Looking back from Sunday, July 31

PORTLAND – The federal government’s decision to protect two species of fish along the West Coast is the beginning of a rebuilding process that environmentalists say could take decades. The National Marine Fisheries Service announced at a news conference Tuesday that it has declared the Umpqua River cutthroat trout an endangered species. It also proposed that 10 wild runs of West Coast steelhead salmon be protected under the Endangered Species Act. Species covered by the act are federally protected from activities that could harm them or their habitat. “This reflects a commitment by this region and by the people who live here that they want salmon and steelhead,” William Stelle, the service’s Northwest regional director, said at the news conference. “They’re not going to stand by and let these incredible fish go extinct.”

40 years ago – 1976

Oregonians have floated, swum, flown, ridden horseback, run, jogged, bicycled and driven wagons for the Bicentennial. Now, in honor of the Bicentennial, Oregon will host a hike over an historic road. Frank Quinlan, Portland, Director of the Oregon Bicentennial Commission, and James Weeks, The Dalles, president of the Wasco County Historical Society, will retrace the 100-mile Barlow Road from The Dalles to Oregon City.

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. (UPI) – Fred Newhall Woods IV, a 24-year-old “loner” and prime suspect in the bizarre bus abduction of 26 school children and their driver, was returned Friday night to California, where investigators are attempting to piece together a “psychological profile” of the kidnap gang. Madera County Sheriff Ed Bates said such a profile hopefully will provide a clue to the motive for the kidnaping, since the three young men now in custody were from wealthy families and he suspects “something besides money” was behind the incident. Bates said he wants to find out all he can about Woods and the Schoenfeld brothers, Richard, 22, and James, 24, including “their environment, their genes, their education,” as well as their psychological needs and political beliefs, to uncover the motive. All three suspects are being held on $1 million bail.

Entry dates for the 1976 Wasco County fair are approaching and the fair opens a four-day run Aug. 26. This year’s theme is “Pioneer’s Progress” with special emphasis on the Bicentennial year. The U.S. Navy parachute team, which thrilled crowds last year, will perform again on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28-29. Cattle, sheep and hogs must be pre-entered by Aug. 15. Pen fees and other instructions are included in the fair catalog.

60 years ago – 1956

Drivers coming into the downtown district from residential areas within the city were stopped this morning by State Highway Department employes who were giving out postcards as part of a traffic survey being conducted here. The survey crews today worked on Union, Court and Liberty streets and Third Place and tomorrow will be stationed at Brewery Grade, Seventh street and Fourth street. The crews work from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Robert L. Shindler, a state highway department engineer in charge of the postcard survey here, said one of the toughest problems that will be involved in analyzing the traffic survey results is the fact that a large share of drivers are not now using streets they normally would use because of the current city street improvement project which has resulted in a number of main streets being blocked off. To overcome this factor, figures from the 1950 census for The Dalles will be used together with residential building permits issued since that time in and adjacent to The Dalles to determine what streets would normally have been used.

Four telegraph operators in the Union Pacific railroad station in The Dalles will be replaced by ticket clerks effective 11:59 p.m. Aug. 3, it was reported today. All the telegraph operators will be removed as an economy measure, it was explained.

Mrs. Charles A. Davis of 1420 I Street reported to city police this morning that her dog died of poisoning. An unidentified resident called The Chronicle saying that he heard several rifle shots fired in the neighborhood of 600 block and West Ninth street. Police said it is possible that someone might have been shooting at dogs. Mrs. Davis said that this was the second dog that had been poisoned in her yard. The other dog, she said, recovered.

80 years ago – 1936

Fulfilling in every way its promise of superlative entertainment, “The Beauty Shop,” presented here last night on the Amotan field by the local Kiwanis club, was easily one of the best amateur theatricals ever given in The Dalles, rivalling in many ways some of the professional musical comedies seen on the legitimate stage today. Particularly suited to their roles, the entire cast of principal and assisting characters played their parts “letter perfect” and with the naturalness and finesse not often found in most amateur productions. Equally well done were the character roles played by the supporting cast with some lively comedy contributed by F. L. Phipps as the Corsican undertaker; Miss Frances Doud, as Lotta Waite, and Mrs. Audrey Webb as Natalie, the innkeeper’s homely daughter. Song and dance numbers were exceptionally well executed with some outstanding solo work done by Miss Rachael Hughes, singing the gypsy love song, “Carrissima,” and by Miss Mary Ann Skirving in a Spanish dance colored by the gravity of its execution and the beauty of her costume. Others meriting special mention were Leslie Martin as the Corsican duelist, H. E. Greene as the innkeeper and Miss Lura Adkisson as Lola, a Spanish dancer.

LONDON, July 31. (UP) – George Andrew McMahon was held for trial today on three separate charges of menacing the king with a revolver. In his testimony at Bow street police court McMahon denied he intended to shoot the king but said he only threw the revolver toward him, “slithering” it along the street. At the famous little police court again for preliminary hearing, McMahon protested that it was “absurd” to charge he raised his pistol toward the king. McMahon said he always carried a loaded revolver but never fired it. He denied emphatically that he ever pointed a revolver at anyone or intended to hit “anything or anyone.” McMahon said the passing soldiers and the cheering crowds reminded him of his own misery. “I remembered I had barely the price of a meal,” he said, “and I thought, what was the good of living? I was going to shoot myself.”

100 years ago – 1916

INVENTIONS OF SECOND YEAR OF WAR – Germans introduced liquid fire. Germans introduced asphyxiating gas. Germans introduced lachrymose vapors. French introduced air torpedoes discharged from aeroplanes. French introduced aeroplanes carrying cannon. Germans introduced merchantman submarine. British introduced use of nets in trapping submarines. Italians introduced avalanche warfare, creating avalanches by shell-fire. French and British invented anti-gas masks. Germans introduced steel arrows discharged from aeroplanes.

Want To Sell Something? Well, then you want to try one of the Chronicle classified quick-result-getters.

By Herbert A. De Lima (Written for United Press.) JERSEY CITY, N. J., July 31. — I was literally jarred from my bed when the first of the two titanic bursts occurred on Black Tom peninsula Sunday morning. My first drowsy thought was that it was an earthquake. After getting to within a few feet of the scene of the explosion a few minutes later and viewing the utter devastation wrought, I wondered how some smaller buildings kept from crumbling under the impact of the blast that made itself felt in five states – New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut. Glass was jarred from windows, like water drops are shaken off a big dog. Crockery rattled. Doors crashed inward and roofs were ripped off. Brick chimneys toppled, and as they struck the tine or tile, added to the uproar.

Dry Fir Wood. $5.50 per cord, in 5 cord lots, $5.75 single cord. Van Dellen Lumber company.

Children’s white petticoats, 40 cent value, 15 cents. Women’s 65 cent night gown, 48 cents. Women’s 25 cent lisle hose, 19 cents. Misses 29 cent union suits, 19 cents, at Edward C. Pease company.