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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 1963)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDfOHD. OREGON MONDAY. AUGUST 5. 1963 Small Worlds Around Us By LYNN M. WATKINS (Regiiter and Tribunt Syndicate, -.963) Horsehairs Used As Fish Leaders On Floppy Poles The old gentleman was reminiscing regarding fishing in the early days and it brought up some peculiar, questions, some of which were difficult to prove or disap prove. One was the relative strength of horsehair. He maintained that black horse hair was stronger than white horsehair, basing this conclu sion on his early fishing ex periences. This was the way he based his deductions: "I've been fishing for nigh on 75 years, even more for I'm 85 now and I was fish ing when I was 5 or 6. Fish ing then was as complicated as it is today." He stopped talking, leaving the argument dangling in mid air, so we asked, "Just what did black or white hair from a horse have to do with fishing?" He was ready for that one. Horsehair Leaders "Well, son, horsehair was what we used for leaders long, black hair, good as any leader I've ever used since. Of course you had to use it with a floppy pole but they weren't hard to come buy; willow was best. We cut the pole right by the stream or on the shore of the pond. We didn't have tackle boxes, reels or fancy poles or leaders just home hooks, the willow pole and the horsehair. "On the way to the fishing place we kept our eye out for a big, black horse. The horses that pulled the brewery wa gons were best. A hair from one of them might be as much as five feet long. It didn't seem to hurt the horse, they never even twitched when we pulled the hairs. Floppy Pole "Arriving at the stream or lake we cut the pole, attached the line, tied one end of the horse hair to the line and the other end to the hook. We took particular pains to cut a very floppy pole since the more limber the pole the less strain it put on the leader. The pole absorbed the shock of the striking fish. "You see," he explained as he detected - look of doubt on our face, "the black hair was not only much stronger than a white hair but it didn't look like it was there to the fish. That's about all a leader on a fish line is meant to do: to fool the fish. The poor sap can't see what the baited hook is attached to. He thinks the food is just hanging there in the water. "When we hooked a fish, and we did more often than we do today, we didn't lift the fish out of the water. That would have put too much strain on the leader and the floppy pole. We reached down and lifted the fish by hand. Were Alive "Funny thing, too, about those horsehair leaders. They were alive, you know. In fact, they would live for a week or two and it would twist and squirm in the water turning and twitching the bait, giving it a lively action. A fish could see the bait moving and come charging in to grab it. "Yes, sir, I remember when the first leaders were on sale at the general store. They said they were gut leaders made GUNS CAPTURED - Capt. A. H. Rowley, UN Command Armistice Affairs officer, of New Milford, Conn., exhibits Russian-made submachine guns and pistols captured from four North Korean Communists killed in clashes with U.S. troops and South Korean policemen near the Korean truce line. The two submachine guns were made in Russia In 1945. (UPI) from silkworm gut, but they didn't work any better than black horsehair. "Then came the steel lead ers which outlasted all the others. Now I guess they are made of synthetic materials. Perhaps it's just as well for there aren't many horses now adays. But at the time, you can't beat horsehair for a leader, especially black horse hair it was stronger than white." THE LOCKS THAT FAILED Menlo Park, Calif. IUP0 Ev ery available locksmith around here was put to work by police Sunday at 133 banks, jewelry stores, phar macies and other establish ments. A thief broke into the office of a local janitorial service and stole the keys to the firms. Suburban Chicago Community Symbol Of Racial Tension Application Filed To Set Aside River Lands By AL KUETTNER UPI Correspondent A few blocks south of the famous Chicago stockyards is the suburban residential com munity of West Englewood, population about 20.000. On a peaceful day in West Englewood, a visitor on South Morgan St. would fancy himself in a typical small American town, but one with a strong accent of old Ire land. Small homes, long owned by the families within, have their shade trees, lawns and garden plots. Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, is nearby. Right now, things are far from peaceful in West Engle wood. The place thai was once known as Canaryvillc, for some obscure reason, has become one of the outstand ing examples in the nation of "phase two" in the desegre gation struggle. Press for Rights This is the stage in which Negroes are pressing for full implementation of laws and regulations that long have banned racial barriers le gally. One problem in West En glewood is neighborhood tran sition from White to Negro occupancy. Another is the strong determination of the White Irish to hold fast against moving. They have stuck together through thick and thin in Canaryville - wars, birth, death and marriage - and they consider this bit of Chi cago their own private do main. West Englewood has pro duced many of the Irish po licemen who are now on duty there trying to keep racial ', trouble from exploding into a major riot. It also was home to many hoodlum youngsters who went on to the underworld. Negroes Moved Closer Over the past several years, the Negro population has pushed over closer to West Englewood. But re cently, when Negro families moved into flats at 565!) and 5754 South Morgan, the white residents nearby reacted as though their street had been invaded. The pattern of changing neighborhoods in the area has been more or less traditional. As Negroes moved closer, "for sale" signs went up and within weeks entire blocks changed. But there are few "for sale" signs on South Mor gan st. Apparently, the Irish plan to stay. ' They blame real estate in terests who gained control of some South Morgan st. prop erty for selling them out. Although the most explo sive problem in the Windy City, West Englewood is but a symbol of growing racial tensions that plague public and civil leaders. The bureau of land man agement has announced that the forest service has filed an application to set aside 815 acres of scenic land in the Siskiyou National forest in Curry county. The lands are within a rug ged section of the Rogue Riv er canyon and are needed for development of the Lower Rogue River Recreation area. Stanley D. Lester, BLM land office manager, said some of the land included in the addition has been acquired through exchange since the original withdrawal of lands for this recreation area. The lands are requested to be closed to location and entry under the general mining laws, subject to valid existing claims. The application is a part of the continuous activity by both the BLM and forest serv ice to preserve and develop scenic lands having signifi cant recreation values for pub lic uses. The BLM and the forest service administer ad jo i n i n g recreational areas along the lower Rogue river. A detailed description of the affected land will be pub lished in the "Federal Regis ter." It will also be posted in the BLM land office in Portland, the courthouse at Gold Beach, and in local post offices. The department of the in terior will give the public 30 days from date of publication A 5 Hitchhiker Wanted on Charges of Larceny A hitchhiker arrested by state police Friday night is wanted on charges of parole violation and larceny of auto in "which to comment on the I charges, state police have proposal. Written comments should be sent to the manager, land office, bureau of land management, U. S. depart ment of the interior. 710 NE learned. Robert Gene Wiggins, 25, Greenfield, Ind., is being held in the Jackson county jail after being, arrested on Holladay Ore. ave., Portland 12, ; Interstate 5 near Medford, of ficers said. ANSWED TO A SCARE San Francisco - IUP1I - A post office clerk casually toss ed a small package into a bin the other day, heard it begin to whistle and summoned au thorities. Army demolutiun experts arrived on the scene and carried the package gin gerly to a parking lot. They unwrapped two small walkie talkies, whose switches ap parently had been turned on. 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