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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1913)
VOL. J All NO. 1G,436. PORTLAND, OREGON, WEDNESDAY. .1 ULY 30, 1913. PRICE FIVE CENTS. SUIT IS FILED FOB 100,000-AGRETRAGT Southern Oregon Com pany Defendant. FRAUD CHARGED BY SETTLERS Return of Coos and Curry Land to State Is Sought. END OF LOGGING DEMANDED Collis P. Huntington. I.elancI Stan lord and Charles Crocker Are Named as Participants In Al leged ITraudulent Acts. The devious processes by which Fed eral timber lands passed from the own ership of the people to that of the Southern Oregon Company, a private corporation, is related in a bill of com plaint filed yesterday in a suit in equity begun in United States District Court by T. S. Minot. a San Francisco attor ney, for D. T. Bateman and 111 other complainants. Besides the Southern Oregon Com pany. Oswald West, Governor, and A. M. Crawford, Attorney-Gentral of Ore gon, are named as defendants. The complaint sets forth that state officers are named because the State of Oregon has been negligent In ful filling a trust imposed in it by Con gress, which in JS69 granted to the state a strip of land approximately 12 miles wide extending from Roseburg to Coos Bay, on condition that . milt- tary -wagon road be constructed be tween those two places. Sale to Settlers Promised. It -was provided that the land grant ed, some of the best timber and agri cultural land in Oregon, be sold to actual settlers In quarter-section tracts to each settler, for not more than 2.50 an acre. ' ". . . " ; , The complaint alleges that all terms of the grant have been violated and asks that the title to the land now held by the Southern Oregon Company be returned to the State of Oregon. I The complainants ask the court to settle the case definitely by ordering the Southern Oregon Company to quit claim to the land. It is also asked that an Injunction be issued against, the further cutting of timber from the land and that a receiver be appointed to collect for all the timber that has been cut. Suit Affects 100,000 Acres. Approximately 100,000 acres are af fected by the present suit. The orig inal grant was larger than this, but part of the land was disposed of In the terms of the grant to actual set tlers. ' The complainants for the most part are residents of Coos and Curry coun ties. They have settled on the lands and have offered the Southern Oregon Company $2.50 an acre, as well as re imbursement for taxes that have been paid according to the complaint, which alleges that their offers have been "contemptuously refused." The history of the grant as set forth in the complaint is as follows: The grant was made by Congress March 3. 1869. The Oregon Legisla ture accepted the grant and October 22, 1870, passed an act tranferring it to the Coos Bay Wagon Road Com pany. Large Parcel Conveyed. Congress authorized patents to be Is sued June 18, 1S74, and In 1873. 1874 and 1873 patents had been taken .on 105,120.11 acres. The company attempt ed to convey in fee simple to John Miller, alias Ambrose Woodroof, 35, 633.09 acres and. executed a deed to him. The wagon road was conveyed to him in another deed. " It is charged that Miller, or Wood roof, had no actual interest in the .lands, but was acting simply as the agent of Collis P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford and. Mark Hopkins, and that there was a secret agreement between them and Miller, who afterward deeded the lands and the road to them. Other Transfers Follow. There were more transfers, the land coming later into the hands of the Oregon Southern Improvement Com pany, a corporation organized, accord ing to the complaint, for the sole pur pose of taking over the lands. What is termed by the complaint "a fraudulent and nugatory mortgage" was executed January 1. 1885, to the Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company, on all property then owned or there after to be acquired by the Oregon Southern Improvement Company. This was to secure bonds which the com pany was to issue on the land. The mortgage was transferred to William J. Rotch and Edward W. Man dell November 9, 1886, and in Decem ber of tiiat yeur suit was begun In Cir cuit Court for the satisfaction of the mortgage. Judgment was rendered for $1,516,666.66, with 6 per cent in terest from the date of the decree. April 11, 1SS7, and the costs of the suit. Third Sale I Charged. The judgment was not paid and. on June 23, 1887, the land was sold to William J. Rotch and William W. Cra- po. at. Empire City. Coos County, for $120,000, by order of the court. Rotch and Crapo sold the land on or about December 14. 1887, to the South ern Oregon Company, its present hold- (Concluded on F&ga 3.j 2 SEVERE QUAKES SHAKE MT. RAINIER SHOCKS COVERING 100 SQUARE MILES ALARM) HUNDREDS. Mountain Climbers Tramping Over Glaciers but No One Hurt So Far as Known Tremble Short. TACOMA, July 2D. Two severe earthquake shocks, covering an area-of more than 100 square miles, shook Mount Rainier about 11:15 this morning, rocked the gate houses of the immense concrete structure of Tacoma's. $2,000, 000 power plant at La Grande, 30 miles south of Tacoma, and created alarm in hundreds of homes. The disturbance, lasting about half a minute, was most strongly felt at the National Park Inn, at Ashford and La Grande. The telephone operator, Mrs. Scurry, at Ashford, was sitting at the switch board and was thrown violently for ward, the chair lurching toward the desk. Officials at the city's Nisqually power plant, after a speedy examina tion, reported at noon they had found no cracks. Hundreds from Tacoma and else where are on the mountain tramping over glaciers and following dangerous trails, but no reports of injuries have been received. Ethan Allen, superin tendent of the National Park district, said there could be no doubt they were seismic disturbances. The shocks were apparent at lbe and Eatonville, in Pierce County, and at Lewis, In Lewis County, where the shock appeared to be the strongest. SEATTLE, Wash., July 29. No rec ord of the earthquake reported from Mount Rainier was made by the seis mograph at the University of Wash ington. It was said at the university tonight that a careful examination of the record failed, to -show the slightest trace of a shock. Professor Henry Landes, head of the department of geology. Is out of town, and his office assistant, who made the examination, was unable to account for shocks be ing felt on Mount Rainier without a record being made by the seismograph. GARRISON DUE SATURDAY Plans for Entertainment of Secrelary , of War Completed Today. Entertainment of Secretary of War Garrison and his party, which will ar rive In Portland Saturday morning at 7:20, will be In the hands of the Port land Chamber of Commerce. Arrange ments will not be made definitely "un til "today, when "a reply Is expected to a telegram dispatched yesterday after noon to Secretary Garrison at Mon terey, Cal. Secretary Garrison will spend Satur day In Portland and on Sunday will go to Vancouver to inspect the barracks. Secretary Lane, who is to be the next Cabinet member entertained In Port land, will probably reach here about August 19 or 20, and Secretary Houston, of the Department of Agriculture, is due to spend a day in Portland and a day at the O. A. C. about the middle of September. FREIGHT TRAIN HELD UP Brakeman Dies as Result of Wounds Received In Fight. HAMMOND, Ind., July 29. A Lake Shore & Michigan Southern freight train passing through Pine last night was held up by robbers and cars filled with valuable merchandise were broken Into and robbed. In the fight between the robbers and trainmen, J. S. Roy, a brakeman, was wounded so badly that he died later at a Chicago hospital. Three men were arrested at Indiana Harbor this morning by railroad detec tives, who declare that they have con nected them with the crime. CROWD GREETS CONVICTS Thousands Out to See Sing Sing Rioters at Auburn. AUBURN, N. Y-, July 29. The second division of Sing Sing prison Rioters was met here tonight by a crowd of several thousand citizens. Within ten minutes after their arrlr val the convicts were lined up in the prison, rid of shackles and ready for assignment to cells. They will be dis tributed gradually among the Auburn prison shops and every precaution taken to guard against Incendiarism or other trouble. CITY KEEPS UP WEED WAR More Signs Ordered for Posting on Unsightly Commons. ' So busy has the weed-cutting rush become that the city engineering de paitment yesterday was forced to or der another installment of "cut weeds' signs to be posted on vacant property where weeds are growing in various parts of the city. The first installment of 1600 signs' has been exhausted. The second order is for 1200. The city's weed-cutting force is work lng- In three divisions. One division Is looking up weed patches, another Is posting "cut weeds" notices, and the third is cutting the weeds. BIG FORECLOSURES ASKED Heiress of R. A. Proudfoot Defend ant in Suit to Collect $4,000. SALEM. Or., July 29. (Special.) Helen L. Stratton, Crede W. Stratton and Milton A. Stratton today filed suit in the Circuit Court against Tassie M. Proudfoot, an heiress of R. A. Proud foot, of Portland, to collect $24,000 on a mortgage secured by 500 acres ' of Marion County farm land, executed by Mr. Proudfoot shortly before his death. Foreclosure is asked. MINERS IN COPPER DISTRICT BATTLE Governor Makes Offer to Mediate. ,; OWNERS ASKED TO CONFER Calumet & Hecla Pumps Start Under .Heavy Guard. MANY WORKMEN SLUGGED Visit of Union Official to State Ex ecutive Credited With Causing Action Companies Are to . Make Decision Today. CALUMET, Mich., July 29. Serious fighting between factions of miners In the copper region occurred today. There was an outbreak on the South Range and there were many slugglngs at various points. . On receipt of news of these occur rences Governor Ferris gave an intima tion, through General Abbey, in com mand of the State troops, that he was willing to-usa his good offices in bringing- order out of the industrial chaos which has kept 15,000 men idle for a week. ' Operators Asked to Confer. Operators of the Lake Superior cop per mines will be asked offlciallv to morrow whether they will send five of their number to Lansing to confer In Governor Ferris" office with five rep resentatives of the striking miners. The Initial arrests of the strike re sulted today from the Superior fight, in which two men of a party of ten were so badly beaten that there is little chance for 'their recovery. At North Kearsarge mine Gust Olsen, a fireman, was beaten on his way. home from work and required hospital treat, ment. ' A squad of militia chased the attacking party, but made no arrests. Farther -north there were numerous arrests, especially about the 'Mohawk location, where ten men who had been conferring with the mine management were set upon as they left the mine office. None of them was seriously in jured. Pumps Start Under Heavy Guard. Starting of pumps in the Calumet & Hecla conglomerate properties of Cal umet was accomplished today under a heavy guard of Detroit troops. The visit of C. E. Mahoney, vice president of the Western Federation of Miners, to Governor Ferris was cred ited with causing the state executive to express willingness to take a. hand in the situation by speakers at union fOonduded on Page 2. v 'r -o ' ' INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS The Weather. YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 73 decrees; minimum, A3 degrees. ,- TODAY'S Fair, with rising temperature; northwesterly wind. National. Demands made that McAdoo give details of bona-conspiracy charge. Page 1. Admlnistration further - delays formulating Mexican policy. Page 2. Republicans will not hasten tariff action If currency bill In to be pressed, page 2. Genera! Bixbj. retires to give Colonel Ros- ell chance for promotion. Page If. Clark and Underwood vigorously deny stories by Mulhall. Page 3. Domestic. Harrirr.an's daughter . loses jewels -worth 75,t00 in robbery. Page 3. Maury Diggs calls habitues of beach resort as witnesses in "white slave" case. Page 5. Michigan miners battle; Governor offers to mediate. Page 1. Roosevelt reported to be organizing In se- cret brigade to invade Mexico.- Page 1. Weather In the East again hot; many per sons suffer. Page 1j Sport. Pacific Coast League results: 'Portland 7, Loa Angeles 2; Oakland 4, San Francisco 3; Sacramento y, Venice 7. Page tf. Northwestern League results: Portland 1, Tacoma O: Seattle 7, Spokane 0; Van couver 8, Victoria 2. Page 6. Pacific Coast tennis stars shining in Chi - caso play. Page 7. Leach Cross wins S0-round decision over Matty Baldwin. Page 7. Johnston wins Eastern tennis champion ships. Page 7. Pacific North-west. Severe earthquake shocks shake - Mount Rainier. Page 1. Court again restrains Seattle I. W. Page 5. Initiative to have no place in November election, holds Supreme Court. Page 5. Commercial and Marine. Hop market quiet but strong at 20 cents. Page 17. Sharp bulge in Eastern corn markets on poorer crop outlook. Pago 17. Upward movement In stocks temporarily checked. Page 37. The Dalles, Portland and Astoria line may change hands. Page 16. Portland and Vicinity. Fraud charged in ult for recovery of 1O0, 000 acres of Oregon land, page 1. Silverton farmers beg for 90 more "fresh air" guests. Page 1. Ladd-Buehner wedding attendants chosen. Page 10. Moh ler says Union Pacific doesn't want to control Baltimore & Ohio. Page 16. Japanese diplomat to pass several days in Portland Page 10. Secretary of Interior Lane to .be busy while in Oreg6ru Page 12. Business men enthusiastic over plans for buyers excursion. Page 7. Big attendance promised for Central Ore gon convention. Page 12. Power company's report shows millions ride on cars. Page 10. . . BOTTLE TELLS SHIP'S FATE Message From Captain or "Christ mas" Vessel Found on Beach. STURGEON BAY. AVis.. July 29. A message .in a bottle supposed to Have Deen written oy captain unaries JNel son. ot the. House Simmons, the "Christmas ship," which went down with all on board in Lake Michigan last November, was found today by Frank Lauscher, the son of a fisher man. The message Is dated November 23 and reads as follows: "These lines were written at 10:!0 P. M. Schooner Rouse Simmons ready to go down, about 20 miles southeast of Twin River point, between 15 and 20 miles off shore. All hp.nds lashed to one line. ' Good-bye. "CAPTAIN CHARL1CS NELSON." Young Lauscher was playing on the beach, several miles north of Sturgeon Bay, when he found the bottle. HE'S COMING BACK TO OREGON. s fi DEmAND MADE THAT TELL ALL n Both Houses Aroused by Charges. , WEEKS ALLEGES BAD FAITH Administration Accused" of Discrediting Opponents. HENRY, TOO, ASKS ACTION Chairman Glass Says Committee Is Too Busy to Investigate Charge That Bankers Are Con spiring Against Bonds. WASHINGTON, July 29. Demand for an investigation of Secretary McAdoo's charge that New York bankers had conspired to. depress the price of Gov ernment bonds-was demanded in the House today by Representative Henry. In the Senate there was . a demand by Senator Weeks that Mr. McAdoo make public the information on which he based his charges. Mr. Henry is one of the so-called "insurgent" Democrats on the House currency committee. He made a state ment calling on Mr. McAdoo to appear before the House committee and give all the facts in the case. "The Secretary of the Treasury should be summoned before the committee on banking and currency instantly and re veal the facts to the American people as their agent," said Henry's statement, "and the head of every great bank in New York should be sent for at the earliest possible moment, placed on the stand before the committee and grilled most thoroughly in order that the American people may know the exact facts about this controversy. The Sec retary can and doubtless will demon strate exactly how these men manipu late the market; put up . and down prices of United States T6nds and con trol the financial destinies of the Amer ican people." . . . Senator Weeks, who comes from Masachusetts, is a Republican member of the Senate committee on banking and currency. His statement attacked Secretary McAdoo for his charge. "If he does "not furnish the public with this evidence and do so at once," said Senator Weeks, "it will be con strued, and properly so, as another step in the propaganda which this Admin istration stands for; that is, to dis credit anyone who opposes it b'y at taching, sinister, malign and Interested reasons for so doing. "Unless the Secretary has the evi- fConcluded on Page 2.) i nuuu T. R. IS ORGANIZING BRIGADE IS REPORT COLONEL SAID TO BE PREPAR ING TO INVADE MEXICO. News "Reaches Governor Colquitt of Secret Move War Department Denies Knowledge of Action. t AUSTIN. Tex., July 2D. (Special-.) Governor Colquitt was today provided with what purports to be reliable and Inside information that Colonel Theo dore Roosevelt has quietly organized four regiments of volunteer cavalry of the Rough Rider type, composed of trained riders and marksmen of Arizona, New Mexico and Western Texas. It is alleged that the real purpose of the Colonel's present visit to the Southwest is to direct the selection of the men for the military division and that he will soon have it in readiness to enter Mexico In event of hostilities with that country. The report says further that Colonel Roosevelt is carrying on this work with the knowledge and sanction of the United States War Department. He will be placed in command of the brigade if war should come, it Is said. WASHINGTON. July 29. (Special.) Major-General William W. Wither spoon, assistant to the chief of staff, tonight declared the War Department had no knowledge of the report that Colonel Roosevelt was, organizing four regiments of rough riders In the South west. General Wltherspoon said he was not Inclined to believe the report. YOUNG RECRUIT IS GIANT Scion of Wealthy St. Louis Family Enters Service of TJncle Sam. SPOKANE. Wash.. July 29. (Spe cial.) Six feet six inches in his stock ings, a scion of -a wealthy St. Louis family, well educated and refined, Alex ander D. Grant, jr., 19 years old, today applied at the United States Army re cruiting station for admission into the Army, thereby breaking the record of the local office. Never before in its history has a man of similar height at tempted to become one of Uncle Sam's fighters. Dressed in a tailor-made suit, young Grant appeared at the recruiting office and made known his desire to enter the Army. After convincing the officers he was in earnest, he was given a physical examination and , passed one of the most perfect examinations . ever re corded here. "Grant is the tallest recruit I have ever enlisted." stated Sergeant Watson. "I think that he is now the tallest sol dier in the Army." CLAIMS MUSJJ3E PRESSED Commerce Commission Rules Against . Delays in Prosecution. WASHINGTON, July 29. Shippers who file informal complaints with the Interstate . Commerce Commission in the future -ill be called to prosecute their claims on the commission's formal docket, and those who abandon such claims will not be allowed, until after five years have elapsed, to revive the complaint. The commission laid down this rule today in dismissing the claim of the Dillon Coal & Transfer Company of Dil. Ion, Mont., against the Oregon Short Line Railroad and other lines for repa ration on coal shipments. In Septem ber, 1907, the coal company abandoned Its claim, after the commission's re fusal to consider it informally, and re cently sought to have it adjudicated. STEEL EARNINGS GROWING Quarterly Report Makes Satisfactory Business Showing. NEW YORK, July 29. The quarterly statement of the United States Steel Corporation for the three mcnths ended June 30, issued today, was altogether satisfactory. In that earnings, amount ing to $41,219,813, and net income of $31,920,611. were well in excess of the most faVorabte estimates. The quarter phows a gain In total earnings over the preceding period of $6,024,256 and In net income of $6,155. 685, while the surplus is increased by $6,280,636. Compared with the corresponding quarter of 1912, total earnings are in creased by 16.117,548, net Income by $13,491,317 and the quarterly surplus by the unusually large sum of $13,562,882. STANDARD POLICY WANTED Insurance Commissioners Urge That All States Have Same Plan. BURLINGTON, Vt., July 29. An argument for the adoption by all states of a standard Insurance policy was made at the opening session today of the convention of the National As sociation of Insurance Commissioners by President F. H. Hardison, Insurance Commissioner of Massachusetts. Such a policy, he said, "would be de void of uncertain or ambiguous lan guage and .would compel competition along the lines of measurable benefit." More than 30 states are represented by their Insurance commissioners. CONFISCATED EGGS GOOD Frozen Produce Taken by Govern ment Released by Stale. TRENTON. N. J.. July 29. The froz en eggs seized by Federal authorities as unfit for food, which have been the subject of litigation, were released for sale today by the State Board of Health. Members of the Board ate foodstuffs made from the eggs and gave the product a clean bill of health. FARMERS WANT 90 'FRESH-AIR' GUESTS Silverton Still Begs for City's Poor. PATHETIC SITUATION ARISES Diseased Children, Barred. Soon to Have Outing Also. FOREST GROVE INTERESTED Women Arrange to Organize Move ment to Entertain Youngsters. Second Tarty to Leave for Country Tomorrow. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 1 KES1I A IK 1X ND. Previously reported $1141 Mrs. K. A. Nitchey 10.00 Mrs. Clara A. I'Vchhelmer ... l'i.00 Mrs. A. B. L'arlack o.oo Miss Maud Alnaworth L'O.OO J. H. Amos :.(M Peninsular Lumber Company .'no Mrs. r. P. Cabarri&o r..0 r Kan Company o.0 John II. Burgard ........... $!uO Fabian Byrley .1.00 Helen Buddy .".00 Cash 1YOO Mr. W. B. Meraereau ....... lo.OO Mr. and Mrs. C. S. Juild.f.... 1.0t aail Jn.oo Hotvl MajtRttc ."..00 James H. Murphy I'l'on Mies Mabel A. Beck Ji.oo C H. Bauer . r.,00 Mrs. K. I- Devereaux u.(H Hugh ITume 10 0t W. B. KhivUy r,.u "M. and K." Ti.Oti Knapp & Maekay ,.oo J. A. Heusner .............. ' ,".0l Edwin Caswell o!o Robert AVhltteniore J.O") 1 Samutl lo.oo Total $1U6;.03 Contributions are sent to K. S. Howard, at l.add & Tillon Bank, or to V. It. Manning. 411 Commercial block. "How' many Ji-esh air' children can you give us fr I've party to coma ThyrsdayT1 telephoned Mrs. G. W. Hubbs, chairman of the committee la Silverton, to the Associated Charities in Portland yesterday. "Forty!" was the reply. "Forty? I can take care of at least 90, and more applications are coming in from all sides every minute," sho said. Plans Suddenly Kularged. It was intended to send only 18 on the trip tomorrow, but application-) from mothers and children in Portland came in so thickly and assurances from Silverton's committee were so encourag ing that the limit was raised to 40, and that number of happy children and mothers were gathered up and taken to the Associated Charities headquarters to be outfitted for the trip, by th young women of the junior league com mittee. There were, in fact, 50 applicants brought in, but 10 of them were dis qualified from the ' party because of tuberculosis or other sickness that made it inadvisable to send them with the rest. Disappointment Is Pathetic. The most pathetic part of the day's occurrences was the bitter disappoint ment of these little unfortunates, who. at the last moment, found the door to the open country closed to them. They probably will not be obliged to suffer disappointment long, for ef forts are being made to arrange for them to be sent somewhere where they can receive the care and treatment made necessary by their sickness. The United Lutheran Church has al ready raised a fund to care for one lit tle tuberculosis patient who was dis qualified from the general party. Arrangements are being made by the tender hearted members of the commit tee, and others, whereby it is hoped to arrange for all of the disqualified ones. Physicians Give Services. The examination of the children be fore they were taken up to the head quarters to be outfitted for the vaca tion trip, was done by 'the following physicians, who donated their services: Ir. Norman Pease. Dr. A. L. Berkley, Dr. J. F. Dixon, Dr. E. J. Lab be. Dr. Ralph Fenton and Dr. J. "L. Manion. All forenoon and for a large part of the afternoon, there was a continual throng of children and women in the rooms of the Associated Charities. " The members of the committee of the Juiior League had their hands full, not only with the task of fitting them out with clothing for the trip, but with the task of gathering them In automobiles to bring them to the headquarters and the work of distributing them at their homes after they were supplied with clothing. . Chauffeurs Aid. Enthusiastically. Chauffeurs of several of the machines that have been loaned by women who were unable to join the work in per son, early caught the enthusiasm of the fresh air movement, and at all times have been working willingly and eagerly to help out the committee in every way possible in dealing with tho "rounding up" problem. Much clpthlng has been donated, but it is still found necessary to purchase considerable supplies in this line prop erly to outfit all of the "fresh air" people for their two weeks in the coun try, although the wants of some of the children are elemental in the extreme. One boy refused to consider a supply of underwear, declaring that the Kum- C tConcludcd on rase 12.) J m los.a