have become a great
vpouee. TUq reason fuiUui latUur
tirprising result of irrigation is that
water introduced upon a given
tract sink into tho noil, and in the
course of years widely opcrflow its
boundary, thoroughly moistens the
adjoining lands and -completely
changes the character of the w hole
section. The significance of thin
result is that though th first in
vestments in irrigating plants give
returns for but a limited area, in
the course of years the same plant
will have opened up tor occupation
and cultivation a much larger area
than was originally intended.
This view of the matter is inter
esting and suggestivo of the pocsi
bilities of present irrigated lands
in the next generation. Data con-
cerning the conditions are being
brought together by the Geological j
Survey as part of its investigation
of the extent to which arid lands
can be redeemed.
Guo. B. IIom.ihter,
Resident Hydrographcr, U, 8. Geo
logieal Survey, Rutherford, N. J.
Sentence Commuted.
The state Hoard of Pardon at
Boise, Idaho, July 15, unanimous
ly decided to commute the sentence
of "Diamondfield Jack" Davis to
imprisonment for lifo. Davis was
under sentence to hang Wednes
day for the mudcr of two sheep
men in Cassia county, February,
18S(i. The case is one of the most
celebrated in the history of the
Vht, and has been before all the
tribunals in regular order from tho i
district court of Cassia county to
the supremo court of the Unitpd
States. Davis was convicted in
April, 181)7, and sentenced to be
hanged. In 1898, when the case
was before the Board of Pardons,
J. E. Bower and Jeff Grey confess
ed to having committed the crime
saying it was done in self defence
Upon the theory that they were
tolling the truth, Davis' attorneys
struggled hard for tho pardon of
their client. Gray was tried for
tho crime and acquitted. The
great Sparks-IIerrold Cattle com
pany has backed tho defense
throughout.
Wallowa County Shaken.
Mrs. D. P. McDaniel, who re
turned from Wallowa county Tues
day, where she had been visiting
her son, Hon. Chas. T. McDaniel,
reports that, that county was visit
ed by an earthquake between three
and four o'clock on the morning of
Monday, July 1st.
This was such an unusual and
unexpected occurance that the peo
ple scarcely realized tho cause of
the earth's nervousness until the
trouble was over. Tho beds in
which people were sleeping 'slid
from one part of the room to anoth
er as the earth rocked to and fro,
blinds were thrown from their
places on tho windows in various
parts of tlio county and many
other minor and similar occur
ences took place. The shock last
ed for a few minutes, then all was
quiet again. No damage worthy
of mention resulted.
This is tho second time that a
shock has been noticed in East-
em Oregon since the advent of the, tho interests of the United Arti
whiteman. The other occured in1!" tho Methodist ehureU in
1876 when a slight shock was felt
throughout this section, but no
damage resulted in cither case,
Uuloa Republican,,
AFTER FOSSILS.
. ;
The John Day Valley to
' be Explored.
The Professors at Work.
Bclontlflo Men Head the Party
Which .Wilt Visit That
Country.
, What mysteries the exploration
of the fossil beds of the John Day
valley may solve this summer is a
question. Certain it is that the re
sult of these explorations will be
j awaited with interest by geologists,
anthropologists and scientific men
jn general all over the world. Up-
on the pages vt these fossil beds
there is written history that has
an important bearing upon many
theories that now obtain relative to
I the earliest type of animals and
the primitive man in Eastern Oie-
gon. - .
The fossil bogk is this year to be
owned and perused hy no less em
inent scientists than Dr. John C,
Merriam, of the University of Cal
ifornia, and Prof. T. II. Knowlton,
of the United States geological sur
vey. Dr. Merriam arrived in Port
hind on tho 3d, and left at once
for The Dalles,1 where he expected
to be joined by Prof. Knowlton,
and from there proceed, without
delay, for the John Day country.
This will bo Prof. Knowlton's first
trip to this net-tarn.. Dr. Merriam
has visited the John Day fossil
beds before, and his interest in
them is growing.
While Prof. Knowlton is espec
ially interested in the leaves of
fossil plants in which branch of
I oniotiflfio rfioan-h be is an enthu
siast, Dr. Merriam will look for
larger game. Dr. Merriam ex
pects to find early forms of the
horse and mastodon, deer, camel,
elephant, cattle, boar and man.
The exploration party will be in
tho John Day country about six
weeks. Grant County News.
Another Killing.
Early Sunday morning a tele
phone message came to town for
tho doctor saying that Lmmctt
Eagan had been shot by Andy
Lytic. The shooting occurred at
Durham sawmill, near Ash wood.
Dr. Belknap went over, but found
on arriving there that the wound
was mortal and that the wounded
man had but a few hours to live.
He died early. Monday morning,
and was hurried Tuesday in the
Haystack cemetery. .We , have
been unable to hear the report of
the coroners jury. A preliminary
examination ' will probably be
held here the latter part of the
week. Many conflicting reports
aro in circulation regarding the
events that led up to tho shooting.
i Lytic started for Princville im
mediately after the shooting and
gave himself up to the sheriff and
is now in jail. Lytle alleges at
tempted rape of his wife by Engan
as the motive leading up to the
killing.
Rev. Urannis, of Portland, Ore
con, will deliver a public lecture in
The public generally are Cordially
invited to attend. All members of
tho order are requested to meet a.t
Ui UaU ut 6;30, M.guiay cvutwg.
"Portland's Opportunity..'
The Oregonian published a well
written editorial under the above
caption a few days ago and among
other things says; "The visitor
who will come to our 1905 fair will
will be delighted to see carpets
from Philadelphia, cottons from
Fall river, sewing machines from
New York and electrical appli
ances from Chicago, but what he
will look for most of all will be
the products and manufactures of
the Pacific States and of Siberia,
China, Japan, the Phillipines,
Hawaii and Siam etc: and further
on the multitudes which will be
attracted to the fair and the money
they will spend, added to the dis
bursements of state and private
exhibitors, are of deep significance
to Portland.
Having carefully read all that
lias been published for several
months past in the Oregonian and
of the action taken and expressions
given by the governors, representa
tives, organizations, newspapers,
and municipalities, favoring the
r f ni 1 1 : . . .. V
kM in lOftl nn montinn IS trio Ao
Lewis oc iinr. jiixuosiuon iu uc-
Ilk WW UIVI1.IWU
of the rates of fam to and from
Portland. . The railroads are all as
quiet as the Sphinx, and are trust
ing no question? will be asked
them as to transportation until
matters shall have so far advanced
and Ihe managers so far implicated
that no backward step can be
taken and the fair managers are
completely at their mercy, as it
were, when rates of fare will be
made to suit the railroads, and not
the success of the fair, or they
would have come forward long ere
this and contributed towards the
success of the fair by giving rates
or expressions that tho public
could depend upon when the time
for action arrived. Who will
make up the 'multitudes that will
be attracted to the fair' if the rail
roads make a prohibitory rate?
It seems to me that this matter
of transportation is of the very first
importance and should be desig
nated and advertised now, taking
as an example the rates from this
coast to the Pan-American at Buf
falo. It takes a round $100 to
make the bare trip which is a per
fectly absurd figure. $40 would
have been ample and trains going
east would have gone well filled
over every route instead of as pres
ent frequently scarcely a baker's
dozen. The fair managers should
exact a promise of a rate of at the
very most $30 from Chicago, and
all Mississippi river points and be
tween, including the Rocky moun
tain district, to Portland and re
turn, good for at least 90 days.
This would give visitors an 'oppor
tunity to visit the fair as well as
examine the great Pacific North
west, which the design of the fair
is to advertise as well as commem
orate the events of Lewis and
Clarke.
Lewis and Clarke raanagerel
Lay your foundations and lay
them well. Look after the rail
roads first, as the combinations are
such now that -n answer from the
one will bo tho answet from all.
Let the people- know the rates soi
arrangements cau be made with
their Mends in the east to prepare
to come to this not only one of the
greatest fairs but to this the best
part of tb,e.s Uwtsd States.
GENERAL NEWS.
Items of Interest Gath
ered Here and There.
Somo Stolen, Others Not
Cuttings From Our Exahanza
News Notes of the Week.
Timely Topics.
Quartzburg is doing more de
velopment work than at any tim
in its history and another year
ought to place it among the lest
and biggest camps in the Bin
mountains. Prairie City Miner.
The report of Superintendent
Lee, of the Oregou state, peniten
tiary, for the quarter ending Jn
30, shows a daily average enroll
ment of 294 convicts. The payroll
for the quarter amounted to $4490,
63, and the expenditures for sub
sistence $789,66, or a total of $'J-
280. 29
A St. Joseph, Mo., attorney-
claims to have received a $250 fe
owed to him for several years froiu
Pat Crowe, sent him from Johan
nesburg, South Africa. If the law
yer really got his fee thus unex
pectedly he is a mean man to giro
away Pat's address.
Lester Wright, a brakeman on.
the Lebanon branch of the S. P.,
died in Portland, July 14, 1901,.
Deceased was a son of W. T.
Wright, of the First National Bank
of Roseburg; a member of the B. of
R. T. and the U. B. of R. E., an I
was one of tho most popular em
ployes of the S. P.
Harry E. Eggerton, arrested oni
a charge of perjury, in disposing of
twenty-three scalps in Eugene,
Thursday, was given a prelimin
ary examination before Justice
Wintcrmeir yesterday afternoon
and bound over to the circuit court
in the sum of $200 in default of
which he will languish in ju.il un
til court convenes.
The secret service agents of tT
United State3 have the biggest jol
yet on their hands in ascertaining:
who took the $30,000 out of this
mint at San Francisco. That
mint wai considered w of
the most closely guardej and se
curest depositories for money in
the world, and yet some one walked,
away with the $30,000 in gold, and
the most discreet .secret servio
men in the employ of the govern
ment are unable to find even a clua
as to who took it. or when it was
taken.
The head of the family will blow
pleiisc step up and buy new sets of
school books throughout, i re
sponse to the cry for a change. Tho
t ex (. book choosers did their Wur.v,
quickly and just about as th peo
ple wanted it done. Now that,
they have the opportunity ta re
fleet that the change will cast about
$140,000, the people may conclude
.that thev were t hasty ii. de
manding a new deal. The writer
has no kve for the American Boole
Co., or its methods and siueeti.v
twpesthat the-chaugc in, text book1
may he worth, the heavy hatA.tt iV
levies up cu tbui pa;lc