March 10, 1950 (8 pages)

held “City3lock . The } ‘lock, : ‘Saha . : e Mea bom acer SSF RETA . TO. * . i ; i . OF Serving Nevada City’ . > oe Gateway to a i ES > . fj $ . . 950 and Grass Valley . : : . Recreation Paradise i ? j . j i ' t fif. 3 Pages ? hae me ae »sted, : > sell ee a these Mos . ’ oe Twenty-Third Year — No. 10 : Nevada City (Nevada County) California, Friday, March10, 1950 Subscription, Year $2.50; Single Copy 5c = LITT. [NEVADA CITY MERCHANTS OF 1856. NID ASSESSMENT . VERCAST SKIES AND RECALL PAPERS n for A A alco. A, Vue, : : . } : 3 SNOW BELIE SPRING — : Sik ©Okin BELIEVED BRICK BUILDINGS. WERE INEQUALITIES TO 2: 2". sw FOR TOBIASSEN y 5 y : 4 brought .10 of an’ inch followed : st the Y CU ' vw, . by .25 of an inch Sunday to bring : = Around FIREPROOF UNTIL FLAMES STRUCK BE “onus Pete: BEING SIGNED coe y 4 xy Q)eal % G i Be) % ; Low temperature of the week : = 5 WH ttf a : : of 24 degrees Tuesday morning ; ti 2 Yy BAEZ _,_ Nevada City electors go to the polls Tuesday, April 11, to deOverall Financial was accompanied by heavy frost. Supervisor to “Ignore vided , cide whether the city should bond itself for $155,000 to provide Candis Called Good Falling snow yesterday afternoon Petiti Oe: ee sholic a modern sewage disposal plant and to modernize the fire deondition ad brings up the query: Did someetition, C_ways ™ partment equipment, — “sce Correction -of admitted in. body a week or so ago say that Recall of Supervisor Carl J. 5 Ted Sigourney. chief of the Nevada City fire department, deequalities in assessed valuation . “Spring has come’? . Tobiassen was asked in -petiHW clared this week that although the community has an enviable of property within. the Nevada March: 3\9:.sccse0c000 455. -<2: 65 31 tions which began circulating record for fire fighting, the department is accomplishing the herIrrigation District wee promMarch 4 ...2.4,.64.-.: 65 33 in the first supervisor district — culanean task with obsolete equipment and alarm system. ised at a farmers mass meeting . March 5 ~.2.00... 68 38 last Saturday. W. S, Woods — Sigourney urged voters to remember Nevada City’s worst . in Grass Valley by Elton To. March 6 . . 49 26 and ‘Al Tyler, Glenbrook, ‘are D S It was so cold the boy and I; blaze in recent years when several buildings were destroyed on biassen, district assessor. March 7 _.... 53-24 the isitistors' of the petitions zipped our jackets all the ‘way. lower Main street in 1922,-and to recall the city’s early-day hisMembers of the county farm. March 8 W200. ' 55 . 36 and a group of eight persons TELY. up and thrust our hands deep. fory when six devastating fires caused millions of dollars destruc. p) -eay, water users Association,. March 9 ..000000000000.. 52 34 are circulating the petitions for rthern into our pockets. But by the time. #0” and took many lives, and NID officials took part. Fred Bush is recorder. signatures. Counwe had climbed the first hill Sigourney pointed out that local voters should not let themThe meeting was called by the Woods stated signing of the ations there was a warm tingle in our. S¢!ves be lulled into a false sense of security, such as the mer. water problems committee of the petitions ‘are progressing satis; Age cheeks and our. breath came. Chants of 1856 lapsed into, only to set the stage for the millioncounty farm bureau to discuss i distant a : Wem hard dollar plus fire that swept the neophyte city. Sigourney added [1). \j-t¢r problem with Edson ae : ne { : AP the majority of business buildings and many residences of the . ayo) accistant ‘director of the . ane penton cheese aes The rain had forced postponei f being fireproof. ‘The prohibitive cost of reconsled gegauene sc ; with showing partiality, _preju-sle of ment of our family outing in the. iY 3z¢ ft from being fireproof. P : ‘ public utilities department of the d bi ear Sh ad dod aa ei mr o ,. Structing the business area leaves no alternative, the chief said. . Cajitormia Farm Bureau federa. fF dice, personal rancour and bias pine car so Jon an were out 0. get) shan to modernize the equipment to the point where any fire . 430, ang Philip S. Bruton, retired with respect to decisions made 7 our exercise on foot. Manfully, he b wiesilel et ia outses oe : volute 4 as a part of his official duties. m24c tried ‘to match my stride but had! “*" 3© “ome * ; army general, consulting enginiti dis . io run a few steph every onde in “Nevada City is far from being free of the potential recur. eer ig the water problems departBR USH CREE K The petitions claim he dis» bay { a while to keep up. When I/. 7©"ce of the afternoon of July.19, 1856,” Sigourney warned. ment of the state farm bureau. played unwertanted Temper, sae about . spat, he spat. His piping woine The Nugget has compiled the following story from files of the Tobiassen said the many inpatience and _ rudeness towafds . *nasci, { otter broke through the Haze ot Nevada Democrat, located in the Nevada City library: equalities will be adjusted in Company Has Many his constituents: and’ oficial Ges Itp private thoughts . . Sanaa ; keeping with a recent. assessment Plans for Development cisions have been beset Pete The worst fire in the history of Nevada. City, on Friday, July] survey conducted by the farm sonal enmities or personal friendWe walked up Main Street and 19, 1856, destroyed over a million dollars worth of property, and. bureau. Purchase of the lease of Al. ships, and have not been the result of considered judgment on his part. Woods stated the recall is being motivated specifically by Tofred L. Merritt, Piedmont, for four claims in the Goodyear’s Bar area leased 18 additional claims from the Alpha Stores, past the court house, looming clean and white in the mist. Why can’t the men who -build and work in beautiful houses keep at least ten persons died in the flames. Destruction of records a Clarence Gassoway, chairman the newly completed courthouse put the county finances in a mess . } of the survey committee, reportand when the county treasurer made his annual report the county ed the assessment. survey was was. about $100,000 in debt much of it without record to whom it . based on actual production or po. in the recent ce re er ou / 2 eS at ee — id rs ea aS “sO — their minds and hearts as noble as the granite with which they build? There, Jon, is an old brick building and the sign says it was the first postoffice in 1850. And over there is an apartment house converted from a church. Along this/ street, we see five generations: of houses, some old but still tidy, dignified, self-respecting. Some are newer but they cry of despair and forlorn hope. “What does converted mean and what’s a generation?” the small voice said. “Daddy, let’s / catch the frogs in the crick!” Do houses reflect the. aspirations of the people who inhabit them? Or are they only temporary shelters from the storm? Some glow with paint and light-ed windows, have the fresh vitahty of a teen-age girl. at a party. Some are as shabby and decadent as a $kid-road bum. Each house has a_ personality all its own. Here there are no housing projects of hat-boxes, row on row. Each structure conforms to its peculiar ground slope, reflects its hour like the hands of a clock, discloses its weakness or strength in its contest with ‘age. We left the houses behind as we headed up toward the airport. How long will the scar of roadway on Sugar Loaf remain? Will brush and trees reclaim the earth or will the road someday carry cars to a fine house on the summit? That slanting road scar is one of the first landmarks a visitor sees. Often’he may ask “Why isn’t there a house on top?” more often he will go away vaguely troubled with the thought. that something is missing. “Why isn’t there a house on top?” said the. little voice. be' side me. Broad Street in the gathering dusk is a friendly sight, lighted signs beckoning to food, drink, and fellowship. Here here are people on the sidewalks, going in and out of: hospitable «doors. But on the residential streets me passed only one pedestrian and he seemed as aimless aswe. Has this generation lost the art of good conversation, the gentle grace of visiting for its own sake? Are the long verandas where families used to sit of a summer evening as useless and archaic as the hitching posts at the curb? Do all these good people have to find their gregarious pleasure in public places? A small cold hand crept into mine. We were on the last long hill to home and the road was dark:before us. Jon was tired “just a little bit,” he said te but he’ wasn’t asking for help, only assurance. Then it came to me. .*. the answer I couldn’t find in the streets. While my ears had been half-closed to his childish babble my thoughts had ranged far and it is possible there. may have been cynicism and fear in some of my speculation about houses and hills and men and sociéty. With that little hand in mine I felt.secure again, -my step strengthened. f was debtor. Assessed value of Nevada county in 1856 was $2,551,845. . tential production of the land. Several merchants believed their buildings fireproof and stayed . The assessment survey will. not inside the structures to suffocate. establish a monetary value but The fire broke out about 4 o’clock in the afternoon in William! will arrive at a percentage rangHughes’ blacksmith shop on Pine street, the result of an accident. . ing from.:1 to;100° re Despite immediate alarm and before water was available, a strong. lowest and highest values. west wind fanned the flames beyond control. A brewery adjoining the blacksmith shop caught fire and then spread across the street. to the large stables of Kidd and Knox and the United States hotel. The flames traveled with such fearful rdpidity under the strong wind that within 30 minutes all wooden buildings in the business area were ddstroyed. There were more than 400 buildings burned. Twenty-six brick buildings in the city were supposed to be fireproof but all except six burned. The courthouse, built at a cost of $50,000 with all records were destroyed. ‘The plants of the Journal and the Democrat, Nevada’s two newpsapers, were destroyed, and with them their files. This article is compiled from theoldest.extant copy of a Nevada county newspaper, the Democrat of Aug. 20, 1856, first issue of the newspaper in this city after the disastrous fire. Loss of property was-estimated in the neighborhood of two million dollars. Compiled in the Democrat were $1,050,700 losses to business houses, and I. J. Rolfe, the editor, pointed out that much more in unrecorded amounts would have to be added to the loss total. Four men—A. J. Hagan, William B. Pearson, S. W. Feltcher and Jay Johnson—remained in the Kidd and Knox brick building on Broad to close the shutters and advance of. the flames was so rapid they perished in the structure. The men were not known to be inside the building during the fire until two hours later. Preparations were made to enter and rescue them, but twenty kegs of powder stored in the building exploded, caving in the, walls and all hope of rescue was abondoned. Their bodies were found the following Monday in the cellar of the building. a an enterprising and wealthy Peter Hendrickson, burned to death in his brick store on Broad street. merchant, It was generally believed he had deliberately closed himself in the building, thinking it to be thoroughly fireproof. John Yates, of the firm of Yates and Tallman, perished in his brick building on Commercial street. Mr. Thomas, who kept a-saloon on Broad street, and William Wilson. a plasterer, were so badly burned they died the following day. Remains of two unknown persons were found in Kelsey’s brick building on Commercial. George A. Young and William F. Anderson had their faces and hands shockingly burned while escaping from Young’s brick build& ing on Broad street. Heaviest losers in the fire were Abbott & Edwards; Hendrickson; Rogers, Hamilton & Co.; S. Rosenthal and Brothers; L. P. Frisbie; A. Block & Co.; Kelsey; Moses and Aaron Rosenheim; and T. H. Caswell. Hotels destroyed were the United States, Metropolis, New York, ‘Hotel de Paris, Union, Virginia House and Oriental. we! (Continued on page six) The: N ational FRIED CHICKEN FANCIER SELECTS COCKERELS IN RAID OF CHICKEN PEN Somebody with a mighty powerful hankering for fried chicken or a thief with excellent chicken fences isthe cause of the latest mystery to plague the staff of Sheriff Richard W. Hoskins. Martin D. Thomas, Rough and Ready rancher, reported 175 fryers had been stolen from his pens and the amazing part is the fact that all 175 are cockerels. The thief, according :to Thomas, carefully selected the cockerels from a mixed ‘flock of 450. Not a pullet is missing, Just how the thief, managed to grade and select: the fowls has not been solved, but Sheriff Hoskins thinks maybe, cockerels are easier to catch. : Fire Chief Ted W. Sigourney has called a meeting of both companies of the Nevada City Fire Department for tonight at 8 o’clockat city hall. NO OFFICIAL WORD HERE OF SUSPENSIONS Although capital newspapers announced that the state board of equalization had suspended licenses of four Nevada county bars for not having food available for patrons, Frank Thompson, local liquor control officer for the board, had not received formal notices of suspension this week. Thompson could not be reached for comment on the suspension order late yesterday afternoon, V. H. Kennedy, and H. S. Ponton, operators of Ramsey’s on Broad street, one of the establishments named, said they had not received formal notice of the . charges or penalties imposed. Under the state alcoholic beverage control act, a license holder is required to prepare and serve food on the premises. Other suspensions listed; all in Grass Valley, were G. P. Montanari, N. L. Wilson and J. R. Eramouspo and Joseph Perkins. The two state farm bureau officials did not make specifi¢ recommendations following: a_ brief mount fiscal hurdies that have in the 20’s. ‘During open discussion the abfederal bureau of» reclamation was voiced. Abel said he thought that if the reclamation bureau got hold of NID’s water rights it would take the water to where voters are and leave this area without water but, retaining its NID was conceded to be out of the question. Despite a statement that the overa)! financial condition was “good,” possible financial relief through loans by proposed state legislation was indicated by Bruton. Added revenue through sale of water for power production was discussed. Spokesman for the NID board of directors declared there would no no increase in assessment and there was a fair chance the rates would be lowered. A district spokesman warned the group that the cities of Nevada City and Grass Valley could expect no such relief and upon the termination of the present contract a substantial upward adjustment was the only possible action. The spokesman said the rate of water to the municipalities will more than likely be tripled. The contracts expire Rec. 31, 1951. ’ Ralph E. Deeble, county clerk, escaped serious injury Friday night when his car left highway 40 near Cisco, rolled over a 20foot embankment and was demolished. His companion, James Oliver, Grass Valley, whom Deeble at first refused to identify, was also uninjured. Oliver caught a ride from a passing motorist and was gone from the scene of the accident by the time Constable N. F. Dolley, Truckee, first official. ai, the scene, arrived. Dolley reported Deeble was holding his ribs as if they pained but refused medical attention. RANDY GRAY SPELLING CHAMP AT GOLD FLAT Randy Gray, for the second successive year, will represent Gold Flat elementary school in the annual Sacramento Bee spelling bee. Randy is an eighth grade pupil at Gold Flat. He had considerable competition from two of son and Connie Fields. Ltd., Nevada City, by the Best Mines, Inc., was announced by Lewis L. Huelsdonk, Downiepresenting . . [os . heavier rail to ' nel bonded debt. Refinancing of the; Brush Creek mine ore shoot and his classmates, Ladene Henderville, general manager of the Best Mines company. Tne Brush Creek mine, which ; hat been leased by Merritt and Wendell Ingram, Gridley, has been in continuous operation for tour of the district, but expressed . ™any years. A fire last fall deconfidence the district will sur-. Stroyed the mill. Huelsdonk said the leases will plagued it since its organization! Sive the Best Mines organization a mile and a half on Brush creek and could assure long operations sorption of the district by the! in the area. Best Mines already has, accord. g to Huelsdonk, started replac. eee saree rE . people of Nevada county—and on ing light rails in the tunnels ‘with carry motive equipment. . Plans call for an 8,000-foot tunto. terminate. in the older cut two additional shoots enroute. A winze will be started in the .very near future preliminary to opening the new tunnel. First phase of the tunnel calls for a 2,200-foot bore with the ore removed by gravity. , The new operator will truck ore six miles to the 100-ton ball and flotation mill at the Oxford, another Best Mines lease. Huelsdonk said the company plans eventually to build its own mill at the site of the mine to replace the structure destroyed by fire. However this will not be done until the Gold Bluff mine has reached sufficient production to keep the Oxford mill in ore. C. L. Best, Walnut Creek, is the principal owner of Best Mines, Inc., and has been active in western Sierra county mining many years. NO, FOLKS, THE MAIN CORNER IS NOT THE NEW DUMPING SITE , Citizens of Nevada City rubbed their eyes Tuesday morning and took a second look when the corner of Broad and Spring developed the appearance of some of our county roadsides. In keeping with the theme of “Clean up Nevada county” Don Knowlton, coordinator of the Nevada County Conservation council’s program of conservation week, being observed this week, placed a load of junk at the corner to graphically plea for the cleanup campaign. Parked at the top of the pile is the sign “No Dumping” which usually caps all dumps of rubbish on our county roads. Elimination of county roadside dumping this year is a major aim of the council. : As soon as possible -a county dumping site will be acquired by the board of supervisors on the American hill and future plans call for similar, sites at strategic locations throughout the rounty, according. to Knowlton. Observers of the pile, in addition to pondering the possibilties for use of some of the junk, which includes an ancient’ bathtub, pointedly asked “Where else ‘can we dump our rubbish?” ¢ electric . biassen’s actions sanitary district election, but that Tobiassen’s record in office has been one of prejudice and bias. Tobiassen said he will “ignore the petition.” has “Many of my friends .tell me not to take this thing too seriously,” the supervisor said. “T will say this though,’ Tobiassen continued, “if I can be recalled on such, flimsy charges as have been quoted, any and every public official in the state of California can be recalled on the same basis. I stand on my record —my long years of service to the the honesty, efficiency and fair dealing that have been my signposts.” Under the state elections code proponents of the recall must obtain signatures of.at least 20 percent of the entire vote east at the last election for all candidates for the office occupied by the person whose removal is sought. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFICERS INSTALLATION SET FOR NEXT TUESDAY Installation of officers of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and Junior Chamber of Commerce will be held at joint dinner Tuesday evening at the. . National hotel. Carl T. Mills, sec-. retary-manager of the Calaveras: County Fair, will be the guest speaker talking on promotion of city and district. i Installation of the senior chamber officers is a postponement of an affair originally scheduled on. Jan. 10, and postponed when old Jupiter Pluvius opened up with. a barrage of that white sutff that was falling for a short time yes--. terday afternoon. Officers to be installed are Ray'Spickelmier, president; I. C. Bell, vice president; H. F. Sofge, secretary-treasurer; Milt Andersen, O. J. Melton, W. C. Briggs, William Novak, Merrill Colvin and: Ken Wray, directors. . a Junior chambers officers to be: installed are Marvin E. Haddy, president; William Tobiassen,vice president; Robert Bonner,, secretary; Richard Pease, treas-~ urer; George Halstead, Clement Henwood, H. L. Childers, AR Lindsey and William Tam)iyn,, directors. : Final arrangements of the (in. ner were completed at Tues3.:v’s: meeting of the board of direciors; of the chamber at city hall. Anderson was named chairmes:: of . the dinner meeting. Purchase of the Loma Rice :ir-. port was discussed at the mect-. ing Tuesday and the directors voted ‘to investigate the airport appraisal, expenses and purchase price, but made no commit. at. A meeting has been tenta! vcly set for March 17; in Grass WV: ‘/ay. for further discussion of the «irport by representatives of ‘he chambers of commerce an.) city councils of Nevada Grass. Valley.

held “City3lock . The } ‘lock, : ‘Saha . : e Mea bom acer SSF RETA . TO. * . i ; i . OF Serving Nevada City’ . > oe Gateway to a i ES > . fj $ . . 950 and Grass Valley . : : . Recreation Paradise i ? j . j i ' t fif. 3 Pages ? hae me ae »sted, : > sell ee a these Mos . ’ oe Twenty-Third Year — No. 10 : Nevada City (Nevada County) California, Friday, March10, 1950 Subscription, Year $2.50; Single Copy 5c = LITT. [NEVADA CITY MERCHANTS OF 1856. NID ASSESSMENT . VERCAST SKIES AND RECALL PAPERS n for A A alco. A, Vue, : : . } : 3 SNOW BELIE SPRING — : Sik ©Okin BELIEVED BRICK BUILDINGS. WERE INEQUALITIES TO 2: 2". sw FOR TOBIASSEN y 5 y : 4 brought .10 of an’ inch followed : st the Y CU ' vw, . by .25 of an inch Sunday to bring : = Around FIREPROOF UNTIL FLAMES STRUCK BE “onus Pete: BEING SIGNED coe y 4 xy Q)eal % G i Be) % ; Low temperature of the week : = 5 WH ttf a : : of 24 degrees Tuesday morning ; ti 2 Yy BAEZ _,_ Nevada City electors go to the polls Tuesday, April 11, to deOverall Financial was accompanied by heavy frost. Supervisor to “Ignore vided , cide whether the city should bond itself for $155,000 to provide Candis Called Good Falling snow yesterday afternoon Petiti Oe: ee sholic a modern sewage disposal plant and to modernize the fire deondition ad brings up the query: Did someetition, C_ways ™ partment equipment, — “sce Correction -of admitted in. body a week or so ago say that Recall of Supervisor Carl J. 5 Ted Sigourney. chief of the Nevada City fire department, deequalities in assessed valuation . “Spring has come’? . Tobiassen was asked in -petiHW clared this week that although the community has an enviable of property within. the Nevada March: 3\9:.sccse0c000 455. -<2: 65 31 tions which began circulating record for fire fighting, the department is accomplishing the herIrrigation District wee promMarch 4 .....2.4,.64..-.: 65 33 in the first supervisor district — culanean task with obsolete equipment and alarm system. ised at a farmers mass meeting . March 5 ~.2.00...... 68 38 last Saturday. W. S, Woods — Sigourney urged voters to remember Nevada City’s worst . in Grass Valley by Elton To. March 6 . .. 49 26 and ‘Al Tyler, Glenbrook, ‘are D S It was so cold the boy and I; blaze in recent years when several buildings were destroyed on biassen, district assessor. March 7 _....... 53-24 the isitistors' of the petitions zipped our jackets all the ‘way. lower Main street in 1922,-and to recall the city’s early-day hisMembers of the county farm. March 8 W200.. ' 55 . 36 and a group of eight persons TELY. up and thrust our hands deep. fory when six devastating fires caused millions of dollars destruc. p) -eay, water users Association,. March 9 ...000000000000... 52 34 are circulating the petitions for rthern into our pockets. But by the time. #0” and took many lives, and NID officials took part. Fred Bush is recorder. signatures. Counwe had climbed the first hill Sigourney pointed out that local voters should not let themThe meeting was called by the Woods stated signing of the ations there was a warm tingle in our. S¢!ves be lulled into a false sense of security, such as the mer. water problems committee of the petitions ‘are progressing satis; Age cheeks and our. breath came. Chants of 1856 lapsed into, only to set the stage for the millioncounty farm bureau to discuss i distant a : Wem hard dollar plus fire that swept the neophyte city. Sigourney added [1). \j-t¢r problem with Edson ae : ne { : AP the majority of business buildings and many residences of the . ayo) accistant ‘director of the . ane penton cheese aes The rain had forced postponei f being fireproof. ‘The prohibitive cost of reconsled gegauene sc ; with showing partiality, _preju-sle of ment of our family outing in the. iY 3z¢ ft from being fireproof. P : ‘ public utilities department of the d bi ear Sh ad dod aa ei mr o ,. Structing the business area leaves no alternative, the chief said. . Cajitormia Farm Bureau federa. fF dice, personal rancour and bias pine car so Jon an were out 0. get) shan to modernize the equipment to the point where any fire . 430, ang Philip S. Bruton, retired with respect to decisions made 7 our exercise on foot. Manfully, he b wiesilel et ia outses oe : volute 4 as a part of his official duties. m24c tried ‘to match my stride but had! “*" 3© “ome * ; army general, consulting enginiti dis . io run a few steph every onde in “Nevada City is far from being free of the potential recur. eer ig the water problems departBR USH CREE K The petitions claim he dis» bay { a while to keep up. When I/. 7©"ce of the afternoon of July.19, 1856,” Sigourney warned. ment of the state farm bureau. played unwertanted Temper, sae about . spat, he spat. His piping woine The Nugget has compiled the following story from files of the Tobiassen said the many inpatience and _ rudeness towafds . *nasci, { otter broke through the Haze ot Nevada Democrat, located in the Nevada City library: equalities will be adjusted in Company Has Many his constituents: and’ oficial Ges Itp private thoughts . . Sanaa ; keeping with a recent. assessment Plans for Development cisions have been beset Pete The worst fire in the history of Nevada. City, on Friday, July] survey conducted by the farm sonal enmities or personal friendWe walked up Main Street and 19, 1856, destroyed over a million dollars worth of property, and. bureau. Purchase of the lease of Al. ships, and have not been the result of considered judgment on his part. Woods stated the recall is being motivated specifically by Tofred L. Merritt, Piedmont, for four claims in the Goodyear’s Bar area leased 18 additional claims from the Alpha Stores, past the court house, looming clean and white in the mist. Why can’t the men who -build and work in beautiful houses keep at least ten persons died in the flames. Destruction of records a Clarence Gassoway, chairman the newly completed courthouse put the county finances in a mess . } of the survey committee, reportand when the county treasurer made his annual report the county ed the assessment. survey was was. about $100,000 in debt much of it without record to whom it . based on actual production or po. in the recent ce re er ou / 2 eS at ee — id rs ea aS “sO — their minds and hearts as noble as the granite with which they build? There, Jon, is an old brick building and the sign says it was the first postoffice in 1850. And over there is an apartment house converted from a church. Along this/ street, we see five generations: of houses, some old but still tidy, dignified, self-respecting. Some are newer but they cry of despair and forlorn hope. “What does converted mean and what’s a generation?” the small voice said. “Daddy, let’s / catch the frogs in the crick!” Do houses reflect the. aspirations of the people who inhabit them? Or are they only temporary shelters from the storm? Some glow with paint and light-ed windows, have the fresh vitahty of a teen-age girl. at a party. Some are as shabby and decadent as a $kid-road bum. Each house has a_ personality all its own. Here there are no housing projects of hat-boxes, row on row. Each structure conforms to its peculiar ground slope, reflects its hour like the hands of a clock, discloses its weakness or strength in its contest with ‘age. We left the houses behind as we headed up toward the airport. How long will the scar of roadway on Sugar Loaf remain? Will brush and trees reclaim the earth or will the road someday carry cars to a fine house on the summit? That slanting road scar is one of the first landmarks a visitor sees. Often’he may ask “Why isn’t there a house on top?” more often he will go away vaguely troubled with the thought. that something is missing. “Why isn’t there a house on top?” said the. little voice. be' side me. Broad Street in the gathering dusk is a friendly sight, lighted signs beckoning to food, drink, and fellowship. Here here are people on the sidewalks, going in and out of: hospitable «doors. But on the residential streets me passed only one pedestrian and he seemed as aimless aswe. Has this generation lost the art of good conversation, the gentle grace of visiting for its own sake? Are the long verandas where families used to sit of a summer evening as useless and archaic as the hitching posts at the curb? Do all these good people have to find their gregarious pleasure in public places? A small cold hand crept into mine. We were on the last long hill to home and the road was dark:before us. Jon was tired “just a little bit,” he said te but he’ wasn’t asking for help, only assurance. Then it came to me. .*. the answer I couldn’t find in the streets. While my ears had been half-closed to his childish babble my thoughts had ranged far and it is possible there. may have been cynicism and fear in some of my speculation about houses and hills and men and sociéty. With that little hand in mine I felt.secure again, -my step strengthened. f was debtor. Assessed value of Nevada county in 1856 was $2,551,845. . tential production of the land. Several merchants believed their buildings fireproof and stayed . The assessment survey will. not inside the structures to suffocate. establish a monetary value but The fire broke out about 4 o’clock in the afternoon in William! will arrive at a percentage rangHughes’ blacksmith shop on Pine street, the result of an accident. . ing from.:1 to;100° re Despite immediate alarm and before water was available, a strong. lowest and highest values. west wind fanned the flames beyond control. A brewery adjoining the blacksmith shop caught fire and then spread across the street. to the large stables of Kidd and Knox and the United States hotel. The flames traveled with such fearful rdpidity under the strong wind that within 30 minutes all wooden buildings in the business area were ddstroyed. There were more than 400 buildings burned. Twenty-six brick buildings in the city were supposed to be fireproof but all except six burned. The courthouse, built at a cost of $50,000 with all records were destroyed. ‘The plants of the Journal and the Democrat, Nevada’s two newpsapers, were destroyed, and with them their files. This article is compiled from theoldest.extant copy of a Nevada county newspaper, the Democrat of Aug. 20, 1856, first issue of the newspaper in this city after the disastrous fire. Loss of property was-estimated in the neighborhood of two million dollars. Compiled in the Democrat were $1,050,700 losses to business houses, and I. J. Rolfe, the editor, pointed out that much more in unrecorded amounts would have to be added to the loss total. Four men—A. J. Hagan, William B. Pearson, S. W. Feltcher and Jay Johnson—remained in the Kidd and Knox brick building on Broad to close the shutters and advance of. the flames was so rapid they perished in the structure. The men were not known to be inside the building during the fire until two hours later. Preparations were made to enter and rescue them, but twenty kegs of powder stored in the building exploded, caving in the, walls and all hope of rescue was abondoned. Their bodies were found the following Monday in the cellar of the building. a an enterprising and wealthy Peter Hendrickson, burned to death in his brick store on Broad street. merchant, It was generally believed he had deliberately closed himself in the building, thinking it to be thoroughly fireproof. John Yates, of the firm of Yates and Tallman, perished in his brick building on Commercial street. Mr. Thomas, who kept a-saloon on Broad street, and William Wilson. a plasterer, were so badly burned they died the following day. Remains of two unknown persons were found in Kelsey’s brick building on Commercial. George A. Young and William F. Anderson had their faces and hands shockingly burned while escaping from Young’s brick build& ing on Broad street. Heaviest losers in the fire were Abbott & Edwards; Hendrickson; Rogers, Hamilton & Co.; S. Rosenthal and Brothers; L. P. Frisbie; A. Block & Co.; Kelsey; Moses and Aaron Rosenheim; and T. H. Caswell. Hotels destroyed were the United States, Metropolis, New York, ‘Hotel de Paris, Union, Virginia House and Oriental. we! (Continued on page six) The: N ational FRIED CHICKEN FANCIER SELECTS COCKERELS IN RAID OF CHICKEN PEN Somebody with a mighty powerful hankering for fried chicken or a thief with excellent chicken fences isthe cause of the latest mystery to plague the staff of Sheriff Richard W. Hoskins. Martin D. Thomas, Rough and Ready rancher, reported 175 fryers had been stolen from his pens and the amazing part is the fact that all 175 are cockerels. The thief, according :to Thomas, carefully selected the cockerels from a mixed ‘flock of 450. Not a pullet is missing, Just how the thief, managed to grade and select: the fowls has not been solved, but Sheriff Hoskins thinks maybe, cockerels are easier to catch. : Fire Chief Ted W. Sigourney has called a meeting of both companies of the Nevada City Fire Department for tonight at 8 o’clockat city hall.

NO OFFICIAL WORD HERE OF SUSPENSIONS Although capital newspapers announced that the state board of equalization had suspended licenses of four Nevada county bars for not having food available for patrons, Frank Thompson, local liquor control officer for the board, had not received formal notices of suspension this week. Thompson could not be reached for comment on the suspension order late yesterday afternoon, V. H. Kennedy, and H. S. Ponton, operators of Ramsey’s on Broad street, one of the establishments named, said they had not received formal notice of the . charges or penalties imposed. Under the state alcoholic beverage control act, a license holder is required to prepare and serve food on the premises. Other suspensions listed; all in Grass Valley, were G. P. Montanari, N. L. Wilson and J. R. Eramouspo and Joseph Perkins. The two state farm bureau officials did not make specifi¢ recommendations following: a_ brief mount fiscal hurdies that have in the 20’s. ‘During open discussion the abfederal bureau of» reclamation was voiced. Abel said he thought that if the reclamation bureau got hold of NID’s water rights it would take the water to where voters are and leave this area without water but, retaining its NID was conceded to be out of the question. Despite a statement that the overa)! financial condition was “good,” possible financial relief through loans by proposed state legislation was indicated by Bruton. Added revenue through sale of water for power production was discussed. Spokesman for the NID board of directors declared there would no no increase in assessment and there was a fair chance the rates would be lowered. A district spokesman warned the group that the cities of Nevada City and Grass Valley could expect no such relief and upon the termination of the present contract a substantial upward adjustment was the only possible action. The spokesman said the rate of water to the municipalities will more than likely be tripled. The contracts expire Rec. 31, 1951. ’ Ralph E. Deeble, county clerk, escaped serious injury Friday night when his car left highway 40 near Cisco, rolled over a 20foot embankment and was demolished. His companion, James Oliver, Grass Valley, whom Deeble at first refused to identify, was also uninjured. Oliver caught a ride from a passing motorist and was gone from the scene of the accident by the time Constable N. F. Dolley, Truckee, first official. ai, the scene, arrived. Dolley reported Deeble was holding his ribs as if they pained but refused medical attention. RANDY GRAY SPELLING CHAMP AT GOLD FLAT Randy Gray, for the second successive year, will represent Gold Flat elementary school in the annual Sacramento Bee spelling bee. Randy is an eighth grade pupil at Gold Flat. He had considerable competition from two of son and Connie Fields. Ltd., Nevada City, by the Best Mines, Inc., was announced by Lewis L. Huelsdonk, Downiepresenting . . [os . heavier rail to ' nel bonded debt. Refinancing of the; Brush Creek mine ore shoot and his classmates, Ladene Henderville, general manager of the Best Mines company. Tne Brush Creek mine, which ; hat been leased by Merritt and Wendell Ingram, Gridley, has been in continuous operation for tour of the district, but expressed . ™any years. A fire last fall deconfidence the district will sur-. Stroyed the mill. Huelsdonk said the leases will plagued it since its organization! Sive the Best Mines organization a mile and a half on Brush creek and could assure long operations sorption of the district by the! in the area. Best Mines already has, accord. g to Huelsdonk, started replac. eee saree rE . people of Nevada county—and on ing light rails in the tunnels ‘with carry motive equipment. . Plans call for an 8,000-foot tunto. terminate. in the older cut two additional shoots enroute. A winze will be started in the .very near future preliminary to opening the new tunnel. First phase of the tunnel calls for a 2,200-foot bore with the ore removed by gravity. , The new operator will truck ore six miles to the 100-ton ball and flotation mill at the Oxford, another Best Mines lease. Huelsdonk said the company plans eventually to build its own mill at the site of the mine to replace the structure destroyed by fire. However this will not be done until the Gold Bluff mine has reached sufficient production to keep the Oxford mill in ore. C. L. Best, Walnut Creek, is the principal owner of Best Mines, Inc., and has been active in western Sierra county mining many years. NO, FOLKS, THE MAIN CORNER IS NOT THE NEW DUMPING SITE , Citizens of Nevada City rubbed their eyes Tuesday morning and took a second look when the corner of Broad and Spring developed the appearance of some of our county roadsides. In keeping with the theme of “Clean up Nevada county” Don Knowlton, coordinator of the Nevada County Conservation council’s program of conservation week, being observed this week, placed a load of junk at the corner to graphically plea for the cleanup campaign. Parked at the top of the pile is the sign “No Dumping” which usually caps all dumps of rubbish on our county roads. Elimination of county roadside dumping this year is a major aim of the council. : As soon as possible -a county dumping site will be acquired by the board of supervisors on the American hill and future plans call for similar, sites at strategic locations throughout the rounty, according. to Knowlton. Observers of the pile, in addition to pondering the possibilties for use of some of the junk, which includes an ancient’ bathtub, pointedly asked “Where else ‘can we dump our rubbish?” ¢ electric . biassen’s actions sanitary district election, but that Tobiassen’s record in office has been one of prejudice and bias. Tobiassen said he will “ignore the petition.” has “Many of my friends .tell me not to take this thing too seriously,” the supervisor said. “T will say this though,’ Tobiassen continued, “if I can be recalled on such, flimsy charges as have been quoted, any and every public official in the state of California can be recalled on the same basis. I stand on my record —my long years of service to the the honesty, efficiency and fair dealing that have been my signposts.” Under the state elections code proponents of the recall must obtain signatures of.at least 20 percent of the entire vote east at the last election for all candidates for the office occupied by the person whose removal is sought. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OFFICERS INSTALLATION SET FOR NEXT TUESDAY Installation of officers of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and Junior Chamber of Commerce will be held at joint dinner Tuesday evening at the. . National hotel. Carl T. Mills, sec-. retary-manager of the Calaveras: County Fair, will be the guest speaker talking on promotion of city and district. i Installation of the senior chamber officers is a postponement of an affair originally scheduled on. Jan. 10, and postponed when old Jupiter Pluvius opened up with. a barrage of that white sutff that was falling for a short time yes--. terday afternoon. Officers to be installed are Ray'Spickelmier, president; I. C. Bell, vice president; H. F. Sofge, secretary-treasurer; Milt Andersen, O. J. Melton, W. C. Briggs, William Novak, Merrill Colvin and: Ken Wray, directors. . a Junior chambers officers to be: installed are Marvin E. Haddy, president; William Tobiassen,vice president; Robert Bonner,, secretary; Richard Pease, treas-~ urer; George Halstead, Clement Henwood, H. L. Childers, AR Lindsey and William Tam)iyn,, directors. : Final arrangements of the (in. ner were completed at Tues3.:v’s: meeting of the board of direciors; of the chamber at city hall. Anderson was named chairmes:: of . the dinner meeting. Purchase of the Loma Rice :ir-. port was discussed at the mect-. ing Tuesday and the directors voted ‘to investigate the airport appraisal, expenses and purchase price, but made no commit. at. A meeting has been tenta! vcly set for March 17; in Grass WV: ‘/ay. for further discussion of the «irport by representatives of ‘he chambers of commerce an.) city councils of Nevada Grass. Valley.