The Coquille Valley sentinel and the Coquille herald., January 24, 1919, Image 1

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Tte- Coquille
Sentinel
1
A N D TH E COQUILLE H ER ALD
VOL. XIV.
«5 IT WHS III 1 0
The Biggest o f AH tha Floods
o
$1.40 T H E YE A R .
COQUILLE, COOS COUNTY, OREGON. FRIDAY, JANUARY 34, M l».
NO. 2
in the Coquille Valley
N
Then
In Coquille there is only one stand­
ard by which to measure the winter
floods which come here with almost
the same regularity as those o f the
N ile valley. In his famous speed»
placing President Grant In nomination
fo r the third term at the republican
national convention at Chicago in
in 187«, Roscoe Conkling likened his
candidate to “ the calm level o f the
sea from which all heights and depths
are measured.” So here in the center
o f the Coquille valley no one thinks o f
any other guage with which to meas­
ure the annual inundations except the
great freshet of Feb. 12, 1820, almost
29 years ago now when the water
reached a height nearly ten feet
greater than it did last Sunday.
There are various ways in which
the old residents convey a pretty def­
inite idea o f the height o f that flood.
R. S. Knowiton, who was a tender­
foot then, having been here only a
year and a half, says that across the
river from the city w harf the water
was 14 feet deep on the south bank
o f the river, which, o f course, meant
considerable more as one moved
louthward.
... Tom W alker says that it lacked
only 18 inches o f making a canal of
Front street. Further that the regular
town conference was being held in
front o f Lorens’ store about where
the Busy Corner stands now; and that
while the usual bunch were discussing
the usual problems while perched on
a rail, their weight caused it to snap
and they were all precipitated into
the flood which was so deep they had
to swim fo r their lives. He recalls the
late George Leach, father o f our Geo.
O. Leach, as one o f those who took
this involuntary bath.
Another gauge is the «id e o f the
Wheeler house about 200 yards east'
o f the ferry, .* two story residence,
then do doubt Tn its -prime, though
now a little the worse fo r wear and
with Its yellow paint fading in rain
and sun. This house sported a veran­
dah then, with its roof about reaching
the second story windows, though it
has long since dropped that appurten­
ance. When Mr. W alker went over m
a boat to rescue the inmates there the
water were lapping the celling over­
head on that porch.
Mark Morras recalls that he and
his brothers were then living at John­
son’s Mill and coming down the river
in a row boat every morning to at­
tend school here. That morning they
found an unusual obstruction in the
w ay o f a lo g jam a mile long reach­
ing from the site o f the O. K. cream­
ery to the bank back o f whero the
Lamb store is now. The heavy rains
and melting snows together had
brought deeper water in all the tribu­
taries o f the Coquille forks and creeks
a id rivulets until the timber that had
been fallin g fo r perhaps fifty years
had washed out. By some means a jam
had form ed here and the constant
accretions
lodged
behind
until
there was such an accumulation o f old
timbers and trees newly washed out
along the banks o f seores o f creeks as
the valley has never seen since and
probably w ill never see again.
Fears were entertained that the
river would be ruined fo r traffic to
M yrtle Point and intermediate land­
ings i f the waters went down while
the jam held, allowing it to settle in
the river bed. A s it stood it was pos­
s ib le to walk all over this floating
mass o f debris, and some venture­
some spirits with axes went out and
cut ti»e key log. This allowed the ac­
cumulation to pass on gut to the sea.
The vast mass started so slowly,
however, that fo r a time the only way
to be sure it was moving at all was to
sight acres* to some object on the
further bank.
It was at the height o f this flood
that Capt. Levi Shyder was summon
ed from Bandon with his tug to res­
cue some cattle where the waters
were encroaching in the lo ft they had
been taken to.
Down near Lamp*
where the hills close in on each side
o f the valley and it finds its narrowest
point, the pent up volume behind was
rushing through with such a current
that he had a good deal o f difficulty
in climbing the hill o f wnters that
confronted him.
F irst M m
HOW TO USE FOND LIBERTY TEMPIE
Back From France
Perry Lawrence was the first o f the
Coquille boys to return from over­
seas, coming in Tuesday afternoon.
He is looking well considering the
long tussle he had with rheumatism
and the serious nature o f the case. In­
deed, he has regained moat o f the
flesh he lost’ when his weight dropped,
from about 160 to 96 pounds. His
illness eras due to something o f a
poisonous nature in the drinking wa­
ter and ho was flat on his hack fo r
ten weeks; and though he did not
ki ow it until later a t one time his
s* was considered hopeless.
He
missed getting into the drive that
cleaned out the S t Mihiel salient by
only two days. He was first sent to a
base hospital near St. Mihiel. then to
one at Pershing’s headquarters, and
later to one six miles from Paris. He
feels that the fates cheated him in not
permitting him to get into the battle
at all. He is rapidly recovering from
his lameness and the doctors tell him
he will soon be entirely well.
The Bay people are worked up over
the crab law question, but the vast
m ajority want the supply preserved
by retaining the law to prevent them
fiom being shipped out.
JUICE FAILS US
HERE AGAIN
The local people o f the Mountain
States Power company here and at the
Bay are having troubles o f their own
and lots o f them now; but the annoy­
ances, delays and losses caused by in­
terruption o f the current where we are
depending upon it fo r power, as in the
ease o f the linotype in the Sentinel
office, impels us to ask i f it would not
have been possible to keep the power
line between here and Marshfield out
o f the tall timber Perhaps not; but
it should certainly have been avoided
as fa r as possible. Perhaps a patrol
might be maintained during high
winds when trees are liable to be blown
down across the lines.
A s it is, the advantages o f getting
the Bay are not as great as w e thought
they would be. Still, without a big
woodpile ahead, there might be troub­
le in keeping » local plant running in
times like these.
Until the Johnson mill burned last
June we still had the old plant here to
use as an auxilliary in case there was
any trouble with the high tension line.
As it is now we seem to be entirely at
the mercy o f the elements. One thing
to be thankful fo r is that we stiU have
two presses attached to the faithful
old gas engine. We had been intend­
ing , to supply them with individual
motors and run them by electricity,
tor, but shall not make the change un­
til juice becomes more dependable.
Yesterday morning just as we were
ready to tackle the big end o f the
typesetting fo r this week's. Sentinel
and were expecting our linotype to
eat up all the copy we could grind out
and set at least half the paper before
the day was old, the current-was off
and w * could do nothing but mark
i* until the break was found and
repaired.
W e certainly hope some­
thing can be done during the coming
summer to make this power more re­
liable when next winter*» storms
break upon us.
It’a the Biff Five Now
Dtueusaing
Spending
the
that
Question
A
— Never W as An Orna-
$200,000
T ax Money
*
ment
Councilman Barrow was the only
The officers at the sheriff’s office
tell us that when the Southern Ore­ absentee at the regular semi-monthly
gon taxes, penalties and interest have meeting o f the council Monday even­
been paid, as it now seems probable ing. at which the principal business
they soon w ill ho, the addition o f that was a discussion regarding the un­
$360,000 to the funds in the county kempt appearance o f some sections of
treasury will leavo Coos county about the town, and the disgraceful condi­
$200,000 to the good, a fter all out- tion in which the Liberty Temple kes
standing warrants and current in­ been left by its builders.
Councilman Hawkins started the
debtedness are paid.
The question naturally arises, what fireworks by remarking that some
should bo done with this money. The move should be made to have the
suggestion to use it in payi ig a per* burned section cleared up. And Coun­
ticn o f the county expenses for a. few cilman McLeod added that there were
years to come and thus render it pos­ some sections needing cleaning that
sible to reduce .taxer it one that weren’t burned, and some one sue
is bound to have enthusiastic advo­ added, “ but that ought to be.” *
This led Councilman Mansell to say
cates everywhere. Taking things as
they are in this county, now, it would that the worst sore-eye in town was
appear to be a very logical proposi­ the Liberty Temple which was con­
tion, too. These will bo the lost taxes structed without authority from the
we shall get fo r some time from the city on city property. Some sugges­
eighty to ninety thousand acres in­ tions as to making it a rest room fo r
cluded in the Coos Bay Wagon Road1 ladies were advanced, but others ob­
land grant. In other sections the tim­ jected unless there could be a watch­
ber ie being rapidly removed each man employed night and day to pro­
year, and the more property ceases to tect it from the young hoodlums, of
pay taxes the more heavily the rest which this town has its share.
That it might be sold to someone
will be burdened. That is incontro­
vertible.
who would remove it, after the Red
That this $200,000 should be used Cross had finished their labors there,
to pay what mfcst be paid by the was another thought which w ill pro­
county rather than spent for some­ bably result in action along that line.
But before that can be done, there
thing for which we are not now be­
ing taxed ought to ne beyond ques­ is a bill o f $200 fo r lumber that has
tion. When it comes to the way in not been paid while other bills have
which this can be done, however, the been settled. E. E. Johnson furnished
Sentinel has an opinion which may $268 worth o f lumber nearly a year
not' be so popular. Our idea is th*t ago, which he cut to $200, and he
the $200,000 ought to be put unto the should have received remuneration, as
road bond sinking fund, at the highest have most o f the others who had
interest obtainable fo r it, with un­ claims against the building commit­
questionable security.
Then use it tee.
There have been from the start a
fo r meeting the interest and principle
o f the road bonds as they fa ll due. host o f knockers o f the Liberty T em­
This will relieve the taxpayers o f the pli, but the Sentinel has always ap­
burden o f rood bond taxes and inter­ proved the idea heretofore. W e are
est fo r quite a number o f years, and te»w inclined to think that the «h o le
render it unnecessary to levy such plan was a mistake, or els* the mis­
taxes for that purpose as w e ere go­ take was in not naming a building
ing now, and shall have to in increas­ committee which would finish the job
ing amounts as tho years go by. It they started.
may, perhaps, enable the county to
Insurance bills, totalling $198, for
meet the accruing interest and half $9,000 insurance on the city hall and
the principal o f the $362,000 road contents for three years were allowed.
bond indebtedness.
The policies were divided among four
In that way it actually and definite­ agents, J. S. Barton receiving $66 pre­
ly complies with the suggestion to use mium, and T. A. Walker, Geo. Moul­
it to reduce taxes. One o f the biggest ton and N. C. Kelley $44 each.
items o f taxes in this county for
The bonds o f City Treasurer San­
years to come is going to be the road ford with L. H. Hasard and A . J.
bond taxes.
I f the major part of Sherwood as sureties, and that o f
them can be met from the county’s re­ Marshal Miller with Dr. Richmond, R.
ceipts from the Southern Oregon and S. Knowiton and P. E. Drane as sure­
Kinney tract taxes the burden w ill be ties, were approved.
greatly lightened. Bui to use all that
On suggestion o f Fire Chief An­
$200,000 in meeting the expenses of derson the council voted to appropri­
the county within the next year or ate $6 a month fo r the ensuing month
two, only to have the whole burden for fire drill compensation The object
come back within that time with in­ in having the money paid in advance
creasing payments on the road bond is that the twelve men o f the fire com­
indebtedness on top of that 1 to in­ pany are never all out at drill and the
sure an awful jo lt fo r the county.
residue each month w ill accumulate in
a fund out o f which Mr. Anderson can
Record la Certainly Disgusting pay fo r any assistance he needs in
putting the hose away after a fire.
Under the heading “ A re Disgusted”
And the chief said that after every
the Marshfield Record prints the fo l­
drill and every fire the men of the com­
lowing:
pany would receive their compensa­
tion after roll call and that any fire­
Down in South Inlet there is an
man who le ft before the hose was re­
old man in a cabin. He is in desti­
turned to the city hall would lose out.
tute circumstances and the people
This is only right as the return o f the
there have been trying to get reliel
hose should not be le ft to one or two
from the county, but, since Jim W at­
or three men.
son started to run the whole county
court business, he is unable to look
Miss Alien Goes to Lane County
after a great many o f the matters
Mias Jane Allen, who has spent the
which should promptly be attended to.
For several days the South inlet peo­ past six months in this county work­
ple have been trying to get relief, but ing up the public health nurse move­
ment and acting in that capacity fOt
Watsonville has done nothing.
most o f that time, expects to leave
Yes, such items are disgusting. On* next Saturday for Eugene to begin
might think the people o f the South work in Lane county, demonstrating
Inlet country couldn’t be fed unlees what it means to have a county health
they hold up stages or get an appro­ nurse. Miss Allen has done extremely
priation from the County C ourt I f satisfactory work in .Coos county and
we had neighbors who were going it is expected that her campaign in
hungry we wouldn’t wait to get an Lane county will be as successful.
It isn’t the entente any more or the
quartette.
I t ’s the big five.
The
United States, England, Franfce Ialy
and Japan are the nations that have
the future o f the world in their hands
now and are saying what must be.
Belgium and Serbia and Roumanla
are consulted as to questions that a f­
fect them. So wkh all the powers that
broke off relations with Germany and
also those that remained neutral. But
the quintette first named is handling
the reins. They w ill also decide things
in the league o f natioris when it is
formed. And those nations can ab­
solutely guarantee the peace of the
world if they so elect. Where is the
appropriation from the county court
power or the combination o f powers
before doing something for them; yet
that oould withstand tl*e *T
[
it seems to be the Record’s idea the
f oment a case o f destitution is dis-
Has Received N o Notice Yet
vered the county judge should drop
Judge Watson says that he has not all other business, rush over to the
yet received any request to confer bay buy some groceries, hire a con­
with Judge Woods o f «Curry county veyance and take them down to South
The Record’s senseless at­
and select a representative fo r the Slough.
joint district to take Mr. Stannard’s tacks on Judge Watson are certainly
place in the legislature, at least to the disgusting decent citisens.
extent o f being heard on the floor of
the house in regard to any Blatters
The dailies
People with houses in North Bend affecting the district
that a le net on lots have been ordered have contained statements that the
by the council to g e t thorn off the two judges were to be called upon to
appoint such a delegate to Salsa.
Council W ants to Get Rid o f It
First Train From Powers
The first train from Powers this
week came down yeeterday morning,
Wedneeday evening eelng the first
time it was considered prudent to run
the train up there. It w ill be remem
be red when that line was built five or
rix years ago there was a sliding hill
where everything sunk and it was a
long time before a stable track could
be secured. Indeed, during one per­
Assessor Beyers says he expects to iod o f continuous rain since then the
have the warrant fo r the collection : frock was chained to trees on the hill
of the Southern Oregon taxes fo r 191$ side to keep it from creeping sway.
ready fo r delivery to the sheriff the
Call ea as tm
Iflrat o f
j
W ater Short in Reservoir
Coquille would have been in a very
bad way had fire broken out last
Thursday or Friday, when with a high
wind blowing the reservoirs on the
hill Were practically empty, although
there was plenty in the Dutch John
reservoir which could have been pump­
ed up the hill in an emergency. F ri­
day Marshal Miller went up to the
headwaters o f both Rink end Walker
creeks, flushed the pipes and cleaned
out the intakes so that a good head o f
water was started again, although our
supply in town was pretty much off­
color fo r three <Jr four days.
The onfy break in the line occurred
on Saturday afternoon when a tree
was blown across the Walker creek
line about a quarter e f a mile above
the junction o f that line with the
Rink creek line. There was quite a
fountain playing at that point till the
next day when the pipe was repaired.
In the Dutch John section the high
wind blew down several hemlock trees
which damaged the Po»eer company’s
lines' considerably and one o f them
missed the dam by only a few feet.
It would have required several hun­
dred dollars to repair the damage had
the tree veered a little in its fall.
i STORMY WEEK
Valley
Floods
Have
Receded
Very Little Since Last
Sunday.
The “ Flood o f 1919’’ has been the
principal event in the Coquille valley *
this week. Last Saturday morning
the water had got so high that the
train barely made it coming down
from Myrtle Point. A t the low point
at Scroeder’8 the water was 22 inches
deep on the track and came over the
lowest step o f the coaches. It had been
12 hours late getting in Friday and
had barely time to run around and
come back Saturday morning, or it
would has been marooned at Myrtle
P oin t
Saturday afternoon’s train came in
but it did not attempt to go on “ up
the creek” and started from here Sun­
day morning. The water which was
already high kept rising all day and
that afternoon was 12 inches deep at
Cedar Point and »vith the track under
water across the Cunningham valley.
The current here was sw ift and
there was considerable
driftwood
early in the day but very Httle in the
afternoon. O f course, the entire val­
ley had become a lake, although the
willows and patches o f trees on the
ranches broke the view so that it did
L. P. Brans tetter says the cattle
not give the impression o f a continu­
lost by the Branstotter-Russ company ous sheet of water. About five o’clock
in tne floods this week will probably Sunday evening was very near .the
reach 60 head, worth at least $2,400,
high point here and we are glad to be
an average valuation o f $40 per head able to make a record o f its standing *
being conservative. Up the river at then fo r comparison with future
the McAdams place and beyond on floods. It just reached the bottom of
this side there were forty head drown­ the weather boarding, which comes
ed. The herd was in the willow brush
do»m about four feet below the roof
and got scattered among the trees o f the eastern end o f the city dock
over the Beaver Slough country. On — the low dock ordinarily used. By
the other side he could not state the
Tuesday evening the water had re­
exact number lost, as he had only ceded about e foot and was just slop­
Just returned and had hot been able ping over the tracks when the first
to get over there y e t H e thought the train fo r three days came in with s
number was about 20. Over there the
tremendous accumulation o f mail.
herd had been driven to a place of
Wednesday evening the river had
safety on high ground, but became
dropped only 19 inches from its high
pestless during the storm and broke point on Sunday.
Yesterday it fell
down the fence and seme went beck
six. or sight inches more but there was
to their old quarters in the bottoms
rise last night o f about half that
and were engulfed by the flood.
amount, so that it stood this morning
at about 2 fast below that clap board­
W hy Two Steeples For Him? ing it had reached then on the shed
There appears to be something cryp­ at the wharf.
Saturday and Monday gave us al-
tic in tye foliowring from Monday’s
Coos Bay Times. It needs a diagram mosst constant rains. Indeed, it did
not seem as if there Were a moment’s
o f some kind to make it clear:
Dr. J. T. Masson, o f M yrtle Point, intermission on Monday. Tuesday and
was in the city Saturday. He says Wednesday the gale still continued
the lower part o f M yrtle Point is though »rith comparatively little rain.
flooded with only the steeples o f the Indeed, there was considerable sun­
seven churches of the city protruding, shine on Wednesday, though early in
two or which are occupied by Jake the evening the whole western sky
»ran black »rith a heavy storm clou*
Stemmier.
and there was rain again that even­
Mountain States Paying High ■ ing.
Yesterday was a variable day. It
It is costing the Mountain States
had been uninterruptedly warm since
Power company a pretty penny to
the storm began but at noon there
keep up our supply o f juice fo r lights
was quite a hail storm which not only
and power now that the Smith mill,
cooled the air but .gave assurance that
which was doing the work with saw­
the rains would be less copious.
dust fuel, is shut down fo r an indefin­
It has certainly been a stormy
ite period. The tanker Whittier, which
enough week to verify all the predic­
eras expected from San Francisco last
tions about a storm period between
week, will be unable to reach here un­
he 16th and 22nd.
til Feb. 1. Meanwhile oil fo r fuel i^
O f course, the ranches in the valley
being shipped from Portland by rail,
where barns as well as houses are
making the cost about $8 a barrel.
built high above the ordinary flood
waters were prepared for what was
Two Bills That He Favors
coming. The only loss we have heard
There are two bills now before the o f was that from the Branstetter
legislature which Judge Watson says herd elsewhere noted.
he heartily favors. One abolishes ehe
office o f county surveyor and provides
Perham ’a $80,000 Contract Done
for the appointment of a county en­
On the Coquille-Marshficld road E.
gineer by the court. Another places
the collection o f taxes in the hands G. Perham thinks he »rill complete his
of the county treasurer. This would last contract »vithin a week. There
obviate duplicate bookkeeping and only remains a little work on the
would enable the county to get more bridges which »rill not require-more
interests on county deposits at a sav­ than half a dozen men for that time.
ing to the county, he thinks, o f fully He has been at work over two years
on the two contracts from Davis
$2,400 a year.
Slough to Cedar Point. He aays that
Prominent Bandon Man Passes shortage o f materials and men on ac­
count o f tfee war, high prices o f both
The death o f Thornes M. Nielson, and bad woather made the last con-,
manager end principal stockholder o f tract the most difficult he ever exper­
the Bandon Hardware C o, and one o f ienced.
the most prominent young business
o f the county, at his home at
Convicted of Moonshininff
Bandon at 8 o’clock yeeterday morn
ing followed a ten day illness o f
The Powers moonshine case In
Spanish influensa and pneumonia.
Judge Wolverton’s court at Portland
Mr. Nielson was born at Arago last week resulted in the conviction of
Dec. 17, 1886, and married Mis* Nora “ W hit” Morris on the charge o f osra-
Gibson, o f Bandon, in Juno, 1914. Ho ing the still discovered up the South
is survived by his »rife, his mother, Fork from that place last spring. He
Mrs. Mery Heuckendorff, o f Prosper, was , sentenced
Saturday to four
throe brothers.
The funeral months in jail and s $600 fine. Pond­
services »rill taka place at Bandon to­ ing application fo r a new trie! he is
morrow ssorning.
out on bail fo r 80 days. His brother,
*
C. E. Morris, and Justice Charles
It is exported that Judge Coke »rill Zimmerman, o f Powers, also indicted
be her* next Monday to hold an equity fo r tho saate offense »res* found "not
SIXTY HEAD
DROWNED
of the Circuit Court.
C
IgCa»**"