Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1919-06-27

Lincoln County Leader,
Toledo, Oregon.
Dear Sir:
Referring to your article entitled,
Reservoir Not Dry" in June issue OF
the Lincoln County Leader, l desire
to state the circumstances responsible
for the story in last Wednesdays ORE
gonian.
The telegraph operators strike made
it impossible to use the telegraph line,
which would have obviated all the err
rors but one, the mort important,
which referred to the condition OF To-
ledos water supply. ]. E. Cooter stat
ed to me that THE water was running
low and / accepted his statement at
he resides at Toledo, is familiar with
the water system there and was gath
ering information for the Oregonian
when | arrived. | came from Newport
with Mr.. ]. o. Storey, and he stated ais
we came into Toledo that the mill was
down to the ground but that the lum-
I
ber was in no dlnger as there was
: little wind, and what there was, was
in the right direction. He also gave
me the figures used.
You did not refer to Mr.. Storey be-
ing caNled by peculiar substitute for
his name, which was due to the poor
telephone service. The same thing
accounts for Depot Slough being called
Newport fiume.
As for the work of the Newport fire
Department.: 1t was fine. The as
sumption of the staff writer in The
A Oregonian office, that Newport Fire
a Department had arrived too late to
r render assistance was natural. because
# when | telephoned, about 7:4O P. M,
the mill was down to the ground, the
lumber, excepting small portion, was
in no danger, (many Toledo men were
!. sitting around doing nothing for that
n reason,) and the fire department OF
e Newport had not yet arrived.
II.
? ent at Toledo, was present with me all
e the time l viewed the fire, escorted me
to the telephone office, and after /
1. placed the call, invited me to have the
call shifted into his office next door,
which did. | then commenced TO out
n lima the story on his typewriter, when
N l got the telephone CALL Mr.. Cooter
N sat beside me and listened attcntively
N to all | said, heard me repeat many
,r words and spell out some in the most
# careful manner His only interruption
m was to mention the close proximity
Al of the government mill across Depot
.l Slough We left his office together
and | told him to be sure TO clean up
everything in his follow Story to car
VI rv a cut of the fire. In the follow
., story, written the next day or two
Il. days later, the Newport firemen got
-, sufficient acknowledgement and Tole
~ dos water supply was explained. Yes
. terday Mr.. Cooter stated that on his
return to his home he had been unable
to draw water In his house and further
stated that he had meant waiter was
r low due to a leahy hose when he tolt
me the water was low.
's Ycu might have ascertained these
ic facts in five minutes by calling me OF
ed the telephone, and you had two days
yet you carefully avoided doing that
or and Furthermore indulged in insinua
'e- ticns of a personal nature with m
other reason than having a mant
mean disposition with only child
. control.
~ Mr. Cooter does not take orders from
g- me but IL is customary for two or NOR
ge men on the same newspaper to assls
he each other and wanted him to under
Oh stand when | left that was finishe
he with the story and he was to writ
m. later developments.
,ly I'm conclusions: There is only on
W. water system in Toledo which | al
ge familiar with, which relates to Tn
nm deals, shown in records, DetWeeh IL
III ledo Port Commission and the city G
Toledo, includes the Ball-Peterso
INT tract, Engineer Wright's interest an
m other bits of savory gossip, whic
to should | decide to give to the publ
err through the Portland Press and ORE
m gon Voter, would hardly be relishe
by persons interested in the futur
IN sale of Toledo port and city bond'
he However, | am sorry that the frs
ge- story was published as it was II
US has hurt Toledo, though believe thf
Ter repatriation was made in the secon
OF story. Yours very fruV'
Joseph Patterson