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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 8, 1922)
1 X ail Tribune The Weather Prediction Fair Maximum yesterday 44 Minimum today 30 MEDFORD Weather Year Kfgo ( Maximum ....'; 39 Minimum 26 M I: t t'nllv Kivr toon tli Yen p. Weekly Klfty-Sccona Year. . h .-$ t HARDING ENTIRE BUSINESS DIS'T DESTROYED, TWO KILLED, FIRE IS STIEE BURNING Most Disastrous Fire in History of Oregon Sweeps Columbia River Sea Port Loss Estimated As High As $15,000,000 Two Men Killed and Reports ofMany Injured Fire De partment Handicapped By Lack of Equipment Banks and Bakeries Burned, City Without Money Or Bread Port land Rushes Fire Fighters and Relief Workers Fire Spreads Under .Wooden Piling Which Supports City. ASTORIA, Dee. 8.--A fire caused by an explosion in the Bee Hive store at two o'clock this morning, lias practically reduced tiiis city to a ruin of embers and ashes, resulted in the loss of several lives, and a property loss which will rcac'h into millions of dollars. The business district of the city is completely destroyed, all banks and stores are a smouldering mass of ruins, every hotel and every newspaper is burned, while the destruction of the piles supporting a larec section of the city has resulted in many sections ot tile business district falling into a morass ofiliuek and water. . Two men are reported dead. They are Morris Staples, automobile dealer and president of the Bank of Commerce, and W. II. Fellmali, owner of thp largest furniture store, who apparently dropped dead from exhaustioli. ' - The first report was received at' 3:23 a. m., from the Astoria fire department which sent' a frantic call for all available fire supplies. At 3:32 a. in., the mayor of Astoria sent in an appeal for all available fire fighting squipmeiit that could be spared from Portland. . SAIjEM, Ore, Woe. 8. George. A. White, adjutant general or Oregon, left Salem this after noon for Portland to ttnko ehnrge of the detachment of 100 Notional (iuanlHinin from that city who an- to leave lortland nt four o'clock tills iiflernoon for Patrol duty In Astoria. The need for troops to augment the local poliro authorities there to keep ohIit and prevent looting, was declared to bo great this after noon. PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 8. (By tho Associated Press) More than thirty stiuaro blocks of tho business district of Astoria, Oregon, including part of tho older resldonco district, most of tho k'udlne business houses and banks, and tho buildings of the two newspapors, had been swept by a flro which started early today and got out of control by eating under neath tho piling upon which tho cily has been built on tho bunk of the Co lumbia river, about 100 miles from here. 1 One 'death had been reported and thoro wore rumors of many Injured. Tho correspondent of tho Associated press, reporting by telephone to tho Portland bureau shortly utter 1 i o'clock, said authorities had just lcarnod there had been another fire fatality in addition to the death of Staples, business man and bunker, who dropped dead of heart, failure. Chief of Police ('. L. Carlson said he had heard a man hanged himself while tho fire was raging, but he hud not learned tho' man's name. Chief Carlson could give no further verifi cation of a wireless dispatch received ut tho United States naval radio sta tion ut Bremerton, Wush., from As toria to tho effect that "several deaths and numerous injuries" had resulted from tho conflagration. Loss Placed nt 913.000,000. Home unofficial estimates placed tho loss as high as $15,000,000. Tho Associated Press correspondent said the assessed valuo of Astoria was about tl2, 000.000 and added "the residence district has not been touched." Portland was preparing to scr.d aid to tho stricken city. Astoria business men sent word to Portland that tho city was in need of moncv na all the banks had been burned and cash was locked up In the vailts. All the bakeries were burned and bvead was needed. Beds will bo obtulned from Seaside, near Astoria to accommo date homeless persons, It was an nounced. As the correspondent of the Asso ciated Press was telephoning to Portland tho sound of explosions of dynamite wrecking buildings In the path of tho fire, close to where the correspondent was. could be hoard over the wire. The fire had reached Seventeenth street In the east end of Astoria, at 11 o'clock. Newspapers Huriied. The plants of both Astoria daily newspapers, the Budget, nfternoon, " " and Astorlun, morning, were swept by the fire. Tho Budget occupied a two story brick building and lite upper floors were burned. Tho composing room, including tho linotypes and gus plan. was wrecked. Whether tho press In the basement was destroyed was not known nt noon. The Budget wiib getting out today's edition, a six eolumn one-puge sheet, nt Seaside. Tho Astorian recently moved into a new concrete ono-story building and this was swept through by tho flames, which destroyed much of tho equip ment. Apparatus arrived from the Port land fire department, including two steamers and-a gasolino pumper and 0000 feet of hose. This was added to six lines of hose which the Astoria tiro department bad on. tho fire. Reported Many Injured. SEATTLE, Dec. 8. A dispatch re ceived by tho United States naval ra dio station at . Bremerton, Wash., dated from Aslorin, Ore., nt 9 a. m., said: "The fire is extremely out of con trol and fanned by n westerly breeze, is sweeping rapidly over tho unburn ed area. Several denths nnd numer ous injuries have resulted from the conflagration and dynamiting is being resorted to In an effort to check tho flumes. The entire city Is In immi ncnt danger of destruction." PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 8. Port land business men at n meeting today arranged for a relief train to tuko food and supplies to Astoria. Looting Is Reported ASTORIA, Ore., Dec. 8. Tho flro at 1015 hud Crossed Sixteenth street at Commercial street, where a de termlned effort was being Hindu to stop It nt the Astoria business col lege building. Tho flro nt that time had swept through the concrete building of the Astorian. The fire was expected to burn Itsolf out at tho east end because few buildings remained In Its path In that direction. Tho police were making an effort to patrol tho fire swept district. Thero wero some reports of looting. There were rumors of persons being Injured, but no further deaths had been reported up to ton o'clock. A meeting of business men was called at the Episcopalian church to plan relief nnd re-construction work. Buildings In the vicinity of the city hall were dynamited to cheek tho flames there and windows of the city hall were shattered. The flro had been stopped across the street from the city hall and that building ap peared to be safe. According to reports from the fire swept nren early todny, Norrls Sta ples, one of the lending automobile dealers of the city, and president of the Bank of Commerce, had dropped dead. Another report said Brennan Van Dusen. a business mrfn, was (Contintiod on Pago sit.) ', MEDFORD, OREGON, FOR STRICT DRY ENFORCEMENT Negroes Rob Harry Payne Whitney Home $150,000 Valuables NEWD YORK, Dec. S. Theft by a gang of negroes of J150.000 worth of valuables from the sum mer homos of Harry Payne Whit ney and other prominent New Yorkers was revealed lust night by detectives after a battle In "Hell's Kitchen," on the edge of the uptown theater district. Tho detectives made two arrests and recovered loot valued at $50,000. BY MEDFORDITE W. B. Bicldle of This City, Takes Firm Stand for U. P. at Hearing Before I. C. C' Railroad Competition Crying Need. WASHINGTON, Dec. S. Finan cial aspects of the proposed sepa ration of the Southern Pacific rail road from tho Central Pacific were put before the interstate commerce commtsison today by Judge Robert S. Lovett, chairman of the board of directors of the Union Pacific. Application of the Southern Pa cific for permission to retain tho Cen tral Pacific despite the supreme court decision ordering their divorce, he said, was considered by the Un ion Pacific to be "in a certain sense, war." Judge Lovett freely conceded that the Union Pacific had expended largo, but unnamed amounts of money to Influence public opinion on the Pacific c6ast and olsowhore in an effort to defeat the campaign of tho Southern Pacific. "The Union Pacific is willing to buy the Central Pacific at a fair price from tho Southern Pacific," Judge Lovett said In response to questions that Fred H. Wood, coun sel for the Southern Pacific- "That Is, the Union Pacific is will ing to make the purchase, provided that the Central Pacific can bo sep arated from the Southern Pnclflc ttn dor conditions that will let it live. But' we are not trying to buy tho Central Pacific though wo are willing to do so. All we ask here is that the two lines be separated so that compe tition may be maintained and not limited. In transcontinental railroad operation." Hallways Vital to- Industry W. 11. Biddlo of Medford, who served at ono time as president of tho Frisco line and as vice-president of tho Hock Island, said thero was dire necessity for railroad competi tion In southern Oregon and north ern California. "My own oxperlonco In the devel opment of a railroad," he. said, "is that It is almost impossible to se cure the location of Industries with out railroad competition. It Is a very vital factor. Tho territory north of Sacramento and south of Kugene, in the neighborhood of 500 miles Is susceptible of wonderful de velopment which can come only from competition of railroads. The physi cal character of the country Is such If Is Impossible for Independent de velopment of a railroad. Tho con struction of a new road Is not justi fied, so development of the country must come from the ttue of facilities already constructed or partly con structed. Tbo use of these properties must be under competitive condi tions If the country is going to be de veloped" Mr. Biddle said competition would prove a great factor In building up southwestern Oregon, In some parts of which he stated the only thing now produced is cord wood and moon shine. Oregon with all its natural advan tage!, he said, Is more backward than any other state he has observed and ho attributed this condition to the lack of railroad competition. He org jed that the Southern Pacific's applt- (Continued on Pago alt.7 S. P. DIVORCE IS STRONGLY URGED OKEGOX, Fill DAY, DECEMBER 8, 1922 DESTROYED i 18 IN R. R. RATE C. C. Commission Grants Reduction in Freight Rates to Northern, California and Klamath Falis Rates From California Raised Present Rates Declared Unfair. WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. Railroad rates on classified freight moving from Portland, Medford, Klamath Falls and other jobbing centers in Oregon to consuming territory in southern Ore gon and northern California were held today by jthe r . Inter-state commerce commission to be unreasonably high and to constitute a discrimination against the Oregon cities and in favor of San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramen to, Stockton and Marysvllle, Cal. The commission ordered a general reorganization of the rates applying to the traffic o the general principle of reducing slightly the "charges on classified freight moving from the northern points and increasing slightly the rates to the same. restrictions on similar freight, movjjg from the. .Cali fornia ClllOB. n I A complete formula which railroads must follow In reconstructing rate schedules was laid down in the decis ion and the western roads were ord ered to put the new schedule into ef fect on or before February 24. Traffic associations and shippers from all the cities named participated in the controversy submitted to the commission and tho public service commission of Oregon supported the demand for the alteration granted to day, while the railroad commission of California opposed it. California Favored The commission's decision said that though the consuming territory lying along tho Oregon-California border was approximately equal In distance from the California and Oregon Job bing centers, under the rate schedules Oregon shippers had been able to fur nish Icbs than 17 per cent of the total freight shipped into this territory. Railroads concerned defended the higher rates from the north on tho ground that grades wore steeper and operating expenses greater than on the linos from the south. "We are of tho opinion that tho ex isting advantage to tho California job bers in the class rates between the central California points and the des tination territory is greater than Ib warranted," tho commission s opinion said, "by the operation, transportation and commercial conditions surround ing the northbound traffic as com pared with that moving from the Ore gon points southbound. Wo have never hold that it Is necessary that in order to preservo advantages of loca tion, rates should bo based rigidly on mileage or on cost of service. A certain Uegroo ot flexibility is itwmlt- ted in adjusting rates if commercial and competitive conditions warrant." The entiro rate structure to points In California north of Rod Bluff to tho Orogon state line wns ordered modified. The Oregon points to which the rates are to be altered are mainly located on the Klamath Falls branch ot the Southern Pacific. S.F, GUESTS RESCUED SAN FRANCISCO. Yoc. 8. -Fire which swept through the six-story hotel fiarllund today, was pronounc ed definitely under control nfter vir tually all tho flro .fighting apparatus in tho city had fought It for three hours. A search of tho hotel re vealed that all of the guests were safe. Scores of guests wero reset d only after repeated acts of heroism on the part of the fire fighters. and hotel employes. Three firemen .wero In jured, none seriously. The (iartlnnd is valued at 1300,000 and tho interior appears to be de stroyed, according to Fire Chief Thomas Murphy, lis guests for the most part were women stenographers nnd clerks. MEDFORD ' Serves Sentence By Feeding One Goose A Day to Family ATLANTA, . Co., Dec. X. Louis l'uzoll . today begun serv- lug his sentenco .of eating one gooso a day for six days follow- ing his arraignment in polico court horo yesterday bocmiso his flock of Blx domestic geeso kept neighbors uwnko with tholr hissing and honking. l'uzoll, unable to sell his feathered Dock, suggested to tho court that his case be dis- mlssod it he served ono gooso a dny to IiIb family. Ho cx- pects to encounter no trottblo In carrying out the sentence. WAR TO DEATH IS Free State Executes Four More Prominent Rebels As Reprisal for Assassination of Deputy Hales Yesterday Dublin in UproaVr LONDON, Doc. 8. (By the 'Asso ciated Press.) The Irish republi cans, says a dispatch to the livening Standard from Dublin, have Issued a manlfosto describing Timothy Healy, the govornor general, as a lifelong enemy of tho nation. The manifesto adds: "The fight will go on as long as there Is a man in Ireland. It is war to tho death." DUBLIN, Dec. 8. (By tho Asso ciated Press.) Rory O'Connor and L'.ain Mcllowos, together with two other Irish robelB, wero executed In Mountjoy prison this morning, it was officially announced. Tho two "other men executed wore Joseph McKelvy and Richard Bar rett, both prominent republicans. An official army roport says , tho four men wero executed bb a reprisal for the assassination of Sean Halos, tho deputy shot yesterday, and as a solemn warning to those associated with them "in tho conspiracy of as sassination' against tho representa tives of tho Irish pooplo." Roderick (Rory) O'Connor, and Limn Mollowcs wero loaders of the hand of Irish insurgents that hold the Four Courts building in Dublin in its stand against tho free Btate troops last Juno. Knch was taken to prison when the .building was cap tured after a throe days siege, Tho prisonors wore tried by a mili tary court martial during tho night, found guilty and sentenced to death. The death sentence was carrlod out at 0:20 this morning. Threo priests wero present. Tho prisonors, bllndfoldod, wero marched to tho place of execution. O'Connor had to bo assisted to the scaffold. The startling swiftness with which the free slato government acted In consequonco of tho assassination of Deputy jlaley caused a great sensa tion among Dubllntlos. Through today's executions, the Irregulars lost two of their principal leaders and two other Important, al though less known men. All four surrendered after the destruction of the Four Courts, In tho seizure of which O'Connor and Mellewes took a loading part. LONDON, Dec. 8. (By the Asso ciated Press.) The Dublin corres pondent of the Evening Standard re ports that a party of men today en tered the Mercers hospital and shot a free stato soldier lying in one of the beds in reprisal for tho executions of Rory O'Connor and Llum Mollowes. SEATTLE, Dec. 8. Western Washington was again today grip, pod by a heavy snowfall which start ed early this morning and was gene ral throughout the district, accom panied by slightly subnormal temper atures, according to reports recelveo here. At Ellenshurg, Just east of the Cas cades, the thermometer lust night dropped to nine degrees nbove zero, the lowest mark of the season. DECLARED BY IRISH RADICALS BY PRESIDENT CONGRESS BY MESSAGE WITH A PUNCH IN IT Chief Executive Takes Strong Stand for Prohibition, Urges Abolition of Railroad Labor Board, Consolidation of Rail road Systems With Motor Truck Lines Incorporated as Feeders, Extension of Credit to Farmers Two Amend ments to U. S. Constitution, the Registration of Aliens and War On Hyphenated Americans Denies Isolation of America Declares Every Obligation Has Been Met- WASHINGTON, Dec. S. Presi dent Harding in his annual message delivered to congress In person, deals with nearly a score ot subjects, chief among them prohibition, farm credits, tho transportation problem, child labor and Immigration. The executive announces his pur pose to Invite the governors of slates and territories to an early confer ence with tho federal executive au thority with a view to applying defi nite policies of national and Btate co-operatioif in administering the prohibition lavs. J!a says the day Is Ulllikelv' to conii when the nrnhlhl- tlo'ft nrtiendmenCwill Ve'repeaiod arid" that the nation should adopt Its course accordingly. President. Harding tells congross that if tho statutory provisions for prohibition enforcement are contrary he does not believe, tho rigorous and literal enforcement will concentrate public attention upon any requiulto modification. "Huch n course," lie adds, "conforms with tho law nnd naves tho humiliation of the government and tho humilia tion of our iK-oplo lx'foro tho world and challenge the do Rtmrtivo forces engaged Jn nitleNprcail violation, official corruption and individual dc lilorilllzntlon." Almlish Railroad Labor Hoard With regard to the transportation problem, Mr. Harding proposes that the railroad labor board bo abolish ed, with tho substitution of a labor division In the Inter-state commerce Commission with ampin power to re quire Us rulings to bo accepted by both parties to a disputed question. Tho executive also proposes that the law rcquiro the carriers and their employes to Institute, means and methods to negotlnlo between them selves their constantly arising differ ences, limiting nppeals to tho gov ernment body to deputes of such character ns aro likely to affect tho public welfare. For Railroad Consolidation Coordination of all transportation facilities Is urgod by tho president. Thcso would Include not only Inlnnd waterways but motor truck transpor tation as well. He Inveighs against the system of paralleling tho rail roads with truck roads, thus draw lug freight from the steam linos In stead of muklng tho motor truck foodor for them. As to tho carriers themselves, Mr. Harding suggests as ways of increased economy and effi ciency there be a merger of lines Into systems, interchance of freight cars, tho tonsolldntlon of facilities and tho use of terminals. Ho declared that. the managers of the lines are without that Inter-carrlor. cooperative rela tionship "so highly essential to fho most and best economical operation," adding that they could not function In harmony when tho recent strike threatened tho paralysis of all rail way transportation. Credit for Knrmcrs More extended credit for the farm ors Is strongly urged by tho execu tive who declares that tho very proof of helpfulness already given Is tho strongest: argument for the perma nent establishment of widened credit. Amend Constitution Two constitutional amendments are proposed. Ono would give con gress authority ovor child labor gad the other would restrict the Issues of tax exempt securities which are de clared to be "drying tip the sources of federal taxation and encouraging un productive and extravagant expendi tures by slates and municipalities." Hyphenates Bobbing I'p Knnctmont uf legislation providing NO. 221 F RE STARTLES for registration of aliens and for more thorough examinations of emi grants at the ports of embarkation is urged. The president says there is a "recrudescence of hyphenated' Americanism which we ' thought to have been stamped out when we com mitted the nation, life and soul, to the world war," and adds that advo cates of revolution are abusing the hospitality , of 'American shores, "finding their deluded followers among those who take on the hab iliments of an American without an ' American soul." Register Aliens . , ... RoglstiatUm of aliens; KhepreBi- i dent adds, will enable the nation to ' guard against abuses in emigration, chocking the undesirable whose Ir regular coming is his first violation ; of the law, and at the same time will WB0 who mean t0 enro11 as clu" Dealing with foreign affairs, Mr. Harding tolls congress that American ' relations are not only free from every ' threatening cloud, but the country has contributed "Its larger infltionce" toward making marked conflict less easy. "It has been our fortune both to proach and promote international un derstanding," ho ndds. "Wo are cognizant ot tho world's strugglos for full readjustment and rehabilitation and wo liavo shirked no duty. which comes of sympathy. or fraternity, or highest fellowship among nations. Every obligation consonant with American ideals and sanctioned un der our form of government is will ingly mot." 1 Old World Has Gone Tho president bogan his address by', calling tho attontlnn ot congrcsss to general world conditions, which ho said still wero scrloiiBly disturbed aa a result of tho war. ' Ho assorted that -.-"tho Inevitable readjustment of the social and economic order, is not moro than baroly begun," and con tinued: "Thero never again will bo pre-, cisely tho old order; indeed, I know of no one who thinks It Is desirable. For out of tho old order came tho war Itself and the new order estab lished and made secure, never will permit its recurrence. "It is no figuro of spoet'h to sny wo have como to tho tost ot our civ ilization. The world has been pass ing Is todny passing through a great crlBlB. The conduct ot war It self Is not more difficult .than tho so lution of tho problems which nocos- , surily follow. I am not speaking at this momont of tho problem In its ; wider aspects of world rehablllta- , tlou or of International relation-, ships. The reference Is to our own social, financial and economic, prob lems at home. Those things aro not -to bo considered solely as problems apart from all International relation ship but every nation must be ablo to carry on for Its ownsolf, else its ' International relationship will havo scant Influence. Doubtless our own pooplo havo emerged from the world war tumult less impaired than most belligerent powers; probably we have made larger progress toward recon struction. Had we escap ed tho coal and railway strikes, which had no excuse for their being, and lesi Visttflratlon for their delayed . setHement. we should have done In finitely 'better. But labor was so Insistent in holding to the war heights and heedless forces ot reac tionary sought the pre-war levels and both woro wrong. The railway strike accentuatod the difficulty of the American farm er. The first distress of readjust- ,, (Continued on Pag tlx.) r