V v ;
(;T.f,r. . ' r.
4
In Freak Explosion A fireman pours chemicals into burn
ing automobile in which Mrs. Ursula Adams, of Alameda,
Calif., was killed near Martinez, Calif. The driver, John Esta
was seriously burned, as was Pvt. Burnett Hale of Fairfield
Suisun airbase, who rescued Esta from flames. Highway
patrolmen Gordon Campbell and Neil McClintock said the
" car was driven through a low-hanging cloud of gas that ap
parently came from a leaking overhead pipe which carried
waste from an oil refinery to a nearby dump. (AP Wire-photo)
GLIMPSES AT HIGHWAY HISTORY IV
Oregon's Road System Grew
Like Topsy at Many Points
By RALPH WATSON
Just at what point Oregon's highway system first started well
might be the subject of debate.
Like little Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin, it seems to have "just
growed" at widely separated points in the state and at rela
tivelv the same time.
Samuel Lancaster recalls in
the first annual report of the
commission that road viewers
had been appointed in Multno
mah county, May 25. 1910, at the
insistence of E. Henry Wemme
and other original highway en
thusiasts, to map out the Colum
bia highway through Multnomah
county to the Hood .River coun
ty line.
The survey was made, the road
formally declared a public high
way on April 29, 1911, and a
county work force built 1.8 miles
of steep and crooked roadway.
The county ran afoul of the
Union Pacific right of way and
work stopped.
In the fall of 1912, Simon Ben
son advanced $10,000 to Gover
nor Oswald West with which to
finance his "Honor Camp" where
convicts were employed to build
the roadway around the base of
Shell Rock Mountain in Wood
River, which had been assumed
to be an impassable barrier.
In 1913 construction was undertaken-
all along the line.
The influence of Samuel Hill,
railroad builder and highway
enthusiast, in the mapping of the
first highway routes ought not
to be lightly considered.
Prior to 1913 he had been ac
tivcly fostering the construction
of an "international highway.
to reach from Canada south
through Washington, Oregon:
California, to the Mexican bor
der. He built a road from Golden-
dale to his "castle" at Maryhill,
established a ferry across the
Columbia from there to Biggs
. toward which he contributed
largely of his own funds, and was
voted money by the Washington
legislature to build along the
north bank of the Columbia.
When his construction there
ran into reaches of $30,000
mile, the Washingtonians de
veloped cold feet, failed to vote
more money, and Sam Hill came
across into Oregon, bringing Ma
jor L. Bowlby, Samuel Lancaster
and Charles H. Purcell with him,
The 1913 legislature estab
lished the first highway depart
ment under the command of the
state board, Governor Oswald
West, Secretary Ben W. Olcott
and Treasurer T. B Kay, and
they took over the job by hiring
Bowlby as the first state high
way engineer, who in turn made
Lancaster his assistant and put
Purcell at the head of the bridge
engineering division
Lancaster was assigned the
task of laying out the Columbia
highway through Multnomah to
Hood River county aided by
$75,000 appropriated by Mult
nomah county to help finance
the work.
Jackson county was the first
county to take advantage of the
county bonding amendment by
voting $500,000 bonds in No
vember, 1913, to start at the
California line and build north
over the Siskiyous "as far as
the money will go."
Clatsop county followed suit
with $400,000 to start at the Til
lamook line, north through Sea
side and Astoria and on east to
the Columbia boundary.
Columbia added $300,000 in
bonds and a $95,000 special tax
to finance its section of the
highway, about which a recall
election swept one set of county
officers out and put a new set
in before the funds were applied
as intended.
Hood River voted $75,000 ir
bonds in July, 1914. Wasco sur
veyed a route acros sthe county
and scheduled to construct in
1916.
Bowlby assumed office June
3, 1913, and went out March 31,
1915.
State engineer John H. Lewis
was given the dual role of that
and state engineer by the 1915
legislature. He delegated the
job to his assistant, E. I. Can
tine, who served until January
19, 1916, when the supreme
court dumped the job back into
Lewis s lap where it rested un
til the reorganization of the
department by the 1917 legis
lature when Herbert Nunn be
came the first state highway en
ginner, as the commission now
is set up.
Rapid strides were made ir
construction in the period be
tween June, 1913, and the close
of 1916. '
Major Bowlby, in summing
up results to October 1, 1914.
shows that from 1903 to Octo
ber 1, 1914, a total of $2,087,869
had been spent in bridge con
struction while $19,883,259 had
gone into highway construction
a large part of this having come
Polk Council
Meets Friday
The spring meeting of the
Polk county agricultural plan
ning council has been scheduled
for Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the
county courthouse, according to
county extension agent N. John
Hansen.
The purpose of the meeting is
to review the committee reports
made by the various subcommit
tees during the winter months
and then select those recommen
dations that should be followed
by the extension service during
the remainder of the year.
'John Scheel, assistant to the
director of extension service at
Oregon State college, will at
tend the meeting.
Members of the agricultural
planning council are Claude
Larkin, Rickreall, chairman:
Marvin May, Dallas, chairman
of poultry committee; Kenneth
Elliott, Dallas, chairman of horticulture-
committee; Dean Walk-
Independence, chairman of
specialty crops committee; Ray
Hobson, Amity, chairman of
dairy committee; Wiley Gardner,
Dallas, chairman of livestock
committee; Joe Harland, Hick-
reall, chairman of land use com
mittee; Robert Farmer, Salem,
chairman of farm crops commit
tee; Mrs. Robert Hamilton, Rick
reall, chairman farm home and
rural life committee; Mrs. H. A.
Flux, Monmouth, chairman of
home economics county com
mittee; Clarence Schukar, Wil
lamina, president of 4-H Local
Leaders association.
Savings Bonds
Topic of Talk
That United States savings
bonds, widely held throughout
the country, is a great factor is
providing stability for the coun
try, was the assertion of Robert
Alton, vice president and trust
officer for the United States Na
tional bank when he addressed
the Salem Kiwanis club Tuesday
noon on the subject of "A New
Economic Stabilizer."
Alton spoke of the $15,000,000
in government bonds held by the
people of Salem and of the 24 Vi
million throughout Marion coun
ty as constituting a backlog
which could be spent in times of
economic distress.
While the speaker admitted
urging people to be thrifty and
saving while the government
continually spends more than it
receives might make for red
faces in some quarter, Alton said,
those higher up might take the
hint if the "little people" saved
their money.
Three new members became
affiliated with the Kiwanis club
Tuesday noon: Ethan Grant,
Bruce Pickett and Robert Bo-lanos.
Grauman Bequest to Child
Sweetheart May Be Forged
Hollywood. March 15 U.R County Counsel Harold W. Kennedy
started work today to learn whether a crudely-printed supposed
bequest of showman Sid Grauman is a forgery.
The note, purportedly written by Grauman, left part of his
estate to an alleged childhood sweetheart.
Kennedy said his inquirj-
would pursue the possibility the
Capital Journal, Salem, Ore., Wednesday, March 15, 1950 9"
Jefferson Theater
Involved in Sale
Jefferson The Jefferson
Mint theater and also theaters
at Monroe and Alsea have been
sold to Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Broxoms of Estacada by Bob
Haliday. The Broxoms have tak
en possession and have pur
chased the Lester Stephenson
house in south Jefferson and
they and son Lewis will move
here.
The theater will be closed un
til March 31 while undergoing
improvements. A ramp will be
put in the floor, and lobby and
aisles will be carpeted and also
will add new seats. He also plans
to put in a new sound equipment
and projectors to improve the
sound and clearness of the
movies. Bob Haliday will be em
ployed by a theater company in
Washington.
note was forged by an unknown
person. He added that he had
learned that the famed showman
had a habit of hand-printing let
ters and documents.
Two other sets of claimants
were eyeing Grauman's estimat
ed $500,000 estate. Grauman
died March 5 without leaving a
will and with no close relatives.
The note received four days
after his death read:
"My childhood sweetheart
shall receive 32,000 in cash of
my lifes savings. Her name
Carrie J. Adair of 243 South
Olive street, Los Angeles. Sid
Grauman."
Mrs. Adair was located at the
address but denied sending the
note to probate court. She said
she had known Grauman when
she was in her teens. She had
not filed for legal recognition
as an heir.
. Irving Ackerman, prominent
theater owner and friend of
Grauman, said in San Francisco
that he did not know Mrs. Adair.
"I never heard of her and
never heard the name Carrie
Adair during my lifetime," he
said.
One petition for legal recog
nition as heir was filed by Grau
man's secretary, Gertrude Skall;
the California Trust Co.; Essie-
mae Cohen, and Edwin Speyer.
It said Miss Cohen and Speyer
were first cousins of Grauman
and that there were 23 other
heirs.
A second petition was filed by
S. Ernest Ach on behalf of him
self and four other members of
the Ach family who live in Cin
cinnati. They also said they
were the showman's first cousins.
They were not mentioned in the
first petition.
Hearing on both petitions was
set for March 30.
Porter, accompanied by Mrs.
Porter, were two of the 150
members of the Marion county
democratic group attending the
1 o'clock dinner at the Mayflow
er on Sunday, presided over bv
the county chairman, Luis Mar-tine-Lally.
Although Porter has been a
prominent executive in the
Porter Would Aid
'Working People'
Silverton "I feel that the
plain working people of Marion
county deserve a seat in the sen
ate," announced Frank M. Por
ter when he told that he had
filed as a democrat for the race.
wr
grange and the Veterans of For-)
eign Wars, this is his first ven
ture into real politics. .
Mrs. Porter is a member of
a well known pioneer family,
the former Bessie Bentson. They
have a daughter of high school
age, Miss Lois Porter. Porten
is a native of the Silverton com-'
munity.
The
EXACT SAME
whiskey as
distillers drink!'
ITSSURE-TO-POry
MM :
I $io $195 jrSKtfli
fyMStXml BLENDED WHISKEY
85 PROOF. 75 GRAIN NEUTRAL SPIRITS. THE WILKEN FAMILY CO., LAWRENCEBURG, IND.
Garden Group Meets
Willamina The garden de
partment of the Civic club met
at the home of Berniece Soules.
Two members, Mary Christy and
Annette Crambelt were admit
ted. The next meeting will be
at the home of Ellen Brandt in
McMinnville.
Red Cross Campaign
Workers Announced
Silverton Kenneth Brown,
local attorney, general chair
man of Silverton Red Cross
campaign, reports things get
ting well under way.
Captains already named are
for rural districts, Karl Haber
ly, Craig Clark for business
sections, Mrs. Bill Duncan for
west side, Mrs. Ernest R. Ekman
for south side, Mrs. H. H. Hol
land east side and Mrs. V. E.
Pettit for north side, all resi
dential districts.
from county bonds and county
road levies.
The state really took over the
highway construction program
commencing with the adminis
tration of the first appointed
highway commission, consisting
of Simon Benson, Portland,
chairman; W. L. Thompson, of
Pendleton, E. J. Adams. Eu
gene, appointed March 6, 1917,
by Governor James Withy
combe.
100t.$1000&".,
Auto or Personal
COMMERCIAL
CREDIT PLAN
INCOHPORATIDta
Balero Ui-ncj: 46 N Church St TeL 34161
I ? J9., as I
BREWED AND
BOTTLED BY
COLUMBIA BREWERIES, INC. i
A C O M A '
WASHINGTON
Everyone Knows Only
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Howard J. Smalley
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srateu a t-eauiii center
RILLING
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PERMANENT
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For Appointment, Pleas Phone 2-0992
Jlaley 6 deauty. denier
In the Capitol Shopping Center
Lots of Free Parking Space ' North End Sears Bldg.
We Give S&H Green Stamps 1114 Union Street
VZcO&l
ft j s ! 1
See the snow-capped
through giant picture windows
ON THE STREAMLINED Sjta&VtUfyAt
One-way Roundtrip .
To San Francisco
$12.00 $21.60
To Lot Angeles
$19.15 $34.50
'Plus Federal Tai
SHASTA DAYLIGHT provides convenient ,
overnight connection to Us Angeles.
A trip to San Francisco en the (tntununtd Shasta Day
light la a scenic thrill every day but never more beautiful
than now.
Safe, emit; and warm in a luxurious car you speed
through the snow-mantled Cascades. Through huge,
picture windows you sea forest, lake and stream and
mighty Mt. Shasta resplendent In their winter dress of
ice and snow.
Fast momlng-to-nlght run from Portland. Beautiful
chair cars, tavern, coffee shop and dining cars. All chair
car seats reserved but no charge for reservation.
SP
Tha friendly Southern Pacific
C. A. LARSON, Agent
Phone 3-9244
SPRINGTIME SALE
Of Quality Wallpapers
CEILING PRICES AT LOWEST PRICES IN YEARS
3 PATTERNS IVORY CEILING PAPER
These Regularly Sell at 27c to 39c Single Roll
SALE PRICE
(0)c
J f Single
Roll
HIGH QUALITY WALLPAPER
In a wide assortment of patterns and colors for all rooms
. . . selected from our regular stock and regularly sold
from 45c to $1.00 a single roll.
SALE PRICE r . U "C
EXCELLENT SELECTION
Of many patterns for bedroom, kitchen, dining room and
living room high grade papers which sold for $1.50 to
$1.80 per single roll. b. sK
SALE PRICE s Ron 29c
WE URGE PROMPT ACTION TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT