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SCENE OF RESCUE This dramatic aerial photo, taken by
Carl Landis of the Landis-Shangle studio from a Mercy Flights
plane, shows the old highway bridge and the railroad bridge
across the Rogue river at Gold Hill, near the home of Barney
Governor who was rescued from his house, yesterday after
noon after being surrounded by surging flood' waters for more
than 12 hours. The arrow at the left of the picture shows the
Hold
Governor Rescued
Afler 12 Hours In
Flooded Residence
Barney Governor, about 65,
was rescued at about 2:50 p.m.
yesterday after spending more
than 12 hours in his house sur
rounded by flood waters of
Rogue river some 5g yards up
stream from the Gold Hill rail
(Jpad bridge.
Several other mrooned fami
lies were safe, according to
state police, who said they had
received no reports of anyone
missii Several officers were I
oispatchedfio marooned families
yesterday inorning.
Long Skyline
In rescuing Governor, a sky
line several hundred feet long
was devised by Ernieoand Delos
Walker, brothers who operate
separate garages in Gold Hill,
from cable furnished by the Cal
ifornia Oregon Power comany.
Several other means of rescue
were considered, but none were
deemed feasible.
One end of. the heavy cable
was secured to the top of the
steel railroad bridge, with the
othec-j ead connected .to a
wreclter furnished , by Ernie
Walker. The wrecker was driven
along the railroad tracks, which
turn and merally follows the
river upstream on the east side,
Walker drove the wrecker
around the curve until the sky
line tightened straight over the
roof of Governor's house. Once
tight, a 55-gallon empty gaso
lineGbarrel was attachfd to the
skyline with block and tackle
' Ridet Barrel
Paul Fullmer, 213 Lincoln St.,
Medford, volunteered to ride the
barrel out to the house above
flood waters. Fullmer lowered
i& the Governor house roof,
where he chopped a hole with
an axe.
Governor kept above water
by remaining on a table or shelf
in one room. Fullmer helped
Governor in the barrel, and the
wrecker winch brought him to
safety. O
The barrel was returned for
Fullmer, and the rescue was
complete.
Ctato nnlirp S?t. Russell H.
iSendle, who witnessed rescue
operations, said about a5 vol
unteers participated in rescuing
Governor, and more than 100
spectators gathered at different
times.
One-story House
The house, a one-story frame
structure built on a pier to the
old highway bridge, ws partial
lv torn apart by flood waters,
and Governor's car had been
washed downstream and lodged
aeainst the railroad bridge.
Set. Brendle said Governor
"was "shaky" and hungry when
rescued, but apparently suffered
no other ill-effects from his
ordeal. He was taken to another
home in Gold Hill.
Set. Brendle estimated that
water started entering the Gov
ernod residence between mid
night and 1 a.m. Wednesday. By
the time rescue operations were
under way. the lood crest had
passed and water had receded
between two ana tnree ieet.
Rocks were visible in areas
around the house when Gover
nor was rescued.
"Consider Other Means
Prior to the Walkers' skyline
idea between the railroad bridge
and a wrecker, a skyline from
ivJasi
VALLEY'
Paratrooper Walks
To Safely Afler
Five Days in Wilds
Tacoma U.R) A tough para
trooper, whose frozen feet could
not stop his willpower, was to
be reunited with his Japanese
wife and three children today
in a pre-Christmas Eve celebra
tion of his survival of five days
o
in the sub-freezing weather of
the Cascade mountains.
The "nightmare" was over for
Sgt. John M. Horan, Maynard,
Mass., who leaped from a spin
ning airplane last Sunday.
Horan rested in a bed ' at
Madigan . Army hospital near
here. His wife, Teruko, and the
couple's three children, Ken
neth, 5, Michael, 1, and Lor
raine, 3, months, were to be at
his bedside later today.
The soldier's wife, who arriv
ed in Seattle only last Tuesday
with the children from Tokyo,
had to be given a sedative last
night. She was weak from wor
ry and the emotional strain.
One Big Nightmare
"I knew I couldn't stop -if I
was going to walk out alive,"
was the way Horan-put his ver
sion of "a routine jump when I
jumped out." But what hap
pened afterwards was one big
nightmare.
Horan walked to safety when
he found his way yesterday to
the Rustic Inn on Highway 10
near Easton, Wash., just east of
snowy Snoqualmie Pass.
The sergeant leaped out of an
Air Force C45 Sunday, shortly
after noon, when the craft went
into a spin over the bleak Cas
cades. He was relieved to learn
the pilot of the plane righted
the craft and landed it safely.
Lived on Cocoa
"I found a cabin Monday
morning and I broke a window
and got in," he said. "I found
some matches and got a fire go
ing. I found cocoa in a cupboard
and I melted some snow and
moved as close to the fire as I
could. I didn't know then I was
going to live on that cocoa for
the next four days.
the hillside on the west bank of
Rogue river was considered. The
distance was too great to make
a rescue feasible.
Sgt. Brendle said considera
tion also was given to Medford
Fire department's ladder truck.
Because of a slight bank of the
bank of the railroad tracks on
the curve and a horizontal posi
tion of the extended ladder, Fire
Chief Gordon Barker relieved
the truck would be off-balance
and roll over.
Also considered was construc
tion of a scaffold built from the
railroad tracks, but' the idea
also was deemed not feasible..
The Jackson County Disaster
Car, which is maintained for
saving lives during disasters,
stood by at the scene yesterday
afternoon, but rescue operations
bad started.
CEDE
house. Rescue was effected by a jury-rigged breeches buoy,
one end of which was attached to the metal superstructure of
the railroad bridge, and the other to a wrecking truck which
drove along the tracks to the left out of the photographed area
and around a bend until the highline ran directly over the
house. The picture was taken shortly after the crest of the
flood passed. (Landis-Shangle photo)
f
Help Fight TB -
Buy Christmas Seals
Table Rock Papers
Delivered By Air
The slowly receding flood
waters were still high, and the
Table Rock area was still cut
off from the outside world yes
terday afternoon.
Young Wayne Wyati was
waiting near the Table Rock
store at about 3 p.m. A Piper
plane, piloted by Kenneth
Owen of the Medford Air
Service, swooped low over a
nearby field, and Business
Manager Gerald Latham drop
ped overboard a wire-bound
bundle of tightly - wrapped
newspapers. They fell and
bounced on the field.
Wayne picked up the
papers, stripped off the wrap
ping, and started his regular
rounds, delivering the Mail
Tribune to the 52 subscribers
in the isolated area.
Christmas Pilgrims
Journey To Bethlehem
Jerusalem, Israeli Sector (U.R)
Hundreds of Christmas pilgrims
plodded today along the dusty
road to Bethlehem through vil
lages torn three days ago by
rioting and gunfire.
Bright sunshine streamed
down on the little town where
Christ was born and there were
few signs of the bloody riot that
the Arab Legionnaires of Jordan
suppressed with machineguns
and tear gas.
Washington U.R) The Army
is bolstering its atomic fire
power in Europe by sending
more "Corporal" guided missiles
abroad.
Road Conditions
Siskiyous Motorists advis
ed to carry chains; 4 inches
new snow.
Green Springs Carrying
chains advised; 4 inches new
snow.
Prospect One-way traffic
from slide; no heavy traffic
three inches new snow; snow
ing hard.
Highway 99 in California
Highway open; snow in Weed
area.
Highway 99 north Traffic
moving; detour between Gold
Hill and Grants Pass; no
heavy traffic.
Crater Lake National Park
Highway 62 open; chains
advised; 14 inches new snow;
present depth 78 inches; snow
ing; skiing fair to good.
Snow in Mountains
Lessens Threat of
Adidtional Rising
: - Jackson , county .stream . levels
were lower today after the val
ley's worst flood since the
1890's.
Bob Church, meteorologist at
the Medford weather bureau,
said flood crest readings at
Dodge bridge and Grants Pass
were the highest ever recorded.
The highest at Dodge bridge,
Church said, was 12.3 feet, or
3.3 above flood stage of 9 feet.
At Grants Pass, a crest of 30.16
feet, or 13.16 above the 17-foot
flood stage, was reported.
Dodge Bridge Reading
The Dodge bridge reading
yesterday morning compares
with previous highs of 11.08
feet Jan. 18, 1953, and 10.3 feet
in October, 1950. At Grants
Pass, the crest of the 1927 flood,
which is considered one of the
most severe in this area, was 28
feet.
The Rogue river receded
rapidly once the flood crest
passed. Late Wednesday after
noon and early evening, the
river gave indications of a rapid
rise. The crest passed Dodge
bridge early Thursday morning,
and by 5:15 p.m. yesterday, the
stage was 9.2 feet, just .2 of a
foot above flood stage, accord
ing to Church.
Rain which started falling
about dusk yesterday threatened
another rise. The threat was
lessened when rain in higher
altitudes turned to snow early
last night.
Receding Expected
Church said streams probably
would show some rise early to
day, but were expected to start
receding later today and pros
pects for less rain were indicat
ed in a five-day weather fore
cast. Church said the forecast calls
for new storm fronts from the
southwest to pass inland on a
line generally more to the south,
with the brunt of the storms oc
curing in northern California.
Precipitation was forecast for
this area, but amounts are ex
pected to be less than during the
past few days.
A total of 4.76 inches of rain
which fell between midnight
Sunday and midnight last night
brought the seasonal total since
Sept. 1 to 15.09 inches, or 7.57
above normal. Last year at this
time the total was 3.72 inches,
or 3.80 below normal.
Weather
FORECASTS: Showers of rain
in valley and snow above
2.500-feet through Saturday.
Low tonight 34. High Satur
day 42-45. Sunday outlook
cool with showers and snow
in mountains.
Temp.
Highest Yesterday 60
Lowest this Morning 34
Prec. to 4:30 ajn. Today 97
RESORT A SHAMBLES Riffles on the Rogue, a resort on the
Rogue river above Shady Cove, was virtually wiped out by high
water Thursday morning. It is shown soon after the flood crest
passed in the picture above, taken by Don Hinson of Eagle Point.
MEDFOIUvitff
United Press Full Leased Wire Co
50th Year 18 Pages
Eastern Oregon
Gets High Water;
Tokatee Marooned
Portland (U.R) Flood con
ditions spread east of the. Cas
cade mountains in Oregon today
while hundreds of persons were
evacuated from their homes or
marooned in western Oregon by
high water.
The mighty Pacific storm that
sent streams over their banks
eased off today and the Umpqua
river started going down slowly
at Reedsport after reaching the
top of dikes protecting the coast
al town.
But the Rogue river, carrying
its biggest crest in history to
ward the sea, was reported
flooding at Gold Beach and resi
dents feared water would hit
main streets at high tide this
afternoon.
Crooked River Overflows
The Crooked river at Prine
ville overflowed early today and
some ; residential areas were
flooded north and south of town.
Trucks stood by for evacuation
and three feet of water covered
part of the Paulina-Prineville
highway.
In eastern Douglas county, 300
persons were reported marooned
at Tokatee Falls. They included
Morrison-Rundsen construction
workers and their families,
woods workers and employees
of Copco. Power was reported
out in the area, from which
there are only two ways out.
One, to Roseburg, was blocked
by high water, and the other,
from East Diamond lake, was
blocked by snow.
Communications Disrupted
Only communication with the
area was by ham radio.
Communications to the south
west coastal area still were dis
rupted. A ham radio operator
reported the entire Coquille
valley flooded.
' The main Umpqua river, fed
by its north and south forks,
headed in flood stage toward the
coast.
At Grants Pass, where a Na
tional Guard company was call
ed out yesterday, state police
reported the Rogue river drop
ping about eight inches an' hour
this morning. The Rogue reach
ed an all-time high of 30.16 feet
yesterday.
Families Evacuated
An estimated 400 families
were evacuated from their
homes in the Grants Pass area
and another 100 families were
moved from homes in the Shady
Cove district further upstream
on the Rogue.
Southbound busses still were
stranded at Grants Pass this
morning as there was four feet
of water over the highway at
Savage Rapids dam. However,
passenger traffic was being de
toured south around an old river
road from Grants Pass to Gold
Hill, i Northbound traffic was
moving and it was hoped the
water would drop enough to
open the main highway south,
providing, as one officer put it,
"if there is any highway left
under the water."
State police said lots of homes
in the lowlands around Grants
Pass still were surrounded by
water. .
Klamath Postoffice
Crews Twiddle Thumbs
Klamath Falls (U.R) The
post office crews at Klamath
Falls twiddled their thumbs to
day. All the Christmas mail had
been distributed. But there was
no jubilation. Trains and mail
trucks carrying Christmas mail
were blocked by floods and
slides on all sides of Klamath
Falls. Also blocked were the gov
ernment paychecks postal em
ployees had counted, on for
Christmas.
MEDFORD, OREGON, FRIDAN
gl ill
1 - : , i - '-Cw. . m :
ANGEL-DOOR Another of Medford's many attractive Christmas
decorations is shown above, the little angel created on the front
door of the Earl York residence, 820 East Main st.
(Brainerd photo)
iver Bolts at Reno
Reno (U.R) The Truckee riv
er today overflowed its banks
and began flooding Reno's down
town business section.
Weary workmen lost a 24
hour battle- to hold the rampag
ing river in its channel through
the heart of the city shortly after
7 a.m. when water began pour
ing over the banks.
Businesses Prepared
Business establishements along
both banks of . the river were
prepared ior the surge of water.
National Guards and 500, air
men from nearby Stead Air
Force Base joined employees in
boarding up windows and en
trances of business firms. An esti
mated 26,000 sandbags were
heaped around them.
Standing squarely in the path
of the rampaging river on op
posite banks were two fashion
able hotels,- the Riverside and
the Mapes.
Both hotels operated their ca
sinos, bars and floor shows until
about 2 a.m. when, putting pre
caution ahead of profit, they sus
pended operations.
Tables Carted Away
Employees carted dice and 21
tables and roulette wheels out
of the lavish casinos to places
of safety on upper floors. Em
ployees and bosses alike then
pitched in to pile more sandbags
-isS JtC ' , j i 1 .O V -sins J
HOMES SURROUNDED Some of the luckier residents of river
side areas were surrounded, not inundated, by waters of the rising
Rogue yesterday. The picture above shows a scene that was all-too-typical
in the Upper Rogue area yesterday as waters rose. The
picture was taken by Don Hinson.
55
.9 5
around all entrances.
The two hotels suffered heavy
damage in 1950 when a similar
flood swept downtown Reno,
causing $2,000,000 in damage.
An estimated $200,000 dam
age was caused yesterday when
the surging waters caused the
central span of a concrete and
steel bridge under construction
across the Truckee to collapse
near the east city limits.
2-Way Radio In Use
For Table Rock Area
Central Point Central Point
Rural Fire department has set
up a two-way radio at Table
Rock store for reporting fires
and for other emergency use.
It will serve the district until
telephone service is restored in
a day or two. Fire Chief Richard
Krupp said that Mr. and Mrs.
Ray Wyatt, proprietors of the
store, have been instructed in
the use of the radio. He asked
use of the equipment by any
person reporting a fire in the
Table Rock area.
The fire truck and crew, sta
tioned at the store since Wednes
day night before the area be
came isolated, returned to Cen
tral Point this morning after
Bybee bridge was opened.
RIBUNE
United Press Full Leased Wire
Price 5c , No. 235
Damage in Three
Western States
Set in Millionsro
San Francisco U.R) Raging
coastal and mountain ' streams
overflowed banks in three West
ern states today bringing death
and destruction and driving
thousands from their homes in
the wake of week-long drenching .
rains, the wprst in the Weather
Bureau's history.
At least 12 persons were
known dead, scores werp rpnnrt.
ed missing, eight towns were
flooded out complete!" and
more than 15 others wer? Inun
dated as the streams rushed to
the sea and made more than
15,000 homeless.
Property damage in northern
California, western Oregon and
Nevada was estimated in the
millions. One estimate placed
the loss at more than $10,000,
000, but no accurate check
could be made.
State of Emergency
A state of emergency was de
clared by Gov. Goodwin 3T.
Knight in northern California
where the missing included 12
at the resort town of Santa
Cruz where the San Lorenzo
river isolated the city of 15,000
today. Eight of the missing there
were reported swept to sea. The
police teletype, only means of
communication, said aid would
have to be sent by airlift.
Ten persons were known dead
in California. Three were at
Santa Cruz, two others were
listed by the Civil Defense at
Eureka, while three drowned at
Auburn in the American river,
and two drowned earlier in the
week at other points.
Towns Completely Flooded
The towns completely flooded
in California were Pepper
wood, Elinor, South Fork, Klarn
ath. Klamath Glen, Weott all
in Humboldt county were the
Eel and Klamath rivers flood
ed and Wood Lake and Three
Rivers in Tulare county. The re
sort city of Guereneville, flood
ed by the Russian river in Son
oma county, prepared for com
plete disaster.
Intermittent rains 3ntinued
in northern California and
whole gale warnings for south
erly winds of 40 to 60 miles
were posted from Half Moon
bay, near San Francisco, north
ward. The series of storms was
due to an unusual movement of
warm moist air from the sub
Tropics, that has struck a mass
of low pressure Polar air.
Highways Shut Down
The-floods cut off highways
and railroads. There was no
road or railroad open between
northern California and Nevada.
Many towns were isolated com
pletely as the waters poured
over the highways.
The Red Cross, National
Guard, Sixth Army and Air
Force mobilized forces in many
areas to give aid, shelter and
food to the more than 15,000
refugees.
Washington (U.R) Interest
rates paid to banks and other
private lending agencies making
price support loans to farmers
will increase one-fourth of one
per cent, effective Jan. 1.