ENTEKPK
FIFTY-SIXTH YEAR No. 29.
OREGON CITY, OREGON, FRIDAY, JULY 21,1 922.
ESTABLISHED 1866
RUSSELL HECKER
ASKS NEW TRIAL
OF MURDER CASE
Misconduct of Five of Jury Is
Charged; Lack of Evidence
To Warrant Conviction Is
One of Three Claims Made.
ERROR OF COURT IN
RULING IS ALLEGED
Action To Ask New Hearing
Of Affair Taken One Day
Before Final Lapse of Time.
Motion for a new trial for Russell
Hecker, convicted July 1 for the mur
der of Frank Bowker, Portland musi
cian, was filed here Tuesday by Heck
er's three attorneys.
Insufficient evidence to constitute a
conviction, misconduct of the jury and
errors of the court on points-of law
are the three reasons given for ' the
petition.
The charges of misconduct of the
jury are made on the basis of four af
fidavits to the effect that during the
course of the deliberation the five
women members of the jury left the
petit jury room and unaccompanied by
the bailiff, walked into another room
some distance down and across the
hall. The affidavits are signed by
George S. O'Neal and T. E. Shea, who
were representatives of two Portland
newspapers at the trial, by Percy M. j
Johnson, one of the witnesses for both
state and defense and by B. J. Heck- i
er, father of the 24-year-old murderer.
Error Is Claimed
In claiming error on the part of the
court the defense states that Judge
Campbell erred in refusing to allow
the motion for dismissal after the
completion of the state's case in chief,
erred in the admission of certain evi
dence objected to and further commit
ted an error in refusing to give cer
tain instructions to the jury requested
by the defense and in giving other in
structions to which the defense Ob
jected. None of the definite points
indicated are listed in the motion, but
will be argued when Judge Campbell
"holds the hearing on the question.
The motion for a new trial was fil
ed 24 hours before the period for its
completion expired. July 19 was set
as the final date for the request to va
cate the verdict and remand the case
for a second trial. The motion is
signed by all three of Hecker's attor
neys, Gale S. Hill, Thomas F. Ryan
and Gilbert L. Hedges.
Shot In Self-Defense
The Hecker case, tried in the local
courts, was one of the most sensation
al in several years. The death ot
Bowker, and the subsequent sinking
of his body in the Calapooia rlve
were kept a complete mystery until
the defendant himself took the stand.
Hecker testified .that he shot Bowker
in self defense as the result of a boot
leggers' quarrel. The jury was out 59
minutes, when it returned a verdict
of guilty in the first degree.
Hecker at present is at the state
penitentiary under sentence to be
hanged on September 22 for the crime
committed at Clackamas station on
the night of Easter Sunday. His at
torneys indicate that the case will be
either fought through the lower courts
again or carried to the supreme courts
in an effort to br&ttk the verdict.
MATCHES CAUSE DEATH
"OF 15 MONTH OLD CHILD
COTTAGE GROVE, July 13. The
15 month old daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Harvey Hough died this morning as
a result of inhaling fumes from sul
phur matches and from burns received
"when her clothing caught fire. The
child was found Wednesday with her
clothing in flames but unable to make
any noise because her lungs had been
paralyzed by the fumes of the match
es. The mother, who Is only 16 years
old, hastily rolled her baby in bed
clothing and smothered the flames.
The child is supposed to have reach
ed a box of matches from a nearby
table and in playing with them to have
caused their ignition.
PORTLAND YOUTH LOSES
LIFE WHILE SWIMMING
TWIN ROCKS, Ore., July 13. Rob
ert Shoemaker, 18-year-old son of Mr.
and Mrs. A. W. Shoemaker of Port
land, lost his life while swimming in
Ocean lake near here yesterday. Life
guards, who grappled for the body un
til a late hour last night, failed to re
cover it. According to witnesses, the
"boy was swimming with a number of
companions. He sank suddenly and
appeared to have been attacked with
heart disease. His parents live at
Fifty-second avenue Southeast, Portland.
OSWEGO CITIZENS DROP
CHARGES AGAINST COPS
Officials In "Cruelty" Case
Puts Sudden End to Action.
Investigation Made by Federal
Under close investigation by gov
ernment and other offiicials, the avow
ed intention of Oswego citizens to
file a complaint against the federal
prohibition department -seems to be
weakening, according to Jesse E. Flan
ders, chief of the field force of the pro
hibition squad.
Following the arrest last Saturday
night of Frank Marcellas, 18-year-old
lad of Oswego, on a charge of drunk- j
enness ana possession ui miuui, a.
complaint was signed by the mayor
and several citizens of Oswego charg
ing prohibition agents with manhand
ling the boy. The complaint, in wmcn
the Oswego citizens alleged unneces
sarily cruel treatment in subduing the
boy, was to have been filed in circuit
court, it ws understood.
The charges were laid directly
against Prohibition Agents Price and
Christensen, who brought Marcellas to
Portland after he had been arrested
by the Oswego marshal and constable
and taken to jail there.
Price and Christensen had been in
Oswego on official investigation, ac
cording to Flanders, and when Mar
cellas -was arrested it is said the may
or requested them tc bring the prison
er to Portland, as accomodations at
the Oswego jail were meager. It was
while the agents were taking the boy
to that city in an automobile that the
alleged 'unnecessarily cruel treatment'
took place.
TO AID WAR VETERANS
To aid local ex-service men and -women
concerning their disability claims
and their expediting of any negotia
tions which they might have under
way with the government, Zach Tay
lor, special contract representative of
the U. S. Veterans' bureau, is to spend
the remainder of the week in Oregon
City. Mr. Taylor is" at room 204 Ma
sonic building, and will be there
til Saturday noon to aid all world war
veterans seeking compensation be
cause of war disabilities, former ser
vice people unable to carry on their
pre-war occupation wishing to take
vocational training at the expense of
the government, veterans needing
medical treatment or hospitalization
and those who wish to renew their
war risk insurance.
Mr. Taylor announced that the time
for filing claims for compensation Is
Bearing an end unless the veteran se
cures a certificate of injury. The
law gives the former service man five
years after discharge to file claim or
certificate of injury before August 9
of this year, he stated.
"For instance," stated Mr. Taylor
in an advance communication, "a man
was discharged from the army or na
vy December 1, 1917, and filed claim
for compensation December 15, 1922.
His claim must necessarily be disal
lowed because he failed to apply for
compensatiot within five year period
unless he has a certificate of injury
which he must get before August 9.
The Veterans' Bureau is eager to
have every veteran know the rulings
on this important matter in order that
no former service man or woman
will lose his or her right to make ap
plication for government compensa
tion because of failure to secure this
certificate of injury within the short
time allowed."
Announcement was made that the
Veterans' Bureau representative will
assist veterans of Oregon City in mak
ing proper application for the certifi
cate of injury, thereby protecting
them against loss of compensation in
case their war disabilities become ag
gravated after August 9th or the five
year period to such an extent that J
they are compensable under the law.
GIRL TO ASK CONSENT
OF JOHN ROCKEFELLER
CHICAGO, July 14. Mathilde Mc
Cormick left today to make a final
plea to her grandfather, -John D. Rock
efeller, for consent to her marriage to
Max Oser, Swiss livery stable proprie
tor. '
Mathilde planned to Join her father
in New York and after visiting Rocke
feller they wilTsail for Europe.
Russian Delegates
are Ready to Leave;
Hague Meet Ends
THE HAGUE, July 14. The1 inter
national conference on reconstruction
of Russia ended today, except for the
reports of the sub-committees and for
resolutions that some of the delegates
may propose.
The Russian delegates, whom the
allies blame for the break-up in the
meeting, deny that they have changed
their attitude. They said they were
getting ready to leave at once unless
invited to remain; Committee mem
bers may remain here until next Wednesday.
COUNTY AWARDS
$111000INNEW
ROADCONTRACTS
Pavement of 9.1 Miles To Be
Begun with 7-In. Concrete;
Oregon Construction Co.
Makes Lowest Bid on Work
SALE OF BOND ISSUE
IS SET FOR AUGUST 7
Action on Building Program
Is Result of Decision To
Join Funds for Financing.
. Contracts totaling $111,9S0.30 for
grading and hardsurfacing of 9.1 miles
oft market and bond road in Clacka
mas county were awarded to the Ore
gon Contract company hero Monday
afternoon. Over nine competitive ser
ies of bids, the Oregon Contract Com
pany secured the entire job which will
involve the big portion of the work
to be done this year.
The contracts, and the - roads on
which they let are:
Molalla south, one mile, $8,838.55;
Wright's Bridge section of Molalla
road, 3 miles, $37,903.55; Oregon
City-Molalla road south from Oregon
City 2100 feet, $7,603.68; South End
road, two miles, $26,383.60; Hardscrab
ble road, 2.1 miles, $31,256.52. ,
All of the improvements are to be
of seven inch concrete, 1, 2, 3 mixture,
of the Oregon State Highway commis
sion specification. The 'roads are to
be built nine feet in width for the ma
jority of the contracts, but in some
places 16 foot pavement is included.
The awarding of the contracts is
the result of the decision of the coun
ty court to combine both market and
bond road funds on some of the main
county improvements. The sale of a
$152,950 bond issue August 7 is pend
ing to finance the improvements.
Electric Company
Files Answer to 6
Cent Fare Petition
SALEM, July 17. Declaring that "8
cents is not too much for a 10-ceat
ride," the Portland Railway, Light &
Power company today filed with the
public service commission its answer
to the petition of the Housewives'
Council of Portland for a return of
the 6-cent fre. Present rates in ef
fect on the lines of the Portland street
railway system, the answer points out.
based upon the traffic handled, are
not sufficient to provide for actual
operating expenses, depreciation, tax
es and a reasonable return upon the
value of the street railway property.
The answer contends that not only
are the rates charged patrons of the
Portland street railway system not ex
cessive, but on the contrary are lower
than in many other cities of the Unit
ed States. At the present time, it is
pointed out, a fare of 10 cents is in
effect in 140 cities, six other cities
have a fare of 9 cents, 26 cities pay 8
cents per ride, with an extra cent for
transfers, and 83 cities have a fare of
8 cents.
Ex-Soldier Drowns
When Canoe Upsets
SALEM, July 17. Lester Cram, 26
years old, an employe of a local rest
aurant, was drowned here last night
when the canoe in which he and
James Anderson, another restaurant
worker, were riding upset.
Crum, it was said, was unable to
swim, although he had informed An
derson that he could. When the ca
noe capsized, Anderson, believing
Crum could swim, paid little attention
to him and proceeded to push the ca
noe the sixty feet to shore.
C. W. P,attison, employed at the
Salem paper' mill, recovered Cram's
body with the aid of grappling hooks.
Crum is survived by a widow. He
was an ex-service man and a member
of the Oregon National guard.
State Bonus Body
Commission Wins in
Oregon High Court
SALEM, July 18. Tie state bonus
commission won in the supreme court
today when a decision was handed
down sustaining the commission as
the final authority in making apprais
als for loans to ex-service men and
women.
The title of the case was:
Edwin Stevens Woodford, respond
ent, vs. Ben W. Olcott and members
of .world -war veterans' state aid com
mission, defendants and' appellants
appeal from Marion county The
opinion by Justice Rand reversed the
decision by Judges Percy Kelly and
George Bingham, and the case was
remanded with directions to sustain
the bonus commission's demurrer and
to dismiss the proceeding.
FUNDS MAY BE RAISED
TO AID RECOUNT CASE!
Friends Say That Governor Is
In No Position to Bear All
Costs of Primary Recount.
SALEM, July 18. Countering the
efforts of the Ku Klux Klan, which is
raising a fund of $50,000 to finance
the contest instituted by Senator
: Charles Hall against the nomination
! of Ben W. Olcott for governor on the
J Republican ticket, Salem friends of
I Olcott this morning announced the or
I ganization of a eommittee to receive
funds to defray the governor s share
of the expense in the recount pro
ceedings. "Governor Olcott is confronted by
an election contest which no doubt
! will be expensive," reads the state
ment made public by this committfie
today. "We feel, in justice to Gov
ernor Olcott, that this expense should
not be borne by him and we know that
he is not in a financial position to
bear such an expense. We- feel that
he was fairly and Justly nominated in
a fair and square contest and we urge
those friends who feel able and wish
to do so to make such contributions
as they care to to protect the interests
of he friends and supporters of the
governor who assisted to give him the
nomination and do not wish to" see it
taken from him unless it is shown
definitely and honestly that there has
actually been such a miscount in the
ballots as would fairly deprive him of
such nomination."
2 STILLS FOUND GOING
Neighbors State Man Jumps
Out of Window and Runs
Away With Two Suitcases.
PORTLAND, July 13. Firemen who
dashed to 708 Alleghany street at
about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon to
put out a fire caused by an exploding
kerosene lamp, fo v ! JL two bis. stills op-1
erating upstairs in the hottse,. but no
operators in sight. '
Shortly before the fire broke out.
neighbors who turned in the alarm
declared they sawy a man leap out
the front window of the house and flee
with two suitcases.
There were four people living in the
dwelling, two men and two women,
according to the neighbors.
In addition to the stills, the firemen
found seventeen barrels of mash, sev
eral gallons of moonshine, prunes,
sugar, bottles and jr"r supplies
enough to keep an indiJous moon
shiner busy for about six months.
FIRE DESTROYS 2 CARS
Broken Trolley Causes Blaze
At Fern Ridge; Barrels of
Oil Rolled From Flames.
A broken trolley wire set fire to
two freight cars at Fern Ridge sta
tion, on the P. R. L. & P. line, shortly
after 2 o'clock Sunday morning. The
train was en route to Oregon Ciity.
The two cars, one a box car and the
other a flat car, were loaded with
freight for points on the Willamette
Valley Suthern railway. In the
freight were several barrels of oil
which the crew succeeded in unload
ing, and rolled out of reach of the
flames.
The Oregon City fire department re
sponded to a call for help and assisted
in quelling the fire, but not until two
cars were completely destroyed to
gether with a large quantity of the
freight.
YEAR OLD BABY IS NOT
FOR SALE SAYS MOTHER
BYESVILLE, Ohio.J July 13. Thir
teen months old Richard Turner is off
the market.
- Love for the child late today tri
umphed over Mrs. Augusta Turner's
desire to see her mother cured of can
cer and funds for the operation will
have to come from some other source.
The child will not be sold.
"I love my mother and I want to
save her, but I can't give up my baby
boy," Mrs. Turner says.
The mother said she had received
no answer to her "For sale" adver
tisement, published in a Columbus pa
per, in which she set the price of her
mother love at $3000.
She offered to sell Richard to ob
tain funds to prolong her mother's life.
The child's grandparent, Mrs. Leon
Dubois, physicians said, will die unless
she is sent to a sanitarium for treat
ment which will cost approximately
$3000. I
OAK GROVE DANCE
dfdmit DnmifFn
I LIU III HLIUllLU
BY COUNTY COURT
License To Operate. Pavilion
, At Beach Cancelled Thru
Action of Judge With Two
Commissioners In Accord.
SUNDAY STEPPING IS
CAUSE OF NEW ORDER
Fight Over Legal Phase Of
Question Looms; Lengthy
Controversy Here Recalled.
The Oak Grove Dance pavilion li
cense has been revoked by the county
court.
With all three members of that body
concurring, the permission under the
county laws to run a dance at Oak
Grove Beach has been withdrawn.
The action comes as the sequel to
a long series of events, starting the
first of the, year when the license was
issued by the two commisioners. W. F.
' Harris and W. W. Proctor, over the
protest of County Judge H. E. Cross
At that time a vigorous campaign
against the dance hall was 'waged by
the residents of the district on the bas
is of the conditions there the year be
fore. A petition protesting against the
license, with some 80 signatures at
tached, was presented to the court.
The revocation of the license was
upon the basis that dances are run
there cn Sunday. The license ex
pressly prohibits this- action. It is'
further cited in the order that the no
tice had never been posted as required
under the county provisions.
The Oak Grove management howev
er claim that a county license is not
needed. As the "Oak Grove Beach So
cial Club" they are operating as
state incorporation and refuse to take
any cognizance of the action of the
county court.
The operators of the beach are Har
ry Tregraskis and Mrs. M. L. Hubbard
A ltjral tangle, oveF v;hy.her or not
the dance can be closed on Sunday
or whether it can be' closed at all is
expected. The sheriffs office has not
intimated what action it would take,
although a number of arrests on var
ious charges have been made at the
beach this year. At the time the li
cense was issued, it was done over
the further protest of Sheriff W. J,
Wilson and police matron Mrs. M. E,
Church.
Silverton Block Is
Menaced By Blaze
of Unknown Origin
SALEM, July 13. Six horses were
burned to death and an entire business
block was menaced for a time today
when a fire, starting from an unde
termined source, broke out in the Fred
Lawrey stables at Silverton shortly
after 4 o'clock this morning.
The stables, a lumber yard owned
by the Silver Falls Timber company,
and the H. L. Stiff Furniture store
each suffered damage. The total loss
was estimated at $7800. About $1000
insurance was carried by Lawrey.
Since three tons of hay were placed
in the Lawrey barns yesterday, it. is
believed that the fire may have re
sulted from spontaneous combustion.
When first -discovered the blaze was
well under way and fighters feared it
might spread rapidly.
One Killed, Three
Seriously Hurt In
Logging Car Wreck
LA GRANDE, July 13. William
Palmer, aged 12, was almost instantly
killed and his father, James Palmer,
Mrs. Pete Mengas and Leonard Leslie
were seriously hurt when a car of a
logging train on which they were rid
ing broke loose from the train and
dashed down the logging road from
the Palmer Lumber company camp
to Vincent on the Joseph branch,
where it was derailed.
Several others were on the car, but
escaped.
Palmer and Leslie were members of
the train crew. The dead body and
injured were rushed forty miles -to la
Grande, arriving here late last night.
It is not thought any of the injured
will die.
Failure of brakes i3 given as the
cause of the crash.
Mrs. James Palmer, mother of th
dead boy. and Mrs. Mengas six
months' old baby escaped unhurt.
Five Year Old Boy
Drowns In Columbia
ASTORIA, July 14. Eino Matson,
5 year old boy, was drowned here in
the Columbia river Wednesday while
playing on a log. Another boy who
was with him on the log said nothing
of the accident- until too late. The
body was found yesterday. The boy
was. the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alrick
Matson of Astoria.
CAPITAL INCREASED. RY
BANK OF WPJl
$50,00c
Raise
Vlf III
Resoo to Two Millions ;
Building Improvement Plan
A $50,000 increase in the capital of
the Bank of Oregon City was voted
Thursday night at a special stock
holders' meeting. The increase will
raise the capital of the institution to
$150,000. The surplus of the bank has
been increased to $30,000.
The change in the capitalization Is
the second since the bank was found
ed here with a capital of $50,000 in
1881. In 1916 the capital was increas
ed to $100,000. The latest change will
give the institution, which is the old
est in the county, the largest capital
stock in its field, and will raise its to
tal resources to approximately $2,r
000,000.
Plans for renovation of the bank
quarters are being drawn and work
will be started in about, two weeks.
The complete revision of the arrange
ment of the fixtures is planned together-
with added accomodations for the
bank's customers. The definite detail,
however, has not been completed, and
the architect is at work upon it.
"The increase in the. capital of the
bank," explains Will T. Wright, presi
dent, "has been made necessary by
the increasing business in order to
keep pace with our growth. The aug
mentation of the capital stock has
been made solely through the earn
ings of .the bank."
No changes in the organization or
directorate of the bank, are planned at
this time, Mr. Wright stated.
LIVES OF TWO BOYS ARE
SAVED; LOSES OWN LIE
ELLENSBURG. Wash., July 13.
Unable to save her own life after she
had saved the lives of her two small
children, Mrs. Pearl McMikel, aged
30, of this city, was instantly killed
yesterday when she was struck by an
eastbound special train on the Chica
go, Milwaukee & St. Paul fine, four
miles northwest of Ellensburg.
-The mother; accompanied -fey : her
two children, was crossing a railroad
trestle when the, speeding train ap
proached. - She seized both boys and
set them aside ' in safety, but appar
ently became paralyzed -with fear as
the engine swooped down upon her.
Members of the train crew declared
she had ample time to save herself.
She was struck when standing in the
middle of the track. She was the wife
of Wfllar McMikel of this city, and a
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell
Stevens, early residents of the Kittitas
valley. She is survived by her wid
ower and three children.
300 BARRELS OF WHISKY
TAKEN BY 60 BANDITS
OYRK, Pa., July 15. Sixty armed
men with 15 trucks raided the Foust
DistUery near Glen Rock early, today,
seized 300 barrels of whiskey and
dashed for the Maryland line.
George Strine, a guard, said he was
surrounded suddenly by men with au
tomatics, who forced him to phone the
police here that everything was "ait
right." He was able to report the
facts of the gigantic raid pnly aftev
the bandits had loaded every barrel
in the place on their trucks and dis
appeared. Keeping the three guards covered,
according to Strine's story, the raid
ing "army" rolled barrels .of whiskey
from the storage room on the third
floor ot the distillery down to their
fleet of trucks. Having secured their
booty, the. caravan of trucks roared
away, headed apparently for the Mary
land liine.
Oil Controled
By Monopoly, Is
Federal Charge
WASHINGTON. D. C. July 13.
That "monopolistic situation" with re
spect to gasoline prevailed over the
entire country, due to the fact that in
terlocking stock ownerships in the
several Standard oil companies have
perpeuated the very monopolistic
control which the courts sought to
terminate," was asserted today by the
federal trade commission which rec
ommended in a report to congress the
enactment of legislation prohibiting
'common stock ownership in corpora
tions which have been members of a
combinatin dissolved under the Sher
man law."
Dealing specifically in the report
with conditions in the gasoline trade
in Montana and adjacent states,
where the commission declared the
crude petroleum producer and the gas
oline consumer were "both at the mer
cy of the Standard through a monop
olistic position perfected in 1920 and
1921" by acquirements of the Standard
Oil company of Indiana, the commis
sion reported the conclusion that "con
ditions In other sections of the coun
try are not radically different" '
MAINSTREEr FIRE
DAMAGE $56,000;
CAUSEJS ENIGMA
Early Morning Blaze Sweeps
Over Quarter Block; Loss
Involves Many; -Laundry
and Restaurant Are Razed.
EIGHT ENDANGERED
BY SUDDEN FLAMES
Structures Engulfed in Short
Time; Heavy Pressure Aids
" Department in Hard Fight.
Fire of mysterious origin which did
$56,7o0 damage at three o'clock Tues
day morning, razed a quarter block
at Fifth and Main streets and endan
gered the lives of eight people.
The blaze broke out in a vacant half
of a store building, formerly occupied
by Alex Scheierman, a tailor. The
fire was discovered by E. T. Mass,
special night officer, but had gained
such headway that by the time the
fire department arrived, the . three
structures at the corner were entirely
engulfed in flames.
The losses are estimated as fol
lows:
Oregon City Laundry,. $30,00dT with
$10,000 insurance. Loss to property
of laundry customers, $10,000. Gil
bert shoe store, $3000. Fifth street
restaurant, $6,500. Washburn and
May garage, $5,000. Red Front Cloth
ing store, $1,000. Ketchner confec
tionery, $500. Individual residence
damage, $750.
Laundry Suffers Big Loss
The Oregon City laundry, which smas
tained the most serious loss was pur
chased by Knoepel and Schofield
from C. L. Blakesley and son about a
month ago. It had just been installed
with cmplete new equipment.
Blakesley and his wife and two
grand children, Lavina and Ernest, Jr.,
occupied an apartment over the laun
dry. The little girl was awakened by
the flames cattng through the walla
of her bedroom and aroused the fam-"'
ily. They had barely time to escape
in their night clothes. C. A. Rosen
crans and his wife and son and L. E.
Blakely, who occupy rooms adjacent
to the structures which were burned
were warned of the fire barely in time
to escape. Blakely succeeded in sav
ing his automobile, but all of their
personal belongings were burned.
Blakely owned the Fifth street rest
aurant, which was a total loss. The
building was owned by C. P. Gates, of
Portland. L. Wolf, of 33 N. 3rd St.,
Portland, who owns the Red Fronr
clothiing store, damaged by the
flames, recently, purchased the shoe
store building in which the fire start
ed. The building to the north of the
fire was saved by fire proof struc
ture. Car Is Destroyed
The garage of Washburn and May
to the rear of the laundry building,
was destroyed. One car was lost.
The Overton home, directly to the
north of the quarter block, was dam
aged and several other residences, in
cluding the Thomas Pope home on
Water street, were slightly damged.
The flames were fanned by a strong;
wind and in spite of the seven lines
of hose with 120 pounds -of pressure
could not be controlled until the
buildings were completely burned.
The use of the pumpers was not ne
cessitated as there is sufficient pres
sure below the bluff at that point.
The fire had been practically extin
guihed at four o'clock. The firemen,
when called to fight the Main street
blaze, had returned about two hours
before from burning the dry grass
along the face of the bluff. This work
had taken about six hours.
SWEEPING IOWA STORM
DES MOINES, la., July 17. A storm
of tornado proportions struck Boone
and surrounding territory last night,
according to meager reports received.
It was reported that a cyclone hit
the town of Ogden, twenty miles west
of Boone. Telegraph and telephone
wires are down in this section. Boone's
electric plant is out of. commission.
At Colfax, twenty miles east of Des
Moines, a number of buildings were
blown down and all windows in the
business block were broken.
Trees, blown down by the storm,
are blockading the streets and roads.
Wire communications to Ames, Og
den, Grinnell, Boone and Newton are
down and the latter town is reported
to be in darkness.
Weather bureau reports indicate
that the storm caused considerable
damage to crops. It was accompanied
by pevere lightning.
Telephone reports from the vicinity
of Boone, thirty-five miles northwest
of Des Moines, stated that a score or
more of persens were slightly injured
when automobiles in which they ware
riding were Hewn into ditches. Inter-'
urban street car service to Boone has
been abandoned.
(