Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 45, Number 220, Decatur, Adams County, 18 September 1947 — Page 1

JflV. No. 220.

URRICANE HEADS FOR PENSACOLA AREA

IKt Backs IK Plan To j organize UN l| Attack American Policy By Russia ! tJLi Nations Hall. Flushing, -/ Wsept. 18 H’P) - Australj idßreign minister Herbert V. qualified approval r. S. plan to R eorganize the IS I United Nations today as a prelimI inarAo an expected blistering at10 American foreign policy Andrei Y. Vishinsky. Sovjet delegation announced | that Bishinsky will deliver his J epenit ; address at this assembly ■•®t>iis Iftmioon. UN delegates antiI cipiJd that the Soviets may have J some • irprise proposals themselves Itn Winter secretary of state "I Ceori- ('■ Marshall’s radical plans I forXrbing the veto power and " I building up the P owei ' of tlle UN \j assembly *o rival that of the se ' I t tfßjl council. J Alt. who lost a bid for the UN I prefe ncy Tuesday, spoke at the plenary session and, as I he las done for three years, bitI term denounced the principle of I the reto for the big powers and I Efet ' abuse" of that privilege. •'# Evp’t urged the assembly to act I now [to limit the use of the veto I rathtJi’ than wait until next year as by the United States. I JUjkhall suggested a year's study | byj> committee before changing I the toting procedure but Evatt said I “met- appointment' 'of a commitI tee would be unsatisfactory to Bratt blamed the world's chaotB KcßU'ditions on two factors — de- | lay in drafting the peace treaties | and the drift toward division of the into two blocs. He denounced I th< lendency of "certain nations” I to iorm "dominating groups and I !W blocs or alignments.” He was I pairing al the Soviets but did not -| atlfever charges that the British I Asßimonwealth of nations also g foifts a powerful bloc. 11 predicted early completion of ■ Sfcpanese peace treaty but skip- ■ peil any reference to Russia’s re--8 fusal to date to allow 11 nations inof the Pacific big four draft I it. lie said the Jap treaty need not ■ awlit the German and Austrian I Marshall, Evatt praised the I possibilities of the UN | assembly of 55 nations and blamed I failure of the security council to | maintain peace and security on the | Sofiet use of the veto 20 times to Mart the will of the majority. I may have some sur- | prise proposals of his own. His boss, I Soviet foreign minister V. M. Molli oto’, took the UN by surprise at |j the opening last year by proposing ji universal disarmament. ! W h " assembly continued its genii erai debate after the 14-nation II steering committee last night over-’ | Russia’s objections and voted I 12 to 2to recommend inclusion of I case on the assembly’s as requested by the United I Bhtes. delegate Andrei A. Gromyj his same charges a- • I (Turn To Page 6, Column 5) £ o—- •| John Shirk Family i |afe In Storm Area iHB A telegram from Mrs. John W. [ A lk ' West Palm Beach > Fla - says I are aB fine following the ■ orm - 11 was sent at G. 25 o’clock I I st ev ?ning and arrived here at p.m. today. K r - Bixler Elected library Board Head Officers of the Decatur public )! ary board were announced tofollowing the annual reorgan■Fatiou meeting of the board. Dr. -U Bixler, local optometrist, was ■ a med president of the board dur-gßr-S the election. Raymond B. Kohne was chosen president; Harry Dailey, sec- » e 'ary and Mrg w p Robinson »as n amed to the post of board K• J JrPr Other members of the » aid are Sylvester Everhart, Mrs. Bard AndreWß and M rs. F- H. Wil WEATHER i Generally fair. Warmer toI _ant and continued warm ■ ld *y- Freeh southerly winds.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Armed Forces Unity Is Now Effective One-Defense System Born At Midnight Washington, Sept. 18 —(UP) — Unification of the armed forces became a realty today, giving the nation a single, new defense establishment to provide security in an era of atom bombs, germ warfare and deadly rockets. The new organization was legally born at the stroke of midnight, but it will be many days before the key officers begin to function, months before the organization is operating properly and perhaps years before all the kinks are ironed out. The biggest change tn the armed services was the elevation of the air force —heretofore a branch of the army—to the equality with the army and navy. All three were placed under the unified control of defense secretary James V. Forrestal, who took his oath of office yesterday. W. Stuart Symington, secretary of the new air force, and John L. Sullivan, who replaces Forrestal as navy secretary, take the oath of office at 12:50 (EDT) today. Kenneth C. Royall, who was secretary of war yesterday, automatically became secretary of the army at midnight. Military leaders hailed the new “three-in-one” military set-up as a great step forward. The old framework of “<|ooperation” between army and navy was made obsolete, they said, by the swift advance of technology which made air power the quickest striking force. But there remained the unhappy fact that the nation’s armed forces today are below authorized peacetime strength. The army is short 29,000 Officers and men, the air force 76,000 and the navy, now overstrength, says it will be lucky to keep from falling more than 34,000 below strength in the next 10 months. The unification act also brought into being other organizations to advise the President directly on security matters. A security council was set up to help coordinate domestic, foreign and military policy. It will have at its disposal a new central intelligence agency. A security resources board was set up to prepare , for industrial and civilian mobilization in event of war. Grave Concern Washington, Sept. 18. —(UP) — The grave American concern over the trend of world affairs was pointed up today by President Truman's decision to install James Forrestal as secretary of defense without further delay. After receiving a White House radio report on the international situation, Mr. Truman dispatched an order from the battleship Missouri yesterday that Forrestal be sworn into his new post at once. Previous plans called for the cere(Turn 'To Page 8, Column 7)

Former Decatur Man Dies In Fort Wayne Jacob Closs Dies After Heart Attack Jacob Closs. 87, a former Decatur jeweler and the last survivor of a pioneer local family, died Wednesday afternoon of a heart attack at his home, 1420 St. Joe Boulevard, Fort Wayne. Mr. Closs was found dead on the floor of his bedroom. He had been in failing health for sometime. From this city, where he operated a jewelry store on the site west of the Niblick building on Monroe street. Mr. Closs moved to Fort Wayne in 1910. For many years he was employed in a jewelry store in that city. Surviving besides his wife, are three sons, Arthur of this city; John and Ignatius, and one daughter. Miss Vivian Closs, all of Fort Wayne; four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. He was a member of the CathedraHjrf the Immaculate Conception, Fort Wayne. - Funeral services will be held at 9 o’clock Friday morning at the Cathedral. Fiends may call at the Mungovan and Sons mortuary in Fort Wayne this evening. y

Wheat, Corn Prices Tumble Limit Today Attribute Drop To Drastic Reduction Os Grain Exports By United Press Wheat and corn prices tumbled the full limit on the Chicago board of trade today, but began climbing upward again in later trading. The spectacular drop at the opening of the market was attributed to a government announcement. of drastically curtailed grain exports for Novem ber. As trading opened, wheat sold generally 10 cents below yesterday’s closing price and corn dropped eight cents. Oats were off as much as 4% cents a bushel. September wheat opened ft $2.71 a bushel, compared with the all-time high of $2.84 set a week ago. September corn, which reached an all time high of $2.65- % a bushel Sept. 15, sold for as low as $2.53% a bushel today. Meanwhile, the CIO United Automobile Workers urged all consumer groups to join an allout campaign against high food prices. At Chicago’s stockyards, butcher hogs were steady to 25 cents higher but lighter hogs were steady to 25 cents lower. Slaughter steers were weak to 50 cents lower. At Boston, however, a meat packer representative told a congressional subcommittee investigating high prices that the price of meat “may go higher after the first of the year.” The witness was George L. Horton, district manager of Wilson & Co. At Chicago, subpenas were issued for the appearance of officials of 15 major dairies before a special federal grand jury summoned to investigate high food prices. Subpenas already had been issued for representatives of Chicago’s big meat packers. At Washington, railroads and shipper representatives ibegan final arguments before the inter(Turn To Page S. Column t>)

Nominate Three Men For Lutheran Pastor Final Selection To Be Made October 1 The list of nominations for a new pastor of the Zion Lutheran church was reduced to three names at a voters' assembly, held at the church Wednesday evening. Paring of the list was done by a series of ballots from 14 names to the three highest candidates for a successor to the Rev. Paul W. Schultz, who resigned a few weeks ago to accept a position on the west coast with Valparaiso university. The three remaining candidates are: the Rev. Roy Guelzow of Columbus, the Rev. W. G. Polack, Jr., of Baltimore, Md., and the Rev. Carl Troutman of Bad Axe. Mich. A special committee, donsisting of Phil Sauer, Gerhardt Schultz, Henry Krueckeberg and Herman Krueckeberg, with E. W’. Lankenau as alternate, was elected to secure as much additional information as possible concerning these three candidates for the pastorate. A voters' assembly will meet in special session Wednesday, October 1. to make the final selection of a pastor and extend the call. Richard Mailand was elected as deacon to fill a vacancy on the board of vestry, and Herman Krueckeberg, Paul Hancher, Orley Walters and Lee Fleming were named on a committee to study a possible time change for the Saturday religion school, o Louis Jacobs, congregational chairman, presided at last night's meeting, and the Rev. Karl Hofmann, vacancy pastor, led the devotions.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, September 18, 1947

Path Os The Big Blow I FLORIDA "">J > JACKSONVILLE I \■ —1 0 50 100 \dayt~ona BEACH A A, — ATLANTIC B TITUSVILLE OCEAN 3 yMELBOURN. g TAMPA \ 3 fejS 4, tvEßt} BEACH _ == __ SEBRING -A FIERCE . / Z DELRAY BEACH "~4< BOCA RATON —\ FT. LAUDERDALE < ■■ ■— - MIAMI,: “ ' Tmiami beach :. - WEST ’ —2l s =

AT LEAST TWO WERE killed, several were injured and millions of dollars in property damage were caused by the worst hurricane in a decade which struck Florida Wednesday. Fort Myers, on the west coast, was also hit by the hurricane as it passed into the Gulf of Mexico.

City Bus Operation Started Here Today Regular Bus Runs Made This Morning Operation of the city bus lines began here today with two busses — one in the north side and the other in the south — starting out at 6:25 a.m. Mrs. Niland Ochsenrider was reported by bus company officials to be the first paid passenger on the line. Officer Sephus Melchi was assigned to the Second and Madison street intersection for a day or two to assist in keeping autos from parking in the restricted coach stop zones. The north side bus uees a stop near the northwest corner of Madison and Second, while the south side bus uses one in front of the courthouse near the same intersection. Half hour service if offered on the two routes. E. E. Stucky, engineer of the state highway commission, was in the city last night, conferring with city police concerntTurn Tn Pag:? 2, Column 6>

Beautiful West Palm Beach Is Desolate Scene After Hurricane

(Editor's Note: The following was picked up by Charles S. Sterne, Denver. Colo., amateur radio operator, from Winford Brown, South Miami, Fla., “HAM" who said he had a "pretty hard time getting on the air,” because his antenna was being shipped by winds up to 75 miles per hour.”)

BY DICK WEST (United Press Staff Correspondent)

West Palm Beach, Fla., Sept. 17.—(Delayed)— (UP)— The few trees left standing in this resort town are stripped bare of foliage. The storm has gone. The city is a mess. Yesterday morning, the city was a picture of landscaped loveliness. After an all-day mauling by a hurricane, its few standing, trees look as naked as telephone-poles. Green plant life lies in sodden heaps in the almost impassable streets, or is plastered in wet layers on the walls of buildings. At the height of the storm, waves 3(f feet high broke over the sea-wall and the sea ran through the streets like" rivers. When the big blow clackened to a mere 80 miles an hour, I ventured ouT~for a brief tour of inspection. I fought my way for a block and a half from a hospital where I had taken refuge to the radio station on the waterfront. In that short distance I counted 50 large trees, not broken or be™, but torn out by the roots. One was 75 feet long. Its roots were nearly 18 feet tall. Communications ave blacked out

Peru Man Is Killed As Autos Collide Peru, Ind., Sept. 18 —(UP) — Rites were arranged to day for Richard Wilson, 63, Peru, killed yesterday in a two-car collision near here. Two other persons in the other vehicle were injured seriously. o t— —- Ex-Mayor LaGuardia Is Still Critical Physician Doubts Mayor To Awaken New York. Sept. 18 —(UP)— Former mayor Fiorella H. LaGuardia slept deeply today and his physician said that it was doubtful that the city's ■ beloved “butch,” gravely ill at his home, would ever awaken. Mayor William O’Dwyer asked the city to pray for his tough little predecessor who hated injustice and chiselers. In his latest bulletin, Dr. George Baehr. LaGuardia’s physician, said “there have been no indications of (Turn tv> Pasre 6. Column 5)

except for occasional radio contacts. West Palm Beach citizens are without a regular supply of water and electric power. I walked with Guernsey Curran, Jr., an amateur radio operator, who lived at South Hampton, Long Island, when a hurricane hit there in 1938. “My house is surrounded by four feet of water,” Curran said. “You can tell those Yankees that the 1938 storm at South Hampton was just a breeze.” He described the 30 foot waves crashing over the 18 foot sea wall. “They were very unusual waves.” he said. “As they came in. the wind blew the gig hat off one. Other pieces of the waves dashed clear across the island into Lake Worth. The wave would let up a second and you could see the next batch ready to hit.” Curran stuck at his home with its “ham” radio transmitter. However, he could only receive. His sending apparatus went out the preluding night. Curran estimated the damage to his own home and grounds at |B,OOO. Most home owners were in a similar fix,

Truman Proclaims Storm Area In Emergency State As Storm Heading North

Construction Man Is Electrocuted Kokomo, Ind.. Sept. 18 —(UP) — Minor Martin, 28, Spencer, Ind., a construction company employe, was electrocuted while working on high tension lines at Simms, Ind., east of here, yesterday. > O Extension Os Mail Service Announced Added Services Will Be Effective Oct. 1 Postmaster Leo Kirsch today announced extension of city mail service to additional parts of Decatur, meaning the addition of an auxiliary city carrier, added service in another part of the city, and extension of service on one rural route, all to be effective Saturday. October 1. On the above date, door delivery will be made each morning by motor carrier to residents on Master Drive and in the Stratton Place addition. Residents of these two areas are advised that they must have regulation mail boxes at their homes by October 1, boxes of the same type as are used by other residences in the city, in order to be given this service. All houses in these areas, in accordance with postal regulations, must also have house numbers plainly visible, the postmaster added. Mr. Kirsch also announced the extension of mail delivery from 722 Dierkes street to Dayton ave-. nne; on Nir.Hi street between Marshall and Nuttman; on Tenth street bfetween a»id Nuttman. and on Marshall street between Ninth and Tenth streets, all to be given mail service twice daily, and additional service .or. Stevenson street, which is to receive deliveries twice daily instead of once, as at the present time. This mail service extension will necessitate establishment of an auxiliary route, making five city routes instead of the present four. This additional route should also insure more regular delivery throughout the city, the postmaster stated. (Turn To Page 6, Column 2) o

Berne Campaigns On Traffic Violations Three Arrested For Ignoring Stop Sign Impetus was given Berne’s campaign against traffic violators by sheriff Herman Bowman last night when he arrested three persons for failing to stop at the junction of federal road 27 and state road 118 in that town. The Berne town council announced yesterday that they had directed marshall David Dubach to begin the campaign and had asked the help of sheriff Bowman and state policeman Walter Schindler. The council stated that they advised the campaign to curb recklees driving and other traffic violations at the insistence of the Berne Chamber of Commerce and private citizens. Edward Slacken, Fort Wayne, was the first to be arrested at the Intersection, where all four approaches are marked with stop eigns. He was traveling south on road 27 and failed to stop. He was arrested at 7 p.m. by the sheriff. At 8:45 p.m. Vincent Habegger, Berne, was arrested for failing to stop as he was enroute west on road 118. At 9:10 p.m. Elizabeth Menke, Greenville. o®was arrested when to stop while enroute south. Each ikeaded guilty before justice of toace Ernest Stengel and paid fines 0f.512.10.

Trieste Communists Defy Allied Leaders Order Shipyards Workers Stay Out Trieste, Sept. 18 —(UP) — The Communists, apparently bent on keeping the fledgling free state of Trieste in ferment to make the allies look bad, ordered 10,000 striking shipyard workers today to stay out in defiance of the AmericanBritish military government. Military government had ordered all strikers in San Marco shipyards, the largest industry in Trieste, to go back to work. Six men who were the “instigators” of a mass attack on seven Italian non-Com-munists who tried to go to work yesterday were ordered suspended and excepted from the back-to-work order. In “reprisal” for these suspensions, the Ctommunists-run Sin-, dicati Unici (trade unions) ordered 10,000 shipyard workers to keep on striking. The strike started Monday; the reason the Sindicati Unici gave was the Machinegun killing of an 11-year-old girl last Saturday. Military government ordered strong police reinforcements to patrol the shipyard areas so men who came back to work would be protected. The Communists appeared to be running squarely into an al- ' lied decree that might have their leaders brought up for trial on charges punishable by death. When the allies formally proclaimed Trieste a free state Tuesday, they ordered the death penalty for unlawful possession of arms, assaulting allied troops, inciting! the people to insurrection, organiz-| ing public demonstrations and trying to overthrow authority. There still was a tense situation along the new Yugoslav - Italian border, where Yugoslav troops for the second time yesterday handed less than a squad of Americans (Turn Tn PaE'p 5. Column 8)

William H. Hoffman Trial Goes To Jury Allen Court Jury Deliberates Case An Allen circuit court jury began deliberating shortly after noon today on the fate of William H. Hoffman. 33. Decatur, charged with reckless homicide after a threecar crash last March 22. which claimed two lives. Final arguments of attorneys were heard during the morning 'hours of court today, with prosecutor Alton L. Bloom of Allen county and his chief deputy. C. A. Lincoln, asking for Hoffman’s conviction. Attorneys R. C. Parrish and Robert Parrish made a final plea in behalf of the defendant. After argument by counsel, Judge William H. Schannen delivered instructions to the eight men and four women serving on the panel. The jurors then retired, but ate their noon luncheon before beginning deliberations. The defense concluded its case late Wednesday afternoon with the defendant, his wife and Ella Franz of Decatur taking the stand in Hoffman's behalf. The latter testified that the car, driven by Mrs. Enno Meyer, involved in the fatal crash, and. in which the two were riding when they were killed, was speeding towards Fort Wayne. Hoffman was enroute south when his car first hit one driven by Martin Reinking of Hoagland and then collided nearly headon with the Meyer auto. Mrs. Meyer 's husband and mother died from injuries. s Witnesse&Jestifying for the state include HinKry Garrett, deputy sheriff of Allen county; state policeman John Morgan, coroner A. P. Hatendorf of Alien county and his deputy. Dr. A. R. Savage; Mrs. Meyer and Walter Franz of Decatur.

Price Four Cents

Two Persons Dead, 50 Million Dollars Damage Estimated In South Florida Pensacola, Fla.. Sept. 18 — (UP) —' President Truman proclaimed the Florida hurricane area to be in a state of emerg ency today as the giant storm hurled over the Gulf of Mexico toward Pensacola after causing millions of dollars damage in the Miami-Palm Beach areas. The president's proclamation was disclosed by the office of Gov. Millard Caldwell aj Tallahassee. Simultaneously the state highway department ordered state highway 30 between Caraljelle and Panama City closed to keep" traffic out of the new stormtiireatened area. The entire police force at Pensacola was alerted for emergency duty and city officials ordered all residents to prepare for possible evacuation. Officials said theßbay shore and sound areas of the city would be in danger of flooding if the center of the hurricane strikes here and that evacuation might be necessary. The president's proclamation of an emergency was undersiood to permit the federal government to turn over surplus property to the state for relief purposes. warnings for this area were first raised at midmorning after the giant storm • had swirled across southern Florida, leaving at least two persons dead. Residents immediately began battening the hatches as the storm was expected to strike tonight. The hurricane caused an estimated $50,000,000 damages in South Florida. Half of this was damage to the citrus crop, which was estimated to have been onefourth destroyed. But even as the lush resort areas in the south counted their losses, disaster relief forces turned toward Pensacola to handle a new emergency. Residents at Apalachicola began boarding up homes and stores within an hour after the weather bureau put them on a hurricane alert, and police established a first aid station in the national guard armory. At Mobile, Ala., at the edge of the hurricane-threatened area, northwest storm warnings ordered shipping to remain in port. Yachts and small boat were being moved to safer harbors up the Mobile and other nearbyrivers. The Red Cross prepared to evacuate some 3.000 residents of Dauphin IslanJL Blakely Island and Cedar Point, a low lying stretch on the extreme end of the mainland. Thus another area of the resort state, an area seldom hit by storms, began to batten down for the blow which already had caused great damage in the Palm Beach to Miami area. In the area already hit. torrential rains had flooded roads, endangered bridges and isolated some communities. All over South Florida there was a confused snarl of tangled communications, broken power lines, damaged home sand buildings, and flattened crops. The state highway patrol, army and navy troops, and Red Cross disaster workers were in action to provide relief. At least 10 navy planes were delivering supplies to stricken areas. Coast guard boats shuttled along the west coast. A truck loaded with 2.000 ration units of'dMtree meals each left the Jacksonville naval air staiton at 4 m„ for Sebring where some 10.000 refugees needed food. Other rations were to be dispatched from Mac Dill field. At West Palm Beach one man was electrocuted by a fallen pow’er line, the Red Cross re(Turn To P&g« 6, Column 4)