Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-04-07
OREGON LEADS AS A LOSER


Oregon is getting some reputation a loser. Every
one has heard of the "LOst Cabin Mine which according
to the most reliable authority first missing in 1851 or
80 and has been undiscoverabe ever since Then some
years ago quartz mill was lost up In the GIeenh0n
country Baker county, and not found for eleven
months This however, seemed to be more case OF
strayed for it was found 70 miles from its accustomed
range.
Then whole railroad train was lost up in eastern
Oregon for week or two Then a steamboat belonging
to Mr. Stevens and run by Captain big Bill" TuInbul
of Vancouver ran away and hid behind SWitzers island
Opposite Vancouver On top of these town at one
time on the Santiam, that disappeared and never was
heard of again.
Coming down to recent days. skipping many political
to know how in the Sam Hill, or any other highway
that unfortunately for their bearers not the state
seems to be keeping up its reputation.
But few days ago Portland officials announced the
city had lost 1000 cords of wood Now that would make
woodpie four feet high the same distance wide and
5000 feet little more than mile and half long. This
we submit is "que chunk" to lose and would seem to
be about the limit but it is far from it.
1t remains for Lincoln county to take the cake, break
the records and aunt the pennant loser The report
made by the surveyor of Lincoln county to the Secretary
of the Interior in 1914 showed the county had 320 more
miles of county road in 1913 than in the succeeding year
The secretary of the interior was puzzled He was
not familiar with Oregons ability loser He wanted
regulations that were iret1ievaby lost, and many more
authority 800 miles OF county road could get lost IN one
brief year He sent out an expert who exported in VAIN
All the roads in the county seemed to be IN place and the
farmers hadn't missed any 1t appeared to fill the
description of the poet at large on Fifth Plaln
north of Vancouver who wrote those rather bewideg
lines:
"The seeming of the Thing unknown
TO thee unknown today;
Now brings it need to fullness grown
To wither and decay
That was what apparently happened to &2O miles OF
Lincoln county highway However when the head OF one
of Uncle Sans departments wants anything he wants it
bad and generally gets it that way This applies to in
formation as we'll other things The experts found no
vacant places where roads had bee but were no longer
there and they gave up CHASING it as one OF the u-
solvable mysteries.
Finally letter was written by the department to the
county Judge Of Lincoln county asking him if ne knew
the whereabouts of 800 miles of county road that was
giving the secretary sample of Villa action. Yes the
nudge knew all about it and consequently there was
nothing mysterious in it. You see wrote the Judge the
ocean beaches along the western border of the county
are of hard sands and make the most beautiful roads IN
the world when they not under water That $40 miles
of highway of the submarine variety and is or is not
according to the mOon One surveyor measured the roads
when the tide was out the other when it was in There
was 320 miles difference And all this inquiry and
justification was caused by the careessness of county
officials in letting the roads stay out of nights and thus
getting mOOnstruck.