Image provided by: Rogue River Valley Irrigation District; Medford, OR
About Central Point American. (Central Point, Or.) 1925-1927 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1926)
CENTRAL POINT AMERICAN But just to show the pluck o f HAVE ROUGH EXPLORING TRIP ly. those boys, one called back that they would rather try to go on with the (Continued from page 1) had hit the fence and the current journey. had taken it sidewise and held it Unfortunately, I was on the against this fence in midstream, wrong side o f the stream and had to causing the water on the upstream go all the way around to the other side to come over the side and sink side by way o f the bridge from the boat several inches below the where we had started, and so walked surface, when, fortunateyl ,the lower several miles to my home as puickly wires o f the fence against the force as possible. o f the current, held the boat in this The other two companions righted position. This saved us from a prob the boat and started once more down able serious catastrophe at least for stream when the hit a very narrow me, for as you know, in my condi place where the creek turned around tion o f not being able to handle my a high bank and cajsized, both boys self because o f my semi-paralyzed getting wet all over, one disappear side, the situation would have been ing entirely from sight and taken very trying. down stream. It was a funny sight to But with the heip o f that top wire se eLeon and Ed. holding onto a and s o m e out-stretched willow willow branch growing from thg bank branches, we finally managed to and he extended at length on the sur reach the bank by climbing on to a face o f the water, which at this point willow tree. had an unbelievable strong current. Wet thoroughly to my waist, and This ended the adventure for as soon the water was somewhat cold too, as the boat could be pulled up on the my teet ebhgan to chatter and al bank, the two hurried back to the though I hated to give up the trip, house for a complete change. O f course there was not much of realizing my condition, I called to the others that they should try to an opportunity to look fo r my dog, draw the boat up on the bank and and almost a week has passed with get some dry clothes on immediate out a sign o f him. It goes to show how much a person undergoes for the a dozen boys helping me to do it, ter will arrive in time to give you my greetings. sake o f dumb animals, in particular to say nothing o f my daughter Helen. With best wishes for the season to Wish I were with you to celebrate for a pet dog. I have fairly scoured your family from us, I am. this part o f the valley, and had half this Christmas, at least hope this let- As ever yours, L. A. SALADE, Jr -----------* ---------- Copper as hard as steel was made by the Aztecs o f Mexico thousands o f years ago. Washington’s Early Adventuies Now Assuming New Significance The King o f Great Britian hold £ clerical appointment entitling him tc preach. He is the official head o f the Church o f England. Adventures Signify New Significance 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 1753, Washington was sent by Gov ernor Dinwiddle of Virginia Into the far northwestern wilderness— that is, northwestern Pennsylvania—to warn the French that they must cease tholr efforts to occupy that region. Recent researches have given a new histori cal significance to that expedition, during which Washington, always recklesu of his personal safety, had one of his narrow escapes from death at the handa of a treacherous Indian guide. The French at that time occupied Canada and clalmod the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Though the fringe of English speaking colonies along the Atlantic contained ^the chief Euro pean population, France maintained sovereignty over moat 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 Pkmoers 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 oll-bearlng lands that In his will he listed them as ms most valuable holdings. In the prop erty schedule attached to the will he wrote: “ This tract was taken up by Gen eral Lewis and myself on account of the bituminous apriug 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 say rate. It had passed from his own ership before hls death, lie sold this tract for 9X00,000, but, suspecting ft might revert to hls estate under a mortgage, he warned hls heirs that should It do so It would be worth amch more than the 9X00.00S. Although Washington's first knowl edge of petroleum was gained within a few miles of the place where the Brat oil well in the world was drtlled, that first well was not opened until •ae hundred and atx years later, 1159 In that year Edwin Laurentlne Drake bored the first well, just south •f Titusville. Pennsylvania, and really started the modern petroleum Indus H try. A Development Wonder Today the American Industry Is the *mai->r part of the world’s oil business. Americans are directing oil develcp- meet* all over the world. It la alt Bart of the huge problem: to make are that the tomorrows shall see America's requirements met Every decade the production of petroleum "has doubled. Science and leehnl- isal progress have met ell demands. Foreign Investment and development are In the nature of Insurance for the a 1 ' " of machinery was only beginning with its insatiate demand for lubri cants, while kerosene, though the best llluminant ever known, was danger ous because poor refining left gasolln« that was liable to explode. It is dlffi cult nowadays, when the world Is be Ing combed for mere petroleum tc make more gasoline, to realize that gasoline was once a nuisance and i menace. The internal combustion en gine created the demand for gasoline now the primary product of petro leum. The demands of millions of mo tor cars Increasing constantly, inven tlon and chemistry were set at work by the captains of the industry tc make the barrel of petroleu.a turn oui a larger and larger proportion of gas oltne. This was done by the cracking process, through which every year now sees a larger proportion of crude ofi turned into gasoline. High and Growing Demands Today well-nigh 2,500,000 barrels ol petroleum are required every day tc satisfy the demand for motor cars tractors, trucks, buses, artificial gat plants and ihe Innumerable by-prod ucta. 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 revolutionised social habits and Industrial methoda; yet II is only two-thirds of a century sine« the Industry had its feeble beginning In the Pennsylvania oil country. This year the country will use about 750.000. 000 barrels of petroleum. The country will use 700,000,000 gallons ol gasoline and will export 1,900,00c more. The production, processing and marketing of petroleum Is probably second only to agriculture among American Industries. Roundly, 79 per cent of the world’« petroleum Industry Is American. Ten bllllous of capital Is invested in K— 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 revolutionised naval warfare by bringing in the oil burning ship; It it fast revolutionising merchant marlnos in the same fash Ion. Multiplication of motor cars, along with the special taxation o( their gasoline, has made possible the modern highway system. A True Social Service Perhaps the most nearly revolution ary result of Drake’s modernisation 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 c< <ntry and city to know and understand each other aa they never did before. It has brought social and educational privileges to country dwellers that a few decades ago seemed absolutely denied to them. On the one hand It has en abled the cities to spread out Into sub urban areas and the tone 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 la a historic fact that the tendon cy toward division of Intercut and un dersrandtng between city and country la the moat serious Internal menace to the security of nations, to the lntcgri ty of society. More than anything else, country and city need to know and understand each other and each other’s prob lema. The easy transportation, the ready opportunity for association and acquaintance that have come with the Age of Petroleum have made pos ■Ibis, In this favored country at least exactly this new intimacy and under In the days of Drake and the tndna- try's beginnings petroleum’s value lay Jfc lafefltauU sad kerosene. The m « tUpdln*. We Want to print you some LETTER HEADS STATEMENTS ENVELOPES BUSINESS CARDS DISTANCE CARDS NOTES CONTRACTS SALE BILLS CIRCULAR LETTERS HAND BILLS WINDOW CARDS PROGRAMS TICKETS MENU CARDS BLOTTERS BUTTER WRAPPERS LABELS FOLDERS Or, anything that a modern printing cffice can do ON QUALITY WORK, WE DO IT FOR LESS HI W AY PRIN’ TERY in connection with CENTRAL POINT AMERICAN •I St - -~V~ -•