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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1956)
Anaconda Company Builds Oasis in Desert Badlands BY MICKEY TOPPINO United Press Correspondent Grants, Ji. M. (U.P.I Deep in the heart of New Mexico's desert badlands, the Anaconda Co. has established an oasis of econom ic success. The company, which started 80 3'ears ago in the copper min ing business, today operates the largest uranium processing mill in the United States. Tons of hard yellow rock pour into the top-secret installation each day. Barrels of "yellow cake," a finely-ground sand yel lower than gold and more prec ious than platinum, are turned out. From a small opreation set up four y-ars ago when uranium was first discovered on this bar ren, desolate desert, broken only by occasional carrot crops and jagged chunks of lava rock. An aconda has developed one of the most modern plants in the na tion. Mechanical Operation The firm employes some 500 persons, a large share of the pop ulation still cramming into the uranium boom town of Grants not far from the Anaconda in stallation. But the operation represents the height of mechan ical achievement. Clanking instruments whirr and roar in three separate plants here. Men, however, are hard to find. "Sixty years ago we would ies and wheelbarrows said the assistant mill superintend ant, William Stern. "Today we don't need men except to roam the catwalks and make sure the machinery's in order." From the time the uranium ore is poured from truck and train into the first of the crush ing machines until it comes out in the fine grain so valuable to the United States defense effort, the uranium is untouched by human hands. Most of the 500 company em ployes are office workers, keep ing books, testing ores, perform ing the jnany varied functions of big business. All The Comforts "We had it rough in the begin ning," Stern said. "It was a new field, and we made a lot of mis takes. It was strictly trial and error." But four months ago. Ana conda doubled its operation. It had been serving as the buying agent for the Atomic Energy Commission. Soon its develop ment was so great the company announced it would stop work ing directly for the AEC and devote its efforts to its own pro duction. In addition to its plant and comfortable, air-conditioned of fices, the company has also built about 100 homes on the prem ises, called the Anaconda "town site." Some of these are apartments to house single girls attracted by good wages and eligible bach elors Their quarters are more luxurious than college dor mitories. Other employees are men with their families. "It's an ideal place for child ren of young ages," Stern said. "No traffic, no bad types, none of the problems of city life." There are parties and recrea tion centers, clubs and informal meetings. Television aerials surge up out of the sage brush. New cars are as common as jack-rabbits. Sweet Home Youth Deer Hunting Victim Redmond (U.R) Marvin Davis, 15, Sweet Home high school sophomore, died Sunday night in Central Oregon District hospital here from shock and ex treme loss of blood from a gun shot wound in the chest suffered while he was deer hunting in the Metolius area. It was the first reported deer hunting death by gunshot since Oregon's 1956 season opened. The youth, son of Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Davis of Sweet Home, ap parently was shot by his own gun when he tripped while he was about to enter the family car. He was alone at the time. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were nearing the car when they heard the shot and heard Marvin call for help. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital here and died two hours after his arrival. Floyd O. Lake, 62, of Boring died of a heart attack yesterday. Lake's death was the 10th re ported of natural causes, mostly Week End Inventor Develops Faster Sail for Boating Schenectady, N Y. (U,R) An engineer, after three years of week-end and vacation experi ments, has come up with a rec tangular sail on a U-shaped rib which he says is faster and just as maneuverable as the conven tional boat sail. This new type of sail swings up from the bottom and not only reduces the lean of the boat, but makes a forward pull ing force that tends to lighten the craft in the water, according to its inventor, Burnice Bedford Bedford, a General Electric Co. employee, said that in trial runs of a 12',2-foot dinghy, he has pulled away from standard- type dinghies and, kept pace with bigger sailing craft. Bedford explained the greater speed by the larger sail area, 120 feet compared to 72 on a stand ard dinghy, and the sail angle that causes the wind to pull his boat instead of pushing it. The sail tends to lift the boat, thus reducing drag and adding speed. Bedford said it also allows a skipper to "spill" a heavy wind to any desired degree and to jibe safely in a stiff wind that skippers conventional sail would not attempt. The engineer believes his new design can be applied to any small or medium-sized racing sailboat. The U-shaped rig pivots off- center from a stubby four-foot mast. Twin uprights, flexible enough to bow slightly under pressure, are 12 feet high. A nine-foot long bottom of the U' frame acts much like the con ventional boom. Die rectangular sail is stretched on a slightly bowlegged H-shaped frame, the two alumi num sides of which are linked by an eight-foot long wooden crossbar. Bedford estimated his sail "probably weighs twice as much as the ordinary tech dinghy rig and the size and weight of his experimental model is about the most the craft can carry safely. heart attacks, since the season opened. n " s j 17- Brings you th RW "Living Imoge" Picture with the RCA "StJveromo" aJiMtMfiized picture tube oniy r Hm Wayferor. ftupt info AC 108 tq. m. viewable area. SuA-in teltcoping en- . Model 14S707. Here's TV you can watch anywhere in your room, out on the patio, in the kitchen. And RCA Victor's new Wayfarer brings you the new "Living Image" picture sharp, steady, bright. "High-Sharp-and-Easy" tuning con trols are located high on side of cabinet let you dial easily, accurately. Rich!y trimmed cabinet in red. gray or ivory finishes. Come ia try it yourself todaor! S 43 95 DOWN $700 4 MONTH OTHER PORTABLE PRICES START AT. $ 89 95 Open Wednesday Night Until 9 p.m. Yl SOUTH RWersxpe DRIVE IN PARKING-, LJf 7$ "2 I I:1 ...... - jiriu BUILDING COLLAPSE KILLS 10 Rescue workers (bot tom) stand quietly as they listen for possible sounds from trapped men under pile of nibble after this four story building under construction at Jackson, Mich., collapsed. The iob superintendent said cranes will have to remove big concrete and steel pieces before shovels can be used to get at the bodies of victims. Tueiday, October 9, 195S MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE THJIEE Brother of Pitcher Makes' Good Pitch Memphis, Tenn. (U.R) Father Raymond Crone, brother of Mil waukee Braves pitcher of the same name, made a good pitch himself here. The 33-year-old Crone, a Fran ciscan missionary home on leave, was browsing around a junkyard looking for things he could use. The priest noticed a handy air compressor, cost about $100. "I sure could use that," he said. "Where?" said Jack Lazarov. co-owner of a 13-acre combined junkyard and surplus establish ment. Only then, did Lazarov find out that the priest wanted the air compressor for his mission in the Amazon jungles of Brazil. "It's yours free," Lazarov said. Father Raymond was N. Gor don Crone Jr., until he became a priest, and was given the name "Raymond." His superiors did not know he had a younger brother, Raymond Crone, now 23, a pitcher with the Milwau kee Braves. London (U.R) Moscow has ordered its East European satel lites to make up with Marshal Tito but to avoid his private brand of "independent social ism," according to diplomatic sources. The average traffic sign can be read at 225 feet by a person with normal vision. 3H Bp Open or add to your savings account by October 10 and earn interest from October 1 at U. S. National. MEDFORD BRANCH DIliCT IIANCH OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL BANK OF POinANS MEMBER FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION USE TRIBUNE WANT ADS! , ; ,t Olympia always tastes the same ...and that's good! Refreshingly different, yet always remarkably the same! This rare combination of delightful flavor and constant quality is achieved by the unusual water that flows cold and clear from Olympia's own artesian wells one of the world's few sources of naturally perfect brewing water. The unchanging character of this water extracts the same delicate flavor from choice hops and grains season after season, year after year. When the occasion calls for refreshment, join the thousands who always serve light, sparkling Olympia Beer with confidence . . with pleasure. i il kSK ht-BMf-j fek5sllVM"A BREWING ' Its the Water MhBt makes it so good Visitors are always wekom to "One of America's Exceptional Breweries" Olympia Brewing Company, Olympia, Washington, U.S. A 9:30 to 4:30 every day. Oly 0-12
