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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1913)
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 21, 1913. h SULLIVAN'S GULCH 10 BE HADE LEVEL Nearly 700,000 Yards of Dirt and Rock to Be Sluiced From Hills. EAST SIDE GULCH DISTRICT TO BE IMPROVED. : v.. ROADS BUILDING TRACKS System of Freight Switches and Spurs Under Construction to Warehouse and Factory Dis trict at Heavy Cost. , Sluicing down nearly 700,000 yards of dirt and rock, making extensive tills, establishment a system of freight switches and side tracks and building a warehouse and manufacturing: center at a cost of close to $500,000. are the parts of a gigantic project which will be commenced this week in Sullivan's Gulch by the Anglo-Pacific . Realty Company, which recently acquired the gulch property and a part of Holla- day's addition at a cost of J2.500.000. Surveys and plans for the, project have been completed and a contract for the work has been let to the Lewis- Wiley Hydraulic Company, which con cern will move its machinery to the scene as soon as possible and com mence operations. A pumping station will b'e built on the Willamette River to supply the water and a large force of men will be employed to handle the work. The ultimate plan is to establish thoroughly modern district for ware houses and factories down in the gulch. To accommodate these buildings the Harriman lines already are in the gulch and the Hill interests are at work on the extension of a line up the gulch from the river to East Sixteenth street. Hill to Be Taken Out. The project will commence on the large hill which stands in the gulch cirectly east of the center of the Grand avenue bridge. This hill will be taken out for a distance of about 200 feet. arrangements having been made' for the removal of close to 400,000 yards of clrt In this particular place. The dirt will be sluiced down into the ravines In the bottom of the gulch, bringing the entire gulch up to the level of the Harriman main line tracks. Depressions north of the track also will be filled in with the dirt from this hill and from the hill on the north of the gulch, which ia to be sluiced down elso to a distance of about 26 feet back. excavations on tne south .of the gulch will be pushed from the Grand- avenue bridge to Eleventh street, tak ing out what is now a good-sized hill, East of the Twelfth-street bridge the excavations will be made so as to make the gulch almost straight. This will Involve the removal of about 200,000 yards of dirt The tracks through the gulch will be straightened from Grand avenue bridge to East Sixteenth street, eliminating three sharp curves which are encountered by the trains at the present time. Gulch to Be Made Level. When the project is completed the entire gulch will be level and will be In shape for the erection of factories and warehouses. Wagon roads will lead down into the gulch at a 4 per cent grade and will be available for all the factory sites. Train switches of both the Harriman and Hill lines will form a network throughout the gulch, leading to every warehouse and factory site in the tract. The district will be smokeless, the (4 , w II 1 1 - 's; t,!. r r Sr"r V.'. : .'iev'vjeft.-s fins REDMOND REALTY SOLD RICH CROOK COt'XTY DISTRICT - .ATTRACTS INVESTORS. - City Property and Acreage Deals Involve. $100,000 Farmers En joy Prosperous Season. REDMOND. Or., Sept. 20. (Special.) -Activity In the real estate situation In Redmond and surrounding country plan of those behind the project being! has been brisk the. past few weeks. to sell only to factories and warehouses Among the Important recent deals was which use electricity or some other! the purchase of the Redmond Hotel form of power which does not require property from Nettle M. Abbott by W. the exhaust of smoke into the gulch M. Wilson, of Valdez, Alaska.' The or the surrounding country. This fea- I property has a frontage of 125 feet on ture of the plan is expected to appeal Main street and la 100 feet deep, it not only to the people who acquire is improved with a two-story hotel sites in the district, but to the resl- building, containing 45 rooms, and dents throughout the East Side as well, store buildings. The consideration The project was planned before the I was $25,000. Anglo-Pacifio Company acquired the I Mr. Wilson also purchased the Mu property. Since that time a force oflma business property at the corner of engineers has been busy making Main and D streets, the consideration surveys of the gulch, running lines, being $4500. The vacant property lying checking up on boundary lines and I between the two Improved parcels Is making estimates of quantities of dirt owned by Mr. Wilson. 1th his recent to be removed. The engineers have purchases Mr. Wilson, now owns near been busy with the work for about six ly an entire block in the business sec weeks and have finished the details tion. Mr. Wilson plana to remove the completely. These have been approved present hotel building soon and re- by those behind the project and work place it with a modern structure. Recently Mr. Wilson sold about S5,- 000 worth, of irrigated land, but still owns about TOO acres of alfalfa land. Several other sales were closed within is to be started at once and rushed to completion. Water will be used in tearing down the hills. The huge sluicing machines which were used in Westover terraces I the- past few days. - The total sales in will be moved to the scene of opera- volve nearly $100,000. tlons. The dirt will be carried through The Central Oregon Irrigation Com pipes over the train tracks to the pany has completed Its concrete dam places where the nils are to be made. I at the Deschutes T!ier, at The operations will not Interfere with $165,000. The main cal for the the operation of the O.-W. R. St N. I project north of Redmond has been trains through the gulch and will not I completed and 85,000 additional acres Interfere with the construction of the will be reclaimed branch line of the Hill Interests under The crops throughout Crook County construction. I are exceptionally good this year. Many It Is reported by the engineers on the project that the work will be com pleted by next spring, at wnicn time the district will be ready for the con struction of warehouses and factories. It is said that many deals are pending at present for the erection of buildings. PRCXE CROP IS PROMISING Yield 19 Large end Sugar in Fruit I Adds Much to Value. DUNDEE. Or.. Sept. 20. (Special.) Prune pickers have been coming all this week by trains and wagons, and! the last - lot arrived this morning. Eleven hundred tons of the dried prod uct Is considered a conservative esti mate of this year's crop In this vicin ity. The warm sunshine has developed an unusual amount of sugar in the prunes, which adds to the commercial value of the fruit, while It reduces the time required for drying. There is an abundance of help, and If the present Ideal weather will continue for three weeks longer the entire crop I will be harvested and several tnousand dollars distributed among the laborers. I Boys and girls from 12 to 15 earn ou I an average xrom sz to j.o wen day. Date for St. Jobns Hearing Set. The State Railroad Commission an nounced vesterday that it would con duct a hearing into the charges of the Bt. Johns Water Works ujni torn- Pany In Portland. October 3. Residents of the municipality have complained that the charges are too high and the service is not satisfactory. Tons of Prunes Being Dried. EUGENE, Or., Sept. 20. (Special.) Eighteen tons of prunes are dally going into the tunnels at the Eugene Fruitgrowers' Association dryer, and nearly twice as many are being eared for at Creswell. Practically all of the cried prunes of the county will be sent to the Eugene drier for final grading and for packing. Growers declare the crop is above the average and that the quality of the fruit will be extra good, of the farmers are cutting the third crop of alfalfa. The potato yield is large. Farmers have been getting fl.26 a sack for potatoes. The oats crop also was big. Taking it alto gether, the farmers of the Redmond district are enjoying an unusually prosperous year. HIBERNIANS TO GET II ALL Sum of $10,000 Subscribed in Week for Russell Street Structure. The sum of $10,000 was subscrbed this week toward the erection of a new hall for Division No. 1, Ancient Order of Hibernians, which will be built on the south side of Russell street, between Rodney and Union avenue, where the site was purchased some time ago. The lot was paid for some time ago. It is hoped to start work on the new hall within the next 10 days. The plans have been prepared and call for a two-story modern brlok building, with two nans, the larger one being on the upper floor, which will have a floor space of 48x75 feet, exclusive of the stage and a bal cony. In addition to the smaller hall on the lower floor there will be rooms suitable for offices and stores. The building will be 60x116 feet. Ledles' Auxiliary No. 1. of the division, has made a sub stantial subscription. It is planned to have the building completed and deal cated on next St. Patrick's day. Loans Total $1276,935. WILE T mi SCTHERLIX TAXES GROW FROM " ' $1750 TO 520,000. Mortgage loans In Multnomah Coun tv last week aggregated $1, 276,935.95. Much of this business was on residences, in the construction of which there Tias been a lot of activity In the last few months. The biggest Individual Item was for cost of $1,000,000 issued by the Portland Lum ber Company to the Detroit Trust com pany, of Detroit, Mich., the proceeds to be used in improvements. The remainder of more than a quarter million went into small real estate traots and building construction. NEW PLANS FOR AUDITORIUM SUGGESTED A Li Li B B ' B0HH EH S3 ES, EB EH EE ES, EEj EB EE EE EEj EE EE "Ml U A il!''!1 n rrnrrV PROJECT INDORSED BY EAST SIDES BUSINESS MEN'S CLUB. Plans for an auditorium to be erected somewhere on the East Side have been prepared by Newton C. Gauntt, under direction of the East Side Business Men's Club, members of which want the City Commis sioners to use the money to be derived from the sale of $600,000 worth of municipal bonds authorised by the city for auditorium pur poses, in putting up a building on that side of the river. It Is proposed to erect a building 200x300 feet In size, with a seat ing capacity of 16,000. A stage seating 1400 people is specified, as are a banquet hall, an art gallery and space for the property of the Ore gon Historical Society. The building proper would be four stories high. It Is estimated that it can be built for $450,000. The site would necessarily Include two full blocks and the vacation on the interven ing street, making the entire traot 200 by 460 feet. That portion not actually covered by the. building would be parked. Douglas County Fruit Products Bring $2000 a Day Experiment Station Wanted. ROSEBURG, Or., Sept. 20. (Special.) The wonderful development possibil ities of communities In Western Ore gon Is well shown In the Instance of the little town of Sutherlin. Four years ago, when the Luse Land Com pany bought this tract, they paid $1760 a year in taxes. This year the taxes were more than $20,000. Almost all of this Increase is due to the num ber of Eastern people that have been brought to Oregon. i Three thousand acres are in fruit In this district. The greater proportion of fruit is in several varieties of ap ples. The Keepfresh plant is working 80 persons in preserving vegetables and fruit. It started early In the season and will work late In the Fall. Sutherlin wants an experimental farm under the direction of the Ore gon Agricultural College, to experi ment on agricultural and horticultural problems before Its settlers. State Senator George Neuner has a plan, which he will probably present to the next Legislature. He thinks part of the Soldiers Home tract In West Rose burg would make an ideal experiment station. Fruit products bring Douglas County nearly $2000 a day the year round and it is estimated this sum in the next Ave years will be increased to $5000 a day, as the large portion of the Ump qua orchards are not in bearing. GOVERNMENT WILL MAKE ITS OWN RULE Difficulty With Architects .Grows Out of Misunder standing of Policy. ROUND ROBIN IS SURPRISE McAdoo Thinks 5 Per Cent Fee Is Large Enough; and Does Xot Feel Bound by Decree of American Institute. LAND COMPANY IS SUED ANXCXLMEXT OF PURCHASE AXD DAMAGES ASKED. OREGONIAN NEWS BUREAU, Wash ington, Sept. 20. Persons doing busi ness with and for the United States must abide by the terms laid down by the Government; they cannot make their own terms and force them on the Government This, In brief. Is the explanation of the trouble that recently arose between the Secretary of the Treasury and six of the seven architects who had been Invited to submit plans for the con struction of the new. Portland post-office. On .July 21 the Secretary of the Treasury invited seven eminent archi tects to submit plans for the Portland building. With each letter of invita tion he sent a copy of the "programme of competition" prepared in his office, and approved by him personally, set ting forth in detail the terms under which plans were to be submitted in competition, and giving full data on which plans and drawings could be based, so that every architect Invited knew, when he got the invitation, what he could do. Round Robin Amniri Secretary. Each of the seven architects invited into the competition accepted the Sec retary's invitation, and it was pre sumed that seven sets of drawings were In course of preparation, when a round-robin, signed by six of the seven firms, appeared In the Secre tary's office, protesting vigorously against five of the conditions of the contest, and asking for modifications which were stipulated. This protest was signed In typewriter, and was not dated, but telegraphic inquiry estab lished the fact that the protest was genuine, notwithstanding its irregular form, and when this was known, the Secretary directed the withdrawal of nvltatlons to all of the architects who protested. Those who signed the protest were Doyle, Patterson & Beach, Ellis F. Lawrence and Whitehouse & Foullhoux, of Portland; Bliss & Favllle. of San Francisco, and John R. Pope arid J. H. Freedlander, of New York. The Invita tions extended these firms have been withdrawn and will not again be ex tended; these architects will not again have an opportunity, of submitting plans for the Portland postoffice. The Invitation extended to Clinton & Rus sell, of New York, is still outstanding, and that firm will submit plans later on, it having refused to sign the pro test to Secretary McAdoo. Terms Made by Govenrment. The withdrawal 'of the Invitations to the six architects first named was based imply and solely on the fact that they pretested against the terms of the con test, after having accepted the invi tation in the first instance when fully advised of the terms under which the competition was to be held. This, In the judgment of the Department, howed them to be out of harmony with the Government officers having this work in charge, and Secretary Mc Adoo did not care to have plans sub mitted by men who were not entirely satisfied with the terms which he him self had laid down. The grounds on which the six archi tects based their protest were five In number. Primarily, they objected to the fee of 5 per cent, laid down by Secretary McAdoo. On much private work, and in years past, on Govern ment work, 6 per cent has been set aside as the architect's fee; that is, 6 per cent of the total cost of the build ing. On a $l,uuu,uuu Duuaing tne aroni. tect's fee would be $60,000 on a 6 per cent basis, and $50,000 on a 5 per cent basis, as in this case. Secretary Mc Adoo, who has had a great deal of ex perience with architects and builders, felt that 6 per cent is ample on Govern ment work of this sort, for there is much of the work, ordinarily done by the architect, that must, on Govern ment work, be done by the supervising architect of the Treasury. Moreover, In the commercial field. there are probably as many architects working for a 5 per cent fee as for 6 per cent, and the Secretary fixed 5 per cent for the Portland competition, ana so informed the firms named, when he invited them to compete. The Ameri can Institute of Architects, it seems, has declared for a fee of 6 per cent, but Secretary McAdoo does not feel bound by the decrees of this association. The second protest was against hav ing the award, in this case, made by the Secretary. The protectants demand ed that all plans submitted in compe tition be submitted to a Jury, the Jury, and not the Secretary, to make the award. Under an old act of Congress this practice was followed by the Gov ernment, but that act has been re pealed. There Is now no authority under which the Secretary of the Treas ury can employ a Jury to pass on plans, and he Is specifically prohibited by law from accepting free the services of anyone not in the Government service. More than that, with the experience lie has had In construction work In New York City, and with the advice ot the supervising architect of the Treas ury. Secretary McAdoo probably feels he is as competent as any Jury to pick out the best of six or seven postoffice plans submitted In competition, and he could not entertain the second protest. Right to Reject All DI(iplBiien, Thirdly, the protestants did not like the condition which reserved to the Secretary the right, if so disposed, to reject all plans submitted. They took the ground that It was to be presumed, from the very Invitation, that the arch itects entering , the oompetition would be competent to prepare proper plans for the Portland building, and that some one of the plans submitted In competition should necessarily be ac cepted. But on all Government con tracts the Government always reserves the right to reject any or all bids, and the principle that there applies Is ap plied In the case of plans for the Port land building. The Treasury Depart ment is able to conceive of a situation when none of the plans submitted might be acceptable. Another protest was against the res ervation by the Secretary of the Treas ury to remove the successful architect, if at any time after work was under way, he should neglect his duties or fail properly and satisfactorily to su perintend the erection of the build ing. Travellna Expenses Wanted. The last protest was against the re quirement that the successful architect should pay his own traveling expenses out of the fee paid him by the Govern ment. The Secretary was asked to modify this provision, so that in event the competition was won by a New York architect, or one living other than in Portland, he should be paid act ual traveling expenses by the Govern ment over and atjove his fee. There is authority In the Secretary to regulate the amount of travel an architect might do in connection with the erection of a public building In his charge, and for this reason and for others this protest could not be entertained. However, In withdrawing the Invi tations extended to the six signers of the protest, the Secretary of the Treas ury did not refer to the details of their complaint; he did not make answer to any of the objections raised to the terms fixed by him to govern the com petition, nor did he explain why It would be Impossible for him to grant the demands made upon him. He with drew the invitations merely on the broad ground that the protesting arch itects were not In harmony with the Department. This, he felt, was suffi cient, in view of the fact that the terms of the competition were fully under stood by each architect at the time he accepted the invitation to enter the competition. $18 LAND NEAR CITY Farms Near Molalla May Be Had at Low Prices. TOWN INVITES CAPITAL Field of Opportunity Wide Since En trance of Railroad and Many Factories Can Find Suitable Locations and Conditions. Competition Not Required. Under the law, the Secretary of the Treasury Is not compelled to secure plans for the Portland Postoffice from private architects; he may have them prepared, as Is usually done, In the office of the supervising architect. It is optional with him to Issue new Invita tions, or to have the Portland design and plans prepared by Government architects. But in view of the earnest demand for early construction of a Postoffice at Portland, a new competi tion probably will be held, but on the same terms laid out In the first "pro gramme" and as soon as a list of satis, factory names can be compiled. It is ex. pected that other invitations will be Issued. But none will be extended to those architects who could not accept the termg of Secretary McAdoo. If, for any reason, it becomes neces sary to have the Portland plans pre pared by the supervising architect, there will be a delay of two years or more, for the supervising architect's office is now swamped with work, and it will be at least two years before work, having precedence over Portland, can be reached. For this reason, the Secretary 'will make another effort to get plans for the Portland Postoffice under the competitive plan. Overheard In the Village. (Washington Star.) "Jed Tunklns says he's gettln' ter rible hard o' hearln'." "Yes. Jed's always foolln' his wife one way or another. Now he Jes' lets her talk on an' goes to sleep." Over around Molalla where a steam locomotive entered last Friday for the first time, land still is cheap and the country yet Is young. The town Is only about 25 miles from Portland. They have some $ls-an-acre land In the Molalla section. It Is one of the few places In Oregon with railroad fa cilities where land Is cheap. Of course this $18 land Is not cleared. None of It ever has been farmed. But most of It Is tillable. Anything that grows in a temperate clime can - be grown there successfully. The only reason it Is not now producing Is that It has lacked rail connection with the outside world. Another effective factor In retarding the development of the Molalla country has been the backward farmer. This class of citlsenry came to Oregon a half-century or so ago when land was even cheaper than it Is now. Because it was cneap, he grabbed off all that he could see. Most of It he has yet- But he can't see so much of it now as he could then. It is grown up with un derbrush and second growth. Fertile Land Abundant. Paradoxically, the fertility of this Molalla dirt has been one of Its draw backs. A man could make a mighty good living for himself and his family on 25 acres. If he possessed 300 acres. then 275 remained idle. The untitled land in that section is almost In that proportion. A new generation is in the harness over there now. It is a generation of Industry and progress. It is imbued with the spirit of the age. This new generation is disposed now to put all this Idle land to work. The big tracts are being cut up and sold In small quantities. A premium has been placed on ambitious farmers and a heavy dis count on the speculator. Farmers who want to farm are wanted and wanted badly. Those Portland people who attended the formal entrance of the Portland, Eugene & Eastern Railroad at Molalla last week were thoroughly Impressed with the country. Few ever had visited It before. The train always left them miles up the river. Now that regular communication has been established Portland threatens soon to establish close and permanent relations with Mo lalla. While interest attaches primarily to the several odd thousand acres of virgin land tributary to the town, considerable attention has been given these last few days to Molalla Itself. It is a place of about 600 Inhabitants and growing like the proverbial weed. Un til "The Willamette Valley Line" se lected It as one of the principal points of Its new electric system it was sel dom heard of. It was an obscure back country village. When the railroad Btarted to build the town started to take on airs and Importance. It soon outgrew its own accommodations. Two score new houses have been built this year. New Industries Needed. While it Is well equipped In the way of an enterprising newspaper the Pi oneer, edite by G. J. Taylor a number of first-class mercantile stores, a good bank and other modern Institutions, It has need for several permanent Institu tions that will give employment to some of Its people. Among the Indus tries that might be classified under a list of "What Molalla Needs," may be Included a box factory, a sash and door j factory; a flour mill; a milk condens- "J ery; a cannery, and several other con- J cerns of lesser Importance. A creamery that will make butter of its product also is wanted. Near Molalla Is the only teasel farm In the Northwest. It is operated by George H. Gregory, who formerly en- i gaged In a similar business In New York state. Ho now has 75 acres de voted to the plant. He ships his crop every year to the Eastern woolen mills. The country around there Is particu larly adapted to teasel growing. It commands a large price. Now that the railroad is established the people are going to give some at tention to their wagon roads. About 50 per cent of the farmers around Mo lalla have automobiles. They know what good roads mean and what bad roads are. Ohio Man Says Hood River Orchard Company Agent Misrepre sented Wasco Tract. All the representations made by the Hood River Orchard Land Company in securing the signature of T. H. Field to a contract for the purchase of a tract of land In Wasco County are al leged by Field in a suit filed in the Circuit Court against the land com pany to have been false. Field asks that the contract be annulled and that $1604.99 paid on the contract, and $1500 expenses in coming to Oregon from Ohio and expenses incurred on the place be returned. Field's complaint recites that he con tracted to purchase the land on rep resentations made by agents of the company that the land was planted in the best fruit trees and was a first- class orchard in every respect. He says in his complaint that he has lived on the ranch sufficiently long to learn that every representation made by the company Is false. Suit to foreclose a mortgage on a lot in Colonial Heights has been tiled against Belle M. Shefflln, George C Sheflin and G. w. Priest. The amount asked for is $3885.90, with interest and attorney s feets. J. H. Hutchinson ana J. D. Casey filed suit against J. M. Toomey for $2425 on a note given over two years ago. The note is securea oy a cnattei mortgage, which the plaintiffs ask be foreclosed. Oysters cannot live in the Bsltlo Sea. The reason U that It is not salt enougn. Thv nn onlv live In water that contains at least 37 parts of salt In every 1000 parti of water IS POSSIBLE NOW on the rental prefer in any part of the city you desire own lot or the one you select or, ours or a home already completed than you can erect or contract it basis if you -on your built from your plans at less cost This Is the first time in the history of home building that all work is 'really guaranteed on a time basis with every part and parcel of the work guaranteed This company is backed by ample resources; it is authorized by the State of Oregon Investigate this new idea carefully; meet the men back of it; know their mental, their moral, their physical and their financial ability then you will be on the road to Your Own Home 01ivSe5ktffery TilS Oregon Home Builders C. B. Hurtt Manager. Executive Offices: Yeon Building, Fifth and Alder Streets PORTLAND, OREGON
