f
o
Fir
i ..Within
;
50th Year - o T
mm
all (sioty's
eorest fires
imm cobtrol
Forejjt firet tvhich erupted vi
olently in Jackeon county Mon
day wet being brought under
control today, and fire protective
agency officials were express
ing a cautious optimism.
All told, fires in the county
have covered about 11,000 acres
Most of the increase in acreage
over yesterday's figure of slight-
Salem (U.R) Increasing
hazards in the dry forestlands
of southern Oregon brought
additional orders closing down
logging operations in south
eriDouglas, Jackson and Jose
phine counties, effective last
midnight.
State Forester George Spaur
said a rash of lightning fires,
plus the danger from woods
operations, bad made condi
tions such that a close down
until the weather changes was
imperative. Closed down
Zones 16 and 17 include the
Douglas - Jickson - Josephine
county forests. ,
ly less than 10,000 is due to
more accurate estimates of the
size of individual fires, and not
to any new outbreaks.
Sykes Creek Fire
The biggest fire in Jackson
county still was the one burning
inJhe Sykes creek area north of
Rogue River. Its size is now be
ing figured at upwards of 6,000
acres.
Ted Maul, district warden for
thPstate department of forestry,
flew over the fire yesterday:
After the flight, the acreage es
timate for the fire was revised
upwards from 4,500 acres to be
tween 5,000 andc6,000 acres.
Forest patrol spokesmen this
mornutfc said that the Sykes
creek fire was changed very lit
tle from yesterday.
The Timber mountain fire
west of Jacksonville today wag
still being figured at 2,500 acres.
State police halted non-essential
traffic on the Jacksonville-Ap-plegate
highway at 8:35 p'.m.
yesterday when sightseers start
ed interfering with necessary
equipment traveling the route.
Council Approves
Signing of Pact
The Medford city council last
night adopted an ordinance au
thorizing the city to sign a con
tract with South Bear Creek
Sanitary Sewer district.
The signing paves the way for
construction of a sewer in the
district Officials of the district
"previously indicated construction
would start immediately after a
contract was signed.
Contract signing was delayed
pending approval by the city of
a trunk line location into the
district. Earlier the city agreed
to sign th contract so construc
tion could start, and determine
trunk line location at a later
date.
The signing also paves the
way for installation of a sewer
system at Phoenix, where resi
dents recently passed a $40,000
bond issue for that purpo-e. The
Phoenix system will connect
with the South Bear Creek San
itary district trunk sewer.
City Manager Robert Duff said
present city lines would carry
the additional load for several
years.
(See Story on Page 12)
Bly Surrounded on
Three Sides by Fire
Bly (U.R) Fires surrounded
this south central Oregon com
munity on three sides today but
Jack Groom, assistant forester of
the Fremont National Forest at
Lakeview, said all the blazes
were under control or nearly
controlled.
The fire was eight miles south
west of Bly. Four miles west of
the city a 1500-acre fire was
still out of control but Hal Ogle,
manager of the Klamath Forest
Protective Association, said it
appeared to be burning away
from town.
QBix miles east of Bly a fire
burned 800 acres at Round
SButte near the south fork of the
SgrSgue river. Ogle said he ex
pected that blaze would be con
trolled " sometime today.
Medford
It appeared for a while that
families along the highway
might have to be evacuated, but
at 10:10 p.m. a state policeman
assigned to the area reported the
fire was almost under control.
Richard Krupp, chief of the
Central Point Rural Fire de
partment, this morning estimat
ed the Blackwell hill fire at
about 2,000 acres, and said it
was under control unless unfore
seen conditions arise. Some 10
families evacuated from the area
Monday were reported moving
back into their homes.
The Nugget butte fire, north of
Gold Hill, was controlled yester
day morning, and the situation
was unchanged today. It was still
being listed at 100 acres.
A fire burning on the middle
fork of Rogue river, on U.S. For
est service land, was being list
ed at 160 acres this morning.
Crews had lines around three
sides of the blaze and were com
pleting a line on the fourth side
this morning. ' They hoped to
have it contained today.
Fire Flares Up
The Sterling mountain fire,
just south of Jackson county in
California, flared up last night,
but did not cover much addi
tional acreage. Crews from Jack
son county, including loggers
and Mexican nationals, were re
organizing their lines this mor
ning and hoped, to contain the
blaze today.
A fire on Gardener peak in
eastern Jackson county totalled
about 100 acres today. Fire lines
were extended around three
sides of tne blaze, and crew
were working to get a line
around the fourth side.
Rogue River National forest,
which yesterday reported about
40 fires, had an additional three
or four this morning in the head
waters of Bessie creek, east of
Medford. The fires were believed
to have been started by-Mon
day's lightning storm, but r
ports were delayed due to ex
tremely poor visibility caused by
heavy smoke over the area.
Diamond Lake Area
A total of 23 fires was report
ed in the Diamond lake area,
and about 15 others were listed
on the North Umpqua river,
Virtually all of them were be
lieved started by the same light
ning storm which started 20 to
25 fires on the Cascade divide
Monday between Four Mile lake
and Crater lake.
About 300 employees of Morri-
son-Knudsen company, which is
building California Oregon Pow
er company projects on the
North Umpqua, and some Copco
employees, were helping fight
the fires.
No fires in Josephine county
had been reported to the. state
forest patrol through this mor
ning. .
Crater Lake National park has
19 known fires, all of which
were under control this morn
ing. All of the fires were listed
as small.
Nine more possible fires with
in the park developed late yes
terday or this morning, and
crews were being sent to them
this morning. Visibility is prac
tically nil because of drift smoke.
This, means the situation won't
be known on the nine until
crews return.
Cool weather -last night at the
park improved the fire situation.
Mobile Unit Arrives
The Medford office of the state
department of forestry yesterday
ordered a mobile fire weather
forecasting unit from Portland,
and the unit was scheduled to
go into operation today. Operat
ed by a two-man crew, it is ex
pected to be of ' considerable
help with on the scene forecasts
for both state and federal land
fires. ,
Weather forecasts of northerly
winds and increased humidities
were expected to provide relief
for fire fighters. Northerly winds
will clear out some of the smoke
which has reduced visibility from
from lookout stations to zero
in some places.
Increased humidities, with a
reading of 70 per cent for six
hours last night, were believed to
have played an important part in
keeping the fires in check. Yes
terday's low was 22.
County Judge Rodney Keat
ing announced today that Jack
son county has made men and
equipment available to both state
and federal forest protective
agencies for use in the event of
an emergency. .
Stores Mil Remain Open for Shopping Until
-l. f w j. vj. JLr xvy isaxw
United Press Full
20 Pages
FIRE'S WAKE One of five houses which
were destroyed in the wake of a forest fire .
in the Tolo area late Monday and yesterday
is shown in the top picture. Central Point
Rural Fire Protection district off icials had
not determined the name of the people who
lived in the house shown. The fire swept
across the field behind the house and across
Board Okays Change
For Part of Kenwood
The Jackson county school
district boundary board yester
day adopted a resolution grant
ing a request that residents in
part of Kenwood school district
be annexed to Lone Pine dis
trict.
A petition was submitted to
the board earlier requesting
that the area generally north
of Roberts rd. and west of Crater
Lake ave. and east of Corona
rd. and extending north to Cra
ter . Lake highway be annexed
to Lone Pine. The area does
not include a row of residences
boardering on the south side of
Delta .Waters rd.
Will Attend Lone Pine
Children in the area within
changed boundaries will attend
Lone Pine school.
Several children from the
area have been attending Lone
Pine school on a tuition basis
from Kenwood district.
The decision of the boundary
board was made pending a meet
ing of the school boards of dis
trict 10, Lone Pine, and district
102, Kenwood, relative to dis
tribution of assets and liabil
ities. The boundary board took no
action concerning the remainder
of Kenwood district or to any
area of Dewey district. Both
districts are suspended districts
which are required by law to
be annexed to one or more sur-
rounding districts which main-
Leased Wire
MEDFORD, OREGO
tain standard schools.
County Superintendent of
Schools Alf B. Mekvold said the
board is considering postpone
ment of the disposition of Dewey
district and the remainder of
Kelwood until the conclusion
of the current school year.
Transportation Rate
Increases Granted
Salem U.R) The Public Util
ities Commission today granted
increases in transportation rates
for over-the-road carriers in Ore
gon and for the Portland and
Eugene local cartage carriers.
The revised rates were re
quested to offset 1354 and 1955
hikes in labor costs.
The increases amount to about
6 per cent and apply only to
shipments of less than 10,000
pounds for over-the-road car
riers. Household goods only were
affected in Eugene local cartage.
The new rate will permit car
riers to maintain substantially
the same relation operating ra
tios which they experienced be
fore the increased labor costs,
Public Utilities Commissioner
Charles H. Heltzel said.
. Salem (U.R) Public Utilities
Commissioner Charles H. Heltzel
left last night for Washington,
D.C., to attend the annual meet
ing of public utilities commis-
sioners.
' 'ft .
-' i-iT'fT-f-nr inn i
United
Y, SEPTEMBER 7, 1955
-the road and railroad near the tree in the
center of picture. Devastated area of Black
well hill is shown in lower picture after the
fire, which spread into the Tolo area, jumped
the Rogue fiver and climbed Upper . Table
Rock. The road to the left leads to a televi
sion transmitter.
. (Brainerd's photos)
Commitment on
Freeway Sought
The Medford city council last
night authorized City Manager
Robert Duff to arrange a meet
ing with Oregon State Highway
Engineer R. H. Baldock in an
attempt to get a commitment on
the location of a proposed free
way through the city.
Mayor Earl Miller asked the
council's permission, pointing
out that uncertainties of location
are delaying planned improve
ments on sewer lines, water
mains and streets.
Duff said he would arrange
an appointment with Baldock at
Salem in the near future. Attend
ing the conference will be Duff,
Mayor Miller and Public Works
Director Vernon Thorpe.
Three proposals have been
studied for a freeway' through
Medford. One would be . an ele
vated freeway down Bear creek,
another would by-pass the city
in the vicinity of Foothills rd.,
and the third and most recent
proposal would be a freeway
running on a general line along
Tripp and Cottage sts., south of
Main st. and along Genessee st.
north of Main st.
Weather
FORECAST: Variable high
cloudiness and continued quite '
Smoky Thursday. Low to
night 55. Hif h Thursday 85.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 92
Lowest this Morning 54
Price 5c
Tribune
Press Full Leased Wire
No. 143
Red China Reveals
Plans To Release
All US Captives
Question of Date
Holding Up Talks
Washington (U.R) Red
China, without saying when, has
disclosed it may free all Ameri
cans still held in jail or under
house arrest.
The question of when the pris
oners will be freed is said to be
the main point holding up American-Red
Chinese talks at Geneva
on the prisoner problem. .
Ambassador U. Alexis John
son, chief U.S. negotiator, is
trying to get the Reds to say
precisely when the Americans
will get out of Red China. There
is official fear that otherwise the
Chinese Reds might announce
to the world that they are free
ing all Americans and then leave
some languishing in China for
many months or even years.
Young Girl Included
At Tuesday's session of the
Geneva talks, the Reds outlined
plans to issue departure permits
to 12 Americans. Nine, including
a 10-year-old girl, will get their
permits soon. Two more will
get them when applications are
received. The 12th American,
Charles Sidney Miner of Takoma
Park, Md., will be able to leave
when his business affairs are
tidied up.
The best official information
shows that 28 Americans still
are in Red China. Twenty-five,
mostly priests, are in jail. Three
missionaries are under house
arrest, ' apparently at Foochow.
Officials said there" may be one
additional American of Chinese
descent who wants to leave Red
China. She is Mee Sem Lai,
who v,.wentJfrom,- the . United
States to Canton, China, in 1949.
Five Weeks of Talks ' ,.r
During five weeks' of talks
at Geneva, Johnson has pressed
for the release of all Americans
believed held in Red China as
of Aug. 1, the day of the first
meeting. . The Communists at
first refused to consider letting
the imprisoned Americans go
before their "sentences" or cases
were completed. They said this
would be a violation of Chinese
sovereignty because the Ameri
cans had been tried and con
victed by due processes of Chi
nese law. '
But they relented somewhat
in announcing plans to free the
12 Americans.
The State department said
Tuesday that release of the nine
Americans and the outlines of
a plan to free three more were
encouraging." It expressed the
hope this was a first step toward
freedom for the rest of the
Americans.
Light Rain Dampens
Portland, West Oregon
By UNITED PRESS
A light drizzle dampened
Portland and other, sections of
Western Oregon this morning
but it was so light the weather
bureau did not measure it.
Forecasters said the wetness
did not mean that the rainy sea
son had begun. High pressures
west of the Cascades had drawn
in a mass of moist air from the
coast, they said.
Last measurable rain in the
Portland area was July 29.
Los Angeles Notes Eighth
Straight Day of Heat Wave
Los Angeles (U.R) The
city's killer heat wave, accomp
anied by eye-searing smog, mov
ed into its eighth straight day
of 100-degree heat today as the
death toll climbed past 80.
The coroner's office reported
the heat death toll stood at 82.
101 Expected Today
. Blistering temperatures that
have cracked almost every heat
record for the city were expected
to reach 101x today, and a low
inversion, a weather lid clamp
ed over the Los Angeles area,
made County Air Pollution Con
trol District officials predict a
"smog alert" would be called
for the second straight day.
Since the heat wave started
Aug. 31 the coroner's office has
reported 379 "natural" deaths,
about three to four times the
normal amount for the period.
Baseball
AMERICAN
Detroit . ; 4 0
Boston 7 12 3
Bunning, Foytack (3), Crist
ante (5), Coleman (8) and
House; Sullivan, Kinder (9)
and White.
Kansas City 1 1 1
New York 2 8 0
Portoearrero and Aiiroth,
W. Shanti (7); Ford and Berra.
NATIONAL
Pittsburgh 2 7 0
Chicago 0 1 1
Friend and Shepardj Min
ner and Cooper.
Cyprus Conference
Ends in Failure;
Riots in Istanbul
London (U.R) The three
power conference on Cyprus
ended in failure today with Brit
ain, Greece and Turkey unable
to get together on their conflict
ing views on the future of that
strategic Mediterranean island.
The meeting which opened
here last Monday at British in
itiatice was formally "suspend
ed" today, but official confer
ence sources said that no date
has been fixed for their resump
tion. Turkish Foreign Minister Fa
tin Rustu Zorlu told newsmen
immediately after today's session
that the talks have been "end
ed." He announced he was re
turning to Istanbul tomorrow
with his delegation.'
' The dispute over Cyprus flar
ed into anti-Greek riots in Istan
bul where thousands of young
Turks swarmed through the
streets and burned Greek
churches, houses and schools in
retaliation against the bombing
of the Turkish Consulate in Sa
lonika. On Cyprus itself, torn recent
ly by a series of terrorist at
tacks, police completed the big
gest terrorist hunt in history of
the crown colony. Police search
ed 1,400 houses for arms and
for fugitives accused of killing
a policeman,
- The Cyprus dispute stemmed
from Greek demands that inhab
itants of the island some 250
miles east of the Greek island
of Rhodes and 35 miles south
of Turkey be allowed to deter
mine their own future. '
Greece believes the 400,000
Greek residents of Cyprus will
vote overwhelmingly for union
with Greece. Turkey fears for
the Turkish minoritv of inn 00(1 I
on the island anH wants to main-
tain the status quo.
Britain offered a compromise
self-government plan for Cyprus
but it ran into stubborn resis
tance from both Turkey and
Greece. i
The British plan would give
Cyprus self-government in a
new constitution with firm safe
guards for the Turkish minority,
but Britain would handle foreign
affairs and defense.
Singmaster Appointed
To Equalization Board
Ed Singmaster, Ashland In
surance man, has been named
to the county board of equaliza
tion, it was announced today by
County Judge Rodney Keating.
He succeeds Ralph Cook, Med
ford rancher and pear grower.
who resigned recently.
Oregon law provides that the
board of equalization in each
county shall consist of the coun
ty judge, of the senior member
of the county budget commit'
tee, and a third member appoint
ed - by the other two. Arnold
Bohnert, Central Point, is the
budget committeeman on the
board.
Mortuaries in the city were jam
med. .
Today's minimum was 71 at
6:32 a.m. and the mercury be
gan climbing more slowly than
in the previous week of the heat
wave. By 9 a.m. the high was
only 81.
Longest Hot Spell
On successive days, starting
last Wednesday, the tempera
tures have hit highs of 101, 110,
108, 103, 101, 100 and 102. The
high of 110 is an all-time high
for the city.
A high of 100 or more today
would make this the city's long
est hot spell of about 100-degree
temperatures. Yesterday's 102,
the seventh day of 100-degree
heat, equalled the heat streak in
1939 here. Temperatures in this
year's siege, however, exceeded
those in 1939.
9 o'clock
No Reason Given
To Believe Town
Will Be Evacuated
Estimated 100,000
Acres Blackened
Yreka An estimated 100.009
acres of Siskiyou county had
been blackened by forest fires
up to late this morning. The big
gest blaze, known as the -Haystack
fire, has swept over 65,000
acres and is still raging out of
control. o
The Haystack fire had burned
to within five air miles of Yreka
at 11 a.m. today, but Klamath
San Francisco (U.R) A
roaring forest fire which
threatened to destroy the
famed General Grant Grove of
giant Redwoods 50 miles east
of Fresno, was checked today
within a half mile of the big
trees that . have survived for
5000 years.
National forest . officials said
"there is absolutely no reason
to believe the town will be
evacuated." They emphasized
there is no immediate danger to
theoCity.
Residents To Be Alerted
However, residents of Yreka
were to be alerted this afternoon
if spot fires should break out
from falling sparks. Civil De
fense agency and the city fire
department also have been
alerted.
Only 15 miles of the Haystack
fire line is being held, and Z2
miles are still open. National
forest officials explained that
this means there are no men on
32 miles of the fire line, and the
only .efforts possible in these
areas are back fires.
Backfires have been started
in the south perimeter, burning
toward the center of the fire,
and on the west perimeter. More
back fires will be started this
afternoon on the north side. The
area along the Klamath river is
"controlled to date" with back,
fires set last night.
No Reported Injuries
The west side of the fire, from.
McKinney creek. to Indian creek:,
and down Indian creek to Scott '
valley is listed as partially con
trolled with fire breaks in the
southern area.
Forest officials' saie) there have
been no reported injuries of any
type, and no major losses of im
provements. Some cabins and
summer homes in isolated areas
have burned.
A total of seven fires are burn-
in8 on the Klamath National for-
est. Some 2,300 men are on the
fire lines, and another 258 are
working in service crews behind
the lines.
The situation on the other fires
looked like this:
West Vrider Creek Control
led and mopping up.
Six Mile Ridge 800 acres un
controlled. Serious fire condi
tions with high winds and low
humidity. Trying to hold the Six
Mile drainage.
Taylor Creek 800 acres un
controlled. Very rugged terrain
and high winds.
East Fork-Happy Camp area
600 acres controlled and mop
ping up.
Hays Creek-Scott River area
600 acres with 20 per cent in for
est and 80 per cent in open land.
Poor possibility to hold fire in
area.
Sterling Mountain 880 acres,
with five miles of held line, and
one mile open line. Partially con
trolled. Two .small fires in the
Sterling mountain area control
led and mopping up.
Third Polio Patient
Reported in County
A,35-year-old Spokane, Wash.,
man i in Ashland General hos
pital with paralystic poliomyel
itis, Dr. A. Erin Merkel, Jack
son county health officer, said
today.
Dr. Merkel said the Washing
ton man was visiting relatives
in Ashland and was in The hos
pital a day before his case was
diagnosed as polio. Prior to com
ing to Ashland, he visited rela
tives in an area in Idaho where
polio was prevalent, Dr. Merkel
said.
Dr. Merkel said he man has
not been in Jackson county long
enough to contact polio here, and
although the county is reporting
the case to state health officials.
the case probably will be allocat
ed to another contact area.
The case is the third reported
in Jackson county this year.
Earlier a Ukiah, Calif., youth
was diagnosed as having polio
which was contacted elsewhere,
and a local youth was diagnosed
as having non-paralytic polio.
Tonight