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