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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 1953)
inimn i t MTPrrrr (OBsaom mail wboth Private Tarm Ponds' Store Irrigation Br HABBT XOBOWICX MaU TriboM Statt Writer It used to be that the only dam builders were the govern ment and the beavers. Recently, h owi r, various private individuals with govern ment assistance have constructed numerous "farm ponds" to store precious water to turn dry land Into fertile irrigated soil. Here in the Rogue valley the biggest step to date in such a project is the banding together of five members of the Sams r. vfcii-- '-".1:, .V yyrf '?'V' . JAMES RESERVOIR Pictured is the 60 acre-foot pond constructed on the Lester James farm in Sams Valley. With water stored behind the 775-foot dam, right, James irrigates 20 acres of pasture and hay. The owner is pictured with Clem Ault, Soil Conservation service techni cian, standing between the concrete outlet struc riEl'J METHOD USED If CONSTRUCTING BIG BEAR CREEK ORCHARD BUILDING One of the major building projects of the Rogue river val ley this summer provides a type of construction the tilt -up method which is unique in southern Oregon. The method, a type of pre cast construction, is being car ried out in one of two major building jobs at Harry and Da vid's Bear Creek orchards south of Medford on Highway 99. $250,000 Cost The two buildings, one sched uled to be a new packing house and the other a warehouse, will cost about a quarter of a million dollars before equipment is in stalled, according to Harry Holmes, owner. The warehouse construction is utilizing the new -building meth od, which is adapted for ware house construction, according to Leslie Poole, Portland engineer, who designed the structure. Poole stated that pre-casting of the building's concrete walls be fore they are put in place was the result of an attempt by con- uucuun uinu 10 cm uuwu in creasing building costs in the lumber and labor fields. The warehouse is to be 100 by 260 feet, with a concrete floor, walls and two 50-foot truss-type wooden spans with as phalt layer of roofing material. Poor ad oa Floor The 5-inch concrete floor was laid first and then 37 wall panels, of which about 13 are alike, were poured to the right size on top of the floor, allowing a min imum of 21 days for the concrete to cure, raising of the walls began last Tuesday at 10 a.m. .with all of one side raised in one day. Weight of the wall sections, which are made of steel-reinforced concrete, is about 14 tons, with the largest section about 16 tons. To break the strong adhe sive force, between the wall sec tions and floor, a paraffin-base application was first applied and metal wedges inserted around the edges. Giant Crane Used A giant crane from the Tru- Mix company was used in lifting the wall sections into nlace. which are held erect by tempor ary studding with bolt joints af fixed to the wall and floor. When all the walla are erected, they are lined from corner to corner and concrete columns, called pil asters, poured to permanently join uie separate sections. Aiinougn inis type oi con struction is limited to certain building types, its use results in a saving in labor and form costs, used in normal form pouring consxrucxion. Also, It provides a "perfectly smooth" wall surface when poured on the floor, which is ready for painting. Old form construction leaves wood im pressions from the many boards usea. Construction began about six weeks ago by the Portland firm of Smith-Phillips. Warehouse completion is exnected around Oct. 1, with packing house com pletion Zl days later. Hot Water Heat The packing house will be 150 feet by 240 feet with a emumt floor, featuring hot water heat in the floor. The walls will be mostly columns and open for a Water for Valley Valley Irrigation association in a joint project to get water for about 400 acres of dry land in Sams Valley. Complete la December Tree clearing on the damsite in Ramsey canyon on the Cliff ranch was completed on Aug. 20 and dirt moving for the dam and dikes began on Aug- - 27. The reservoir is expected to be completed in December. The five interested farmers, George Loftin, Frank and Al bert Straus, Wes McDonough, '0 ture, which provides drainage during high water periods. The water is applied to the acreage from a motor-driven sprinkling system. Technical assistance in reservoir construction came from the Sams Valley-Beagle Soil Con servation district technicians. (Soil Conservation Service Photo) height 12 feet above the floor. It is hoped that the open construc tion will allow good air circula tion throughout the plant No doors will be installed. A 40 foot concrete apron will be in stalled on the west end of the house, and 30-foot apron on the north end. The concrete columns and walls are being poured in forms by the old method. . The roof will consist of two 75 foot spans of the wooden truss type, prefabricated at Portland. When completed, the building will house three washing units, with space provided for a fourth; automatic dumping machines and lift-trucks. Holmes stated that every labor-saving device known is being installed, and that the packing house would be "as near modern as we know how to make it." Fruit will enter the building from the west side and be processed to the east end and out across the yard to the George Eichnor Leaves Job As Editor of .Unique Paper Published for Camp White Camp White The final issue of one of the most unique publi cations devoted to the interests of veterans in hospitals and homes throughout the country came from the press at the Camp White domiciliary this past week. Dominews, the VA. member paper published monthly in mimeograph form, may continue but it will no longer contain the satirical wisdom and comic flashes incorporated in its pages under the guiding genius of its dynamic editor George Eichnor. Plans to Leave Eichnor put the paper to bed last week with the definite an nouncement of his departure at the end of the month for the is land of Manhattan. He has been prevailed upon by his son Lieut CoL John T. Eichnor, stationed now at Governor's Island in New York harbor, to sever his con nections here and move to the big city bag and baggage. CoL Eichnor is with the first army having graduated last June from the staff and com mand school at Ft Leavenworth; Kans. It has taken a considerable amount of determination on Geore's part to make the break from the editorship of Domi news. Under his direction the little camp monthly evolved from a stereotyped semi-news paper to a colorful departure in institutional journalism, attract ing attention far beyond the con fines of the Veterans Adminis tration and veteran interests in the valley. Enjoyed Work "I am definitely leaving," he said. "And you can say for me that I appreciate the opportun ity which was given to me to de velop Dominews along the lines it has followed. I was given a free hand to write and print the kind of reading matter the men were interested in. no one cramped my style for a minute and that is why it gained so 1S.IS8S Karl Peffley and Burl Burreton, are xooperatora with the Sams Valley-Beagle soil conservation district Construction work is be ing financed individually and with the Farmers Home adminis tration. -. The Ramsey canyon project Is the first of its kind in the SV Beagle district, Lester James, district chairman, said. Robert B. Miller, Soil Conservation serv ice engineer, who works with the district, helped the associa tion with the selection of the cold storage plant. The 86 by 240-foot cold stor age building will also be reno vated in the future as a part of the three-year building program, Holmes said. The upper portion, which is presently not used for cold storage, will be joined with the bottom floor by tearing. out the second floor, and lift trucks, utilizing the pallet method of storing fruit, will be used. In this method, the packed fruit boxes are placed on wooden plat forms called pallets, which can be easily carried by lift trucks and also allow more air circu ation among the boxes. Bear Creek's present bindings will be used for extension of the offices and aso additional stor age, when the two new build ings are completed. The new warehouse building will be used for part of the gift box proced ure, with Fruit-of-the-Month club and gift items to be stored in it. much attention." - George Eichnor's achievement is especially noteworthy through the fact that he acquired a taste for literary pursuits and became publisher after a career as a min ing engineer in South America and other remote places where the life is rugged and detached from such attributes of civiliza tion as magazines. He wrote short stories about characters and situations he knew in his ex periences which he . illustrated and printed for the members. He also provided other features from his pen reflecting the hum orous side of life at Camp White. "This was all new experience for me and it simply shows that with an interest in the work and the need to learn, even a handi capped veteran can accomplish something," George observed. He hopes that other handicapped members recognize this - fact above any other radiating from his influence in the post he held. Stratford on Avon, Shakes peare s birthplace, did not al ways revere its most famous son. Once it considered young Will a ne'er-do-well, "fallen into the bad company of actors." In 1585, scarcely turned 21, this glove- maker s son left home under sus picion of poaching deer. Puerto Rico has a total area of about 3,400 square miles. TKa CT17 A m. iiv a m. a ir 3310 N. Pacific Hwy. Ph. today. . nvfr vrcn COMPLETE DINNERS Chicken Rabbit Steak PrawM Baked Ham Oysters Plenty of Easy 'Parking Paul and Elvera Walker Open Daily 12 Noon rill 9 tJA. Precious Farmers storage site and on' plana and specifications for the reservoir and canal system. - The dam is being built by the Stearns Construction Co. and the association has hired Harry Mus son as construction foreman. Di version ditches are being .con structed from -two adjoining drainages to the 200-acre water shed of the damsite itself; -thus the runoff from more than 1,200 acres will be stored by the reservoir. ... Dam capacity will be 1,200 feet, or enough water to-cover 1,200 acres with 1 foot of water. The main dam will be 53 feet high and 375 feet long, with the largest section a 1,200-foot dike, which is to be 32 feet high, and another shorter dike- Water backed up by the dam and dikes will cover 50 acres of land. A 2-mile channel will be construct ed down to an unnamed creek, which will take the reservoir water to the individual farms via its distribution. t Each Will Irrigate 80 Aeres Each one of the five participat ing owners will put the water onto 80 acres of his land. Clem H. Ault Soil Conservation serv ice technician, said that the land to be irrigated had been classi fied by his agency as Class I and H. The two classes are the finest-type of land for agricul tural production and continued use under a conservation system of farming, he explained. This land is located about) 600 feet below the damsite in elevation. On a smaller scale than this joint project is the reservoir in use by James, SV-Beagle district chairman. With pond water he irrigates 20 acres of hay and pasture. The forage output has increased too. In time he'll in crease his herd of milk cows from 14 to 24 head- Up to this year he fed hay 10 months out of the year. With irrigation, he won't have to buy hay. Irrigates Hay. Pasture When James moved to his 95 acre Sams Valley farm east of Gold Hill from Covins, Calif., in 1948, he had about 25 acres of dry land crops.. From citrus experience with irrigation around Covina and the assistance of the district's technicians, he constructed a 60-acre foot pond at a cost of $3,300. With this he irrigates 10 acres of improved pastures and 10 of hay. .' The pond site was an eight acre oak and pine covered hol low which had to be cleared and dammed at one end with a 775 foot long fill. Highest point in the fill is 22 feet. A concrete outlet structure in the dam pro vides drainage during the high water periods. Most of the water comes from watershed runoff James uses a 7 Vi -horsepower electric motor, pumping 180 gal lons a minute, to operate his portable sprinklers, which have nine-gallon a minute heads. Pump and sprinkler installation cost $2,500. Forage Stands Up Well Ten acres of irrigated pasture, seeded the fall of 1952 to Ladino clover, Akaora orchard grass, broadleaf lotus and alta fescue, was grazed from April into fall in this season. The forage mix seemed to stand up well under continuous pasturing.. He follows a system of rotation grazing on his new pasture, which is fenced into four grazing units. A unit is subjected to three days graz ing followed by a nine-day rest period. The new irrigated hayland is producing four, cuttings a year. On April 23 he' seeded the acre age in alternate rows of two mixtures: Talent alfalfa and Akaora orchard grass and Talent and alta fescue. He got two cut tings from the stand the first season, but is hoping for four next year. Likes Talent-Akaora Of the two hay mixtures, James likes the Talent-Akaora the best, because "it got estab lished quicker, stooled out bet ter and Is much leafier than alta fescue." Besides his production, James has added a new home sport to bis farm life- That's fishing. The made-to-order lake was stocked with blue -gill fingerlings in April 1 and bass fingerlings in July. Some of the blues now weigh three-fourth's of a pound, and the bass average in length from. 6 to 7 Inches. The growth indicates an excellent food sup ply and also some fine catches to come. . , ' v If HHI TQ17 swwwm am 3-2815 V. -X I S) Descendants of '53 Vagon Train .Group Plan Celebration By MART LOU SsnKKEB The descendants of the Preach er .Wagon .Train will gather Sunday, Sept 20, at the Table Rock Estates, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their fore bears' arrival in the Rogue val ley and to honor ' Mrs. Elva Wheeler ' Persons, only known living grandchild of Stephen Taylor, member , of the wagon train. ' . Mrs, Persons was born at Grants Pass in 1868 in a log cab in near what is now the airport Her home was known to travel lers as a "Stopper House" for they knew that they could get food and shelter there. It was often called in those days a 'Two Bit House" for the charge was two bits for food,, two bits for a bed and two bits for each horse. Money was scarce, how ever and the menfolk would most often sleep in the hay. Her father was John Wheeler, a miner from Jacksonville.' How Roxy Ann Named Grandfather Taylor took a do nation land claim at the foot of Roxy Ann. In fact the well known butte is named for his son's wife . . . Ann Prescott Tay lor. She was young and lonely and would sit often onthe side of the mountain dreaming. Neighbors began to call it Ann's mountain, and finally "Ann up on the rocks," and then shortly "Roxy Ann".. The Preacher Train was so called because there were six-j" ministers and a Methodist ex torter in the company. NSixty wagons long, they entrained at Rockford, Illinois, on April 7, 1853 and arrived in the Rogue valley Oct 27. They came via the Applegate Trail, bringing stock, household goods and es pecially feather beds. One feather bed. was worth a yoke of oxen. The call has gone out to all descendants of the train to Catch on . . . catch on . . . catch on to Oregon" for this call was used after every stop on the long way across the continent. Rachel Taylor, 14-year-old daughter of Stephen Taylor kept a daily diary of the long journey and the names of George Ebey, Law rence Johnstone, Phil Blake, Will Sells, the Royals, Maria Ducker, the Burts, the Geiger boys, William Williams and of course the Taylors and the Hoff mans were -woven into the fab ric of the adventure. Appropriate Setting That the celebration is to take place at Table Rock Estates is singularly appropriate for the Table Rocks have been land mark and points in the history of this valley ever since John Turn er, friend of Jedidiah Smith, and mountain men provoked a full scale attack of Table Rock Indians in 1837. The two peace treaties with the Aroke Indians were signed at the base of the Table Rocks. And at one time Fort Lane was established on the hill across from the Rocks on what is now the road to the Table Rocks Estate. The Estates belong to John Day who was in strumental in marking the Ap plegate Trail and who is spon soring a history of . the Rogue River Valley now being publish ed serially in the Sunday Mail Tribune. All descendants of the Preach er Train are invited to contact Mrs. Neva Taylor Clifford at 1211 West Main st' Table Rock Estates has a large sign on High way 99 north of Medford at Tolo. Old timers will remember it be cause it is where Stewart creek empties into the Rogue river and where the wagon trains could ford. New comers will know it as the road that crosses Gold Ray Dam. Days and nights are of equal length throughout the world twice a year. This occurs at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, about March 21 and September 21, respectively, when the sun is directly overhead at the Equator. RETURN ENGAGEMENT STAN'S COVER CHARGE EVERY qM Flight BGGomGO Sc.qi.gg Uiih crabGro off 'Prop Juts' Medford Hobbyists Holders of Four National Records A visitor to the Agate desert last Sunday might have won dered what intense activity kept a lot of fellows' noses buried in the trunk of their cars. Closer inspection would have revealed a veritable portable shop with complete repair fa cilities to keep aloft one of America's most popular hobbies, model airplane flying. The local wing of this national hobby is called the Medford Prop Nuts. The unit is headed by by Ed Gilkey, Central Point, president; Lloyd Miles, Medford, vice-president; and Tom Mast Medford, secretary-treasurer. Hit by Draft Club members, which have dropped to a total of about 12 because of draft calls, include four national record holders. Gordon Ashby of .Medford set the free-flight senior Class "A" record earlier this year; Lloyd Miles was first in the PAA-Load contest last June at Marysville, Calif., and received a watch from Pan-American airways; Gilkey, V4A gas record; and Bob Otto man, Class "C" record. Ottoman also won first place in Class "C" free flight at the national con test at Ddllas, Tex. in 1951. Sev eral of the records will continue to stand for the contest as new rules have changed the times al lowed aloft for planes. Very strict rules have been evolved for flying over the years and accredited contests f6r rec ords must be sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Three age groups are set up, with up to 12 years the junior division; 12 to 16 the senior and over Iff the open classification. Several Types .There are several types of flights used. Various sections of free-flight are held, with alti tude and floating the construc tion ends that owners attempt to obtain when building. Ships gain altitude by use of small engines, either hand-alunched or off the ground, which cut out by use of a timer after 15 or 20 seconds; also "pill" powered by Jetex a powder solid, which is ignited by a fuse and provides rocket type propulsion from 15 to 18 seconds. The latter came from England. Jet motors are also used when high speed is desired, but this type of flying is not common in this area. Control line is also a popular means of maneuvering a model plane, although southern Oregon with plenty of space has concen trated more on free flight. Use of a control line with jet motor has effected a speed of, 180 miles an hour, using a 70-foot line from owner to plane, according to Ed Sims, proprietor of a local cycle and hobby shop. Radio-Controlled Planes Besides free-flight local hob byists have concentrated on the more complicated method of radio-controlled flight. This type of flying was extremely diffi cult in early days as the oper ator had to be well-versed in electricity. The whole operation was "revolutionized," according to Sims, with the invention of the "glow" plug and fuel. This eliminated' heavy . plane equip ment such as a coil, condensers, switch, batteries and rack and set of breaker points. The spark from the latter also interfered with the radio contact. With this elimination of wir ing headaches, it was possible for the non-electric man to join in the radio-controlled field. The glow plug consists of a small unit with a platinum-coated fila ment The heat of the previous firing keeps it hot. The fuel con tains wood alcohol, castor oil and nitro-menthene. Practice Needed Bob Ottoman, a "radio" model Arthur Duncan .member the boy with rbe happy feet aae' wenderM voice? Arthur has M entire ly aew tap routine and reper toire of pomps, , Sssay Blank M4 hb weeeerful trombone will play year favorite eeece music Coma Early Cocktail Hours 5-8 Special Prices Highballs 40c Cocktails 45c CLUD EVENING AFTER 10 PJvt RADIO CONTROLLED Pictured is Bob Ottoman, member of' Medford Prop Nuts club, with Bootstraps," with which he took annual free-flight and radio control contest at Agate desert, near Camp White. When launching the ship, Ottoman runs as pictured above with the plane in one hand and radio control unit in the ether. The unit directs the plane in direction and motor speed . by pressing a button on the side unit . pilot states that radio equip ment can be assembled for $65 for a "good" outfit and about $130 for the best This plus a plane-building cost of from $15 to $20 makes the initial expense to begin radio-controlled flight Sims noted that before a "prop nut" begins radio flight, he should build many free-flight planes to completely understand the principles involved. The amount of money tied up makes it necessary to do this, he added. Radio flight is real "push-but-tony flying, Ottoman pointed out, with the plane's actions con trolled by pushing a button on the ground unit. One "push" will turn the ship to the right, two to the left and three will change the motor's speed from high to low. Three presses with a long hold following will kill the motor. Aloft 15 Minutes Depending on fuel, the plane can stay aloft from 9 to 15 min utes, with eight minutes being the regulation contest time. Mo tor sizes go from the smallest of one-fifth or one-third horsepower to -a full 1 horsepower. The smallest maximum displacement is about .05 of a cubic inch, while the largest is .65 of a cubic inch, The term "Spanish Main" orig inally referred to the Spanish colonies on the northeast coast of South America to distinguish them from island possessions. In later usage it was generally ap plied to the Caribbean Sea and nearby waters made hazardous by pirates and buccaneers. Join the large mmm group of pjjjjjj Satisfied diners , ' who have discovered our fine foods and moderate prices . Bateman's Cafes OLYMPIC CAFE Hiway 99 South - RICHFIELD CAFE Hiway 99 North OS0G3 G3SCP9 TRIBIKJE Mr FOR RESULTS Phone 2-8141 his radio-controlled model plane. second place last Sunday in the which regulates the plane s own Sims pointed out Sizes make four classifications in contests: MA, A, B and C, rated from smallest to largest respectively. Design is so important that many owners make their own models from balsa wood and tissue, 8 ilk or nylon fabric. Such designs are very effective. Otto man's "Flat-Top won first place in the 1051 national contest for free-flight in Class "C." He had several offers afterwards by magazines to buy the plans and building method. Original design, as club mem bers, effective in winning con tests, is how over 90 per cent of the kit manufacturers started business, Sims noted. MEDFORD 2 MATINEES 2 NIGHTS WED. & THURS. 2:45 KM. 8:15 P.M. SECOND ANNUAL HILL AH Mas i Produced Dy SMJUtTLY kCSTVLEO NEW EMTMM f the WORLD'S TOP BEST TALENT The ALBERTO Z0PPE Troupe ol txrrtxck-tMinc rtrctt with CUCCIOtA aiasdon't tnmststir. i.wrrrr 11 I Terrific High-wire TRISKAS kbHuH IllUiBl M PBeHlf as Wkf Lovely LA NORMA Am tmwm 1 tm at 4 Q WARD-BELL J- FLYERS Mauser's BEARS 1 with GOLDILOCKS I SONNY MOORE'S ROUSTABOUTS isnutaaHouTsnoe t!S ELEPHANTS, OSTERMAIER'S ) Haute Ecole HORSES 1 1 i The 7 ASHT0NS LOLA SCHAUEt LD0BRITCH BROS. )J Jim WONG Troupe Skinful Nendinf ol trtstry. fantasy and music embodying a festive, satirical inaugural delight IBIS WAT TO TBB SPB SHOW and fnwry, ctevcrty conccfvcd comedy innovations sya newly augmented pi AYtJPincluding contingent of famous If LU II lid Denmark's nsfeot magic modes and mjrth, JOHN SIEMS t soma or twees cmc tm 15M GEN. ADMISSION SEATS -fl.le CHILDREN Ua4er 12 Years) ec Reserved Seats S2.ee and S2.S SEATS M SALE at 322 E. MAIN ST. a.m. ta . 8''Hi Seat. S
