WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER
1963
6 C
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD, OREGON
Old Post Office Space Age Victim
STAKES ADMIKINGLY Little John F. Kennedy Jr., three-year-old
son of the Into President, stares admiringly up at a toy
clown during a visit to a toy store at nearby Dulles International
Airport in Washington. The lad and his sister, Caroline, went to
the airport to see off Mrs. Peter Lawford and her daughter,
Sidney. (UP1)
LOGTOWN, Miss. (UPI)
One of the nation's oldest and
smallest post offices, a faded
frame building furnished with
wood stove, a rolltop desk
and a rocking chair, is giving
way to America's space pro
gram. Mrs. Loollie B. Wright closed
the office recently after serv
ing 36 years as postmistress
In (he 209-square foot building
here in the backwoods of south
west Mississippi.
The building will be demol-
ished or moved to make sure
it is not used as a dwelling
within the huge buffer zone set
up lor testing Saturn space
boosters. It is just one of many
old buildings being torn down
or hauled away to clear a 141,-
500-acre area for the static
firing of moon rockets.
Logtown, once a thriving lum
Rivcr, is one of five towns that
will be wiped out to make way
for the test firings. The Nation
al Aeronautics and Space Ad
ministration (NASA) wants to
make sure no dwelling units re
main in the buffer zone because
vibrations from the tremendous
firing noises might shatter the
buildings.
Closing Day
NASA officials say noises
from the static firings will be
greater than from actual
launchings because the rockets
will be bolted to the pad and
will not be released, confining
all noise to the ground.
All persons living in the buf
fer zone must be evacuated by
next July, but Mrs. Wright de
cided on an early closing of the
post office.
Waiting until next year would
reduce her retirement benefits.
"Anyway, I don't look forward
to another Christmas mail
Forest Service Hits 500,000
Acre Mark in Reforestation
PORTLAND A half-million-acre
milestone has been passed
in a program begun more than
half a century ago to start new
limber crops on logged or burn
ed national forest lands in the
Pacific Northwest.
From a meager beginning In
11109, the artificial reforestation
program conducted by the U.S.
Forest Service in its Pacific
Northwest Region of Oregon and I
Washington now covers from
!0,WK) to 60,000 acres annually.
Recently, in a newly logged
area of the Mt. Hood National
Forest, overlooking the Colum
bia River, young noble fir seed
lings were planted on the 500,
OOtlih acre to be reforested since
the regeneration program be
gan 54 years ago.
In an informal ceremony, the
first tree was planted on the
historic half - millionth acre by
Walter H. Lund, Portland, as-
sistant regional forester for
(.'inber management, and a 36-
year veteran of the Forest Serv
ice. Planting Hoe Used
His use of the planting hoe
was symbolic for hand planting
si III accounts for some 70 to HO
per cent of the acres to be arti
ficially reforested in the North
west Region each year. The re
mainder is accomplished
through direct seeding, largely
with helicopters.
"We've made great progress
in advancing nerinl seeding tech
niques, but the 'man with the
hoe' is slill the key figure in
our reforestation efforts," Lund
pointed out.
Of the (ia.Hlfl acres reforested
Christmas Shopping
PrVJillMIHI
; SAVEJC0UP .
in the Pacific Northwest Region
in 1962, 49,177 acres were plant
ed, some by machines, but most
ly by crews using hand tools.
"There's just no other way
to do it on the tougher sites
where the young trees must fight
for survival from the begin
ning," Lund said.
New Forest Crop
Each year, timber is harvest
ed from about 250,000 acres of
national forest land in Oregon
and Washington. On 20 to 30
per cent of the loggeur areas,
nature must be given a hand in
starting a new timber crop.
Where artificial reforestation is
necessary, it is the objective of
national forest managers to es
tablish a new forest crop with
in one to three years aflcr log
ging.
This does not Include a back
log of around 400,000 acres need
ing reforestation lo heal old for
est fire scars, some dating back
50 lo 100 years. Forest Serv
ice officials hone lo complete
thai job within 10 years.
1 lie 1 1 r s t recorded forest
planting in the Region was in
1009 in the Mt. llebo district of
Iho Siuslaw National Forest, In
Oregon's Coast Range. Three
years later, planting began in
Washington on Hie Snoqualmie
National forest, since that time,
timber crops have been regen
erated on 300.000 acres of na
tional forest Innd in Oregon, and
around 200,000 acres on national
forests in Washington. The Ci
vilian Conservation Corps pro
gram of the 1930s gave a strong
boost to the reforest at ion effort
when (ire-scarred slopes were
re-greened with millions of
seedlings planted by young CCC
workers.
Long Way To do
"We've come a long wav, but
we've got a long way to go,"
said Lund as he tamped earth
around the tiny noble fir he
had just planted on Larch
Mountain, east of Portland, in
the Mt. Mood National Forest.
The tree will be fighting for
its life, Lund pointed out. It
could become the victim of hun
gry rodents or animals. Inten
sive research Is under way to
find methods of reducing the
annual $15 million loss caused
by animal damage on Northwest
timber lands. There are also
the threats of destruction by
fire, insects, disease, w i n d
stnrms, and competing vegeta
tion. Leaving the planting to a For
est Service crew headed by fore
Iman Frank Baker, of Cascade
Locks, Ore., Lund and his group
proceeded lo a nearby planta
tion of vigorous Douglas-fir. The
trees had recently undergone
their first commercial thinning
designed to release tho stand
for increased growth.
The trees had been planted
some 30 years ago, about the
time a young Forest Service of
ficer named Walter Lund was
serving on (he Olympic Nation
al forest in Washington.
We knew (hen (hat keening
the land in production was our
most important job," said Lund.
"It's just as true now, even
more so."
rush," the little white - haired
postmistress said.
Her last day at the post of
fice was Mrs. Wright's busiest
in years. Collectors flooded her
with specially printed envelopes
and stamps to be cancelled on
the last day of existence for the
80-year-old post office.
When Logtown was a boom
ing lumber town after World
War I the post office handled
hundreds of letters daily. But
the depression and dwindling
lumber supplies ended the boom
and mail volume in recent
years was as little as 30 pieces
per day.
Closing day was different. "I
cancelled about 200 stamps that
day," Mrs. Wright said. "They
wanted me to cancel about 500,
but I said I couldn't, "she add
ed, her hands still shaking from
-A
3 DAYS
2 NIGHTS
for 2 people
ALL
FOR
MjiI Coupon
lodiv 'or
fltitrtahon
FAMILY PLAN
Bring the Children
2 Roomt Wirh Of ft
Bjth, Per Nighr U
Sf Hochy or
lUsfcctbaH Gmtt
Sr B'R Stios
fcrijoy Shopping
i .....
i 5WHII in ms sity
i Free sauna baths
i Free ja;ge... phone
i No tipping (or lueeage
I THE PARK HAVILAND
A MOTORIST'S HOTEL
t . W. Park at Salmon In Portland
Enid ! limffiirJ; poo) n h, ky . , ,
lun ttck . . Icp ol th Prt Dining and
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chit. ,.lh Finniih Slum ...all In
Ihi tliultfl dniiicl, lutl 100 fcl nttt
Of Iht fitw Hilton. Phona 226-7031,
Pauling Receives
Nobel Prizes in
Norway Ceremony
OSI.P, Norway (DPD-Unus
Pauling, a leader of the ban-
the-bomb movement in the Unit
ed Stales, and two International
Ked Cross organizations re
ceived Nobel Peace prizes Tues
day in ceremonies before King
Olav V.
Pauling won the $50,000 prize
for 12, which was not award
ed until this year. He won the
prize for physics in 1954, and is
the only man (o have won two
Nobel prizes.
Tile League of Red Cross So
cieties and (he International Bed
Cross Committee received the
1!Hk) Pence Prize.
Choices I'nexplainrd
Hy tradition, (he Peace Prize
Committee does not explain its
choices. But (he league appar
ently won for its relief work in
STII.WK1.I,. Okla. (ITU I Algeria, while (he international
Officials Tuesday fought n diph-; committee was believed to have
theria epidemic with mass inoc- j won 'Hr offering to nc( as an
illations at this eastern Oklaho-1 intermediary in the Cuban mis
ma city, less than 10 miles ' s''p crisis,
from the Arkansas border. I Clunnnr Jahn, chairman of the
Thirteen persons in Adair j Peace Prize Committee, said in
County have been struck with i handing the prize to Pauling:
the disease. Additionally, three "No one would suggest that
persons died from what was he- ln nuclear test ban in itself is
lieved to be diphtheria. This, the work of Linus Pauling. . .
however, has not been con- But does anyone believe that
firmed. this treaty would have been
The persons known lo have reached now if (here had been
diphtheria are undergoing treat-! no responsible scientist who tire
mont at hospitals in Oklahoma lessly, unflinchingly, year in.
City and Stilwell and at Prairie year out, had impressed on the
Scientists Plan
To Make Study
In Bolivia
By FRANK RAMOS
NEW VOBK (UPI)
group of American scientists
will journey into the relatively
uninhabited lowlands of Eastern
Bolivia next April in an effort
to determine the cause of the
deadly disease hemorrhagic
fever.
A team of scientists from the
American Museum of Natural
History will join with medical
teams in Bolivia in an attempt
to locate the ectoparasites which
are believed to carry the disease.
The disease, which causes in
ternal bleeding and other symp
toms, has afflicted at least 600
persons in Bolivia during the
past four years with a mortality
rate of approximately 20 per
cent.
Dr. Richard G. Van Gelder,
who will head the museum's
scientific team, said his group
will collect mammals in the
area and the ectoparasites
which they carry. He said their
primary objective will be to de
termine whether or not the
hemorrhagic fever virus can be
found in the animal population
of (he region.
The museum team will work
together with scientists from the
Middle America Kesearcn unit
(MAHU). an acency of the Na
tional Institute of Health and
the Walter Reed Research Insti
tute, which has been trying to
isolate the virus.
Dr. Van Gcldcr said the
expedition would probably last
about six months, (he scientists
would travel along the Itio
Kcncz living in a 5:i-foot house
boat complete with a labora
tory. They would make nu
merous stops to collect animals
and carry out their research
Dr. Van Gelder said tnc great
est problem will be one in logis
tics.
There are no roads, few peo
ple, an uncertain food supply
and no adequate geographic in
formation about the area in
which we will work," he said.
The region is biologically un
explored."
He said, however, dial (lie
boa( would be slocked with
six - month's food supply and
would nrovidc purified water.
The team from MAItU has
been working in the area for
the past six months in an all
out program to isolate the virus,
determine what animals are
carrying the disease and find
the modes of transmission.
the excitement of the closing
day.
In its last days, the post of
fice was a study in contrasts
between the days of the wood
stove and the age which is
bringing millions of dollars of
new roads, new buildings, new
canals and moon rockets to
these sparsley populated piney
woods.
Next to dust - covered books
from the 1930s were the post of
fice's new zip number promo
tion leaflets. On bare old boards
on the post office porch was a
poster advertising a K-0 polio
campaign.
The post ollice had one room
for Mrs. Wright to work in and
a small foyer for residents to
pick up their mail. A wood stove
remained in use lor heat or
burning trash. A rolltop desk
contained books that went back
to 19.15. A rocking chair pro
vided a place for Mrs. Wright
to read mail order catalogs and
her Bible,
On the wall was a huge
framed certificate signed by
President Calvin Coolidge. Dat
ed Jan. 27, 1927, it named Mrs.
Wright postmistress of Logtown.
Behind the frame rested a
Bay St. Louis newspaper, dated
Aug. 12, 1938. It carried the
story of the death of Mrs.
Wright's sister.
Hit By Flood
The bottom of the rolltop
desk was faded badly, a result
of a lfffll flood that brought
more than a foot of Pearl Riv
er water into the post office
and forced Mrs. Wright to dis
tribute mail elsewhere for
three davs.
That flood was one of the
biggest disasters in Logtown
history. But it took the 1947
hurricane to halt Mrs. Wright's
mail service for one day the
only time it was interrupted in
her 36 years
The hurricane hit on rn-
day and I was told not to open
on Saturday." she said. "By
Monday the water was gone
but the place was filled with
mud from that old black river."
Mail once was delivered to
Electric Device Used To 'Milk' Venom From Bees
the post office directly from
the river. At one time it was
delivered twice a day.
"That was wonderful for a
place like this," she said.
Old green shades, each full of
holes, hang over the three
windows in the building. "Don't
pull them, the whole thing
might come down," Mrs. Wright
cautioned.
Attached to the front of the
building and extending above
the rusty tin roof was a paint
ed tree branch the post of
fice flag pole. Raising and low
ering the flag was another of
Mrs. Wright's jobs.
"This was a meeting place
for Logtown," she said. "Every
body came here."
Well, not everybody. Mrs.
Wright personally delivered
mail to residents who were
too old or ill to get to the post
office.
Will Be Missed
"People depended on me for
a lot of things," she said. Now
Mrs. Wright is moving to
nearby Pearlington, where she
was raised. She appeared to be
taking in stride the closing of
the post office, her retirement
and the condemning of Logtown.
The people will miss her and
she will miss them. "But I'll
keep busy doing my house
work," she said.
The day after she closed the
office an elderly Negro man
walked across the open field in
front of the building, a letter
in his hand. Mrs. Wright met
him at the porch.
"Reily," she said, "we don't
have any more mail here."
The old man looked at her in
disbelief.
"If we want to mail a letter
now we have to go to Pearling
ton," she told him.
"We do?" he asked.
"Yes, we have to go to
Pearlington, now," she said.
T h e o 1 d man mumbled and
walked away. Soon he too will
have to leave this area to make
way for moon rockets.
ITHACA, N.Y. (UPI) -Cornell
University scientists are out
to shock the venom out of hon
ey bees. They do it hy "elec
tric chairs."
Bee venom has not been wide
ly used in this country for med
ical purposes because sufficient
quantities for analysis or clini
cal testing have never been
available.
But, Prof. Roger A. Morse,
agriculturist of the New York
State College of Agriculture,
and graduate assistant Allen
W. Benton now report they have
perfected an electrical device
for mass collection ot the ven
om. The device a wooden frame
over which copper and steel
wires are stretched fits un
derneath the brood chamber of
a colony. Alternate wires are
charged, the others grounded,
so when a bee touches any two
consecutive wires the circuit is
completed.
The shocked and infuriated
bee then stings a piece of ny
lon parchment taffeta stretched
taut on a glass surface. Pure
venom, Morse said, is wiped
from the stinger and deposited
as clear crystals on the under
side of the taffeta. When dry,
it then can be scraped up with
a razor blade.
An average of 20 hives must
be "milked" to obtain a gram
of venom, he said
Three Accidents
Checked by Police
Medford police investigated
two non-injury vehicle colli
sions Monday, and one Tuesday.
No citations were issued.
Vern Waldo Buseman, 221
Vancouver Ave., reported that
a maple tree was hit by an auto
driven by Emil Stephen Knut
son, 972 Stewart Ave., on Mon
day. Sarah Sophronia Pierce, 1080
Stewart Ave., reported Sunday
that an unknown vehicle dam
aged three rose bushes and one
elm tree on her property.
Early yesterday, a vehicle dri
ven by David Harold Brandon,
17, of 2432 Crater Lake Ave.,
collided with a parked auto at
the corner of Crater Lake Ave
nue and Saling Street. The
parked auto was registered to
Ernest J. and Betty J. Cox, 412
Crater Lake Ave., police said.
highly irritating lo the mucous
membranes. They also have to
wear special clothing since not
only do the "stung" bees be
come irate but they release an
alarm odor that excites all oth
er bees in the vicinity.
" Morse said chemical analysis
and further testing of the ven
om were still necessary but
"we expeot the device will be
satisfactory for the collection of
vonnm from other species of
Collectors have to wear as- stinging social wasps and bees
pirators because the venom is I and perhaps even ants.
8G PROOF C1962, ECHO SPRING DISTILLERY, LOUISVILLE, KY.
HOLIDAYS CALL FOR
ECHO SPRING
again, again and again!
i SSi 1
BOURBON
rv
The bourbon gift of the "Ages"
now over 100 million bottles sold
Brilliantly wrapped and brightly priced!
$4.80
is 0t.
$3.05
Pint
Diphtheria Hits
Oklahoma Area
Halloween Drugs !
Bring Penalties ;
COLLINGSWOOD, N.' J. (UPI)
A man and woman have been J
fined $1,00 each for "reck
less disregard" in giving drugs
and tranquilizers lo a number
of children making "trick or
treat" calls last Halloween.
Frederick E. Waterhousc, 60,
of Collingswood, and Mrs. Edna
McCrory, 39, of Philadelphia,
were convicted by Municipal
Judge David Greenberg. They
also were given six months sus
pended sentences.
Four children testified durin"
(he seven hour (rial. John Rost
er, 8, testified he heard Mrs.
McCrorv laughing inside the
house after he and his (win j
brother had been given cello-
phane-wranped packages of
"candy pills." i
Mrs. McCrory admitted 1
laughing but said she was
amused at the costumes of the
two boys. She said she made
a m'stakc in thinking the pills
she found in a cookie (in in the I
Waterhousc home were candy.
The judge found Mrs.
McCrory guilty of reckless dis
regard for not having inquired
about the pills. He said Waler-
house was responsible for his
home and what was in it.
Waterhouse said (lie pills had
been prescribed for his lale wife
during her fatal illness.
Organization Event
Slated by Groups
A new program providing for
the organization of all general
contractors, specially contrac
tors, retailers of materials re
quired in the building industry,
wholesalers and mill operators
now operating in Jackson Coun
ty will be presented at a meet
ing in Medford Dec. 18, it was
announced today.
The meeting will be held in
the Carpenters Union Hall,
123's West Main St.. according
to J. B. Rarry of (he Pioneer
Construction Company, and Al
len W, Beltmann ot (he Carpen
ters Union. It will open at
7:30 p m.
Preceding presentation of the
! new program, matters relative
lo (he welfare of contractors
I operating in the Jackson County
area w ill be discussed.
The program, (he first of (his
i nature to be introduced, will lie
j accompanied by a summary of
the related provisions to ' (he
fife 1 1 - ''.V. ir-Tr:-Tr.--' "
THE SAILBOAT
THAT WOULDN'T DIE
1
1
AND THE MAN WHO
WOULDN'T LET HER
Grove and Silonm Springs. Ark
Health oldcials Inoculated 7110 public (In
Mill or Phon lot Rjrnllom.
Valid Ihru April M
persons Monday and 500 others
Inst Friday after the spreading
disease brought alarm.
Tuesday, persons from through
out the county (locked to Stil
well to lake part in the pro
gram. A total ol (i,875 doses for
children and adults were sent
lo Stilwell
Dr. T. Kirk Moslev. director
of the slate Health Department !
said the major emphasis now is I
on (he prevention of new cases.
"When (he critical aspect of
the epidemic Is over, we can
spend more lime on being de
leclives and tracking down the
Mt'lMW"
authorities and on (he general 1 h,rS
I,-,,, lui-utur i,i nu
clear tests?
i est builders, the (wo spokesmen
13
13SW!
Mrs. LiNill(r
Economy Anieufanca Service, Non-Emr rgenev for Medlord!
L I TW I LLE R ' s 1 1 Ahi,nd si.
C. M. litwilltr
Tho Oregon Funeral Plan
Guarantees pavwent ol last ex
penses. Insurable ages I to 90
scars Good anynhete in the
world, protects one or the
whole family. Call today.
CALL
482.281ft
FUNERAL HOME
Ashland
Peer J. Opienheimer re
ports the unusual adven
ture of a ship in distress
and the gallant Irish nov
elist who saved her in tho
DECEMBER 15TH
Weekend Issue of
Weekly
with your copy of Iht
MEDFORD
MAIL TRIBUNE
E. H. Hedrick Junior High School one of 17 schools in the Medford School District is
an example of the extensive educational facilities available to Jackson County youth.
Another way Pacific Power serves you in Jackson County. . ,
$1
,430 Per Day in Taxes
Pacific l'ower & Light is Jackson County's largest taxpayer.
Last year the Company paid $524,754 in local and state taxes
here. That's $1,430 per day! And much of this large tax pay
ment goes to support Jackson County schools. Roads, parks
and other essential community services also benefit. Over
tiie past ten years, PF&L taxes here have totaled more than
$4,600,000! They help make Jackson County a wonderful
place to live . . . another good reason why electric service from
Pacific Power & Light is today's biggest all-around value!
Pacific Power & Light Company
Your Partner in Jackson County Progress!