County Unit
Bigger Than
Connecticut
Klamath District Wealthiest
In Oregon; Itt History
It Told Hero
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tlm arranged by tria Lraaua of Wotnra
Volar. Thia atory was nrt-parad by lha
aafataBM of County bcoool Supanntradtat
Frad Pateraon. and la atrviafly rmMBCiand
ad ta alav of tba Raad for a fullar public
andarataxdlng of tha oparalloiu of taa
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yHE first school district in
what Is now Klamath Coun
ty was organized early in the
80's or the late 70s. The first
district was located in Klamath
Falls. Then followed Bonanza,
which was of considerable im
portance in the early history of
the county. The third district
was on Topsy Grade.
From that time on, the terri
tory that now comprises Klam
ath County was cut up into num
erous districts, many of them
having large areas and also many
of them having great wealth
Others were very poor. It was
a county of extremes. There were
districts that had as much as
$100,000 per school pupil in val
uation. There were others that
had as little as $1000 per child.
A mill of tax in the wealthy dis
tricts raised as much as $1500.
In the poorer ones, one mill
would raise as little as $15.
A system organized upon the
district basis, such as that of
early Klamath county, would
operate with some satisfaction
when school needs were small
and the communities were lo
cated where wealth might be
available. However, when the
Industrial centers grew up and
especially when settlement began
in suburban areas where there
was little value and many peo
ple, naturally hardships were in
voked upon the areas of little
wealth. One of the principal
reasons for the adoption of the
county unit was to equalize as
sessed values between the
wealthy districts and the poor
districts of the county.
At the time of the adoption
of the county unit, people were
becoming transportation mind
ed, and a school bus system can
not operate successfully where
district lines impose meaningless
and difficult limitations. The
administration of a school sys
tem as it becomes larger makes
the matter of selection, place
ment and supervision of teachers
too difficult and involved for
the district system. The type
and character of buildings, then
erection, operation and main
tenance also need trained super
vision. Is May, 1922, the people of
Klamath county organized the
territory outside of the Klamath
Falls city school district into a
county district. The county dis
trict contained at that time ap
proximately 1000 pupils. It bad
a school census of children be
tween the ages of four and
twenty of 1844. In the nineteen
years since the adoption of the
county school district, the school
population has grown to 4941,
and the census is 7379.
Klamath county school district
is the largest school district in
Oregon, and also the wealthiest,
outside of the city of Portland.
The maximum length of the
district is 112 miles; the maxi
mum width Is 72 miles. It con
tains approximately 6500 square
miles of territory. It is thus
larger than the state of Connecti
cut, and almost twice the com
bined areas of Rhode Island and
Save My Dog
Our Nellie, here, Isn't so little,
but she's a real heroine. The
8-year-old German police dog
smelled smoke, barked an alarm
until she collapsed from the
fumes and exhaustion, then was
dramatically, if ungracefully,
rescued from blazing Washing
ton, D. C, apartment building
by fireman.
0 Ct
Jiy JS
"''JflfWaWaal
s
IN WONDER TOWN This
unit system.
Delaware. The population is
approximately 24.000. The set
tlements are centered more or
less in a few valleys, and in-
austrial centers. Lumbering is
the only industry, outside of
farming and stock raising. The
population is somewhat equally
divided between farms and the
industrial centers.
The district has within its
borders 228.7 miles of main line
railroad and 84.73 miles of side
track.
The valuation of Klamath
county school district is some
what in excess of $20,000,000,
About two-thirds of this valua
tion is public service property
and timber lands. The other
one-third is farm property, per
sonal property, and city lots. It
is, therefore, readily seen that
the large values of Klamath
county school district are timber
and public service property. Un
der the county school district
plan, these values contribute
equally with all other property
to the support of all the schools
There have been organized in
Klamath county 72 school dis
tricts of which 28 are now oper
ating as sub-districts. The others
have been discontinued. The
larger school centers are as fol
lows: name Av. Daily
Membership
Bonanza 379
Keno 179
Fairhaven ?7
Shasta 302
Malin 257
Merrill 268
Gilchrist
.215
Summers
Henley
124
.358
480
162
Chiloquin
Sprague River
Altamont 730
Smaller centers are located at
Weyerhaeuser Camp No. 4, Fort
Klamath, Hildebrand, Lamm's
Camp, Crystal, Swan Lake, Al
goma, Beatty, Modoc Point, Kirk,
Crescent Lake, Chemult, Odessa,
and Pelican Bay Camp. The
average daily membership of
these smaller centers would run
all the way from that of five at
Crystal to a membership of ap
proximately fifty at Algoma.
Klamath county school district
employs a teaching force of 181.
In each of the larger centers
there is a local school superin
tendent. The general administrative
control of the school system is
vested in a superintendent, an
elementary supervisor, a music
supervisor, and an attendance
supervisor. The legal control of
the district is vested in a coun
ty school board of five members.
In each sub-district there is elect
ed a local school committee of
three members. The members
of the local school committee act
as the advisers of the superin
tendent, and have local control
of certain matters, but to a large
extent their function is advisory.
The matter of hiring teachers,
erecting school buildings, pur
chasing buses, routing of buses,
and the other things that go to
operate a school system are un
der the control of the county
school board.
ADDED HAZARD
CHICAGO (JP) Herbert
Holmes and Earl Peterson were
cruising at 1000 feet in a rent
ed airplane when a cylinder
head blew off.
Holmes cut the ignition and
peered around for a place to
land. He put his shin into a
glide and headed for a golf
course, alive with 300 players.
The ship made a perfect land
ing on the fourteenth fairway.
just an easy No. 7 iron shot
from the green.
,: .si,
Is the new school at Gilchrist, a
. RURAL HIGH This it a
FOR BLY YOUTH This is
ath county.
J
1 1 .1 iaifi'
1 t
M472,K.i.':S': .a
r -"at, "
7 V Xzfrr':V', ,
. IN SUBURBS The- Klamath
Interior view of the library at
(- f. -..
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i( y 'y
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ft l.wnvtl
I-
IhiaiaaWaatl :ar.iaii; II l naimi aaaaaaaaaa.aaaaaaaaaaaaiaaaaatiaa.a,..,.,,,
THE CONTRAST! Typical of the old fashioned, one-room schools of earlier days was the
Vinson school In Langell valley, shown here. It was in operation until about 1915. Compare It
with the modern buildings shown on this page. Some counties still have schools similar to this.
lL:.rilH
-
orth.rn Klamath county "wonder
front view oi the Keno high school.
the comparatively new school
V v. Jm.
- alW
suburban elementary schools
Altamont Junior high school,
.
town,"
a part of the county
building at Blr in eastern Klam
are In the county unit. This Is a
aaaata.-yy.ayt I -iW.
fi1 J' a 1 I I V 1,1
The Battle of the Giants
Her Are Thrilling Eye-Witness Accounts
Of the Sinking of Bismarck and Hood,
World's Greatest Battleships
AN ENGLISH PORT, May $1
The chief petty officer
of a British warship which
brought In, survivors of the 35,-
000-ton German battleship Bis
marck told today how British
sheila "banged hell out of her"
before three "steel fish" tor
pedoes sent- the pride of the
German navy to the Dottom.
Approximately 100 officers and I
men were rescued from the Bis-
marck, sunk in a flaming sea
battle last Tuesday morning. I
The petty officer L. R. Crock-1
er. save the following eye-wit-:
nets account of the Bismarck's
last bitter hours:
"We sighted the Bismarck
about B a. m. Tuesday. She was
then engaged and doing barely I
10 knots. I
"She fired a number of salvors I
which came over the top. We
gava her three salvors tor'ard.
The Bismarck had to be destroy
ed and we were out to do it.
Fires at Rodney
"I could see explosions burst
ing aboard the German, which
was concentrating tier fire main
ly on the Hodm-y (British bat
tleship). I guru the nans were
surprised to see us. It's my be
lief, anyway, that thry didn't
spot us until our salvoes crashed
Into thrm.
"Now the Bismarck was afire,
but her guns were still roaring
"At the end of an hour's ac
tion, the Bismarck stopped mov
ing altogether. The Hodney and
another British battleship were
banging hell out of her."
As Crocker gave his dramatic
description of the battle. British
officials said the rescue of the
Bismarck's survivors had to be
halted because of the persistence
of German bombers attacking
British warships while the
drowning men were being drag
ged from the water.
Continuing his story, Crocker
declared:
As we went In closer to do
our stuff, I saw our shells knock
the brains out of the Bismarck.
We smashed her after-control
and the fire aboard her was
spreading.
"But the nazis had guts.
"The Rodney knocked her
after-turret clean out until it
was hanging over the side. The
Bismarck was now ablaze from
stem to stern, and her guns at
last were silent."
'The order came to sink the
Bismarck, and we banged her
like the devil with our guns
giving her roughly 40 salvoes.
"After that, we put two steel
fish Into the starboard side. I
saw many of the nazla waving
coats as the Bismarck's stern
was awash. The weather was
blowing hard by this time and
visibility was low. That's how
we surprised her.
'The torpedoes lifted her
bodily out of the water. What
a sight! Then a cruiser from
port side slammed a third tor
pedo into her, and that finished
Faith in America and Coast
Expressed by Phone Chief
By BOB LEONARD
A marked faith in the future
of America and particularly the
Pacific coast was expressed here
this week by N. R. Powley,
president of the Pacific Tele
phone and Telegraph company.
Powley, on a stopover in
spection tour of the new Klam
ath Falls telephone building, said
he was gratified by the recep
tion the city has given the new
structure and the recently-in
stalled dial system. The wire
leader was on his way back to
San Francisco after greeting Ore
gon members of the Bell sys
tem s Pioneer club in Eugene.
It Is a mistake, he said in res
ponse to a reporter's inquiry, to
predict a given future for Ameri
ca or any part thereof on the
basis of unknown factors. Al
though one phase of economic
activity may falter, Powley In
dicated,, others yet unborn will
take its place.
A deep-seated conviction In
the unity of America was evi
dent in the veteran telephone
man remarks. The unity is
there, he asserted, although the
country may have different
opinions on how best to achieve
its goal.
For Americans as Individuals,
Powley maintained, there lies a
need for a greater crusading
faith with service as its object,
for the world, a renewal of
the attributes of decency, honor
and respect between men.
Apparent through a half-hour
conversation with the telephone
executive, was his lasting belief
in min i spiritual values. The
world,. Powley said, cannot af
ford o destroy those values in
favor of material things. Mater
ial gain is but an expression of
spiritual Ideals, he stated.
'No society," according to Pow-1
Did Bismarck
Have 50,000
Tons?
LONDON, May 31, AP
The Bismarck was a 50,000
ton vessel Instead of the 33,
000 carried in official regis
ters, a British naval officer
who participated in the Ger
man battleship's destruction
declared Friday,
Such a tonnage would have
made the lllsniarrk world's
largest warship. The 42.000
ton battle cruiser Hood,
which the Bismarck destroy
ed, had long been classed as
the world's lariirst.
"The Bismarck was un
doubtedly far above any
thing we had thought of,"
said the officer.
her off. It was the last shot
fired.
"The Bismarck stood up for
a few seconds and gradually
keeled over towards the port
side.
No Raits
"Then she turned right over,
showing hrr keel, and slid bark
As she disappeared she seemed
to break up.
"There were a lot of Jerries
in the water and there was noth
ing for thrm to hold onto not
even a raft although some of
them were wearing Japanese
lifebelts.
It thry had had rafts or
bo)U mon ot ,nfm would h,vt)
been saved.
"We steamed up to the sur
vivors and started picking them
up.
'There were roughly about
eight (In one group) and they
were punch drunk with gunfire
and didn t know whether thry
were coming or going.
"German submarines and air
craft were reported and this
caused rescue work to be sup
ped. We beat it.
'There were no casualties on
our ship.
"I couldn't understand a ship
of the type of the Bismarck not
having rafts. The biggest thing
I saw afloat in the water was a
piece of timber about six feet
long.
"On the run back to this coun
try one of the survivors died
and was buried at sea.
"We didn't have the nazl
ensign to use at the burial so
an old German imperial ensign
was used.
"All nazl officers and men
on deck gave the nazl salute s
the remains went over the side
Full naval honors were carried
out by the British officers and
men.
"A former nazl naval attache
In London who was one of those
saved gave short thanks to the
British officers. He said, 'It is a
bad policy to pick up any sur
vivors in wartime.' That nazl
seemed very indifferent whether
ne was rescued or not. '
ley, "can long remain unless its
members abide by the truth they
una ana Keep, For each per
son, contentment lies In the find
ing or his beliefs and convic
tions." Of any single thine. Powlev
Is perhaps proudest of his elec
tion to the presidency of the
Telephone Pioneers of America
an organization of over 81,000
telephone veterans of 21 or
more years of service.
From the wholo of our Inter.
view with the intently earnest
utility leader we gathered a
forceful impression that Pow
ley's entire life had been bufll
on a basic stone of scrvlceSi
service to fellow employes, serv
ice to customers, service to coun
try, service to life.
N. H. Powley
By J. H. N. NIXON
Reuters Special Correspondent
With the Royal Navy
LONDON, May 31 1 wutchsd
"Kltl n tfliatlla" Uhl-h
culminated In the sinking ol
the as,000-ton German battle
ship Bismarck.
Standing on the bridge of one
of his majesty's ships 1 saw Ilia
41,100-ton 11MS Hood, long the
world's largest warship, go
down only 200 or 300 yards
sway with hrr guns still firing.
The end of tiie mighty Hood
was an almost uubrlievablfa.
nightmare. Shortly after tlia'
engagement ben u 11 sholls hit the
21-year-old battle cruiser.
There was a bright shevt of'
flame and alio blew up.
Parts of hrr great hull ware
thrown hundreds of frrt Into
the air and In a few minutes
all that remained was a patch
of smoke on the water and
some small bits ot wreckage.
Tho battleship Prince of
Wales was hit soon afterward
by a 15 Inch naval shell but the
damage was slight.
Pursuit
The "battle ot the giants"
was the climax of a cluiae by
the Hood and Prince of Wales
and their accompanying drstroy
era at lop speed to prevent the
Bismarck from brruking out In
to the Atlantic to attack con
voys. Pursuit began off Iceland and
continued hour after hour iuj
the eerie half-light ot an Arvw
tic night.
The cruisers Suffolk and Nor
folk, which had been shadow,
ing the Bismarck since the big
vessel left Bergen, Norway,
kept Die Hood and Prince of
Wales Informed of her move
ments and thus helped find the
quarry.
It did not get completely dark
at any time that night.
We sighted tho enemy at 8
a. m., when a curtain of anew
suddenly lifted.
For some mavcos cut ships -
sped on toward the Germans to
shorten tho range.
They too (the Germans) turn
ed In toward their pursuers and
the world s biggest warships
were thundering toward each
other at a combined speed of
probably more than 60 miles
an hour.
The tension of waiting for tla..
battle to begin became acute.
The "open fire" order was
given by signal.
Almost simultaneously, or
ange-gold flame burst with a
roar from the Hood's forward
guns. Within three seconds
puffs of black smoke shot out
from the Bismarck as she open
ed fire.
The Prince of Wales' guns
then began firing. Dense clouds
of yellow cordite smoke en
veloped her bridge. She was to
the left of the Hood, two or
three hundred yards away, and
still surging forward on a paral
lel course.
Fountains of Water
Fountains of water shot up
in her wako first about 100
yards behind her and then only
50 yards astern.
The Hood thundered on an
then, suddenly, she was hit. w
A shell, or shells, appeared
to fall just forward of one of
her after 15-Inch gun turrets
and great flames and heavy
black smoke burst from her.
The Hood continued to fire '
and still raced forward.
What happened next was a
strangling, sickening sight.
There was a terrific explosion
and the whole ot a vast ship
was enveloped In a flash of
flame and smoke which rose
high into the air in the shape
of a giant mushroom.
Sections of funnels, masta
and other parts of the ship
hurtled hundreds of feet into
the air and some of them foil
on our ship.
The Hood's bow tilted verlU
cally Into the air and within
threo or four minutes she wag
gone entirely. w
A destroyer was diverted to
rescue work and managed to
pick up three of the ship's com
pany two seamen and a mid.
shipman.
All this time the Prince nf
Wales continued pouring shells
at the Bismarck. More than
once spurts of water showed she
was straddled.
Again shells from the Bis.
marck crashed near the Prince
of Wales, but she come out of
the battle with little damage.
1 n e n tno Bismarck turned
away to be mirsucd all thni
day and night and tho next day
over the Atlantic at top speed.
Twice during the night the
Prince of Wales fired salvos and
aircraft mado attacks.
finally thcro camo the it mm.
atic message that the cruiser
Dorsetshire had torpedoed thnsi.
Bismarck. f
Civlllnn pilot tralnlnt?
are given in approximately 700
colleges and 211 non-rnllooa.
units.