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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1922)
CITY EDITION tea All Hkr4 and It's Alt True -COMMUNITY N'WS The Communi ty news page of th Sunday Journal : five Journal readers a close-up -view of f Hands and' relatives in the reslden- -tial sections ef Greater Portland,- There is no section of the paper that will be found' mora absorbingly Interesting. CITiY EDITION ff All Here and I f$ All True iTHB WEATHER-iTwiifht, enow ; not . so cold ; Staurday. rain 3 winds turn ing to southeasterly. Portland i...S',JNew Orleans ...70 " Chicago '.-i;.VS. S i New York , ..,..80 Los Angeles - . . 48 i Helena . . i ..... .- VOLXX. NO; 34. Entered u Saemd-tilias Matter at Poauffies. Pvruaad. Oiccoa PORTLAND, OREGON,? FRIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER - 8 1922. TWENTY-FOUR PAGES,. ;price : two; cents, aav"AS20,vs?: OUT 27 ASTORIA. ML ted between mmmrnmmmimm FIRE. WIPES LOSS - . ISESTIMA ALL BUSINESS AREA IS OBtlTERATED IN TEffilFYIlfliiES 'Four BanRs, Two Newspaper Plants, Both Telegraph .Offices, Weinhard Hotel, Blue Mouse, Liberty and. Star Theatres, in Addition to. 0 Fellows, Elks and Red Men's Halls Razed; City Hall and Hospital Damaged; Patients Moved to Safety. Astoria, Dec." t. Twenty-seven est structures, are a. mass or Emouiaering. smoKing ruins today as a. result 'of a' fire which' originated in a restaurant ' at 2:15 this morning and raged unchecked until 11 o'clock. . The damage is estimated be tween $10,000,000 and $15,000,000. Two lives were forfeited in the of jhe Bank of Commerce,. 'succumbed to heart disease, induced by ex citement incident to Jiis 'efforts to help save automobiles in a garage. This afternoon the body of George J. Smith, a logger, was found hang- t lng from the dock, it is believed in the turmoil of the flaming disaster 'and went to the waterfront and ended his life. The Weinhard hotel,' Hostler's candy store, the newspaper plants of the Budget and the Morning Astorian, the American Railway Express company, the Pomial and Western: Union offices, First National,. Astoria Savings & Trust , company. Bank, of Commerce, .Astoria National, the Blue Mouse, liberty" and Star theatres, Elks club. Odd Fellows', hail, Bee Hive 'department store and the Red "Men's hall "are among the structures which have been obliterated. At 10 o'clock the Logan block, in occupied the second Yloor. and the Prael-EIgner Auto company the main floor, was burning, with tio hope that It would be-saved, '.-'-. W : The Ore was halted after ' It ' had swept as far as the city hail and the ' Catholic hospital. For a time little " hope was held for the saving of these buildings.'' but' desperate efforts of rweary firefighters-at last triumphed. Patients had been moved , from - the hospitals to places e? safety, c FIGHTEUS-HAatPSREB: 7 f One renert has It that the fire -der ; partment was considerably hampered ' in it early efforts by failure of the water eupply.-l L ,-'' ,:- . -b The city will be. bi complete darkness tonight save for flashlights or oil lamps that may be used.;; Cable lead ; era to - the pewer plant were burned ' out and the service - cut off.'v I M. '.- Buck and H. !- Raesa, engineer for the telephone company, say - they exr pect the city's phone connnunicetlons to be restored shortly. The telephone office was saved, but -the downtown service plant was destroyed. t SOCKS ARB SATBB,' t , The fire was kept from the Sanborn . docks on the waterfront. The construction of Commercial street was one of the main factors of the spread of the flames. The street : was built - on piling - with - a . wooden floor, on which pavement had been laid. The open space under the street acted as a' duct, spreading. the flames in. all directions, to buildings across, up and down the street. Central headquarters of the Astoria fire department, 'directly across . the , street from the- location of the latest blaze was damaged. The courthouse,, postoffice and tele phone exchange are still standing, so far apparently . out of , reach of the '-. flame. , The flamea were fanned during the early hours ef the fire -by a strong north wind, which switched later to 'the south. A heavy rain fell 'during . the morning -hours. SPXEABS RAriOLT ". v The rapid spread of the flames is considered due to the numerous frame buildings in the path of the conflagra- ; tion. . .. ' ' rynamite was used in half a dozen places te rase buildings in an effort t check the flame. The long dls- tance - telephone "offices ? were tempo rarily established in the clgjr hail .as n emergenry. . The only means of communication out of town: tor, a time vas by telephone, as both telegraph f offices were destroyed. ; r-,-,,. i-t' - Xineteen city blocks nad been, rased '' r were ; burned at 7iSO o'clock.- j The fire area extended, from Astor to Tu m, four blocks, and from Ninth to lth streets. -Tlirev blocks between . Kighth and Ninth streets and two be tween Exchange and Franklin" streets were partially destroyed. STARTS IS RESTAVRAXT ' - v Cause of the fire had not been de- iermined. The flarr.es broke out in Thlel Brothers' restaurant' .and pool : room on Commercial . street, between . 11th and litn streets, across the street frotr Hoeflers.- The blase spread so rapidly that all efforts to cheek It were fruitless and. appeals were .sent, out to nearby "towns for help. - . . - Guests at the -Weinhard Astoria ho tel were warned and left.- Lodgers in . the rooming houses were Also' waned and escaped. ". ' ' a i By o'clock the block bounded by Commercial. . Bond, Uth. and. -12th t W',enalii,.Wl,MWa,,,!nwlw,,,bI:lw LLC city - blocks, Including Astoria's choic holocaust. Nprris Staples, president that Smith temporarily lost his mind which the Astoria Business college Nyquist Motor Car company and streets was completely destroyed,,' the flames had Jumped Commercial street and were eating their . way through the adjoining block and 'had also tumoed Bond "street; wiped out Ihe Mason-Ehr- (Coaehtiad m Fate TS.. Column Xto) iiaings Destroyed f. . .... - . i Astoria, Ueo. 8. Included in the buildings destroyed in today's fire are Temple of Astoria lodge of Elks to gether with Its magnificent furnisninga. valued at more than $50,000. ,Troy laundry, one of .the largest in Oregon outside of Portland, owned by John Tait. for many years & laundry man in the Rose City. Home of the Young Women's Chris ten j Association. Old Astoria theatre, for many years the.' leading playhouse for road shows here." Five-etory Weinhard hotel, owned by the .Weinhard estate of Portland and conducted by F. N. Whitman since 1914, is, but a. blackened shell of its once proud sell Four banks, the Astoria National bank, which occupied a fine structure of two stories, white glased brick and was Just completing 925,000 worth of alteration work ; the .Bask of Com merce, the Astoria Savings bank, which occupied a fine five-story pressed brick (CmcIbM ras Fin. Column One) Detroit. Mich.. Dec 8.-HII. N. S.V Mrs. May Ford, wife of Key Pord, wealthy second cousin of Henry Ford, automobile king, broke down complete ly,, when arraigned todav to iim-r charge that She plotted to have her hua- Dua muraered. 1 Mrs. Ford became so hysterical ehe was led tmk She recovered her compo- puic, itiunien ana pleaded not guilty i nura. juagt Marsh fixed her ball , at $25,000 and -ordered her exam ination for December 18. r. roro was arrested last night by Detective Sergeant Ovid Stralth as she was standing at Woodward and i em pie avenues waiting to meet the gunman" who was to kill Ford, po lice charge. Smythe's Condition Has Not Changed Chicago, Dec 1 Physicians fc re ported today: that the condition of Dan P. Smythe of Pendleton, Or., was un changed. No i operation has yet been performed on the Oregon banker.. , SuKrapT xmimmmmmmmmmumxmmmm asinnatiatitnmiianancnniainmantacMHaa )YD 'GEORGE TO WRITE 'THE JOURNA L has - g - y - , f ; i lished'nexl Sunday. General View of the Down-Town District THIS view, looking east, gives an excellent idea of the business cbstrkt which has ben house (No. 2). These buildings are on Eighth street, which marks the westward boundaxyof the fire. iThetwo structuresrwere not burned, but practe is gone. The einhard-Astoria hotel (No. 3), at Twelfth and Duane streets, is among the prominent structures "destroy ed, a$ is the Spexarth buU were not destroyed. Arrow indicates where fire started, opposite Hoeffler's restaurant in; Commercial street 1 " f 5 ' ; 'T--s". ..' ' -: .' liiiilpliilSiili r-- f-wW' ' .. x -. i GIVE SUCCOR Mayor SlBnd ? jBodJbf r Inquiry to Astdiiais ! Fond ; ManyBidies to Aid; The sympathies:, of Portland . and its great heart, gf generosity were deeply touched -earlythis morning .when the extent of the conflagration at 'Astoria became apparent. From widespread sources there began at once the fori mation of plans for1 immediate relief. The stricken' city was assured.- even while the fire was-at its he ighC that its sister city , of Portland would do all within its power to .alleviate dis-' tress and help inthis-me of dird emergency..,. , ;-"v"i-'' ' .That Astoria . may .depend -upon ample supplies, and -i whatever .other service Pprtland aa a -city 'government and its citizens as individuals can furnish was made certain early when various agencies began to coordinate their efforts to , prepare.: for the for-, warding of whatever isneeded by the homeless Astorians. i-f s The city government the Red Cross, the American Lgion, the Chamber of Commerce, the Portland Ad club and other organisations began eacry in the day to plan for assistance. , Mayor Baker tendered to the mayor of Astoria aU available help, either in the way of police, guards-or food supplies. On his own initiative he got in touch with Colonel Anderson at Vancouver barracks, and the colonel at once agreed to provide relief, sup plies and men from that point.' to en train on one hour's notice, as' soon as it could be definitely determined that Astoria should have Uo have outside help at -once. ..'' rw. --;,-' -f-a -, .. Colonel ; Anderson made arrange ments to send. In charge of Major King five officers and 75 men of Company K. Seventh regiment, with ene medical officer and a staff of eight assistants, and supplies consisting, of 15.000 ra tions. 1500 blankets. - 500 - cots, " mat- (Coaeladwl Pas NiMteea, 0hua Sre Traffic Chief GTo'es To Aid1 of Astoria Salem. Dec .-T.' A. .Raffety. chief of the state traffic bureau, with all state traffic men available, left today for Astoria to patrol the lower Co lumbia highway and aid In handling traffic in Astoria-i' I . ,s. 1 , - .- ..... Ti-1 f - PORTIWO t X . BifntntNiianenwtauaasiiMisuaiiaiiaiianiianwiiaMnSttrai secured the t j w - -v-- . "af" " , These cable dispatches, WKiWiH;itimn trwwaiii nite-i;t.ririr-HIii!rtBMitnMinBnuM '!"ff"im"l"W t' ' J US'1 tquipmentp Jk At are A special train ' wito. ftrefighUng ap- -parat us, v hose - and - firemen lft, ..here at I m today to. jissist Ja fighting the conflagration sweeping over 'the business district ot Astoria Fire Chief Young received'-woed ihis forenoon . that the flrefigbtlng-equipment ajd men sent from 'Portland b'y special train arrived at Asforia at 10 .o'clock and were able Immediately to get into position to do -some effective work., The party swasr organised ifry Fire Ch'jlcAh, Young and Walter Tong; of pe, iIcBg company, local rep resentative of the American France Fire Apparataus company.-. , Two steamers, one pumper, f 000 eet of hose 'and eight men were taken down on the -special train. : long '' furnished . the pumper;' Which is the same one used at the Washington high school fire, li is kept on .hand in .the salesroom of the A. -G. Long company. Chief Young received a call for as sistance at -.30 in. the morning, and, immediately after obtaining pcrmls- (Cueladed on Put Mre. Ookoma Tint on 1 ' Fire losses over the state during this year , have . been -heavier tham during any -previous 'year-on ;-record.' accord ing to Information obtained today from the Oregon insurance rating bureau.: .More than: $10,000,000 will be the total paid out by Insurance companies, according to an -'estimate made by James. N. McCune, ' head off the rat ing bureau-; while 'the ; total' received by Insurance companies on premiums will approximate $ 4,000,000. ; McCune said fire hazards tn Astoria were - such that ' about: a . year ago. after a personal investigation, he re fused a reduction in.- insurance ratea . For some time prior. to the Investi gation citlsens and boosting organisa tions , of Astoria had been urging " a reduction in rates,' basing ' their- con tention on the claim that Astoria "never had fires. McConesaid his in vestigation showed . that there - was I tremens Sejiffib Fire VJrreg 922 Bad Year i!tiiianmuiitiiitiiiTrainiinwiTwiiit)aiiii,iiiiitiiiilinjliimiii AffniTiAiTtnnr1ATnnmpni. the. will contain his vUwsxm internatidnal topics.: Watch for mm j w v a are J W ' Vr 1 li Emm JS-' '1' t "vy e- Have' 5rte orr mestUity , on CdasV' SayCftizens j 'te 1 Make Plans Todayi' v f -By Philip Parrtih - Jooraal Staff. Correspondent , , 'Astoria, Dec "We have the site i er . the finest city on the Pacifio coast," .These- words by a prominent -Astoria business, man . indicate the spirit . ot optimism that' pervades this stricken city .following the most disastrous. eon-? flagration in tha history .of the Paclflxs northwest; "'" ,'; : ' V,.. As did San FrancJsco. so will Astoria1 rebuild, - the substantial' elti sens say, looking -toward the future. The hope ful "attitude ..with which ' they face the" problem, of reconstruction is typical of the entire city. f . . ; ' , 5 . The business men are .meeting this afternoon to lay plans for the future and to provide means of relief for the present. No food supplies .are needed,' according , to R. H. lioekini assistant to Astoria's mayor, asi the three big food supply warehouses of Allen A jOnoelndd oa Ts Twenty. Qotngm rimr) some' basis for this ' contention, since th record of the city -was unusually good.-but that the condition of the buildings offset its ootimistie record. McCune said the prevalence of frame-! DUUdtngs made it Impossible for -the rates to.be reduced. ! : ' At the time -of the request 'to . re duction, an additional' - pumper ' had been purchased and , other improve ments made in the fire department. ' . Since the time of ; this investigation a. year ago,, the fire' record of Astoria has been growing steadily 'worse, Mc Cune said. Before that time bad fires had . been i almost entirely in lumber mills op the ootsktrts, but during the year the " trouble has been mostly, in the srbustness district. 3 ' ' Conditions in Portland are reported to be much better than over the- state at large,' where most of the loss sus- 1 .nnirj .il Jl'J S Sar asaT a WW .WS VMI tes ." J j Losses Heavy Insurers jsnsusim suiaMtiiStttGIsaitnsufiiatiililisHtittnt!4t(imiK IT , ? ' PiSIfJTfO;': - t' - . tr ' . ' 'n " i rtardi Kg Says in l.f essage H e k : i nj. ask .uovernorsA wi tu-i; '013f BY RAPiOf " i. Washington, Dec, tJ-iV. P.) For the ' first time in ltory tlte word of -a president .as he. Appears before congress 'with ' his annual message will be heard in distant parts .of the country. President .Harding,-when he appears before congress today, will speak directly ? Into . a r radio transnatten-'sHl-wor4sXwillI be, broadcast through s' the - naval1? air' staUon at 'Anacbstiar It is Expect ed that the presldentHrni--be- heard .as tarwes as theRockymaunans. UByBavld lwreace ' 1 - MOopyriht. -4J2.bjT Journal.) - Washington, Dec, S. President 'Hard ing, has taken complete cognizance In his message to congress today of the labor ,. problems "which , made, the elec torate so restless this year andvbrought suck a confused result in the elections Just month ago. J , ' - The ' president says something on nearly every.- subject which might have had anything to 'do: with, the balloting or which might affect the course of af fairs in- the national referendum in 1924, Members , of both parties 4wlll agree that irrespective tof. the merit of Mrl Harding's proposals whether - they 'con stitute a .cure for .the- ills oy a. plea in avoidance, 'the- president has- neverthef less by his. recitation of problems given a. comprehensive account ot , "the .state ef - the 'Union,' ) : , ' "Much of what Mr." Harding has reo ommended does -not-come - as a am pi Isay. tOeacludwl . Fas Tuaalj.- Cokuaa One) TOKPEGPLE OUT a , , Modems, Italy. Dee. S.-r-TJ. P. Six hundred ' persona wseapad t today from the little town of Fiandegalli where a hundred- bouses already have collapsed in a landslide, and complete destine tion is threatened. The town -has been deserted and Its inhabitants are hornet teas. f. ' - ---' ' ' t I ANSI IDE DRIVES S1lIWIJIltSSItS''SWStltlliniWltlMMSIIllWirsHllllitltHtw l iny yu JLJ JUJr: JL :.Jvj,.jjvJ.J J-lLu 9m w ? - -a vr ea '"'' r-- " - this supei'featurt i by one of ; i-AV. AstprijiiMsf' --yto.' i. T. V ijW J i.-V . 4 1"Astoria.itoe,:OlesltysnntonlyVln preg6n but, the entire TKorthwest,. rose jto-disUhc'tion'in : 3the earjyjdays'rwhen, lt twsatneTcenter'tof the ; fluarrel)be-' weentneVrUnlted I States? and .Great Arital-n n-r Siirera.ini v. Of vthA 'North- west territory t 2-1 " ' s .-. ,Th: first American visitor to, the site of i Astoria "was ""Captain : RobertGray of Boston i who visited- the Columbia river in :t7?iln his ehlpi'ithe Columbia. Lewis and Clarki ent their: memorable 'expedition through - the - Northwest,' passed Astoria In i06 andrwon ' the frieirdshlp of the Indians. whlch later proved a valuable asset to the Ameri can expedltlen sent out by ' John. Jacob A.tor.-rr-v-rnt-fv ' astob; FtrKiriSHES ,fjjwds ryf. .. .. This expedition wasv organised at the request - off K President, r Jefferson f tc found a" trading post- Astor furnished funds, amounting to J400,000 for the! expedition which toft- New York. Sep tember 8, 1810. ' - - .---f-r ' t - Six other 'men-accompanied' Astor, as chief ssoT the expedition. They were Duncan MeDoogal, Donald McKenste, Alex McKay.Wllson Price-Hunt; Rob ert " Stuart and 'Captain .Jonathan- -.Thome, master of the Tonquin.. - These men' later proved the undoing, of -the expedition ' and" resulted 'in the seisure of the trading pcisf byi'the British, ?-- ; On March 22, 1811. the Tonquin with the : expedition aboard, arrived off the Columbia river. A 'cite half way be tween Tongue Point and Point Oeorge was chosen as tH location ; for the post that is now Astoria. .The town was (CoBchvlcd en Fm.Two, Colons -Uvea) , Guafd Trdops to ' . Eush.Assistance ; .ToFireBefugees Preparations of the Oregon National Guard to transport tents, field kite ens, cots and blankets to-Astoris-enouffh to care - for.- ,3000 persons '-jwere v begun about noon'- at CTackamaa, , where,v a small detachment ,-of men, started load ing the equipment on special, cars-; ' The "actkM was taken von - orderV of Adjutant OeneWr Oeorge A. White" while .it was still doubtful: whether the residence' olst rict' would be destroyed. General " WhlteaTrtver ready, to go to Astoria,' wUK'S detachment f' 109 men to -transport the' equipment,' In case It Is necessary. ': , ' v v.''i frxf ni which WilV he r tiub .f " ," T ' .f world's master statesmen: -'vp.. " i'- r -MWWA Passenger Coaches Boun'd.From J A Seaside- to Portland -.Stopp 3d . r 1 v by Astoria", Fire..- . v ; . t , 4 To avoid cutting the4lines of fire, hose ' stretched: across the tracks the morn- , ing v train of the' S.4 P. A- S. between Seaside and, Portland was abandoned . on the-western (Outskirts of Astoria at 8,v o'clcxik - this morning - and - another complete trainfwaa made op at the ; station .-.on he east end pt the - town, according to R. O. Burgess, br&kemau of the train,-who arrived here at 1 :.10 on. the: train which brought the first eyv -witnesses pi xne-dm. ? . - . - iBurgesa. aid . it was 'necessary to transfer-. all mail "and . baggage back behmd'the hiir around the city to 'the station . at the east end of the town. The transfer .delayed the train over an hour.. . : -:; t:- 7"v- f ; SCSPICT FIBEBUO ,:' ' , ' Burgess ".and passengers- on the train gave a graphic description of the fire, r which was at its height when the train left Astoria shortly after o'clock. )rVtalked with theehlef of the' fire.. department, and frorarwhat he told nv rnr nut lii or 'I S.;,-W -M w w t li lb. v f .f- viMfc... L'J J iJ. .H-1!. Ml, . there seems to be little doubt-that the fire was.' of , incendiary; origin," , said i, BorgwiA-v f '., . - - - ; . r, -"Witnesses who' saw the fire in' its , "tarly .stages rail-' agreed - that-tt.'. a pna- -, rentiy; started in, three or four dtffer- . ent places simultaneously Burgess ; continued' ' "-V1:"' t 'The 'time of . the starting of the, fire was . about Z :30, -aocording to whs t 'Burgess Van told In 'i Astoria. ' '' -The breaking of ' fire ulains . abott 7:45 Hn several v section' of the Tity temporarily put the fighting apparatus , out -'ofoommission' until the --firemen were able iarig up pumpers near the . waterfront and pump water up from . the bay., " , TBAIX ABA5DOHED T . "he "hoseplaced. across' the S. P. & S. tracks along the waterfront to the -purnpers, which were down as close as possible to the.' waterfront, made It ' necessary ;f or ! the', train to. be aban- ; dobed, , Burgess said there' was some fire alongxthej tracks - sll, -the twey -around the edge of the city, but thai they would have, been able to; get (Csftdndeii . Tw Swta8.' Cobuna Two) ; 1-Thel i text f President Harding's message v will fce found on, Page, 6..V ' 1' , t J: It -L i . IT Jl t ff V f 4.