3 -u
3
36
aj. Hopkins,
By EVA HAMILTON
Mail Tribune Slaff Writer
"God help a wretched geolo
gist whose dam or reservoir
fails.
These are words of compas
sion spoken in Medford by a
man who reads of the Vaiont
Dam tragedy in the stricken
Piave Valley of Italy with an
understanding few men share.
The man is Maj. Maurice
Jayne Hopkins, 80, former as
sociate geologist, Rivers and
Harbors Division, Corps of En
gineers, U.S.A.
He has listened for the roar
of an avalanche moving down
the mountain. He has felt the
force of the wind which pre
cedes an avalanche on its
course; and he has known stark
fear for a dam constructed at
his location.
Also A Linguist
In addition to being a retired
geological engineer, Maj. Hop
kins is a linguist. He speaks
six languages. He is a big game
hunter, a fisherman and a man
of letters. He also is a descend
ant of Dr. David Jayne, Ameri
ca's colorful patent medicine
king of the 19th century.
More important, however, in
Maj. Hopkin's appraisal of him
self, is the fact that he is one
of the few surviving members
of that team which chose I ho
location of Grand Coulee dam,
which dwarfs all other concrete
or masonry structures in the
world.
Grand Coulee dam rests on
massive granite. The granite is
a remnant or the foothills of
the Okanogan Highlands, burled
in the Columbia lava plateau
millions of years ago.
Maj. Hopkins was invited lu
participate in the 30th Year
Celebration of the ground-breaking
for construction of the $9B0,
496.000 project last autumn. He
had to refuse on doctor's orders.
Invitation Is Authorized
The invitation was authorized
by H. T. Nelson, regional di
rector of Ihe United States De
partment of the Interior. But it
wouldn't have been received,
Maj. Hopkins said, if his Med
ford friend, Ralph Ettcl, Sr.,
hadn't informed Gov. Albert D.
Roscllini of Washington that he
was living and living in Med
ford. "The ranks of those who play
ed a part in the building of this
great project certainly are grow
ing thinner," Gov. Rosselini an
swered Ettcl's letter. "1 have
written to Harold T. Nelson, re
gional director of the U. S. Bu
reau of Reclamation, the agency
planninR the ceremony, In this
regard."
Later communications reveal
ed that extensive research was
carried on before Ihe invitation
. was issued to the major. It was
established that Maj. Hopkins
was a member of the Army
Corps of Engineers parly which
made the original studies on the
location of the dam. Then the
invitation was authorized by
Nelson. It came from Charles
Wcnclt, Jr., president of the Cou
lee Dam Chamber of C o m
merce. Explains Assignment
To locate Mich a colossal
structure demanded engineers
of experience and at least ono
geologist of long experience,
Hopkins explained his assign
ment to Ihe project.
Included were Maj. John S.
Butler, commander of the U.S.
Corps of Engineers, who was 52
years old at that time; and
President Herbert Hoover, who
launched the project, lie was
then 55. Maj. Butler died when
he was only 5H
Men in their mature years,
and maturity was essential to
that project, Maj. Hopkins em
phasized, "are not too often on
the scene 115 years later." With
this remark, the retired geolo
gist clarified Gov. Rosselini's
ltlllrl" lu 1111 ' "tf ui ine
r'"'is- several hundred yards down-
Ihe tragedy that can result stream on a side hill Othcr
from the wrong location of a wise, 1 might have been held
dam moved from theory into! entirely responsible for a disas
staik realism for Maj. Hopkins; tor rather similar to the Vaiont
when he participated In the in-! dam failure in Italy."
vcstigalion oi the SI. Francis' "While supervising the con-
Thti ddvcrliscnic'O is nul an nflcr to sell or An oHcr to buy .ins
Ihe oltcnng is made only by Ihe Prnsncctuv
New
OREGON
Copte of
B. W. Prlnsen
WAbash 6-5S27
234 Calapooia
Albany, Oregon
Ellit Byer
WAbaih 6-2618
Box 666
Albany, Oregon
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1963
I
I ' ' ',' 4
! '
I'OSES WITH THOI'IIIES Maj. M. J. Hop
kins,, a versatile citizen, has a wealth of
recollections to draw upon when confined to
his apartment. Sometimes memory returns
him to the English Channel where he watched
from a passenger ship while five British Moni
tors fired upon German forts along the Bel
gian coast in World Wnr I. Shells from the
dam catastrophe in Los Angeles I
County, California. There were
400 persons drowned in that
19211 dam failure. It was follow
ed by governmental determina
tion to investigate all probable
dam sites in California, Oregon,
Montana and Idaho. This experi
ence, Maj. Hopkins explained,
undoubtedly qualified him for
the Grand Coulee assignment.
Why Culled To Study
And why was ho called into
the Ml f rancis Dam invesliga
tion? Probably because of his
educational background and his
exiorienco in (he French Pyre
nees, he believes.
In the Pyrenees, Hopkins was
employed by the French Mining
Company, Socicto des Mines du
Couserans, to locate a dam and
equalizing reservoir on the head
waters of the River Lez. It was
about four miles from the moun
tain crest separating France
from Spain. That was in 1907,
three years after he had gradu
ated in engineering and geology
from the Royal Belgian Univer
sity of Liege, where he had
spent seven years. Translated
into English, his professional
rating, the major volunteered,
would be "economic geologist."
The situation in the Pyrenees
was not unlike that of the dam
in the Italian Piedmont which
failed
whole
last autumn, hurling a
mountainside into the
reservoir behind the dam, caus
ing a tidal wave that killed
everything in its path," Hop
kins staled.
"My dam." he continued,
"had a drop of about 1.000 feet :
and produced around 10.000 i
horsepower. The equalizing res-1
ervoir, lorlunalely, I Had placed i
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Geologist Who Helped Select Grand Coulee Site
Monitors, less than a mile away, showered the
passenger ship, Hopkins said, reminding him
of Civil War pictures. Other days, Maj. Hop
kins is hunting again in Alaska where iic
killed the 1,200-pound Kodiak bear and the
moose. In his future there is still a lot of fish
ing to be done.
struction of the dam my crew
and I were nearly destroyed,"
Maj. Hopkins began his report
of one of the most dangerous
incidents in his life.
There have been many
brushes with destiny," he inter
jected, adding that he is con
vinced he has tne hick oi tne
Irish or he wouldn't be hero to
tell the story with just the aid
of crutches.
"I had located my diversion
dam which was less than 100
fret side along the crest about
50 feet below a large side stream
of the River Lez. Both the river
and the side stream flowed over
steeply inclined beds," Maj.
Hopkins described the terrain.
"Consequently the roar of the
water was almost deafening.
We, therefore, did not hear the
oar of the huge avalanche
which rolled down the bed of
the side stream from above us.
First Warning tomes
"The first warning of the ava
lanche came when we were al
most blown off our feet by the
terrific wind which precedes a
large avalanche. Fortunately,
the avalanche stopped less than
;100 feet from us. Later I learned
that every few years this same
avalanche crossed the river
just above the dam, without dr- i
i straying it. however. My dam," :
lie declared with obvious pride, '
is still operating successfully
after 57 years. So far, none ut
the dams I have located has
failed, nor has any of the res
ervoirs." It was then that Maj. Hopkins,
with compassion dominating his
1.'
help a wretched geologist whose
dam or reservoir fails. I believe
thc geologist responsible for the
St. Francis Dam failure died of
grief a month after the catas
trophe. I am sorry for the geolo
gist on the Vaiont dam in
northern Italy."
Questioned about his relation-
any of
Verland Ernlson
WAbaih 8-8157
1023 W. 37th Ave.
Albany, Oregon
Hamilton Griffin
WAbaih 8-9142
628 S. Ferry
Albany, Oregon
ship with former President Her
bert Hoover, Ma. Hopkins said
he mot Herbert Hoover first in
London, lie started translating
a book, "Principles of Mining,"
Irom the English into the
French for Hoover. Hopkins
speaks both Belgian languages,
r lemish and Walloon, as well
as French. Hoover wanted him
to assist in the Belgian relief
program.
"If I had known then that he
was going to be president of
the United hln ;, I d have tak
en the job," ilopkins stated.
Work for Belgian Company
Both Hoover and Hopkins had
worked for a Bclgain com
pany before World War I.
In London, Ilopkins recalls,
Hoover borrowed two schillings
from him to pay for a hansom
ride. He still owes mo the two
schillings," Hopkins added.
During World War I, Hopkins
served first with the French in
Ihe Red Cross Ambulance de
tail. When the United Slates en
tered the war he joined the
Combat Engineers.
Hopkins' half sister was wife
of the ambassador to the Court
of King Albert. During this per
iod he served as a military at
tache to Belgium. It was
through this position that he
met Mrs. Hoover but only be
cause ne was translating ner
husband's book, he added.
Hopkins was Ihe lowest rank
ing officer, he related, at a din
ner party at the American Em
bassy. He sat by Mrs. Hoover's
secretary.
Was Dry Dinner
"It was a dry dinner," he
commented. "No wine was
served because the United
States was then enforcing pro
hibition and the embassy had
to follow suit."
Hopkins was introduced to
Mrs. Hoover after someone told
her he was translating her hus-'
Band s Hook.
"Unfortunaltelly." he lament
ed, "the translation was never
finished because I was sent to
Africa." I
"In later years, after the St.
Francis Dam disaster, it was j
President Hoover," Hopkins!
noted, "who ordered an invest
igation of foundations as well 1
as abutments and the reservoir
walls and bottom by ail Rivers
and Harbors Divisions of the
Corps of Engineers."
The St. Francis disaster, ac
cording to Maj. Hopkins, result-1
rd from a faulty geological
sliidy. The geologist overlooked
Police Investigate i
Alcohol Deaths i
riiiLADKLrniA turn -
Twenty skid row deaths from
wood alcohol poisoning in the!
last three days were reported '
Thursday. ' j
City Medical Fxaminer .loseph i
W. Spelman. who reported the!
deaths, said hospitals also had
a number of persons being
treated for wood alcohol poison
ing Spelman said an investigation
into the source of the alleged
illegal wood alcohol has been
stalled by his office in cooper-!
atiou with the police.
)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
the presence of gypsum under
the foundations. The gypsum
gradually dissolved and caused
a lesion under the dam founda
tion and the dam collapsed.
Maintains Seattle Office
Hopkins was living on Bain-
bridge Island at the time and
maintaining a consulting geolo
gist's office in Seattle. He at
tended the reserve officers'
luncheons in Seattle and there
met Maj. John S. Butler, com
mander of the U. S. Corps of
Engineers.
Needing a geologist, Maj.
Butler asked Hopkins if he
would serve under him on this
investigation.
If any of the 10 or 12 dams
recommended failed for geolog
ical reasons, Maj. Hopkins re
called, he was to be held "total
ly responsible." Both Maj. But
ler and Hopkins were subject to
military law, and could be court
martialed for insubordination.
"Actually, we were later
threatened with a court martial
for not keeping our mouths
shut, as ordered, when we ad
vanced the superiority of the
Grand Coulee project over the
Spokane river project," Hop
kins recalled in recounting the
early days of planning for the
giant self - liquidating project.
"But how right we were. The
Spokane river project would
have irrigated a mere 200,000
acres instead of the eventual
1.4 million acres in the Grand
Coulee."
Work on Locating Dam
The actual work of locating
the Grand Coulee, which is
three times the size of the
Great Pyramid of Gizeh, which
for 7,000 years loomed as the
world's largest man - made
structure, was assigned to Hop
kins. Maj. Butler lull the organ
izing of the dam and reservoir
investigation to Hopkins. He
spent two years on the investi
gation. He knew you couldn't
build a dam on basalt and that
the four miles of granite in the
canyon was the only place for
Study of Glue
Sniffing Reveals
Uniform Pattern
By DELOS SMITH
DPI Science Editor
NEW YORK (UPI) - A
thorough scientific study of the
child s intoxicating vice of glue
sniffing turned up a surprisingly
uniform personality pattern
among the addicted sniffers.
Their pattern was marked by
failure to find suitable outlets
for aggressive and sexual drives
which all children have and
which normally are expressed
in harmless ways.
This, said the scientists, "was
probably because of the lack of
a dominant male figure in the
home with whom they could
identify. The sensations induced
by glue sniffing often serve as
a means of alleviating the anxi
ety associated with these drives.
"Most of these children were
similar psychologically to adult
alcoholic patients, and it seems
not unlikely that many of them
will substitute alcohol for glue
as they become older."
First Scientific Approach
The study made use of the
relevant scientific disciplines
physiology, chemistry, psychi
atry, psychology and sociology.
It was believed to be the first
broad - based scientific ap
proach to an ever - spreading
and deepening juvenile menace,
particularly in cities.
It was undertaken by Ihe Uni
versity of Colorado Medical
Center in Denver. The subjects
were 25 boys and 2 girls 10 to
16 years old who had come to
attention of authorities because
of law-breaking and frequent in
toxication tfrom glue sniffing)
in classrooms or on playgrounds.
I
I
A Tribute to ... .
Medford Postoffice
Workers ...
Trm Christmas season saw the Med
ford poslofficc and substations set
new high records for volume of mail
handled ... and a record for the
speed and efficiency in which the
mountains of greeting cards, gift
packages and all types of mjtl were
dispatched to the people in this area.
We are glad to salute Postmaster Al
Bradford and his staff for a job well
done!
Medford Pharmacy I
101 North Central, Corner 6th 772-6253
We Salute Our Town! ;
the construction. He didn't
waiver in his conviction.
Looking out the windows of
Rogue Valley Manor, where
Maj. and Mrs. Hopkins now
make their home, he enjoys the
view but memory's eyes pro
vide him with more varied
scenes. He has traveled
throughout the world and lived
on many continents. Australia,
he said, is the only one he has
missed.
Hopkins and his twin brother
were born in Geneva, Switzer
land. His mother was injured
during a visit there in an acci
dent when carriage horses ran
away. She was, as a result, un
able to leave Switzerland until
after the birth.
Although definitely Ameri
can, the Hopkins family had
deep roots in Europe. Maj.
Hopkins' father, W. A. Hop
kins, founded the first Ameri
can Morning News in Paris
and he also had an interest in
Le Matin in Paris. The morn
ing newspaper was later sold to
Gordon Bennett, who converted
it into the Paris edition of the
New York Herald.
Lc Matin went through sev
eral sales. Unfortunately, Hop
kins reveiwed the history with
regret, the editor during the
German occupation of France
collaborated with the Germans
and was executed with Mon
sieur Pierre Laval, who be
came premier of Vichy France
in 1942. Le Matin vanished at
the close of World War II, he
said.
With this journalistic back
ground, it is not surprising that
Maj. Ilopkins has done consid
erable writing. Five hundred
copies of his "Fishing In the
North Pacific," were distribu
ted to the Navy, and 500 copies
of another publication, "Secrets
of Sea Fishing," were distribu
ted to the Army. Both were il
lustrated with Hopkins' own
drawings, another evidence of
his versatility.
Explaining the crutches he is
Physical and chemical exam
inations of the children revealed
no abnormalities which could be
attributed to their addiction,
and the scientists concluded
that it "probably is physically
harmless to most children."
fsychiatrically the boys ex
hibited some degree of chronic
depression, and all related tn
peers and authorities in a pas
sive-aggressive manner, and
scientists reiwrtcd. "The intoxi
cation produced by glue sol
vents was considered to have
helped the child avoid the anxi
ety that would otherwise have
accompanied his hostile or sex
ual impulses.
Anti-Social Acts
"Most of these children had
been involved in anti-social acts
ranging from truancy and shop
lifting to attempted homicide
while sniffing glue, and tended
to blame the resultant intoxica
tion for their delinquent be
havior." Nearly all the boys were from
Denver slum areas. The scien
tists found a direct connection
between the addiction and de
linquency. But "because of fam
ily disorganization, residential
area and gang participation (al-
1 ready) delinquent children are
j more likely to become initiated
i and inhabituatcd," they said,
i In their view, "glue sniffing
appears to be a new symptom
of an old disease social and
! emotional deprivation of child
ren." They recommended legis
lative action without specify
ing the action to "control"
juvenile addictions.
The reporting scientists were
required to use, the enthusiastic
angler and big gams hunter said
they were a souvenir of 20 years
in the saddle. During his many
days of horseback riding, Maj.
Hopkins added, he received re
peated injuries. Upon several
occasions his horse stumbled
into a badger hole, fell and roll
ed on him.
Every year for five years
Hopkins went into Alaska. It
was in the Yukon that he bagged
the big game trophies that deco
rate his apartment an Alaska
black bear, a Kodiak bear, a
moose and a caribou.
The bears, he revealed, were
shot for the government in a
project which revealed another
facet of his versatile back
ground. He was collecting para
sites from fur bearing animals
in a scientific study ordered by
a team from the Bureau of
Entomology to study the Mos
quito menace of 1932.
Again, it was an experience in
Spain which qualified Hopkins
or me jod. ne naa carried on
a similar project there for the
Institute of Te Rul.
Asked if he had hunted big
Three Accidents
Reported in Area
A car driven by James Jones,
16, Medford, went out of control
on the Little Switzerland Road
on Roxy Anne Friday night and
rolled over, according to the
Jackson County Sheriff's depart
ment.
The driver and passenger
were wearing scat belts and re
ported no injuries, sheriff's dep
uties reported. They told depu
ties that the power brakes lock
ed on the front wheels.
A car driven by Tsutomu Shi
mozato, 27, Seattle, Wash.,
struck a divider guardrail Fri
day at the Crater Lake exit on
Interstate 5, but only minor
damage resulted.
Shimozato hit his brakes and
attempted to avoid a car park
ed on the exit roadway, he told
state police.
Cars driven by Elton Percy
Taylor, 38, Grants Pass, and
Richard D. Landis Jr., 17, of
Route 4, Box 45 A, Medford,
collided on U.S. 99 Friday at
the entrance to Jackson Hot
Springs, police said.
Food Mixers Most
Duplicated Gilt
LOS ANGELES (UPI) - The
most duplicated Christmas gift
this year: electric food mixers. !
The most duplicated toy gift:
bow and arrow sets. !
The least wanted Christmas
present: silver candle snuffers.
That's the essence of the .
post - Christmas communique
from Gift Exchange, an organi-!
zation which specializes in
swapping unwanted gifts for 20 j
per cent of the gift's retail !
value. !
I Tirt niiynr N Mncvnnnuln
Helen H. Glasor, Robert E. Le
Lievre, J. B. Dodds, and Mary
E. Klock. They reported to the
New England Journal of Mcdi-
cine.
please care ...
So others
may eat
every SI delivers a Food
Crusade package to hungry
people across the world
More tit an half ihr people on eurlh do
not hnvc enough to ml. Through
(..-REs Food Oumtc ou help fevi
mil tint id of thr hungry no! for jut a
mm) or two. hul long mouh lo ftiw
thrnt iirrnRth lo help llntntehr.
From our farm n bund mire, thr X.S.
HnntWr Food for Ponce. CARE arid
other Mnplc. p.irk various units to
match country nerd. F.ery SI you give
dclirr a park a ice ,diipncd to nourish
srhnnl rhihlrrn. infant, orphan rrfu
ct, dtniifttrr victim, drftitntr fit mil in.
F.vrrv packugc you provide hrar your
ttamr and AihlrpM. o thai thr recipient
know their friend in America. CARE'
American taff in each area upervi.ie
delierir to hne ho need help most.
SI. $10. MOO nr ul.at
1 TV
game in Africa, the major said
his plans there were disrupted
by a bout with malaria.
Although European-educated,
Hopkins is proud of his Ameri
can heritage. His mother's an
cestors landed in America in
1663, he said, and settled on
Long Island. His father's an
cestors landed in Boston in 1710
and settled in Vermont. He was
one of a family of 11 children
and because of his f a t h e r's
business ventures in France was
raised with a "retinue of ser
vants," most of them French
peasants. As a result he knew
French better than any other
language.
The young Hopkins was sent
to England, however, for his
schooling. He was the o nly
"Yank" at Charterhouse, class
ed with Eton and Harrow in
that "esteemed trio of English
public schools."
"That's where I got my Eng
lish accent," he pointed to the
Charterhouse heading. "People
are always taking me for an
Englishman."
Maj. Hopkins was in Brussels
when Germany entered World
j War I. He narrowly escaped be
ing snot tor a spy wnen he in
sisted upon going through the
German lines. Germany had oc
cupied Brussels as it did again
in World War II. It was in an
effort to get his money out of
the Brussels bank that Hopkins
pushed through the line.
Joins Ambulance Corps
His family in Brittany lived
next door to Baron Rothschild,
who talked Hopkins into joining
the ambulance corps. It was
operating out of the much pub
licized Grand Hotel.
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MEDFORD
When the United States enter
ed World War I, Hopkins en
listed in the Combat Engineers.
Viewing the international
background and the rich experi
ences of this man, the interview
er couldn't resist asking: "What
do you find of interest in Jack
son County, Oregon?"
Before the sentence was com-
i pleted the probable answer
came in the Major s invitation.
"Let's all go fishing soon,
very soon," he urged. "I do like
to go fishing."
Especially appropriate
to answer those last
minute Chris.. naa
card's you receive!
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vour mailbox
InaA tTUMilf . I
I
("r
.vM - 10
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MAIL TRIBUNE