76 Pages
SIX SECTIONS
Section One
Pages 1 to 22
vol. xxxvi NO. 21.
PORTLAND, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, MAY 27, 1917.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
90 OR MORE DIE
1 IN TORNADOES
Fifty Dead, 300 Injured
at 'Mattoon, . 111.
BUSINESS DISTRICT RAZED
Two Thousand Persons Home
less and Many Are Re-
ported Missing.
132 KILLED AT CHARLESTON
Westervelt Has Five Fatali
ties and 20 Hurt and
Modesto Ten.
TOLL, OF DAY EXACTED
BY
TORNADOES.
Mattoon, 111. Fifty or more
killed, 300 Injured, 2000 home
less, business district wiped out.
Westervelt. 111. Five killed,
21 injured.
Modesto, 111. One killed, nine
fatally injured.
Manhattan, I1L One dead, six
injured.
Joilet, 111. Two Injured.
Klwood, 111. Four Injured.
Pearl, 111. Five injured, one
fatally. . '
Charleston, 111. Thirty-two
killed.
Property and crop . damage
heavy over wide area.
MATTOON, 111., May 26. About 50
V persons were killed and more than S00
injured when a tornado struck Mat
toon late today. The entire business
section of the town is wiped out and
upwards of 2000 are homeless.
The storm, traveling from east to
west, destroyed practically the entire
northern half of the town, leaving no
f building standing. in a swath several
r i i i .
diocks m wiuxn.
Planks Hurled Miles.
A lumber yard directly in the path
of the storm contributed largely to the
damage. Flying planks struck a num
ber of pedestrians, who had been un
able to find shelter, and other planks
P were hurled for miles around the
countryside, - one being discovered
sticking through the side of a farmer's
m. nouse.
i
Bits of broken and twisted steel
i also flew throueh the air. damasrincr
f buildings entirely out of the path of
the storm. A canning factory con
tributed to the loss in a similar way.
Public Buildings Are Hospitals.
Rerscue work began almost imme
diately. Within an hour every church
and public building standing was
filled with injured, many of whom
were unable to obtain adequate med
ical service.
Efforts to estimate the casualties
with any degree of accuracy were
futile because of the confusion which
followed the tornado.
Hundreds of persons reported that
members of the families were miss-
(Concluded on Pas 2, Column 1.)
'iS j:
WOOL THIEVES ARE.
CAUGHT AT SALEM
BARX OF IilXST COUNTY FARMER
ROBBED AT MIDXIGHT.
Autos treed to Carry Away Plunder.
Two Sacks Left in Road Leads
to Arrest of Five Men.
ALBANY. Or.. May 26. (Special.)
Five men who stole more than 1500
worth of wool at 1 o'clock this morn
ing and carried it away in two auto
mobiles were ' captured eight hours
later, and are now In the Linn County
jail. They are W. F. Davis, Frank
Davis, Frank Koos. Arthur Wagner and
William Morgan.
The men waived examination before
Justice of the Peace Swan here this
afternoon, and the first four were held
for the grand Jury under J1000 bond
each. As Morgan is only 17, his case
was transferred to the Juvenile Court.
The others range in age from 22 to 34.
The men took five sacks of wool.
containing 1200 pounds, from the barn
on the farm of Wheeler Bros., near
Plainview. Loading the wool Into two
cars they sped to Salem. Because
the men had carried out more wool
than they could haul and left two sacks
by the roadside, the theft was discov
ered early this morning 'and word sent
to Sheriff Bodine. He and Chief of
Police Catlin telephoned in all direc
tions and the men were picked up by
Salem officers while selling the stolen
wool. . They were returned to Albany
at noon and admitted' their guilt.
One of the automobiles used belongs
to the Davis brothers and the other to
a brother of young Morgan. .
A dog was tied in the bam where the
wool was kept and the men killed her
by poison before stealing the wool. A
litter of her young puppies was not
disturbed.
Koos, Wagner and Morgan were all
reared near Plainview, though Morgan
now lives in Albany and Koos has been
working in Benton County, north of
this city. The Davis brothers also
have been working on farms north of
Albany, though their home is at Yam
hill, Or. Wagner and Morgan have
been in trouble in local courts before.
The capture has aroused great inter
est here as there have been several
thefts of wool in Benton County north
of Albany and in the vicinity of Cor
vallis recently. In each case the wool
appeared to have been taken away by
automobile. The men in Jail deny
complicity in these thefts, however.
"BILL" BROWN BUYS MORE
Central Oregon Ranch Owner Adds
12 00 Acres to His Holdings.
BEND, Or, Mar 26. (Special.) Al
ready the proprietor of 12 or IS sections
of land in Deschutes, Crook and Har
ney counties, W. W. Brtnm, best known
as "Bill" Brown, recently added 1200
acres to his holdings. Mr. Brown came
into prominence two years ago, when
it was announced that he had made a
will leaving over $100,000 to Oregon
Methodist organizations.
Of his latest acquisition Mr. Brown
has put more than 600 acres into cul
tivation to Increase the amount of feed
for his 10,000 head of sheep and .5000
head of horse's. Reports from his ranch
indicate that he expects to sell large
consignments of horses for war pur
poses this Summer Mr. Brown is 64
years old, but is still active in the
management of his properties.
FAIR WEATHER FORECAST
Occasional Showers Predicted for
Last Half of Week.
WASHINGTON, May 26. Weather
predictions lor me week, Beginning
May 27, issued by the Weather Bureau
today, are:
Pacific states Seasonal temperatures
and arenerallv . fair excent occasional
showers are probable the latter half
in Washington ana Oregon.
Finns Are Out on Strike.
PETROGRAD, via London, May 26.
Strikes in all branches of industry
throughout Finland are reported In a
dispatch from Helsingfors. In some
districts acts of violence against the
employers have been committed.
AIR RAIDERS KILL
76 IPSA PORTS
175 Hurt; Many Build
ings Destroyed.
ATTACK MADE BY 16 CRAFT
Dover and Folkestone Bom
barded, Says Berlin.
3 GERMANS SHOT DOWN
Flyers Battle Over Sea as Teutons
Speed Homeward After Finish
ing Work Most Victims
Women and Children.
A TOWN OX THE SOUTHEAST
COAST OF ENGLAND, via London, May
Z6. Women and children who had
stood for hours in a long line in the
busiest street here waiting to purchase
potatoes were the principal victims of
the German airplane raid last evening.
Intent only on not losing their, places
in the line, the women and children had
little warning of the raid and were
easy victims of the air vultures, who
dropped their deadly bombs lndlscrlm
inately. (An official Berlin dispatch
says Dover and Folkstone were raid
ed.) .
The raid, which claimed the lives of
76 persons and caused injury to 176
others, proved more deadly than any
raid that the Zeppelins have made on
England since the war began.
Bombs Dropped on Shoppers.
Flying so high that they looked like
a flock of ducks, the raiders rained
dozens of bombs on the busiest block
of the main thoroughfare, which was
choked with shoppers of every age and
sex.
A corsespondent of the Associated
Press visited the destroyed district' to
day. He found a grocery store that
had collapsed and was told by the
grocer, who lost two members of his
family, that ten dead persons were
found in the debris of the building.
A dozen more were killed, and three
score or more were injured by flying
glass and bricks and shrapnel-like frag
ments- which were scattered forcibly
by the bursting shells.
Property Damage Small.
Many persons lost their lives on a
narrow stairway-like passageway be
tween two houses on this street when
a bomb burst overhead, the concussion
killing them. All the victims in this
part of the town were struck down
within a radius of 200 yards.
. One of the most striking results
was the Bmall property damage here
compared with' the heavy loss of life.
This is thought to have been due to
the fact that the bombs happened to
drop where large crowds of shoppers,
augmented by people attracted to the
potato sale, were gathered.
In the residential sections of the
town fashionable homes were de
molished, but only one or two victims
were found in the ruins. The raiders
made a bee-line over the town, first
bombing the residential section, and
then pelting the shopping district as
they flew out to sea.
Missing Persons Sought.
The casualty list for this town alone
was tonight placed at 60 dead and 150
Injured.
Large gangs of workmen, however,
continued to work into the night on
the huge piles of debris In the resi
dential section, where several persons
are missing.
The raiders spent less than three
minutes over this town. They came
from places further inland which they
hgd bombed freely. The loss of life
and property damage in those places.
(Concluded on Page S, Column 3.)
IN THE PAST WEEK'S NEWS THESE EVENTS MOST INTERESTED CARTOONIST REYNOLDS.
INDEX OF TODAY'S NEWS
The Weather.
YESTERDAY'S Maximum temperature, 61
degrees; minimum. 61 degrees.
TODAY'S Partly cloudy: westerly winds.
War.
German air raiders kill 76 and wound 175 in
England. Section 1, page 1-
French Admiral reveals methods used against
U-boats. Section. 1. page 3. .
American Government board favors exten
sive aerial, war. Section 1, page S.
Japanese cable reports great naval battle
In Mediterranean. Section 1, page o.
National. . j
Producers of food oppose freight rate in
creases. Section 1, page 2. -
No man In age limit to be excused for not
registering under Army orait act. ec
tion 1, paga 0.
Senate committee cuts out manufacturers'
gross sales and sur-taxes. bectlon 1,
page 4.
House agrees on provisions for food-survey
Dill. - Section 1, page 5.
New censorship section agreed on by House
and Senate conferees. Bectlon 1, page o.
Subscriptions -as low, as $10 may be received
lor Lioerty bonds, section l, page o. -
Shipping Board withholds reply to Goethals'
criticism of wooden ship programme, bec
tlon 2, page 14.
Domestic'
American girl surprises Japanese with air
feats. Section 1, page 1.
Sympathy strikes called In Jerome copper
district. Section 1, page 4.
Score killed by tornadoes; Mattoon. 111.,
business district demolished. . Section 1.
page 1. i
Southern Pacific gives ' warning of possible
fuel famine. Section 1,. page 1. '
Mine Workers' Union protests plan of De
fense Council. Section 1. page 2.
Rockefeller Foundation- aids French fight
on tuberculosis. Section 1. page 3.
. Sport.
Pacific Coast League results: Portland 7.
Los Angeles 8; Salt Lake 7, Vernon 2:
Oakland 6, San FranciBco 0. Section 2,
page 2.
Star athletes of Northwest colleges and uni
versities Join the colors. Section -:.
page 3.
"Pat" Eastley. Seattle twlrler, is again in
trim. Section 2, page 8.
Boys In Northwest urged to play In- tennis
contests. Section 2, page 4.
Crack golfers of West to play here in June.
Section 2, page 4.
Bassler. of Los Angeles, leads Coasters In
batting with average of .414. Section
2. page 2.
Stovall. "Human . Firebrand of Baseball."
comes here Tuesday. Section 2, page 2.
Rule-breaking foursome on bill at Portland
Golf Club. Section 2, page 4.
Woodburn Gun Club now leads fletd for
Oregonlan trophies. Section 2, page 3.
Coach Beidek, of University of Oregon,
urges continuance of - intercollegiate ath
letics. Section 2. page 6.
Northwest Steel Company team to play to
day. Section 2, page s.
Three Aggie athletes pass Summer on Idaho
farm, section a. page 4. -Good
batting eye is rookie's asset. Section
2, page 2.
Pacific Northwest.
Judge McNary believed -.choice of Governor
to succeed senator ane. dwuwu
page 1.
Five midnight wool thieves captured at Sa
lem. Section 1, page I.
nmthera' ouarrel leads to dynamiting of
Mount Angel theater. Section 1. page 7.
Wages of employes of Oregon state Institu
tions present problem. Section 1. page 7.
Mihn law students threaten to boycott uni
versity because of removal of dean. Sec
tion 1. page 8.
Commercial and Marine.
Fifty cents paid for fine " wool in Eastern
Oregon. Section 2. page-18.- -
Oram crop prospects in Inland Empire Im
prove, section 2. page
Wheat lower at Chicago on selling of fu
. tures by foreigners. Section 2, page 13.
Steel continues its advance and entire Indus
trial list gains. ' Section 2. page 13.
Astoria starts construction of 64 grain bins,
Section 2. page 14.
Portland and Vicinity.
Gigantic shipping merger proposed. Section
1, page 1.
Willamette University . to have elaborate
commencement. Section 1. page 10.
Portland recruits engineers rapidly. Section
1, page 11. '
Senator Lane's body 'to lie in state until
funeral Tuesday. Section 1, page 12.
E. J. Myrlck sentenced, then paroled. Sec
tion 1. page 12.
Cash prizes for floral parade set for Rose
Festival event. Section 1. page 12,
Mobilization of woodsmen and forest rang
ers for war service. Section 1, page 12.
Location of polling places for June 4 elec
tion designated. Section 1. page 13.
Preferential ballot explained. Section 1
- page 14.
New Senator will be suffrage advocate, says
Governor, at luncheon to Mrs. Catt. Sec
tion 1, page 14.
Allen enemies barred from zone half mile
about armory. Section 1, page 14.'
WOODEN SHIPS LIMITED
AU but 150 or 200 of American
Vessels to Be of Steel.
WASHINGTON, May 26. Chairman
Fitzgerald, of the appropriations com
mittee, told the House today he had
been informed by Chairman Denman.
of the Shipping Board, that not more
than 150 or 200 of the merchant fleet
to be constructed would be of wood.
All others will be steel.
HOARY BELIEVED
CHOICE FOR SENATE
Governor, However,
Maintains Silence.
SPECULATION, EVEN, SUBSIDES
Announcement Expected Im
mediately After Funeral.
EARLY DEPARTURE DESIRED
Prospective " Successor to Senator
Lane Has Been Identified With
Republican Party Since At
taining His Majority.
SALEM, Or., May " 26. (Special.)
The question of who will be the next
United States Senator from Oregon to
succeed Senator Harry Lane la decided.
At least it is conceded on every side
that Judge Charles L. McNary, of Salem,
will be selected by Governor Withy
combe. The appointment will not be an
nounced until after the funeral of Sena
tor Lane next Tuesday.
Governor Wlthycombe returned from
Portland today, but refused to make
any announcement of the appointment.
"I am determined upon who the man
will be, as I said in my recent state
ment in regard to Senator Lane's suc
cessor," said the Governor. "My mind
is fully made up, and has been, but. as
I said before, the announcement of the
appointment will not be made until
next week."
Opinion Is General.
To those familiar with the situation.
however, there is small room left for
doubt as to who the Governor has de
termined upon, and it Is no longer con
sidered even a subject of speculation.
The past day or two there still have
been strong efforts . made by other
Candidates than Judge McNary to have
their claims for the appointment con
sidered, but it Is known pretty defi
nitely that the - Governor has kindly,
but firmly,' adhered to his early state
ment and suggested that there Is no
use of any further endeavor to push
the candidacies of themselves or of
their friends, as the case might be.
Judge McNary has refused to discuss
the matter in any manner whatsoever,
but it is considered an entirely safe
prediction that Judge McNary will be
the selection of the Governor. -
Vomica! Interest Active.
Judge McNary handled the Hughes
Fairbanks campaign as chairman of the
state Republican central committee last
year, and was exceedingly active In
promoting the interests of Mr. Taft in
the- preceding Presidential campaign
His affiliations always have been with
the Republican party, and he has been
active in politics ' in one way or an
other -since attaining his majority.-
It Is considered quite likely that the
appointment of Judge McNary will be
made soon after the funeral of Sena
tor Lane.
Early Representation Desired.
It Is known Governor Wlthycombe
feels that In the present crisis it is
Important Oregon have its full Con
gresslonal representation at Washing
ton. For that reason it seems certain
he will endeavor to arrange that his
appointee may leave for the National
Capitol with all expedition possible
under the circumstances.
By a strange coincidence this ap
pointment will be similar In Its pollti
cal effect to the only two other ap
pointments of United States Senators,
which have been made to create a
vacancy caused by death. In each of
(Concluded on Page 2, Column 3.
AMERICAN AVIATRIX
BACK FROM ORIENT
GIRL OF 2 0 SURPASSES AIR
MEJf OF JAP.VX.
Chinese .Express Great Wonder at
Feats ' of Daring "Machine
Built to Fly, Must Fly."
SAX FRANCISCO, Cal.. May 26.
(Special.) Caustic comments by offi
cials and the press of Japan against
their own army and navy aviators was
voiced recently after 20-year-old Kath
erine Stlnson. of San Antonio, had
made several exhibition flights in
Japan. The American girl showed the
Japanese what a woman could do with
an aeroplane and it was so far ahead
of any plying that the Japan govern
ment aviators had shown that . the
comparisons made in the press were
rar from flattering to their people.
miss stlnson arrived back In San
Francisco today after making 32 flights
In Japan and 35 In China. She cabled
from Japan offering her service to the
Government as instructor and expects
to be assigned to aviation work with
In a short time. Her brother and sis
ter are conducting an aviation school
in San Antonio at present.
I had my best experiences In China.'
said the petite avlatrlx.
The Japanese would applaud, but as
they had seen flying machines before
It was not so wonderful to them as to
the Chinese in the cities I visited.
"In Pekin I made a night flight with
illuminated planes, the first that had
ever been seen there. The Chinese in
both day and night flights were
speechless, but they said the machine
was built to fly and so it must fly. It
was funny the way they expressed
themselves about it.
"After I was in the air an American
asked a Chinese friend what he
thought, and the Chinese said the plane
had gone up, but that it surely would
not come down again."
In China Miss Stlnson flew before the
members of the Chinese cabinet and
their families. She was presented with
costly tokens by the Japanese aviators
ana Dy the officials In China.
U. S. MISSION IS IN T0KI0
Railroad Men En Route to Russia
to Develop Transportation.
TOKIO. May 28. The United States
Railroad Commission to Russia, headed
by John F. Stevens, of New York, ar
rived in Toklo on Its way to Petro
grad. The Americana were entertained
by the British and Russian Ambas
sadors.
George Post Wheeler, American
Charge d'Affaires, issued a statement
that no commercial or financial work
was to be undertaken by the- commls
slon, whose sole purpose was to as
slst in the solution of transportation
questions.
DOGS MAY BE SHUT UP
Mayor Promises Relief to Gardeners
Who Are Complaining.
Unless dog owners take steps to keep
dogs off other people's gardens, steps
will have to be taken to force all
owners to keep dogs tied up indef
initely, according to Mayor Albee.
Hundreds of complaints have been
received against dogs roaming around
over gardens and doing much damage.
"The dog owners must realize the se
rlousness of this," said the Mayor yes
terday, "and must keep their dogs up
or It will be necessary to take drastic
action to force them so to do.
WIRELESS GUARD IS SHOT
Shots Are Exchanged With Two Men
at Virginia Beach Station. .
NORFOLK. Va, May 26 Frederick
Rouch, a guard at the Virginia Beach
wireless station, was slightly wound
ed today in an exchange of shots with
two men, who were apparently at
tacking the net roun the station.
There is doubt whether the men ac
cidentally ran against the net in the
darkness or attempted to destroy the
plant.
GIGANTIC
SHIPPING
MERGER PROPOSED
Pacific Company Has
4 Vessels Optioned.
RIVER MAY LOSE TURBINERS
Great Northern Pacific and
Big Three Lines Affected.
PUBLIC APPROVAL ASKED
Increased Service Promised, With
Four Steamers Coming Up River
and Flavel Terminal Cut Off.
Chamber Considers Plan.
FEATURES OF PROPOSED MER
GER OF COLUMBIA RIVER
LINES WITH BIG COAST
FLEET.
Purchaser Pacific Steamship
Company, made up of Pacific
Alaska Navigation Company, Pa
cific Coast Steamship Company
and Pacific Navigation Company.
Proposal To buy steamers
Northern Paciflo and Great
Northern to operate between Pu
get Sound and San Francisco;
also steamers Beaver and Rose
City to continue in Portland
California service, and increase
the fleet with the steamers Pres
ident and Governor, now running
between Puget Sound and Cali
fornia. Promise That service from
Portland will be increased, fre
quent handling or freight will be
avoided and Columbia River dis
trict will retain advantages In
distribution of commerce with
Interior points.
Prospects Portland traffic in
terests to protect city on equita
ble rates before sanctioning
transfer and on maintaining ade
quate service for movement of
cargo.
Definite official announcement of ne
gotiations being under way by the Pa
cific Steamship Company, now operating
from Puget Sound to Alaska and from
the 'Washington harbor to California,
ports, to acquire the turbiners Northern
Pacific and Great Northern, of the
Great Northern Pacific Steamship Com
pany, and of the steamers Beaver and
Rose City, of the San Francisco &. Port
land Steamship Company, was made
yesterday through the Chamber of Com
merce. In advance of terminating the nego
tiations It was decided to place the
facta before commercial Interests and
the public here to ascertain their atti
tude toward the transaction, which
means that the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern would be operated from
Puget Sound, to San Francisco, while
the Beaver and Rose City would con
tinue to be operated from Portland and
be augmented by the steamers Fresi-.
dent and Governor, now op the Puget
Sound-Califorhta route.
Portland Would Lose Turbiners.
The Columbia River would surrender
the turbiners, but. It Is promised, the
service from Portland would be dou
bled immediately and Increased later if
business warranted.
Those close to the principals say sev
eral millions of dollars are Involved.
In spite of repeated denials from cer
tain sources negotiations have been on
for months, and it was thought at one
iConcludea on Page 5, Column l.
1
-