Washington's Early Adventures
Now Assuming New Significance
MONUMENT
OVER THE I 3
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By HENRY BOTSFORD
FTER well nigh a century and
three-quarters a new interest
has recently been aroused In
the earliest military adven
tures of George Washington
When barely twenty-one years old, in
17o3, Washington was sent by Gov
ornor Dinwiddle of Virginia into the
far northwestern wilderness that is,
northwestern Pennsylvania to warn
the French that they must cease their
efforts to occupy that region. Recent
researches have given a new histori
cal significance to that expedition,
during which Washington, always
reckless of his personal safety, had
one of his narrow escapes from death
at the hands of a treacherous Indian
guide.
The French at that time occupied
Canada and claimed the Mississippi
and Ohio Valleys. Though the fringe
of English sp3aking colonies along
the Atlantic contained the chief Euro
pean population, France maintained
sovereignty over most of North Amer
ica's area. They were apparently de
termined to occupy northwestern
Pennsylvania, partly because it was
known even then to be rich in petro
leum.
Region's Wealth Known
Pioneers and missionaries, Eng
lish, French, German and Dutch, had
all reported to their governments
that the petroleum was of great po
tential value. There is, however, no
reason to believe that Washington
knew of its existence or value until
his adventure of 1753. Then he learn
ed that the oil had long been used by
the Indians and the pioneering whites
for fuel and light, for medicine and In
making war paint. Washington was
so much impressed with Its possibili
ties that he later became owner of a
large area of oil-bearing lands. Al
though the petroleum industry in its
modern form was then undreamed of,
Washington was so sure that a for
tune resided in his oil-bearing lands
that in his will he listed them as his
most valuable holdings. In the prop
erty schedule attached to the will he
wrote:
"Thi3 tract was taken- up by Gen
eral Lewis and myself on account of
the bituminous spring which It con
tains, of so inflammable a nature as
to burn as freely as spirits and as
nearly difficult to extinguish."
The Will of Washington
Some historians declare that in an
earlier will Washington dedicated this
"burning spring" to the public. At
any rate, it had passed from his own
ership before his death. He -sold this
' 200,000, but, suspecting it
rt to his estate under a
" he warned his heirs that
3o so it would be worth
' than the J200.000.
Washington's first knqwl
: troleum was gained within
is of the place where the
. i - ! I in the world was drilled,
' tii well was not opened until
o k- ' ed and six years later,
iat year Edwin Laurentine
d the first well, just south
ie, Pennsylvania, and really
started the modern petroleum indus
try. A Development Wonder
Today the American industry is the
major part of the world's oil business.
Americans are directing oil develop
ments all over the world. It is ail
part of the huge problem: to make
sure that the tomorrows shall see
America's requirements met Every
decade the production of petroleum
ha3 doubled. Science and techni
cal progress have met all demands..
Foreign investment and development
are in the nature of Insurance for the
future. -
In the days of Drake and the indus
try's beginnings p--?roleum"s value lay
lubricants and kerosene. Tea as2
of machinery was only beginning,
with its insatiate demand for lubri
cants, while kerosene, though the best
-illuminant ever known, was danger
ous because poor refining left gasoline
that was liable to explode. It is diffi
cult nowadays, when the world is be
ing combed or more petroleum to
make more gasoline, to realize that
gasoline was once a nuisance and a
menace. The internal combustion en
gine created the demand for gasoline,
now the primary product of petro
loum. The demands of millions of mo
tor cars increasing constantly. Inven
tion and chemistry were set at worlT
by the captains of the Industry to
make the barrel of petroleum turn out
a 'larger and larger proportion of gas
oline. This was done by the cracking
process, through which every year how
sees a larger proportion1 of crude oil
turned into gasoline.
High and Growing Demands
Today well-nigh 2500,000 barrel of
petroleum are required every day to
satisfy the demand for motor cars,
tractors, trucks, buses, artificial gas
plants and the innumerable by-products.
Invention is constantly finding
new uses, as enterprise just as con.
stantly finds new supplies of petro
leum. The wonderful and rather mys
terious fluid has revolutionized social
habits and industrial methods; yet It
is only two-thirds of a century since
the industry had its feeble beginning
in the Pennsylvania oil country.
This year the country will U3e about
750,000,000 barrels of petroleum. The
country will use 700,000,000 gallons of
gasoline and will export 1,900,000
more. The production, processing and
marketing of petroleum is probably
second only to agriculture among
American Industries.
Roundly, 70 per cent of the world's
petroleum Industry is American. Ten
billions of capital is invested in it
half the valuation of the national rail
road system. It employs just about
1,000,000 people. The petroleum pipe
line system, gridironing a good share
of the country, aggregates about 85,
000 miles. Petroleum revolutionized
naval warfare by bringing in the oil
burning ship; it is fast revolutionizing
merchant marines in the same fash
Ion. Multiplication of motor cars,
along with the special taxation of
their gasoline, has made possible the
modern highway system.
A True Social Service
Perhaps the most nearly revolution
ary result of Drake's modernization of
the petroleum industry is to be found
in the change it has brought in the
life of rural America. It has carried
the city to the country, the country
to the city. It has, by making possi
ble the cheap and quick transporta
tion that - everybody nowadays en
joys, enabled country and city to
know and understand each other as
they never did before. It has brought
social and educational privileges to
country dwellers that a few decades
seemed absolutely denied to
them. On the one hand it has en
abled the cities to spread out into sub
urban areas and the lone of country
estates; on the other, it has enabled
the people of the open country to have
neighbors, society, church and school
privileges, intimate acquaintance.
It !s a historic fact that the tenden
cy toward division of Interest and un
derstanding between city and country
is the most serious internal menace to
the security of nations, to the integri
ty of society.
More than anything else, country
and city need to know and understand
each other and each other's prob
lems. The easy transportation, the
ready opportunity for association and
acquaintance that have come with
the Age of Petroleum have made pos
sible, in this favored country at least,
exactly this new intimacy and unden
itasdjEg.. , ,
Bird Cripples Live
Under Big Handicap
As In the case of human beings, no
In bird life there are those which for
some reason or other are fated to go
through life with certain handicaps
Unfortunately, man Is mainly re
sponsible for bird cripples. Rabbit
trapping, ns carried on today, 18 re
sponsible for damage to thousands of
pheasants. Xo less than 50 per cent
of those shot in a small wood recently
had only one foot, but they had man
aged to survive and were In perfect
condition apart from this damage.
Smaller birds often get a leg
smashed, but seem able to get alon,?
without it by hopping on the sound
one and using their wings. Not only
will a starling just manage to exist
under such conditions, but it will fight
and scramble after food and manage
to hold its own.
In wild-fowling It Is frequently
found that after a large flock of birds
has been put to flight a smaller num
ber remain behind and seem loath to
fly. If these were examined through
a good pair of glasses, they will be
seen to be the halt and the lame that
have been damaged in some part of
the body.
"Nature has a rough-and-ready way
of healing their hurts and many crip
pies survive for a time.
Few birds that are born cripples
survive for long, for their enemies are
many and the weakest are the first
to go.
Powerless to Resist
Sweep of Avalanche
There were several destructive
avulanches in the St. Gothard region
In 1925, when the railway was dan
aged at several points, and many
peasants and workmen were killed,
But one rainy Sunday in September
forty-five years ago, 150 persons per
ished when a large portion of the
Plattenbergkopf split off and slid
down on the village of Elm.
Early In the day great boulders
began to come crashing down with
disturbing frequency, and quite
number of men were out watching
them. Suddenly they saw a whole
cliff sway and topple over. Seven
teen minutes later another cliff fell,
and, to their horror, the doomed .vil
lagers saw that the mountain had
thus been undermined, and was poised
over thin air far above them. Four
minutes later it fell, shattered into
millions of fragments, and came slid
ing down at terrific speed. Through
the village went the avalanche, across
the tranquil meadows of the valley.
and up the opposite mountain-side for
a couple of hundred feet, when It di
verged right and left, like the wash
of a spent wave, for many hundred
yards.
Douglas Fir Entirely
Distinct Tree Species
The Douglas fir, a native of the
Northwest but now being planted ex
tensively in the East, is becoming a
popular Christmas tree, according to
the American Forestry association.
The species was named for a Scotch
botanist who discovered It on an ex
pedition in 1825, but its scientific name
Is pseudotsuga, meaning "fnlse hem
lock." As a matter of fact, It is
neither a hemlock nor a fir, and,
though it Is sometimes called a spruce,
it isn't that either. The tree belongs
to an entirely distinct species. The
tree most commonly used for Christ
mas trees is a real fir the balsam, so
called because its blister-like pockets
yield the resinous liquid known as
Canada balsam, which Is used among
other things fur attuching cover plates
to microscope slides.
His Opportunity Lest
The small hoy had received many
presents on his birthday, but (he best
of ull-r-u real watering can arrived
just as lie was going to lied, ami de
spite his tears ui:d protests" the owner
of this treasure was told that he coub'
not use it till next morning.
Soon after dawn his mother Iiearo
howls of anguish from (he garden
and, looking out, sin? discovered Urn
these came from her small sen, wiir
stood In a drenching rain elad onl
In his-nightshirt, grasping, the cher
ished can in li is hand.
"What on earth is the inatterV' dj
mnnded the anxious mother.
"Oh, oh, oh !" wailed the disn;;ioini
ed one. "I did so want to water tin
garden, and now God's been and dour
It !"
Good Money in Whaling
The Vastfold district of Norway,
where many of the old Vikings had
their homes. Is still the recruiting re
gion for one of the most romantic
callings of modern times whale hunt
ing. Leaving their small farms in the
care of wiiies and children, the men
set out for south Georgia and the
Ross sea in September and return at
the beginning of the following sum
mer. The Norwegian whale-hunting
fleet numbers about 20 ships and em
ploys 4,000 men.
The work Is very hard, but is ex
traordinarily well paid, every man re
ceiving a royalty from the catch.
Some men average ?5,noo a year, and
the ablest, after years of good serv
ice, Is trusted with the harpooning.
Cantonete Army Suffert Reverse.
Shanghai. The forces of Marshal
Sun Chuan-Fang thrust the Cantonese
threatening army farther away from
Shanghai. They hurled it from the
Cantonese advanced base In Chekiang
province at Chuchow toward the bor
der of Kiangsl province, go,u 200
miles from Shanghai,
31 Years Ago J
February 14, 1896
C. C. Cunningham is in trouble. He
is also in jail, and the cause of his
worriment and incarceration in the
city bastile is all due to a peculiar
penchant of his for selling spirituous.
vinous and malt liquors in less quan
tities than one gallon without first
having secured a proper license from
the city.
Last Saturday there came from
Governor Lord a pardon for Frank
Kelley, who was in jail for having in
his possession at Milton, a quantity
of deer meat at a time when the law
made it a misdemeanor. The petit
ion was signed by over 100 persons
at Milton and 80 at Pendleton, and
the reason for asking for it was that
Kelley has a family dependent on
him whom the county would have
been compelled to keep had he re
remained in jail to serve out the full
$50 fine. He had already been in
confinement for ten days at $2 per
day.
Chief Joseph, the veteran Indian
warrior, who is now at Colville,
Washington, expects to visit Young
Chief as soon as the snow disappears
and the Indians on the Umatilla re
servation are arranging to accord
him a grand reception on the aborig
inal plan. It is nearly two years
since Joseph was last here, and, as
on the other occasion,, his stay will
be made a pleasant one. Teebit, the
16-year-old son of Young Chief, is at
present visiting Joseph.
The narrow gauge engines pur
chased from the Dr. Baker estate by
the . O. R. & N. company will be
brought up from the road opposite
the Cascades, and will again be used
on the Dixie branch. Two of thsm
are little moguls with three drive
wheels on a side, and in early days
were used to pull freight trains from
Wallula to Walla Walla.
Work on the ladies' hall of the
Eastern Oregon state normal school
at Weston will be begun in a short
time, and it is expected that the
building will be completed by June 1.
William Mosgrove is quite profi-
cent as a horse-trainer. .This week
he is working with one that exhibits
a little more fire and vim than is
ordinarily the case in "bronco bust
ing," but he finally put a rig on the
animal which effectually subdued it
J. N. B. Gerking started two gang
plows at work on his , place west of
town, Monday. There is plenty of
moisture in the ground at present
and the soil works splendid.
Marshall Gillis has had a gang of
four Indians at work on the streets
this week. The sunken places along
the line of the water system received
special attention.
A juvenile dance was in progress
at the opera house, Wednesday evening.
NOTICE OF FINAL ACCOUNT
In the County Court of the State of
Oregon for Umatilla County.
In the Matter of the estate of Jacob
Franklin Reno, Deceased.
Notice is hereby sriven that the un
dersigned has filed his final account
and report in the above entitled mat
ter and that the above entitled Court
has fixed Saturday, the 5th day of
March, 1927. at the hour of 10:00
o'clock A. M. of said day, as the
time, and the County Court room in
the County Court house at Pendle
ton, Umatilla County, Oregon, as the
place, for the hearing of said final
account and report. Objections to
said hnal account and report should
be filed on or before that date.
Dated at Athena. Oreeon. this 4th
day of February, 1927.
S. F. SHARP,
Administrator with the Will An
nexed of the Estate of Jacob Frank
lin Reno, Deceased.
Watts & Prestbve Athena. Oreeron.
Attorneys for Estate. F4M4.
We Handle Genuine
Goods-No Substitutes.
D.R.SHAMPOO
We use standard loild preparations
made in scientific laboratories under
the supervision of graduate chemists.
Only the best is good enough for our
trade.
Our service is of the same high standard
as our supplies. We guard your health
and enhance your personal appear'
once. If you appreciate cleanliness
and sanitation, superseretce and high
grade supplies, drop into our shop at
the first opportunity.
. 4 This is the shop you hate
been looking for,
Whitehead's Barber Shop
Athena, Ore,
We are Equipped to do
Job Printing
All Kinds. Short Notice
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CHIROPRACTOR
PRIVATE
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WHEN YOU'RE FEELING ILL
and no medicines and ordinary prac
titioners will help you, you some
times turn as a last resort to a chiro
practor. Why not come to us in
the first place and save pain and ex
pense? We can surely help you as
we have helped many, many others.
Dr. W. Boyd Whyte
Stangier Building, Phone 706
Pendleton, Oregon.- 957 J
DR. S. F. SHARP
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Athena, Oregon
DR. W. G. COWAN
PHYSICIAN AND SURGEON
Athena, Oregon
D. J. McFaul, M. D.
Office over
Inland Empire Bank
Pendleton, Oregon
Specializing in Electro and Quartz
Lamp therapy.
Jensens
Blacksmith Shop
Horseshoeing
Prices Reasonable
Athena, Oregon
Blaesing
Granite Company
H. J. BLAESING, Manager
ONUMENTS
S. F. BOWMAN
Eastern Oregon Representative
Odd Fellows Bld'e, Pendleton.
Bell & Dickenson
Phones 452 and 24
Two Auto
Truck Drays
Always At Your Service
City and Country
HAULING
At Reasonable Prices
Thompson's Garage
for
Grebe Radio
The Best By Test
Electric Goods
Auto Accessories
Phone 471 (SID Athena, Oregon
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF ATHENA
Established 1891.
CAPITAL AND SURPLUS $110,000.00
he Lumber
You Need
If you are planning alterations or ad
ditions to your building, let us give
you an estimate on the Lumber need
ed. You will be pleasantly surprised
at the reasonble total we will quote.
Wood and Coal
Fence Posts
Tum-A-Lum Lumber Co.
Main Street, Athena
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