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.