Compiled by Don Hoiness from archived copies of The Bulletin at Deschutes County Historical Society.

100 Years ago

For the week ending

Dec. 9, 1917

Americans need 
machine guns

During the Senate military committee probe the members emphatically demanded that General William Crozier, chief of the ordnance department, who was called as a witness, to explain why America was compelled to buy the artillery used by General John Pershing’s troops from France. The hearing disclosed that this country is making only half the number of rifles now that were manufactured for the allies before the war. Machine guns, which have not been tested under war conditions, have been adopted for the army.

Senator Gilbert Hitchcock told Crozier that high officers allege a needless delay in arming troops has occurred. Crozier declared in answering the pointed questions of Senator George Chamberlain and others that he would reveal confidential military information. In his statements he charged Secretary of War Newton Baker with being responsible for the machine gun delay. He said that the dispute over machine gun types had prevented their manufacture for over a year before this country’s entry into the war, despite the appropriation which had been made for them. America purchased Lewis guns and ammunition from England at the time of the Mexican crisis because Mexico had more machine guns than the United States.

The Browning gun, adopted by the government in June, is not being manufactured yet and General Pershing is relying on the French to supply this sort of armament for him.

President Wilson has reappointed General Crozier chief of the ordnance department of the army.

Moscow center 
of new revolt

The Bolshevik party has formally declared war against the Cossack revolution led by General Kaledine.

Troops have been rushed from Kazan on an armored train through Kharkoff to the scene of the uprising. Foreign Minister Trotsky has ordered Ensign Krylenko, the Russian commander, to use as many troops as may possibly be secured in order to crush the Cossack revolution.

Kaledine has declared martial law throughout the Cossack territory and has announced that his forces are ready to fight.

Gen. Korniloff is reported to be in command of six train-loads of revolting troops.

House will consider prohibition soon

The House of Representatives today unanimously agreed to start consideration of national prohibition on Monday next. House leaders plan to put the members on record by a vote.

75 Years ago

For the week ending

Dec. 9, 1942

Churchill’s grim speech re-broadcast to Italian people; Fascist rule end asked

British radio rebroadcast again and again today Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s solemn warning to Italy to overthrow Benito Mussolini and his fascist regime and sue for a separate peace or endure a merciless, shattering allied air attack from North Africa.

The grim speech was rebroadcast in 24 languages in all, but it was sent over and over again in Italian, German, and French, and the government ordered that the parts of it calculated to appeal to war-weary Italians be broadcast at intervals all week.

While the flames still roared after a British air raid on Turin Saturday night, during which the new triple block buster bombs weighing 8,000 pounds each were dropped on Italy for the first time, Churchill made his world speech.

The prime minister made a guarded suggestion that the war might end in Europe first. If it did, he promised, “we should at once bring all our forces to the other side of the world to the aid of the United States, to the side of China and above all to our kith and kin in Australia and New Zealand.”

Anniversary of Pearl Harbor finds America still grimly arming for bloody conflict

This is the anniversary of a day of shame; it is also the beginning of what promises to be the hardest and bloodiest phase of the war on the home fronts and the battlefields.

Dec. 7, 1941, was a day of infamy and galling defeat. Dec, 7, 1942, finds “the United States too hard at work” for victory — in the words of the office of war information — to take time for any national observance. The anniversary theme is “work, fight and sacrifice.”

President Roosevelt set the tone when he felt Dec. 7 “should be observed as a day of silence in remembrance of a great infamy.”

World’s biggest battleship hits the water

The mighty battlewagon, the USS New Jersey, described as the “world’s biggest,” was launched at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania navy yard on the first anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She embodies all the sea’s lessons thus far learned in World War II.

50 Years ago

For the week ending

Dec. 9, 1967

By 1944, Japanese warlords realized that war in Pacific had been lost

The Japanese warlords who made Dec. 7, 1941, a day of infamy realized by 1944 they had lost World War II, according to the newly found diary of Prince Fumimaro Konoye.

Konoye said in his 74-page diary, published today in part by Tokyo newspapers, that the successful U.S. invasion of the island of Saipan convinced Emperor Hirohito’s warriors that America had beaten them.

“But none of the army and navy leaders have the courage to state their conclusions publicly,” he wrote.

Konoye would have known what they said in private. Three times before Pearl Harbor he served as Japanese Prime Minister. As Japan roared toward war, Konoye was the last Tokyo leader to try to stop it. In the summer and early fall of 1941 he tried to arrange a summit conference with President Roosevelt.

Washington wanted signs of Tokyo’s good faith. Gen. Hideki Tojo, Konoye’s war minister, said no. Konoye quit in October and Tojo attacked Pearl Harbor.

But in his diary, Konoye was wrong about Saipan in one way.

“If the enemy (the United States) starts operating from its bases in Saipan, the whole country will come under the orbit of bombing by the enemy.

“The Japanese navy may become inert and the enemy may land on Japan. In that case …” he wrote darkly.

Actually the fall of Saipan — the last survivors of a 30,000-man garrison made a final suicide charge July 7, 1944 — led directly to the U.S. conquest of other Marianas islands, Tinian in particular. It was from Tinian 13 months later that B29 Superfortresses flew the missions that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Maren Gribskov gave real meaning to the word hospitality (editorial)

In recent years the Pine Tavern has been the best known of Bend’s institutions. Diners from all sections of the country have carried away with them a fond memory of the establishment, and of the community too.

Now it has been sold, after having been in the same management since it was founded.

The Pine Tavern is one of those businesses that is so closely associated with one person that it is hard to think of one without thinking of the other. We refer, of course, to Maren Gribskov.

Through the years, under Maren’s careful supervision, the Pine Tavern has achieved a reputation for excellence which few restaurants anywhere can equal and none can excel.

She said when she built the Pine Tavern in 1937 it was her hope to create an atmosphere of hospitality reminiscent of the old English taverns where good food served in a congenial atmosphere was always assured.

How well Maren achieved her goal is attested by the countless thousands who have since availed themselves of her hospitality.

25 Years ago

For the week ending

Dec. 9, 1992

Driver warms to 
snow-plowing job

Larry Schoening plows through his work like nobody’s business, and many a snow bound driver can be thankful for it,

“I wouldn’t trade this for an office job for anything,” the 28-year State Highway Division employee said, dipping the 12-foot wide front plow blade to the pavement and spraying a powdery plume out of harm’s way.

Much has changed since Schoening first hit the roads of Central Oregon as a lad of 22. The rigs have gotten a lot quieter, but not before he had to get two hearing aids.

He still prefers the winter work to summertime paving and maintenance, even though there’s a lot more traffic to contend with.

“I’ll take the snow anytime,” he said.

The thermometer reads 19 degrees, but it’s toasty warm in the cab of the AutoCar snowplow.

Heading north on U.S. Highway 97 toward the Crooked River Gorge, traffic was sparse. But as the snow kept on falling, Schoening was the picture of relaxed concentration.

“Coming down off the mountain on a slow day, I might go 45 mph,” he said. “I’m doing about 28 right now.”

Between the front plow and the “wing” plow to the rear, Schoening can clear a 22-foot path in one trip. But often, cars passing on the right can’t even see the rear plow and come close to hitting it.

The state also dumps sand on the roads, but he thinks that gives drivers a false sense of security, causing more speed and mishaps.

“If I had my way about it, which I don’t, the state of Oregon would get out of the sanding business,” he said.

Bend District Manager Pat Creedican said the state is looking at using de-icing chemicals on the Bend Parkway, instead of sand, because sand clogs drainage ditches and causes other problems.

Schoening feels studded tires cause problems, too. “It gives ’em the traction to go but not necessarily the traction to stop,” he said.

But for now, the newest developments in the battle against snow include automatic sensors that measure pavement temperatures on U.S. Highway 97, and a computer forecast of what those readings will do over the next day.

Scanning the readings, Creedican said he was “glad to see some snow fly.” He explained, “Then it doesn’t look like we’re sittin’ here doing nothing.