Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 44, Number 133, Decatur, Adams County, 6 June 1946 — Page 1

L|V. No. 133.

UIINCH SIX PROBES INTO HOTEL DISASTER

fc Plans To Ke Maritime ■or Dispute jjjMrW Members Os KE, AFL Unions To ■Ke Jobs Today K bulletin York. **■ (UP) ■■. c < member* of the ■■ J.cn ct the Pacific and rr -. '.•"’’V. mal union ■■ r,<f the.r job* in harbor shortly after fßKcoay to attend a mass ■, . ' 1 1 I’i The ■K ’ . ■" t.,.».«>• vol-il dl-pll'. HKII'I- 111111 l Sh9L ■,. •- nt '* ■ m'l »“•»• ■ ■i;. .< .ill'.'* I |, 'l' r „.|i. ■u.iiiii ii - union11l hix ■■g ■.•..i'1l .■ nitKtnwiib.ink. I'l ttnliHt IK. , ;J |„|, | . liizh.-r wages a. kin- linin', are ■■r ■ ' with SHU in, i ' “ iniiiiii - named a I'.'.- ' P ill I-’. nlllii nlll 4 R< p Xuiii'iiif D. ~i:i! . i-iiiiih may -.f.iit |K<i t n di piinlini; HHsh.t’n ««• <an i lii iltiliHm , Air- -III! lion/ my 'nminent or ih.i< affects ilii- na M in'- n-i Tin' action Mi nt !■ >i. ii-ient outbreak of dispute*. ihinii i.i ioi department re Hi. xaid h hoped tn time h.ivf M>mn illii-i i ■■ "ii mi rm negotiations in - K<-l|.-y, tnemlwre of th< .in- Reps. () C. p|.||. IH-T'-x frank Hook. |». Midi . Mt'lH 11.-a. II . 11l .G. raid W. K Ind., Samuel .1. M<I!, fa amt Ellsworth II ■r. n. y. |S Inquiry wax voted ax the jS* brill a crippling tittup of ham fleet. Jeesid.-tn John Hawk of the M" i-i. i n.iiii>n*.ij....union of ■ tmrriia IAFL) Ha i<l in New ■ that nii-tnlx-rs of hix group j® 11 '"'* the sailors union of ■ l-aiifi, iapi.) (segcln meetings at about 1 ■ (fTM today They will he ■ "' Ibcifi.. Atlantic anil Gulf port *. |B’ k refused to way why the ■J"*’ *<‘te called. Neither ■ls hr say h ow long jljHl ■" «Uy away front their jobs. UlMir department spokesman ■ however, that thr action tin■•hlly »ax a protest against » -wniary |, e . A | s j, S( .|, W( .|. ■‘rt-f refusal t„ | H Pacific ■ «Mp owner* return to Sun f< " "••Ko’tatlonu with ■-t h siallo.'. union gchwrelien m IlkilKted that the opeya- ■ r "inaiii in Washington during ■'•‘Hone with seven other inari- ■ "'reatenina to strike . J " r Thompson, a bnalneu '<■ the API. arafareiw union. tit,.. (!mt the na- •* walkout would tn. " a con- " "top-work meeting." for seatarers preslirnu rT J‘ U,,,,,M,rg *‘ aM ,n Btt " "* that the meeting would h »»t|>er Work at all" and Thu t'* Pr three houtv. '» not a strlk»," he said, linn "i.” 0 between uh "hipowners. But we don't "’mmunurt maritime V a on u»." r»UM la,M,r committee. Nuiiu 4 a ‘ ar,, tm»’ prospects, mp< ‘ ,,n « tinlay lab °r disputes and Pm Cc<d7mn » t ™«»»*«OliirrEß "■hraturb readings ;8 # a.m “ ’ |g| tt - 72 r **■ I 0I we ATHER Cloudy and warmer to- | r,- *y Mr and warmer.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Woman And Daughter Are Killed By Train —— ■■■ Frankfort. Ind . June r, u’p) Funeral rites were planned today for Mrs. Audrey Servles. 43. and her daughter, Patty Ann. 4. who were killed iiMtantly when their car was strut k by a troop train ycoterduy. A son. Harold. 10, who wax to have accompanied hie mother and niMer on a shopping trip, and his father, IlttsHell Servitw, survived. Servies, calletl t > the accident acene, riiHhetl home to find hlx non asleep. - .... Senate Opens Study Os OP A Bill Monday Extension Bill To Reverse Many OPA Policies To Date Washington. June t> tl'Pi Tho senate banking committee today agreed "withoirt enthusiasm or objection" to send the senate floor an OPA extension bill reversing many of the government's present stabilization j>oli<i«*«. Price t hies Paul Porter and ec onotnic stabilizer Chester Howies repo’letlly have said they will resign if the senate bill is approved by congress in its present form. Hanking chairman llobert K Wagner, !>., N. Y., said he would file a minority report. He expected several other members of the committee to join him on it. Ih-mmratic leader Albeit W Harkley. Ky.. said that since he would put the committee bill before the senate he could not join the administration dissenters. Hut, he said, the fact that he reported the bill "was not to be regarded as an endorsement of its vatious provisions or of the bill as a whole." Harkley said he did not believe that any member of the committee which worked on the controversial measure for nearly two months, was "for all of Hie bill." In Its present form, the hill would strip OPA of controls on food, lift ceilings on meat, poultry ami dairy products and eliminate OPA's maximum average price rules designed to lncr>*aso production of low-cost clothing. Administration of any food controls retained would be transferred to the agriculture department. No committee vote was record••<l on the decbion to report the bill to the senate. The senate will begin consideration of tho bill .Monday.

Mrs. Louis Butcher Dies This Morning Funeral Services Saturday Afternoon Mrs. Emma D. Butcher, 30. wife of Louis Butcher. 1109 West Monroe street, died at 6:20 o'cloc k this morning al the Adams county memorial hospital. Death wax attributed to peritonitis which developed following an operation. She* had been Hl for 10 days. She wax born in Union township January 9, 1910. the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rolla Crozier, and was a lifelong resident of Adams county. She graduated from the Decatur high school in 1929. and also attended nurse's training schoop at the Methodist hospital in Fort Mayne She was a member of the First United Brethren church of this city. Surviving in addition to the husband are three children. Robert L., James A. and Barbara J. Butcher, all at home; the parents, who reside east of Decatur; and three brothers. Clarence Crozier of Fort Wayne. Cloyce and Melvin, both of near Decatur. Funeral services will be held al 1:30 p. m. Saturday at the Glllig * Doan funeral home and at 2 o'clock at the First United Brethren church, with the Rev. Charles E. White officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery- Friends may call at the funeral home after 2 o'clock Friday afternoon

Senate Passes Bill To Extend Draft For Year House Members To Battle Induction For Teen-Aqers Washington. June f> flN’l— House members said today they I would not accept with mt 11 fight a senate-approved bill to extend the draft until May IS, 1#47, revive the induction of teen-agent. The house last April passed a hill banning induction of Ik and 19-year-olds, declaring a draft-holi-day until Oct. 15 and extending the life of the act to Feb. 15. Ahhaugh the senate approved Ils own bill overwhelmingly late yesterday, house members said the teen-age and draft holiday provisions were certain to cause hot fltair fights and possibly a prolonged tusele in conference committee. Chairman Andrew .1. May. D. Ky.. of the house military affairs < inmittee and author of the ameudment prohibiting teenage Inductions. said he will continue to oppose Hie induction <>f teen-agers. Hep, Hcwey .Short, It.. Mo., a leading opponent of any form of draft extension, told reporters: "I will fight any effort to draft these teen-age Isiys. They don't peed 1 hem They don't need the bill at all." With May ami Short spearheading the opposition to tho senate bill, there is no likelihood that the senate amendments will be accept-1 ed unchanged. Hoiwe leaders said the aennte bill will l>e sent to a conference committee to agree on differences in senate and house versions. The conference proposals then will lie returnod to Istllt house* for aceptattce. The senate bill would provide pay increases ranging from 5'4 percent for buck private t:> Hi percent for higher grades of enlisted personnel. The house did not include a pay raise provision in its bill, but had approved and sent to the acuate separately a similar pay incrcMe bill. It would provide 20 percent pay raises for lower rank officer* amt Hi lu-rcent increases for those aliove the rank of captain. The senate would provide no pay hike tor officers. May <<aid that including the pay increase in the selective servlet! bill to induce voluntary t nlistments was a "bribe", but there appeared to Im- good indications that the house would accept it with some compromises. (Turn To I'age 3, t'oiomn St 0 __— i Four Local Youths May Go To Greece File Application To Sail On Cattle Boat Four Decatur junior-senior high school graduates have made application for working their way to Greece on a cattle boat, scheduled to leave the states in about two weeks. It was made known here today. The four are Phillip H. Thomas, Ixdgh Nelson, bale Smitley and William Hawkins. % Thomas. Nelson and Smitley were graduated from the local school last month, while Hawkins, who was graduated two years ago. is a student at Anderson college. Anderson. It wax through Hawkins that the youths learned of the opportunity to make the trip and filed their applications. The college and the Church of God. which operates the institution are financing the trip of the cattleboat and are seeking volunteers to assist In getting a load of cattle ta the war sttffei Ing refugees. Each youth accepted for the trip will be assigned the care of 25 head of cattle. The trip Is expected to require about six to eight weeks and will include about a week or 10-day stopover in Greece, as well as a visit In Africa on the return trip. The boys ara awaiting official acceptance of their applications.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, June 6, 1946.

Firemen Carry Out One Victim IK *wf jSWI ■BP* - ’/'® ® -Al 1 3 UmBDEh S? \ I K rwai F" B A FACES expressing the seriousness of the occasion, firemen carry out one of the victims of the LaSalle hotel fire in Chicago.

Union Bible School Will Close Friday Closinq Exercises Here Friday Niqht Closing exercises of the union vacation daily Bible school, sponsored by the Decatur ministerial axsiM-iation. will be held at 7:3b (Tclock Friday evening at the Lincoln school auditorium. It was an nounced today by the Rev. F. H. Willard, dean of the uchool. The school has conducted each mining for the past two weeks, with 25fi children enrolled and an average dally attendance of approximately 200 A picnic for ail xHide'Hx and faculty members of the school will be held at Worthman field from II am. until 12:30 pm. Friday. The program tor the closing exservices Is ax follows: Prelude, "Andante Rvligloso," by Thome, with Mns. F. II Willard ax pianist. AH (Undents c( the school will then march into the auditorium. Worship, conducted by the intermediate department on the theme. "Safe in Gbd " Primary department deinontration, song* by the entire primary department, followed by individual demonstrations by grades throe, two and one. Nurxey department demonstration. <; ng by the nursery and kindergarten departments, and a review of the department's work. Offertory, prayer from "Hansel and Crete)" by Hump<-tdin<k, Junior department demonstration, sung, and story of the hymn, "My Faith Looks up to Thee,” by Marylin Jalierg. Closing exercises. Rich Packinq House Chain Head Dies la* Angeles, June 6 (UP) The liody of multimillionaire George Albert Hormal. 97, wiH be sent to Austin, Minn, birthplace of his meat packing house chain, for burial after funeral servlcra today at hlx Palatial Bel Air manshn. Hormel died late yesterday at G(mml Samaritan hospital. He wax admitted four days ago for treatment for a cerebral hemorrhage. 0 , Indiana Farmer Dies In Fall From Tree Sullivan. Ind., June g~(UP)_ Joe Tipton, fi7. Jackson township farmer, was killed instantly today when he 'fell 30 feet from a tree while atc-tnptlng to force a swarm of been Into a h'vo.

BULLETIN Cloyca Roush, 43, an employe of the Central Soya company of this city, died about noon today at his home in Wren, O. Funeral arrangements had not been completed late this afternoon. — —0... Decatur Man Fined For Leaving Scene Mayor Recommends License Revocation Robert DeVore, 33. of this city, was fined 110 ami costs when ho pleaded guilty late Wednesday in lit) I Hint Join. It Stolts to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident. , Mayor Stolts also recommended the revocation of his operator's license tor a period of 90 days, under the provisions of the statute. DeVore was charged with the offense by officers Robert Hill and Hoy f'hilcote of the city police, after his auto allegedly struck Max lleare, 22, Decatur and the latter’s parked ear on Monroe street early Sunday morning. Police charge that he left the scene, althou^ lleare had been injured and bom cars were damaged in th«- crash. officer Adrian Coffee reported this morning that a ticket for speeding was issued to Don Shaffer. of this city, who allegedly drove his car at the rate of 40 miles per hour in a 20-mile an hour zone Monday evening about fi o’clock. - —. o— — Hubert Zerkel, Jr. New Kirkland Coach Decatur Graduate Hired At Kirkland Hubert Zerkel, Jr., former member of the Decatur Yellow Jackets and Earlham college graduate, has been employed as coach of the Kirkland Kangaroos, it was announced today by Harve Mankey. Kirkland township trustee. Zerkel was graduated from De<atur junior-senior high school in 1939. where he was a three-letter winner In football, basketball and baseball. After two years at DePauw university, where he kept up his athletic record, he transferred to Earlham college. Richmond, and was graduated from there In 1943. He enlisted In the U, R navy in April, 1942. but was not called to active duty until after his graduation In 1943. Reporting to (Turn To i'ags 3, Column - !) ’

Hotel Worker Testifies Fellow Employes Sought To Fight Disastrous Fire

Catholic Graduate Exercises Friday Hiqh School, Grade Commencement Here In addition to relatives and friends of the 33 becatur Catholic high school graduates, three clergymen will attend the annual commencement exercises in the schmit's auditorium at 7:45 (■'clock Friday evening. It was announced today. The visiting priests who will be guests of ' the Very Hev. Msgr. J J. Selmelz. pastor of St. .Mary's (hufeh. are the Hev. Denis Mark* OSH, a cousin of .Msgr. Selntetz, who Is enroute to St. Benedictine .Monastery, Mount Angel, Oregon; the Hev. Alvin Jasinski, former assistant to Msgr. Seimetx, recently discharged from the army where he served as a chapkin overseas, now stationed at Crown Point, and the Hev. Simeon Schmitt, formerly of this city, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul church. Huntington. Three of the high school graduates are former servicemen who completed their studies since returning home. They are Hobert Schmitz. Lee Gage and Tom la-n---gerich. Two of the graduates c-impleted ifteir course last January. They are Hubert Schmitt and Marjorie Kumschlag. The Bev, William Faber, professor of philosophy at St. Francis college, and head of the matrimonial court of the diocese of Fort Wayne, will deliver the commencement address. Diplomas will be awarded to the high school graduates and to 39 eighth grade graduates by Msgr. Sehnetz. A 15-miniite concert, under the direction of Frank Ashbaugh, band director, will precede the graduation ceremonies. The evenings program follows: Hand concert, school band directed by Frank Ashbaugh: overtures: "Collosseum,” Lamater; "Balaton." Buchtel; marches: Little Champ." Mesang; "Mutual.' Bennett. Processional. "Sons of Fame." UTurn To I'.tae 2, Column It Mrs. Agnes Yager On Heidelberg Faculty I To Be Instructor In Business Education Mrs. Agnes Sellemoyer Yager, j of this city, has accepted a post-1 tion on the faculty at Heidelberg i university, Tiffin. Ohio, it was made known here today. Mrs. Yager will serve as secretarial instructor in the business education department of the uni verslty. beginning her duties at the opening of the September terra. She has resigned her position on the faculty at the Pleasant Mills high school in St. Mary's township, where she has servedfor a number of years. Previous to joining the faculty at Pleasant Mills. Mrs. Yager taught In the high schools at Decatur and Bluffton. Before starting her teaching career, she was graduated from Decatur high school and then from Indiana university, where she received both her AH, and M.A. degrees. Mrs. Yager plans to continue her residence on First street in this city. A daughter. Kathryn, will reenter as a Junior at Indiana university thia fall. Heidelberg Is known ax one of the leading colleges in Ohio, having been accredited by the American association of colleges and universities. A former Decatur pastor. Dr. Charles M. Prugh. is serving ax dean of men at the un'versity. after returning from service with the V. 8. army as a chaplain.

Report Bread Black Market In Philadelphia Bread Lines Grow Lonqer Over Nation As Shortaqe Mounts By United Press Tho flmt black market In bread wax report*! today ax the lines of bread seeking hmtsew'ye* across the nation grew longer. There was no relief from the meat shortage. A survey ahowed that many (iticn were taking official steps to save bread and assure equal distribution of reduced supplies. At Buffalo. N Y . churches were askml to hold prayers Sunday to unsure everyone "a Just whare of the staff of life," At Philadelphia, office of price administration officials reported a black market was developing In bread. Some relief was foreseen, however. with reports thai the winter wheat crop being harvested in Texas and Oklahoma was about 25 percent above expei tatioux. The survey showed these conditions: New York Most meat xho|M were ctaaed. Butchers gathered at the OPA office and protested an grily that OPA Investigators were taking bribes. Lines formed for bread before stores opened Many were sold out by H:3n n.m. Chicago Groceries and bakeries sold out of bread before noon Most bakeileo asked ctwitoinerx to form lines or gave them cards with numbers. Meat remained scarce. Phlladephia OPA officials threatened prosecution of black marketeers charging 50 percent above celling* for bread. Tie-in sales, in which tjie (i«t met Is forced to buy Homething else to get bread, were common Detroit- Mayor Edward J. Jes fries sent a telegram to secretary of agriculture Clinton P Anderson urging removal of all meat slaughtering quota*. The message, which went akai to Sen. Hom**!' Ferguson, J».. Mich., said t.iat "iwtrictionx now in effect have no beneficial action and in fact tend so divert < Turn To Page 2, Column t) Van Wert Pastor, Wife Fire Victims Rev. Edqar Snyder And Wife Suffocate Dr. Edgar Snyder, fid, for 24 years pastor of the St. Mark’s Lutheran church at Van Wert. 0.. and his wife, aged 49. were among the victims of the La Salle hotel fire In Chicago early Wednesday morning, which took the lives of 5S persons. Dr. Snyder, who wax well known in Decatur, was appointed executive secretary of the board of foreign missions of the United Lutheran church In American on May 1, and was In Chicago to attend a conference of foreign missionaries at tile La Salle hotel.' Dr. and Mrs. Snyders bodies were found in their room on the sixth floor of the hotel. They had been suffocated, but neither one was burned. Dr. Snyder, active In Van Wert circles for many years, was com tnander of the Ivanhoe commandery of the Knights Templar, a director of the Community Clearing House, the YMCA and the com munlty chest; member of the Rotary club, a member of the faculty of (tiffin college, and secretary of the board of trustees of Wittenberg college. •(Turn To png. r o |, lmn ()

Price Four

Preliminary Probe Fails To Establish Fire Cause; Delayed Report Is Alleqed Chicago. June fi (l’P) ~ Employes armed with extinguishers attempted to check the start Os the laiSalip hotel fire but It Spread "too fast,” a worker testified today at one of the six investigations into the disastrous blaze In which 5K persons died. Emil laindsexs, freight elevator operator, told a hearing conducted by assistant corporation counsel Henry Eckhardt, city fire rttorney. that "we had no chance to use the extinguishers.” Eckhardt resumed his Investigation. begun yesterday, ax city officials closed five night-clubs and two loop theaters on charges that they "repeatedly Ignored" warnings to remove fire hazards. Mndsexs said the fire started in the front, or lobby elevators. He said he saw an elevator door open and flames shooting up. He said the operator, a new employe known to him as "Eddie," came back to him. said "my car is on fire," and asked for extinguishers. "We had no chance to use tho extinguishers.’’ he said. "people.” said Landseas, "wore hitting on my doors on tho mezzanine, second and third floors, hollering and screeching. "I tried to take ont all I could through the basement and the back door. Tho fire didn’t get to my elevator "It spread like a streak of lightning. 1 don't know if it was a vacuum, or the finish of the woodwork. It seemed to just sear the wood, and spread rapidly " He said he heard no explosions. Frieda Marianos, beauteous 25-year-old waitress in the gay silver lounge, cocktail bar. said her first sight of the fire came while she wax waiting on three guests sitting on a cushioned seat along a -all back of a dummy door In the lobby. The door resembles an elevator door, hut is a false front. Miss Marianos said tho guests tot iced smoke and pulled out the seat. A gust of smoke billowed up. she said, and she ran out and called a house detective, A bartender came with seltzer lotties, she said. By the time she returned to the lounge, she said, the heard "two noises" and then the wail seemed to cave ih She did not explain the “two noises." Preliminary investigations failed to establish what caused th<fire that spread through the LaSalle hotel lobby early yesterday and within a few minutes turned the lower floors into a flaming death trap. Mayor Edward J. Kelly and fire department officials charged that hotel employes delayed calling the fire department for "15 or go minutes” while they tried to put out the fire themselves. Avery Brundage, chairman of the hotel management, denied the charge, and asserted that every fire precaution possible had been provided. Roy Steffen, president of the LaSalle Madison Hotel Co. which operates the hotel, said the fire department wan called within three minutes after the flames were discovered. He said the fire did not break out until 12:25 a. m. (CDTi and that the fire department wax notified at 12:2k a. m. (CDT.I Mayor Kelly, however, said that "we believe there wax a delay of from 15 to 20 minutes between the time the fire was dlxcovered and the time the fire department wax notified." "The Are department got there within one minute," Kelly said. "It seems to be a custom among hotels to extinguish their own fires if possible without calling the fire department." Division fire marshal John L. Fenn said he had established that the fire began at 12:15 a. m.. and that the fire department was not called until 12:35 a. m. Meanwhile. he said, employes and guests tried to put out the fire (iTurn To Page 2, Column 1)

Cents