Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 1963)
On .Pittsburgh It's In-Cline; ne Still Thovimig g.1 mm? - " ; during the quick plunge down Mount Washington. Little Car Idle How could such a bargain ever escape the public do main? "Finance s," says Schmidt. "We need passen gers." The Monongahela incline has the advantage of a south ern, broadsidc-the-city loca tion. The Duqucsne incline slopes across from the west ern end of Pittsburgh's "point." While its private owners pore over red inked ledgers, the little car sits idle. According to Schmidt, the situation is only temporary and the company hopes to re sume operation in the near future. SECTION D PAGES 1 to 8 MedfordWtribune MEDFORD. OREGON. THURSDAY, JANUARY 10. 1963 On the other side of the coin, however, is the Castle Shannon incline run by the Pittsburgh Railways company. In a petition filed with the state P.U.C., the company seeks to discontinue service on 23 bus lines, curtail runs on four others and send the Castle Shannon incline into oblivion. The reason: finan cial. The request has created a commuter uproar not just In Pittsburgh but throughout Al legheny county. Castle Shannon Superin tendent Robert Eaton says he can sympathize with the In cline's customers, but there's nothing else his company can do in the face of mounting losses. Castle Shannon runs from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., charging 30 cents for riders and 50 cents for trucks and cars. Neither one of the other inclines has freight facilities. Incline Practical The incluines are practical. Pittsburgh's Mount Washing ton roads refy a car when the weather turns icy. It is close enough to the city proper to make a commuter wonder if driving is really worth the ef fort. The inclines offer a con venient skid-and-traffic avoid cr. They are safe, with every provision for passenger pro tection. And there's an intangible sort of fun to riding one. From "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to the suburban split level, Pittsburgh's inclines have stubbornly held their ground. Tile key to their present en durance Is not so much their antique value as it is the sur vival of their practicality as a transportational method. For although the immi grants are gone, a good many Pittsburghers still term them selves "the city's cliff-dwell ers" and rely on the old world inclines for transit to modern steel skyscrapers. HELpO US! We need clothing, shoes, dishes, furniture, and bedding. W. Pick Up. HELP OTHERS! The Salvation Army 30 N. Holly 773-7335 ONE IN-CLINE THRIVES - One of Pitts burgh's three remaining "in-clincs" slides down Mount Washington, overlooking the city's skyline and the Monongahela River. (UPI) By KATHLEEN McDEVITT United Press International Pittsburgh IUPII- In Germany it's "Steilbahn," in Italy it's "Funicular," in Japan it's "Kobi," in San Francisco it's "Cable Car," and in Pitts burgh it's "In' - Cline." The word incline is a noun which, according to the dic tionary, means an ascent, a descent or a slope. Pittsburgh has three inclined picturesque conveyances operated on the order of the mine lift or the elevator. Three are all that remain of an original 17. Of the present three, one is out of service, another is heading that way, and the third is doing a thriving busi ness. First Incline The first passenger incline in the country, the Mononga hela, serves 300.000 riders per year plus an additional 200, 000 tourists. The Duqucsne in cline, when it was in service, carried 800 persons daily up and down Pittsburgh's Mount Washington. The Pittsburgh Railways Co. has asked the State Public Utility Commission for per mission to abandon the Castle Shannon incline. The firm says it is losing money be cause the passenger rate drops daily. You can get an argument from almost any Pittsburgher as to whether the city sits where the three rivers meet the Allegheny, the Mononga hela and the Ohio - or wheth er it its where the first two join to form the Ohio. But there's no disputing the fact that for the best view of all three rivers - the city's inclines fill the bill. They perch about 500 feet above the land-triangle formed by the Allegheny and the Mon ongahela. This triangle forms the city's downtown area and is often referred to as the "Golden Triangle." The area where the Ohio forms is known as "the point." The inclines have a mean pitch of about 34 degrees. Their function - just as it was in ante-bellum days - is to transport people, mostly workers, from their homes atop Mount Washington down to one of the bridges spanning the Monongahela. Housing Problem At the onset of the indus trial revolution, Pittsburgh -like Wheeling, W. Va., Du luth, Minn., Cincinnati, Ohio, and Johnstown, Pa. - found itself faced with a housing problem. Its main industry had sprawled over the river fronts composing the city proper. The people, most of them mill workers, had to "take to the hills" along the downtown district. Daily, just before sunrise. the immigrants who manned the factories trudged down "coal hill"-now Mount Wash ington. At nightfall they climbed back to their homes. Those of Germanic origin had reason to complain. Over a mug of beer, the men often met to reminisce about the "steilbahns" which dotted the hillsides of their homeland. Talk of the simplicity and convenience of the German hoist cars would end with a typically American "w h y doesn't somebody do some thing about it? The immi grants themselves were in no position to finance a transit company. But after the civil war, Andrew H. Mellon, George Westinghouse and Andrew Carnegie were. The three -along with other financial in terests - helped to form the Monongahela Inclined Plane Co., the first passenger service of its kind in the United States. Chartered in 1867, the firm launched on - schedule transportation in May of 1870. Trend Begins The trend had begun. By the turn of the century, steel city residents had their choice of 17 inclines. Cities whose physical features par alleled those of Pittsburgh adapted the lifts to their own needs. Italian immigrants remem bered the "funicular." This was the musical name for a version of the incline used in the Piedmont. Somewhat later the Japanese came up with an Oriental brand of the incline and labeled it "kobi." The bleak years that follow ed 1929 proved equally diffi cult for Pittsburgh's inclines. The auto market and a high way system built to carry an increasing number of cars spelled financial disaster for many of the incline firms. In the mid-30 s when the sur viving companies switched from steam to electrically driven engines, Monongahela signed with the Otis Elevator Co. for a complete rebuilding and electrification. Oldest and Newest According to Monongahela Superintendent P. G. Eisen hafer, Otis has not built an incline since then. Thus, he says. Monongahela has the dis tinction of being the "oldest company and newest incline." Eisenhafer can list the rea sons for his company's success without even pausing for a breath, since he's called upon so frequently to do so. The singularity of the firm's healthy finances in Itself makes the incline something of a curiosity. He says: "The reasons are simple: location, modern machinery, safety and advertising." Eisenhafer might have add ed cost (15 cents), service (every 10 minutes from 5:30 a.m. until 1:00 a.m.), and at mosphere. There is a certain charm about the Monongahela in cline's terminal building. It is 92 years old and the office safe still retains the city's old spelling - "Pittsburg." The walls are decorated with plaques exhibiting tick ets from 1902 (horse and bug gy 15 cents; hearse $2) and daily weather records dating back to 1870, George Laray, the Monon gahela maintenance engineer who spent many, many years in vaudeville, says nearly every day some one from out of the state rides the incline. What A Ride The ride's the thing though - and what a ride. Up 640 feet in two minutes while the city spreads out like a fan. Once aloft, the rider with some spare time can chat with Eisenhafer or Laray and re ceive what amounts to a most comprehensive account of the incline's "ups and downs" both historical and mechani cal. The lore available from the superintendent of the Du qucsne incline, Henry W. Schmidt, would put any his tory book to shame not for accuracy but for creative in terpretation. The Duqucsne incline be gan daily service in 1876, and Schmidt maintains that Abe Lincoln split the logs for the wooden teeth of the mo tor's main pinion gear. He'll add - with a straight face -"I was shot at the battle of of Bull Run, that's how I know." Before Duqucsne suspend ed operations, Schmidt gave the passengers their rides, a quote or two from Byron, gen eral songs and patter plus all the history he could slaughter (advertisement) FAT OVERWEIGHT Available to you without a doctor's prescription, our drug called OD RINEX. You must lose ugly (at in 7 days or your money back. No strenuous exercise, laxatives, mas sage or taking so-called reducing candies, crackers or cookies, or chewing gum. ODRINEX is a tiny tablet and easily swallowed. When you take ODRINEX, you still en joy your meals, still eat the (oods you like, but you simply don't have the urge lor extra portions because ODRINEX depresses your appetite and decreases your desire (or (ood. Your weight must come down be cause as your own doctor will tell vou, when you cat less, you weigh less. Get rid of excess tat and live longer ODRINEX costs $3 00 and is sold on this GUARANTEE: l( not satisfied tor any reason just return the package to vour druggut and get your full money back. No ques tions asked. ODRINEX is sold with this guarantee by: Western Thrift Store, 30 N. Central. Mail orders filled. Al Least 10,000 View Mona Lisa Washington -HJPIl- Al least 10,000 persons came to the National Art Gallery Wednes day to view the Mona Lisa on its first public display in America, but most got only a 12 -second glimpse of the famous smile. During the seven hours the gallery was open, officials counted 10,235 visitors who looked at the painting at the rate of 40 a minute. Most probably got their best view of the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece from prints and postcards on sale at the gallery. Those viewing the vener able painting had to crane their necks and squint their eyes because of its unusual height on the gallery wall and the protective glass which re flected the glare of lighting. Portland Man Found Guilty of Murder Portland-WH-Bcrnard Hei delberg, 37, Portland, was found guilty of first degree murder by a Circuit Court jury here Wednesday night. The jury of eight women and four men recommended life imprisonment. Heidelberg was charged in the fatal shooting of Walter Jackson, 41, Portland, at Jackon's home last Aug. 26. STEPHEN BOYD: te&tC J I IRISHMAN IN A TOGA The handsome villian of "Ben Hur"is slated for o second Roman epic but he's proving he tan handle other kinds of roles, too. Handsome actor Stephen Boyd has appeared in movies ranging from the spectacular to the very un spectacular. He's been equally good as a song-and-dance man as well as a straight dramatic actor. Read of This Unusual Career in a Profit by Peer J. Oppenheimer In the JANUARY 131H Issue of Family IVeeJcIy with your copy of the MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE Pfnnfy' HURRY! 2nd week of pehnevs UIHNI JHMUHIf i Will It UUUUd! ALWAYS FIRST QUALITY iliiiil 47 Count on Penney's to give you a buy of buys on these coast-to-coast famous sheets, firm wonder-wearing weave, finished extra smooth. Big buy any time of year, fabulous now! m& Pence In 1 m 1 rfe I r 5. - - Nation-Wide1 . . . PENNEY'S LONG WEARING COTTON MUSLINS! WHITE twin 72" x 108" flat or Sanforised fitted bottom sneer full 81"xl08" flat or San forized fitted bottom sheet 1.64 pillow cases 42" x 36" 2 for 76e Super smooth . . . super dur able . . . super slccpable! Full 144 count muslin to give long years of service to more Ameri-. can families than ever before, at greater than ever savings! Full Fitted Bottom 1.97 8 1 "x 108" 1.97 90"xl08" 2.49 1 79 FINEST MUSLINS! twin 72"xl08" flat or sanforized fitted bottom sheet Twin fitted top 2.49 Full fitted top 2.69 Cases 42"x36" 2 for 93c iVERY i Pencale' PENNEY'S LUXURY COMBED COTTON PERCALES! A79 U WHITE twin 72" x 108" flat or Sanforized fitted bottom sheet full 81"xl08" flat or San forized fitted bottom sheet 1.97 pillow cases 42" x 38 V" .. 2 for 99e ..... ' . i Imagine luxurious percales woven of long-staple cotton combed to extra silky smoothness at these prices! Always a big value, they're fantastic at this low. Hurry in! PASTELS 2.47 2.67 2 for 1.17 STRIPES 2.79 3.79 2 for 1.59 PRINTS 2.79 3.79 2 for 2.29 3 generations have counted on these sheets for outstanding Value and performance. Now at fabulous savings you get the same famous inch-for-inch flawless first quality called for by Penney's high specifications, guarded by laboratory testing! All Penney Sheets have firm balanced weaves no weak pots! All Penney Sheets have smooth finish, minimum sizing! All Penney Sheets are quality controlled from selection of cotton to last stitch in hems! CHARGE IT HOW . . . SHOP FRIDAY 9:30 AM TILL 9 Pfl! PLUSHY NYLON PILE FOAM-BACKED BATH RUGS! 21x36" 2.88 lid cover 88c 1 gg 24" round or 21x24" contour Incredible buy for full '" deep, luxury nylon pile beth ensemble . . . foam-becked, tool luscious colors: baby pink. It. fawn, white pastel yellow, pale emerald green. Don't. miss this big buy, come eerlyl wash clothe by the dozen . . , full 12-inch squares of thick cotton terry in all popular shades. unbleached muslin! tpeciall hundred and one uses from hankies on upl Thrifty homemaker buyl 36" wide. 12 for $ 1 4 Yds for $ 1 SPECIAL! RAYON-NYLON BLANKETS 72"x90" file twin or double bed. Save on Penney'i soft, warm, dur able blanketl Special quality rayon with nylon binding; machine wash, lukewarm water. DO BIG BEDSPREADBUY! I CHENILES! C CHROMSPUN STRIPES Solid chenilles in rich colors that are e delight to the homemaker. Chenilles In pink, red, white, yel low or beige. Twin or full size. Plus pretty stripes in woven chromspun. 3 ts SPECIAL JUMBO-SIZE BATH TOWELS 2 for $1 Compare anywhere! Full 24"x46" flewlesi first quality fluffy towels In pink, yellow, fawn, orange, turquoise, melon or white. Matching face towels, 3J1; wash clothe 6$l. PLAID COTTON BLANKETS Pastel cotton plaids In machine washable cotton sheet blankets, nylon whipped edges. Single size only. PRINTED TERRY KITCHEN TOWELS Hurry, last shipment sold out fast! Protty prints In cotton terry with match ing aprons only 88c. 2 for 88c
