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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1958)
o o O o o o O o o MAIL TRIBU& Mtdfti. . 0 . iuuhy, July 13, 1958 Med treasure Old family Flintlock May Really Be Snaphance There are probably thous ands of families in America that have an old flintlock rif le o r . smoothbore somewhere among theurbelongings. At least, they thir.k the gun is a flintlock, and though in most cases that would be correct, in some it is actually snaphance 0 But whoever fids he has a snaphance shouldn't feel up set about it. Quite possibly it may prove as valuable as anisjn. Both guns have a pan for holding the powder, ig nited by sparks from the flint striking on steel, and which in turn ignites the powder in the barrel. In the case of the snap hance, however, the powder has to be poured into the pan directly from a powder flask or cartridge case. But with the flintlock the powder can be poured down the barrel from which it runs one of the finest Kentucky through a vent into the pan. It flintlock rifles. The reaso is the snaphance is t h e older weapon, the one from which the flintlock evolved. It was invented in Germany in the 1500s and represented almost as big an advance in firearms as the development of the rifle. o can't escape because of a steel cover and flint. All the hunter has to do then is cock the piece and pull the trigger. The value of the snaphance in good condition runs from $200 up, and it is mostly up. One collector, who paid $100 for what he thought was The aphance used f flint a flintlock in rather poor con- to ignite the powder, and as dition, discovered, when the the gun developed, Jt became gun was cleaned and after so like the Igitlock that it learning what . a snaphance 11 is easy ior a person ivyay was, uiai wuti uc iiiiu atiuciuy to confuse the two. The basic difference be tween the two firearms- lies in the priming r firing mech- bought was a snaphance made in Amsterdam in 1690. Its market value today is from $300 to $400. .NEW BUILDING The the new Bruce Bauer building at 767 South Riverside ave., Med ford, which was held Friday and Saturday, -gave residents a chance to view what the owners term the world's first "Builditor ium," featuring a complete line of tools and supplies for home building and do-it-yourself fans. The 12,000-square-foot build- grand opening of Lumber company ing is patterned after the popular "ranch" style business houses now being built in California towns, according to Manager Paul Bauer. Finished lumber of small dim ensions' all pre-priced, will be sold directly from the floor, Bauer said. The firm is also handling a complete line of garden tools and supplies. Hours will be from ,8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Nation's Capita! Is No Longer A Cultural Sahara, Smith Says CURRIER & IVES PRIMT STARTS ARGUMENT The discussion was so heat ed it took a little time3 for ma to learn that Col. R. M. John son was not going5 to be a candidate for the next Vice Presidental nomination. And-it took a little longer to learn the reason fte had been dead for 118 years. His memory had been reviv ed because it supported the argument that former Presi dents, like Truman and Hoov er, and former Vice Presi dents, should have an ex-of-f icio seat in the Senate. "Who was this Colonel Johnson?" I asked. "One of our Vice Presidents," the host said. He's the man who killed Tecums." The print was an 8-by-12-inch item put out by Nathth lel Currier in 1841. The pic ture showed the death of Bri tish Brigadier General Tijpum seh at the hands of Johnson's men in the battle of the Thames, near Detroit. It was one of those incorrectly dat ing thef battle as Oct. 18, 1813, instead of Oct. 5. Johnson's political career began in the State Legisla ture. He served in the House and Senate for 30 years and in 1837 had the peculiar distinc tion of being elected by the U. S. Senate as Vice Presi dent of the Uniter States. He died in 1850. , "And that's just it," his ad mirer said. "The Senate should have had the benefit of his brains, rather than a state legislature. And it ought to have the benefit of Truman and Hoover today, too." He produced another pic ture of Johnson, by Currier, with an 1840 date, and of the same size. He had bought the Jwo for $40 and wanted to know what I thought of it Considering their condition,, he had made a lucky buy. They would have been cheap at twice the price. A. GROG OR RUMBULLION EITHER GOES IN RUM:ZR The captain opened his liq uor cabinet, removed two glas ses "rummers" he called them and asked what I'd have to drink. O Just climbing the gangplank had given me such a nautical feeling all I could think Of to say was "grog." "Grog," hsaid. I nodded. He poured half a finger of rum and filled it up with wat er. Then he poured his own. The same, except there -fere enly two fingers of water and 4ne big finger of run?. "I don't see how you can andQt,'ohe said, "I prefer rumbullion, myself." I allowed I woiSd switch to rumbullion. "Ever hear how grog got its name?" he asked. "It was back in 1740 when Admiral Vernon ordered his sailors to split their rum, one to six of water. The British tars, wean ed on rumbullion, hated the stuff, and since the Admiral was nicknamed 'Old Grog' be cause he always wore a coat of program a silk and mo hat j fabric, they gave the de tes&ble drink his nickname." Ed never heard of grogram . . i i Alaska Governor Visits in Portland Portland (UPI) Gov. and Mrs. Mike Stepovich of Alas ka and their eight children arrived here Friday for a week end visit with the gov ernor's mother .before return ing to the northland. Photographers trying to take a picture of the children found it a difficult task as the youngsters hid behind automo biles or darted out of camera range. "Since Alaska has been in the news the children have been photographed so often they've developed a phobia about cameras," the gover . nor's wife said. Stepovich said he was still undecided about running" for the elective position of gov ernor when the territory final ly becomes a state but that he would make a decision "within two weeks." or how grog got its name, but I did know the rummer in my hand -got its name from a type of German wine glass. My glass was typical short stemmed, a three-inch deep bowl, wider at the belly than the lip. Engraved on its sides were the Masonic symbols of the eye, compass and square. It was a genuine 18th Cen tury piece that I automatic ally appraised at least $50. "Very interesting, Captain," I said. "And by the way, do you know this rummer is cal led that only because of a linguistic accident?" "Accident," the captain re plied. "Corruption, rather. This type of glass was proba bly introduced into England by Van Dyke. It was called 'roemer' by the Germans who used it for drinking Rhine wines, and ..." Next morning, there' was a small package at my hotel desk, left there by a sailor. Inside it was the rummer, or roemer, of the night before. The note with it suggested that it be used only for rum bullion, not for grog. (Released by McClure News paper Syndicate) By A. ROBERT SMITH Mail Tribune Correspondent Washington The notion that the nation's capital is a cultural Sahara, "offered to his readers the other day by an other- i w i s e articu late and trust worthy Ore gon editorial writer, be longs in the file with those expressi o n s Robt smitb about AiasKa being a land of igloos. It is no longer the case. The town is fairly loaded with "culture" these days. There has been a movement afoot for some years to build an opera house to give our entertainers a more classy setting in which to perform for foreign dignataries and us home folks. Congress, never noted for placing a high (dol lar) value on culture in Wash ington (somehow they think it would be hard to defend at election time in Topeka, Eu gene or Trenton if they voted for cultural spending), has yet to put up the funds. Outdoor Performances But the frustration of going without an opera house hasn't precluded having opera. In fact this town is so crazy for opera it will watch it indoors or outdoors, n-very summer, a barge-like stage is pulled up on the bank (the left bank as you head downstream) of the Potomac for outdoor per formances. The saddest trage dies in the , reportory of any opera company are put on beneath the most beautiful starlit skies. Lovers paddle up in their canoes and drop anchor at the barge's edge. Did old Vienna have any thing like that? In Rock Creek park there is an outdoor theater which this summer features a long list of entertainers who might not qualify as "culture" can devolution, got a black eye some years ago when the Daughters refused it to Mari an Anderson, the great Negro singer. Miss Anderson and other fine singers have been here frequently since to per form with the National Sym phony. Heifitz doesn't play here nightly, but he and Ar thur Rubenstine and other instrumentalists perform peri odically with the symphony in the Hall. Service Bands Speaking of concerts, the three service bands perform every other night in the sum mer in front of the Capitol and sometimes in indoor audi toriums downtown. In the offing the Navy band is going to perform on that Potomac barge especially, for Oregoni- ans. It will feature its new ar rangement of the Oregon state song, "Oregon, My Oregon." Ballet is a popular art form these days here. Every danc ing troop in the world seems to stop here, including the Russian dancers who were such a sensation. And along with French and English com panies, we now have the Washington Ballet of local dancers, who performed most professionally the other night in their debut. Ex-Convict Suffers Abdominal Wounds some quarters, but they do quite well. They include Louis Armstrong, who seems to send culture cats in foreign quar ters where possibly Johann Strauss is losing his appeal. Legitimate Stage The condition of the legiti mate stage was. never better in Washington, if ever as good. Drama had a dark peri od some years ago here before the issue of racially mixed audiences was settled in this crossroads city between North and South. The historic Na tional theater was dark. But all public places are now in tegrated here and the stage is booming. Three theaters are operating with first rate plays, many en route to New York for their Broadway openings. Constitution Hall, owned by the Daughters of the Ameri- Portland (UPI) Alfred E. Kiefer, 35, ex-convict w.ho has been linked with James E. Elkins, was reported to be in critical condition Saturday in Portland General hospital with abdominal stab wounds. Hospital attendants said Kiefer was brought to the hos pital by an unidentified man late Friday. They said doc tors spent four hours in stitch ing the wounds. Kiefer had been released m j from Multnomah county jail at 10:15 a.m. Friday where he had been held since June 4 on charges of extorting money from nursing homes. Kiefer and James Q. Jenkins were arrested on the charge. Both men are awaiting trial for three indictments brought against them by the Mult nomah county grand jury. Medford Firm Low Bridge Job Bidder , Salem (UPI) The State Highway Commission Thurs day opened bids on 33 projects in a session marked by close bidding. Apparent low bidders in cluded: Peter Keiwit Sons' Company, Medford, Rogue river bridge at Grants Pass on the Pacific highway in Jose phine county, $349,305. The dairy industry pro duces 19 per cent of the gross national income from agricul ture. Dairy products account for 15 per cent of total retail food sales. Forest Green Patrol Agency P.O. Box 425-Medford, Oregon Phone Temporarily TA 6-2701 24 Hour Service MERCHANTS! Stop and think! Take time to read this ad! Why work hard for.whatyou have gained then let someone take it away? Let us relieve you of that worry-you can have our 24 hour protection for your business -establishment at very little cost. Now is the time you need Forest Green most, due to prevailing conditions throughout the country. With our protection you can be confident that your. estab lishment is secure by our 5 time checkup (or more) every night. Stop and think! Then Dial TAIbot 6-2701 or TA 6-2201 - Chief O. A. Koch The ballet dancers have the unusually delightful setting of the Rock Creek park am phitheater in the summer. Nestled on a wooded hillside, it is surrounded by trees which form a natural back drop for the stage. There is another company in town that has been per forming outdoors for years, and, as is customary, is now ballet-dancing 18 games be hind the New York Yankees in last place in the American League. There's a bill in Con gress to build them a big stadium. Here's one group of Washingtonians who really ought to go back to Pocatello. But an opera house would be a fitting addition, for cul ture abounds here now. Search Starts for Missing Aircraft Milwaukee, Wis. (UPI) The Civil Aeronautics Ad ministration Saturday ordered a land and air search for a single engine, private plane wilh four persons aboard which is long overdue on a flight from Milwaukee to Des Moines, Iowa. "We have to assume the worst," a CAA spokesman at Gen. Mitchell field said. The CAA set up headquar ters for the search at the Rock County airport near Janesville. It had 15 planes airborne, hunting for the missing aircraft at mid-morning. The Air Force Air Res cue service also joined the search along with state high way police. The pilot was identified as Lester W. Weber, San Fran cisco. Believed with Weber were . his wife and another couple. The CAA said San, Fran cisco was the ultimate desti nation of the plane ' but it planned to reach Des Moines by 1 p.m. today. The plane, a Navion, de-parted-from the field at 11:11 a.m. Friday for the two-hour flight to Des Moines. The plane had a five-hour fuel supply. The Resolute weather, sta tion on icy Cornwallis Island greets visitors with a sign reading: "Welcome to Reso lute, pronounced D-e-s-o-l-a-t-e in the heart of Canada's Northland, surrounded by miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles." The song "Dixie" was comd Katydids he a built-in dl- rectiot finder. Their ears are located on their front legs and directed forward. One hearing the male's call, the female katydid orients herself in the direction of the invitation and, like an airplane flying on in struments, follows the beam. posed by Dan Emmett, a Yan kee from Ohio, as a "walk around" for a minstrel troupe. Early in the Civil War, the lively tune was claimed hv both sides, but eventually it became associated almost en tirely with the Confederacy. Contract Awarded Yreka -- A. J. McMurry Construction company was low bidder at $587,646 for construction of the new Weed High school, District Superin tendent Jere E. Hurley said Saturday. Construction of the new school will start tomorrow, and is is expected to be com pleted in one year. The Weed High school is the fifth and the last of the district's state aided building projects to get under way. WHO WILL PAY THE BILLS when you are unable to work? . . . your family ...charity "" ir or By Company? Surety Life gives you Income Protection and we also pay you if you stay well. Phone SP 2-4534 or write DON M. CHASE 211 Leverette Building Medford, Oregon - 't''' ' PICNIC . ViyM'Xf MUST!"..'1 YOUR ' TRI P . . . -&t- your: TRIP... To The Beach A picnic just wouldn't be complete without your favorite ice cream, rich milk, coffee cream and butter . . . those dairy foods so essen tial to EVERY complete meal. To be SURE of the BEST, always ask for "Jorgensen'." M n V & P . To The Mountains . TOP OFF WITH COOL REFRESHING o Always Ask for Jorgensen's It's VACATION TIME and you and the family will enjoy Sunday and week-end trips to the beach, to Rogue River, Diamond Lake or Lake o' the Woods. When you get home, a heaping dish of your favorite FIESTA (CE CREAM will bo doubly welcome. It's rich, nourishing, delicious, refreshing . ... in your favorite flavor with the added "oomph" pro vided by "NUTRIMIXI" You can't choose finer ice cream than Jorgensen's FIESTAI
