New-York tribune., 1903-06-21
ON THE PACIFIC COAST
Lessons of the Heppiaer Disaster
Grozoth of San Francisco.

San Francisco. June 19.-The Heppner disaster
in Oregon has dwarfed all other Pacific Coast
news this week. The suddenness of the calamity
and the fearful sweep of water recalled the
Johnstown flood, but. fortunately, Heppner was
small, and most of the people, who lived in the
canyon below the town, had ample warning to
escape The total loss of life is now estimated
at two hundred. Heppner has lately come into
prominence as the trade centre of a rich agri-
cultural country. Thousands of acres OF wheat
are sown where few years ago sheep were
pastured. Good coal has also been found in the
vicinity, and it is probable that the mining of
this coal will soon be more lucrative than sheep
raising wheat growing. One result of the
disaster will be 10 prevent the building of towns
in natural gorges into which food waters rush
with great force. Heppner situated on
low land at the intersection of several canyons,
and thus received the full force of the water as
it rushed down from the mountain. Near by was
Mesa, which was untouched by the floods.
The Spring Valley Water Company has just
finished its semi-annual census of consumers.
Its report shows that San Francisco has
population of 10000 or 100000 more than the
census of 1900 gave TO the city. Tine water re-
turns show that $4,000 families pay water rates
and that more than 1000 families draw water
from independent sources. AS each of these
families averages six persons, this makes 10000,
and there more than 10000 who occupy
rooms over stotres I'D other business estab-
lshments In 1901 1241 new dwelling houses
We're built and 2.O76 families were added to
the population. Last year 1.49S new dwell
ing houses were built and 2076 families came
to town One feature Of the building is the
large number Of private hotels and apartment
houses with suites of three and four rooms,
be;a nj
from one hundred to hundred and fifty
rooms each and they are filed as built,
though rents are far higher than ever known be-
fore
The Eppinger failure has developed some queer
features The attorney for the bankrupt firm
said that the court could not order the wheat
warehouse books produced because the ware
house business not included in the
bankruptcy law of this State. Another point
made was that the entire proceedings against
the insolvent wheat firm were invalid. as their
warehouse business cid not come under the
bankruptcy law Under the California law the
firm hopes to evade the order to produce the
warehouse books and thus block all proceedings
Of creditors to get at the facts of the failure.
Nat Goodwin had a warm reception here this
week but his latest play, The Altar of Friend
ship" was found so thin and unattractive that
he has substituted When We Were Twenty
one for the second week
Some remarkable revelations have been made
in court this week about the drinking habits OF
the late Alexander Dunsmuir the British Co
lurnbia coal man. He was stepfather OF Edna
Wallace Hopper, who is contesting the will
bv which her mother received only a small an
nuitv that lapsed with her death. She says
that Dunsmuir was so much under the influence
of liquor that he not competent to make
will witnesses testified that he regularly
drank three quart bottles Of whiskey a day
The appointment by Mayor Schrnitz Of Frank
A. Maestretti as Fire Commissioner shows the
Mayors desire to reward the leader of the Union
Labor party which helped to elect him. Mae
stretti Is a dernagogue who has become proTni-
nent at ward meetings, but he is not competent
to occupy the place to which the Mayors par
tiaIity has elevated him.
Professor V. A. Moore, of Cornell. and Dr. A.
p Ward of the University of California. in
Southern California studying the means Of pre-
venting the spread of Texas fever and other
disease of cattle.
Pumping by electrical power is now being done
on several large ranches in California, and, If
the experineuts prove successful, much of the
present desert lands can De irrigated py ule
help of electricity, generated by the great force
of the streams that plunge down from the hlgh
sierra to the western foothills. The California
Power Company has installed experimental
,umping station at Anderson, and has found
that fifty horsepower motor will raise 900
gallons of water minute to a vertical height
of thirty feet.
Among the deaths of the week that Of
Roswell c Sargent, a large landowner Of San
Joaquin County. Sargent owned a 16,ooo-acre
ranch in San Joaquin County, near Stockton
He was the first man in the State TO bulId leVees
10 protect his land from overflow.