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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 10, 1959)
iff tart Eugene Democrat Asks Pentagon To Make Check FLAMES, SMOKE SPREAD-This picture, taken by Mail ' Tribune Staff Photographer Bob Vroman from a helicop- ter, shows vividly the size and spread of the fire which Ifr-L.:.,, i , "Ww SHED BURNS A shed next to a house stroyed. Its ruins, shown above, contained owned by Travis Atchley, 1167 North Main a stove and stored property, at., Ashland, was one of two buildings de- Roseburg Blast Area Remains Blocked Off; Ruins Still Hot Roseburg, Ore.-flJPU-A large part of the downtown area of this lumber center of ,13,000 remained blocked off today because of falling Jebris from buildings hit by last Friday's disastrous explosion and fire. Authorities said many of the ruins were still too hot to be searched. Building inspec tors planned to make a building-to-building trip into the area. Police Chief Vernon Mur doch said the city would be restricted for an indefinite period of time. He said the National Guard and state po lice, called in when a state of emergency was declared, would probably remain here a week or more. The county coroner's office placed the death toll at 12. A woman, earlier believed - to have been killed in the blast, was located alive Sunday. Coroner C. H. Babbitt said the victims included eight bodies which had been identified, three persons missing and pre sumed dead and an unidenti fied body which could not be any of the presumed dead. Authorities at first feared the death toll would go as high as 30. However, Babbitt Roseburg Newspaper Now Using Own Plant . Roseburg-(UPD-The Roseburg News-Review resumed pub lishing in its own plant here Saturday. - The newspaper ' was pub lished in Klamath Falls on Friday because this city's ex plosion and fire knocked out electrical service. Copies of Friday's newspaper were dis tributed here that evening. The front of the newspaper office received considerable blast damage. fife, said there was a chance of finding remains of additional victims in the rubble. The town was calm Sunday. Residents attended religious services in damaged chjirches, while i workmen set about cleaning up the debris. Some business establishments on the fringe area of, the blast planned to reopen today. : The explosion occurred when a truck containing four tons of - ammonium nitrate mixed with diesel oil and two Bloodmobile Visit Due Wednesday The American Red Cross bloodmobile will be at the Medford Red Cross building here on Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 1 to 6 pjn and local officials said that they hope to obtain 290 pints of blood from 350 donors. The bloodmobile ran out of blood about two weeks ago and 26 "walking donors" were called upon in three days. Usually an average of only four walking donors a month are contacted. Local blood was sent to Roseburg area immediately following the disaster there last week. Only 29 appointments for blood donors have been made as of this morning. Persons wishing to donate blood may contact the Medford Red Cross chapter at SP 2-4405. No Disaster Rating Planned for Roseburg Salem-flJPD-Gov. Mark Hat field said today that he did not think Roseburg would be declared a federal disaster area "at this time." burned in the Ashland area over the week end. Parts of Ashland itself can be dimly seen through the smoke in the foreground. tons of dynamite was set off by a fire at a nearby supply company. Th cause of the fire is still not known. Authorities have estimated the loss at $10 million. The Red Cross said some 650 buildings were destroyed or damaged. Medford Continues To Help Roseburg .The Medford area continued over the week end to help those affected by the Rose burg blast. The local Red Cross chapter has sent .out an appeal for money , contribu tions for Roseburg residents in need of aid. Contributions will be accepted at the Med ford Red Cross building. Blood from the local chapter was sent to Roseburg, officials reported. Meanwhile, state police and other " law enforcement of ficers are continuing to patrol the blast area to prevent loot ing and sightseer congestion. The Medford state police of fice detailed three officers to Roseburg this morning, and three officers have been sent from Grants Pass. Only peo ple who have legitimat-; busi ness in the Roseburg area are permitted to enter the blast area, state police said. The majority of the men sent to Roseburg by the Cali fornia Pacific Utilities com pany here have remained in Roseburg. since Friday. Tventy-two men, with about 18 trucks and cars, were sent Friday from Medford, Klam ath Falls and Grants Pass. Two have been returned to Ashland and the remain ier are reported still working in Roseburg. 4,800 Mere Under ..Control The stubborn fire above Ashland that 1 has ; burned through an estimated 4,800 to 5,000 acres since it erupted Saturday afternoon appeared to be nearing control late this morning. ; ''v Forest officials said today that a trail has been built completely around the .blaze and that except for some slop over on the southern face of the fire - termed the "critical" area - the blaze is under con trol. ' ' . An estimated 430 state and federal firefighters .were engaged in back-firing, fire suppression and mop-up opera tions this morning., Northerly winds kept enough smoke in the air to prohibit the use of ' borate supplied airplanes this morn ing, but the forecast for this afternoon called for winds to shift to the southwest and it is expected that planes will be called in at that time. Backfires Set An estimated 1,200 acres were burned 'yesterday, most of them in the Rogue River National forest and some of them in backfires that were set to help combat the bigger fire. Yesterday's burn, federal officials said, was all within the Ashland watershed, but below the reservoir. The criti cal area this morning was on top of a ridge about two miles below the Wagner Butte look out. x Firefighters today face a predicted temperature in the middle 90's with an antici pated low humidity reading of about 10 per cent. Forest service personnel from the regional office in Portland were reported flown, in Saturday night. Investigate Cause , Norris R. Joyce, chief in vestigator for the state for- kestry department in Salem, is here trying to determine the cause of the fire. Working with him are -state' police and sheriff's officers, investigat ing the possibility that, the fire may have been man-set. The blaze, which started about 1 p.m. Saturday as two relatively small fires erupted and burned toward each oth er to combine, burning rap idly through manzanita and brush in the area above Jack son Hot Springs shortly after it started. It appeared to be nearing control late Saturday after noon, but it blew up early Saturday evening and flashed through an estimated 1,000 acres in one hour. By late Saturday night it had moved into Douglas fir and pine for ests and almost 2,000 acres were involved as the flames looked as if they were going to move right into Ashland itself. FIRE AT NIGHT-The fire was plainly visible in all parts from the Ashland Loop road, looking west across the of the valley. Hundreds of Medford residents watched it .Ashland creek canyon. (The picture was taken at f2, ex- from hillsides. This spectacular night time picture, taken posure of a full second, on Tri-X film.) -by Mail Tribune Reporter Eric Wentworth, was taken Fire lines were manned by about 300 men by that time and the blaze once again seemed to be nearing contain ment. Fifteen loads of borate were dropped on the fire Sat urday., .wnv - ''"li . Bit "area residents all day yesterday could see smoke in the hills above Ashland as the stubborn conflagration continued working its way south until, by this morning's estimate about 5,0t)0 acres had been blackened. City Firemen ' Ashland city firemen extin guished spot fires on one run this morning at the head of Lithia rjark. The blazes were ignited from sparks and em bers from the forest fire. Runs were made by firemen yesterday on Granite st. and Grand View dr. and to the head of Granite st. to put out similar fires. Firemen were on patrol along the city limits throughout the day yester day. Two county roads depart ment bull dozers and opera tors are also at the fire line! in the woods above Ashland, the county court reported. They were sent up early Sun day morning after a call to County Commissioner Ches ter Wendt from' the Jackson County civil defense. The county also sent some hand equipment, the county court said. Additional Stories and Pictures on Page 10 Cooler Weather Forecast in Medford Cooler weather in the Med ford vicinity - is anticipated through Tuesday after four days of 100 degree or higher temperatures. The Medford station of the U.S. weather bureau antici pated a 95 to 98 degree maxi mum after a 101 reading yes terday. Expected, high tem perature Tuesday is 93. Five-day forecast for west ern Oregon includes a predic tion for warmer temperatures after Tuesday. Yesterday's 101 marked the 15th time since July 10 that a 100-degree or higher tem perature reading has been re ported by the weather station at the airport. Low humidit'es have ac companied the heat with a 10 per cent reading yesterday and a similar low figure ex pected today. Humidity Sat urday dropped to 11 per cent. SCHOOL OPENING The Applegate school will open for classes on Wednes day, Sept. 2, it was announced today. Previously it was re ported that the school would begin the fall term on Sept. 8. f'' ' ' ' ' Price 10 Cents Medford 16 Pages MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 1959 No. 116 Pear Picking Gets Start Today in Valley First pear picking of the season got under way in the Medford district today . with one packing house starting a small operation. A general increase in the picking is expected Wednes day with wide-spread picking next week; packing houses re ported. ' General picking will be 12 days later than last year, but not later than the average picking date of Aug. 8, pear growers reported. The delay in picking should result in better pear size. Tair volume and good quality is predicted by growers. A grower for one packing house is starting his picking today. That packing house predicts an average crop of Bartletts with the current size tending toward the smaller grades. This packing house e::pects to open Friday. It will ship its orchard run of pears direct to the cannery. Another, of one of the early packing houses . will start picking operations in a small way tomorrow afternoon. Pear industry spokesmen said they never run short of pickers in this first stage, but as the operation becomes widespread do expect a picker shortage. No Mexican Nationals Meanwhile, John J. Patton, manager of the local Oregon state employment service of fice, said there are no Mexi can nationals in this area, nor are any plans being made right now to import any. There are approximately 200 pickers of Mexican ancestry contracted for, Patton said. However, these are U.S. citi zens from Texas who have just finished picking for the Green Giant company in the Walla Walla, Wash., area. Some have already set up quarters in the local labor camp, Patton added. He said that the farm labor office has been opened at 1831 South Pacific highway near the entrance to the ball park. WEATHER FORECAST: Clearing tonight and partly cloudy Tuesday. Low tonight 50. High Tuesday 50. TEMPERATURE Highest Yesterday 101 Lowest This Morning . 50 Our Skies Tonight Sunset today . 7:21 p.m. Sunrise tomorrow - 5:13 a.m. Moonset tonight 10:51 p.m. First Quarter Aug. 11 A combination of the move ments of the Earth and Venus on their orbits now causes Venus to appear to move west ward among the stars. As a re sult Venus rapidly leaves the evening sky and returns as a morning planet within a month. Implications of Education Act in West t - i- I The 13 western states re ! ceived'18 per cent of the total $44,300.00 that was the first appropriation by Congress for the , Defense Education Act, Homer D. Babbidge Jr., told the Western Interstate Com mission on Higher Education at a meeting here Sunday morning. Babbidge, who reported on the implications of the Na tional Education Act in the west, is assistant commission er for higher education in the national office of education, Washington, D. C. The WICHE states has 20 per cent of the nation's stu dents enrollment in college, Babbidge said, and 14.5 per cent of the higher degrees are awarded in these western states. The speaker said that Con gress as well as other branches of the government are turn ing to the office of education for information. He said that this change has added a new dimension to the office's re sponsibilities. In this new role the office wanted to reflect the consensus of the best thinking of educators. The annual meeting,, held this year for the first time in Oregon, was attended by 33 commissioners from 11 west ern states. Alaska and Hawaii did not send delegates this year. Student Loans In mentioning the student loan applications for 1959-60, one of the defense act pro grams, Babbidge said that the western states had asked' for less than Congress had appro priated, the only region in the United States, to do so. The 199 institutions had asked for only $5,282,888, less by $182, 938 than that appropriated. The western institutions estimate that 14,379 students will borrow an average of $600 each during 1959 and 1960. Dr. Charles E. Odegaard, University of Was hington president, stressed the need to get the facts to legislatures that the nation's higher edu cation institutions cannot be Castel Gandolfo, Italy-flJPD-Pope John" XXIII has given permission to Roman Catho lics throughout the world to eat meat this Friday because it comes on the eve of the Feast of the Assumption. Dayton, Ore.-OIPD-The Yam hill river near here was par tially clogged today after a series of landslides. River traf fic in some spots was on a one-way basis. Explained 54th Year Tribune appraised by measures of en rollment and classroom space, WICHE was organized fol lowing World War II for the purpose of arranging for the exchange of studies in the professional fields to avoid the expense of unnecessary duplication. Since that time it has become a research and planning agency on a wider scale.. Picnic Changed A picnic Sunday evening in Ashland Lithia park had to be changed due to the U. S. for est service fire, camp head quarters held there. The pic nic was held in Hawthorne park here with the group traveling to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespearean Festi val's production of 'Twelfth Night" afterwards. The meeting adopted a res olution expressing recognition and appreciation to Medford and school district officials for their assistance. The sessions closed today at noon following the annual business meeting. Elected chairman to replace Fred D. Bagg Jr., president emeritus of the University of Califor nia, was Richard A. Harvill, president of the University of Arizona. Vice chairman is Dr. Alfred M. Popma, Boise, Ida ho, physician. The 1960 meeting will be held in Seattle, Wash. 'We've Decided To Governor's Office Says Probe Welcome Salem-flJPD-Gov Mark Hat field's office said today an in vestigation of the governor's use of a National Guard plane to attend the governors con ference in Puerto Rico would be "welcome." Hatfield was called to task for using the plane by Rep. Keith Skelton (D-Eugene) in a speech at Pendleton Sun day. Travis Cross' Hatfield's Dress secretary, said use of the plane was authorized by the National Guard bureau in Washington, D.C. Skelton asked the pentagon to check to see if Hatfield was entitled to the plane. In a telegram to Sen. Richard Neuberger (D-Ore.) Skelton noted that Louisiana Gov. Earl Long had had to pay tor unauthorized use of a guard plane. No Comparison But the governor's office said there was no comparison between Long's use of the air craft and Hatfield's. Cross said the flight to Miami and back was no additional ex pense to th Guard as the planes regularly fly training missions anyway. He added that the governor made the flight from Miami to San Juan by commercial airliner and that the six Ore gon delegates' expenses were paid by the Puerto Rican gov ernment during the confer ence. Skelton also was critical ef Neuberger and Oregon's other Democratic Senator, Wayne Morse, for the controversy be tween them. "It's time they stop acting like children and take up the business of legislation," he said. Accidents Kill Nine in Oregon By United Press International At least nine persons died in Oregon traffic accidents during the week end. Leroy Linton Love, 26, and Mary Ann Martin, 25. both of Eugene, were killed early Sunday when Miss Martin's car collided with a parked truck south of Salem. Harold Ernest layes, 27, and Wilma Louise Williams, 15, both of Lakeview, and Ken Williams, 21, Burns, were killed in the collision of a gravel trurk and their car north of Burus Saturday. William H. Hastings, 36, Eugene, was killed Sunday in a head on collision north of Eugene. An Oswego woman, .Mrs. Doreen Berg Taylor, 29, was killed Saturday when a car in which she was riding crashed into a guard railing on the Baldock freeway. Glenda Marie Sandvik, 16, Portland, was killed Saturday when a car crashed into a guard rail near Troutdale. Mrs. Lois Mary L. Allen, 29, Portland was killed Sun day when her car went out of control and crashed near Tillamook. Try Underriding It" S S ires mm 9 'Qck Tmik Ppeim
