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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 25, 1922)
I n Hi - " 1 ? ?fT -Mr . ''-ESP J$ 1 1 ... gssKJSP r"""' - 'CBV (V if . BY DeWITT HARRY. TOO often we neglect our most val ued assets, whether the simile be for men or cities. Cities some times fail to boast enough of the things with which they are endowed by nature. . Few localities in the country were as well planned by the Creator as Portland. Yet the residents do not know their own vicinity, much less do they see that strangers make its delightful acquain tance. Up Vancouver, B. C, way they have a park that is their boast. No folder or bit of advertising goes out from that city that does not tell of this place. They have made it one of their most valued tourist inducements and it is known from one end of the country to another. Yet lor sheer beauty it is doubtful if even this much-touted scenic bit can surpass our own rolling foothills. Citizens Don't Know Home. Why then, may we not ask, do not more people study the hills west of the city? It remained for a tourist to intro duce the beauty of this section a few weeks ago to a party of his friends who had lived here for many years. He took them out behind the city and told them that here they had one of the most beauti ful tracts he had ever seen and they were amazed. This man, mountaineer and ex plorer that be is, could not understand why these hills were not better adver tised, why they were not explained and written up in the guide books. "Give the same scenery to some other city and they would make the most of it," he exclaimed to his audience who, though living in the vicinity, did not know what their city possessed in this way. Fifteen minutes from the heart of the city is some of the wildest and grandest scenery to be found anywhere. It is mountainous country, so much so that it will give a test to some of the best of the ' climbers who like to swarm up steep heights. There, comfortable and close to home, the resident of the Rose City can have mountain climbing de luxe, moun tain climbing right in his own front yard. Some of the gorges that cut through the footfalls here are fully 800 feet in depth, and their precipitous sides will give all m ann At r9 f f m htnir T r onwriro virfe r o paa to try. But one of the nicest features of this whole region 4s that it has been cared for and paths and roads opened up for the visitor so that it is not necessary to dress in the roughest garments nor to go pre pared for the heaviest of going. So steep is the most of this country that It will likely never be in much demand for home sites, therefore It will remain in its wild state a'hd be one of the scenic treats of the city. The trees are fully 150 feet or more in height and there is every kind of shrub or growth that is found in the most remote forest. The deep, dark forest is one of the most alluring places it is possible to picture, and no camera can seem to do it justice. The many walks and hikes that ean be planned over this rough and beautiful country are al most countless, but it does not seem to have been explored enough even yet. There are more possibilities than would be imagined. The odd angle that it offered one of lmDira 11 3S it ri'f" 35 the best training sections for mountain climbers was offered by a recent visitor. Some of the hills are so steep and diffi cult to mount that they offer almost every kind of a test. This nun, who has climbed to the top of eome'fJf the stiffest mountains in the country, keeps in condi tion by tramps in this part of the city. And there is another oddity about it, al most all of this land of which we have been writing is within the city limits.. Of course, in making a great many of -the climbs in Portland it is not well to try and get into too many back yards, for this would not be diplomatic nor a safe practice. One day a few years ago a newcomer to the city was staying at the Arlington club and, on awakening one morning, was amazed to see the splendid .range of hills at his hand. ' He set out for a brisk walk in a southwesterly direc tion and began to ascend the first short rise of the heights. He came into a rough, wild' country and, from all indications, there was nothing to show that any por . tion of it had ever been cut up into city lots and he did not know that such a place as Portland Heights existed. His walk carried him along, cutting through backyards and through forests and fields, and over rise and rise, for it seemed as if every time be came to some fairly high spot he could see yet another higher place a few hundred yards further on. Now this man made what would be called a fine climb on any mountain peak that morning, for he came over the top of the heights and was amazed to see a street car track. Then he found a steep cliff and, after he had conquered that piece of stiff going, went through a few tan gles of underbrush and landed in the park near the observatory. This crest is over 1200 feet in height, but the real effort of climbing it, in the manner that this stranger did, was not" the mere fact that he climbed such an elevation, as it was that he had covered so much territory to reach the top. Any good-sized mountain of fair elevation is spread over a great deal of territory so that to reach the top the climber has to walk a mighty long way. Constantly if i I SCIENCE DISCOVERS THAT TEARS WILL KILL GERMS (Continued From First Page.) obtain all the tears that are needed. But even professional weepers can't make them flow all the time. For the occa-.' sions when the lacrimal glands become stubborn it would seem appropriate for the weeper to bring into use an onion or perhaps a bit of tear gas such as was used during the war. This gas induces such a copious flow that one is blinded by the downpour. No ill after effects are experienced from the use of the gas, so it could be used freely. One commentator, however, has sug gested that if nature has placed lysozyme in human tears, they were placed there for the protection of each human being. In other words, it anyone cried too copiously for outside consumption, it would take away chemicals needed for the cleansing of his own body. In that case science might Tiave to turn THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, A Portland Fails to Boast Enough of Unique Scenic Advantages rr y nisi . ixj-hc-- ' r 5iS8sr 3 Bi V feiw $wi?v yAwl ifet ytiM climbing the walks that lead to the upper parts of the west side would develop any sort of leg muscles. Of all the hills near the city It's diffi cult to nick out any few that Jiift seem to elsewhere. Dr. Fleming declares that, while lysozyme appeared nowhere else in such abundance as in human beings, there are traces of the substance in tis sues of the lower animals and certain vegetables, such as the turnip. But if vegetables ' could be utilized profitably, the fatal possibilities in excess tear losses might bring about some fearful conse quences. The tragedy of the maiden who cried herself to death might then figure prom inently in the newspaper or at least In the melodramatic farce of that day. The scenario would go something like this; The unscrupulous bounder offers his hand in marriage to the banker's beauti ful daughter, but she rejects him scorn fully. The U, B. thereupon determines that he will have her at all costs and that PORTLAND, JUNE 25. 1923 tauten possess virtues exceptional, all of them are so fine that they average .very well. To make a fine, big day's climb, one that would daunt the heart and skill of any but the best conditioned climber, start even it be cannot win her he will at least break her spirit. He hires a gang of ruffians. They cap ture the B. B. D. and take her to a lonely hut in the woods, where the U. Br awaits her. They tie her to a post in the centel of the cabin. The bounder taunts her, hoping that she will burst into tears. But the maiden, being proud, only tosses her head. The U. B. then produces an onion. She weeps,, but not enough. He then goes outside, closes the doors, her metically seals all cracks, and floods the cabin with lacromogene, or tear gas. The beautiful maiden is slowly weeping her self to death, when Peerless Paul dashes up In his low-lung plane and rescues her. He sponges up the tears, sells them and, with the money thus acquired, retires with hia bride to a lite of ease and luxury. Other possibilities of the new discov ery are not so farcical. If tear drops do become valuable righteous laws will have to be made in order to prevent ex ploitation of innocent persons. Meanwhile Dr. Fleming is continuing w1 1 - V 2 out from the downtown section of the city, climb to the head of Washington street and King's Heights, thence over the hills through the park by way of Westover, and then back towards town his experiments in an effort to isolate lysozyme. Sir Almoth Wright, in whose labora tory the experiments have been conduct ed, is one of the most prominent scien tists in England. He was awarded the Fothergillian gold medal by the Medical Society of London, the Hungarian prize by the International Medical congress, the Leconte prize of the Academie des Sciences and many others. He is also the author of many works, chief among which are " Principles of Microscopy " and " Studies in Immunization." Sir Almoth is generally thought to be the figure George Bernard Shaw had in mind when he wrote " The Doctor's Dilemma," He had been referred to face tiously in England as Sir Almost Right." Potato Growing Standardized. SPOKANE, Wash. With the purpose of standardizing potato growing by re ducing the number of varieties and rais ing only those best suited to conditions in the various sections of the state, a state-wide campaign is planned by the 5 &4 by climbing the steepest portion of the crest at that point and coming in by the Pittock residence. From here on the route should lie across the valley and over Arlington , Heights to the head of the valley there and then up to the crest. If there exists the mountaineer who cannot find plenty to occupy his time on this brisk little workout for half a day or better, he must be in exceptional condition. Then the student of the hills will find many other routes that should prove popular or favorites. The drives that line the hills Fairmount boulevard, Skyline boule vard, the route south by Pennoyer boule vard and others that can be mentioned by the dozens. From any of these places as a starting point plenty of fine climbs can be found, some of them requiring daring work and ample skill, for they are far from child's play. Hiking Popular Sport. There's no reason why climbing and hiking clubs should not be popular here, there is such a choice collection of routes and tempting districts right at hand. The hills that encircle the west side district of the city offer, of course, the most feasi ble kind of climbing, for their slopes present a fine and attractive lure to the climber and, then, the character of the country is such that the continued chang ing views make it more than worth while. The climber certainly does not have to go over the same territory more than once, -there is plenty of it. The west side hills will take the one who tries their slopes right into the clouds and then land him in a totally different country to the west of the city. Of course no one ever heard of a resi- -dent of this city going very far to find new scenery, there is always plenty of fine climbing tor the one who likes that kind of stuff. You don't have to search -far for either views or vistas. But that brings us right back to where we started, that it's usually the newcomer who real izes what we have and not the one who lives here. It would seem that more of us who make our homes in the city that nestles below the hills should study those same hills and not have some outsider come and tell us what we have. Certainly there is enough charm to make it worth while spending a few odd hours there once in a while, but that is just what not enough Portlanders are doing. Mountain climbing in a city, and right in the city limits at that. It can and is being done and few have realized that such a thing was possible. Maybe after some ten years or so we may begin to gain some real idea of what we have in this city, but what little has been set forth herewith doesn't begin to open even the first chapter. There are those who are more intimately acquainted with the possibilities and this has resulted in the formation of several highly ' successful climbing and hiking organizations who welcome into their membership those who would like to study the possibilities of the Oregon near-by open and those who like outdoor exercise. Carefully supervised parties given under the auspices of these clubs are almost weekly affairs and serve to open up to the appreciative some real idea of what a wonderland is Oregon. extension department of the Washington State college at Pullman, in co-operation with county farm agents, it was an nounced here recently by R. M. Turner, assistant county agent leader at the col lege. "The state will be divided into three districts," Mr. Turner said; "east Wash ington, where conditions are ideal for seed growing; the irrigated sections, suitable for the commercial table potato, and the west side, where both seed and table stock are raised." Shark Hides to Be Tanned. VICTORIA, B. C It Is planned to start a shark tannery on the west coast of Vancouver island. The plant will be on a large scale, two boats being engaged in the operation. The hide of the shark is suited to the manufacture of leather of superior Quality, for use in gloves, handbags, purses and shoes. A very fine oil is extracted and used for medicinal purposes and lubrication. The fins are used in making gelatine. There are many sharks on the west coast, and the industry should become a lucrative one.