September 29, 1950 (8 pages)

#. RESEARCH BY WESTERN PINE ASSN. LABORATORY BENEFITS LUMBER PRODUCERS: OF There are a lot of us who have grown up in the heart of the western lumber industry with the notion that—like “pigs is pigs”— lumber is lumber and product development in the business never progressed after the first board was sawn from a log. The fact of the matter is that, although it got a later start than in some other indusries, research in the development and use of lumber is a going enterprise and has been for at least 25 years. For most pine lumber manufacturing concerns, it is done on a cooperative level. Some very large organizations, of course, have _their own research departments with ‘chemists and engineers working full time on new projects. But the average producer in this area, firms like Cal-Ida Lumber company of Downieville; Mill Creek Lumber company and Nutting Lumber company of North San Juan; G. N. Dodge Lumber company and Grizzly Sawmill of North Columbia; Tahoe Sugar Pine company, Washington; and Yuba River Lumber company, Camptonville; research is one of the many functions of the Western Pine association, of which the above mentioned firms are members. ae The Western Pine association represents more 80 percent of the total’ pine production of the west. The association’s research activities began in 1923 when Albert Hermann joined the group as a dry kiln specialist. In those days mechanical drying’ of lumber was a comparatively new idea, there weren’t many kiln installations and the experience level of kiln operators was so low that good results didn’t occur with any regularity. Hermann, still with the association and recognized as one of the nation’s leading lumber kiln authorities, discovered a need among members for help on other problems. That brought about establishment of a laboratory. Today the lab, located in Portland, Ore., and employing seven wood engineers and chemists, has a dozen projects going at once and can look’ back on a record of achievement which has opened countless new markets—to pine lumber in all grades. The formula for the most widely used preservative treatment for pine: — pentachlorphenol—was developed in the Portland lab in 1935. At the time, the wood window wash market was in danger because a new sash _ installation method permitted infiltration of moisture into installed units and brought about eventual decay. The formula was made available without charge to the nation’s manufacturing chemists. Their products, marketed under many different names but all based on the association’s discovery, have NEVADA COUNTY become industry standards and ware used by all leading sash, door and window makers. The “penta” preparation acts as a fungicide. Another notable development was WP-578, a clear, syntheticresin liquid which seals pine knots against bleeding of knotresins through paint coverings, preventing discoloration and subsequent paint failure. Again made available free to paint and varnish manufacturers, WP-578 than eighty concerns, each marketing the product under a different brand name. Production has doubled each year since it was announced late in 1945. The knot sealer has greatly enlarged> the market for common grade boards by placing them in the residential siding field. It’s helped solve the housing material shortage, too, by expanding the available supply. The lab may also be credited with development of Staypak, a super hardwood made by compressing white fir, western red cedar or other non-resinous softwood down to one-third its original thickness. Not yet on the market, Staypak retains the natural wood grain and has a ready made high gloss which does not require a finish. Solutions of problems in manufacturing is another part of the lab’s work. The dry kiln advisory service has been maintained all through the years and air drying methods have been developed to ‘handle specific species and climatic conditions. A current and promising project is the study of toxic spray methods to prevent development of blue and brown stain in freshly cut ponderosa and sugar pine logs. Other projects include stress studies on Douglas fir of the western pine region, low grade improvement by means of edgeand end-gluing of small clear cuttings, nailing techniques, extracts from larch trees, glued-up wide sheathing panels, clear finishes, waste utilization and pigmented WP-578. New, projects are added from time to time’as old ones are successfully completed. Periodic reports of progress and results of completed work are made available to members, some 300 of them at latest reckoning. The cooperative research method. protects the pine industry from lagging behind competition in manufacturing and marketing at only a small cost to each parti¢ipating firm, most of whom could not afford their own development departments. Lumber is lumber, indeed, but the methods of producing it, processing it'and using it are constantly changing. The western pine industry is keeping up with the change. In fact, it’s often bringing it about. is now being produced by more . Twanty-Third Year, No. 40 Nevada City (Nevada County): California, Friday, September 29, 1950 CHURCH BELLS WILL USHER IN CRUSADE Church bells and mine whistles will be sounded at 10 a. m. tomorrow to usher in Nevada county’s part in the nationwide Crusade for Freedom. Freedom Scrolls will be vlaced at centrally located spots where signors can join the great movement to take the word of Democracy to peoples behind the Iron Curtain. Donations will be received a: the same time to finance a radiu program directed to all eastern European countries to offset the effects of communist propaganda. Superior Judge James Snell is county head of the campaign. His top aides are C. R. Clinch, Guy Robinson, Gail Gordon, Roy Tremoureux, Gilbert Cramer, John Fortier and Eugene Ingalls. The signed Freedom Scrolls will be flown to Berlin where they will be sealed in the foundation of the Freedom Bell which will be dedicated on United Nations Day, October 24. The Crusade started in the United States September 5 and. will close October 16. ASKS FORECLOSURE OF MORTGAGED RANCH Halver R. Norris filed suit in Nevada county superior court on Monday asking foreclosure of a mortgage and judgment for unpaid note totaling $7,500 plus interest and attorney’s fees from Louis O. Macloon, the Nevada Irrigation, District and others. The property to be foreclosed is in the vicinity of Wolk Creek mountain in the southern part of the county. { Norris alleges in his complaint that a note signed Jan. 1, 1949, is unpaid. Others listed in the suit as defendants are Alvin Waddle, Wesley Waddle, Mrs. Clarence Stewart, Keith G. Stewart, Mark Stewart, L. H. Palmerton, Eunice M. Palmerton, Glen Silva, Stanton Silva, B. E. Billings and Mrs. Gladys Billings, and several .unknowns. HOWARD TRYON IS CALLED TO NAVY DUTY Howard Tryon, who with his father, Gdrdon Tryon, operates the Victory Cab in Nevada City, reported Tuesday at Treasure Island for active duty with the U. S, Navy. Tryon, a naval reservist, holds the rating of radarman, third class. The Weather Fred Bush, Observer d Max. Min. Friday, Sept. 22 .. 83 43 Saturday, Sept. 24 . 83 41 Sunday, Sept. 24 .. 82 43 Monday, Sept. 25 . 83 40 Tuesday, Sept. 26 . 76 43 Wednesday, Sept. 27 78 44 Thursday, Sept. 28. 81 43 LUMBER WORKER SHOT IN FOOT IN BARROOM The almost forgotten sound of gunfire along the main streets of Nevada county communities was heard again in Washington early Wednesday morning when Jack McGovern, 32, was shot in the foot following what officers labelled a barroom brawl. Jailed for investigation in connection with the shooting was Arthur D. Sharp, 30, a lumber worker who. reportedly fired the gun while several companions were attempting to disarm him. McGovern was shot when the .270 calibre bullet crashed through the wall of the Washington hotel while .-he was coming down stairs to discover the cause of the disturbance. : Undersheriff Otis Hardt and Deputy Sheriff Percy Watters investigated and jailed Sharp. ASSAULT DAMAGES CASE ENTERS THIRD DAY A court trial in which Sam Martin, Salinas produce’ merchant, is seeking $26,973 damages against G. H. Peterson and Fred Butz of North San Juan enters its third day before Superior Judge James Snell this morning. Martin charges he was violently assaulted when he visited Peterson’s corners bar and restaurant near North San Juan May 30, 1948. TOMORROW LAST DAY TO FILE LABOR CLAIMS Owners of unpatented mining claims are cautioned that tomorrow is the last day for completing assessment work and _ filing claims to keep title for the year closing June 30, 1950. A three months extension had been voted by congress June 30 to enable prospectors and others to complete their $100-of work, in view of the unsettled nature of the law at the time. IN BAY AREA Judge and Mrs. George L. Jones are home again after having spent three weeks in San Francisco. DEAD LUMBER WORKER IDENTIFIED CONVICT The body of a 40 year old lumber worker who died following a logging accident near Truckee Wednesday was identified yesterday as the body of Charles Kennedy who escaped in early August from a prison road camp near Bass. Lake. Positive identification ‘was made by a. San Quentin prison official and-Mrs. James Nelm of Elk Grove, cousin of the man who had been working: under the ‘assumed name of Jack Reed. Sheriff Richard Hoskins . said yesterday the man had dyed his hair which had been red, to black. Hoskins and Coroner Alyah Hooper joined the investigation yesterday afternoon. Kennedy died of injuries suffered when he was struck by a cable used in log loading. Kennedy was committed to San Quentin in ‘1947 for a sex offense. MINE LESSORS CLAIM FREEZE-OUT OF GOLD Harry Buck and Winchell W. Knecttle filed a complaint in Nevada county superior court Tuesday against Charles Peterson alleging Peterson withheld information from _them_and_ordered_ them to' leave the premises while they were operating a lease from the Empire-Star Mines. The plaintiffs claim Peterson took his action upon their arrival at pay dirt after promising full partnership in profits for two or three years or the life of the agreement. According to the complaint the plaintiff state Peterson severed the agreement by charging the plaintiffs were doing unsatisfactory work. BAPTIST CHURCH NAMES NEW OFFICERS The Community Baptist church Tuesday night closed its books on its fiscal year ending this month and reappojnted a church staff to serve during the coming year. The church was organized two years ago under the direction of Rev. and Mrs. John MacDonald. Officers reelected were Legrand Stirling, board-of elders; Allan Hahn, board: of trustees; Mrs. Legrand Stirling, Sunday School superintendent; Mrs. Mabel. Prentiss, board of: Christian Education; and Alvin Molen, assistant moderator. Newly elected were Mrs. Loren Sherwood, clerk, and Loren Sherwood, head usher. ELECTION TEMPO UP ASNID DAY OF DECISION NEARS Chairman Max Arnold and Herbert J. Nile of the Nevada Irrigation District directorate face a recall election Tuesday in one of the county’s hottest and most widely publicized political contests in recent years. Arnold will be opposed by Clarence Gassaway, cattle raiser from the Bear river district south of Grass Valley. Nile will face C. O. Armstrong, president of the Nevada County Farm Bureau Federation. The recall election was precipitated by the N. I. D. Land Owners Association formed in early August after Nile, Arnold and J. H. Gleason, another director, had asked for the resignation of Forrest Varney, NID manager. Gleahowever, was not subjected to recall action. His term ends. in March of 1951. The directors favoring Varney’s retention as manager are G. O. Griffith and E, B. Power. Nile, Arnold and Gleason, shortly after Varney’s dismissal Sept. 8, set up a governing arrangement wherein the district will operate without a manager _ and its affairs will be handled by the directors meeting once a week in consultation with a superintendent and agent. Both of the latter officers were given sub-. stantial pay boosts under the new arrangement. The other two directors have steadfastly maintained that the NID with more than $12,000,000 in physical facilities and covering 260,000 acres in Nevada and Pla— cer counties needs a full-time manager. The local press during the past two weeks has been beseiged by a flood of letters by members of the NID Water Users Association which ought Varney’s removal, and the Land Owners Association. Donald Gates, seanibee of the water users group and one of the leaders in the faction supporting the two incumbent directors, suffered a blackened eye Wednesday but declined to say whether it was a result of the water usersland owner letter writing feud. Meanwhile a grand jury investigation of the NID books is still underway under thedirection of investigators appointed by the state attorney general’s office. Arnold represents the area east and south of Grass Valley and (Continued on page eight) City Bridges Started Halladie and Sawyer to Honors By AL TRIVELPIECE In one century; California bridge building has were four inches in diameter and were composed of 1,050 separate 12-gauge wires. 100,000 feet of lumber was used in the structure. More than structurally sound. built across the Klamath river. Seventy-eight years later, (1940) at Orleans, an almost identical span was In most respects young man. success. cessful. He tried his hand at mining without In law practice he was equally unsucHis waiting room went for months with progressed from a footbridge log across a mountain stream to the awe inspiring structures which span San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate. In short California has moved from the bottom to the top of the bridge building world in one short century. Records show that Nevada City played a large part in the early years of this century of bridge building progress, and one of the mbdst important local spans from’ the standpoint of historical interest was the suspension bridge built in 1862 at the present location of the Pine street bridge. The span was conceived in the minds of local citizens in 1860. However the project failed to obtain unanimous popularity. A large body of citizens protested its construction as too costly and impractical. Suggestions of a municipal tax levy were stoutly protested, but the bridge boosters finally won out. In 1861 the California legislature passed an act authorizing Nevada City to levy @ tax of 5.8 of one percent to finance construction of a bridge. Again the protestants came to bat with a wave of injunctions and restraining orders. ._The case moved slowly through local, county and district courts and was finally carried to the California supreme court which placed its stamp of approval on the proposed structure. r. the early spring of 1862 work started under a $9,000 contract with Andrew S. Halladie of San Francisco. In late May the structure was completed and thrown open to vehicular traffic. For its day, the bridge was the acme of engineering magnificence. Travelers came from great distances to gaze in awe, and engineers marveled at its great span, height, weight and apparent mechanical solidarity and safety. The two great cables supporting the structure It was the largest bridge in California with 4,700 square feet of bridge surface. Its great 503-foot cables weighed 36,000 pounds. The towers carrying the cable saddles were 33 feet above the 14-foot-wide deck of the structure. True enough, there were longer suspension bridges in California but there were none so high or so wide or so handsome. Throughout June and early July of 1862 great loads of lumber, hay, supplies from Sacramento and San Francisco, and mining machinery moved in a steady stream across the span. Then came disaster! One of the bulkheads at the end of the bridge gave way and three men and twenty oxen were dumped onto the boulders sixty feet below. Two of the men and 15 of the oxen were killed. Advised of the catastrophe Halladie hurried to Nevada City. The bridge was strengthened and portions rebuilt but the final cost was $15,000 instead of the expected $9,000. In October of 1862 the rebuilt bridge was again thrown open to traffic but scoresof teamsters declined to use the structure for many months after its opening. The tragic scene was still fresh in the minds of seores of local folks. They could vividly reeall the injured oxen struggling in their harnesses and bellowing in pain and terror. Many of the animals were dispatched with rifle bullets. With considerable juggling of municipal finance Halladie was paid off and returned to San Francisco to a career climaxed by his creation of the city’s cable car system which is rated as one of the world’s greatest achievements in municipal transportation.Halladie’s rebuilt bridge which was opened in October of 1862 must have been scientifically and <> Pd the 1940 bridge and the 1862 span were as alike as two peas. Many of the features of a rigid suspehsion bridge which were patented by Halladie are still used in suspension bridge construction. A story of Halladie’s life would fill a large volume but a few highlights can be offered here. For instance, his true family name was not Halladie—it was Smith. He adopted the name Halladie in respect to his godfather who was personal physician to Queen Victoria. He was born in London in 1836 and came to California with his-father_in 1852. After a brief attempt to mine gold he and his father opened a small shop for the manufacture of wire rope for which there was great demand. In odd moments he performed surveying and. blacksmithing jobs. It is interesting to note that his first suspension bridge patent was applied for in 1867—five years after construction of the Pine Street brdge here. Obviously the local bridge was a part of his vast program of research. It is’ probable his local bridge failure has considerable effect on his mechanical conclusions. The suspension bridge served the local carriage, wagon and pedestrian trade for nearly a half century but was finally replaced in 1904 by the present fabricated steel span. But no story of Nevada City bridges would be complete without mention of another and earlier bridge that spanned Deer Creek. It was nothing more nor less than a pine log two feet in diameter but it played a small part in the lives and fortunes of thousands of persons and was a contributing factor in the Sawyer Decision of 1884 which was the death blow to hydraulic mining. . The story of this log footbridge, briefly goes like this: Lorenzo Sawyer came to Nevada City as a only an occasional client. Disgusted with the law business here he moved to San Francisco. He.returned to Nevada City just in time to defend “Old Harriet’? who conducted a brothel believed to have been located on the opposite shore of Deer Creek below the Plaza. The shady old lady, according to best reports now available, had been accused of murder in connection with the death of Pat Berry, a miner who came from his claim well laden with gold dust and nuggets. Berry had, purchased a new suit and decided to have a gay evening at Harriet’s palace of pleaure. nude body was found ‘floating in a whirlpool below the establishment. A bruised temple hinted that he had been slugged. ; Harriet was arrested, but no local attorney saw fit to take over her defense. Sawyer, however, took her case and started preparation of a defense. A few days later another nude body was found floating in the same whirlpool with a similar bruise on the temple. Sawyer’s defense was simple. Both men had fallen from the log foot bridge and struck their heads on the rocks below. The whirlpool, Sawyer, said, had divested. both bodies of clothing. Harriet was freed and Sawyer was launched on a brilliant legal career. His offices, from that day, were crowded. He was named a district judge,. and later moved to the state supreme court bench as chief justice. President U. S. Grant appointed him a federal court judge. From that high bench he handed down the famed decision which washed up the multi-million dollar hydraulic —— industry. But notice that the evidence at the log footbridge was the turning point in the career of one of the city’s most celebrated sons!

#. RESEARCH BY WESTERN PINE ASSN. LABORATORY BENEFITS LUMBER PRODUCERS: OF There are a lot of us who have grown up in the heart of the western lumber industry with the notion that—like “pigs is pigs”— lumber is lumber and product development in the business never progressed after the first board was sawn from a log. The fact of the matter is that, although it got a later start than in some other indusries, research in the development and use of lumber is a going enterprise and has been for at least 25 years. For most pine lumber manufacturing concerns, it is done on a cooperative level. Some very large organizations, of course, have _their own research departments with ‘chemists and engineers working full time on new projects. But the average producer in this area, firms like Cal-Ida Lumber company of Downieville; Mill Creek Lumber company and Nutting Lumber company of North San Juan; G. N. Dodge Lumber company and Grizzly Sawmill of North Columbia; Tahoe Sugar Pine company, Washington; and Yuba River Lumber company, Camptonville; research is one of the many functions of the Western Pine association, of which the above mentioned firms are members. ae The Western Pine association represents more 80 percent of the total’ pine production of the west. The association’s research activities began in 1923 when Albert Hermann joined the group as a dry kiln specialist. In those days mechanical drying’ of lumber was a comparatively new idea, there weren’t many kiln installations and the experience level of kiln operators was so low that good results didn’t occur with any regularity. Hermann, still with the association and recognized as one of the nation’s leading lumber kiln authorities, discovered a need among members for help on other problems. That brought about establishment of a laboratory. Today the lab, located in Portland, Ore., and employing seven wood engineers and chemists, has a dozen projects going at once and can look’ back on a record of achievement which has opened countless new markets—to pine lumber in all grades. The formula for the most widely used preservative treatment for pine: — pentachlorphenol—was developed in the Portland lab in 1935. At the time, the wood window wash market was in danger because a new sash _ installation method permitted infiltration of moisture into installed units and brought about eventual decay. The formula was made available without charge to the nation’s manufacturing chemists. Their products, marketed under many different names but all based on the association’s discovery, have NEVADA COUNTY become industry standards and ware used by all leading sash, door and window makers. The “penta” preparation acts as a fungicide. Another notable development was WP-578, a clear, syntheticresin liquid which seals pine knots against bleeding of knotresins through paint coverings, preventing discoloration and subsequent paint failure. Again made available free to paint and varnish manufacturers, WP-578 than eighty concerns, each marketing the product under a different brand name. Production has doubled each year since it was announced late in 1945. The knot sealer has greatly enlarged> the market for common grade boards by placing them in the residential siding field. It’s helped solve the housing material shortage, too, by expanding the available supply. The lab may also be credited with development of Staypak, a super hardwood made by compressing white fir, western red cedar or other non-resinous softwood down to one-third its original thickness. Not yet on the market, Staypak retains the natural wood grain and has a ready made high gloss which does not require a finish. Solutions of problems in manufacturing is another part of the lab’s work. The dry kiln advisory service has been maintained all through the years and air drying methods have been developed to ‘handle specific species and climatic conditions. A current and promising project is the study of toxic spray methods to prevent development of blue and brown stain in freshly cut ponderosa and sugar pine logs. Other projects include stress studies on Douglas fir of the western pine region, low grade improvement by means of edgeand end-gluing of small clear cuttings, nailing techniques, extracts from larch trees, glued-up wide sheathing panels, clear finishes, waste utilization and pigmented WP-578. New, projects are added from time to time’as old ones are successfully completed. Periodic reports of progress and results of completed work are made available to members, some 300 of them at latest reckoning. The cooperative research method. protects the pine industry from lagging behind competition in manufacturing and marketing at only a small cost to each parti¢ipating firm, most of whom could not afford their own development departments. Lumber is lumber, indeed, but the methods of producing it, processing it'and using it are constantly changing. The western pine industry is keeping up with the change. In fact, it’s often bringing it about. is now being produced by more . Twanty-Third Year, No. 40 Nevada City (Nevada County): California, Friday, September 29, 1950 CHURCH BELLS WILL USHER IN CRUSADE Church bells and mine whistles will be sounded at 10 a. m. tomorrow to usher in Nevada county’s part in the nationwide Crusade for Freedom. Freedom Scrolls will be vlaced at centrally located spots where signors can join the great movement to take the word of Democracy to peoples behind the Iron Curtain. Donations will be received a: the same time to finance a radiu program directed to all eastern European countries to offset the effects of communist propaganda. Superior Judge James Snell is county head of the campaign. His top aides are C. R. Clinch, Guy Robinson, Gail Gordon, Roy Tremoureux, Gilbert Cramer, John Fortier and Eugene Ingalls. The signed Freedom Scrolls will be flown to Berlin where they will be sealed in the foundation of the Freedom Bell which will be dedicated on United Nations Day, October 24. The Crusade started in the United States September 5 and. will close October 16. ASKS FORECLOSURE OF MORTGAGED RANCH Halver R. Norris filed suit in Nevada county superior court on Monday asking foreclosure of a mortgage and judgment for unpaid note totaling $7,500 plus interest and attorney’s fees from Louis O. Macloon, the Nevada Irrigation, District and others. The property to be foreclosed is in the vicinity of Wolk Creek mountain in the southern part of the county. { Norris alleges in his complaint that a note signed Jan. 1, 1949, is unpaid. Others listed in the suit as defendants are Alvin Waddle, Wesley Waddle, Mrs. Clarence Stewart, Keith G. Stewart, Mark Stewart, L. H. Palmerton, Eunice M. Palmerton, Glen Silva, Stanton Silva, B. E. Billings and Mrs. Gladys Billings, and several .unknowns. HOWARD TRYON IS CALLED TO NAVY DUTY Howard Tryon, who with his father, Gdrdon Tryon, operates the Victory Cab in Nevada City, reported Tuesday at Treasure Island for active duty with the U. S, Navy. Tryon, a naval reservist, holds the rating of radarman, third class. The Weather Fred Bush, Observer d Max. Min. Friday, Sept. 22 .... 83 43 Saturday, Sept. 24 . 83 41 Sunday, Sept. 24 ... 82 43 Monday, Sept. 25 .. 83 40 Tuesday, Sept. 26 .. 76 43 Wednesday, Sept. 27 78 44 Thursday, Sept. 28.. 81 43 LUMBER WORKER SHOT IN FOOT IN BARROOM The almost forgotten sound of gunfire along the main streets of Nevada county communities was heard again in Washington early Wednesday morning when Jack McGovern, 32, was shot in the foot following what officers labelled a barroom brawl. Jailed for investigation in connection with the shooting was Arthur D. Sharp, 30, a lumber worker who. reportedly fired the gun while several companions were attempting to disarm him. McGovern was shot when the .270 calibre bullet crashed through the wall of the Washington hotel while .-he was coming down stairs to discover the cause of the disturbance. : Undersheriff Otis Hardt and Deputy Sheriff Percy Watters investigated and jailed Sharp. ASSAULT DAMAGES CASE ENTERS THIRD DAY A court trial in which Sam Martin, Salinas produce’ merchant, is seeking $26,973 damages against G. H. Peterson and Fred Butz of North San Juan enters its third day before Superior Judge James Snell this morning. Martin charges he was violently assaulted when he visited Peterson’s corners bar and restaurant near North San Juan May 30, 1948. TOMORROW LAST DAY TO FILE LABOR CLAIMS Owners of unpatented mining claims are cautioned that tomorrow is the last day for completing assessment work and _ filing claims to keep title for the year closing June 30, 1950. A three months extension had been voted by congress June 30 to enable prospectors and others to complete their $100-of work, in view of the unsettled nature of the law at the time. IN BAY AREA Judge and Mrs. George L. Jones are home again after having spent three weeks in San Francisco. DEAD LUMBER WORKER IDENTIFIED CONVICT The body of a 40 year old lumber worker who died following a logging accident near Truckee Wednesday was identified yesterday as the body of Charles Kennedy who escaped in early August from a prison road camp near Bass. Lake. Positive identification ‘was made by a. San Quentin prison official and-Mrs. James Nelm of Elk Grove, cousin of the man who had been working: under the ‘assumed name of Jack Reed. Sheriff Richard Hoskins . said

yesterday the man had dyed his hair which had been red, to black. Hoskins and Coroner Alyah Hooper joined the investigation yesterday afternoon. Kennedy died of injuries suffered when he was struck by a cable used in log loading. Kennedy was committed to San Quentin in ‘1947 for a sex offense. MINE LESSORS CLAIM FREEZE-OUT OF GOLD Harry Buck and Winchell W. Knecttle filed a complaint in Nevada county superior court Tuesday against Charles Peterson alleging Peterson withheld information from _them_and_ordered_ them to' leave the premises while they were operating a lease from the Empire-Star Mines. The plaintiffs claim Peterson took his action upon their arrival at pay dirt after promising full partnership in profits for two or three years or the life of the agreement. According to the complaint the plaintiff state Peterson severed the agreement by charging the plaintiffs were doing unsatisfactory work. BAPTIST CHURCH NAMES NEW OFFICERS The Community Baptist church Tuesday night closed its books on its fiscal year ending this month and reappojnted a church staff to serve during the coming year. The church was organized two years ago under the direction of Rev. and Mrs. John MacDonald. Officers reelected were Legrand Stirling, board-of elders; Allan Hahn, board: of trustees; Mrs. Legrand Stirling, Sunday School superintendent; Mrs. Mabel. Prentiss, board of: Christian Education; and Alvin Molen, assistant moderator. Newly elected were Mrs. Loren Sherwood, clerk, and Loren Sherwood, head usher. ELECTION TEMPO UP ASNID DAY OF DECISION NEARS Chairman Max Arnold and Herbert J. Nile of the Nevada Irrigation District directorate face a recall election Tuesday in one of the county’s hottest and most widely publicized political contests in recent years. Arnold will be opposed by Clarence Gassaway, cattle raiser from the Bear river district south of Grass Valley. Nile will face C. O. Armstrong, president of the Nevada County Farm Bureau Federation. The recall election was precipitated by the N. I. D. Land Owners Association formed in early August after Nile, Arnold and J. H. Gleason, another director, had asked for the resignation of Forrest Varney, NID manager. Gleahowever, was not subjected to recall action. His term ends. in March of 1951. The directors favoring Varney’s retention as manager are G. O. Griffith and E, B. Power. Nile, Arnold and Gleason, shortly after Varney’s dismissal Sept. 8, set up a governing arrangement wherein the district will operate without a manager _ and its affairs will be handled by the directors meeting once a week in consultation with a superintendent and agent. Both of the latter officers were given sub-. stantial pay boosts under the new arrangement. The other two directors have steadfastly maintained that the NID with more than $12,000,000 in physical facilities and covering 260,000 acres in Nevada and Pla— cer counties needs a full-time manager. The local press during the past two weeks has been beseiged by a flood of letters by members of the NID Water Users Association which ought Varney’s removal, and the Land Owners Association. Donald Gates, seanibee of the water users group and one of the leaders in the faction supporting the two incumbent directors, suffered a blackened eye Wednesday but declined to say whether it was a result of the water usersland owner letter writing feud. Meanwhile a grand jury investigation of the NID books is still underway under thedirection of investigators appointed by the state attorney general’s office. Arnold represents the area east and south of Grass Valley and (Continued on page eight) City Bridges Started Halladie and Sawyer to Honors By AL TRIVELPIECE In one century; California bridge building has were four inches in diameter and were composed of 1,050 separate 12-gauge wires. 100,000 feet of lumber was used in the structure. More than structurally sound. built across the Klamath river. Seventy-eight years later, (1940) at Orleans, an almost identical span was In most respects young man. success. cessful. He tried his hand at mining without In law practice he was equally unsucHis waiting room went for months with progressed from a footbridge log across a mountain stream to the awe inspiring structures which span San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate. In short California has moved from the bottom to the top of the bridge building world in one short century. Records show that Nevada City played a large part in the early years of this century of bridge building progress, and one of the mbdst important local spans from’ the standpoint of historical interest was the suspension bridge built in 1862 at the present location of the Pine street bridge. The span was conceived in the minds of local citizens in 1860. However the project failed to obtain unanimous popularity. A large body of citizens protested its construction as too costly and impractical. Suggestions of a municipal tax levy were stoutly protested, but the bridge boosters finally won out. In 1861 the California legislature passed an act authorizing Nevada City to levy @ tax of 5.8 of one percent to finance construction of a bridge. Again the protestants came to bat with a wave of injunctions and restraining orders. ._The case moved slowly through local, county and district courts and was finally carried to the California supreme court which placed its stamp of approval on the proposed structure. r. the early spring of 1862 work started under a $9,000 contract with Andrew S. Halladie of San Francisco. In late May the structure was completed and thrown open to vehicular traffic. For its day, the bridge was the acme of engineering magnificence. Travelers came from great distances to gaze in awe, and engineers marveled at its great span, height, weight and apparent mechanical solidarity and safety. The two great cables supporting the structure It was the largest bridge in California with 4,700 square feet of bridge surface. Its great 503-foot cables weighed 36,000 pounds. The towers carrying the cable saddles were 33 feet above the 14-foot-wide deck of the structure. True enough, there were longer suspension bridges in California but there were none so high or so wide or so handsome. Throughout June and early July of 1862 great loads of lumber, hay, supplies from Sacramento and San Francisco, and mining machinery moved in a steady stream across the span. Then came disaster! One of the bulkheads at the end of the bridge gave way and three men and twenty oxen were dumped onto the boulders sixty feet below. Two of the men and 15 of the oxen were killed. Advised of the catastrophe Halladie hurried to Nevada City. The bridge was strengthened and portions rebuilt but the final cost was $15,000 instead of the expected $9,000. In October of 1862 the rebuilt bridge was again thrown open to traffic but scoresof teamsters declined to use the structure for many months after its opening. The tragic scene was still fresh in the minds of seores of local folks. They could vividly reeall the injured oxen struggling in their harnesses and bellowing in pain and terror. Many of the animals were dispatched with rifle bullets. With considerable juggling of municipal finance Halladie was paid off and returned to San Francisco to a career climaxed by his creation of the city’s cable car system which is rated as one of the world’s greatest achievements in municipal transportation.Halladie’s rebuilt bridge which was opened in October of 1862 must have been scientifically and <> Pd the 1940 bridge and the 1862 span were as alike as two peas. Many of the features of a rigid suspehsion bridge which were patented by Halladie are still used in suspension bridge construction. A story of Halladie’s life would fill a large volume but a few highlights can be offered here. For instance, his true family name was not Halladie—it was Smith. He adopted the name Halladie in respect to his godfather who was personal physician to Queen Victoria. He was born in London in 1836 and came to California with his-father_in 1852. After a brief attempt to mine gold he and his father opened a small shop for the manufacture of wire rope for which there was great demand. In odd moments he performed surveying and. blacksmithing jobs. It is interesting to note that his first suspension bridge patent was applied for in 1867—five years after construction of the Pine Street brdge here. Obviously the local bridge was a part of his vast program of research. It is’ probable his local bridge failure has considerable effect on his mechanical conclusions. The suspension bridge served the local carriage, wagon and pedestrian trade for nearly a half century but was finally replaced in 1904 by the present fabricated steel span. But no story of Nevada City bridges would be complete without mention of another and earlier bridge that spanned Deer Creek. It was nothing more nor less than a pine log two feet in diameter but it played a small part in the lives and fortunes of thousands of persons and was a contributing factor in the Sawyer Decision of 1884 which was the death blow to hydraulic mining. . The story of this log footbridge, briefly goes like this: Lorenzo Sawyer came to Nevada City as a only an occasional client. Disgusted with the law business here he moved to San Francisco. He.returned to Nevada City just in time to defend “Old Harriet’? who conducted a brothel believed to have been located on the opposite shore of Deer Creek below the Plaza. The shady old lady, according to best reports now available, had been accused of murder in connection with the death of Pat Berry, a miner who came from his claim well laden with gold dust and nuggets. Berry had, purchased a new suit and decided to have a gay evening at Harriet’s palace of pleaure. nude body was found ‘floating in a whirlpool below the establishment. A bruised temple hinted that he had been slugged. ; Harriet was arrested, but no local attorney saw fit to take over her defense. Sawyer, however, took her case and started preparation of a defense. A few days later another nude body was found floating in the same whirlpool with a similar bruise on the temple. Sawyer’s defense was simple. Both men had fallen from the log foot bridge and struck their heads on the rocks below. The whirlpool, Sawyer, said, had divested. both bodies of clothing. Harriet was freed and Sawyer was launched on a brilliant legal career. His offices, from that day, were crowded. He was named a district judge,. and later moved to the state supreme court bench as chief justice. President U. S. Grant appointed him a federal court judge. From that high bench he handed down the famed decision which washed up the multi-million dollar hydraulic —— industry. But notice that the evidence at the log footbridge was the turning point in the career of one of the city’s most celebrated sons!