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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1909)
THE SUNDAY OREGOMAX. POTtTLAND. FEBRUARY 2, 190!?. E. P. FITCH FOUND; MYSTERY ENDED Man Whose Disappearance in Europe Hastened His Brother's Death. HE TURNS UP AT NAPLES .After Writing Letter on Way to Lon don, Saying He Is Sick, Long Silence Intervenes Sends for Money for Return. OMAHA. Neb., Feb. 20. (Special.) 1xBt for four months in Europe. Ed ward P. Fitch, brother of Charles Fitch, who died last week in Portland. Or.. 'has been heard from, and a mystery of (International fame is near solution. Uoy came to the mother and sisters of :the missing man today when a cahle laram was received from Naples, Italy, requesting that funds for his return 'home be 8int to the American Consul. Edward P. Fitch, who was secretary of the State Insurance Company of Nebraska, went to Europe on a trip for health and pleasure last Summer, and was on the point of returning home 'when he was taken sick with appendi citis and hastened from Paris to a London hospital, for an operation. On . the way from Dover to London he wrote a letter to his sifter, telling of his in tentions, and this is the last heard from him by his friends here until to day. The machinery of two governments was set in motion and a systematic search of the London hospitals was made, but entirely without avail. Sloney for his passage lias been sent to the American Consul at Naples, from whnm a further message is expected at once explaining his long silence. go to a-hospital, and was giving the letter to a traveling companion to be mailed. The last part of the missive was incoherent, as if the writer were violently ill. Two days later the letter was mailed in London. Mr. Fitch's family never heard from him again and could get no clew to his whereabouts. Investi gation in London showed his baggage had disappeared and it was surmised some thug had recognized hU helpless condition and killed him for what money he may have had with him. His ticket to return to America was never used and his family had despaired of ever hearing of him again. The strange news that he is stil alive may be accounted for by a pro longed illness or by the fact that lie may have lost his identity and left F.nrland and "been stranded in a country where he could not speak the language. FERRY WOULD SAVE MONEY CITY ATTORNEY COLLIER, OF ST. JOHN, GIVES FIGURES. iAY GOES TOD FAR, SO SENATORS SAY HASTENED BROTHER'S DEATH Fitch Drops Out of Sight on Way to London Hospital. The mysterious disappearance of E. P. Fitch four months ago undoubtedly hastened the death of Charles Fitch, purchasing agent for the Portland Hallway, Light & Power Company, last week. He brooded over the "trance mystery surrounding his brother's unknown plight and th worry, left him less able to resist the ravages of disease. Edward P. Fitch was touring Europe last Fall, when he dropped completely out of sight. Detectives of Scotland Tjird. the police offficials of France and the American consular authorities raked Europe for traces of the miss ing man, but without avail. Even his baggage had disappeared. The last heard from him was on t.oard a train to London. In this let ter he wrote he had been attacked by appendicitis in France, but. unable to speak the language, .he decioed to go to England, where he could make himself understood before submitting to an operation. He said he was then on his way to London, where he would Snys Contemplated Paving . Would Cost i es and. Vrges Straw Vole on Buying Boat. ST. JOHN. Or., Feb. 20. City Attorney Collier, of St. John, has suggested that a straw vote bo taken at the coming city election in order to find out the sentiment of the peoplo on building or buying a ferry-boat. The Councilmen promised to bind themselves to act in accordance with the voice of the people in calling the spe cial election to settle the matter. The Legislature has authorized and d rec'.ed the county to operate and maintain a "fit, suitable and commodious" boat to be provided by the city for a free ferry. This question is considered of supreme Importance 10 Ihe people for it is hoped to attract the trade of a population of l.TOO or 2"i00 people living west of the town. The most important reason is said to be. however, that the city's rock-crusher is located across the river and an immense amount of street improvement is to be done this year on 90 p"r cent of which crushed rock will be used and for which the ferry charges will amount to one third of what the company Is asking for Its present equipment. Petl'ions are in and have b?en acted on calling for a 12-foot strip of crushed rock on 14 blocks on Hartman street, eight blocks on Oswego street, 16 on Buchanan, 15 on Charleston, 13 on Portland Boule vard. 17 on South Ivanhoe. seven on Wall. 12 on Stafford, eight on Montieth and eight on Alleghany street. Six blocks on Philadelphia, two on Tacoma and one on East Burlington streets are to bo covered entirely. This means that 127 city blocks and s;reet in tersections will have all or part of their surface covered with rock. City Engineer Andrews says this will take 10,000 cubic yards of crushed rock. A loaded wagon hauls one and a half yards at a load. This figures out over 6300 trips at 35 cents a round trip or $2200 to be paid the ferry company for this amount of rock. It is considered certain that double this amount of streets will be Improved and as Fessenden street will likely be "rocked" for" 15 feet each side of the car tracks for a distance of 34 blocks. It is urced that if the ferry com pany is not bought out. the people will have to pay over J000 this year, which would be saved if a free ferry is pro vided. The engineer's estimated cost for crushed rock in place is $2.40 per cubic yard. With the ferry charges eliminated tbis couM be cut to r.'."r. it is snui Criticism of Seattle Speech Depends on Attitude on Local Option. NORMAL ISSUE INVOLVED Acting Governor Arouses Citizens of Ellensberg, Who Send Lawyer Post Haste to Capital to Keep Tub on the Situation. OLTMPIA, Wash..' Feb. 20. (Spe cial.) The report of Acting Governor Hay's local option speech in Seattle Friday night in which he scored the King County Senatorial delegation for standing out against reasonable local option, was not received here until tie great majority of the members left for their homes for the week end. The speech Is commented upon by members in a spirit depending upon their attitude on the bill. Supporters of a stringent local option bill are pronounced In their approval, but those at whom the address might -be con sidered as directly or Indirectly apply ing assert that the Governor Is car rying his own views to an extreme in trying to force the Legislature to enact laws in accordance therewith. Among the liberal minded on the lo cal option criticism of Hay has been severe during the last few days. Hay has been openly and insistently urging the enactment of an effective local op tion bill and has strongly criticised the Nichols Senate substitute. Normal Issue Involved. The Governor has been accused of inviting discussion of the necessity for the continuance of three normal schools In order to use that issue as a whip over members who are not voting on local option in accordance with his Ideas. Whether or not this is true, the City of Ellensburg is thoroughly aroused and last night sent a promi nent attorney of that city here to dis cuss the situation with Senator Smith- son, representing that county. It is claimed that Senator Smithson is now In line for a stronger bill than the Nichols substitute for which he voted. Members who, like Graves and Ro senhaupt, have taken a middle ground, do not seem to be disturbed over the Governor's speech or his attitude, and the effect apparently has not been to weaken the ultra local optionlsts, al though it Is doubtful if the Seattle ad dress has strengthened It. Compromise Is Planned. A plan to settle the local option fight by appointing a conference committee to draw up a new bill assumed fairly defi nite form here today. Acting Governor Hay will probably call a preliminary conference of some of the members of the House and Senate Monday and on Tuesday it is the present plan to present a resolution providing for a committee consisting of Ave Senators and five Representatives. The present d?talls go so far as to STYLES Knox Hats -Nci. f-K lJI I X a- Now On Display Benjamin's Exclusive Spring Models Suits Cravenettes Topcoats f " I SJ 1 rrrrr-r: f fll 4 mm I ill ;ifi Remember That We Are the Exclusive Portland Agents For Benjamin Clothes and Knox Hats BUFFUM & PENDLETON 311 MORRISON STREET name the members of this committee and the main features of the bill that will probably be agreed upon. The bill is to embran-e the country dis tricts and fourth-class . cities in each county in one unit; making first, second and third-class cities separate units; contain adequate ' enforcement features and provides for the first vote on the sa loon question at a special election And at general elections thereafter upon petition of 30 or 35 per cent of the voters. One Vote Needed in Senate. The personnel of the committee, which is to be named m the resolution as now outlined, includes in the Senate, Graves, of Spokane; Flshback, of Lewis; Fal coner ,of Snohomish; Smithson, of Lewis; and Cotterill, of King. In the House, Anderson, of Spokane; Todd, of Whit man; McMasters. of King; Scott, of Adams; and Lambert or Allller, of What com. The feasibility of the plan as one that will result in the passage of a bill ac ceptable to the majority in both houses rasts in the fact that the proposed com mittee has a majority of members who voted for the anti-Saloon League mea sures but who are willing to make con cessions. The bill they prepare, it is be lieved, will satisfy the dry majority in the House, while in the S?nate there is a necessity of gaining only one vote to secure the passage of a reasonable bill. If the committee prepares a measure satisfactory to Smithson and Graves the necessary constitutional majority is se cured In the Senate. SCHOOL BOYS PLAY PRANK Hide Books of High School Students in Gymnasium. PEXDLETON', Or., Feb. 39. (Special.) When the High School students assembled at the usual hour this morning it was discovered that some time during the night the tiuildlng had been invaded and all books carried out and thrown under the gymnasium, while notebooks and pa pers had been dumped promiscuously into a big box. Laments could be neara from the owners of the missing and rarefully prepared notebooks. Some one had lost "such a good synopsis of Banyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress.' " Girls blamed boys for the prank. Carriers Making Census. GRBSHAM, Or., Feb. 20. (Special. ) Acting under instructions from Wash ington, the rural letter carriers are mak ing a complete census of their respective routes. Beginning March 1, all the car riers will have to keep an accurate ac count for three months of every piece of mail handled, together with the sales of supplies upon their routes. Ready for Horse Ranch. GRHSHAM, Or.. Feb. 2. (Special.) C. A. Ruby & Co., the horse breeders who lately secured a large tract of land on the Base Line road, are making prepa rations to embark in tnelr line of busi ness on the most extensive scale ever attempted in Western Oregon. At an auction sale yesterday all the cows, num bering about 50, and all farm machinery was disposed of. so as to clean the ranch for the larpe drove of imported horses which will arrive soon. Numerous im provements will be made on the place. -j Condemn Realty Firm. ROSKBl'RG. Or.. Feb. 20. (Special.) The Douglas County Fruitgrowers' Asso ciation in convention today passed reso lutions strongly condemning a certain real estato firm of this city who. in their pamphlets describing this county. gave the impression that irrigation waa neces sary to the raising of good fruit crops in this section. Pendleton Elks May Build. PENDLBTOX. Or., Feb. 20. (Special.) A permanent home of its own is now being planned by the local lodge of Elks. The matter was discussed at eome length at the last meeting' of the order, a com mittee finally being appointed to report on the project. The Hoy Who Churned. I What lias become of the old-fashioned woman who put an apron on her boy and made him churn? Kxchange There Are Hundreds of Thousands of Yards of Dredging- to Be Done in This Territory. The Pneumatic System of Dredging- Is the Cheapest System in Existence Today The initial cost is less, the cost of maintenance and operation is less than any other system, and it is a System that has been thoroughly tried out. For fifty years the air lift has been known to be the simplest and cheapest method used in lifting oil, water and salt from deep wells and transmitting these materials over long distances. . ' ' By an ingenious combination of the hydrau lic ram with compressed air, it is now ap plied to lifting and transmitting by one operation sand, gravel, mud and any other material that can be disintegrated by the action of water under pressure. It is the only method known that can do this by one operation. It therefore stands to reason that it is cheaper than any method which requires several handlings of the material. We are the sole owners of the Pneumatic svstem of dredging in this territory. It is our purpose to install Pneumatic dredging plants in the Willamette Kiver to fill in low lands, make street fills and in. the future to engage in the business of selling. sand and gravel, a very, profitable business in itself. TbU Ik What Don the Work. There Are o earlns; Part. irin 5 jjuth V is?J. i In fc-,, - ,Vii r ' , ; j ( - '1 L. -'.:.- .- . '-- Iff? iY -T A ' : ' Vl :- -,"- ' ''-: ' - '":- v .'v tyWm fill ' ' - 1 vi!lr W&k w i f' ' m. Battery of Four 10-loch ripes C'iimble of Discliarglnz L'sOOO Cnblc Yards of Earth 1'er Day. Edurtloo Pipe and Head Pneumatic Dredger. The nhotoarnpli hovi the 0-lmt dinrharge pipe Ihroirlng a 10-lueh Mream, .-ompoard f water and near-l-r 5o"ler cent of iioUd matter in the term of aud and icravrl. With the aame povrer H ha taken to mine the material a Mull bona In the photo, the dredger ia now dlm-barglng the material It handles a dlntance of 1HOO tcrt through metallic pipes. If You Were Told You Could Have Laid Down in Portland, Absolutely Free of Cost, All the Wheat You Would Manufacture Into Flour, How Long Would It Take You to Start a Flour Mill? What Is the Sand and Gravel Situation Here Today? Millions of cubic yards of sand and gravel are washed down the Columbia and Willam ette Rivers every year. These materials are free to anyone who will build the plant to dig, wash and screen them for commercial uses. They are as staple as floifr in this market. With something like 500 miles of streets, 1000 miles of sidewalks yet, to be paved and made, not to speak of the" thousands of .yards of these materials used in buildings, can you doubt the permanency of such a business? Associated in this enterprise are some of Portland's ablest and most progressive busi ness men. There is room for a few more, but only a few. We can show an investor there is 100 per cent profit in this enterprise as operated by us. Fullest investigation solicited. COLUMBIA DREDGING, SAND AMn OAT VACR CCi 246 STARK STREET JrX 1M LJ U AJ-I V AVjJQ rJt W. W. CARLAND, M.nagcr