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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1950)
i r I Unoccupied Wing of Sanatorium Burnt Medford Philadelphia, May 12 (U.R) Fire today damaged the now un occupied wing of the Belle Vista sanatorium where 10 patients died in a blaze set by an inmate Today's fire also was the work of an arsonist, authorities said. "The place reeked with gaso line," Dtstrici Fire Marshal Ed ward H. Chew said. "It must have been splashed on the walls." R1BUNE v s tasi marcn zu. if J " i 4 3W jar. i -' ,5.1 ft1 "" J V , J. Second Section MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAY, MAY 12, 1950 Pajs 1-6 . -1 wVisJ TYPE OF TRUCK SOUGHT FOR MEDFORD Pictured above is the type of aerial ladder truck which is proposed for purchase by the Medford fire department under the plan for department improval. A bond issue and continuing tax levy will be' voted upon by Medford residents at a special election in conjunction with the May 19 primary election. In addition to the new truck, other new fire protection furnished under the plan includes two new fire sub-stations, an automatic alarm system, and new hose, as well as additional personnel. City officials have pointed out that a new fire insurance rating will be made in Medford this year, and unless improvements are made in the department, it is probable that insurance rates will cost homeowners more than the total amount asked for the department. Handling of Cargo Declines in Portland Portland, Ore.. May 12 (U.R) A continued decline in shipping in the Pacific area affected cargo handling last month. The Port land Merchants' Exchange said today 590,744 short tons of cargo was handled in April as com pared to 729,563 tons during April 1949. Cargo imports increased from 2,843 tons last year to 10,713 tons last month but foreign im ports declined from 154,753 tons last year to 69,669 tons last month. The corps of engineers said river traffic trough the Willa mette Falls locks and through the Bonneville dam lock picked up during April. Vital Need City Cited Medford is one of very few cities in the United States of more than 10,000 population which does not have an aerial ladder fire truck, according to Fire Consultant Leo Weidner, acting chief here. But the department's reasons for feeling the need of such a truck are not Just a matter of "Keeping up with the Jones family," Weidner said. The po tentialities of this type of equip ment for preventing property loss, entirely aside from its ef fectiveness in saving lives from taller buildings, make its pur chase most desirable, he said. Gives Facts, Figures Weidner has been making a series of talks on fire prevention problems to a number of Med ford civic groups in recent weeks. Pointing out that it makes no difference to him, per sonally, one way or the other, whether Medford passes or re jects the proposed bond issue and tax levy for the department, Weidner has been giving facts and figures regarding the de partment. The two proposals are so close ly related that it would hardly be worth while to vote for one and not the other, he said. The $125,000 bond issue is for pur chase of a new ladder truck, for two new sub-stations, f o r an alarm system, and for new hose. The tax levy is to provide con tinuing funds for the new equipment and for additional personnel needed to operate it. Value Here Triples The city has practically the same types and numbers of fire fighting apparatus as it had when it was half its present size and before property had tripled in value, Weidner said. There has been some increase in pump er capacity and modernization of equipment, but no increase or modernization in the equipment to save human lives in serious fires. In days gone by this could be excused because there was no better equipment available, but for Aerial Ladder Truck By By Medford Fire Consultant this conditions is no longer true, he points out. With present equipment, out side rescue of people trapped by fire above the third floor would have to be done by improvised means, if at all, since manually operated ladders will not reach further. To raise a ladder of the present maximum length would require the service of four to six men, for two to four minutes, during the time when their ser vices are most urgently needed for other duties. The aerial lad der can be raised to full height of 85 feet by one man in 30 seconds. Can't Reach Floors In Medford there are buildings whose upper floors can not be reached with present equipment, and permits have been requested for buildings of even greater height. Weidner said that the aerial ladder equipment also would permit ladder pipes to be placed Tourist Promotion Methods Here Liked The efforts of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce to entice money-spending tour ists to this area and to keep them here longer may be used as models for tourist promotion programs in other areas, as the results of a meeting held here this week. Jack Sugg and Howard Mc Allister of the Oregon Adverti sing club and Carl Jordan of the travel information department of the state highway commission met at the Medford hotel with members of the tourist and con vention committee of the cham ber and other officials. After the up-state promotion men had outlined their plans for attracting more tourist dollars to the state, the local committee explained what they are doing in that line and showed that Medford's plans are well formu lated and well in advance of what has been done elsewhere. The Ad club representatives and the representative of the highway commission expressed keen interest in the striking fol ders and information sheets that are being prepared for distribu tion by the chamber, and were also impressed with plans to educate local residents to be better tourist hosts. The program here will get into full swing during Tourist Host week, pro claimed by the governor for the week of May 22. Statistics Given The motive behind all the activity to draw more tourists was revealed in statistics given by Jordan and Sugg. They said out-of-state visitors brought in 5110 million to Oregon last year, making the tourist industry the third ranking business in the state in point of income. Two and a quarter million tourists entered the state in 770.000 cars. That is exclusive of the thou sands who come by rail, bus and car. About 80 per cent of the vacationists travel by car. This year should be still bet ter, according to current indica tions and the rate of inquiries being received by chambers of commerce and the travel infor mation department. The whole idea is to get those visitors to stay here just a little longer. It is estimated that the average tourist spends about 6.8 days in the state. If they could be induced, by increased hospi tality and better information about existing attractions, to stay an additional hall-day, it would mean another S8 million in income to Oregonians. on the fly ladder, thus enabling water to be directed from the full extension height. Lack of such equipment prevented the effective fighting of a fire in one of the packing plants recently. Equipment of this type is a very necessary part of fire fighting, Weidner stated, and -from a hu manitarian point of view as well as from the practical view point it is a necessity. 18 Miners Killed In Belgian Explosion Mons, Belgium, May 12 (U.R) At least 18 miners were killed and 18 were trapped yesterday by a coal gas explosion 1,650 feet down in a mine. Four were injured. Rescue workers wearing gas masks dug through caved-in sand and rock to the main shaft of the mine, which is south of Brussels near the French bor der. They took out 18 bodies and four badly injured miners. F.iehteen others were missing. Rescue workers heard faint tap ping through a wall which blocked a passage. There was no sign of how many of the missing were alive. A mine spokesman said the death toll probably would go considerably higher. It started with this... I Petri ' Pbrt Petri in We're bav'mg a fiousewarmmg next jj $at. n;3ht Just bring your 0 sense of humor It went over big with this! But you needn't wait for a houscwirming to enjoy Petri Wine. Tonight, enjoy itt rich, satisfying taste the result of thtet genetauons of wine-making skill. PETRI WINE CO., SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. Camellias for Mother As Low As 50c Ported Plants Gift Wrapped Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cabbage Whole and Retail MARSHALL NURSERY 12th and Newtown St. Phone 3-1657 Open Sundays Del. Service BEARINGS AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTOR TIMKEN - SKF - HYATT NEW DEPARTURE NATIONAL OIL SEALS Complete Stock for Trucks, Tractors and Industrial Machinery H. L. PRITCHARD CO. 126 North Front St. Phone 2-5227 MEDFORD, OREGON NEW DESIGN NEW BEAUTY NEW CONVENIENT NEW BIGGER VALUE LOOK at it Outside! LOOK at it Inside! LOOK What You .Get for 30c a Day ! Over 12,000,000 Sold ! 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The money is credited to vour account. fc When payments are completed the meter will be removed fc It's less than many people pay for daily ice fc Your money doesn't "melt away" when placod in the "Meter Ice" fc It's such an easy way to purchase a beautiful Frigidaire And Look at All These Great- Frigidaire Features Quickcube Ice Trays if Styling by Raymond Loewy jc Big Super-Freezer if All Porcelain Interior if Nearly 12 sq. ft. of Shelf Area if Plenty of Tall Bottle Space if Famous current-saving Meter-Miser Mechan ism with a 5-year protection plan if Automatic Interior Light and many more Exclusive Frigidaire Feature m ELEiTBK COMPANY 309 EAST MAIN MEDFORD'S LEADING APPLIANCE DEALER FOR THE PAST 19 YEARS PHONE 2-4427
