LIBRARY
J or o
E U G E N F , 0 5
'AMERICA LOOKS LlkE HEAVEN1
Cpl. Smith Arrives Home After
Nearly Three Years as a POW
Misplaced Orders
Cause Delay in
Arrival Here
"The happiest day of my life"
was the day, only a little over
three weeks ago, when Cpl. Louis
Smith, the son of Mr. and Mrs.
William C. Smith of Heppner,
walked a free man into Korea's
Freedom village after spending
33 months as a prisoner of the
Communists in North Korea, he
said shortly after having been
greeted by his parents and fam
ily last Saturday evening in Pen
dleton. Cpl. Smith, who has been ex
pected home for well over a
week, since he was landed in
San Francisco Sept. 10, had
caused his family much concern,
by his apparent disappearance
from the Bay city, but it was not
his fault. A mixup in his orders
caused his delay in getting home.
He was met in Pendleton by his
folks and three sisters wno had
not seen him for nearly four
years.
Smith later told that he had
been captured at Chosan reser
voir near the Yalu river in North
Korea when the Chinese Reds
broke through allied lines.
( "
HOME AGAIN after spending 33 months as a prisoner of war in
Ncrth Korean Communist POW camps is Cpl. Louis Smith of Hepp
ner Cpl. Smith is shown here in civilian clothes with his parents
Mr. and Mrs. William C. Smith. He arrived in Pendleton Saturday
evening, but only got to stay home ior a short time, leaving Mon
day night for Fort Lewis, Wash., where he will undergo a medical
checkup, before being discharged from the service. (GT Photo)
DIVISIONS GIVEN FOR IONE GARDEN
CLUB FLOWER SHOW NEXT SUNDAY
Plans are completed for the
annual flower show to be held at
the lone school cafctorium Sun
day, Sept. 27 from 2 to 5 p. m.
It is sponsored by the lone Gar-
He den club and the theme for the
was a machine gunner with the' show is "Autumn Glory." Any
7th division. amateur gardrier is eligible to
For three days his batallion, j enter the competition,
which was trapped on high ) Entries will be placed from 8
ground, fought off the Chinese to 11 a. m. and all entries in the
who outnumbered them 20 to 1. first six sections must be grown
He said it was so cold you could by the exhibitor. The sweep
"freeze to death standing guard.", stakes ribbon will be awarded to
Smith had been wounded in both 'the exhibitor winning the great
legs and in the back by shrapnel
before his capture and he said . . n r
that the Chinese did not treat Lexington KanCner,
him after his capture. After be' Arthur Lee Hllllt
ing captured, he said the prison-1 n ,,
ers were forced to make an ex-'UieS at The UOlieS
hausting 20 day march with each
of them carrying a 60 pound bag!
of rice. "They seemed more like
200 pounds, though", he said
. Cpl. Smith said he and many
other prisoners were marched to
the Yalu river where they spent
the winter in prison compound
camp It was a winter, he re
called, that saw many of the
prisoners die from exposure- and
malnutrition, and in the morn
ings the bodies would be thrown
into a big hole. He remembered
the spectacle of seeing 40 bodies
being disposed of on one oc
casion. He said that at first the Chinese
lectured the prisoners every day.
"They wanted us to take notes
which we finally did because the
chow was scarce and we were
hungry." He added that event
ually the Reds apparently gave
up on the project of converting
the prisoners to Communism, as
the lectures became less fre
quent. Smith said that the prisoners
called their camp "Death Valley"
and that they spent four months
there in the severe winter with no
blankets and nothing to do but
lie on the floor of a mud hut.
"Our food was barley, some
boiled potatoes and meal balls
which looked like birdseed and
were tiresome eating."
Smith, who wears stars of 13
major battles, said "This country
looks like heaven to me," after
pending that much time in
Korpa.
Smith's stay in Heppner was
brief, though it was long enough
to get acquainted again with his
folks and sisters, Hazel, who lives
at home, Mrs. Gene Stone, Hepp
ner, and Mrs. Jack Warren of
Condon. He left Monday evening Fisher, Oregon City; Don Hotch
fctmn
uitmrs
Copies 1 0 cents Heppner, Oregon, Thursday, September 24, 1953 70th Year, No. 28
Sewage
Plant C
ysfcem
omplete
and
Dssp
d, in O
Funeral services will be held
Friday at 2 p. m. at the Lexington
Church of Christ for Arthur Lee
Hunt, 55, who passed away Sep
tember 22 at The Dalles General
hospital.
Mr. Hunt, who had been a ranch
er in this area practically all of
his life, was born in Heppner
Ap:i GO, 1838, the oon of Arthur
John .and Etta C. Hunt. (
Surviving are his wife, Bertha
D. Hunt, two sons, Arthur Dean
and Donald E.; one daughter,
Mrs. Shirley Anne McCari and
one granddaughter, Tricia Jean
nine Hunt, all of Lexington. He
also leaves one sister, Mrs. Otto
Ruhl, Lexington; three brothers,
Alex, Lexington; Elmer, of The
Dalles and Lester of Hermiston.
Rev. Lewis Wetzel will officiate
at the final rites and burial will
be in the Lexington I. O. O. F.
cemetery. Phelps Funeral Home
is in charge of arrangements.
rj
State Committee to
Push Beef Sales
A statewide committee to pro
mote the sale of beef during the
fall period of heavy cattle mar
keting and low prices has been
announced by the Oregon Cattle
men's Association.
Bill Southworth of Seneca,
chairman of the committee, said
an intensive campaign is being
planned to create the demand
needed to absorb the surplus
beef.
Named on the committee were:
Bill Southworth, Chairman, Sen
eca; Carson Adams, Junction
City; L. L. Clark, Portland; Roger
Dumdi, McMinnville; Charles A
Evans, Independence; Walter H.
est number of blue ribbons.
Garden club officials said that
containers will be provided, but
that owners of Ihem should mark
them with their name.
Classes for judging will be as
follows:
Section I annuals, asters. 1
bloom; marigolds, dwarf, 3
blooms; marigolds, African, 1
bloom; petunias, single, 1 spray;
petunias, double, 1 bloom; zin
nias, giant, 1 bloom; zinnias,
dwarf, 3 blooms; allyssum, 5
blooms; cosmos. 3 blooms; any
annual not listed, 1 bloom or
spray each; collection of annuals,
1 bloom or spray each.
Section II Dahlias, class: cac
tus 1 bloom; decorative, 1 bloom;
single, 1 bloom; miniature, 2
blooms; specimen, 1 bloom; col
lection of any variety of color or
type, 1 bloom.
Section III gladiolus class:
baby, 1 stalk; large, 1 stalk.
Section IV perennials class:
roses, 1 bloom; delphinium any
type, 1 spray; Michaelmas daisy
(autumn asters) 1 spray; geran
ium, 1 stalk; blackeyed Susan, 1
spray; any perennial-not lisied, 1
bloom or spray.
Section V Chrysanthemums
class: fall, 3 blooms; summer, 1
spray; exhibition, 1 bloom.
Section VI begonia class:
tuberous, 1 bloom.
Section VII arrangements
class: all one color in same color
container: arrangements with
figureines; mantle; vegetable or
fruit; twin; coffee table; green;
dry; all one kind.
Section VIII Children s flower
arrangements.
Section IX collection corner,
example: racks, relics, insects,
wheat, birds, and freak plants.
A silver tea will be held in
connection with the show.
Work Started
On Repair of
Heppner Streets
VVoik was ttarted Wedneslay
morning by Leslie Harris, Pen
dletgn paving contractor, on re
surfacing and sealing more than
22 blocks of Heppner streets.
Some of the streets, which suf
fered the worst from the digging
necessary during the laying of
the sewer lines, will be complete
ly rebuilt, while others will re
ceive only one or possibly two
lifts, or layers, of surface coat
ing. Patching of pavement where
strets were broken into during
the laying of sewer laterals will
not be a part of the job, as that
is part of the sewer contract and
is now being done by the contrac
tor. It is expected to take sev
eral weeks to complete the job.
The section of south Court
street and Hager street from
Court to the city limits has been
widened and a preliminary sur
facing has been applied by the
Warren Northwest company. The
section still has the final layer
of asphaltic blacktop yet to be
applied. This work was done
with a combination of state and
city money, the state bearing the
large share of the cost.
The final coat will be applied
within a few weeks.
o
Cpl. Smith, Family
Get Reunion Dinner
Cpl. Louis Smith, "recently re
leased Korean prisoner of war,
and his parents and entire family
enjoyed a reunion dinner at the
home of his sister. Mrs. Gene
Stone last Sunday. he party, be
ing on the women of three Hepp
ner churches.
The food was bought and pre
pared by the Episcopal Auxiliary,
the Methodist and the Christian
church women and was delivered
to the Stone home for Cpl. Smith
and his family to enjoy
for Fort Lewis where he entered
an armv hospital for a medical
checkup. He said Monday that
he "felt fine." and if nothing
shows up during his hospital stay
he will be given a 30 day fur
lough and will then return for a
second check before receiving his
discharge from the service. Even
though he spent a busy two days
while he was here, he found time
to buy a new car, something he
had always wanted. The three
years back pay that Uncle Sam
had been saving for him while
he w?s a TOW played a big
nart in the transaction.
Just as happy about his being
back home again as Smith was,
his mother said "He's iust the
same as he always was."
And. if he expected to find
peace and quiet around home,
when he got here, he was badly
mistaken. The family's house in
north Heppner might as well
have been located in the middle
nf Main street, it couldn't have
had any more traffic through it
than it had Sunday and Monday
as friends and neighbors trooped
in and out welcoming him back,
o
SQUARE DANCE CLUB
Spuare dance club members
are reminded of a square dance
to be held Saturday night, Sept.
26 at the Legion hall starting at
8 p. m.
Mrs. Olive Hughes will leave
Tuesdav for Tillamook to attend
the annual county assessors 000.
Morrow Bulls Rate
High at Cattlemen's
Baker Show and Sale
Morrow county made an excel
lent showing at the recent Baker
bull sale sponsored by the Ore
gon Cattlemen's association, it
was reported this week. In the
strongest class, Frank Anderson's
bull was judged champion and
five other county animals placed
high in that and other classes.
In the strongest class, February
and March yearlings consigned
by Allen Hughes, placed second,
followed by animals entered by
Bernard Doherty and Herb YM-strom.
In the younger class, late
March animals, two bulls shown
by Frank Anderson placed first
and second and in the younest
group, Everett Harshman's ani
mal placed first.
76 bulls in five classes were
Consigned at the sale.
o
Savings Bond Sales
Climb in County
Series E and H savings bonds
sales during July and August
showed a 45 percent increase over
the same period last year, accord
ing to Jeff Carter, Morrow county
chairman. Sales throughout the
county during August amounted
to $15,060, he reported.
Total state-wide sales for the
first 8 months of the year are
just short of $20 million, an in
crease of 37 percent over the cor
responding period of 1952. So far
this vear, the county has sold
$147,031 in bonds against a ouota
(or the entire year of $227,440.
Carter suggested persons not
on the payroll savings or bond-a-month
plan consult their local
hankers regarding purchases of
E and II savings bonds.
"The series 11 bonds", Carter
emphasized, "pay three percent
interest if held to maturity of 9
years and S months. The interest
however, is paid in semiannual
dividend checks. The bonds may
readily be cornered to cash and
will be replaced by the treasury
department if lost or stolen."
Purchases of series 11 bonds
alone during the first 8 months
of the year amounted to $2,215,-
They were first offered for
Permits
osa
peration
to Hookup
To be Issued Slowly
lleppner's new sewer system the contractor. This work is now
and sewage disposal plant was going on but it will not delay use
placed in operation last week,
after nearly a year of construc
tion and officials indicated Wed-
of the sewers.
In a statement below, mayor J.
,0. Turner served official notice to
nesday that the rush had already thP public that the system was
been started by residents to get n0w in operation and outlined
hooked into the lines, 30 permits w necessary proceedure to be
have been issued for hookups. followed. Permits will be issued
The disposal plant has been to each person before they will
practically complete for some be allowed to tie into the line,
time, but it was only last week-'and the ordinance requires that
end that the final laterals were ( the city inspector must pass on
laid completing the sewer eollee- the job before it can be used. Per-
tion system so that a complete nuts are iiemg issueu only as iasr
test could be made of the inslal-1 as the inspector can handle the
ition before it was put into use.
City superintendent Victor Gros-
hens said that while the contrac
tor is still laying a section ot line
in the new Barratt addition, it
will not delay use of the main
lines. He added that there islflctice Given
still a considerable amount of j Following is the notice
street cleanup work, grading and, pared by mayor Turner:
job. There will be no charge,
other than the cost of the permit,
for hooking in, if the installation
is made within one year. After
that time the ordinance calls for
a special hookup charge.
pre-
pavement patching to be done by
Scout Fund Drive
Started Today
The development of the sewer
system and plant has now pro
gressed to the point where indi
viduals and businesses can be
permitted to have their connec
tions made. Permits may now
beJiad by making application i.j
Harry Tamblyn, city recorder at
a cost of $1.00. Only a certain
number of permits can be issued
at one time, since the state law
meeting
lale in May of last year.
The drive to raise funds for the
Heppner Boy Scout program got
underway this morning whenlrPauires rigid inspection of the
five team captains, Iheir workersi work as tne connections are made
and drive chairman La Verne an,j Work shall be covered
Van Marter met for a klckoff p,jor to inspection. Victor Gros-
breakfast at O'Donnell's cafe. henS is city inspector and no work
The campaign will take only will be accepted without his OK.
two days, Van Marter announced Patrons will be permitted to
earlier this week, as the plan is select whom they wish to do the
to have each team make its con-1 work, subject to the city's inspec
tacts either today or Friday. Let-tion. No charge will be made for
t ers were sent out to all residents connecting with the sewer lines
earlier this week, telling of the, within one year from the date of
campaign and the need for furuls this notice, provided the sewer
to keep the program operating at line does not have 1o be broken
a high level in the area. into. All cost for the installation
Team captains for the drive are and any damage to the sewer
Jeff Carter, John Hartman, John line, shall be borne by the owner.
,'Crnsdorff, Delmar Jordan and
Howard Bryant. Others who are
helping with the contacts are C
Dated Sept 21, 1953.
Signed J. O. Turner, mayor.
The only work remaining to ho
kiss, Lakeview; Kent Magruder,
Clatskanie; Irvin Mann, Sr., Stan-
field; Albert Powers, Coos Bay;
J. F. Short, Redmond; Lowell
Steen, Milton-Freewater; J. H.
Tippett, Enterprise; Marion Wea-
thcrford, Arlington; Harry I.
Stearns, Prineville; Herman
Oliver, John Day; Herbert Chand
ler. Baker; William Kittridge,
Klamath Falls; and L. T. Wooddy
of Grants Pass.
The Oregon Farm Bureau Fed
eration, Oregon State Grange,
Oregon Farmer Union and Cham
bers of Commerce in Oregon's
principle cities are being asked
to join in the program.
Heppner School Music
Program Expanded
The music program at the
Heppner schools is well under
way, music director James Wil
son said this week with three
separate bands planned for the
students.
A beginners band was organ
ized Monday evening at a special
meeting of nearly 30 parents and
children and an intermediate
band is also starting and already
has 20 members. Total member
ship in the beginning band is
now 43 students, Wilson said.
The high school band has been
divided, from its previous organ
ization, and now includes only
high school students. There are
32 in this group.
At the Monday night meeting
of the beginning group several
high school, students were pre
sent and demonstrated various
instruments. Among them was
Lynda Borman who demonstrat
ed the clarinet, Darlene Connor,
the French horn and Forrest Bur
kenbine, bass.
o
Mrs. Ida Grimes, formerly of
Heppner was visiting with her
daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and
Mrs. Allen Case over the week-
I end.
4 '
1
-S . . J A
J. I). Bauman, Frank Andresen, 'done at the disposal plant is the
Bill Labhart, ' Conley Lanham.j landscaping called for in the
Jack Edmondson, Oliver Cres- contract and the city recently
wick, James Farley, F. W. Turner,' made arrangements with the
Leslie Grant. 'contractor, The Atlas Construe-
Also on the list of solicitors are lion company, to take over that
Gene Wells, Jack Van Winkle,
Phil Blakney, Floyd Savers,
James Driscoll, Jack Loyd, John
Williams. Everett Keithley, Dick
Calvin, Raymond Pettyjohn and
Waller Barger.
Chamber Favors
Construction of
Low John Day Dam
part of the work itself. It has
been decided to install a sprinkl
ling system on the grounds before
the grass is planted. The area is
all fenced and leveled, and the
remainder of the work will be
done this winter so that the grass
can be planted next spring.
While final figures are not yet
available, members of the coun
cil feel certain that the total cost
of the plant and sewer system
would not run over the total cost
of the two contracts as accepted.
There was leeway in the sewer
The Heppner-Morrow county
chamber of commerce went on
,.f i...., H,m r,n 1 tin contract with C harles R. Schmied-
nil ill linn i a i" uum
Columbia river at the site com- eskamp company
ti, i,.i, n.,v cnarcs snuum
amount
;f rock be
resolution, favoring the low! hut changes in the plans during
over the proposed higheronstruction resulted in saymgs
monly known
damsite.
A
i :im liver the DNiOOSt
utrnxturn vr.'iii ti.Tsspil I n n n i m I Wh It'll an
ously by the group and copies offinal cost down to
the resolution were prepared ror"Ku"--
presentation Wednesday at the
public hearing in Arlington
which was called by the Army
Engineers. Discussion indicated
that the members felt the loss vf
moM of the irrigable farm land
around Boardman and Irrigon, by
flooding, should he high dam be
built, was not necessary nor de
sirable. Speaker for the meeting was
H. C. Reed, Heppner school super
intendent,' who told of the prob-
for extra
an extra
encountered,
expected to hold the
the contract
uiuiTr wbtfp hoilino from oower house at Pacific Power & Light
company's Yale hydroelectric project signifies start of operation , lems to tie -faced in bringing the
of region's newest power plant, nesuea ai me wt ot iu
Yale dam on the Lewis river in southwest Washington, the new
plant will add 125.000 kilowatts to generating capacity of the area.
Electronic impulses beamed by microwave from Pacific's 100.000
lilowatt Merwin plant 12 miles downstream control much of Yale
plant's operation.
local schools up to date.
Mr. and Mrs. John Ernsdorff
will spend Friday in La Grande
where he will attend the Eastern
Oregon hospital meeting.
Pomona Grange To
Elect Officers
At lone Saturday
Morrow county Pomona Grange
will meet Saturday, Sept. 26 at
lone with Willow Grange, it was
announced this week by officers.
The meeting will start at 10
a. m. and will lie followed with
a dinner at noon. Election of
officers for the coming year will
be a major point of interest to
members.
During the afternoon a pro
gram will be put on by officers
who have missed attending past
Pomona meetings.
Low
John
Day
Dam
un
animous Choice at Hearing
It was practically the unani
mous belief of all persons and or
ganizations present Wednesday
at the Arlington hearing that the
255 foot, or low, John Day dam
should be built on the Columbia
river. The hearing was held by
the Army Engineers to determine
the desires of the persons in the
effected areas.
More than 20Q persons, repre
senting 30 organizations and
communities were present to ex
press their desires as to which
dam they would rather see con
structed. A high dam has pre
viously been authorized by con
gress, but the heavy opinion
favoring the lower structure Is
expected to influence the engi
neers planning.
The hearing authorized by a
special congressional resolution
was conducted by Col Thomas II.
Lipscomb, district engineer of the
corps of engineers of the army.
State representative Tom Allen
was floor chairman.
Some 30 representations, both
written and oral, were made at
the hearing. They came from' the most beneficial without
reprsentatives of the towns of
Arlington, Boardman, Irrigon and
Umatilla; the Oregon Wheat
League, the state fish commis
sion, several port commissions,
four Indian tribes, several navi
gation companies, Washington
Public Utility Districts, county
courts, several chambers of com
merce, including the Portland
chamber, and other Interested
drowning out anywhere near as
much good land as would the
high dam.
The extra height on the high
dam, it was pointed out, would
be used for flood control only
when needed, but the back water
at such times would inundate a
much larger area than would the
low dam, yet would be used only
infrequently. If the high dam
,,nU .n,t ail followed the same were constructed, all of Arlington
theme that the low dam would be I would be flooded, as would the
town of Boardman and Irrigon j and McNary dams." - He added
and part of Umatilla. Backwater
from the low dam would inun
date only a part of Arlington and
the other towns, and not necessi
tate nearly as much highway and
railroad relocation.
Col. Lipscomb stated at the
conclusion of the hearing that
the "Decision as to which of the
two dams will be recommended
will be made as rapidly as pos
sible to insure the development of
the region between the John Day
that he was well pleased by the
interest shown by residents of
the areas and that it was not the
policy of the corps of engineers
to tell the people what they
wanted.
Morrow county was represent
ed by William Garner, mayor of
Boardman; Batie Rand and Harry
Smith, Irrigon, county judge Gar
net Barratt and commissioners
Russell Miller of Boardman and
Ralph I. Thompson, Heppner.