The Lure of the Mask' a story of the most alluring character in fiction, is proving popular
HOOD RIVER NEWS
TH
ni Xvi)
IVOtjoSj uuSojq
VOLUME 5, NUMBER 52
HOOD RIVER, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1909
SUBSCRIPTION, $1.50 A YEAR
Says Hood River Is
Little Miss Anna Dart .
Wins Prize Doll Contest
Article In Harper's Weekly From Pen of J. K.
Mumford Tells of Valley's Apples and Visit to
Fruit Fair, flentlons Apples at $8.oo a Box
"To say that an Oregon apple
grower Bold a good share of IiIh
'winter bananas' last year at $4 a
box of forty-eight apples, and thin
year for even a little more than that,
sounds simply like a ttall He, lut lie
declares It Isn't. What can lie more
ridiculous and unbelievable than
that hard headed ami clone-fluted
Scot In Glasgow and Aberdeen pay
. twenty-nine or thirty shillings a box
for Newtown Tipping from Oregon?
And yet It Ih net forth aH merely an
every duy matter of commercial
record, a soothing commonplace lu
the bookkeeping of theNorthwestern
fruit InduMtry" says J. K. Mumford
In Harpers Weekly, and continues
"And all this leads to .vet another
abHurdlty, the fairy tale of lncreaHe
In the value of fruit land. Slope
which four or five yearn ago were
covered with masses of fir tlmlier,
and which with the timber on them
were given away by a lavish govern
ment aud Hold by the homesteaders
for two or three dollar an acre and
good riddance, have thin fall lieen
rosy with young apple tree, laden
almost to breaking, and have yielded
their owner net profits, easily, of
from $500 to $1500 nu acre, in Home
caeca much more, lu the records of
the Hood Hlver Apple Growers' Un
ion aud of nlmllar organizations lu
the northwest, there are stories of
revenue from fruit orchards which
made ordinary toll seem a xiti and a
name. It Ik calculated to give an
eastern man a chill to nee $200 an
acre or more paid for rough, loggcd
off land, with the stumps, and rub
bish of logging operation left on It,
and here and there a tall fir the tim
ber butchers have passed by
"It Ih more stnrtlingstlll when you
rememlMT that to clear thin land and
f lit for -intlng Ih going to cost
frcn f.. I i 14K more to the acre,
and Hint ti" trees when they are net
i, ut, ii! not lear prolitably until
they ari- I". v- yearn old. There are
joui.g app rchurds In the Irrigated
1 1 at ix "f i ma and Wenatchce, In
a-higlou, once accounted worth
leHH, that have changed hands lately
at $2000 aud $:!0(X an acre. It sounds
like a pie liiHanlty, but a commission
de lunatico can hardly declare t la
buyer crazy when he net fifty per
cent or U-ttcr from the land the very
first season after he buys It, and
that Ih what they do, for nppleH
from the iH-st of these dlHtrlctH bring
from $1 5(1 to 13.50 a box at the plat
form, and the cost of production aud
packing Ih about flfty-two cents, not
much more.
"Throughout thin whole north
Christmas Trade Was
Quiet But Profitable
Merchants Report Demand Increasing For
Better Line of Goods. Buyers Come Early
and Big Rush on Last Day Thereby Avoided
While expected to be less, Hood
River's Christmas trade Is said by
merchants to have lsen considerably
tH-ttcr than last year and business
men generally report a successful
season. The buying this year was
extended over a louger s'rlod than
In other years one of the noticeable
features Is-lug the absence of the rush
during the day and more particular
the night before Christmas. The
good sleighing Is said to have helped
not a little In doing away with this
feature, as It allowed many to make
frequent visits to town Instead of
attempting to make all their pur
chases In one day owing to an ardu
ous trip over bad roads.
The stcH'k of Christmas goods was
the largest ever placed on sale here
according to the leading merchants
and of u much better quality. More
expensive gifts were made and great
er demand for goods of a higher
character. It Is also said that more
gifts of a useful nature were pur
chased this year than In past Reasons
and the Individual sales were for
larger amounts.
For a week previous to the holi
days hundreds of boxes of apples
were sent by residents of Hood River
west, during the past few years,
there have been rises In value that
remind one of the fortunes made In
the development of Flat hush, the
Bronx, and other neighborhoods
within easy dlHtance of New York,
but the aggrandizement of fruit lands
Is the most ridiculous of them all. If
It Imi borne lu mliid that In many
places the vlrglu forests or the sage
bruHh still runs down to the line
fence of the orchard, and that It Is a
long haul, over rough ways, to the
nearest railroad.
"The apple madness, as It Is bound
to appear to a stronger, Is not con
lined to apple growers, to the
groups, Minall as yet. of men and
women who are building up little
orchards on the logged off hillsides
or the reclaimed desert, to give them
sustenance In old age. These are
naturally apple mad. They live ap
ples, talk apples, study apples, dream
apples, but It all has Its results.' The
clothes they and their children wear
are apples, and the coin that gH-s
Into the contribution box on Sunday
Is an apple likewise. But everybody
else Is more or less touched with this
Infection of 'appleltls'. (io Into a
buslnessmau's office In Portland or
Seattle and you will find apples, red
and yellow, from Hood River or
White Salmon, Yakima, or some
other even newer apple town, dis
played upon his roll-top. There are
a few prize apples always cm the
table In the city bank when the di
rectors meet, and if you see an eager
crowd Is'fore the window of a de
partment store or a cigar store In a
main city street, be sure It Is a dis
play of apples they are staring at.
"In Portland there are nearly two
hundred men, engaged In divers lines
of business, who own five, ten,
twenty, or thirty acres, perhaps
more, of apple land In Hood Klver
valley, or some other of the apple
districts that are fast coining Into
fame. A few have bought merely as
a speculation, and as a field for such
It clearly compares fa v Drably with
the HtK-k market, but by far the
most have merely followed the ex
ample of the first lady of any land
and yielded to the fascination of the
Spitzenburg. Lawyers and mer
chants have their little orchards that
somebody Is tending; plumbers, bar
hers, freight agents, working men of
all degrees have net out. rows of
apple trees on small holdings and
are only hanging onto their jobs un
til the trccH come Into bearing. The
biggest apple grower I have met
(Continued on Pa 10)
to friends all over the United States
aud some to Canada and foreign
countries. The express office also
did a large business In receiving pack
ages aud handled them lietter this
year owing to Increased facilities.
Christmas day was very quietly
celebrated. Apart from the services
in the churches nothing of a public
nature was going on with the excep
tion of the moving picture shows
which were lightly attended. Ex
cept for the crowds who visited the
poKtofllce during the middle of the
day the streets were deserted; every
body appearently spending the day
quietly at homo or gathered at the
homes of friends or relatives. Many
who had friends or relatives here
came up from Portland and a num
ber went to that city for the same
purpose.
In the evening a number of sleigh
ing parties and coasters gave life to
the streets but otherwise tile celebra
tion was a quiet one sieut at home.
Ben Stead, representing thsC. W.
Stanton publishing company of
Chicago, 111., is here canvassing for a
book entitled "Big (Same Hunting lu
Africa," which will undoubtedly in
terest hunters.
The doll contest which was lria,ug
urated by Frank A. Cram and caused
widespread Interest among the little
girl population of the city and valley
and It may be added, a good many
grown-ups also, was won by Anna
Dart, who bad tickets to the amount
of $4.52:1 23. Marie Bart mess was
second with $1,004.45 to her credit
aud Suzanne Kay third with $943 07.
Lillian It rock came In fourth with
fH.S6.45 and Lillian (ierdes' account
RENDERS DECISION AGAINST LIGHT COMPANY
Decision lu the suit of N. C. Evans
against the Hood Klver Electric
Light, Power and Water Company
for an accounting was rendered
last week by Judge Bradsbaw.
According to the decree which is a
lengthy document, Mr. Evans Is
granted everything he asks for, the
net result, however, accruing to him
after the numerous stock concella
tlons are provided for, being about
$1!X) In corporation credit.
The complaint In the suit was filed
about two years aud decision has
lieen (tending about a year. It was
expected that It would lie given out
sometime ago, hut action to examine
the llhgt company's affairs was
not commenced until shortly after
the receut water election.
NEW YORK
Where It Comes From
And What It Costs : :
$225,000,000 Would Not
That Means Only a Portion
There was per?.: i a ..de'noi.'i.i"
In a little room r tn.- Erie 1; :i
road pier at the loot o' CIihmIm i -street.
A gcstlcula ting l io'j ol men
shook their fingers wildly liefore a
placid person sitting nt a high desk
and shouted till the rafters rang.
It was a miniature counterpart of
the Stock Exchange on a lively day,
except that a majority of the shout
ing fraternity were 111 dressed and
generally uncouth. The man at the
desk murmured uulnti'lliglble words
like a magiclau reciting au Incanta
tion and the hubbuli ceased. With
hardly a pause the mumbling began
again and the uproar broke forth in
stantly, more weird than ever.
One man, questioned as to the rea
son for the excitement, observed
casually, "Why, you see, grapes have
gone up twenty-five cents."
It was In the Fruit Exchange auc
tion room over pier 20. Downstairs
the day's Importation of California
fruit wns spread In all Its purple and
golden glory, crate after crnte of
grapes, box after box of oranges,
and there men were fighting for its
possession. "Going up twenty-five
cents" appeared to be a matter of
highest Importance, as well as might
be, for the greater number of the
shouting mob were buying for push
cart peddlers, and to pay a dollar
twenty-five cents Instead of a dollar
makes a difference to that extent. If
humble, branch of the trade. The
exchange Is built like a theatre, with
what might lie culled the orchestra
chairs occupied by representatives of
the great wholesale houses along
Washington street, and the rear
given over to the pushcart people,
Italians, Greeks, Jews aud Syrians.
The tire of the Orient burned In their
eyes aud fairly scintillated from their
lingers as t hey clamored. The well
groomed minority was calmer, but
not so very calm, for fortunes are
made ami lost on this same fruit ex
change. It Is a tremendous business, full of
excitement and romance, spreading
all over the country and calling out
more capital than almost any other
American Industry. Tha orchard
products alone, which Include apples,
peaches, iears and plums, Is worth
In an average year 225 million dol
lars, and when It Is considered that
freight and commissions and a hun
dred and one other expenses must lie
added to this liefore the fruit reaches
the consumer one gets an Idea of the
enormous amount that circulates
about the first course nt ts-akfast
and the last nt dinner.
The fruit business In' New York
alone keeps four journals going and
stood $323 SI.
As soon as the result was deter
mined Mr. Cram sent word to the
unsuccessful contestants to come to
the store and pick out the next best
dolls, an act that pleased the little
misses and their friends. The con
text I said to have Is-en a great
trade stimulator and while It was
waged vigorously the result was re
received with liest of feeling aud
good wishes on the part of tb losers
for the Joyous little winners.
According to the adjustment of the
company's affairs made by the decree
Mr. Evans will have 13 per cent of
the stock and H. F. Davidson. E E.
Goff and W. H. Chipping 87 per cent.
Mr. Davidson must pay Into the
company $S,000. 13 tier cent of which
will accrue to the plaintiff. Evan's,
benefit amounting to about $1,066,
but as It cancels 35 shares of his
stock In the corporation with a par
value of fc75 It leaves hi in a net gain
of approximately $190.
The decrree also cancels 947 shares
of the corporation with a par value
of $23,673 and reduces the valuation
o its property $22,000,
Thecostsln the case which are
rouKhl.v estimated at $1,500 are plac
ed alike on the plaintiff aud defend
ant exclusive of their attorney's fees.
The suit Involved transactions to the
amount of something over $30,000.
CITY'S FRUIT
Cover Orchard Products And
of the Qi art ity of Fruit Used.
i i v -ii ri.e...
an .1 t. : ii: ) r of auction rooms,
i'ii pit.y- a v.i-' -ttaff of men lu scores
.1 ill", ril opacities and uses nearly
a quarter of the entire California
output, although it is a distributing
point for only the lower part of the
state. The Erie pier, as long as three
city blocks and piled high, Is not
enough at the height of the season
I . A . .1 ....... .1-1 A. .... 1 1 . I 1
I ior me uaj s siupiueiii. Him n is useu
for California consignments alone.
The record day on the pier brought
In 115 carloads of fruit, and when It
Is considered that all this stuff Is
perishable and must be sold at once,
whether at a profit or a loss, It Is
easy to see that a fruit merchant
need never complain of lacking ex
citement. If a man of speculative turn of
mind buys direct from some grower,
taking his chance of making a profit
when he sells In New York, aud then
brings In his big purchase to find
that someone else tins had a similar
Inspiration on the same day things
are ns lively for him as for an,, spec
ulator In Wall street. Fruit Journals
use terms burrowed from the phrase
ology of "the Btreet" there may be
a "big slump In watermelons" or a
"corner on iennuts," events that
Justly thrill Washington street, while
the rest of the world Idly munches
and reflects not on the Issues nt
stake. For a good many people the
fruit business Is largely a gamble.
This Is especially true of the apple
trade. In a very good year over two
hundred million dollars Is spent in
apple buying anil the whole thing Is
speculative. The crop Is bought long
liefore the fruit Is ripe, Indeed It often
changes hands theoretically when
the trets are merely In blossom. A
wind comes aud ruins part of the
crop or It Is a dry season or one of a
dozen misfortunes liefall and the crop
turns out to be "nuiuU-r twos," that
is Is'low the first rate grade. Then
the speculator finds that he has fallen
on evil days. Or It goes the other
way. The farmer is conservative
aud anxious to get ready money; the
crop turns out splendid, and the
speculator makes a neat little for
tune. This thing goes on continually
along the dingy water front that
suggests little enough of adventure
or romance In any form.
It is. In the main, a profitable busi
ness, full of risk as It Is, and there are
strange tales of the amount of money
made by some of the shabby bidders
la the rear seats In the exchange.
They provide for the push carts;
each man has his clientele of men of
his own nationality, and makes a
commission on each box or barrel he
(ContiniMd oo Vm 10)
Smooth Fruit Buyer
Hands Growers Package
Rudolphus Erastus Snyder Promises Cash
mere Frultmen Big Returns. Sells Apples
and Then Mysteriously Fades Away
The story of how an unknown but
gllb-tongued fruit buyer recently
gulled growers In the Wenatcbee val
ley who had lieen offered good prices
by reliable firms In Chicago and on
the coast. Is graphically told by the
Cashmere Valley Record, which says:
"U. E. Snyder, smooth talk artist
and erstwhile high-brow booster for
the Hawaiian Pacific Fruit company
has, like the traditional Arab, folded
his tent and silently stolen away,
doubtless to spend the winter In
some more congenial climate. Mean
time there are quite a numlier of
Cashmere ranchers who would like
to have a heart to heart talk with
him and thereby hangs a tale.
"Snyder, who Is a gentlemen of
pleasing appearance and fluent (very
fluent) address, made his appearance
lu the valley early In the fall. He
circulated among the ranchers aud
released a bunch of smooth talk that
lent a roseate hue to the apple mar
ket. His company, of which he was
the manager, had ramifications all
over the United States and some
portions of Arkansas. The modest
task to which he assigned his ener
gies was to unite all the fruit agen
cies lu the Wenatchce valley Into one
organization and his company wns
to market the whole output direct
to the consumer aud eliminate the
middleman's profit. He expatiated
upon the facilities of his company
that would enable them to place fruit
directly with the retailers, and guar
anteed prices to the growers far
above those quoted by the old and
reliable buyers, all of which sounded
feasible and he succeeded In ensnar
ing a good many growers. He
shipped out of Cashmere 16 or IS cars
of apples. But when the returns tie
gau to come In S nyder faded
away!
"It has been learned on unques
tioned authority that the bulk of the
apples which he handled were shlpjied
direct to auctioneers In Chicago,
where they were sold under the ham
mer. Sales sheets have been received
In Cashmere showing for what each
consignment sold. These sales sheets
are authentic. The following exam
ples, taken at random from their
papers will show how Snyder fulfilled
his rosy promises.
"150 boxes extra fancy WInesnps,
from J. McDougall and E. E. Gould
sold for $2 20 per box In Chicago.
From this must lie taken, for freight,
50c a box;for the Hawaiian company
15c; for warehouse charge, 5c; for
selling 7 per cent. This leaves the
grower $1.35 a box for apples for
High School
Win
Local Embryo Ciceros and Hypatlas Take
Both Sides of Question and Secure Decision
Here and a Like Victory at The Dalles
In the double debating contest
which was held In this city and The
Dalles Wednesday evening. Hood
Kiver high school carried off t lie hon
ors, winning on both the ntilrmatlve
and negative sides of the question,
which was "Resolved That Immi
gration Should lie Further Restricted
by an Illiteracy Test."
The Hood River team that debated
here had the affirmative and the
team that took part In the contest
at The Dalles the negative. The fact
that the local wranglers won on
both sides of the debate siaks well
for their abilities. The affirmative Is
undoubtedly the moot popular and
strongest side of t he q iistlon and It
was expected that both team argu
ing from that standpoint would win.
The team sent here from The Dalles
consisted of Miss (Vila Gavin. Har
old Sexton and Marlon Driver, and
they sustained their argument elo
quently. The Hood River debaters
here were Eva Brock. Herbert Philips
and Helen Orr, who argued their end
of the debate in all its phases and
presented such a strong case that
t he Judges gave them t he di-cilin.
The I'ebate was well attended, A.
C. Strange, superintendent of The
Dalles city schools, presiding The
Judges were C. J. Gary, superinten
dent of the Oregon City schools. At
torney Fred Melnille of Portland and
T. F.riiest Dates of Portland. Previ
which Snyder 'guaranteed' them
$2 75 net.
"100 boxes extra fancy Rome
Beauty, from Bob Gavin and Bert
Thayer, sold at $1 90; freight and
other charges leave the growers $1 07
for apples for which Snyder 'guaran
teed $2 25 net.
"65 boxes, Chicago, from E. J.
Broderlck.for which Snyder promised
him $2.40, netted him 89c a box.
"17 boxes fancy Wlnesaps.for which
Snyder 'guaranteed $2.50, sold for
$1 00 and netted the grower 23c a
box.
"100 boxes extra fancy Black Twig,
from Clarence Miller, sold for $2.10.
Snyder 'guaranteed' hlra $2 25 net.
They netted the grower $1 25 a box.
"109 boxes extra fancy Wluesaps
sold for $2.25. Snyder promised the
grower $2 75, they netted him $1 39 a
box.
"54 boxes of extra fancy Stayman
sold for $1 00 aud netted 23c a box
which. Is-lng interpreted, means '23'
for Snyder.
"These are only a few samples of
the prices which Snyder handed the
growers and are a fair illustration of
his method of business. His system
was simple. He secured the fruit
upon his 'guarantee' to get exagger
ated prices, shipped It to Chicago In
his owu name and then turned It
over to auctioneers to be sold under
the hammer. If prices were slaught
ered the growers were the ones to
suffer. His '15 iier' was sure tn any
event. And that prices were slaught
ered the sah-s sheets demonstrate.
"Crutchfield & Woofolk bought
large consignments of these apples
at the Chicago sales for less than
they offered f. o. b. in Cashmere for
the same apples. This firm which
has an envla tile reputation for hon
esty and ability, and other buyers
represented here, got the growers
from $1 90 to $2.25 net for the same
kinds of apples that Snyder Is mak
ing returns of $1 25 to 23c for.
"Snyder was not content with
fllmtlammlng the apple growers, but
succeeded lu leaving others In
the lurch, some to the exteut of
$125 00. It has lieen Intimated to us
that he Is likely to be brought back
on grave charges.
"The spectacular career of the
Ha wailau company In the Wenatcbee
valley, heralded by the gentle and
js-rsuaslve eloquence of Kudolphus
Erastus Snyder, has run agrouud
with a dull thud. The episode Is
not without Irs lessons for those
who would lie wise, and It Is safe
to venture that the next snide (or
Snyder) concern that tries to exploit
the growers of this section will have
rough sledding."
Later a meeting of ' the growers
was held to commence legal action
against the slippery Snyder and the
Record states that a civil suit for
damages will first lie Instituted and
If that fails through the Hawaiian
Company having no resources that
a criminal charge may lie preferred.
Debaters
Double Event
ous to Its being commenced Miss
Lillian Brock sang a solo very ac
ceptably. The Hood River team which went
to The Dalles was Bert J ay tie, Earl
Spauldlng and Chester Hugglns. The
D'llles n-prewntatl ves were Manton
Trcndgolil, I. mile Boyd and Ix'olln
Egliert. Referring to the contest at
The Dalles the Chronicle says;
"The contest held lu this city at
the Congregational was attended by
only about 50 people. The speakers
for the home Institution were Man
ton Treadgold, Lucile Boyd and
Ieolia EglsTt. The former made a
strong rebuttal, while the speech of
Miss Royd was the most effective
delivered by the local. The Hood
River team was hntid!capied in the
contest by t he inability of the leader,
Ixdla Radford, to attend on account
of sudden illness. Her place was
tilled by Burtren Jayne, who read
the manuscript prepared by the
leader. Earle Spauldlng was the
strongest of the speakers of the eve
ning, his delivery being excellent.
Chester Hugglns delivered a strong
argument.
"The local contest was Judged by
Rev. of Rev. McDougal of Portland,
At iimey Mowry of Morn and Rev.
Wire of this cliy. The decision was
2 to 1 In favor of the Hood River
representatives."
On January 22nd Hood River w ill
send team to Tillamook and a
team fom Oregon City will come
here.