71 yecrs 130 tomorrow
'03
"Great Horror in Oregon
Took Four Hundred Lives,"
reads a headline on the front
page of the June 18, 1903,
Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal.
One and one-half columns
describe, in a somewhat
sensational tone, Heppner'i
flood of June 14, 1903, in the
Atlanta, Ga., paper.
Last November Roger
Budke sent an old copy of the
Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal
to Morrow County Planning
Director Del Smith. Budke
wrote Smith that he had found
the paper in the print shop of
the Underground Atlanta.
Smith turned the paper over
to Rachel Harnett, curator of
the Morrow County Museum,
where the paper is now on file.
Reports from The Chronicle
of Spokane and Portland
Oregonian were used as ref
erences for the story which
began, "Great wall of water
came like roar of thunder and
none could escape it."
"An estimate this morning
places the total number of
dead at 400," claims the
article. Mrs. Harnett says the
actual count was closer to 250
people dead because of the
flood.
"David McAtee, a business
man of Heppner, whose resi
dence is on a bench above .
Heppner, was an eye witness
of the disaster..,
'"On Sunday afternoon,'
said Mr. McAtee, 'there had
Hospital problems
explained at CC
Morrow County Judge Paul
Jones and Pioneer Hospital
Administrator Dene Wyman
opened the drive for voter
approval of the resubmitted
hospital levy at a meeting of
the Chamber of Commerce
Monday.
Jones told businessmen that
during a recent meeting of the
budget committee and reve
nue sharing committee the
county felt it could not come
up with the money necessary
to support the hospital for
another year, although some
money could have been di
verted to the hospital.
"After checking all the
figures we feel that this issue
should be placed before voters
of Morrow County another
time," he said.
Many voters did not realize
the seriousness of the hospital
tax levy, Jones declared, and
voted against it.
"We are faced with the
necessity of keeping the hos
pital in operation, and this can
only be done by raising the
money ourselves or by a tax
levy," he pointed out, "and
shold the tax levy be defeated
a second time the hospital will
have to close."
With the retirement from
practice of Dr. L.D. Tibbies,
who has been serving the
community for the past 40
years, Jones said the county
has taken action to attract
another doctor.
"In order to encourage a
new doctor $25,000 has been
set aside by the Morrow
County Court for his first
year's salary. Also, an addi
tional $5,000 has been desig
nated for a mobile clinic," the
judge said.
Mrs. Wyman explained that
before the hospital midget had
been submitted she had pared
it to the point where only the
Board praises Daniels
Search begins for
The resignation of County
School Superintendent Ron
Daniels was formally ac
cepted by the school board at a
special meeting Thursday
evening al the district office in
Lexington.
Daniels has resigned from
the position he has held for
seven years to accept the
presidency of Blue Mountain
Community College in Pen
Heppnoir
amount needed to operate the
hospital for the coming year
was included.
"Unemployment benefits
going into effect and an 8'j per
cent increase in employe
salaries, plus other increases
caused by state requirements
caused the bigger budget,"
she explained.
Citing one example, Mrs.
Wyman said the state now
requires at least two people on
each hospital floor at all
times. In the past only one
nurse has been on duty,
serving both floors.
"In the past year our census
has dropped from 44 per cent
to 31 per cent, and unless
hospital occupancy increases
we are looking at a higher
budget in the future than we
now have."
In answer to a question from
the floor as to reasons why
three janitors are required,
Mrs Wyman said one the
engineers is in a training
period learning routine work
now performed by Bob Lowe,
who plans to retire in the near
future.
The state requires that the
hospital have a nursing ad
ministrator, but she cannot
also be a nursing supervisor
because she would be too busy
taking care of chart and paper
work. Mrs. Wyman said that
after discussing this problem
with state authorities Pioneer
Hospital has been given
temporary permission to
combine the two positions.
"What is killing us," Mrs.
Wyman said, "is the Oregon
Nursing Home rules and
regulations, not the regula
tions for the hospital."
Hospital rates are being
increased to $58 a day
effective July 1.
"Many people in Morrow
County do not realize that the
dleton. Daniel's resignation
from the Morrow County post
will become effective July 31.
Dr. Wallace Wolff, chair
man of the school board,
commenting on Daniel's
resignation, said, "We regret
his resignation very much but
realize the real opportunity
for him in his new position.
The board has valued his
flood
been a very severe rainstorm,
accompanied by much wind
and lightning. I was standing
in front of the house and no
ticed that a cloud of remark
able denseness approached
the top of the hill on the east
side of the canyon. I turned for
a moment, when a roar caused
me to look again at the hill. I
saw a wall of water, whose
height I would be afraid to
gauge, rushing down the
mountain carrying immense
trees and timbers on its crest
and tearing every rock from
its foundation.'"
Mr. N.I. Tooker from Port
land was quoted as saying, "A
low estimate places the dead
at 300. The town had a
population of about 1,250, but
only about half of the popula
tion of the town could be
found. We do not know where
they have gone unless they
have gone down stream. They
may have gone to the hills, but
this is doubtful. The whole
thing was one horrible scene,
destruction being spread on
every side."
Many of the home and
places of business were de
scribed. Leslie Matlock's
famous ride to warn Lexing
ton was described. The article
ends in a rather gruesome
manner, "No systematic
effort has as yet been made to
find the dead, who are
undoubtedly strewn along the
canvon."
I
1
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hospital is the only establish
ment that is open 24 hours a
day and must have personnel
to care for patients 24 hours a
day," she said.
Jones said the hospital levy,
if approved, would increase
the present tax rate by about
60 cents per $1,000 of assessed
valuation. "The $65,000 from
the levy would keep the
hospital in good working
order, and if the census goes
up the money will revert to the
county."
Dr. Wallace H. Wolff told
the group that state and
government agencies, such as
Medicare, and welfare pa
tients put great stress on the
hospital. According to Wolff, a
patient must be notified of the
length of his stay in the
hospital and must be asked to
leave it at the end of that time.
If he continues his stay the
hospital is unable to collect
government funds for the
overstay period. And if a
patient is not notified in
advance that he is to pay for
hospitalization he may refuse
to pay the bill.
It was suggested that before
the July 16 election on the
resubmitted levy a public
meeting should be held where
the hospital's problems could
be aired and questions re
garding the hospital be an
swered. Guests at the next Chamber
of Commerce meeting will be
the Morrow County Rodeo
Court.
ANNUAL LKIAH
BARBECUE, JULY (
L'kiah's annual barbecue
will be held Saturday, July 6, 2
to 7 p.m.
The barbecue will be pre
ceded by a parade. Dancing
will be held at the Ukiah
school gymnasium, 9p.m. to 2
a.m.
services very highly and
appreciate the services he has
rendered to the district."
Daniels reported to the
board that he will be in and out
of the county during the month
of July making the transition
from his Morrow County job to
the community college posi
tion. The two weeks of
vacation time he has coming
makes thjs possible before the
Hospital levy to voters, July 16
Morrow County voters will
get a chance to reconsider on
July 16 the $65,000 three-year
serial levy for operation of
Pioneer Memorial Hospital
which they defeated 703 to 4
at the primary election May
28.
The decision to "re-vote"
the issue was approved
Thursday morning at a meet
ing of the joint budget and
revenue sharing advisory
committees; hospital board
members, the county court
and other citizens.
The committees were con
fident that a campaign to
inform voters of the impor
tance of the hospital, and the
need for funds to maintain it,
would result in voter ap
proval. Especially, the com
mittees agreed, in view of the
necessity of a continued full
facility hospital to attract new
medical facilities and doctors
to the county. ,
THE
GAZETTE-
Vol. 91, No. 17
City loses another
Removal of
The burned out skeleton of a
building on Main Street may
yet be designated "an his
torical monument" and left as
it is for the ages, for the city
has again failed to "score" in
enforcing its statutes regard
ing dangerous and unsightly
debris removal.
James Hager, one of the
three owners of the fire-gutted
property, has threatened
court action if the city allows
Shockman Bros., Hermiston
contractors, to tear down the
remains of the fire-razed
building and remove it. When
Donald Shockman appeared
with his wrecking ball Monday
Hager was on hand to order
him off the property; and later
demanded that Police Chief
Dean Gilman arrest Shock
man for trespassing. Gilman
refused when Hager declined
to sign a complaint.
Shockman removed his
equipment from the property
Tuesday. "The city didn't do
its homework before asking
me to tear down the building,"
he said.
Two weeks ago the common
council, which has been at
tempting to persuade Hager to
clean up the debris for the past
year, accepted a bid of $4,349
from the Hermiston contrac
tor firm to raze the burned-out
building and remove the
rubble. The council ordered
the cost tentatively divided
between the owners, Hager,
Bank of Eastern Oregon and
Everett Harshman. The city
ordered that if any of the
owners refused to pay his part
of the costs a lien would be
placed against his property.
Cattle raisers
to hold picnic
Families of Morrow County
Livestock 1 Assn. and Cow
Belle members are invited to
a picnic at Anson Wright Park
Sunday, June 23, at 1 p.m.
Members should bring their
own meat for barbecuing and
their own table service.
Families whose last names
begin with A M are asked to
bring salads; N to Z families
should bring desserts. The
CowBelles will furnish bread,
punch and ice cream. Du Ann
McCarty, Boardman, is chair
man of the event.
new superintendent
July 31 resignation dale.
The board established pro
cedure for filling the superin
tendent's position at its
Thursday meeting. The Por-
jected timetable sets July 1 as
the deadline for applications
and July 6 as the completion
date for screening applica
tions. Between July 8 and 13
the finalists for the position
, At the start of the meeting
the committees had begun
work on reducing budgets to
compensate for voter rejec
tion of the $75,000 serial levy
for the county road depart
ment and the defeated hos
pital levy. Hospital Admini
strator Illene Wyman pre
sented a tentative budget
reduction of $30,306, which left
approximately $35,000 which
would have to be diverted
from revenue sharing funds or
transferred from general
budget accounts to keep the
hospital in operation.
To come up with the $30,306
in budget cuts Wyman had
tentatively cut two part-time
office clerks and one part-time
janitor from the budget to cut
$4,000 from the levy budget.
Another $4,000 was cut from
the budget by deleting free
meals for employes, and
$3,000 was cut from the budget
by trimming hospital insur-,
fit Heppner,
round
Hager and his attorney,
Herman Winter, threatened
an injunction to stop the
razing.
The city charges that Hager
has not conformed to city
ordinance by failing to comply
with previous directives to
clean the place up. Hager
failed to appear at a public
hearing for abatement of the
property, and has refused to
allow city forces on the
property to clean it up.
4 But Hager said he had not
been properly notified of the
action of the council on May 30
in accepting the Shockman
Bros. bid. Winters told the
Gazette-Times Tuesday that
the only official notice Hager
received regarding council
action on the property came
Monday about noon when
written notice from the city
was hand-delivered, not to
Hager, but to Winters. The
notice. Winters said, was
dated June 7 whereas the
council resolution was a
dopted May 30.
Hager's second contention is
that the city proposed to
divide the cost of demolishing
the building equally among
'.&fv, LUMBER
will be interviewed. Hope
fully, the final selection will
come between July 15 and 19.
Members of the selection
committee are Jim Bier,
principal of Heppner High
School; Mike Tolar, principal
of the AC. Houghton Ele
mentary School, one faculty
member to be selected by the
Morrow County Education
Association; and those mem
liiA 1 ! I-
ance, unemployment and
state accident insurance.
If the budget levy for the
hospital is again rejected,
these cuts in the budget will
probably be implemented.
After deciding to resubmit
the levy, the proposed budget
cuts were set aside, as they
will not be made if the budget
levy passes. '
It was pointed out that the
results of the levy vote have
created concern among local
citizens. The committees be
lieve public sentiment sup
ports the need for the hospital.
Yet the May 28 vote shows that
the budget levy for the
hospital was carried only in
the Hardman district, where a
total of only about 25 votes
were cast.
It was noted by the com
mittee that if the hospital levy
passes the extra revenue
sharing funds marked for the
ailing hospital fund will be
Ore., Thursday, June
building thwarted
the three owners. However,
Harshman owns 80 per cent of
the property and would be
required to pay only one-third
of the cost. Winters believes
an equitable division of the
costs would be for Harshman
to pay 80 per cent "because he
owns 80 per cent" and the
remaining 20 per cent divided
according to the two owners'
proportionate share.
"Even Mr. Shockman said
such a division would be fair,"
Winters said.
Bob Abrams, city attorney,
said Hager is unjustly and
Fund established for leukemia victim
A fund to help with medical
expenses for Kasey Neistadt
has been set up at the local
Bank of Eastern Oregon and
the First National Bank.
Kasey's parents, Barney
and Ann Neistadt, were told
their daughter has leukemia
after a diagnosis at the Oregon
State Medical School in Port
land, May 8.
Kasey, who is just 18 months
YARD B
no
Dangerous, ugly
bers of the Morrow County
School Board who wish to
participate.
Requirements for the
superintendent's position are
a master's degree in public
school administration, a valid
Oregon superintendent's
certificate, and a minimum of
three years administrative
experience, preferably at both
the elementary and secondary
transferred to the already
trimmed road budget.
The hospital levy will not be
changed in any way, and will
still call for $65,000 per year
for three years.
In other action by the joint
committee Thursday morning
it was agreed to investigate
the cost of hiring a consulting
firm for the purpose of
working out a salary equali
zation program for county
employes. When a price
quotation is received, the
committee agreed to budget
this amount for next year.
Estimated cost for this pro
gram is $800 to $1,000.
To add to the budgeting
problems, Judge Paul Jones
noted that the state has raised
the retirement fund rate
which must be reflected in the
coming year's budget. The
raise in the retirement fund
will be from 1.75 per cent to 2.0
per cent of the employes
TIMES
13, 1974
illegally opposing the city in
its right to remove an un
sightly and dangerous struc
ture as called for in the solid
waste ordinance.
Two engineers have, within
the past year, declared the
building shell unsightly and
dangerous.
Mayor Jerry Sweeney said
Monday that "the building will
come down even if we have to
wait the necessary time for
the court's decision, but it will
come down."
Meanwhile, Hager has
forced the City of Heppner into
old, has been under going
chemotheraphy and radiation
treatments in her spinal cord
and brain. She has also
required intravenous feeding
and supplies of blood plate
lettes have been used.
Ann and Barney are longtime-
residents, and both
completed high school in
Heppner. The Neistadts
moved to Pendleton last year
a
ri
Y , N . :
eyesore remains . . .
level. Additional qualifica
tions the committee will deem
important to the position are
successful experience in
budgeting, bond elections,
building construction and
knowledge of Oregon School
law.
In other business the board
hired three new teachers, Bill
Buckendorf , a graduate of the
College of Idaho, has been
v-lili M i ii mm
present wage.
Although several depart
ment figures were reviewed
by the committee they could
not be approved as the general
and road budgets will have to
be "floated" until the outcome
of the hospital serial levy vote
is known,
The needs of the Neighbor
hood Center were presented to
the committee by Pat Brindle.
The Neighborhood Center
had originally asked for
$12,150 to operate, but had cut
that figure to $4,632, about
one-third of the original
figure. Judge Jones said
money spent for the Neighbor
hood Center was a real
bargain, as over $30,000 worth
of government funds for
human services would be
provided for the county's
$4,632.
The committee will convene
following the July 16 election.
an unusual position wherein it
may require from three to six
months in the courts to
determine whether the city
has the "right" and the power
to enforce its own ordinances
and charter provisions. The
ordinance and statutes
probably won't be challenged.
But Winters said his client,
Hager, has a case because of
improper notice by the council
and in the way the council has
divided the cost equally
among three owners.
where Barney is now em
ployed by Blue Mountain
Forest Products. Ann is the
daughter of Pat Brindle of
Heppner, who heads the
Neighborhood Center. '
Donation to the Kasey
Neistadt Fund may be made
at either bank to help meet,
mounting medical expenses
for Kasey.
' zk
hired to fill the vocal music
position at Heppner Elemen
tary School. Another College
of Idaho graduate, Madeline
Kelley, will teach language
arts at Heppner High School.
Ken Lemley, who has taught
for the past five years at
Beaver, Ore., was hired to fill
the vacant 6th grade position
at Heppner Elementary
School.
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