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About Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1915)
CEmtttttt VOL. 27 (THE HOME PAPEE) DALLAS, POLK COUNTY. OREGON. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1915. (TWICE-A-WEEK) NO. SS plk lb EARLY DAY FIREMEN DALLAS HOOK AND LADDER COMPANY HAS HISTORY. Many of City's Prominent Citizens , Were Members of Pioneer Fire Protection Force. On December 5, 1894, forty young men signed their names to a pledge to appear at a meeting five days later for the purpose of organizing the Dal las Hook and Ladder company. The village had grown beyond the old Ter ror Engine company and the erection of many buildings demanded a ladder equipment. It had been ten years since the organization of old Terror company and many of the members of that historic organization allied them 'selves with the hook and ladder com pany. J. M. Sears, B. H. Grant and II. B. Cosper were appointed mem bers of a committee at the first meet ing, December 10, 1894, to draft a constitution and by-laws. At the sec ond meeting a week later this commit tee presented a revision of the con stitution and by-laws of the Salem company and these were adopted. A fine of 15 cents was set as a standard for absence from the first roll call and an additional 10 cents for absence from the second. U. S. Grant was elected president; H. L. Crider, sec- . rotary; C. E. Shaw, treasurer; A. V. R. Snyder, foreman; F. J. Coad, first assistant foreman; Al. Dray, second assistant; George Bowles, janitor, and H. L. Fenton, C. G. Coad and H. B. Cosper, trusllees. Robert Chapman, B. H. Grant and J. M. Sears were ap pointed members of a finance commit tee. Plans were made on December 17 to celebrate the New Year with a grand ball in conjunction with Terror company. Mark Hayter headed a com mittee on arrangements for the ball, which failed to pay expenses. Like its. contemporary organization the hook and ladder company existed not alone for the help it could be to its community, but for the pleasure of social association which the members found, on such occasions as their New Year's ball. Such things helped them to hold up the enthusiasm of the ex ganizatW and. the feeling- tbafrW? isted among them did much to make their work effective in fighting the many large and small fires that beset the Dallas of twenty years ago. I'ln April, 1895, a new set of officers was elected including J. 11. want president; E. D. Cosper, secretary; T. A. Riggs, financial secretary; H- C. Dale, treasurer; George Bowles, janitor; R. L. Chapman, Charles Bak er and B. i. Mulkey, trustees Throughout the year 1895 there was very little activity in the hook and ladder company meetings, and very little business was transacted. Reg ular drills were held, however, and it is said by those who remember as far back as twenty years, that the organization was a moot efficient one. On February 4, 1890, the annual elec tion of officers brought out a large at tendance of the members. At that . , time H. L. Crider was elected presi dent, and a unanimous ballot was cast for E. D. Cosper as secretary, mak ing that gentleman 's third year in the office. T. A. Riggs was re-elected as financial secretary and J. C- Uglow took the place of H. C. Dale as treas urer. B. H. Grant stepped down from the president's seat to the position of foreman, with George Richmond and Joel Shaw as his assistants. At a meeting of the old Terror En gine company and the Dallas Hook and Ladder company, together with a large number of interested citizens, the two organizations joined hands as the Dallas Fire department on March 27,. 1895. Neither company lost its identity because of the combination of energies, but Terror company ceas ed its separate activities to s great extent. . The hook and ladder com pany held meetings from time to time until October 10, 1905, when the rec ord book eloses, and, as no informa tion can be found to tbe contrary, it is to be presumed that the two or ganizations were so firmly welded in purpose and spirit that they lost their separate identities, in lad IS. L. Collins was elected president and E. D. Cosper was re-elected secretary. From that time on George Richmond, H. L. Crider, Joel Shaw, Hngh Black, Walter Coy, N. L. Guy and AL Hal derman were presidents of the com pany. E. D. Cosper served until 1899 as secretary, when R. L. Chapman succeeded him and remained in tbe office for two years. Following Mr. Chapman, R. R. Hill was elected and in 1903 Roy Black took hit place and was twice re-elected. Many of the original members of the company had served the required seven years as firemen before 1905, and they were excused by certificate from further service upon their own request. Some of the men who eurned as charter members were buried by their com rades and a number of others found greener pastures for their energies. Twenty years aeo the book and lad der company was organized. The time in itself is not beyond the memory of tbe majority of the older Dallas residents, but time is nesting and many of them do not realize that nearly a score of years cover the days when they drew, as younger men now do, the hose reels through the streets of the city that has grown a great deal since the protection of lives and property called them to their duties. The history of old Ter ror company, with its many years of honorable existence, brought to the mind of its veterans many fond mem ories, and a review of the life of the hook and ladder company may bring less aged recollections to the minds of its members. At the present time the Dallas Fire department exists as a unit, and is a good and effioient body, but the city and its citizens could not possibly be more proud of itB efforts than they were or the work of old Terror Engine company and the Dallas Hook and Ladder com pany. The charter members or the boon and ladder company were U. S. Grant (then postmaster), Mark Hayter, (J. E. Shaw, A. L. Shreve, G. W. Bowles, H. L. Crider, B. H. Grant, Fred El liott, Albert Dray, R. L. Chapman, A. V. R. Snyder, T. G. Richmond, H. L. Fenton, L. E. Adams, Marshal Bles sing, T. A. Riggs, L. L. Shreve, H. C. Dale, Joel Shaw, B. F. Mulkey, H. B. Cosper, E. D. Cosper, G. L. Sny der, E. Hayter, C. G. Coad, Frank Muscott, J. H Lawton, Charles Bak er, Nes Dales, tidgar L. Collins, J. C. Uglow, D. B. McDonald, D. J. Riley, F. J. Coad, J. J. Fowler, Orel Fowler, Clark Groves, J. C. Morrison, W. W. Ellis and A. F. Williams. COURT INSPECTS ROAD. Hard Surface Construction May Be Started in Polk Next Year. - Judge Teal, with County Commis sioners G. A. Wells a,nd C. W. Beckett made a trip into the Siletz basin on Wednesday to inspect the county roads and bridges in that district. The trip consumed the entire day and was made very interesting by the splendid views the trio had of the surrounding hills and valleys through a field-glass carried by the judge. The roads are in very good condition, according to these gentlemen, considering the coun try traversed, and no trouble of any kind was experienced by Commission er Wells, who drove his automobile on the trip. In the Indian reserva tion the party inspected the recently pmplfited;,,uspensioja.bridgewhi oh the commissioners say is very satis factory. Yesterday the same party want to Salem and examined the hard surfaced roads in that district. It is entirely possible, in fact, very like ly, that the court will advocate the construction of hard surfaced high ways in this county next year. It is unofficially reported that the first hard surface construction in Polk county will be on the road from West Salem to Brunk's corner, through the Eola hills, and after that is done fur ther development will be rapid until it eventually includes all the main traveled roads in the county. BENNETT MAY BE RETAINED. Resolutions Adopted at Quarterly Session of Methodist Board.' Resolutions were adopted at the quarterly conference of the Methodist church board on Tuesday evening ask ing that the Rev. G. H. Bennett be allowed to retain his charge in Dallas. These resolutions will be brought up at the annual conference of the church at Roseburg on September 25, and will probably mean that Rev. Bennett will remain in Dallas. Elder Moore, district superintendent, of Sa lem, was at the conference and ex pressed the opinion that the Roseburg meeting would not reverse the wish or the Dallas congregation. Mrs. r. 11 Morrison, secretary of the church board, presented a financial report which indicated the sound condition of the church treasury- Will Miller read a report on Sunday school work for the quarter, which showed a de crease in attendance during the sum mer months although the showing was verv favorable for that period. Elder Moore announced his retire ment from the office of district super intendent after the end of the present fiscal year. Mr. Moore has been in office for six years, which is the limit under the laws of the church organi zation. Landscape Gardener Coming. J. G. Bacher, manager of the Swiss Floriol company of Portland, accom panied by the plant foreman, will visit Dallas next Sunday for the pur pose of viewing the city park and giving those in charge of the proposed improvement' his idea of how it may best be accomplished at a minimum cost. While in the city Mr. Bacher, who comes here voluntarily to lend whatever assistance possible, will be the guest of his friend, J. C. Rickli, the local landscape gardener, who al so is interested in developing this public plavground. The committee from the Woman's club may visit the park with the gentlemen from Port land. Dies Suddenly at Eola. While picking hops at Eola on Mon day. Mrs. Flora E. Graham of Salem complained of illness, and was at once taken to the Salem hospital, where she passed away early Tuesday morning- NO ACTION IS TAKEN TAX COMMISSION DISCUSSES O. & 0. ASSESSMENTS. County Officials Express Donbt As to What to Do Because of Decision By Supreme Court. At a meeting at the statehouse on Wednesday, attended by Governor Withyeombe, State Treasurer Kay, Secretary of State Olcott and Com missioner Galloway, the state tax commission decided to take no action in iregard to the assessment of Oregon and California railroad grant lands. Commissioner Galloway brought the matter up at the meeting, saying that assessors of the various counties in which the lands are located are puz zled and wanted to know what should be done. The big question was wheth er the lands should be' assessed at their value, as in 1913 and 1914, or at $2.50, that being the price at which the lands are to be sold, as some peo ple construe the United States su preme court's decision. - The lands were assessed at $21,225, 435 in 1914 and the taxes for that year amounted to $347,000 and $459,- 733 in 1913. All the counties but Douglas assessed the lands in 1914. The railroad company has paid none of the taxes for the two years, and there is now due Polk county under the assessment approximately $28,000. Commissioner Galloway said he had taken the matter up with Attorney General Brown, but the latter was not ready to give a written opinion. County board of equalization will meet next Monday and the assessors are anxious to have their rolls ready before that time. Treasurer Kay said there was a question whether, following the court s decision, the lands could be assessed for more than $2.50 per acre. He doubted if land which the court said could not be sold for more than $2.50 per acre could be assessed for a greater amount. He said he would like to put the matter up to the con ference to be held here September 16. Galloway said his understanding was that the railroad company contended it could cut the timber off and sell In answer to a question by Olcott, he stated that the lands had been as sessed close to $10 per acre, and that in Lane county the assessment was $12 per acre. "These same people come down here and say that the railroad cannot sell the land for over $2.50 an acre, ' ' Governor Withy- combe remarked. "This shows the incongruity of the situation. My per sonal judgment is that the assessment should be $2.50 an acre." Olcott suggested that it might be well, to advise the assessors to follow the practice of the last two years and assess the tracts at their full value, and Galloway believed that it would be easier to decrease an assessment than increase it. - While this plan seems to meet with some favor, it was decided to take no action until after the attorney general files an opinion, VAGRANTS IN CARCEL INDEPENDENCE GUESTS FILL ' POLK COUNTY JAIL. Jack Rogan Released After Serving W Five Day Sentence for Assault. Did anyone say Independence was not a regular city! Especially dur ing the hop picking season, and more especially on Saturday night when the more careless ones from the many hop picking colonies Start on their weekly 'rampages, the civic authorities at In dependence double their vigilance and even then find their hands full in handling cases of vagranee. The city jail is a haven of refuge for many men each night who find the straight and narrow path entirely too difficult to follow. On Saturday evening there are sometimes so many behind the bars that the marshal has to turn the most sober ones loose to make room for neweg eases. The jail holds about a dozen as a maximum, and the maxi mum is reached almost every week. Occasionally a flagrant ease is fonnd that demands attention from eonntv authorities, and at such times Sheriff Orr shackles the culprit and brings him to the county jail, in which there are five prisoners at the present time awaiting hearings before the grand jury. Most of these prisoners come from Independence. The fact is not to the discredit of the city, because au styles and sizes of humanity work in the different bop fields, and dis port themselves on the streets of In dependence at night. The town is sev eral times its normal size and va grancy is ten rimes above normal. Jack nogan, incarcerated last week for assault and battery committed at one of the hop yards near Indepen dence, was released at noon yesterday alter servinr out the Ave day sen tence imposed upon him. PRIZES FOR HORSESHOW CHANGES MADE IN FAIR PREM IUM LIST AS ISSUED. Several Special Cash Prizes Will Be Hung Up for Competition by 5 Polk County Horsemen. By an oversight the horse show and premiums mentioned in the catalog of the Polk county fair were not cancel ed' prior to publication but, most horse fanciers and exhibitors have been advised of a proposed change in the rules of and prizes for the con test. The fair board has .lust com pleted a special premium list which offers, for registered stallions of all breeds a first prize of $10; second $7.50 and third $5. Draft horses will be exhibited in two classes, geldings or mares, three years old and over, first prize $15; second $10 and third $5..: The second class will be for year ling or two year old geldings and mares, for which the same prizes will be ottered as tor the first class. Har ry Marshall offers a colt halter, C. L. Crider a fine robe and E. T. Evans a series of cash prizes for special en tries. Ralph Savery will also post special cash prizes. Among those who have already entered animals in the contest are Tillman Cook of Mon mouth ; T. D. McLain of Buena Vista ; B. T. Burge of Rickreail; E. P. Evans of Monmouth ; J. S. Sullivan and Mr. Rittner of Airlie; R. Coulter and R. Savery of Dallas, and Evan Evans. The eugenic contest and baby show advertised in the catalog has been given into the charge of F. E. Davis, who will conduct the event at his store in connection with market day. MR Davis has posted a number of valuable premiums in addition to which C. B. Stone, C. H. Mannock, H. A. Webster, F. E. Kersey, R. B. Reed and others will give special prizes. - I First Prunes Arrive. The first shipment of prunes re ceived at the Armsby packing plant this year were brought in on Wed nesday from the orchard of J. N. Conn, a short distance south of town. The consignment included 25 sacks, only.- small part.of .the- crop from this orchard, but it marks the begin ning of the packing season. From now on for many weeks fruit will arrive at the plant and exportation will be gin very soon. Manager A. U. Peter son intends to let the fruit that comes' in accumulate in the bins for about two weeks, when packing will be started. Congressman "Pat" a Visitor. Representative C. A. McArthur vis ited with his many friends in Dallas yesterday and took luncheon with his special friend, J. C. Hayter. Mr. McArthur was settling business here in connection with his very success ful livestock sale at Rickreall on Wednesday and remained only during the afternoon. He expects duty at ashington to call him about Novem ber 10 and he will visit the exposi tions in California en route east MORE CONTRACTS LET PORTLAND FIRMS LAND JOBS AT MONMOUTH NORMAL Contracts ' Heating and Ventilating Systems and Light Fixtures Awarded by Board. Appling-Griggs company of Port land has been awarded the contract bv the Monmouth normal school board for the heating and ventilating sys tem of the new teachers' training school, the bid bein $7249. Other bids were: T. M. Barr. Salem, $7718; Rushlight ft Hastorf. Portland, $8297; McPherson company, $8244. ..J. C. English of Portland was awarded the contract for light fix tures, his bid being $485.50. Other bids were M. J. Walsh, $575, and Morrison Electric company. $764.25. The bids for the construction of the school have been so favorable that there will be nearly $7000 left for landscaping and other work. Snook ft Traver. who have the building contract, on a bid of $35. 588, are pushing tbe work rapidly and the structure will be readv for occu pancy January 10, the date set for its completion. Falls City Hotel Closes. Messrs. Hutchinson ft Abbott have closed the Madena hotel at Falls City. and moved to Scio, where they will engage in the same rmmness. the hostelry was closed on Monday. Since the mill closed down some weeks ago Falls City has been annsually quiet from a business standpoint, and tbe proprietors of the Madena sought another location. Saturday Concert Program. An original march composed by Professor William Caldwell will be played in public for the 9m time at the regular Saturday evening band concert on the court house lawn to morrow evening. Director George Marsh has announced the following program: March, Prof. Caldwell; overture, Arcadia; popular. With Me; selection, Amorita; by request, Bohe mian Girl; characteristic, A Day in the Cotton Field; waltz, Brides and Butterflies; selection, The Burgomas ter; popular, 1 Want to Go to Tokio; march, Imperial. BARKING UP WRONG TREE. County Assessor Resents Court Cut ting Deputy s Claim. County Assessor F. E. Meyer takes exception to The Observer having made public mention of the fact that the county court at a recent session refused to allow the claim of his chief deputy, Mrs. F. E. Meyer, for month's salary when, according to the commissioners, she worked but eight days during that period, ' for which time payment was allowed. The Observer, in giving publicity to this transaction of the court, had no in tention of "attacking" Mr. Meyer's deputy, as the assessor evidently be lieves was the case, but was simply publishing the proceedings of the gov erning body of the county, which it holds it had a perfect right to do in its capacity of a newspaper. The Ob server knows nothing of the circum stances surrounding the case, and cares nothing about it further than to record the action of the court. If other deputies have been slipping it over the court and drawing full pay for work not performed, as stated by Mr. Meyer in the columns of our demo cratic contemporary of yesterday, the court has not taken official cognizance of it, but should such be the case the public will be as fully informed as it was in the matter at hand. The Ob server has made no "attack" upon Mr. Meyer's deputy, and consequently the gentleman's concluding remark, that for any attack made on Mrs, Meyer in the future he will hold the one making it personally responsible, does not apply to it. , GRAND JURY CALLED. Docket Contains Five Criminal Cases Which Will Be Heard Next Week. District Attorney J. E. Sibley has issued a call to the grand jury mem bers to convene at the county court house on Thursday, September 16, to hear five- cruninal -cases. Unit are on the docket. In addition to criminal cases the jury will hear such cases as may come up in the meantime and will probably conduct several impor tant investigations. The docket at present contains five criminal cases and in each case the culprit, now in the county jail, is charged with lar ceny in some form. . Harry Hunni cut and J. B. Shea, charged with grand larceny; William McOinnis, larceny from a building, and Chnries Anderson with his colleague, L. W. Carson, larceny from a building. The first three were taken into custody at Independence and the last two at West Salem. Mrs. Hunnicut, mother of Harry, was indicted at the last session of the grand jury in April and may have a hearing when the court convenes this fall. The members of the grand jurv are C. C. Gardner, Dallas; Seth White, Rickreall; E. E. Tripp, Independence; M. N. Prather, Buena Vista; F. H. Fawk, Dallas; O. DeHaven, Dallas, and William Mack- le, Dallas. Grand jury sessions are strictly private. INJURED MAN DIES. Timber Man, Unconscious for Several Days, With Broken Back. J. H. Full, whose back was broken between the shoulder blades last week, died at the Dallas hospital on Wed nesday evening. Mr. Full was a timber-fuller in the employ of the Spaulding Lumber company and was working near that company's camp above Black Rock when the fatal ac cident occurred. A heavy snag loos ened from a tree he was felling and struck his back and shoulder, break ing the vertebrae squarely between the shoulder blades. The blow com pletely paralyzed the body below the break and he did not regain conscious ness before his death. He leaves a wife and two children who are at their home near Eagle Creek in Clackamas county. Dr. A. B. Starbuck. who attended tbe injured man, says that an injury such as this was has resulted in death in ninety per cent of tbe eases he has bbserred. Field Crops in Oregon. More than 40 per cent of Oregon's agricultural products are field crops, according to recent estimates. These consist chiefly of grains, bay, hops, root crops and green forasre. They are important not alone for the in come they produce, bnt because of their relation to other sources of in come livestock, dairy and poultry products, aggregating sixty millions of dollars. Tbe importance of tbe Held crop industries of the state jus tifies the policy of the United States Department of Agriculture and the extension division of the Agricultural eollee in placing a farm management specialist in the charge of farm sur vey work to learn bow to make farm ing oieration more efficient and aatis faetorv. . JUDGE PUTS ONE OVER ATTORNEYS CLAIM THEY WERE BOOMERANGED IN MARION. Holman and Tooze Allege Irregulari ties on Part of Officials in Man damus Proceedings. Attorneys Tooze and Holman of this city have instituted mandamus proceedings in Marion county to conv . pel the county, court there to pay pensions to eleven widows, and the hearing has been set for September 20. These widows had made applica tions for pensions nnder the law, which was denied them by the county . . court, it being the practice of Judge Bushey to disallow' all such petitions for financial assistance. The action is probably bfrsed on the court ruling in ' this county, wherein Mrs. Zachary was granted a pension upon an order o the supreme court after having been denied payment ' A new angle in the widow 's pension cases filed against the county court of Marion county on Tuesday to make ' County Judge Bushey comply with the law, appeared Wednesday. It seems that prior to filnig the cases, Attorney Holman carefully examined the records in the county clerk's of fice and found that no orders of any ' ' kind whatsoever had been made in the cases by the county judge of Mar ion county. Acting upon this investi- " gation, the petitions for writs of man damus and the orders for the writs, signed by Judge Galloway, were-filed with the county clerk, and, inciden tally, the necessary tiling fees in the sum of $85 paid to the county clerk, $25 in cash and $60 by check. AU seemed to be going merrily, until Mr. Holman later in the afternoon, in again going into the clerk's office, heard the name of one of his clients mentioned. Investigating the cause , thereof, he learned, according to his ' statement, that as fast as one deputy clerk filed the petitions and orders , for writs of mandamus, another depu ty clerk was taking and entering or- , ders in each of the original cases as dictated by the county judge. The , purpose of the orders made by the . pnimr.v itiHirA wra to defeat the man-. . aamus proceedings ana compel we various widows interested to appeal their cases, says the attorney. The county judge evidently hoped in this manner to boomerang all the cases, feeling that the widows would be - unable to get anyone to go upon theifl appeal bond, further says the attorney interested. The action of the court , , had the effect of defeating the man damus proceeding, and Attorney Hol man immediately asked to withdraw all the petitions and orders filed, and asked for a return of his filing fees. This the clerk refused. Acting upon the ground that the rlerk 's office and the county judge acted in a fraudu lent manner in concealing from them the fact that the county judge was - making orders in the cases as filed, payment upon the check for $60 was stopped, and Mr. Holman and Mr. Tooze state that the end is not yet. NESMITH IS APPOINTED. Willamette Graduate to Be Deputy Revenue Collector. Linn W. Nesmith, connected with a well-known Oregon family, received an appointment as deputy internal revenue collector. The appointment was made by Internal Revenue Col lector Milton A. Miller upon recom mendation of United States Senator Harry Lane. Mr. Nesmith is a grandson of the late James W. Nesmith, formerly United States senator from Oregon. At the last legislature young Nesmith -was secretary to Senator I. N. Bing ham of Lane county and had previ ously served as secretary of the state democratic central committee. He has numerous friends in Salem by whom his appointment will be received with approval. HORSES BURN IN BARNS. . Serious Loss at Wigrich Ranch, Be low Independence. Two barns and five horses were burned at the Wigrich ranch, four and a half miles southeast of Inde pendence, last night The origin of the fire is not known at this writing. No Electric to Palls City. A report that has been given soma eredenoe in Dallas is to the effect that the Southern Pacific company was considering the electrification of its lines from Salem to Falls City. Rail road officials said to The Observer yesterday that this rumor was abso lutely false and that such a thing was not even thought of in Southern Pa cific circles. Tbe road to Corvallis from Whiteson will be completed be fore further development is started, but new work will not be the con structing of an elec trie line from Sa lem to Falls City. Frank Mabood. Mrs. Anna Mabood of Amity de sires to learn of the whereabouts of her husband, Frank Hahood, who left bis home July 7.