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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1957)
o 100 Eioard Em $1,200,000 if TELEVISION TOWER FALLS ItfLLIfIG FOUR WORKMEN Nashville, Tenn. (U.ffl The collapse o a new 1.200-foot tower one of the South'i most powft-ful television statioss with a loss of four lives puzzled ex perts today. The slender structure for no apjarent reason began to snap 300 fecC upwith a "splintering" noise and "collapsed like an ac cordion" Monday afternoon, hurling the four workers to tneir deaths from 700 et up. There was onlCa slight wind. The tower was built for WSM TV, known as the home of the "Grand Ole Opry," by the Gen Cooperation of City Necessary Before 99 cooperation of the city of Mcdford will be ne-ssary be fore the Bear Creek-Hawthorne park freeway can be built. But the highway department antici pates no difficulty in obtaining that cooperation, a highway de partment spokesman said yest erday. (T)pm Edwards, construction engineer for the department and foxier engineer for this district, met informally for lunch with members of the Mcdford city council, press representatives, and other gucsgj, to answer ques tions regarding the route. Invited byJJuff 0 He was accomnaniprf bv "Frank Morgan, Roseburg, now the district engineer. They were invited by CityQ Manager Rob ert Duff after the dbuncil last week indicated that it wished rfo hay more information about he route than has so far been made a-yiiilable to them. Mayor John Snider, in open ing the meeting, pointed out that four of the council mem bers are new to that body, and that the entire council wished to know more of the plan be cause they will be involved in negotiations and agreements with the highway department when it is constructed. He point ed out that the counfil has nev er taken a positron with regard to the location of the freeway through the middle of Modford and probably would ncft do so in the immediate future. Described Freeway EdwSfrds spoke briefly describ ing the freeway and the reasons why the highway commission se- locd the Hawthorne park roWfe in preference to the oth ers proposed those parallel to Gennessee west of the city, east of the city, and in the foothills to the east. Cost and engineering consid erations eliminated the foot hills route, he said, and higher costs worked against the west side route. The other thjee pro posals were rtfughly equal in cost, length, and servicability to through traffic, so the final de cision vs j-Jjased on service to local traffic, and on relative disruption to the economy of the area. Edwards stated. He said the decision was made sfler a detailed survey of four oL the routes and a rec onnaisaTlce survey of the fifth, involvingon all aHoit 125 miles. Physical Description In the Medford 'irea, Edwards reported, the route would start from an' interchange at the Cra ter lake highway down the east side of Bear creek to about the Cottage st. bridg. then west o the creek to the Barnett road interchange, which will be lo cated between the creek and the county shops. Much of it would ly at ground-elevation, he stated, but between just north of Jackson blvd., and just south of 12th St., it would be an ele vated structure of acinfarced conc-te. o This would be about 35, feet high, from ground level to high way deck, and some 70 feet wide. Existing -cross-town streets (JaclOon. Main and 12th) would goundy?r 1t,0aad future street exrensiorg could do so, he stat 2,665 Peopjo In County on An estimated 2.65 people in Jackson cqunty were without jobs at the end of January, John J. Patton, manager othe local state employment ff ice, report ed today. The unemploynftnt figure at the end of January, 1957, was 265 higher than the ffture for January. 19J$. Patton sajd. An estimated 2A9) were without jobs during January. 1956. Patton said the present un employment figure is not much higher than usual for this time of year. He noted that January and February annually tend to be the lowest months here for employment. He added that em ployment usually picks up in March and hits a peak in Sep- tember, then gradually decreas-icd es until it "hits bottom" in the eral Electric Corp., and was vir tually complete but had not been put into use. The victims were identified as Donald Kinnan, 25, of Tucson, Ariz.; Robert Lee Kirshner, of California, Mo.; Ray H. . Max well, 27, of Palatka, Fla., and George Treelar, 30, of Memphis, Tenn. Kenneth Tutor. 28, a steel rigger, said he had just loosened eight of 12 guy wires which balanced the tower upon a tiny ball base because "the wires had been singing in the wind." The tower began swaying and Freeway Can Be Built ed. During the discussion, he said the area under the struc ture could be used for parking purposes, thus permitting the use of the Hawthorne park par king area for recreational pur poses. For 1975 Traffic The freeway is being design ed for estimated. 1957 traffic. and two additional lanes could be constructed if traffic flow Woman Killed in Crash Near Bybee Corner Yesterday Mrs. Leona Pearl Eskue, 39, of Olympia, Wash., was killed and her husband. Pierce Arthur Eskue, 39, was injured in a one car accident about 4 p.m. yester day on Highway 238 about four miles west of Medford. Eskue was taken by Medford Ambulance service to Rogue Valley hospital. State police said he suffered chest and head injuries, and listed his condition as fair. . .. . State police said the vehicle. driven by Eskue, was traveling east toward Medford when it went off the highway onto the shoulder at the Bybee corner where the Central Point-Jacksonville highway intersects Highway 238. Strikes Guy Wire The car travelled about 99 feet along the shoulder, police said, then struck a guy wire to a post 14 feet from the edge of the highway. The post broke, and the vehicle continued for another 12 feet east and struck a power pole, breaking it in two places. The pole fell across the highway, police said. The car then nosed into a four foot irrigation ditch on the south side of Highway 238, police said. Mrs. Eskue was pinned against the south bank of the ditch after she fell from the ve hicle when the right front door opened, police said. She was pinned against the bank with her face in the water, they said. Police said mail was being de livered to the Eskues in care of the Frank Enders orchards. route 1. Medford. The fatality was the second in Jackson county this year. Charles J. Howe, about 60, of Grants Pass, was believed to have drowned when the car he was operating plunged into Rogue river near Miller's Gulch bridge late last month. Bulletin Reno U.R An explos ion shook' a busy downtown intersection area here today. Police believed the list of dead and injured would run into the scores. Fir burned out of control in one building and Ih blast caused heavy dam age lo several other struc tures. Unemployed January 31 first two months of the year. Patton named unfavorable weather and the slow lumber market among leading factors in the current unemployment situ ation. He said large lumber and sawmill concerns in the area have continued operations with out interruption in recent weeks. Small and middle-sized firms have been working on an "off-and-on" basis, operating for a wee'.t, then closing down for a week. Patton commented, "While it's difficult for individuals to find jobs now, the overall picture is not far off from normal years." The majority of currently av ailable-jobs call for highly skill workers and such positions are difficult to find, Ke said. breaking up at a point where some of the guy wire were at tached. The upper portion thun dered straight downward. The lower section crashed outward. Witnesses said that in break ing up, the tower made a "splin tering" sound that was louder than the noise it made when it hit the ground. The falling girders crushed three parked trucks and a car and flying debris damaged three other cars. A 300-foot section skidded down a hill, stopping just short of some homes. required them, Edwards said. Then north and south bound lanes would be separated by a concrete and steel divider eight feet wide, he said. Width of the right of way probably would be about 150 feet in the city area. Edwards discounted publicly expressed fears that the route would damage the park and the Bear creek area for future rec reational purposes, or that it would lower property values, and in the latter case cited ex perience in the Roseburg area to support his belief. Promised Cooperation He stated the commission would work with the city in every possible way to minimize the drawbacks of the through city route, and to maximize its benefits, in the way 6f tourist signs, landscaping, and so on. Edwards said that exhaustive preliminary studies have been made, and the decision was made on the basis of these find ings. The next step, he said, would be to work cooperatively with the city, to draw up de tailed plans, and then to formu late a specific agreement with the city regarding the matters which must be settled. No Timetable The construction engineer did not wish to be committed as to any timetable for construction, but said that it is not pro grammed for construction during the next two years. He indicated it might well be in the next pro gramming period after that, al though preliminary discussions might begin earlier. Some 90 per cent of the cost will be paid by the federal government. Councilmen present at the meeting gave no indication as to their attitude' toward the plan, but did ask if the highway de partment had ever experienced outright disagreement on the part of cities involved in con struction. Edwards said that, to his knowledge, disputes had al ways been worked out to the sat isfaction of both cities and his department. Much of the meeting was de voted to a physical description of the route and of the design of the planned overpass structure. Public Hearings on Agenda for Council The Medford city council will hold public hearings on rezon- ing two portions of southeast Medford and on the construction of a water main at 7:30 p.m. today in the city hall. A hearing will be held on re zoning from Class IA (single family) to Class II (multiple family) the area between Mur phy rd. and the east city limits line from Barnett rd. to a drain age canal. A hearing also will be held on rezoning from class IA (single family) to class IB (two family) the area between Murphy rd. and the east city limits from drainage canal to Alameda st. Another hearing will be held on the construction of a water main on Marie st. from Saling ave. to Jackson st., on Jackson st. from Marie st. to Madison Place and on Madison Place from Jackson st. to the alley be tween Jackson st. and Queen Anne ave. Weather FORECAST: Mostly cloudy through Wednesday with oc casional light rain this eve ning becoming rain and snovr mixed during the night and continuing Wednesdav. Low tonight 34. High Wednesday 40. Our Skies Tonight Temp. Highest Yesterday Lowest thii Morning 27 Sunrise 7:21 a.m. Sunset , 5:30 p.m. Moonset 11:35 p.m. First Quarter Feb. 7 PROMINENT STARS Procyon. higb in south 10:47 p.m. Alphard. due south 12:39 a.m. VISIBLE PLANETS Mars, high in south west 6:56 p.m. Jupiter, low in east ... 9:34 p.m. Saturn, low in south east 4:43 a.m. Building Program Necessary lo Meel Student Increase Elementary Schools, HS Addition Included The Medford school plans to submit to school district voters this spring a -Sl,200,000 school bond issue to finance construc tion of two new elementary schools and a major addition to Medford High school. Frank Bash, member of the school board, and Leonard May field, Medford school superin tendent, revealed plans for the proposed projects yesterday at the noon luncheon of the Jack son County Chamber of Com merce Roundtable at the Jack son hotel. The school board may take action on the matter at its meet ing next week. Student Population Mayfield said the 1956 school census taken last October in dicated the present student pop ulation in Medford is what school officials two years ago anticipated it would be in 1960, The census disclosed an un predictable increase in school age population, due to immigra tion, accured during the past two years, according to Mayfield. Bash estimated cost of the two elementary schools at $800, 000, with each building provid ing service facilities for about 500 students, and classroom space for about 350 each. Plans will enable the structures to expand up to 500, according to future enrollment needs. , Proposed sites, already ob tained, for the two elementary buildings, are at Siskiyou blvd. and Modoc ave. in southeast Medford and at Corona and Grand aves. High- School Addition Cost of the addition to Med ford High school is estimated at $400,000, Bash said. The ad dition is intended to provide space for an anticipated 1,200 students by the 58-59 school year, some 220 more than now enrolled. The addition will be construct ed as an extension-on -the-pres- ent high school, or as a saparate "campus type" unit on a site adjacent to the school machine shop. Mayfield pointed out the in crease in high school enrollment creates a greater problem than elementary schools, because there is only one school to ab sorb increases. As there are several elemen tary schools, he added, boundar ies can be expanded to relieve certain over-populated areas. The new elementary plants are expected to relieve Jefferson and Lincoln schools of two class rooms of students each, and Hed rick Junior High school of 300 fifth and sixth graders now at the annex there.' The school superintendent said total student enrollment in Medford now is 5,362, filling city schools to capacity. He esti mated the student increase by the 1958-59 school year as about 5,931, not including immigration increases. Including immigration, Med ford schools will be providing for about 931 students more than it has facilities for by 1958, unless the proposed school addi tions are approved by Medford voters. Inconvenience According to Mayfield. con struction of the additional schools could be delayed one year if necessary. However, he added, that would entail adjust ing school attendance boundar ies, using sub-standard class rooms, double shifts of classes and other unnecessary incon veniences. Mayfield pointed out the 1953 59 school year is expected to be a crucial one. He said enroll ment is expected to climb to 575 students more than capacity, and could go as high as 931 with tentative immigration increases included. Next year (1957-58) Medford schools are expected to accommodate about 219 students more than rated capacity. Breaking down school needs into grade levels, Mayfield said population of city elementary schools now is at its capacity of 3,036 students and will increase to at least 3,339 by 1961-62. . Junior High The junior high school popula tion is now 1,348 pupils and is anticipated to increase to 1,379 by the 1958-59 school year. If the proposed elementary plants are constructed, Mayfield said, Hedrick will gain enough space from its former elementary population to absorb expected junior high school enrollment in creases for a few years. Attendance at Medford High school is 978 and has a present capacity of 1.000. Mayfield said the site and facilities there will permit a maximum capacity of about 2,000 students. The need for a new high school will arise sometime in the next eight to 12 years, he said. Mayfield emphasized that the 51st Year Medford United Prmi FuU ueaiea Win 16 Pages MEDFORD, Israel Compliance With UN Resolution Expected by Dulles Secretary Defends Mid-East Policies Washington (U.R) Secretary of State John Foster Dulles said today he has good grounds to hope Israel will comply with a u.N. resolution calling for speedy withdrawal from , the Gaza Strip and the Gulf of Aqaba. At his first news conference since Dec. 18, Dulles said the United States is not thinking of supporting sanctions against Is rael. He said this government now is thinking only that Israel will comply with the TJ.N. resolu tion approved overwhelmingly last week end. Dunes was asked by a re porter whether the United States would "go to the protection of Israel' in the event of aggres sion even if this meant risking war with the Soviet Union. Without mentioning Israel di- rently, Dulles replied that the overall American policy is not to be deterred by fear of what the Soviet Union might do in any particular case. Dulles said the United States has repeatedly faced up to situa tions involving Soviet threats. He said this is the proper course to pursue. Plans lo Keep Job At is 40-minute news confer ence, Dulles also: 1. Said he has no plans now to resign or retire as secretary' of state. He defended the ad ministration's policies in the Middle East as honorable and predicted history would justify this estimate.. He said it was heartwarming to hear President Eisenhower refer" to' him' asr a man of unparalleled wisdom and knowledge. 2. There has been no discus sion of a Big Three summit meeting of Mr. Eisenhower, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, and .French Premier Guy Mollet. But it would be normal for Mr. Eisenhower to meet separately with the British and French leaders in due course. enrollment increases in city schools were not due to the re cent school consolidations. Only increases from consolidations will be an additional 62 seventh and eighth graders from West Side and Oak Grove schools that will attend Hedrick, he said. Increase in Taxes Bash said increase in Medford school district taxes would total only about one mill, plus possible unexpected operating expenses. Reason for the small increase is because of the continuing amor tization of current Medlord school district bonded indebted ness, he said. This would bring the total millage rate of the school district to not much more than 44.7, he said. Financially, according to Bash, Medford is in excellent position to construct the proposed school buildings. He said the school board hopes to have construction under way by next fall. The $1,200,000 estimated cost of the buildings cover furnish ings and equipment but not per sonnel, Bash said. He added there is no chance of Medford getting federal or state aid for the school projects because the district does not qualify as a distressed area. ' To qualify as a distressed area Medford's millage rate would have to be much higher and the school district would have to be bonded to capacity, Bash said. Bonding Limit Bonding limit of the Medford school district is $5,696,923, of which $2,230,750 is absorbed in present bond debt, according to Bash. The district has left ap proximately 60 per cent of its bonding capacity. Bash explained amortization of present school district indebt edness will reduce the district's nnual debt payments from $200,326.88 in 1957-58 to $158,- 966.88 to 1958-59. Additional tfebt service per year resulting from construc tion of the schools will be about S80,000, he said. Bash added. with the first tentative payment set for 1958-59, the annual debt service of the school district would increase to $238,966.88, resulting in the one mill tax in crease. Retain Architects Thse Medford school board last week retained two Med ford architects, Jack A. Edson and Wayne E. Struble, to work on preliminary plans for the pro posed two new elementary schools. OREGON, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 'How 'r JJ" Officers Confiscate Pay-off Merchandise Operators of three Jackson county taverns were to be arrest ed this afternoon on charges of possessing, displaying and op erating games of chance, accord ing to sheriff's officers and state police. Officers announced the forth coming arrests after confiscating more than $75 worth of mer chandise allegedly being used as "pay-offs" in punch board and spindle poll games at tav erns in Butte Falls, Ashland and Gold Hill. The ..merchandise included boxes of chocolate covered cher- H. D. Christensen New President of Rotary H. D. Christensen, proprietor of Nu-Way cleaners, was elected president of the Medford Rotary club at noon today. He succeeds Weldon Kline in the position. Other officers are selected by the board of directors. New mem bers of the board elected today include Tom Oliver, manager of Timber Products Co.; Oliver Gustafson, manager of Whitelaw Candy Co.; Water Higgins, exec utive director of Rogue Valley Manor, and Ray Menche, man ager of More Steel Service Co. Christensen has been active m Boy Scout work for many years. and is chairman of the Jackson County Public Welfare commis sion. M. M. Huggins, president of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, spoke on chamber activities at today's meeting. Medford Youth Bound Over fo Grand Jury Jerry Leander Stewart, 19, of 718 Victory St., Medford, was bound over to the grand jury today when he appeared in dis trict court on a charge of rape. Stewart was arrested by state police Monday. He appeared for arraignment Monday afternoon and his case was continued un til this morning. He waived counsel and preliminary hearing today and bail was set at $2,500. Berrydale Residents Favor Annexation, Gier Declares Public sentiment in the Berry dale district appears to be al most 3 to 1 in favor of annexa tion to Medford, Nick Gier, chairman of the Berrydale Sani tation committee, claimed today. He said his estimate is based on incomplete results of a door-to-door canvass of the Berrydale and Elk City districts, conducted during the past week by mem bers of the committee. The fig ures were reported at a meeting of the committee last night. Far Different Gier pointed out that this is far different from the vote in which annexation was defeated last November, and indicates that many residents have chang ed their minds regarding the need for annexation. He said in terviews with residents of the areas disclose three main rea sons for the change: 1. A number of persons felt it "wasn't fair" to include as large an area in the proposed annexa tion as there was. 2. Others said they have come to the conclusion, since jthe elec iOc NE No. 272 True" ries, cans of peanuts, heart shaped boxes of chocolates, a travel clock, an electric frying pan and wrapped "grab bag" type prizes. Most of the punch boards were the one-to-99-cent female name type. The spindle poll games in volved numbered tabs on metal spindles. Numbers on the tabs allegedly correspond with num bers on cards for which prizes are awarded, officers said. Followup Statements District Attorney Thomas Reeder said confiscation of the "pay-offs" merchandise and the resulting arrests are a "follow- up" of statements he and Sheriff Gault jointly issued recently to police chiefs in six Jackson county cities. - The statements called to the attention of the police chiefs reports of gambling devices in general, and punch boards in particular, being op erated in taverns. Reeder said he has also recent ly received reports of pinball machines pay-offs in the county and the reports are being in vestigated. "If sufficient proof is found as to the operation of these pay-off pinball machines, prosecutions will follow," he said. Appointments Being Taken for Donors Prospective blood donors may start making appointments to morrow for the Red Cross Blood mobile visit here Wednesday, Feb. 13, Red Cross officials said today. The Bloodmobile unit will, be at the Elks temple in Medford from 1 to 6 p.m. Appointments may be made by telephoning the Bloodmobile headquarters, 3-3813, or by visit ing the headquarters in the Red Cross office on the ground floor of the courthouse. Quota for the Feb. 13 Blood mobile visit has been raised from the usual 250 pints to 290 pints, officials said. The increase was ordered as the result of a more than usual amount of blood being used recently in the Med ford area. tion, that annexation is "the only way" in which to obtain sewer service in the area. 3. Many stated they have stud ied in detail the tax situation, and have found that taking all figures into account, including reductions in water rates, the total cost would not be as much as they had thought. Canvass Incomplete Gier said the canvass is incom plete, and that annexation is much more heavily favored in some parts of the area than in others. Several members of the committee, who had additional figures, were unable to attend last night's meeting. Gier said committee members are checking the possibility of having separate annexation elec tions called for different parts of the district, so that residents of smaller areas could express their preferences. The committee will meet again next Monday evening for further reports, and -to continue their work toward obtaining an other annexation vote. Russia Announces Arms Reduction In 1957 Budget Six Per Cent Cut In Allocation Told Moscow M.K) The Sov iet government announced to day it would reduce its 1957 arms budget by more than 8 billion rubles ($1.5 billion). It was a reduction of almost 6 per cent in the funds allocated last year. o The announcement was made by Finance Jlinister - Argeni Zverey, who presented the 1957 budget to a joint session of the Supreme Soviet. Zverev said the proposed to tal arms was 96.7 billion rubles (about $24.1 billion). He said the 1957 arms figure totaled 16 Washington JUU.P) V. A. Malyshev was reported today to be the high Soviet official who is in "critical" condition at a Moscow hospital. Malyshev is deputy chair man of the Council of Minis ters. Informants said Malyshev is being treated by Dr. Hans Joachim Schullen. West Ger man blood specialist who was flown to Moscow to attend an -unidentified patient. There was no information here to indicate Malyshev had been ih victim of any foul Play- -per cent of the budget as com pared with 18 per .cent in the 1956 budget. The four rubles to one U.S. dollar rate of exchange is an arbitrary one established by the Soviet government. It does not reflect the real buying pow er ol the ruble which would be considerably less. Comparisons With America This is the second consecutive year the Soviet Union has reduc ed its visible military budget. The projected U. S. defense budget is $38 billion, an increase of $2 billion. This is higher, than Russia's when rubles' are trans lated into dollars at the offic ial rate of exchange of four rubles to a dollar. But such a comparison is regarded as un realistic since the official rate is considered artificial. The figures do net include expenditures on guided missile, rocket or nuclear weapons. All prominent government and Communist party leaders at tended the joint session. Foreign Policy Debate Deputy Premier Mikhail A Pervukhin, Russia's top econ omic planner, delivered a re port on the 1957 industrial plan. He announced the expansion rate of the Soviet economy, in cluding heavy industry, would be reduced more than 35 per cent this year. Both houses agreed to a major debate on Soviet foreign policy during the current meetings, the first since the upheavals in Po land and Hungary. Communist Party Articles Planned By Mail Tribune Tha Communist party of the United States will hold a con vention next week end, its first in six years. The Ameri can Communist group was never in sadder shape. The de Stalinization program in Rus sia and the Hungarian revolt have dealt it staggering blows. Its card-carrying membership is down from 80,000 to 20,000 members. But it isn't giving up. It will try another of those dii zying deviations of party lines this time the patriotic ap proach, tha theme that our do mestic Communists are really good Americans and pay no heed lo Moscow. Is the party still a menace in this country? It's hsrdto conclude so from a surface glance. But such men a J. Edgar Hoover and Herbert Brownell warn that it defi nitely it. United P r s i Correspond ent Robert E. Jackson has pre pared a series of three dis patches on the American Com munisls. He got his informa tion from spokesmen for the party, from the Justice depart ment and FBI and from au thorities in Communism. The first of the three arti cles will appear in Wednes day's Mail Tribune. The oth- ' rs will follow en successive days. DOW-JONES AGERAGES New York (U.R) Dow-Jones final stock averages: 30 indus trials 469.96, off 7.23; 20 ail roads 146.26, off 2.Q3; at utili ties 70.87, off 0.55, and 65 stocks 167.35, off 2.26. Sales today were about 2.610.000 shares compared with 1,750,000 shares Monday. v J
