Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1913)
io THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER SSI, 1913. GOVERNMENT ASSUMES CONTROL OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPH STATIONS Vast Amy of Professional and Amateur Operators Has Been Organized at Last.- and From Now On Air-Wave Communications Will Be Carried On Under Definite Lavs. . : - ; the Federal Government hav- ' I I VV 12' lJI 2 J-CZ4 &ZSy NAUCHY of the air" Is to cease, the Federal Government hav ing put its foot down on fur ther attempts to engineer wireless messages through the atmosphere without law or order. As the pronun ciamento includes both professional and amateur wireless operators, there are a number of hearts among the ranks of Portland's amateur air-wave experimenters that are throbbing a bit more quickly than usual, just now. In brief, the Government has assumed control for the first time of all the wireless telegraph stations in its juris diction. The vast army of professional and amateur wireless operators, has been organized at last. From now on air-wave communication will be carried on under definite laws. Besides the cores of amateur operators in Port land who are working independently, there is a fourlshing wireless teleg raphy class at the V. M. C. A. in charge of Walter Haynes, Its members in clude: George Astlund, Harold Illbbs. Jesse Madden, Douplas J. Dickie. Arthur Hile, Forrest Norton. Archie AIsop, Earl Garrtck. E. A. Leslie, Lloyd Nasby, C J. Ockley, Vernon Parks, Orville Darling. H. R. Simmons, 1. R. Schlo bert Randall C. Morgan, Louis C Berry and J. Wesley Gooderham. All Operators Affected. These classmen and the rest of the Portlanders who are engaged in ex perimenting with one of the latest im portant discoveries are all affected by the order of the Federal authorities. The new movement to control the un seen forces of the air is part of . a worldwide reform which followed the International convention In Berlin. In America every wireless station, how ever small, which works across state lines for instance, from Portland to Vancouver, Wash. or National bound aries. eome$ under the supervision of the Interstate Commerce Commission. in order to bring system out of chaot the Government has appointed radio Inspectors, who are stationed at the chief seaports along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. x The next step to take in assuming control of the wireless field has been to make sure that the wireless opera tors are dependable. The law requires every man. woman and child and there are several women in Portland who are assisting their men friends In air-wave experiments to pass an ex amination before receiving a license. The new officials have no facilities for carrying on such examinations, so the Navy has been called on to assist. Thorough Knowledge Required. The examinations are held at the naval wireless training quarters throughout the country. The applicants must show a thorough working knowl edge of the wireless art. They have wireless outfits to assemble and to take apart. They must be able to find any faults In the mechanism and rectify them. The most Interesting test comes when the instructors dictate by tire less to the class. The long rows of operators nit over their keys paying the closest attention to the business in hand. To pass the examination an operator must be able to take or trans mit 20 words a minute, clearly and legibly. This must be sent in the Con tinental code. For the sake of convenience in regu lating the innumerable wireless sta tions the Government has divided the Coast stations into nine groups or districts. The principal office for each district Is situated at the Custom hou of the most hrportant harbor of the district. The Government at tempts to control only the so-called coastal stations, or those wireless sta tions near enough to the coast to make trouble for ships. Many of these sta tions, amateur as well as commercial, work over a considerable radius, so that the boundary line must be drawn parallel to the coast at a considerable distance inland. The first of these groups comprises all of the New Knttland states, with headquarters at Boston. The farthest corners of Maine, Vermont, or New Hampshire are within easy range cf the coast. The Inspector who makes his headquarters at the Custom-house in New York has supervision over New York State as far north as Albany, as well as of the northern counties of New Jersey. The rest of the Atlantic seaboard, as well as Porto Rico, Is controlled from Baltimore and Savan nah. The Gulf Coast and the Missis sippi Valley as far north as Tennessee and to the western boundaries of Ar kansas and Oklahoma come under the supervision of New Orleans. The Pacific Coast Is divided into two districts. The wireless activity of Cali fornia, with Nevada and Utah and Ari zona to the east and Hawaii to the west, is controlled from San Francisco. The coast to the north' as far as Alaska, which includes Oregon, and inland to tne eastern oounaary of Montana, comes under the control of the officer at Seattle. The Great Lakes In turn are controlled'from Cleveland and Chi cago. The area under control reaches from the northern port of New York State as far west as the western boun daries of the Dakotas. The amateur wireless stations are of three kinds the general, special and restricted amateur stations. To receive a license for a special amateur station tho operator must have at least two years' experience and must satisfy the examiner as to the work he will do and the wireless conditions in his particular district. The restricted amateur wire less stations are those within five nau tical miles of naval or military wire less stations and these are rigidly re stricted as to the length of their wave and the power of their sending ap paratus. The general amateur licensee is restricted as to the power of his ap paratus and length of wave. Lower Key Will Be Required. The effect of all this restriction will be to clear the air of the incessant wireless chatter of the innumerable amateur stations. The amateur sta tions within Ave miles of the important stations will not have a sufficiently powerful apparatus to make much trouble, even If they should try. The entire army of amateurs will be carry ing on their wireless conversation in a much lower key than In the past. There will be no powerful amateur stations within range of the important wireless stations capable of offering serious in terference. The powerful commercial stations, which must be depended upon to respond to calfs for assistance, will In turn be obliged to respond or for feit their licenses and to attune their apparatus to receive the messages of the sea stations. was transplanted to Dallas, and since then the old building has stood de serted and unused. Jus across from the old courthouse is an ancient brick structure whose de caying doorways and tumble - down walls seem fairly teeming with ancient history. I derived a melancholy pleas ure In surveying this dilapidated relic and paused long before it, giving my imagination free rein. Here, I thought. Is the remains of a fine old mansion once occupied by one of the most prom inent and wealthy families of the county. Through the dust-grimed windows I was able to discern a winding stair way, and we all know that In the old fashioned housej of 50 years ago this dlzxy corkscrew mode of ascent was considered highly genteel, giving an air of elegance to the whole house. As I was leaning pensively, but not too heavily, cn the fence for it was very decrepit Indulging in many sad re flections on fallen fortunes and the "trnawlng tooth of time," I fancied I g&w a curtain tn one of the upper win dows move ever so slightly, and I had a foellng that some one was peerin out on me. whereupon I moved on rnstlly, reproaching myself for my In- cel.rucy In thus intruding on the prl vacy o? the Inmate, no doubt the last s;lon of a noble family, whose wounded pride I had perhaps lacerated still more by my curiosity. But alxs! This is av world of disil lusion. Thinking to enrich, these fan cies still farther, I unwisely questioned a young- lady. I could see that she was nri gifted with much poetic in sight nor was she well "up" on his toric Iandr.i2.rk3. and when 3he In formed me that my fine old family mauslon was the county jail in days gone by, I rejected the Idea as un worthy and refused to believe her un til she was corroborated by other re liable authorities. "But," 1 expostulated weakly, "I thought somebody had lived in it." "iiaybe they have," was the reply, whether In a spirit of facetiousness or as a plain statement of fact I could not toll. It was a dreadful disap pointment, und my imagination balked decidedly at routing all the members of the fine old family and installing hardened criminals In their places. After a little readjustment I was able t'o construct so many pleasantly bloodcurdling scenes within the old walls, that I felt quite recompensed, for what I had lest. However, I ques tion the wisdom or providing such an attractive residence for wrongdoers. I fear that after a sojourn In such com modious and pretentious quarters. In stead of corning: out chastened and re pentant, they might be inclined to feel a bit snobbish. But we must not linger too long be side the old jail, for there are three fine old churches to be seen, showing white through the trees, their spires pointing heavenward. One of them stood unlocked, so I wandered in. As the sun came pouring in through the pretty colored windows I could s-ee the c hosts of bygone days sitting in the pews. How pretty the little church had looked on lovely Summer morn ings, when filled with the prosperous "pillars of society," the matrons In their rustling silks, the dainty yountt ladies, and the fine young men. No doubt this little church has "been the scene of many an incipient romance. Up there in the corner is the choir loft. The old organ can still voice the sweet hymns, though It has grown a trifle wheezy and rheumatic with old age and a moist climate. I can picture the organist, a sjweet young thin whose timid fingers trembled as they touched the keys. Or, more likely, she was a severe person in spectacles, with a penchant for "running things." Probably, then as now, the choir was the seat of war. The bass didn't like tho tenor and intmlated (privately) that he eeos through his nose. Some of the othei-3, no doubt, found fault with the bass because he sang too loud, and one cf the speakers felt completely blight ed because some one had said she sang off the key. Someone else didn't like the alto because she "dragged," and they were all "fussed up" at the organ 1st because she played too fast or too slow, or too loud or was too "bossy." In the pulpit the ponderous Bible re poses on a faded red cushion, and It needs only a little imagination to see the old white-haired minister behind it, reading the morning lesson. Surely "his looks adorned the venerable place" and let us also hope that "those who came to scoff remained to pray." In another corner, covered with dust, are the ancient archives of the Sunday school. I turn the faded and time-worn pages and there under an entry of long ago, I find that Sunday school was opened by prayer" by one whose name Is well known In the history of Oregon and whoso body Is now crumbling to dust. By this time the sun is well toward the West and the train will soon be due that will carry us back to the strenuous, every-day world. So with a last lingering look we bid farewell to the lovely old village and leave It to Its memories and its dreams and to Its awakening. OREGON URGED TO FOLLOW EXAMPLE OF NEIGHBOR OVER NORTH BORDER Dr. Coe Thinks Nation races Crisis Free Lands Exhausted, State Should Make Loans to Settlers and Clear Land for Them, He Says. c tit. fMM' .r. v sMk'4 r RT DR. HENRY WALDO COB. (Member Portland Ralty Board. Paper No. i . r J "ill ruvei. j LOSELY allied to the wealth in the streams of Oregon wealth lying lurselv unused and dormant is the potentiality for wealth In the well directed brawn of tne people already hero or tv.ilins to come, which likewise- is now unused in state wealth creation, for laclc of individual capital on the part of such people. Tho forests of Oregon, as pointed out In an earlier paper, will be gone in a hundred years, but the wealth In tiie streams will be young 10,000 years from now. There is need to put these streams to work now, wateilnc the arid acres referred to. It i3 fortunato for the Nation, and, Incidentally, for his party, that In tnese changing times a man of broadness and possessing experience In many lines is Just now Secretary of the In terior. For a new era is on the Nation in regard to its land; especially its irrigated lands. Both Nation and state need their clarst-r.oacld statesmen at the helm iu this rratter these cays. With an increase In irrigated acres In the United States from 0.000 In lb"0 to more than 25,000.000 in 1910. the na tional dutv here is dpparent; while with 6,000.000 acres rhich can be irrigated in Oregon and which will add SoiiO.000, 000 or more to the assessed valuation within her borders, this subject be comes the greatest proolem of the state. Poor Men Settle Countries. l Minnesota, Iowa. T isconsln, Nebras ka, Kansas, the Dakotas and otner re gions of the Middle TV est were almost altogether settled by poor men. Th free lands cf theso reirions allured these hardv scions of Northern Europe. Celt and Teuton, and the descendants of Pilgrim, peasant and cjivaller pio neers, who could not stop tnelr western trek to a wilderness if there were free lands there. Later came the man South Europe. Tho ncn lands of these regions af forded a resting place for another gen eration to pioneer and plan and on which to build permanent homes. Today many of these earliest pioneers of the Middle West are still living, and if they remained witn the soil, most of them are In comfortable circumstances. A ride through such regions discloses the richest farming districts of the LTnited States. Capacious white houses. large, well-filled red barns, well-kept fields and cattle and other stock in thousand valleys speak of the wealth STERILIZED KNIFE CURE FOR FRUIT FIRE BLIGHT Present Spread of Orchard Menace, Likely to Be Under-Estimated, Can Be Checked or Eradicated by Diligent Work. REAL SLEEPY HOLLOW FOUND IN OLD YAMHILL Grass-Grown Streets of Drowsy Lafayette Bring Redolent Memories of Past Old Courthouse and Ancient Jail Still Stand. BY JESSIE E. BRITT. LFATETTE. Or., Sept. 20. (Special.) How many of us have realized that amid the prosaic hustle and bustle of old Yamhill lies a charming "deserted village" of the Oliver Gold smith type a genuine Sleepy Hollow. Some drowsy Summer day, just board the south-bound train on the Portland and Dallas line, get off at Lafayette, walk a few blocks up the grass-grown xtreets, look about you with "the eye of faith," and you will see it. But do not delay toe long, or, like the Foolish Virgin, you will find that you are "too late" and that the elusive charm of the old town has vanished. Already Lafayette is stirring a little as if about to awaken from its leth argy of 25 years, and soon, no doubt, it will be as arrogant and garish In its prosperity as are the rest of our thriv ing Western towns. But there It lies, now, picturesque in Its decay, redolent of memories of the past. Stop one of the gray-haired octogenarians on the street and suo mit the graceful and original question. I "Have you lived here long and don't you find it very lonesome?" Accom panied by the sympathetid air of con descension universally adopted toward the "native" of the small town. He will tell you, among, other things, that Lafayette is the third oldest town In Oregon. like Mount Zlon, "beautiful of situation," with a grand view of the Coast Range Mountains and the nearer hills. It wasVat one time the county seat and one of the most promising towns of Oregon. But "the ' powers that be" decreed against it. More than, 20 years ago McMlnnvllle snatched the coveted honor, and- from that time the glory of Lafayette began to wane. The courthouse, a pretentious brick building with several wooden excres cences, still stands, a melancholy relic of the past. But even after it ceased to be the courthouse It entered into another era of dignity and usefulness and became that fount of learning known as Lafayette Seminary, whither the elite of the surrounding country resorted in their thirst for knowledge. More than 10 years ago the seminary' IT IS evident to one who visits the orchard districts of the Northwest that fire-blight, better known as sear blight, has become a great men ice to the orchardists, especially those who have the varieties of apples and pears that are susceptible. A wet year resulting In luxuriant growth, coupled with the presence of a few hold-over sources of Infection in each commu nity and the usual activity of bees and insects has resulted in a general in f ection of the orchards throughout most if not all the fruitgrowing sc tions of the Northwest. The orchards In Fruitdale and Sand wich, two orchard sections of the Grand Ronde Valley, were, infected generally, while the Rogue River and Hood River orchardists have been coping with blight for several years. The news dispatches report that the North Yak ima orchardists have petitioned tho County Court for 15,000 with which to fight the disease. Even In Klamath County some of the few apple orchards there have become Infected. It Is safe to say that the fire-blight is a uni versal problem for the orchardists to cope with and no desire for local pres tige should be an obstacle in a public campaign against It. SterlMxed KnUe Is Cure. The one cure for fire-blight is the sterilized, knife. Under the direction of Professor P. J. O'Gara, ' the high salaried expert pathologist that Jack son County employs, crews of men were at work during the Spring cutting out the infected limbs and washing the stubbed ends in an antiseptic solution. The worse infection was in Spitzenberg trees, which seem especially subject to the disease. The few cases of infec tion which escaped the inspectors dur ing previous years, after remaining dormant all Winter, broke out in run ning sores in the Spring, the red, sweet ooze of which attracted the bees that later carried the germs on their legs and bodies into the blossoms. From the blossoms the disease worked through the cambium or growing layer down through the twigs and where not cut Into the trunks and roots, with the final result of total destruction of the tree. Fortunately, only a few varie ties of apples are subject to destruc tion by fire-blight. In the Newtown, Northern Spy, Ben Davis and frequent ly the Jonathan apple tree and In many other kinds the blight goes no farther tnan the old wood. The orchardists of the Rogue River valley have the blight situation well in nana, jfroressor O'Gara has taugnt them the danger of the disease and his inspectors have insisted upon the erad ication of it as nearly as possible each year. In the Fall, when the blignt is dormant, all infected limbs should be cut out in order to save the healthy portions of the particular tree and to prevent its spread to other trees by the bees in the Spring. All localities are not as fortunate as the Rogue River Valley in having an expert at their service and wide pub licity should be given to the simple methods of eradication and to the ne cessity ofellminating as many ns pos sible of the hold-over cases during the dormant period. Where the Spitzen berg trees have had to be cut badly Professor O'Gara has advised the graft ing of them into Yellow Newtowns or somo other variety that is practically immune. Apples Hardest Hit. The pear blight peculiarly has at tacked the apples more severely than the pear in the Northwest, but In New York, where the disease is supposed to have originated, and in Colorado and California thousands of acres of pear' orchards were completely destroyed For a time this devastation resulted n the abandonment of the pear-raising industry in most localities, but the dis covery of scientific methods of han dling the disease has resulted in exten sive planting. Of the pear trees the Bosc is espe cially susceptible, although the Bart lett, Howell, d'Anjou. Winter Nelis and Cornice are all subject to It. Following the advice of Professor O'Gara. many orchardists in Southern Oregon have planted Klefer pear trees, which are risistant to the blight, and later have grafted them into the more salable va rieties. In this way a tree can seldom be entirely destroyed by the blight, as the trunk and roots are immune.. In the fruit districts which are un organized the blight is a terrible men ace and in all localities the danger of Its spread Is apt to be under-estimat ed unless publicity is given It. A for tunate fact is that where the orchards are badly neglected there is no danger of blight, as a tree must be thriving In order to have a circulation that per mits of the spread of the disease throughout the tree's system. i , i . t ' C '4. - & $ 3 , t: v r 2 K it these people made for themselves, their children and for the state. Yet these old men, or the forebears of those now there, came to these states with ?14 to pay the filing fees on a free horop, and sustenance for a few weeks only. The pioneer days are not so far away in the past. There are the bankers, doctors, lawyers and business men In the villages and cities and the positions of Governor, as well as local official places, are filled by their de scendants. Here can be found a true picture in which the poor carved out ' of a wilderness and made grout and prosperous commonwealths. These peo ple had hardships unknown today and the Oregon pioneer had all the hard ships of the pioneer of the Middle West and more. The day of free land, and of cheap land is all but an incident of a bygone era, and this is especially true of Ore gon. Some excellent land may yet be filed on in Southeastern Oregon, but as a wjole, the race is run. it is a song rhich has Teen sung. The worthless desert and the logged over lands remain for development. To clear an acre or so of the land of any value In among these stumps. means a year's hard work for a man. alo g with his effort to make a liv ing for his family; while to water a tract of the desert means a community arrangement and much time and effort. In the great prairies of the Middle West, a quarter section might be made to produce a crop of wheat for market a few months after filing. Land there timKer was cleared in but a frac tion of the time ii;oossary in remov- ng th" never-rottinjr roots of mam moth firs, cedars and other trees of VVt-stern Oregon. Irxcept for nearby town ereas. or high priced orchard or as a trial enterprise and because th credit of the state had been pledged to the settlers there. In Canada one railroad Is selling its lands on 20 years' time at 6 per cent interest. This is attracting the poorer but capable settler from the Middle West. Where the poorer are, taken care of, the well-to-do also flock. There Is affection for the flag of any country that cares for those willing but unable to work best, without some substantial and financial aid in starting. Oregon could profit by Canada's example. In Canada the settler may borror $2000 from the railroad, with which to fence his land, build a neat home and a barn, nut down a well and buy seed. The railroad also will lend him $1000 worth of young beef or dairy cattle. The $2000 loan is spent under strictest observation from the railroad company. These loans are made at low rate of Interest. The province will then come In and construct roads and schoolhouses for these people, keeping taxes down. It also will construct a creamery for the neighborhood. Although the Winters are long and tedious, the Summers full of mosquitoes, the regions remote, and only one crop is raised, settlers ar flocking to these regions. In Victoria and other regions In Con federated Australia, the province, in addition to assisting the settler after he arrives, will prepay his passage to the country. The greatest lands of Oregon are those under irrigation projects. The poor roan has somo right to his share in these lands. It is certain that almost every private project in mis state would be glad to turn over to the state for colonization a choice traot therein at actual cost? with possibly a small rate of Interest added over cost. Other vegetable purposes, the expenses to a taken OV(,r a't a low cBt- - t Is not likely that more than one man without means for turning the and to productiveness has been almost nsurmoun table. Esulrrn Orecon Lands Cheap. The rich Willamette Valley, settled lmost as early as the Middle West, and in titles for the past 50 years, is only to a small degree under cultiva tion. The stump lands found every where are mute witnesses of the ex cessive cost of making agricultural lands here. Outside of the wheat lands in Eastern Oregon, this state really never had any cheap agricultural lanas, as compared with the Middle West. Oregon faces new conditions and what tho individual can no longer do the state should attempt. Conditions have changed and the state as a whole should do for its newcomers what they cannot, and never have been able to do for themselves. Oregon must care for them as a man cares for bis horse for what his horse can do for him. The state or the nation need not enter into any charity enterprise, but may conduct operations as a prudent busi ness man would do, losing, perhaps, a little here, but gaining there, and in the end bring Oregon Into its own as a great and most fertile state. Credit is due to Governor West for the way he has taken hold of the Co lumbia Southern irrigation project. A law was passed appropriating $500,000 man out of every three who Biiould go upon a state project would avail him self of state aid. But the settlement would make the waste places blossom Immediately. ' The well-to-do in the state, tho so called conservative, who can wait, so far as his pocketbeok. Ic concerned, is Oregon's worst asset in the matter of development of land. The majority want things done now. They see the Government spend untold millions In battleships, public buildings and water ways from which no money will return. They see the stale spend millions an nually on what Is known as running expenses. This money is gone forever, and many a man Is asMnic why the state might not put Its 1;'nd Into good shape and then give this land to the settler as freely as the Government gave the lands of the Middle West to its setlers.. Swept Polnto Waffle. Exchange. Mix to a smooth batter half a break fast cupful of sweet potatoes well boiled and mashed, together with four teapoonfuls of flour and a tablespoou ful each of butter and sugar, saltspoon ful of salt and a pint of milk. Bake the batter immediately In a hot waffle Iron, r, If desired, it may be baked on t. hot griddle in the form of cakea.
