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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (June 26, 1955)
Is That So? Over Iceland, With SAS We are flying three miles above Ice land eating a breakfast of Da nish ham and eggs. Entire Iceland, incredibly beautiful, lies exposed to our view although it is as large as the whole state of Kentucky On of the striking features of this North Polar flight, the SAS pilot assures me, is that the visi bility is extraordinary when the air masses are of Arctic origin. And, to prove his statement, he points out in the remote dist ance, Greenland, still 200 miles away. As we are cruising at six miles a minute, leaving the U.S.-built airbase on Iceland behind us, the 6-2S-. pilot assures us that on this di rect Copenhagen - Los Angeies flight, our plane is never more than 90 minutes from an air field "thanks to your U.S. air pioneering in the northland." Already Light Although it is early, it is al ready light because days in June are long lasting 18 hours, from 2 a.m. to 8 p.m. Due to the Gulf Stream and despite Iceland's nearness to the Arctic, the climate is quite mild. Ocean currents circulate around Iceland in a clockwise direction which helps establish in the more heavily populated southeast sec tion a 30 degrees Fahrenheit mean temperature for February, the coldest month. In midsum mer, it will be 20 degrees warm er around 50 F. Rainfall var ies from 60 inches on the south coast to 15 on the north, most of it falling in fall and winter. - As Iceland recedes behind us, our well - informed Norse pur ser, who once lived on the is land, tells me that the indigen ous animals are the fox, rein deer which were almost ex terminated but are now pro tected an occasional polar bear, a few walruses which were plentiful in olden days, and numerous seals and whales. In addition, Iceland counts more than 100 species of birds, mostly aquatic such as whistling swans, and various ducks, in cluding the eider duck which creates one of Iceland's indus tries eiderdown. To line its nest, this duck plucks down from its breast then, when the nest ing season is over, farmers col lect the old nests which are dried, cleaned of grit and grass and ex ported. Fishing Mainstay But fishing is Iceland's main stay in fact, from 80 to 95 per cent of its annual export consists of fish of which the cod is the largest part of the catch with herring a second. Iceland, I was told, has about 450 specees of plants. Much of the coastal areas, particularly in the south, are fringed with low growing willows and birches to gether with grass, sedge, moss and lichen interspersed with bright wild flowers which are smaller and more vivid than those of the same kind in more southern lands. The only native fruits are the crowberry and bil berry. Where level tundra is im proved by cultivation, excellent hay and pasture results. Bui when drainage is poor, frost heaves make hummocks and even when smoothed, return within 10 years to plague the- By EUGENE BURNS Ranger-Naturalist farmer and necessitate the use of hand scythes. No snakes live in Iceland. Speaking of snakes naturally re minds one of St. Patrick and Ire land. The Irish first came to Ice land to spread Christianity and were soon superseded by the Norse who brought with them many German and Irish slaves. When the population, reached 40,000 in 930 A.D., the freedom living Vikings established the first parliament in the world, thereby making Iceland the first country to be a republic. Distinctive Features Perhaps the most distinctive features of Iceland, despite its name are the hotwater springs, geysers, mud pots and quiescent pools. (The only other two places in. the world to have them are Yellowstone Park and New Zea land.) Just 50 miles out of the capital, Reykijavik, there are many hot springs, including Geysir, which has given its name to the geysers throughout the world. It ejects water and steam into the air 80 to 150 feet at intervals of 5 to 36 hours. Since World War II, the super heated water from these geysers has been drained into concrete aqueducts and brought to the cap ital city where it is used to heat homes, business houses, and hot houses in which cut flowers and vegetables are grown. As we left the island, the SAS co-pilot pointed out to me the old coast line, some 150-200 feet above the present. As. I studied it with glasses, he said that it was caused by the Ice Age, cen turies ago. The heavy icecap rest ing on Iceland depressed the island, submerging it partly. Then, when the ice waned, the land rose and the raised beaches are now found around the coast. In the northeast, he added, the land is still rising im perceptibly because Iceland is becoming warmer even today. . (Copyright. 1955, by Eugene Burns) (Released by McClude Newspaper Syndicate) Free: By special arrangement with the editors of the Encyclo pedia Americana, my panel of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, or the "best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife a complete 30-vol-ume set of this world-famous ref erence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions will be considered. Sorry, I simp ly can't answer your many friendly letters. Please address your letter to IS THAT SO! care The Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito. Calif. Natural Gas Line Contracts Awarded Portland . (U.R) Fish-Northwest Constructors Saturday an nounced award of $7,065,000 worth of contracts for construc tion of 509 miles of main line and lateral and 47 miles of gathering lines for the Pacific Northwest natural gas pipeline. Included was the main , line across northeastern Oregon. R. D. Ricketts, president of the firm designing and building the vast project, said the contracts awarded covered the four main line sections from near Burley. Ida., to the Columbia river at the Oregon-Washington border. He said actual laying of the pipe was expected within the next few days. Contracts in volving the first eight main line sections were awarded in mid May and construction is already underway in that part of the sys tem which begins in the San Juan Basin in New Mexico. nifni 7T x cui SITTING ON STAGE at San Francisco Opera House, President Eisenhower glances curiously at Soviet Foreign. Minister Vya cheslav Molotov (arrow), during opening session of UN meeting. At right is Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold. (International) Oregon Methodism In Middle of Big Building Program Eugene U.R) Oregon Meth odism is in the midst of a big building boom, The Rev. Edword Terry of Portland told the church's annual state conference here. Rev. Terry said a composite report of the four district super intendents in Oregon showed substantial building improve ments either completed or under way at these places: Includes Medford Astoria, Albany, Bay City, Bethany, Boring, Buena Vista, Creswell, Cornelius, Dallas, Days Creek Fossil, Gardner, Grande Ronde, Harrisburg, Hepner, Her- miston, Hood River, Jefferson, Medford, Marquam, Milton, Mo lalla, Monroe, Myrtle Creek, Ne halem, Pendleton, Pleasant Home, Rainier, Seaside, Shedd, Tualatin The Dalles, Willamette, Yoncalla and Portland. Complete new churches have been built in North Bend, Four Corners in Salem and Parkrose Heights in Portland. Election Held Elected to. the general confer ence of the Methodist church in Minneapolis next April were Howard B. Somers, Ernest W. Peterson, Dr. L. E. Nye and Rev. Carl Mason, all of Portland; Mrs. Louise Bunch of Forest Grove, and Rev. Daniel Wolker of Cor vallis. Elected delegates to the West ern jurisdictional conference in July, 1956, were Ray Miller of Forest Grove, Charles G. How ard of Eugene, Forrest Frye and Rev. Edward Terry of Portland, Rev. Lawrence Guderian of Mc- Minnville and Rev. Meredith A Groves of Eugene. Yreka Council Plans Swim Pool Election Yreka The Yreka city coun cil last week gave preliminary approval to a plan to build an election seeking approval of issuing $70,000 worth of bonds for a new municipal swimming pool. A measure calling for the election passed its first reading this week. Second reading and final passage is due Tuesday. If approved, the election would be Aug. 2. Dead line for Sunday Classified to at noon Saturday Investments made by the 10th of the month earn divi dend! as of the First. ARE OUR SPECIALTY. Invest your money where it -I protected to $10,000.00 by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. Combine this SAFETY with a comfortable RETURN and liberal withdrawal pro visions and you have an excellent investment. Open your insured savings account now .... : i for PROFIT AVAILABILITY . SAFETY FIRST FEDERAL Savings & Loan Assn. of Medford 27 North Holly Telephone 2-9147 r 7 SEN. WAYNE MORSE To Talk Here July S Speech on Election Issues Expected From Sen. Morse A speech on the issues expect ed in the 1956 campaign is an ticipated by local . Derriocrats when Sen. Wayne L. Morse ap pears here as their guest of hon or at a dinner to be held at the Jackson hotel Pioneer room, on Tuesday, July 5, beginning at 7 p.m., according to Robert A. Boyer, Democratic county chair man. The dinner will climax a two day visit to Jackson county which will begin with the sen-, ator's appearance in Ashland as guest speaker at an all day In dependence day celebration un der the sponsorship of the Ash land Lions club. Tickets Available Tickets for the Morse dinner July 5, which is open to the public, may be obtained at Lam ports' and Walt Young's Station ery store, or by calling 2-4914 and 2-5131, Boyer said. The committee in charge includes Mrs. Cecil Norris, chairman, Tom Reeder, and Mrs. George I. Brown, all Medford; Larry Sheehan, Rogue River, and Mrs. L. Peers Wilmeth, Ashland. Robert B. Duncan will be mas ter of ceremonies. Bishop W. Shepard, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, will give the invocation and Miss Kay Fisher of Phoenix, vocal soloist, will furnish music. Since the seating capacity of the Pioneer room is limited, Mrs. Norris and her committee announced that reservations should be made as early as pos sible. Those purchasing tickets in advance will be accomodated first, she said. Eaglewood Man Killed In Coos Bay Accident Coos Bay U.R) Chester Rob ert Bonhomme, 26, was killed outright early Saturday when a parked panel truck toppled on top of him and rolled into a gully a mile from here on the Empire cutoff road. Bonhomme had been a passen ger in the truck, operated by Vernon Jantzer, 22, Greenacres, Ore. Jantzer lost control of the truck and it slid onto a shoulder above the gully. As Bonhomme alighted from the vehicle on the right side It tipped and crushed him as it rolled off the roadway. Bonhomme moved to Engle- wood, Ore., recently from Vin- cennes, Ind., where his widow, Ruby, still resides. PEA CONSUMPTION Chicago Average American family uses 500 percent more frozen peas and about five per cent more canned peas, but 75 percent less of fresh peas than before World War II. Sates - tenterfs VHfEL CHAIXS Open Sundays and Holiday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Weekday. 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. HUDSON'S PHARMACY 613 E. MAIN PHON 3-5345 1 Block East of Hawthorne Park Sunday. June 20, 1953 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE Many, Many YerriffSc . Values! SAVE RJ dW Purong John Cupp's lEog uuuu UL30 Check These Most of this damaged stock is ba sically as good as new, except for water stain, smoko smell, scratches mars and dust caused by tho fire. This ule will b a bona fido fire dsmsgo sate, and every article will have tho regular original price tag, with tho salo tag attached. Wo will reduce tho regular price ac cording to damage and condition, same as much as 50 discount. Nothing reserved everything hi Hi. store offered at greatly reduced prices. Every article will be Mid as is, with no refunds no returns. We will show you tho actual dam ago yod be the judge of the re duced price. If FUMTUE STOGC BILTWELL DAVEPORT and CHAIF Reg. $197.50 Value SOLID MAPLE PROVINCIAL CHAIR Reg. $76.50 Value IrIce W Foam Rubber FIRESIDE MODERN DAVENPORT and CHAIR '' Reg. $252.50 Value SALE $71 ,(5)50 PRICE Many, Many Save Now On Furniture for Every Room in Your Homt! All Top Quality Merchandise That Is Basic ally As Good As Newl More utetaEiAg (Buoys O SALE CONTINUES UNTIL ALL STOCK IS SOLD! Bank Contracts on Approved Credit Joliini Cupp Ftoire iainm : f!!!!!iUu. AC : i HI WAY 99 AT CENTRAL POINT PHONE NO 4-2243
