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About Ashland tidings. (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1915)
''"nip0" l7'torJoa; a7 eT, r "Ashland Grows While Lithia Flows' City of Sunshine and Flowers Ashland, Oregon, Lithia Springs "The Carlsbad of America" VOL. XL ASHLAND, OREGON, MONDAY, JULY 5, 1915 NUMBER 12 State Workers Saved $60,000 All employers and workmen who have been contributing to the state industrial fund for six months will be exempt from payment thlB month, the fund now having a balance which In sures against any drafts that may be made upon it this month. Employers and workmen In Oregon will be saved approximately $60,000 during the month. According to the report of the commission on June 30 last there was a balance on hand amounting to $179,702.36, with estimated liabili ties on account of unsettled claims of $122,724.71. Under the law amended by the last legislature, the commission is enabled to lighten the amount of contribu tions made by employers and work men, as the amended act provides that when the commission finds that is sufficient to cover all liabilities and provide a surplus of 30 per cent In addition, It shall exempt employers and workmen from payment for the current month. The financial condition of the com mission's funds now warrants action in accordance with the provisions of the new law, and means that all em ployers and workmen who have been under the act for six months or rrfore will be exempted from payment on account of the July payroll. To se cure this exemption, however, all pay ments, including the month of June, must be paid Into the commission by July 15. There are now 4,900 Oregon firms under the act, most of whom have been under it for six months and will therefore be exempt from this month's payment. Nearly all of the local employers are entered under the act and it has met with general favor In the city. This will not affect the greater pro portion of the park workers as but few of them have been at the work six months. The great scope of the fund Is shown by the statement of the com mission. The financial statement of the commission for the period it has been In existence up to June 30 sum marized shows: Receipts: Contributed by state, $90,345.22; employers' contributions, $450,932.49; workmen's contribu tions, $78,754.33. Disbursements: Set aside in re serve to guarantee pensions, $174, 843.99; compensation for time loss, $121,63S.27; first aid to injured workmen, $66,657.93; pensions paid, $7,060.27; cost of administration to June 30, $70,129.22. j Total receipts, $620,032.04; total disbursements, $440,329.68. Balance on hand, $179,702.36. Sudden Death Of A. W. SBsby A. W. Silsby, one of Ashland's best known residents, died suddenly last Thursday afternoon at the Cove ranch. Death is supposed to .have been from heart failure and came within an hour after the attack of the disease came on. He has been living on his ranch property which is located about twelve miles east of the city, but also keeps up a town residence on North Main street. His death came as a surprise to his hosts of Ashland friends as he was apparently In good health. Mr. Silsby was a native of Maine and had been a resident of this vicin ity a decade or more, also having lived in California. Previous to com ing here he lived at Grants Pass, where he had the contract for carry ing the mails between that town and Crescent City. In this locality he had been connected with realty operations and irrigation projects up to the time of taking active charge of his ranch. Besides his wife he leaves two daughters, one of whom is Mrs. Har riet Kellogg of Marshfield, and the other, Mrs. Charles Bragdon, resides at Los Gatos, Cal. P. D. Blackden of Climax is a brother-in-law of the de ceased. The widow, Mrs. Marcia B. Silsby, resides at 423 North Main street in this city. The law collecting a 5 per cent tax on trading stamps Is driving that form of advertising and business bribe out of Oregon. Albany has built hard Burface pavement to Masonic cemetery. Coos Bay lumbar shipments are leading all Pacific coast ports. Says Lake Beyond Any Description Governor Wlthycombe, who visited Crater Lake recently after a trip through eastern Oregon, paid the fol lowing tribute to the greatest wonder of the west in an Interview for the Salem Statesman: "Although I have been in Oregon more than forty years, this was my first view of Crater Lake; but if I have my way it will not be the last. Much as I have heard of the lake, I never fully realized until now what a magnificent asset It is. Truly there is nothing In all the west that can compafe with It. It Is a scenic gem beyond value and certainly beyond description. When I went there my expectations were high and they were not only met but even surpassed by what I saw. Crater Lake deserves everything that has been said of it and a great deal more that Is the highest encomium I can give." Loses Out in Big Damage Suit The term of circuit court closed last Friday morning. Judge Skip worth of Kugene presided here, while Judge Calkins held forth at Eugene. The last case tried, occupying two days, was that of Hubbard and others against William Scott, in which the former sued the latter for $1,750 damage for alleged injury to business by slander of title and malicious liti gation. At the close of the testimony Mulkey and Cherry, Scott's attorneys, moved for a directed verdict in favor of the defendant, which was granted by the court. The plaintiffs were rep resented by A. E. Reames and Porter J. Neff. It is rumored that the plaintiffs will appeal the case to the supreme court. Judge Skipworth and family left Medford for Eugene Friday. Teachers Return From Honolulu Francis Hamlin and Verne Blue returned Thursday from Honolulu, Hawaii, where they have been en gaged in teaching during the pasl two years. Mr. Blue brings with him Wey Chung, a Chinese lad who is a student at IolanI school where Mr. Blue is teaching. Miss Hamlin and Mr. Blue will return to the Island the last of August. Miss Katherine Mil ler, Jan Mowat and Robert Spencer, the other Ashland members of the teaching staff in the Episcopal schools in Honolulu, will not come over this summer. Wells More Than a Mile Deep. The deepest well in the world Is In upper Silesia, in the German empire. It is a diamond-drill hole in a coal field and is 7,350 feet deep. A well In the United States which may go deeper, according to the United States Geological Survey, is four miles northwest of McDonald, Pa., and about fifteen miles west of Pitts burgh. This well, which is being sunk to the Medina sandstone a bed that elsewhere contains oil and gas is now 7,174 feet deep. Some gas and oil were struck in the upper part of the well. Between the depths of 6,830 and 7,100 feet rocks bearing rock salt and salt water were encoun tered. These are regarded as of Sa lina age, the 6ame as those carrying rock salt in western New York. The temperature in this well at the depth of -6,775 feet, as recently determined with great accuracy, is 145.8 degrees Fahrenheit. At Derrick City, McKean county, Pa., near Bradford, there is a well 5,820 feet deep, which Is probably the second deepest well In the United States. Another deep well Is on Slaughter creek, Kanawha county, W. Va.; It Is 5,595 feet deep. It pene trated a sandstone at 5,030 to 5,050 foet. and from this depth to the bot tom, a distance of 545 feet, the well Is In limestone. Near West Eliza hoth Pa., there is another well 5,575 feet beneath the surface, penetrating Into a black shale. Another deep well Is being drilled at Gaines, Pa. This has already reached a depth of 5.500 feet. Deep well drillers In this country of course employ the most im proved and effective rigs, but one of the most remarkable of wells, reacn inir denth of 3.600 feet, was drilled for petroleum In western China by means of such crude appliances as a cable made of twisted strands of rat tan. Chautauqua Assembly Opens Today With The twenty-tliird assembly of the Southern Oregon Chautauqua is now in full swing. Prof. Larlnioie, who for several years has had charge of the physical training classes for the boys and girls, began work at the armory this morn ing. Prof. Lariinore is assisted by the two young men who were with him last year, and the youngsters have a great treat in store for them for the next ten days. There will be swimming lessons In the afternoon and all kinds of good clean sport for the kiddies, under the best of leader ship. Any parent who can possibly have his boy or girl under the pro fessor's direction is playing a losing game for himself and losing much of life for the child if he withholds them from this privilege. Miss Edna E. Lowe, the popular reader and health lecturer of the 1914 assembly, is here again for the first five days of the session and gave her first health lecture this morning at 1 1 In the auditorium. Miss Lowe's evening recital on Thursday, "If I Were King," promises to be especial ly interesting. Dr. Gilbert and Prof. Berchtold of the University of Oregon and Oregon Agricultural College, respectively, be gin their classes in the morning and their work in past years makes any comment superfluous as to the value and interest of their morning lec tures. "Old Willamette" has a repre sentative here this year in Dean Alden, who Is to give a course of lec tures on "Recent European History." The W. C. T. U. work is under the able leadership of Mrs. Jennie M. Kemp, state president of that organ ization. The Bible Btudy is to be con ducted by Dr. W. A. Elliott of Ot tawa; round table discussions will be directed by Prof. Briscoe. All of these classes are worth the time of even very busy people, for they touch upon practical problems and subjects of every-day concern. The program of the twenty-third assembly is a great array of first-class talent, which Is sure to please. Prof. Baumgardt Is to give three lectures, commencing with this even ing. All those who heard this man in 1913 and can possibly do so will be on hand, for hij pictures are of surpassing beauty and his comments make them doubly Interesting. On Friday and Saturday come the Floyds of Boston, expert magical en tertainers; Newell Dwight Hillis, one of the big headliners of eastern Chau tauquas; Nels Darling, "The Town Doctor and Community Builder," and the celebrated Schumann Quintet, who captured our audiences in 1912 by their wonderful music and kindly ways. Saturday is "Ashland day," and Ashland should make the most of its day. Nels Darling, who is here at that time, is worth getting acquaint ed with, and the Schumann Quintet will do their best to keep everybody happy. Chautauqua comes but once a year, but when it comes it bring a great supply of instructive entertainment, high grade musical attractions and good, wholesome fun, which is an up lift to the community and a benefit to the people of Ashland in more ways than one will ever know. This will make twenty-three years of Chautauqua advantages for our city, and we have every reason to be proud of our assembly, for people who come from afar have often commented on the work of the Southern Oregon Chautauqua and especially of the true Chautauqua spirit back of it. No other institution outside of the church and the public school has brought so much real benefit to our city; no other one thing has done so much to advertise Ashland among the better class of people; many of our best citizens have settled here be cause of the Chautauqua; our splen did park system, which has now be come one of Ashland's best known at tractions, had its origin in the old Chautauqua park which was saved with all Its natural beauty by the timely purchase of the Chautauqua Association In the hard times of 1893, and greatly developed under the di rection of the Ladies' Chautauqua Park Club. Like the school and like the church, the benefits of Chautau qua are gradual and many pass them without proper credit, but benefits that go on slowly and steadily are usually the ones that count most. It is impossible to estimate the value of such a high grade assembly to this community. Too much thanks can not be given to the officers of the Great Crowds Here assembly who have given so much of their time and energy to make it the successful institution which it Is. No management, however, could have made the Chautauqua "go" and grow without the backing of a great body of citizens, many of them in with very limited means, who have been quick to recognize the merits of its work and who have supported it in "good times" and "hard times" and at all times. Something might be said of those from whom the community ex pects much but who Instead of help ing have been ready with barrels of Ice cold water to quench the enthusi asm of the "pullers" and thwart the development of the assembly. As usual, they are ashamed to reveal the real selfish, narrow reasons that prompted them and Instead have re sorted to a thousand and one little insignificant, technical, microscopic details which were offered In defence of tlicir actions. It Is just such things as these that end to kill every good movement and which have killed the Chautauqua idea in so many other places. It is worth something to Ash land to have the oldest Chautauqua in the northwest, the oldest but one on the coast, and one of the well known assemblies in the whole coun try; for that which we have that is in a class by Itself by right of merit Increases the pulling power of our city; anything which is good and that brings people to Ashland to enjoy is worth while to Ashland. We fre quently hear people say, "It takes so much money out of town." Suppose it does take some money out of town, there are other things that do this, and the standard by which we should judge Is what we get for our money. A circus that has any pull to it at all will take out of a town the size of Ashland more money in one day than Chautauqua does in the whole eleven days, and leave twice as little. A comparison of the cost of Chautau qua attractions, taking into consider ation the quality of talent, shows that an Independent Chautauqua like our ovr., costs the community less than the circuit Chautauquas, and we have many things which they do not have. Get behind the Chautauqua; buy a season ticket and back it with your influence if you can only go but part of the time. It is one of Ashland's best Institutions, and let's boost it and help those who are boosting it, so that they may make it still better. Wreck in Local Yards Injures Many A Bpeclal train loaded with Fourth of July excursionists returning to the valley from Montague crashed into two engines In the local yards early this morning, resulting in injuries which may prove fatal In the case of Fireman Taylor and which placed about thirty-five passengers in the lo cal hospital. The southbound Shasta Limited was standing on the main line. An engine which was to go out on the special backed out onto the main line, closely followed by a helper engine for the Shasta. The special, which was being run as second No. 12, crashed into the two light engines. Engineer Walter Long was slightly injured, Fireman Taylor suffered a broken thigh and other injuries, En gineer Bowers received a broken arm and Engineer Alex Livingston was slightly injured. None of the passengers was seri- ously hurt and many returned to their homes this morning. Tho cars on the special were of steel. Had they been wooden cars they would undoubtedly have been shattered and many killed. The board of inquiry is In session, a special train carrying railroad of ficials coming up from Dunsmulr this morning. V. O. N. Smith and R. P. Nell are local members of the board The board will place the blame for the accident. Until the inquiry is over the railroad officials will give out no information in regard to the wreck and as a result accurate de tails are meager. Portland Federation Women's Clubs advocates free homes for rural school teachers. Eugene factories committee to In vestigate potato starch Industry. Marlon county will lay 20,000 yards hard surface roads this year. Fire Excitement Causes Death Fire at Cold Hill Friday afternoon destroyed the undertaking parlors of A. E. Kellogg, former county coroner, entailing a property loss of $2,000, partially covered by Insurance, and was Incidental to the death of Ii. T. King, manager of the Home Tele phone Company. During the excite ment attendant upon the blaze Mr. King was stricken with heart failure and never revived. Caskets were de stroyed and damaged. The origin of the fire Is believed to have been from the spontaneous com bustion of chemicals kept in the un dertaking parlors. The undertaking parlors adjoin the telephone office, and King was busy packing out apparatus, etc. ,. when he fell to the sidewalk. It was at first thought he had fainted. Medical as sistance was called. King had long been subject to fainting spells. Mr. King is a brother-in-law of Mrs. E. N. Butler of this city and is well known locally. Many Celebrated in Medford Saturday Several score of Ashland people journeyed to Medford last Saturday to celebrate the Fourth of July. The city was full of people but no big preparations had been made for their entertainment. Foot races, band mu sic, h horse race, slow high gear auto tests and a ball game which ended In a row made up the day's entertain- mnt. The ball game promised to be interesting but was forfeited to Med ford in the eighth Inning with the score 5 to 2 in favor of Grants Pass when a decision at the home plate was objected to by the Pass players. More out-of-town people spent the day picnicking In Ashland park than left for outside celebrations. Ash land merchants enjoyed one of the busiest days of the summer. First Forest Fire Now Under Control Forest finf which spread over ap proximately thirty square miles of scrubby timberland between Kogufl Uiver and Grants Pass is now under control. Sunday night all telegraph and telephone lines were down for seven hours. A large force of fire fighters from the surrounding coun try battled with the flames Saturday, Sunday and Monday and are now pa trolling the lines to prevent further spreading. General rains throughout the valley preclude any possibility of further danger. The timber burned over was not valuable. xo iti:w.m FOIl I'ASSKXGF.K I'KiKOXS Recent widespread newspaper ac counts to the effect that the United States Department of Agriculture is offering $10,000 reward to the person finding a passenger or "wood" pigeon nest containing two eggs resulted in hundreds of letters being sent to the department. The report is not based upon facts, as the department has of fered no such reward, and there Is every reason to believe that the pas senger pigeon which formerly roamed the country In flocks of millions is extinct. In 1910 about $1,U in re wards were offered by Clark Univers ity for tho first undisturbed nests of the passenger pigeon to be found In tho United States. This was a great !8timulus to action. The hunt for this pigeon was fruitless. The offer of rewards was renewed for several years until it was fully established that the pigeon was extinct. The passenger pigeon up to 1S85 ranged the American continent east of the Rocky mountains. The mourn ing dove has often been mistaken for the passenger pigeon, which in a gen eral way It resembles. However, this bird Is quite distinct from the pas senger pigeon; it is Bhorter and has different color markings. The press reports stated that the new extinct passenger pigeon was valued because of Its usefulness in destroying the gypsy moth and other moths and pests which are doing mil lions of dollars of damage. Although the preservation of this piegon is much to be desired, It would be of ab solutely no value In eliminating the gypsy moth, as the pigeons are almoBt entirely vegetarian In their diet. Phone Job orders to the Tidings. Railroad Down Coast is Rumored Extension of the Southern Pacific line, now tinder construction between Eugene and Marshfield, to connect with the cost line running from San Francisco to Eureka, is forecasted by the Coos Pay Times after Interview ing H. P. Iloey, engineer in chargo of construction on the Willamette Pa cific. Hail connection between San Fran cisco and Eureka was completed only recently. According to the Times, Engineer Hoey stated that construc tion of the rail line down the coast from Coos Bay would not be under taken until financial conditions be came normal again, but he expressed the conviction that the two points, 260 miles apart, would be connected by rail before other railroad projects were developed. Giving color to the report that tho Southern Pacific i'h contemplating tho construction of this line In the near future, was the visit of William Hood, chief engineer of the company, to ! Marshfield and the country south of there several weeks ago. The chief engineer, after a trip to Portland, camo to Eugene one morning and had his private car sidetracked on tho "Y" Just outside the city at the Junc tion of the Willamette Pacific and tho main lino of the Southern Pacific. The car was picked up by the regular W. P. train later that morning and the engineer was taken to Mapleton. From there Mr. Hood proceeded to Marshfield, and persons there who know him by sight say that he took a trip some distance over the proposed line down the coast toward Eureka. His car was at Mapleton for about a week. Upon his return to Eugene ho was interviewed by a newspaper re porter, but with his usual reticenco he did not divulge the object of his trip. Bryan May See Crater Lake William J. Bryan, ex-secretary of state and thrice nominee for tho presidency, may visit Crater Lake next month on invitation of the Med ford Commercial Club. Mr. Bryan ia Fourth of July orator at the San Francisco exposition and a few days later pusses through Medford. Tho club received the following wire In answer to its invitation: "Lincoln, Neb., June 30." "Commercial Club, Medford, Ore.: "Your program pleases us. May accept. Plans not yet completed." The following is the invitation sent by the club: "William J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb.: "The Medford Commercial Club cordially Invites yourself and party to visit Oregon's scenic wonder, Cra ter Lake, as their guests on your western trip a six-hour automobile journey over good roads, through a scenic wonderland, returning via Klamath Lakes. Figure on spending two days from tho timo you leave train until you retake it, and we guar antee them among tho most profit able you ever spent." Thousands Enjoy Quiet Fourth Fully four thousand people gath ered in the Ashland and Lithia parks . Monday and enjoyed a Fourth of July celebration which wns as enjoy able as It was unique. A big picnic dinner and band concerts were sub stituted for the usual dusty parade and noisy fireworks. Brief speeches were made by C. I). Watson, Mayor Johnson, Prof. Lariniore and B. R. Greer. Two thousand out-of-town people visited the park during the day and everybody enjoyed a most sensible celebration. In the evening; one hundred and fifty couples en joyed the big dance at the Natator lum. The wonderful progress which has been made in tiro park work was the cause for unlimited favorable comment. About three hundred cars were parked in the auto camp grounds during the course of the day. Every available spot along the mil a of creek in the park was occupied by a picnic party. Astoria Hill Bteamer Northern PaPcIfic lands 484 passengers and 350 tons freight, the largest load since started. Eugene State university will put In printing plant.