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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 1955)
0 0 .... .. -ffp-- J- f f""T D ill '1 W L.-jd.?,..--, -,-, f .,.-.6wr ZtXri.. jWitii. .3iniSliaMinrHMriiiiiii imiimiiii .hi nmn ii.i iniii ii-iii YULETIDE DECORATIONS Every year many Medford residents go to great lengths to decorate their homes and yards in the spirit of the Christmas season. The decorations include Santa Clauses, CP" : Portland (U.R) The National TGuard was ordered out at Grants Pass today to help in flood con trol work as the Rogue river reached an all-time high and estem Oregon reeled under 3he impact of a blustery Pacific storm which sent families nee jng from their homes and crip pled rail and highway traffic. The storm was blamed for one death. Gov.Paul Patterson said he had ordered the guard out to help in flood . control work and help eccuate persons stranded by the Kogue. Many power lines were reported down in the area. The governor said "I have or ' dered Company C of the first batallion, 186th infantry, moT bilized for 48 hours. If the situ ation requires, further orders will be issued." Forecasts Issued 0 With many smaller streams alreadv out of their banks, the mighty Willamette soared over flood stage at Albany, Corvallis and Salem. River Forecaster Elmer Fisher said the crest was expected to roanh 94 fppt at Corvallis by (10 a.m. tomorrow, four feet over flood stage. A crest of 26 feet, six feet over flood stage, was predicted for Albany for 8 a.m tomrfft-owPThe Santiam at Jef ferson was eight feet over flood staee. and was cresting at 10:30 a.m. today. Salem was expected to get a 26-foot crest at 2 p.m. The Wmamettck was expected i . i x in e i : n i 1 10 crest at J..o ieet. in rui uauu at noon Saturday, 1.5 feet over flood staee. Seven Greyhound buses car rying 280 passengers were stranded in Grants Pass. .The Rogue had dropped to 29.2 feet at'fl.30 a.m. EnA-gency Declared A civil defense state of emer gency as declared at Grants Pass and several persons were evacuated from their homes along the Rogue. Ten feet of water was over the highway at Savage Rapids dam.. rs The highest previous reading at Grants Pass was ,28.7 feet in 1927. Some 20 families were rerxrt ed evacuated from Shady Dell a small community east of Mo lalla ifpiarkamas countv from hfil ciircnnt Mnlalla rivpr. Onp brigl was reported endanger ed. Midh xvinHc liftpd a new rnof &) the Bay City Grade school 3 near Tillamook some 200 feet, Dart of it landing on Highway 101. Children were not in school O at the time. Winds up to 75 miles an hour were reported at . Tillamook. Streams were out of thpir banks, slides blocked high ways, rail traffic was interrupt ed. Dower and telephone service was cut in some areas and hous es were damaged. Rntrnp rivpr vallpv. the 1 UV, f . ' Rost.irg area near the Umpqua river and the Coouiile river vai ley appeared to be the hardest hit areas. Rivers running wild included the North and South llmpquas, Rogue, Coquille, Ap p0ate, Santiam, McKenzie and sinsiaw. The Willamette was rising. Leaner Killed Victor Flury, 40, Roseburg, lck bv a windblown tree in t: Little River area east of Roseburg and killed. Coroner Jim Powers said sheriff's depu . T i ties 'had to cut their way through 30 to 40 fallen trees with power saws to bring out the body. Wayne Amos, Crescent City, Calif., truck driver, escaped drowning last night when the Redwood highway bridge near Wilderville collapsed under the rear of his truck from the swol len Applegate river. The trailer plunged into the stream but the cab remained on the highway and Amos managed to reach safety. State police said Highway 99, , the main route through western Oregon, was blocked by high water at Harrisburg, between Medford. and Grants Pass, north of Corvallis to all but trucks, and near Myrtle Creek. High way 99 also was closed near the California line and the Green Springs route east of Ashland was reported blocked at Keno. Highway 101 was closed south of Coquille by a slide and again in northern California. The Rogue valley was further cut off by a slide near the California border on the Grants Pass-Crescent City route. The main Copco power plant at Tokatee Falls east of Rose burg was knocked out by three feet of mud. Other Copco plants were operating. At least 10 dif ferent areas near Roseburg were being evacuated. The Douglas county towns of Riddle and Myrtle Creek were reported isolated. Coquille Power Hit Radio hams reported the town of Coquille was isolated and was operating on emergency power after floodwaters cut light, power and communipa tions lines. Ham operator -Jim Armstrong said most extensive damage was collapse of a bam containing 100 to 150 head of cattle. Some 100 persons in the Cape Arago area, northwest of Myrtle Point, were reported isolated with two Coast Guard boats standing by. Light and power lines to " Cape Arago were out. Surface water was reported to have isolated families in the Cloverdale area. Winds reached 78 miles per hour in the Coos Bay area yes terday, knocking down tele phone and power lines and blow ing over trees. One house was blown off its foundation and another was crushed by a falling tree. Chehalis U.R) A new 14- mile section of four-lane high way ono the route of U.S. 99 south of here was opened today Help Fight TB - .Buy Christmas Seals Hedford Nativity scenes and other imaginative types of decorations. The ones shown in the pictures above are three of the many representa- tions of Santa Claus. At left are the porchtop reindeer, sled and North California Ripped by Gales Torrential Rains Oroville, Other Towns Evacuated San Francisco (U.R) Tor rential rains driven by gale force winds struck Northern California a new and devastating blow today, sending at least eight rivers on wild rampages and forcing the evacuation of scores of towns. There was a slight let up in the heavy downpour at mid morning but the weatherman said the fierce wind-whipped rain would resume later in the day. Reports of towns being evac uated poured in from all over the northern half of California. One of the hardest hit towns was Oroville on 'the -'-Feather-river where the -entire southern half of the city had to be evac uated. Homeless residents were given temporary refuge in the courthouse. Air Field Flooded Late reports said "several hundred" people had been evac uated in Butte county, 200 alone at a labor camp near Gridley. The commander at Hamilton Air Force base in Marin county ordered the "immediate evacua tion" of all aircraft after flood waters moved in on the field. Hamilton said its planes would be flown to other bases for ref fuge, "any place in California or Nevada that has room for us." The aircraft at Hamilton incjude jet fighters, B29s and C119s as well as smaller planes and heli copters. "Everything's got vtO go," a base spokesman said. The fresh rains, an extension of a storm that has continued almost without interruption for the past seven days, dumped as much as 6V2 inches on some mountain areas in the past 24 hours. Record River Levels The resulting runoff sent the Russian, Eel, Klamath, Ameri can, Napa, Feather, Yuba and Sacramento rivers cascading into the valleys toward all-time high flood crests. More heavy rains with winds up to 55 miles per hour -were predicted through tomorrow. Gueneville, a summer resort 60 miles north of here, issued a "desperate" call for help to evac uate stranded residents and-the Coast Guard dispatched rescue boats, helicopters and communi cations trucks. The Air Force was sending similar equipment to the area. Residents were being evacu ated from downtown Napa but officials said the State Mental hospital there, previously be lieved in danger, would not have to be cleared out. Trains Delayed Western Pacific Railroad re ported its main line through the Feather River Canyon was blocked by a slide, at Berry Creek, delaying the Vista Dome streamliners. Water swamped Southern Pa cific tracks 20 miles south of Dunsmuir, forcing the railroad to hold the Portland bound Klamath train at Gerber, and San Francisco - Oakland bound Cascade at Dunsmuir. Washington (U.R) The Agri culture Department predicted the 1956 spring pig crop will total 56,000,000 head, a decrease of 2 per cent from the 195o spring crop. Stores Open M 50th .Year Medford 22 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1955 s 1" " ' $ A AV' ft 4 BEAR CREEK HIGH There was high water in bridge. Bear creek' spilled over its banks south and around Medford . this morning, although of the city, covering Barnett rd. with several damage reported here was far from being as . inches of water, and to the north washing out serious as elsewhere in Jackson county. The view an irrigation diversion dam and flume, above is' looking northeast across Bear creek . toward Hawthorne park and the East Main st. (Brainerd photo.) . - Jet Winds Slow Christmas Mail Across Pacific San Francisco (U.R) Hur ricane winds' over the Pacific ab ated enough today to permit rer sumption of air service to Ha waii but airline officials said there was little chance that a backlog of 15,000 pounds of Christmas mail and freight could be cleared before the holiday. Planes of the United Air Lines and Pan American World Air ways still were forced to carry extra fuel to buck "jet stream" headwinds ranging up to 100 miles an hour. UAL flights from Los Ang eles and Pan American flights from Seattle and Portland were routed to Honolulu this morn ing via San Francisco. Here the planes picked up more fuel be fore taking off on the shortest possible route to the islands. Flight Time. Exteneded Flight time between San Fran cisco and Honolulu on flights leaving today was an estimated 13:15 hours, as opposed to the normal 9:45 hours flying time over the route. United was running four flights today, two of them to make up for yesterday's post ponements. There was a possib ility a fifth plane would be sent out tonight. Pan American said it was at tempting to set up an extra flight in addition to the two slated to depart from San Francisco and the one leaving Los Angeles to day. Mail and cargo was backed up at airports and post offices here and in Los Angeles. Offic ials said they could not give a firm figure, but the delayed mail and freight v?as estimated at more than 15,000 pounds. ntil Santa, together with festive tree in the window and. decorated door, at the Rodger Stearton home, 33 North Berkeley way. . In the center is an illuminated Santa on the lawn of the Dutch Farfan M v iVi Writer Gets Birdseye View of Valley Flood (Editor's note: A Mail Trloune re porter was aboard a Mercy Flights plane this morning which carried police and civil defense officials over the valley to survey the flood situation. His story, written during convalescence from air-sickness caused by his first airplane flight, follows.) By ALLEN REED Mail Tribune Staff Writer Flying from Medford airport, the first thing noticeable today was that the creeks are no long er creeks. What was yesterday an irri gation ditch is today a river in its. own right. The Rogue river, dark brown with mud and its surface dotted with debris, has no definable banks along much of its length between Camp White and Grants Pass. The tiny figure of a man was on the roof of a small house above the railroad bridge at Gold Hill. From the air, it looked as though the house had been built in the middle of the river. One side had been torn away by the current. Cattle Floating Above Grants Pass another person was on a roof top. Among the" debris floating down the river were two black cattle. It was impossible to tell whether they were swimming or had given up and were simply float ing with the current. From the pitching, ' bucking Mercy Flights plane, piloted by George Milligan, it was impos sible to count the number of houses under water along the river. I would estimate well over a hundred. Sixteen were count- Weather FORECAST: Lowering cloudi ness with rain tonight and Friday morning. Partial clear ing with showers Friday afternoon. Low tonight 40-45. High Friday 50. Temp. Highest Yesterday 57 Lowest this Morning 52 Prec. to 4:30 a.m. Today 3.02 9 o'clock Tonight 5 1 r M$ I No. 234 Tribune Price 5c ed at Rogue River, twenty in the Gold Hill area. At Grants Pass, houses on both sides of the river were flooded as far down river as could be seen. Water was rolling over the railroad bridge below Gold Ray dam, and above the dam the water extended out on both sides of the river over a wide area where only the tops of trees were visible. Crowds of people lined the banks well above the dam and at other places along the river. At Rogue River all of the houses and businesses on the south side of Highway 99 were inundated. Water completely covered the approach to the bridge. A logging railroad bridge above Grants Pass was washed out and . only one end of it stuck, like a broken toy, out of the water. Highways Covered Highways on both sides of the river were under water in many places. Highway 99 was flooded in two places below Gold Hill; for nearly a quarter of a mile at Rogue River; and at Savage Rapids dam. Only one car was seen stalled in a flooded area on the highway Water was within 12 feet of the highway over the old High way 99 bridge below Gold Hill Debris was piled up against the bridge and it appeared to be in danger of washing out. . The park at Grants Pass was more than half under water. Cars were backed up on the Grants Pass side of Caveman bridge and crowds - of the curious were watching the flood. Detroit U.R) Detroit's newspaper strike entered its fourth week today but negotia tions were scheduled to resume between the publishers and the stereotypers, first of three un ions to go on strike. : J home, 723 South Newtown st., part of an elaborate display. Ch roof-climbing Santa, sleigh and reindeer at right are atop the homg of Dr. O. A.. Welsh, 1300 East Main st. (Brainerd photos.) O Evacuate Families; Bridges Destroyed Rain swollen streams in Jack son county last night left Med ford virtually isolated, forced evacuation of more than a hun dred families, and closed schools, bridges and roads. State police this morning said the only route open out of the Rogue valley was' over the Green Springs to Klamath Falls. And there water over Highway 66 at Keno was delaying traffic. More Rain Forecast Flood crest on Rogue river oc curred at Dodge bridge about 6 a.m. today and hit Grants Pass Highway 99 is now open to traffic out of the Rogue riv er valley into California, state police said early this after noon. The route had been clos ed 12 miles north of Yreka, . Calif., where water from the Klamath river flooded the highway. . . about 7:25 a. m. More rain was forecast tonight and tomorrow as a new warm front moved in from the southwest. The crest at Dodge bridge, which was closed because of a washout of .the east approach, was 12.3 feet, or 3.3 above flood stage. The crest at Grants Pass was 29.7 feet, where flood stage is 17 feet. - ' State police and other officials reported several families ma rooned or evacuated. Officers this morning were at tempting to rescue a man identi fied as Barney Governor, 58, who was marooned in his house about 50 yards upstream from the Gold Hill railroad bridge. Night-long attempts to rescue him continued today. Car Trailer Washed Away Governor's car and trailer were washed away and he is be lieved to be in his attic. Sheriff's officers said the house is in dan ger of collapsing, but a slight drop in the river has improved the situation. A boat rescue was considered early today, but the r river was too rough. State po lice said part of the house had been washed away. Red Cross officials estimated that about 100 families have been evacuated in the Shady Cove area, where several houses were flooded. Evacuated families are being cared for in other Shady Cove homes, according to Maj. Gen. Joseph H. Hicks, director of Jackson County Civil Defense. Hicks said about 30 families were evacuated from homes around Rogue River last night. Evacuated families are being housed in the Grange and VFW halls there. Survey Conditions A Mercy flights plane piloted by George Milligan flew over the valley this morning to deter mine flood conditions and to see what evacuations were neces sary. Civil Defense officials said darkness hampered determina tion of damage and conditions last night. A state police officer hiked into the cut-off Table Rock es tates area this morning. Police said a family was marooned there and that police sent a boat to rescue another family just north of Rogue River on the highway side of the river this morning. - At least one resort along Rogue river was destroyed, and several homes were destroyed or badly damaged. A noon report from Shady Cove said that all houses for 1V miles downstream from Shady Cove along the river were partly mm under or surrounded by water, and those near the river up to Calif ornia-on - the -Rogue were similarly situated. Highways Closed State police said Highway 99 was closed 12 miles' north of Yreka, Calif., by Klamath river water over the highway; High way 99 was closed north of Gold Hill; Highway 238 through the C Applegate area was closed at Ruch; and the rive road be tween Rogue River and Grants Pass was closed. One-way traffic was moving along Highway 62 . at Shady Cove. The Sams Valley area was al most isolated because the three bridges to the area, Dodge, By bee and the Highway 238 bridge, were closed; " . " High water also damaged tele phone lines, irrigation district flumes, and closed several bridges in the county. Prospect was without tele phone service today, and Colum bia ' Utilities company officials said only emergency circuits are connected with the Shady Cove area, where a crossing had washed out. Major Line Breaks Two major line breaks were reported north of Shady CoveP where washed-out cabins knock ed out poles. Company officials said crews are working on toll lines, and more rrjpn were ex pected from Merrill. Attempts were being made to lay lines around breaks, most of which are -under water. Poles were washed out near Bybee bridge, cutting service to the Table Rock area, which Ex cluded two Civil Aeronautics ad ministration lines and the omni range station on Table Rock. Of ficials said repair crews are at tempting to get into the area. Officials were not sure about conditions above McLeod, but expressed hope that lines were not broken. Pacific Telephone and Tele graph officials said damage to the PT&T system apparently was not extensive. A tree knocked out a cable near Star Ranger station, stopping service to the Upper Applegate area. Two poles were washed out near Jackson hot springs, but the cable was still operating, of ficials said. Electrical Outages Only minor electrical outages were reported in this area. John Boyle, vice-president and general manager of California Oregon Power company, said Crescent City is without power. Worst of the flooding in the Cop co area was there. But elsewhere service was maintained, despite the fact that several power plants went out of service, Boyle said. The Gold Ray dam powerhouse had water up to its windows, and "the backwater is almost as high as the headwater," the Copco of ficial said. In the 1927 flood, the water was slightly higher, he reported, but how much is unknown as the flood gauges were washed out. Both approaches to the Gold Ray bridge were washed out. Logjam at Gold Ray There was a logjam on the dam across the North Fork of the Rogue, but crews got in and eased the situation; The Rogue was dropping off by mid-morning. "' " Pumice mud, washed-up debris and wash-outs were hampering operations in the Toketee falls power complex on the North. Fork of the Umpqua, Boyle said, and several plants were out tem porarily. Most will be returned (Continued on Page 7) HA . o
