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About Vernonia eagle. (Vernonia, Or.) 1922-1974 | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1942)
Thursday, May 28, 1942______________________________________ Vernonia, Columbia County, Oregon______________________________________ Volume 19, Number 22 Only Stamps, Bond to be Sold 15 Min. Funds for Marshal’s Uniform to Be Solicited by Chamber Guard to Be Sworn in Colonel W. Woodbridge of the U. S. Army (Ret.), will be at the Washington grade school at 7:00 p.m. on June 3 to muster in those who signed up for the state guard unit here. Everyone interested in that unit should be there. Japanese Tell sus- About New Life All Vernonia retailers will pend all sales of merchandise at 12:00 o’clock noon on July 1, and devote fifteen minutes to selling W..r Savings Stamps and Bonds ex clusively, as the chamber of com merce has agreed to cooperate 100% with the treasury department in this nation-wide program. This act will launch the nation- wide July campaign of “Retailers for Victory.” The commercial group was asked to cooperate in a tele gram sent them by Benjamin H. Hamm, chairman of the Retail Ad- cisory Committee of the U. S. Treasury Department. Since the efforts of the chamber of commerce to have the city buy uniforms for its officers were too late to enable funds to be included in the budget, the group is going to see that the city marshal is uni formed. They will solicit business houses for funds to buy the uni- forms. 4-H Scholarships Awarded Two Here Toshi Kuge, who is remembered by many as student body president of Vernonia high school in 1934-35, found himself in a position of great importance, as he went to live in the Japanenese assembly center in North Portland. He, another med- ical student, and one doctor, have the health of the entire center in their hands. These three are so busy that sleeping and eating are almost neglected. Mr. Kuge took his pre-medics course at the University of Oregon, He had been studying at the Univer- sity of Oregon Medical School be- fore the evacuation order was issued. Since Japanese may attend Mid-western colleges, Mr. Kuge may continue his study at the Univer sity of Louisville. in Kentucky Life in Center Explained More about life in the assembly center was learned from a letter written by Kerry Soejima, a Ver- nonia high school graduate of this year who lived at Wilark with her family. Parts of her letter that may interest Vernonians are reprinted here. She says: “ . . . Our new ad- venture is-quite something. I never have seen so many Japanese people in so big of a “cluster” as this! If I were to close my eyes just for a minute I’d bump into my “evac- uee friends” left and right . . . “Today I am going to apply for a waitress job, but do not know whether I will get it or not. There is so much time that I can afford to work . . . The only drawback I hold against this is that there is sc little room and no privacy. There is a room on three sides of us and a hall with people going by all the time, and we have no door, just a drape ... I believe this place is very clean and the washroom and shower is very sanitary . . . Only children under six can get milk, but I wish that we older Could drink seme. Sometimes we get sugar, then other times we don’t. . . “We have a library, recreation hall, and a big arena converted in to a gym in which to pass your lei sure time, but I don’t feel like stay ing in one place so very long be cause I feel so unsettled. All and all, I can tell you, I guess I’m en joying myself immensely. Please let my friends know I’m still think ing of them and wish them well.” Recipients of Columbia County scholarships to the annual Corvallis 4-H summer school (June 2-13) were decided by the scholarship award committee which met at the court house in St. Helens on May 18. Among the winners were Pat ricia Moran, and Bill Crawford, both active 4-H’rs in Vernonia. Miss Moran received the St. Hel ens Kiwanis award. Mr. Crawford received his from the fair board, Marian Hoisheimer, a junior in Scappoose high school, was chosen as an outstanding girl worthy of the fair ' board award. The St. Helens branch of the U. S. Nation al Bank will this year award its scholarships to two St. Helens high school students, Juanita Steward, Yankton, and Allan Jones, Goble. The J. C. Penney store in St. Hel ens, which alternates its scholarship between boys and girls, will this year give its award to Jesse Stew ard, who lives in Yankton and at tends the St. Helens high school. The following boys and girls were chosen as first and second alternates in the order given: girls —Anna Marie Rylander of Warren, end Etha Morris, of Keasey; boys —'Gene Gregory, of Goble, and Harlan Rennell's, of Deer Island. Age, years in club work, clubs start ed and clubs finished, county, state Meeting Place Changed and international prizes Received, Mrs. Nola Ijrady’s first-aid class and leadership were important fac- will now meet on Monday nights at tors used by the committee in mak- 7:30, in J. C. Lincoln’s Men’s Store, ing the final decisions. she announces. Funeral Held In Louisiana d Richard Franklin Roberson, who lived on the Mist route and was operating millwright at the Oregon- American Lumber company, died at the Emanuel Hospital on May 20, after being taken there on Mon day. Mr. Roberson’s remains were forwarded May 21 to Monroe, Lou isiana, for services and interment, accompanied by the widow, Mrs. Mary Anice Roberson. Mr. Roberson was born January 6, 1884. in Arkansas and has lived in Oregon four years. Stores Will Close Saturday Since Memorial' Day is a legal hol iday, local stores have annouced that they will remain closed at that time. These include the grocery, hardware, dry goods, and furniture stores. Drug stores will keep Sun day hours, closing from 2:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon. In Australia * Word was received here that five local boys, namely; Sergeants George Turner and ElneeV -Michener, Corporal Glen HML. M)4- triva'es Frank Lusby and alB Ada Md ar rived, last week, -afeqrh AWHUls, Early Settler Of Vernonia Dies May 25 Services to Be Held at 2:00 p.m. Today, Bush Parlor Hiram Daniel' Van Blaricom, one of Vernonia's first settlers, passed away at 12:35 p.m., on May 25. Services will be held on Thursday, May 28, at 2:00 p.m., at the Bush Funeral Home, with Reverend Liv ingstone reading the services. Bur ial will be at the old Vernonia cem etery. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Ida May Van Blaricom; 4 sons, Fred of Massachusetts, Dewey of Vernonia, Harley of Oakland, Cal ifornia and Macy of Seattle, Wash ington; 2 daughters, Laura of Ver nonia, and Mrs. Myrtle Coleman of Kelso, Washington. Born in Minnesota H. D. Van Blaricom was bom in Waterville, Minnesota, on March 23, 1-855. His( life itself was history— he was a well-known and signifi cant character. In 1872 his parents. John and Nancy Van Blaricom, left their home in Minnesota for .'he Oregon country, traveling in the typical covered wagon with its ex team. They settled in Walla Walla, Washington, for two years, end came to Columbia county in 1874. A log house was built on a homestead of heavily wooded land one mile east of what is now Ver nonia. “Hy” attended the public schools of Minnesota and one term in the first log schoolhouse near Vernonia. He assisted his father on Vhe home ranch until his marriage in 1891, when he moved onto land which he had homesteaded in 1876 and which is located one and a half m”es northeast of Vernonia. He later sold that place and bought thirty acres, a part of which is row included in the city. In 1925 the Hy-Van hotel was erected by him, and a garage was added to it the following year. First City Marshal Mr. Van Blaricom married Miss Ida Vaughn on August 12, 1891. He also served as city constable, several terms on the school board. In 1879 he took a four-year con tract to carry mail thirty miles over St. Helens mountain. It was a job full of narrow escapes, since the trail was poor and the winters cold. Another distinction was his part in naming Vernonia. He propagan dized for the name “Vernona”, since he wanted to win the favor op a professor who wanted the town named for his daughter. When the post office was established, it was called Vernonia instead. Mr. Van Blaricom’s life was such that it was told in the “His tory of the Columbia River Valley,” and has been told several times in the Eagle. His name will never be forgotten. Poppy Day Sale Found To Hit High Mark Funds Totaling $121 to Be Put to Several Uses At the conclusion of the poppy sale conducted this year by the American Legion Auxiliary at 11:45 p.m. Saturday Mrs. H. H. King, president of the Auxiliary, stated “The first poppy of the sale went to our mayor, The Honorable George W. Johnson. We depended cn the publicity given us by the Vernonia Eagle, and didn’t solicit house to house as extensively as in former years, making the most of the contacts on the street. Ev eryone seemed to be poppyminded.” Of the 1190 poppies received by the Auxiliary, 1130 were sold, bringing $121.00. The remaining 60 will be used for wreaths to be plac ed on Veteran’s graves. To the vet- erans who made the poppies will go lMic for each poppy. The remaining proceeds will go one-half to the Rehabilitatia and Child Welfare Fund; r half will be used locally, P the local portion, "of 10c per member, at the will go to for the Disabled, Due to of the Poppy Day chairman, Mrs. Dora Washburn, oth ers of the e 1 committee took her place, The sale J conducted from head- quarters < foliated by Mrs. J. C. Lincoln Salesmen were: Cub Scouts —Richai^ jjgssey and Loren Weid man; V*Hl*r Auxiliary girl's—Lois Harmon, . unita Weidman, and ters; Margaret Massey; the Ki d Pittsburg—Mrs. Earl Camp Atkins Mrs. Arthur Rice; Riv es. J. W. Nichols; O. A. .erview mill—M G. K. Epperly and Mrs. :; Timber route—Mrs. J. L. Ti and Mrs. Harry Oul- Harry K bertson ; 1. camp—J. Heenan, n.’and Bert Hawkins; O. A. bra Cy; Vernonia Bil- Nance r liards; Thàmits’s Variety Store; J. C. Lincoln. To each Mhe above and to all who bought* ab poppy, Mrs. H. H. King, president of Vernonia Unit 119 , AmerlMd Legion- Auxiliary, wishes to express the sincerest gratitude of the unit. Clerical Help Needed by Board Paid clerical help will now be needed by the local rationing board, they announced this week. Keeping up sugar rationing records and re ceiving requests for canning sugar makes this help necessary. Any one interested may leave his ap- lication Mt the city hall. Calling Off Not Regreted Many a sigh of relief went went up at the announcement Monday night that gasoline rationing in Or"gon and Wash ington had been called off. Plans had been laid for Ver nonia by E. H. Condit, and by others for other Nehalem Val ley communities. Even those who were to handle the work of registering did not regret the decision, even though time had been spent in deciphering the pages of instructions given them. 150 Rangers Said Total One hundred and fifty men are enlisted in the Oregon Defense Ran gers, it was stated this week, a con siderable number more than that announced when the group organ ized and repeated in the Eagle last week. It is also to be noted that Harry Junkins is secretary of the band, not president, as a president would not fit into the organization. Governor Sprague, in a letter to Kenneth White, Vernonia’s cap tain, seemed well pleased with the plans laid. He wrote: “I am very much impressed with the vigilence indicated be your letter of May 18. I realize the value of trained local men in home defense. You people who know your roads and trails can be a very effective means of self-protection.” Collision Causes Several Injuries To say that Vernonia is "well in town to watch a drill. First thing was a casualty station, set up because the town has no hos pital. The town doctors were at the casualty station, as were many well trained first aid workers, clerks, messengers ana others. All worked with a minimum of confu sion. On the main street in the cen ter of town is a bridge over a creek. Nearby is a telephone office. A block away is a well-construct ed reinforced concrete theatre. The bridge, phone office and theatre were “destroyed.” The town was cut in halves. Casualties were lying all over the streets, daubed with lipstick and catsup to represent blood. Each was tagged with hypo thetical injuries. Casualties could not be taken di rectly to the casualty station be cause the bridge was out, so had to b<- unloaded on one side of the creek, carried across a wobbly floating foot bridge and reloaded on the other side. No one was dunked—pretty nearly though. There was some good natured kidding, as when the town’s banker was carried across on a stretcher On the evening of May 6 I was and one of the bearers asked him Dedication of New Flag Pole Due Early In Tributary March No pot-luck dinner will follow the Memorial Day parade, the Wo man’s Relief Corps and the Amer ican Legion have announced. Other wise the program for the .day will be the same as in past years, ex cept that a stop will be made at the city hall to present the Ameri can Legion Auxiliary’s new flag to the city, and it hoist it upon the new pole for dedication. Those in the parade, who include the American Legion and Auxiliary. Women’s Relief Corps, Service Mothers Club, Boy Scouts^ and children of the Daily Vacation Bib le School, will begin their march at the United Railway depot at 10:00 a.m. Other organizations are requested to join them. Services on Bridge At the bridge across Rock Creek, the Relief Corps will conduct ser vices for those who died at sea. From there the group will proceed to the old Vernonia cemetery where both the relief corps and the Leg ion will conduct graveside services, including a rifle salute by the Le gion. A Boy Scout will deliver the Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” and another will give General Lo gan’s address. Ceremonies will conclude at the cemetery, only the Legion and the Women’s Relief Corps going in cars to the Vernonia Memorial Cemetery. County Fanners Ernie Russell was taken to the Emanuel Hospital in Portland Tues To Visit Station day evening with a fractured scap ula and cuts on the face as the re sult of a head-on collision with a car driven by E. A. Rice of Banks. A blow-out, shortly after 5:00 p.m., caused Mr. Russell to lose control of the car he was driving, which belonged to Mr. Gillham. The accident occured between Vernonia and Treharpe. Mr. Rice suffered from a cut chin; of the two who were riding with Mr. Rue sell, Mr. Gillham received a cut eye, and M. C. McKinster received scratches. The injured were loaded into a Nehalem Dairy milk truck driven hy Harold Kellmer, and tak en to Dr. Eby’ office. Both auto mobiles were reported beyond re pair. Russel! was enroute from Hills boro. A field trip to the Northrup Creek lElxperiment Station by farm ers of 'Columbia county will be ar ranged for Saturday, June 6. The purpose of this meeting is 1«. study the forage crop experi ments that are being made there in the interest of better livestock production and which is helping to meet war production needs. The plan of the trip is to leave the county in time to reach the Experiment Station at Northrup Creek at about 10:30 a.m. There will be a get-together and short program before dinner. In the af- tertioon a trip will be made to examine the pasture forage crop seedings for logged off land and the beef herds and sheep. All those attending, should bring their own lunch with them for the noon hour. Coffee and cream wi'J Hit by Bark Falling 'bark caused severe neck be furnished by the Experiment and scalp bruises to H. E. Hunt, Station. while he was chasing landing at United Loggers last Thursday. The impact dazed Mr. Hunt but Dr. Eby did not confine him to bed Rogers Says Vernonia Civilian Defense Fine Example Note: From Jerrold Owen, State organized” would be a serious un Defense Coordinator, came this re derstatement of the facts. The town port, made by Captain William J. is as nearly 100 per cent as any M. Rogers after watching Vernonia’s thing I have ever seen. Vernonia is situated in a loop civilian defense in operation. It was published in The Regional News of the Columbia River about 15 Letter, which is printed in San miles west in one direction and 15 Francisco for the U. S. Office of miles south in another. It is about Civilian Defense. It is reprinted 35 miles from the ocean in a di here just as he wrote it. Although rect line. It is an isolated com there are minor mistakes in his in munity, not too well served by roads formation, this report should bring or other types of transportation. back memories to those who partic It has to rely on itself, more or less, and the people rearize this. ipated. Captain William J. M. Rogers, They have an asset in Mrs. Eby, field representative of the Ninth wife of a doctor. This woman has Regional U. S. Office of Civilian a fine ability to organize and to Defense, recently inspected the op get things done and lis a main erations of the Vernonia, Ore., cit spring of effort. There is an as izens defense corps. His report is sistant county coordinator who has published here in full for as Cap learned to delegate authority and tain Rogers says: to remain in a supervisorial role. "This little town in Oregon ought The people of the entire commun to serve as an inspiration for big ity work together and there is no ger cities all over the country.” hesitation about cooperation or hel The name of the town is Vernon ping the other fellow. The town ia, in Columbia county. It has a has two doctors, one dentist, one population normally of about 2,500. graduate nurse. In the words of the people there There are, in all, about 800 it is “29 miles from every ptace” as (30 per cent) of the town’s popu there are about five other toWns lation taking part in some sort of all larger and just 29 miles away. civilian defense effort. Organizations To Parade Memorial Day about renewal of the mortgage on the stretcher bearer-s property while the group was in midstream. In the main the work was done seriously and silently. Women do a large portion of the work, even in stretcher bearing teams and on ambulances. Picture four husky, bare-legged girls, of college age, just after carrying a husky “casualty” through a bed of nettles. Some fun, some yelping! And more fun when one crew struggled in with a “dead” man tn a stretcher and the other tried to revive him. The lire department and its one engine were ready for service with its crew of nine regular volunteers end 10 auxiliaries. Auxiliary police, all trained and ready for action, pa trolled every street. The "casual ties” groaned and called dolefully for help and tried to rattle the first aid crews. In fact, it was as real as one could wish, without actual bombing. Air raid wardens were on duty and ready to function, a combined demolition and rescue squad was ready to roll and in fact, all depart- (Continued on page 6) Joanne Nichols Few Among Many Joanne Nichols, sophomore at the University of Oregon, is more than keeping up the record she made while attending high school here. On May 23, she was among twelve girls initiated into Theta Sigma Phi, National Women’s Jounrnalie- tic Honorary Society. Also on that day, she was announced as one of sixteen members of the Oregpn Daily Emerald staff to receive an Emerald "O” for two years of ser vice. She is on the news staff. The total number of service awards given was 108. Miss Nichols was editor of the Timberline, and the annual, the Memolog. while a senior at Vernon ia high school. She was also class valedictorian and a member of the school sextette. Motor Corps to Start A Red Crosa Motor Corps in Ver nonia will be the next step along the line of civilian defense, an nounces J. W. Nichols, chairman of civilian defense for the Nehalem VaHey. The personnel will be train ed in a special school, where, among ether things, the men and women enrolled will learn to make light repairs. This unit would transport both soldiers and civilians.