COURIEI c 34th Year OREGON CITY, OREGON; THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 1917 Number SO SHOULD BUY TRUCK, FIRE MARSHAL SAYS MR. EBY OUTLINES COOPERAT IVE PLANS BETWEEN CLUB AND LIVE WIRES "Gasoline is more dangerous than dynamite!" "Think fire if you would prevent fire!" "Provide competent men and give them modern apparatus to work with if you would save your city from dam age by fire!" These were the statements about which Jay Stevens, fire marshal for the city of Portland, wove an inter esting talk on fire prevention before the Live Wires at their regular meet ing in the Commercal club rooms on Tuesday. Marshal Stevens was brought to Oregon City by the Live Wire com mittee in charge of the club's part in the special election on March 5, through which they hope to practice fire prevention by providing modern apparatus for the department." Mr. Stevens related features of his work for the Portland fire department and gave the Wires a liberal education in preventive measures. He put special emphasis upon the danger of gasoline and characterized it as more danger ous than dynamite. 0. D. Eby, president of the Com mercial club, attended the luncheon and spoke of the plans of cooperation between the two organizations. He spoke of the industrial literature which the Wires will publish as a most worthy undertaking and pledged the Commercial club to stand behind the venture financially. WILL MOVE BIG HOUSE Charman Property to Be Occupied by Miller-Parker Garage To make room for the modem gar age building and business block planned by the Miller-Parker com pany of this city, T. L. Charman is preparing to move the large residence on the corner of Ninth and Main streets' to the corner. of Tenth and Water. The residence is on the Mrs. Lena Charman property and was a mansion to Oregon City a score of years ago. Mr. Charman will buy the home from Mrs. Lena Charman and already has practically bought the Water street property, which is one of the most sightly spots in the city. The Charman home is occupied by Dr. Hugh Mount, who will remain in it when it is moved to the river bank. It is 40 by 50 feet and contains ten rooms. Tho home was built nearly 35 years ago. The property vacated when the house is moved will be the site of a modern building to be erect ed by the Miller-Parker company for their automobile business. They pur chased it some weeks ago from Mrs. Lena Charman for a consideration of $16,000. The new garage building will be put up this summer and will occupy a space about 80 by 128 feet. IN THE DIVORCE COURT Hubby Gets Divorce, Wife Gets Fur niture and Maiden Name Cruelty is the charge made against Parker H. Trigg by Lillie M. Trigg in a divorce complaint filed here Fri day. The couple were married at Portland on February 19, 1913. Mrs. Trigg asks the restoration of her former name, Lillie M. Morse. Charles A. and Anna V. Ladiges were divorced by order of Judge Campbell Friday. Although Mr. Lad iges was the complainant, he asked that his wife's former name, Anna Hadley, be restored and that she be declared sole owner of the household furnishings. Desertion was the charge in the complaint. Andy Bachert, divorced from Min nie Bachert on January 7 last, was Fridav ordered to pay his former wife $10 a month for the support of two minor children in her custody. The youngsters are Charles and Mar garet Bachert. ttf v? fc? RIVER IS LOW J Not in many years has the winter season seen such a low stage of water in the Willam ette river at this city. At present the water is getting deeper each day, but the aver age depth for the season has been considerably below nor mal, lower in fact than at any time within the memory of W. St J I . J J J J J . l I I J J J J E. Pratt, local agent for the O. C. T. Co. Mr. Prat took readings in the river each day until a few years ago and late ly H. A. Swafford of the Crown-Willamette company has had readings taken. Mon dav the water in the lower i river was 11.5 feet, but it had i risen to that depth within the previous few days. Through ly out the year the 'average has . been very low... On February . 26 last year the water in the . lower river measured 12 4-10 i feet and in 1914 there were 17 9-10 feet of water. On 5 February 26, 1908, there was ! only a little more than 8 feet 6 of water in the river, but dur ing that year the average was J far greater than it is this year, J according to Mr. Swafford. SGHUEBEL SAYS ES RIGHT LETTER TO COURIER EXPLAINS HIS SIDE OF THE STORY- SCHUEBEL DISPUTE SAYS FACTS MISREPRESENTED Wants to Be Relieved of Official Du- If Council Will Pay Him Sum of $150.00 Oregon City, Ore., Feb. 28, 1917. f r;,r Editor Courier tress, u'b" J' Oregon. Dear Sir: t i, n desire to enter into a newspaper controversy and so far as I am concerned, tnis letter one e I shall write. 1 Deueve eveiju.. entitled to a square deal and when is the facts are misrepreeuw:u should be corrected. A persistent effort has been made by certain persons to misrepresent the facts in connection with the city coun il in regard to the employment of an attorney to look after the city's civil business. The charter of Oregon City pro vides that a city prosecutor shall be elected and section 50 on page 20 ot the charter defines his duties as fol lows " Sec. 50. It shall be the duty of the city prosecutor to attend to the prosecution of all persons violating the city ordinances of Oregon Crty before the recorder or mayor. He shall receive for such services u remuneration as the city council may determine, the same to be paid from the general fund. Ordinance Wo. 1 nxes uie wliich are as follows: $5.00 for every case prosecuted and convicted on a plea of not guilty ana s.ou j.ui evci nosp nrosecuted. whether the defend ant is acquitted or pleads guilty. No change has ever Deen maue m the charter as to the duties of the city prosecutor or the fees due liim for his services. The city council is author ized to employ the city prosecutor, or any. other attorney, to appear on be half of the city in any civil action that the city may be involved in, either as plaintiff or defendant, and to pay him for such services out of the general fund. There is no regu lar city attorney provided by the charter for Oregon City. . . P Prior to my appointment as city posecutor in 1914 the council general ly divided the legal business between the city recorder and city prosecutor, and occasionally employed outside assistance. It cost the city from $1.- 800 to $2,000 a year for legal services. At the close of the year 1916 there were two very important civil actions pending. One in wmcn tne city was defendant for the sum of $7,500; the other pertaining to the water rights at the south end of Main street in which the P. R. L. & P. Co. was en deavoring to get possession of a piece of land that would deprive the city of its riparian rights. This is a case of vital importance to the taxpayers and residents of Oregon City. There were over 200 pages of testimony and about 60 exhibits in the case. I tried it in the circuit court and won it for the city, and the P. R. L. & P. Co. ap pealed to the supreme court, where it is now pending. At the first regular meeting in De cember I notified the city council that mv contract with the city in regard to the evil business expired December 31, and urged upon the council that thev take immediate action it tney intended to employ another man to take charge of these cases. The may- .. .. i ..1..J-J 4-V..4- or in all his wisaom conciuueu moi the action should be postponed, and assisted hy some of the councilmen, the action was postponed. About December 15, at a special meeting of the city council a com mittee consisting of Van Auken, Al brieht and Friedrich was appointed to interview me and ask me what my rhare-es would be if I should be em ployed to take charge of all the civil business. (This in no way wouio. in terfere with the duties of the city nrnsecutor which were fixed by the charter and the fees fixed by ordi- nance.) My answer to the commit tee was that I would try the Uliver case for $150 and the P. R. L. & F. Co. case for $250 to be paid when briefs were filed and $250 to be paid when decided by the supreme court, if decided in favor of Oregon City, or $60 per month for. taking care of all civil business, including the cases above mentioned. The committee re ported to the council and recommend ed that I be employed to take care ot all civil business at $G0 per , month, The reDort of the committee was adopted. The first of January Mr. Storey took his office as city prosecutor and he continued the prosecution of all criminal actions, no one interfering with his duties. About February 14 the mayor called a special council meeting. On account of the unpleasantness and reports that had been circulated I had made up my mind to refuse to have anything further to do with the city's business and to permit the (Continued on page 10) SUBMERGED ISLAND MAY COME TO LIFE AGED LITIGATION REVIVED IN THE CIRCUIT COURT. PROP ERTY UNDER WATER An intricate legal problem that has been pending at various stages in the circuit courts of Clackamas coun ty for nearly a quarter of a century, came to life again on Monday when Judge J. U. Campbell admitted Wal ter Cox as a defendant in the case of the Willamette Transportation & Locks Co., against W, T. Burney and Annie M. Draper. Cox takes the place of - Burney, who is dead. The suit involves what is known as Moore's island at the head of the government locks in the river above Oregon City. According to all authority interested in the case, W. T. and Elinor T. Burney secured a state deed to a quarter of the island many years ago. Later the trans portation company was granted a federal patent covering the entire is land. In the meantime, it is under stood, Luther or Johnson Moore claimed homestead rights on the prop erty. The Moore claim has already been set aside, it is said. - The claim of the transportation company was challenged many years ago by Burney, who later, on Octo ber 10, 1894, deeded the property to Clarence W. Simpson of Houston, Tex. On February 2, last, Mr. Simp son sold and deeded the quarter in terest in the island to Walter Cox, who Monday was admitted as a de fendant in the action brought by the Willamette Transportation & Locks company. In the event of a victory for Mr. Cox and those interested with him, Moore's island, submerged these many years because of the construc tion of breakwaters above the locks, would again come into being. Un less some arrangement for its pur chase were made by the transporta tion company the present defend ants in the case would propably re quire the company to tear down the structure which submerges the island in water. There are about 23 acres in the island at least, there were before the property was covered over with water. The island might be valuable as a power sight or for some such purpose. THREATEN RECALL OF ANOTHER COUNCILMAN LANS UNDER WAY TO OUST FOUR OTHER MEMBERS OF CITY BOARD A new angle to the controversy be tween Isom C. Bridges and E. B. An drews, contenders for councilmanic honors from the third ward, appeared on Tuesday evening when Mr. Bridges announced his intention to start a re call ' movement against Mr. Andrews. Bridges was elected to the coun cil last December by a large major ity to succeed Mr. Andrews. He was unseated a short time ago, when Cir cuit Judge Campbell decided he had not satisfied residence requirements as specified in the city charter. Mr. Andrews automatically resumed his seat by virtue of a charter clause which says a councilman shall hold his seat until his successor is elected and qualified. Mr. Bridges has al ready filed notice of appeal to the su preme court. Within a few days Mr. Bridges will have been in Oregon City a full year and, if he is successful in recalling Mr. Andrews, he will oe a candidate again at a special election. Mr. Bridg es is a supporter of the anti-Schuebel faction of the city council and Mr. Andrews is as solid in the opposite di re cton. The recall movement directed against Councilmen Metzner, Buck les, Cox and Albright, who, with Friedrich, are of the Schuebel faith, goes merrily on, and these men have started a campaign in active opposi tion to the recall through public state ments of their attitude in the matter that has divided the councl since the first of the year. Once again we suggest that you subscribe to the Courier and four standard magazines. $1.25. MOTOR FIRE TRUCK WHICH VOTERS SPECIAL ELECTION DOUBLE Til IS AT BIG DEMAND FOR PRODUCT DOUBLES CAPACITY OF LOCAL PLANT ADDITION IS BEING RUSHED Great Nunber of Orders Responsible Delayed Briefly by Lack of Ex perienced Workers A greatly increased demand for the products of the mills of the Ore gon City Manufacturing Co., here and the flooded stream of orders that are coming into the offices from all parts of the world and for a wide variety of products, has made it necessary for the mill management to double the working hours and the produc tion of the big factory. The result is that the mill machines will run 24 hours a day in place of 12 as in the past, and to this end a crew of workers equal to that employed during the day is rapidly being as sembled for the night work. It will take some little time, the management says, to recruit this crew to full strength, but as fast as competent help can be secured it is being employed. This indicates that the company will turn out practically twice as many manufactured woolen products as at any other time in the history of the industry. Every available machine is in use and construction on the new mill ad ditions is being rushed to provide more room for equipment. Present plans call for the completion of the addition early in May and at that time the company's payroll will be materially increased. New machin ery and equipment have been shipped from the eastern factories and other shipments will be sent in time for installation before the time set for opening the addition. The mill com pany has had a payroll covering 350 employes for the past few years. With the night crew complete the number will be practically doubled and if the night work is continued upon completion of the new addition there will be nearly 1000 hands em ployed. The addition under construction will provide 60,000 feet of additional floor space and will house much new machinery, making the field of ac tivity considerably larger and tils production possibilties more than double. This week tne mill has been operating each night and before the end of the week, A. R. Jacobs, man ager and president of the company. hopes to have secured a full crew of workers for the night shift. "BUGS" IN REVOLT Klinkman Recalled as Vicious When Arrested in this County With the revolt of inmates of the state hospital on Sunday, Sheriff W J. Wilson here recalled William Klink man, one of the prime movers in the alleged conspiracy, who was commit ted to the asylum from Clackamas county on March 1 of last year, after he had given the officers a merry chase in capturing him. Klinkman was taken at Ardenwald station, near his home, and in the fight with the officials he kicked Dep uty Sheriff D. E. Frost and inflicted painful injuries. Six deputies were required to handle the man, who is of unusual strength. Sheriff Wilson had to tie Klinkman's hands when he was captured because his wrist3 were so big the handcuffs would not go over them. John H. Thompson one ot the inmates who led tne at tack Sunday, was also sent up from this county. He formerly was a black smith at Milwaukie. Wants Road Operated Upon complaint of R. S. Canton wine, C. O. Perry was ordered to ap pear before County Judge H. S. An derson to show cause why he should not be forced to remove obstructions from a dedicated roadway between the tracts of the Saffarans Peninsula acres. Cantonwine contends that Perry has placed obstructions that prevent the improvement of the road way and refuses to remove them. MAY AUTHORIZE MONDAY AT A MILLS NEW AUDITORIUM IS SURE AT GLADSTONE DIRECTORS VOTE UNANIMOUS LY. CONSTRUCTION WILL START IN MAY Definite action toward the con struction of the new auditorium for Gladstone park this spring was taken at a meeting of the board of directors of the Willamette Valley Shautauqua association at the Commercial club Tuesday night, when the 13 mem bers present voted unanimously for the building. Plans submitted some time ago, providing for a building fashioned generally after the great Mormon tabernacle at Salt Lake City, were adopted, and the secretary was instructed to .prepare to ask for bid ders. Thirteen out of the 15 directors of the association attended the meeting and heard the report of the building committee. A long discussion of the plans of financing the project was a feature of the meeting, and the di rectors believe that a debt of $1500, which will be necessarily assumed, can be cleaned up the first year. The proposed new building will seat 4500 people, being half again a large as the present structure, and will cost between $5500 and $6000. Stock subscriptions and donations have guaranteed three-fourths of the cost. The structure will occupy a site 60 yards north of the present building, which was built 23 years ago, and will be of a much more per manent character. The 13 directors who attended the meeting and voted for the building, upon which construction work will be started in May, are: Mrs. A. B. Man ley, Portland; Mrs. Emma Spooner, Portland; Mrs. Eva Emery Dye, Fred Olmsted, C. Schuebel, H. E. Cross, C. H. Dye, Dr. George Hoeye, Duane C. Ely, E. G. Caufield, John W. Lod- er, J. E. Jack and George Armstrong, all of Oregon City; the two absent members were George A. Harding and W. A. Huntley. JOHNSON APPOINTED Former Deputy Assessor Will Have Charge of Publicity Office Carrying out its policy to have an active worker in charge of the de tailed activities of the organization the Oregon City Commercial club yesterday installed George Fred John son, former county assessor, in the po sition of secretary to the publicity committee of the club, and Mr. John son has taken up his office in the pub licity room next the postoffice. He can be found on the job there most any time. Mr. Johnson s duties in the new position, created this year, will be along many lines. He will take charge of the club's activities in con nection with the county fair, wiljl handle all routine publicity work for the club, and will be active in spend ing the $1700 fund donated for pub licity work by the business men of the city this year. Mr. Johnson has already taken up the campaign to interest a packing compny in this territory with the view of having a cannery and packing house estab lished. (5 tl1 i) tt FLAG DAY NEXT Club and society women are J interesting themselves in the .J flag day to be held here on . March 10 for the benefit of the Salvation Army rescue and maternity home in Portland. Mrs. E. C. Hackett, wife of Mayor Hackett, is honorary chairman of the committee planning the day and Mrs. N. M. Alldredge, prominent club worker, is the active chairman. A corps of young women and school girls is being recruited to sell flags and 50 will be en listed if possible. The girls who sell the flags will be given prizes for the volume of their J work. Mrs. Alldredge is pre paring a list of patronesses for the day. jC vt fct 4 Little Miss Boyles Comes County Recorder Dudley C. Boyles is not paying much attention to the affairs of his office today. A 1 pound baby girl was born to Mrs, Boyles yesterday afternoon at their home on Ninth and John Adams streets. i$ i$ $1 il viC M trf OLSON PROMOTED H. D. Olson, Southern Pa cific agent in this city for the past two years, has been ad vised of his promotion to be traveling freight agent for the road. Mr. Olson will make his headquarters in Portland as soon as his successor can be appointed and placed in the lo cal station. Mr. Olaon came to Oregon from Chicago, 111., several years ago. 'A S REAP A T OF ONION" JOHNSON SCORES HIGH THROUGH MARKET ON OREGON ONIONS OTATOES AT RECORD PRICE George Brown's Crop Worth Near $20,000. Many Farmers are Made Wealthy Pity the farmer! Not at all. There are hundreds of western Oregon farmers who have made more off 10 acres of potatoes than many a lawyer has made off a good practice. And as far as onions are concerned! Well, it would pay owners of real estate in the heart ot many a town to tear down their build ings and plant onions. Take the case of William T. John son, of the Uackamas station qis trict. Mr. Johnson has raised onions for many years, secured a fair price for his output and made a living. He is known through his county, Clack amas, as "Onion" Johnson. Last year Mr. Johnson planted 14 acres in onions, and narvesiea oouu sacks. He sold $15,000 worth of on ions off of the tract and has 400 sacks, or about 800 bushels, left. At the prevailing market price he will secure about $4,120 for the onions still on hand and the value of the to tal crop on his land will be in the neighborhood bf $19,000. But even the Southern Pacific car shortage of recent memory conspired to add to the riches if Mr. Johnson. Soon after harvesting his onions he contracted a large part of his yield at $4 a sack. The buyer, however, cancelled his contract when he was unable to secure cars. Mr. Johnson was preparing to file a suit against the Southern Pacific when the price of onions advanced to 10 cents ( pound on the cars at Clackamas sta tion. Mr. Johnson began to Bell his crop a second time. Mr. Johnson's story, however, is not exceptional. There are scores ot farmers this year who are buying automobiles, and they're heavier cars than Fords at that. Others are build ing new houses and farms, buying more lands and cleaning off mort gages which have been plasters on their property since they came to the state. Down at Canby, in the heart of a potato growing country, automo bile dealers are having a hard time to keep up with orders for machines and its not the town people who are buying them. Hundreds of farmers, who have been struggling along for years, mak ing only enough to Bquare up accounts each fall with the town store keeper, are now almost independent because they planted a few acres in onions and potatoes. Scores of eight and 10 acre patches of potatoes have brought in $2500 and $3000, even after part of the crop had been set aside for seed and for family use. Potatoes at $3.75 a sack spell for tune for George H. Brown of New ra, perhaps Clackamas county's most extensive potato grower. Mr. Brown and his son, E. E. Brown, had 80 acres in potatoes this year and their total profit is so near $20,000 that they have not stopped to figure the difference. The 80-acre tract near New Era produced 20,000 bushels of murphys this season and Mr. Brown bought several thousand bushels from his neighbors and resold at a good mar gin of profit. At the same time the son's business ability revealed itself. for he held out for good prices and realized $7000, while the fother sold several carload lots on the early mar ket for less than a third or the pres ent price. Mr. Brown nas some 500 sacks of his crop left, averaging from 115 o 120 pounds to the sack. He has standing offers for this lot at $3. 75 a hundred and will probably sell at that figure. Mr. Brown's potatoes on the early market sold for about $1.25 a nun dred, giving him a profit of 150 per cent, as the cost of production from plowing to harvest cost him approx imately one half cent a pound. The biggest part of the crop sold at about $3.25 a hundred, or at a profit of 550 per cent. Mr. Brown has been grow ing potatoes as his major crop for number of years, but has never seen such market conditions as those of the present season. His crop is of the Red Rose and American Wonder va rieties. Farmers can get from $3 to $3.75 for their potatoes at valley points, yet many are holding for still highei prices. Dr. A. L. Beatie of the Ore gon Commission company says that he knows of farmers who want $5 tot their crop and are holding for that figure. Scores, he says, demand $4 before they willisell. When potatoes were around the $2 mark one Clackamas county farmer saw visions of wealth and contracted for the delivery of 1000 sacks at that figure although he raised only 300 sacks himself. He planned to buy 700 sacks at a lower figure and make a neat cleanup. However, potatoes continued to climb, and now he faces a choice between being sued for GOLD REV. GILBERT WILL COME HERE AT ONCE PASTOR TO RELIEVE J. K. HAWK INS, WHO TAKES CHURCH AT LE MARS, IA. . REV. E. E. GILBERT An exchange of pulpits brings the Rev. E. E. Gilbert of LeMars, Iowa, to Oregon City this month to take the place of the Rev. J. K. Hawkins, pas tor of tthe local Methodist Episcopal church here for the past two years. Mr. Hawkins will go to the church left by Mr. Gilbert at LeMars, and the latter will probably preach his first sermon at the church here on Sunday morning, March 11. Mr. Gilbert is a native of Ontario, Canada, where he was born in 1869. He went to Iowa when a small child and spent most of his life in that state. His college training was re ceived at Cornell university and the Upper Iowa university, following which he attended and was graduated from the Garrett Biblical institute in 1898. Rev. Mr. Gilbert has been 22 years in the Northwest Iowa confer ence, three of which were spent in school, and during his connection there he has served five charges; Armstrong, Ireton and Cherokee, three years each; Ida Grove, four years, and at LeMars since October, ' 1911. During these pastorates he built three churches and three par sonages. At LeMars he completed a. year ago a church costing $36,000 and increased the membership from 270 to 427. Mrs. Gilbert is a native of Iowa, and was educated in Iowa State Nor- marl school at Cedar Falls, afterward taking a special course at Evanston, 111. Their family consists of a daugh ter, aged 19 years, who is attending school at Morningside college, and a son 9 years old. t$ CITY GETS BRIDGE v J J J J J J J J J J 4 M M J Jt .J J J j J J J Jt J J Following a long controver sy between the Southern Pa cific company and the Oregon City council it appears that the steel viaduct over Fourteenth street will soon be built by the company to replace the pres ent wooden bent. For years the council has been trying to have the bent replaced by a steel structure and recently, when the railroad company at tempted to repair the wooden viaduct, the workmen on the job were arrested and the work stopped. A letter to Mayor Hackett from Superintendent Burkhalter of the Southern Pacific, received Tuesday, says that an appropriation for the construction of a new viaduct has been made by the company and that work will be started as soon as materials can be ob tained. Mr. Burkhalter asks consideration of the fact that structural steel is hard to got just now and that this may oc casion some delay. EDITOR GETS RICH Death of Palmer's Mother is Sad Cause of Journey East Editor H. H. Palmer, of the Molal la Pioneer, who purchased the paper only four months ago, has been noti fied that he has fallen heir to a for tune estimated at several hundred thousand dollars by the death of his mother, and has gone to New York to claim the fortune. He received an advance draft of $5000 to pay the expenses of the trip east for himself and wife. Gordon J. Taylor, former editor of the paper, is temporarily at the desk in the Pioneer office. Boat Laid up Here The Annie Cummings was laid up in the river here all day ypqtprdny because of a broken 'cylinder head. The river boat, owned by the Western , Navigation & Towing Co., was taken in tow by the Lan;;, of the Crown Willamette company, late last even- ing and was towed to Portland for repairs. The Annie Cummings will be out of commission for three or four breach of contract and buying 700 sacks at $3 or $3.50 and selling them for $2. :'