FOURTEEN MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday, August II, 1957
Medtfird Am
-.
Delinquent Bills
May Force Service
To Area Taxpayers
By BOB VROMAN
Mail Tribune Staff Writer
A lot of people, who readily
pay cash for groceries, hard
ware, clothing and entertain
ment, and who are generally
considered to be "good citizens,"
are going to force the Medford
Ambulance service out of busi
. ness unless they pay their bills.
This fact was made known re
cently by Mr. and Mrs. Dayle
Waltermire, owners of the Med
ford Ambulance service, who
claim that pearly 75 per cent of
their accounts are delinquent.
Many bills owed to the firm
go as far back as two years, a
lot of them are a year old and a
great number of them are from
: six to eight months overdue.
' Like 'Pulling Teeth'
Due to some quirk in human
'.' nature, it is like "pulling teeth"
to get these otherwise "upright"
citizens to pay for a ride in an
" ambulance, they declare.
" The reasons appear to be
; , varied, the Waltermires say:
5 Some simply ignore the bills
', Ssent them and others refuse to
J fcpay on the basis that the charge
Sis exhorbitant. They will say "I
could have taken a taxi for a dol
lar!" They more than likely feel
j that the ambulance service has
.; taken advantage of them when
'. they were ill or injured, and
r that they didn't have a chance
J to "dicker" about the price be-
forehand. Or possibly it is the
j fact that they have numerous
big bills in connection with their
illness so they look upon the
5 small ambulance charge as un
! important.
t What many people .don't un-
derstand is that the expense of
j running an ambulance amounts
; to a great deal more than the
J cost of the gas and oil.
In the first place, the vehicles,
I complete with stretchers, first
aid equipment and accessories,
cost about $6,000. Medford Am-
J bulance service has two for effi-
J cient operation. There are the
usual maintenance costs on the
J vehicles, an exceedingly high in-
surance premium, laundry bills,
salaries for helpers and a good-
t sized telephone bill every month.
. Unlike Other Firm
; Unlike most firms, which do a
' more or less predictable amount
. of business each day. an ambu-
J lance may sit idle for several
days, bringing 4n no revenue,
' yet expense's keep building up.
Business cannot be increased
J by advertising or any other
means an ambulance owner
I takes what comes, hating to see
J people in need of his services,
yefhoping there will be enough
5 income for him and his family
I to get by on.
5 Waltermire and his wife have
been operating the Medford
f Ambulance service from their
home at 1109 West Main st. since
f 1953. They have made a living
1 and have had the satisfaction of
J knowing that they have saved
j a good many of the lives of
Rogue valley residents, but with
4 the number of delinquent ac-
counts on their books increasing
every day, they say they will
have to give up the business
m within a month.
f Always 'Charity' Cases
There are always a number of
V "charity" cases that an ambu
lance operator cannot refuse, ac-
cording to Waltermire, but when
the percentage of these non
J paying customers becomes too
high the firm will lose money.
1 Waltermire has never refused a
2 call, even though he sometimes
4 knew he would never get paid
lor it.
The charge made by the Med-
ford Ambulance service is a flat
- rate of S10, plus 75 cents per
C mile, which is just about stand-
ard throughout the country.
C The Waltermires would like to
continue to opt rate and this
r area supplies enough 'custom
Z, ers" to do so if a higher per
centage would pay their bills.
'. Even if they sold their business,
H their problem would still prob
i ably exist.
In some cities ambulances are
operated by hospitals, cab com-
panies, funeral homes, wrecking
concerns, or by the city's fire or
police department. But when
this service is carried out as a
Z "sideline" it is a nuisance, and
4 the ambulance service suffers
- because their personnel are not
. always available when they are
needed. For these- agencies to
lose money on the service- is not
uncommon. Very few ambu-
t lance services make any money,
I and for that reason it is difficult
J to find someone to take over
J such- a business.
City-Owned Service
The city - owned ambulance
service in Bend recently turned
i over the operation to the hospi-
t tal there because it was costing
5 the city too much. A privately-
? owned service in Klamath Falls
X went "broke" recently as did
one in Los Angeles.
: The problem here is not
i unique, but it still has to be
J solved. According to city man-
l ager Bob Duff an ambulance
EXPENSES HIGH The reason an ambu
lance service cannot charge "taxicab" rates
is that their operating expenses are so much
greater. Clean linen is put on the Medford
Ambulance service stretchers every time they
are used. Above, owner Dayle Waltermire,
center, and two of his helpers, Perry M.
Johnson, left, and James Rolls, get an am
bulance ready for the next call. Helpers are
service must be maintained in
Medford, no matter who runs it.
Medford Ambulance service has
served the area well during the
time it has been in operation,
Duff said, and the city will do
everything it can to see that they
stay in business. An inquiry was
sent recently to the League of
Oregon Cities by Duff to find
out what other towns in Oregon
have done about the problem.
A recent news item in the
Astorian Budget states that the
city of Astoria was forced to
take over the ambulance serv
ice there after a cab company
refused to continue operations.
The company . cleared about $700
for a yegr's work.
Question Presented
The question is, will Medford
have a municipal ambulance
service, operated by the police
or fire department, at the tax
payer's expense, or will another
concern, like a cab company or
one of the hospitals step in?
Whoever operates it stands a
chance of losing money unless
people are willing to pay for
the use of it.
According to Waltermire one
cannot expect an injured man to
reach in his pocket and dig up
the fare when he is taken to
the hospital. The only thing to
do is to send him a bill and hope
that he will pay when he is
feeling better. Few hospital
plans will cover the cost of the
ambulance.
The Waltermires have tried
taking their unpaid bills to small
claims court, but since court
costs have to be paid in advance
and the chances of getting the
money back are fairly slim they
abandoned the idea. At present,
they have a man calling on the
people that owe them money,
hoping to get enough money in
to pay their own bills.
Running an ambulance is no
cinch. The driver and his helper
have to be on call 24 "hours a
day. The sometimes morbid job
of handling people, with broken
bones or severe wounds, a lot of
times in a race with death,
doesn't make it the most at
tractive job in the world. Yet it
has to be done.
The problem, so far un
answered, is how, and by
whom?
Delinquency Cases
Reported by Police
A report of juvenile delin
quency involving .two 15-year-
old boys who operated a tractor
without the owner's permission
in the McKee bridge area Thurs
day is being investigated by
state police and the juvenile de
partment, was reported yes
terday. Police officers said the two.
accompanied by "a 16-year-old
who remained in their car, were
found operating a tractor owned
by David B. Winningham, Ap-
plegate. Winningham and anoth
er resident held the .three until
state police arrived on the scene,
it was said, and the trio was re
leased shortly after.
Two rifles were in their car,
according to police.
Another case involoving what
was believed to be juveniles is
under investigation by Medford
police, who reported that $1,000
damage was caused a drag line
owned by A. L. Nash, 5075 South
Pacific highway.
Juveniles were believed to
have operated the equipment on
Bear Creek sometime last week
causing damage to the boom and
bucket, police said.
ROONEY. MATE SEPARATE
Hollywood OPi Actor Mickey
Kooney, who called it quits with
three previous wives, decided
Friday to call it "maybe" with
his fourth. Rooney and the for
mer Elaine Mahnken Davis have
agreed on a trial separation. -
' ' ' "
"
AMBULANCE EQUIPMENT One of the few resuscitators in
this area is owned by the Medford Ambulance service to treat
accidents victims until they can be taken to a doctor. Above,
Dayle Waltermire loads the unit, which cost more than $500,
into one of the two ambulances operated by the company. The
ambulances themselves cost about $6,000 each, complete, with
stretchers, other first aid equipment and accessories. The Med-
" ford Ambulance service is having a difficult time making ends
meet, since few of their customers ever pay. their bills.
"'jH i' '' -'
' GOES OVER BOOKS Getting people to pay for the services
of an ambulance is a serious problem in many communities in
the United States, and Carol Waltermire, who with her hus
band, Dayle, owns Medford Ambulance service, spends a lot
of time each month sending statements that will never be
paid. Above, Carol goes over the company's books. Out of
the pile of bills on the desk at right, which represents the
calls they have made this year, only about 25 per cent have
been paid.
Brain of Alcairaz
Confesses Robberies
Chicago (IP) Authorities dis
closed Saturday that Cecil
Wright, "The Brain of Alcra
traz," has confessed to a series
of post office burglaries in south
ern Illinois.
Jerome Williamson, chief post
al inspector, said Wright con
fessed to seven break-ins which,
brought him S123.13. In four of
the burglaries, the man who
talked himself out of Alcatraz
netted nothing.
Wright, a graying, sharp-eyed,
lantern faced man, started his
prison record with a nine-year
sentence at Stateville Peniten
tiary on robbery charges. Later
paroled, he was sent to Alcatraz
for 15 years on postal robbery
charges.
While on "The Rock," Wright
pored over legal texts, became
an expert on law, and finally
paid at the rate of S2 per trip. Among other
expenses is an extremely high insurance rate
on the vehicles. Waltermire figures that every
time the phone rings he is immediately out
S8, and this high operating cost, along with
the fact that few people are willing to pay
for the service, may put the company out of
business within the next 30 days.
won his freedom on a technic
ality after petitioning 13 times.
His accompliment won him the
name, 'The Brain Of Alcatraz."
Two-Year-OId Struck
By Vehicle in CP
Central Point Kathleen Lewe-
leen, 2-year-old daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. James Lewellen stay
ing at the Ross Motel, 34 North
Pacific Highway, Central Point,
suffered , minor injuries when
struck by a car driven by Davis
Reno Offett, owner of the motel,
Saturday, according to Central
Point police.
- She was taken to Rogue Val
ley hospital where she was held
Saturday night for examination
and x-rays.
According to police, the Lewe
leen girl ran into the side of
Davis' car as he was slowly driv
ing past a group of children
playing on the motel grounds.
fountain Lakes Wild Area Is One of
77 Sections Preserved as Wilderness
Isolated Group of
Mountains Located
In National Forest
By JIM FISHER
Forty miles due east of Med
ford lie 36 square miles of al
pine forests and lakes without
a single road, resort, or sign of
logging to mar the natural beau
ty. . .
This is the Mountain Lakes
Wild Area of the Rogue River
National forest, officially listed
as being 23,071 - acres of the
beautiful end rugged Cascade
country.
This area is one of 77 simi
lar areas ranging in size from
several thousands acres to more
than 1,000,000 acres. Those over
100,000 acres are called wilder
ness areas. The areas less than
100,000 acres are designated
wild areas. All of these areas
have been established by the
U.S. forest service top reserve
portions of our remaining wild
erness country for future gen
erations. Isolated Mountain Group '
The Mountain Lakes Wild
Area is located within an iso
lated group of mountains bound
ed on the west by Lake of the
Woods, on the east by Upper
Klamath lake, and on the north
and south by forest roads. The
highest point within the area is
Aspen butte with an elevation
of 8,209 feet. More than 80 per
cent of the area is between 6,
000 and 7,000 feet in elevation.
Actually, there are a few
signs of civilization within the
area. The forest service has
constructed trails to aid in fire
protection. These trails lead
hikers to the more than 30 lakes,
some of which are stocked with
eastern brook and rainbow
trout. A primitive shelter for
campers is located at the 70
acre Lake Harriatte, largest of
the mountain lakes.
Five Possible Routes
There are five possible routes
of travel into the Wild Area.
The choice of trail would de
pend upon the length of time
one would wish to spend hiking
and the destination within the
area. ...
The Mountain Lakes Wild
Area trail leaves the Lake of
the Woods Recreation area near
the Klamath Falls junction. This
trail travels over 10 miles before
reaching Lake Harriatte, geo
graphical center of the Wild
Area and favorite camping spot
for most hikers. The climb is
gradual, but steady, until White
face Peak is reached. Because
of the length of this trail, it is
used mainly by horseback riders
from Lake of the Woods.
On the top of Whiteface peak,
a few hundred yards from the
trail, are the remains of several
rock piles. Shale had been piled
high to serve as stands for sig
nal fires between the Indians of
the Klamath basin and Indians
of the Rogue River valley.
Trail Drops Suddenly
From the top of Whiteface
peak, the trail drops suddenly
down through a series of switch
backs before reaching the al
pine forests again. The trail
leads on through the forests be
fore passing between the twin
lakes of Meb and Zeb. The
Mountain Lakes Wild Area trail
joins with the Varney creek
trail near Lake Como, which at
40 acres is the second largest
lake of the area.
The Varney creek trail has its
beginning five miles south of
Pelican guard station. This is
the most popular trail into the
area since it is only five miles
to Lake Harriatte over an easy
route. Once Lake Como is reach
ed, it is only a mile over a
small ridge to Lake Harriatte.
Two trails enter the'area from
the east and they are almost
identical in nature. The Moss
creek trail leads directly to Lake
Harriatte and . the South Pass
lake trail leads to South Pass
lake and Paragon lake. The
trails leave a forest road within
a mile of each other and are
steep. The country is brushy
until you reach the top of your
climb and enter the Wild Area.
Clover Trail
The last trail that enters the
Mountaia Lakes Wild Area is
the Clover trail which begins
six miles southeast of -Lake of
the Woods. It is only two miles
to Clover lake and a junction
thatwould lead you either north
to the Mountain lakes trail or
east over Aspen butte to the
South Pass lake trail. Near Ann
berg pass, a trail leads to the top
of Aspen . butte which once
served as an emergency fire
lookout for the forest service.
Many of the smaller lakes are
not located along the trails and
are difficult to find. Not all of
these lakes are stocked with
IsSSb&K tea Vm -J ?1, .
ffiiTrt-iiir),' ifMim-m iiiii iiii.ii ii imiim iiiiimhim.
MOUNT HARRIMAN Rising in the back- of the Rogue
ground of Lake Harriatte, above, is Mount " made a 10-mile
Harriman, in the Mountain Lakes Wild Area scenic spot.
LAKE HARRIATTE Largest of the lakes in the Mountain
Lakes Wild Area of the Rogue' River National Forest is. Lake
Harriatte, above. A primitive area for campers is located near
the water. Shale rock slides slope down to the shores.
' &fev2T '
1, J ' -
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f j" mm-vm n
pr M f i
TO MOUNTAIN LAKES AREA Back pack .travel indicated
above is the most common method of travel into the Mountain
Lakes area of the Rogue River National Forest. Some, however,
take horses into the 23,071 acres of rugged Cascade country:,"
fish.
During the summers, the days
are comfortable and the nights
cool. Winters come early and
stay late with snowpacks re
maining through the first of
July and, fall snows starting
often as early, as the last of
August. Many of the lakes stay
frozen over until the end of
June.
Fire protection for the Wild
illiiilt
iKU V O h
iV '
Area is often quite difficult:
Pelican butte lookout, located
eight miles north of the area,
can only see. a few of the higher
peaks. With at least two light
ning storms each summer and
fires also being started by fish
ermen and campers, the detec
tion of these fires becomes a
matter of airplane patrol and
ground patrol. When -.fires are
sighted .within . the area, . smoke-.
River National forest. Hiker
walk over trail to reach the
Coast Guard Says
Tug Presumed Lost
San Francisco Hfl A Coast
Guard spokesman said Saturday
that, the tugboat Companion out
of Astoria, Ore., missing since
July 19 when '. it left here lor
Portland, must be presumed lost.
, The 45-foot craft carried two
men, the master, Fred Cone,
Portland and an unidentfied
seaman. '.
The spokesman said Coast
Guard and Air Force planes and
ships had searched the Cali
fornia, Oregon and Washington
coasts for several days after the
Companion's disappearance.' No
trace of wreckage was found..
The tug was. owned by W. B.
Martinson, Portland. About five
weeks before the Companion left
here, it started to tow another
tug; the - Bulldog, ' to Portland.
The Bulldog sank outside the
Golden Gate. -
Edmonds Man Killed In .
Speeding Boat Mishap
Wrangell, Alaska (IP Fred
Christensen, 49, Edmonds, Wash,
was killed Thursday when'
rifle accidentally discharged in
a speeding boat near here.
Mrs. Christensen, who was
riding in the back of the boat
with her husband, was wounded
in the hand. Christensen's son,
Leroy, said the rifle was lying
in. the boat s prow . pointing
back: towards his parents when
the rocking of the craft appar
ently discharged.it. ;
Washington Extends
Lounge Closing Hours
Olympia (IB The Washing
ton State Liquor Control board
Friday extended closing hours
for taverns, cocktail lounges and
clubs to 2 a.m. on weekdays de
spite strong opposition of temp
erance groups. . ;
The new hours went into ef
fect Friday night "
jumpers are usually dispatched
from Cave Junction and fire
crews are sent from Lake of the
Woods to assist them. .
Wildlife is abundant in the
area during the summer. Deer,
bear, grouse, and marmots make
their home here. Occasionally,
a duck will stop by at one' of
the larger lakes. The short sum
mer and the lack of food in this
alpine country keeps the an
imals out of the area the greater
part of the year. ..
Names of Landmarks
" The names ol the lakes and
other landmarks within the area
have a beauty of their own. Be
sides those already mentioned,
there' is 'Coyote lake, Greylock
mountain, Echo' lake, Topogra
pher's, peak. Mystic crag,. Ava
lanche lake, High knob, and
Sunset rock- ' -
. For . the ambitious fisherman
or hiker who doesn't mind hav
ing to walk to his fishing spot
or camping place, the Mountain
Lakes Wild Area offers an un
spoiled locale for relaxation. It
is best to plan ; on staying at
least one full day in the area
and better if you stay longer.
The fishing changes from day
to day and once you have walk
ed five or 10 miles to enjoy out-d6or-living;
you will want to
get your full share ot it.