Thursday, Aug. 2, 1923 -- AUTO ACCIDENT ON THE MENKE HILL -- Series of Collisions result in Damages to Several Autos -- The Menke Hill on the hard road north of Staunton was the scene of a series of automobile accidents Sunday evening at about nine o'clock. Fortunately no one was injured, although several automobiles and a motorcycle were considerably damaged.

The fun started when two men, said to have been from Collinsville and driving a Ford touring car, were struck by a machine driven by M. Sawyer of near Wilsonville. The Ford was considerably damaged and being unable to proceed under its own power, was abandoned. Motorcycle officers Stiff and Schueler came along and, noticing the car, called the Franz garage of our city to come and get it.

While Mr. Franz's men were at work preparing to tow the Ford to Staunton, another collision occurred. The Franz truck had been pulled up in front of the wrecked Ford and the police officers had parked their motorcycle up in front of the truck. Another car, coming up the hill, had stopped to see what was going on, when Blesi Cresantino of Wilsonville, driving a new Dodge touring car, came down the hill at a pretty lively clip. The motorcycle officers attempted to stop him as there wasn't room to permit his passage, but Blesi didn't stop. Instead he crashed into the rear end of the Franz truck and pushed it up on the motorcycle. Blesi's car was pretty well battered up about the front end, the truck and the motorcycle both being damaged somewhat.

Officers Schueler and Stiff brought Cresantino to Staunton where he was held until Monday morning and then released on a $1,000 bond to appear before the September court of term on a charge of reckless driving and also of operating a motor car while under the influence of liquor.

Benld Woman Jumped from Automobile -- Mrs. Anna Turk of Benld Saturday morning at about 3 o'clock sustained serious and perhaps fatal injuries when she leaped from an automobile in which she and three men were riding. Definite information on the case is difficult to procure and Sheriff Russell and his deputies are at present conducting an investigation in an effort to learn the details of the situation. The three men with whom Mrs. Turk was riding are Geo. Gelbert, John Moody and Zeke Menita and they are at present being held in the county jail pending an investigation and the final outcome of Mrs. Turk's injuries. The only statement the men will make is that the woman leaped from their automobile and that they immediately rushed her to a physician's office. Reports from the hospital are that the woman is getting along fairly well and may recover, although her chances are not very good.

H.H. HOPPER WRITES INTERESTING LETTER -- Describes Scenery along Route from St. Paul, Minn., to Seattle, Wash. -- The editor of the Star-Times this week received a very interesting letter from our fellow townsman, H.H. Hopper, who with his wife is at present on an automobile trip thru the West. In order that our readers may also enjoy this letter we print it herewith:

Seattle, Wash., July 24, 1923.

Dear Friend:

We arrived at Seattle after a pleasant drive over the Soqualine Pass and Falls. The water of this little river drops off of a perpendicular cliff 272 feet high and is a most beautiful sight.

On our way out here we came from St. Paul, Minn., to Billings, Mont., on the Yellowstone trail. At Billings we turned south for 165 miles so we could come through the Shoshone Canyon. Say, boy, that is some drive through the pass. All the driver can do is to watch the other fellow and the road, which is a one-way road, with little places cut into the rock to get into and let cars coming from the opposite direction pass. I was very fortunate in that we started early and met only a few machines. About half way or 35 miles out, you come to the famous Shoshone dam, a wonderful piece of engineering skill. The dam is 328 feet high, 108 feet wide at the base and 10 feet wide at the top. The water in the reservoir is 273 feet deep and supplies 6000 h.p. of electric current. After the water has been thus utilized, it is carried down the canyon and out into Wyoming for irrigation purposes, a distance of 57 miles. They certainly need irrigation out here. It is so dry one has to hit the water jug before he can talk. This is the most barren spot I have ever seen, but where it is irrigated they raise bountiful crops of grain and vegetables. We left the dam and continued up, up, up, to an altitude of 8500 feet into the snow. Say, I leaned forward and pushed on the steering wheel until I was tired, trying to help the Dodge, but I wasn't the only one. Everybody was doing it. There are nice places to fill the radiator all along and I believe I have used a hundred gallons of water as my radiator boils very quickly in the high altitudes.

The Yellowstone Park is certainly a wonderful sight to anyone who has never seen it. We spent 4 1/2 days in the park and came out at Gardiner, from where we drove north to Livingston, Mont., and picked up the trail to Missoula, Mont., arriving there July 11. We spent one week at Missoula and while here took a drive through the famous Bitter Root Valley, where they raise our delicious apples and other fruits in abundance. All the farm land in the Montana valleys is irrigated. The valleys are not so very wide and the other land is fit only for mountain goats. We left Missoula, Mont, July 18 and continued west to Wallace, Idaho, Cour De Lene, the most beautiful city I have ever seen then to Spokane Wash., where we turned south, down thru the wheat country. There is more wheat here than I have ever before seen. We then crossed the Snake River and turned northward to Yakima, the heart of the fruit country in Washington. I believe I saw enough apples to give every person in the world his fill of apples. Fruit land here sells at from $1000 to $3000 per acre.

Say, boy, I must quit for this time.

Old Man Hopper