TWO MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Thursday, August 23, 1957
Motorlog to Central Oregon Coast
Discovers Unique Adobe Building
Family Molds
BuU ding Blocks
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BY JOHN A. ARMSTRONG
tamamt Suitor. The OwOfUu
On wave lashed point just
north of Yaehats, on the Oregon
coast, stands a building that's a
monument to a modern family
that was not afraid to pioneer.
It's an adobe motel, a unique
structure for this part of the
nation.
We discovered it and the story
behind it during t recent motor
log alonsr the Oregon coast in
the white Oregon State Motor
association motorlog car. The
story is one of a family that
likes to work together and to
rt ingenuity and perseverance.
The winter storms were fierce
along the Oregon coast during
the winter of 1951. and on the
rocky promontory just north of
Yaehats the winds and rains
slashed at stacks of adobe build
ing blocks.
Inside their modest workshop,
with its adjoining living quar
ters, Larry Smith and his 16-year-old
son, Lauren, were hard
at work, cutting and notching
beams and joists.
They were a busy pair, m the
'.shop up to 14 hours a day, and
sunny Hays laboring out
doors, molding more adobe
blocks to build higher the huge
piles started the summer before.
Excuses Boa
As the winter days passed,
Larry Smith cam in for more
and more good natured ribbing
from the townfolks as he made
his daily treks to the poet of
fice. Local residents were un
aware of the stacks of sawed
and fitted lumber inside the
workshop, and couldn't see signs
of much progress outdoors.
Besides, most of them were
sure those stacks of mud blocks
were bound to melt and run
way.
But Larry Smith and his fam
ily had planned well. He had
Investigated thoroughly before
ha purchased the scenic 10-aere
tract in southern Lincoln county.
oil Samplf Taken
Smith took many samples of
lays and sands In the Yaehats
area, sending them for testing
to a soils laboratory and work
ing closely with experts from
the American Bitumals and As
phalt company in Portland.
Underneath the rich covering
of coastal topsoil on he very
point on which he intended to
build, he found the right clay.
Up the highway a few miles
be found roadside deposits
of the right sandy loam. Com
bine these two with an emulsi
fied asphalt stabiliser and he
came up with durable building
blocks, virtually impervious to
moisture.
Even when immersed in wa
ter for 34 hours, only the outer
1 -Inch absorbed water. Sudden
rainstorms cause trouble if the
molded bricks are less than 12
i
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Larry Smith and bin entlrasUMtie family, shown here behind
a stack of adobe blocks made of local day, are planning mora
adobe construction. From left: Cousin Basel Reynolds, Lauren,
Zandra, Larry and Eleanor Smith and Aunt Bird Hanehett.
IkMi
hours old: after that, the rain
has no effect.
With the arrival of spring,
things started popping. The en
tire family moved into high
gear: Larry's wife. Eleanor; his
90-year-old mother. Grandma
Catherine Smith; Aunt Bird
Hanehett, Larry's aunt and her
daughter Hazel Reynolds.
Larry and Lauren dug the
clay and ran the concrete mixer
in which the clay, sand and as
phalt compound were combined.
Sprightly Grandma Katharine
kept house, and sometimes laid
out long strips of building paper
on which the 4x8xl6-inch adobe
blocks were cured. The other
women handled the wooden
forms in which the blocks were
molded and helped pour foun
dations for the mote".
One sunny day the wooden
framework of the motel rose as
if by magi(r whicn indeed it
was, the magie of pre-fabri ca
tion. All through the spring and
summer the work went on. The
walls of adobe blocks were set
ImukT ? vTCALEM
? jftEWPORT L f
mOREMCE I
For those planning ta travel
from the Willamette valley to
central coastal area, a num
ber of loop trips are possible.
is a cement mortar containing
some asphalt stabilizer. They
were painted outside with an
asphalt emulsion to reduce hail
damage. Inside, conventional
household paints were used.
In August 1952, the Adobe
Motel opened ... 12 uints . . .
22 bedrooms . . . 17,020 adobe
blocks, all molded by the Smith
family.
The Smiths are always willing
to take time out to show visitors
how they make the adobe
bricks.
According to Glen L. Ritter,
representative of American Bi
tumuls and Asphalt who worked
with the Smiths in planning and
building their motel, this type
of construction can be adapted
anywhere in the Northwest "If
it can be done there. It can be
done anywhere."
The basic requirement is a
suitable clay, and suitable day
is not uncommon in this area,
he advises. '
Area's Fishing Good
Yaehats, at the southern end
of Lincoln County, lies in a beach
recreation area mat many Ore
gonians have yet to discover,
and enjoy. From Newport south
to Winchester bay, there is a
wide variety of vacation activ
ity. Surf fishing and rock fishing
are particularly productive on
this stretch of coastline. Deep
sea fishing is available out of
Newport, Waldport, Florence
and Winchester bay.
The warm water lakes In the
sand dunes south of Florence
Siltecos, Woahink and Takhen
itch are full of pan fish. The
streams flowing from the coast
range offer salmon, steelhead
and trout in season.
The Sea Lion eaves are a na
tionally known tourist attrac
tion and the Heceta Head light
house is open for inspection.
A string of finely-kept state
parks (some with electric stoves
and showers) provide facilities
for picnicking, overnight camp
ing and trailer parking.
The Family Council
Editor's nbta: Thv Famll? Council consists or a Judga. a psychiatrist,
thrc clergymen, a newspaper editor a women's editor and two writers. Each
article Is a summary ot an actual report. The Family council does not give
advice: It merely reports on problems that have been dealt with by
responsible agencies and counselors.
Joel R. My parents say she
Just wants to use me.
Linda H They want him to
marry a rich girl.
Joel R. I am 27 and have
been going out for the past year
with a girl I want to marry. She
is only 19 and says her parents
think she is still too young to
marry. She says she loves me,
but doesn't want to commit her
self for another year.
I feel that I would wait an
other five years if I had to, for
Linda. What worries me is that
my parents say she doesn't real
ly care for me, but just wants
to use me. For example, she al
ways calls "me when she needs
me to take her somewhere in
the car. She gives me all kinds
of little errands to do for her.
But when I was sick recently,
she didn't even come over to
the house to see me. That real
ly made me feel bad.
I don't mind doing things for
Linda. I want to. But neither
do I want her to make a fool
out of me, as my parents say
she is doing. How can I tell if
she loves me?
Linda H. Joel's parents are
just trying to make trouble be
tween us because they want him
to marry a rich girl. They sneer
at me because my father is an
auto mechanic and everyone in
their family is in some sort of
profession.
I could get plenty of guys to
take me places in their cars, if
I wanted. If I didn't love Joel,
I wouldn't eougjt on him for dif
ferent things. If he really loved
me, he'd be glad to do them.
I would be glad todo things
for Joel, too, but his parents
make me feel unwanted. My
mother said I shouldn't go over
to his house when he was sick
because his parents would think
I'm running after him. Mother
says I ought to play harder-to-get
and then Joel wouldn't take
me so much for granted. He'd
wake up and realize that bis
parents can't run his life. If
we get married, I wouldn't want
anything to do with them.
The Council: There is a little
too much of "my parents say"
and "mother says" in this pic
ture. Joel and Linda should listen
to what their parents have to
say, by all means, but they
show their uncertainty about
one another when they repeat
word for word what their par
ents say without having digested
it and come to their own con
clusions. -
i
Nobody can tell Joel wheth
er or not - Linda loves him. It
is quite possible that Linda's
way of showing love to Joel
is to "count on him for differ
ent things." It is up to Joel to
decide whether he likes this
form of love.
On the other hand, we are
inclined to suspect that Joel
wants a warmer, stronger sort
or love than Linda is now cap
able of giving. If her love were
really the strong, outgoing em
otion Joel has a right to expect,
she wouldn't have let any par
ent's opinion keep her from him
when he was sick. She wouldn't
be afraid to appear to be "run
ning after" Joel because her
concern about him would be
more important than her own
status.
Linda probably reflects, her
own parents' attitudes when she
feels she is being sneered at be
cause her father's, position. She
has no right to assume that Joel's
parents don't like her because
she isn't rich. They may be quite
sincere when they feel that she
"uses" Joel too much. In any
case. Linda shows she is unpre
pared for marriage when she be
lieves that she should or could
dispose of her in-laws.
(Copyright 1957, General
Features Corp.)
The Federal Bureau of Inves
tigation Laboratory was estab
lished in 1932.
Quartz Claims Tiled
For Applegafe Area
Four quartz ' location notices
were filed in the county clerk's
office Tuesday, according to rec
ords there.
Laren L. Schmid, Gold Hill,
filed for a claim in the Gold
Hill mining district. Three
claims, to be known as "Lucky
Strike two, three and four,"
were filed by Ben Thurston and
Thomas and Gladys Schultz,
Applegate. The claims are in the
Applegate mining district.
Scout Honorary
Plans Conference
The Order of the Arrow, a
national Boy Scout honor camp
er's society, will hold its annual
area conference at Suttle lake
at Santiam pass Sept 6 to 8.
"He who serves his fellows
Is of all his fellows greatest,"
will be the theme as approxi
mately 100 Scouts follow a three
day program of Indiancraft, dis
cussions, and strenuous outdoor
sports.
' Dick Clark, Mazama lodge
chief, will be master of cere
monies for this event. Support
ing him will be about 20 Scouts
and Explorers from the Crater
Lake council.
'The conference, which will
draw delegates from' most of
Oregon and northern California,
is expected to be one of the
largest held in the state," ac
cording to James Boyd, Area
11A chief.
The Order was founded in
1915 at the Philadelphia. Scout
camp,' Treasure Island. In 1948
it was nationally integrated into
th Boy Scouts of America.
There are approximately 400
lodges based upon principles of
brotherhood and cheerful serv
ice now active in the United
States. Today the order also acts
as a service organization in
every Oregon city.
To be eligible for the Order
a Scout must have camped 15
days and nights and must prove
by his example that he puts the
Scout oath and law into practice
in his daily life. Upon complet
ing these two stiff require
ments he must be nominated
and elected by his fellow troop
members.
After his election he is in
vited to participate in an ordeal
by which his attention is called
to the principles on which the
order is based. Satisfactory com
pletion of this ordeal gains him
membership in the lodge.
But the ordeal is not truly
over with the ordeal ceremonies.
For a year the Scout must prove
himself a worker, leader, and
cheerful server. At the end of
this time he is notified that he
may become a Brotherhood
member.
The third and highest rank is
that of Vigil. This requires three
years of outstanding service to
the community, the scouting pro
gram, and to the Order. In the
Crater Lake council there are
two Vigil members, Martin
Johnson and Judson W. Comp
ton. " ,
Milk Sanitarians
To Meet in Portland
Salem IW Milk sanitarians
from Oregon, Washington and
Idaho will take up new dairy
problems at a three-day region
al meet in Portland Sept. 11-13,
Agriculture Director Robert J.
Steward announced Wednesday.
More than 100 sanitarians are
expected at the seminar, the
first in four years, in which the
U. S. Public Health service has
participated.
Kenneth E. Carl, assistant
dairy chief for the Oregon Agri
cultural department, said prob
lems arising in the use of new
dairy equipment and supplies
would be discussed along with
pipeline milker standards and
warm water supplies.
' The meeting will take the
place of the annual refresher
course held in December to meet
the milk inspection training re
quirements of the Fluid Milk
act.
Geneva N.Y. Iff) It's per
fectly all right to take a wooden
nickel here. Even bankers and
merchants are accepting the
wooden five-cent, 10-cent and 25
cent. coins being issued to help
promote the city's 150th anniversary.
Filmt own Comes Close
To Having Tong War'
Br VERNON SCOTT
United Press Hollywood Writer
Hollywood (IP) Film town
came close to having a tong war
on its hands this week when an
exotic - Chinese import dropped
her own bamboo curtain on a
kissing scene with Victor Ma
ture. '
The reluctant lotus blossom is
LiLf Hua (pronounced Wah), a
veteran of some 60 Chinese mov
ies all kissless. "
During a death scene in which
lovely LiLi is breathing her last,
the script called for Mature to
kiss her gently on the lips.
But just as Vic leaned in for
a closeup of the kiss LiLi turned
her head and muttered the Chi
nese equivalent of "You've been
eating onions," or something of
that nature.
Big Surprise
Mature, hurt and astonished,
stomped off the set while the
crew tittered. Never before had
big Vic's leading lady given him
the cold shoulder.
LiLi took off in the direction
of her dressing room, closely
followed by producer - director
Five Men Recover
From Hangovers
Newark,' N.J. -- IW Five
men recovered from hangovers
today, brought- on in the inter
est of science.
The five volunteers "had a
ball" Wednesday in a dignified
courtroom. They drank their
favorite brands of scotch, rye
and bourbon to prove the ac
curacy of a drunkometer used
to test the sobriety of morotists.
All were escorted home.
Richard Silver, Essex County
traffic safety coordinator, label
led the experiment "a success."
The party began at 10 a.m.
(e.d.t.) with three-ounce shots
of liquor. Drinking continued
at intervals until 6:20 p.m., with
periodic interruptions for
drunkometer and blood tests.
. The drunkometer proved ac
curate when compared with the
blood test, Silver said.
One volunteer drank scotch
with an orange soda chaser. He
didn't like the taste of scotch,
he explained. He dropped out
after 12 shots. The last man last
ed. 19 drinks.
The object of the binge was
to demonstrate the effective
ness of the drunkometer in an
effort to make use of the device
compulsory in New Jersey.
La - Grande, N.C. OH Some
veteran tobacco warehousemen
were arguing here about tobacco
varieties when they came across
several nicely cured golden
leaves. The experts started bet
ting about the identification
one said it was the 244 variety,
another argued it was Dixie
Bright 101. The grower, chuck
ling, finally stepped in and set
tled the bet. "It's collard leaves,"
he said.
COURT RECORDS
MUNICIPAL COURT
Allen Palmer King, disobeyed aton
sign, $5. bail forfeited.
Evelvn Lena Cannon, disobeyed stop
sign. $5. bail forfeited.
William Everett Kennedy, reckless
driving, vehicle. $25. bail forfeited.
Robert George Christian, disobeyed
stop sign, V-
DISTRICT COURT
Richard Lee Farrell. driving while
in embrace of another, $6.
Harry Newton Hpsley. operating
motor vehicle while driver's license
is suspended, $105; violation of basic
rule, $15. .
Charles Leroy Kolkov, overload,
$121 .' .
William Leslie Saylor, overload,
$125. .
MARRIAGE LICENSE
APPLICATIONS
Dennis Gene Miller. 83T Marshall
ave., and Marilyn Gem Clearwater,
511 Fairmount st.
William Donald McLeod, 813 i
Franquette ave.. and Darlene Linhart,
1762 South Peach st.
Frank Borzage. After an hour's
debate in mixed English and
Chinese, Borzage emerged, a
shaken man.
"She refuses to kiss Mature in
front of the camera," he ex
plained. "She claims it isn't in
her contract."
Borzage then called attorneys
who produced LiLi's pact. It was
studied carefully, but nowhere
in the fine print did it say that
LiLi had to kiss Mature or any
one else.
"It's a regular run-of-the-pic-ture
contract," the harassed di
rector said. "It includes her sal
ary and otner things like living
quarters and transportation.. We
took it for granted she . would
follow the script. The script calls
for an 'embrace,' which LiLi
says is. very amerent irom a
kiss. Somebody goofed!
Borzage reported LiLi s ori
ental obstinacy to Mature, who
put on a dandy fist-waving dis
play of rage. When peacemaker
Borzage failed to calm him
down, Vic strode off the set and
headed for home, voting he was
through with the picture which
happens to be Batjac's "Time is
A Memory."
A Necking Superstition
"I've been slighted," cried
Mature. "If this gets out it will
hurt my career. Nothing like
this has ever happened before."
Borzage convinced Vic the
following day that LiLi's objec
tion to kissing was impersonal:
She has a superstition about
necking.
, Placated, Vic returned to
work. But Lili's bamboo curtain
was still in evidence, and the
company has been shooting
around the scene.
"What bothers me," says Vic,
"is that she refuses to kiss and
make up."
Officers On Alert
For Armed Robbers
State police and sheriffs
officers here are on the lookout
today for a man and woman who
are believed to have committed
armed robbery in Tule - Lake,
Calif.
State police received notice
from sheriff's deputies in Cali-
! fornia last night that a man had
been injured about 3:50 p.m.
yesterday and was not expected
to live. A man and a woman,
presumed to be from Los An
geles, reportedly took about $100
from the victim.
No sign of the fugitive couple
had been reported by noon to
day. Tule Lake is a small com
munity in Siskiyou county,
about seven miles south of the
Oregon-California border.
Father, Son Set Up "
Ham Radio Operators
Nunda, N.Y. (W Mrs. Clar
ence Martin of Nunda has two
hams cluttering up her dining
room radio hams, that Is.
Mrs. Martin's husband has
operated a ham radio for the
past seven years, and until re
cently he had no competition
from any member of his family.
Then, almost overnight, 12-year-old
Donald became interested in
transmitting and receiving.
Donald now is the proud own
er of a novice license to oper
ate in code. His call letters are
KN2VDN.
A classmate of Donald's, 11-year-old
Barry Watkins, also
caught the radio bug and trans-
'mits over station KN2VQA.
.1
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