Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 47, Number 187, Decatur, Adams County, 10 August 1949 — Page 1

I XLVII. No. 187.

15 KILLED AS BUS HITS BRIDGE ABUTMENT

Roods Reveals laughan Asked lermit Rushed I Housing Expediter ■ Soys Truman's Aide I Asked Track Permit ■Washington. Auk io — tl’Pt ■puxinK exp< diter Tighe E Wood* Kdosed today that .Maj Celt Krry II Vaughan. White House Kitary aide, visited his office K n 12. 1948. and asked him to Kle.ce hurry" issuance of a perKt f»r renovation of a California Ke track. ■ The permit for 175,000 of con ■ruction to renovate the Tanforan K< k at San Bruno. Cal., wan isKed by Woods the following day ■ But Woods told senate Invest! Ktors that the permit would have Ken eranted even sooner- before ■ me ting he had with Vaughan at K White House. Jan 9. 1948 -but K the fact that he was having K staff make a final check to be Kre there was "no monkey bus!' ■ Woods was recalled bv the senfit. inv.stlgatlng committee for a fetter explanation of why he lifted Ke postwar ban on non-essential Ki ding to let friends of Vaughan f > ahead with the track renovafun He was then new in the K*t he got Indirectly through friendship with alleged “five perfenter' James H. Hunt. It was Hunt's operations as a "manage Lent counselor" here which led Io the current Investigation of the lanital's "Influence industry " I Revelation of Vaughan's visit to kissis' office the day before Issuance of the permit came as a surprise to the committee It had Ken assumed yesterday that poods' testimony was complete ■except tor an explanation of why ■kis Jan 12 visit with Vaughan at ■the White House was followed so Muhkly by Issuance of a permit Ifour days later. I Meanwhile, the White House mid there has been no change in ■President Truman's willingness If >r Vaughan to testify before the benate committee. I Woods in describing the Jan. 1? meeting said Vaughan called him [for an appointment and then visitrd his office with Eugene D. Mori, president of Tanforan Mori "didn't say much, as I recall." Woods testified. As for Vaughan, Woods recount «-d: “I believe he pointed out that •'mid we please hurrv as there •as something before the California racing commission and if they ciuidn't go ahead (with renova'font they would lose their fran|rhl«e " The track had been condemned |hy local authorities after the "new ownership" took over In November. 1947. and this was the **»is. accoridng to Woods, for the decision to permit the use of •rarce building materials to rente ’ate It. Woods described It as a "hardship case." lien. Joseph R McCarthy. R.. *>». asked Woods if he realised the laws then operative "gave you Tighe Woods—the duty 091 to •How any recreational construe<T«r» To Flight 1

Bus Crash Survivor Tells Horror Os Wreck Tragedy

— — V■■ MB ■■ w w — 'Editor's Note: — An Erans- ’•* Ind., track driver was sitting ** * front seat of the Greyhound **• when II rammed a bridge abutment near Bloomington. Ind . kill "*< many persons Here Is his T) ■y WILFRED LUTTRELL As told to the United Press bloomington. Ind . Aug. !•—<UP> "* was riding the bus home to Ev Grille from Indianapolis The bus nearly full I had a front seat • the right aisle. J »«t before the crash. I saw what **• going to jiappen We were ““•ding right toward the bridge a*«»eet But I thought the driver •••M rat back Into the traffic lane *y that time It was too late to • uytktng I flew through the air “d went out through the wind Lake Shute of Bloomington *** ■l'-Uag by me and he went out windshield with mo. 1 landed on the concrete highway ?• ln» Oi nemo glass from the wind-

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

14lh Polio Case Is Reported In County Hartford Township Resident Stricken Adams county's p olio total mounted to 14 today, with the illness of a Hartford township man diagnosed as polio, and a young Bettie man was listed as a suspected polio victim The county's 14th victim of the crippling disease is Clyde Feller. 33-yearold Hartford township farmer Feller was taken to St. Rita's hospital, Lima. <).. suffering frv>m partial paralysis of both legs. He is married and the father of two children Feller's sister. Miss Ruth Feller. 17. daughter of Mr and Mrs. Ollie Feller, also of Hartford township, has been a patient at the Lima hospital since Aug 2. when she was stricken with polio while visiting relatives at Wapakoneta.' O Her condition is reported improving. Richard (Dick) Lehman, 23, of Berne, was taken to the Lutheran hospital at Fort Wayne this morning for diagnosis of his illness Leh- ■ man has some rigidness of the neck, is carrying a fever and suffers nausea No definite word on the diagnosis had been received this afternoon State Total 371 Indianapolis. Auk I<* (UP)— Polio claimed four more victims in Indiana today, boosting the num her of Hooslerst struck by the crippling disease to 371. None of the newly confirmed cases were deaths, of which 39 were on the list through yesterday. The new cases were one each in Marlon. Vanderburgh. Pike and Grant counties. Latest reported death was that of Jerry Ronald Curts. 9. son of Mr. and Mrs. Carrol Curts of Har , risen township near Alexandria ' He died at a Muncie hospital yesi terday. the sixth Delaware county : victim. Earlier, the death of Mrs Frances Rains. 21. Redkey, in Jay county, was reported from Muncie. And two-year-old Anna Marie Brehm. Ashley. 111. died at Evansville but her death was not added to the Indiana fatality toll. The state health board reported an additional 17 cases of polio yesterda y Cut Isolation Period New York. Aug. 19. —(UP) — Medical authorities recommended today that the isolation period for infantile paralysis cases be reduced to one week, or for the duration of fever in the pat It nt The measure was advocated by the national foundation for infan (Tara To I'sar Klabtl Monroe Thoroughly Sprayed Last Night The town of Monroe was thoroughly sprayed with a DDT solution Tuesday night as a precautionary measure against the spread of polio and other disease by means of flies and other Insects All alleys, garbage receptacles, outside toilets, the town dump and other possible breeding places for the Insects were thoroughly drenched by Frank Johnson, hired by Monroe town officials. Further sprayings are planned, town officers said, particularly the town dump.

. shield I was cut and bruised from ; skimming along the road on top a I that glass By the time I got on my feet, tne bus was a mass of fire I saw one , man with his clothes on fire. He threw himself down on the road and rolled over a couple of times and put the fire out. I don't think he was hurt much People were screaming and jumping out the back window. I don't think anyone got out through the • windshield but me and Shute and the bus driver I think one passes ger climbed out of a side window. I saw people trying to get out Some of them didn't make it. I rail to a farmhouse nearby and had them call an ambulance Then went back and tried to do what I , could for the people that were hurt worse than I was rve been driving a truck for » years over most of the country I ve Len some had accidents But I nev er saw northing like this before. What's more. I hope I never d» agala . —

Immanuel Lutheran Church Will Begin Week’s Observance Os Centennial

Pastor Has Arranged Services For Sunday I* W £ ■ lb fl Rev. E. B. Allwardt ’ ■ Immanuel Lutheran church, Union township, six miles northeast of Decatur, will observe the centennial of its founding in a series of five divine services beginning next Sunday. August 14. and contnulng through August 21, according to announcement of the pastor, the R.»r. E. B. Allwardt. All former membeis ;of the congregation and their Immediate families have l»een invit *d to attend the services and the centennial dinners to Tie served each Sunday by the ladies of the church. The centennial sermons will Im* delivered by five sons of the congregation now in the ministry, as also by the one former living pax tor of the church. Special music wlll be presented by Bernard Schultz. organist of the church, by Wilfred Hleeke. guest organist and Min of the congregation now in ihe teaching profession, and by the adult and children's choirs of the church under the direction of Mr.

Urgent Call Issued For Aid In Ecuador Urge Aid Rushed To Prevent Epidemics Ambato. Ecuador. Auk. 10 — (UP) An American survey team in Ecuador's earthquake disaster area sent an urgent call to the ! Panama Canal today for water flit era and DDT to halt the danger of an epidemic. Latest reports from Balboa In the Panama canal zone said that *0 American mercy planes were standing by with every type of supplies that might be needed. The planes were expected to begin taking off this morning. Col. W. J Byerly, head of the American survey team, asked for a "convoy" of planes to bring water purification kits and to spray DDT from the air over Pelileo, hardest hit of some 50 towns in the earthquake area. Earlier government estimates said that of some 6.000 Inhabitants of Pelileo. only 300 survived. The others were buried under rubble or dumped into the raging Patate river when a half square mile of the city slip into the river gorge. Byerly's report, couched in careful terms and released by the Ecuadorean government, indicated that some disease already may have broken out among the survivors of Pelileo. Eyerly made recommendations against displacing the survivors He suggested that they be kept in a nearby place to prevent migrations to other towns. An air view of the disaster area , from a U. S. embassy plane revealed only a single survivor in the town of Patate. across the roaring Patate river from Pelileo Patate is completely isolated by quake damage to roads. Not a single rescue worker has been able to reach the town since it was struck by the earthquake last Friday Authorities are considering dropping rescue workers and soldiers Into Patate by parachute. A message brought by foot from Banos, a town of 3.000 population at the foot of Tungurahua volcano <Tsrs To Tone Fesrt WKATHKR Warm and humid tonight and Thursday with a few scattered afternoon thundershowers esteems south.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, August 10, 1949.

I A intwlfc I’ A * w11 ■Km, KI? JI

Schultz. Rededication of the renovated church and modernized pipe organ will take place In a service next Sunday at 9:30 a. tn., with Rev. Allwardt conducting the dedicatory rites. The dedication sermon will oe delivered by the Rev. Harry IKrueckeberg, pastor of Emmaus Lutheran church. Indianapolis The centennial service of reunion and Christian education will be held Sunday afternoon at 3 o'clock. The reunion sermon. In the Germnn language, will' be delivered by the

Increase Proposed In Library Budget The Decatur library board proposes a two cent increase in Its tax rate for next year, the annual budget shows. The rate would be increased in Decatur from 9 to 11 cents on each 1100 of taxables The levy in Washington township will remain the same at I cents. The budget totals 111,575 and the two levies figured on the taxable property in the two taxing units will produce approximately 510.103.70. Dr. N. A. Bixler is president of the board. Nine Are Indicted For Policy Racket Charge Operation Os Crooked Game New York, Aug 10 — (UP) — William Dennison Duble. dignified former official of the Cincinnati Clearing House association, was Indicted today with eight others tor operating a crooked 550.000.000 policy game. The indictments listed 15 counts of conspiracy and conspiracy to contrive a lottery. Duble. although he is charged In the indictment with receiving only fl.OOo for his services in manipulating clearing house figures between July 1 and July 15. actual ly received approximately >35.000 within the last four or five years, according to Diet. Atty. Frank 8. Hogan. The policy ring rigged winning numbers through Duble that would pay off the smallest possible number of suckers. Hogan said the ring rigged daily numbers from Monday through Friday. He said the ring also made a killing on Saturday when Duble fixed three numbers. Duble and five New Yorkers who were named in the indictment were arraigned before gen era) ooeaions Judge Francis L. Valente. They pleaded Innocent Duble was returned to the custody of the district attorney's staff while the others were continued under present bail Indicted with Duble were two circulation employes of the New York Journal American. Irving > Bits. 46. and Abraham Goldberg. 41. The indictments also named: 1 (Ten Te Pane Kl«b«>

Rev. Herman J. Relnking. pastor >f Bethlehem Lutheran church. Crawford. Neb. The centennial senm.-ii on Christian education, In the same service and in the English language, will be presented by the Rev. Henoch Hoile of Detroit. Mich. On Wednesday, Aug. 17, in a service beginning at 8 p m.. recognition will he taken of the important part played by the various societies in the work of the church. The Rev. William H. Remtnerl. pastor of St Paul's Lutheran church, McAllen. (Turn To I'nse Hevea >

Gala Celebration For Herbert Hoover Former President On Radio Tonight Palo Alto. Calif. A.ug. 10. (UP) —Former president Herbert Hoover delivers a major nationwide address today at an impressive ceremony honoring him on his 75th birthday. The university town of Palo Alto officially designated the day as I “Hoover Day" in honor of the stilli vigorous former chief chief execu - | tive. In the far-away states of Arkansas and Maryland it also trits "Hoover Day" by decree of their governors. Congratulatory messages poured in for America's world citizen who holds honorary citizenships in seven foreign nations, including two now behind the iron curtain. California, New Mexico and Vermont issued proclamations calling attention to his birthday. Nine governors of other states have wired their congratulations. "Think of the next generation" was the title of Mr. Hoover's talk today. He will deliver it at 9 p m. ( EDT) over four major networks on a nationwide hookup at the Stanford University campus adjoining Palo Alto It will be the first major speech on the campus since Mr. Hoover dedicated the Hoover library on war. peace and revolution ia 1941. Before and after the address, the carrillon of 35 bells will sound across the campus. The carrillon was presented to the library to commemorate Mr. Hoover's relief work in Belgium during the last war. The public part ot the ceremony begins at S:3O p. m. (EDT) outdoors in the Forst amphitheater He will lie introduced by Dr. Wallace Sterling, pres.dent of Stanfotd. Among honors Mr Hoover will receive will be a joint resolution by (Tees Te Fas* Flvel Concel Meetings Os Boy Scout Troop 61 Kenneth Secaur. Scoutmaster of Rotary troop <l. announced today that all troop meetings have been cancelled for an indefinite period as a precautionary measure because ot the polio situation.

Greyhound Bus Crashes Into Concrete Bridge Abutment Early Today

Consolidated School Board Meets Today Discuss Plans For Opening Os School The board of trustees of the Ad ams Central school met in the superintendent's office in the court house this morning to propose tn** program of the new school consolidation and also announce the disposition of various buildings The trustees duly appointed Hansel Fol-, ey as spokesman of the group, al though his duties as county superintendent do not begin officially until August 15. The present Kirkland school building will be used for the newhigh school. Foley said, and two other older school buildings in the township will lie abandoned. The Monroe building will lie used for grades only, plus the three rural grade buildings In Monroe township which were used last year It Is planned to have an additional grade building in Washington townshp for the coming year to supplement the two that will continue In use. An Industrial arts program has lieen approved for the new high school, also an extensive athletig recreation program at all the grad- 1 schools, the material on hand to lie equally divided between the different schools. AH school funds have been consolidated. Foley stated, with the exception of the Monroe lunch program account which will stay wiln the Monroe school There is planned, however, a lunch program for the Kirkland — officially Adams Central school, which will of course have to take into consideration the influx of new students. •bat h trustee has been delegated the work of checking on the necessary work and repairs to be dun** on the various buildings. These reIMirts will then be transmitted to Foley who will supervise the letting of all repair work. The Adams t'enra) school will adopt exiusively the basketball schedule of the Monroe school. This factor. Foley said, will have to be acceptable to the IHSAA, the (Tian* Ta !•■■» Flgkll

12 Atlantic Pact Nations To Meet Representatives To Meet In Washington Washington. Aug. 10. —(UP)— Representatives of the 12 Atlantic pact nations will meet here soon to begin work in putting the 20year defense alliance into operation. the state department said today. The meeting possibly will be held before Sept. 1. This announcement came as defense secretary Units Johnson told senators that the administration was agreeable to a 5464.395.000 cash reduction in the SI. 160.990,000 requested arms program for the Atlantic partners But he wants authority to make contracts for the rest of it for the first year so there would be no reduction in the ultimate cost The senators also were urged by U. S. joint chiefs of staff to approve the arms program to "lessen the likelihood of war.** State department press officer Lincoln White said Informal talks on the defense treaty would begin "in the quite near future" between embassies and legation of the Atlantic pact powers and the state department. The purpose of the meetings, he said, would be to study and work out organizational structure of the treaty preliminary to a meeting of the strategic council created under the pact The council, which will be composed of foreign ministers, in turn ia charged under the treaty with establishing a defense committee "immediately " The committee will draft plans to defend the north Atlantic nations against agression.

Yield Further Ground On Aid To Europe Bill Request For Cash tn First Year Scaled By Administration Washington, Aug 10 -(UP) — The administration gave ground again today in its fight for the billion dollar arms aid program by scaling down its request for cash in the first year. Defense secretary 1-«ui“ Johnson told tlie combined senate foreign relations and armed services com mlttee that he is agreeable to a 2464.396.000 cash reduction in the proposed 21.160.990.0 mt arms aid for our Atlantic pact partners. But Johnson Insisted that the administration should have the balance in authority to make contracts up to that amount. This would not reduce the actual size of the program, but defer 2464.396.rnm jn spending until fiscal 1951 There were these other congressional developments: Clark - Ix-fl wing organizations got in their licks against the nomination of attorney general Tom Clark to the supreme court. But It didn’t appear likely that their Words would have any effect on the anticipated senate confirmation to the post. "Bold new program"—Chairman Herbert E. Gaston of the govern metrl's < xport-iinport bank said a start of President Truman's "bold new program" for the world's un developed areas will not cost the United States anything immediately. He told congress the hank has 2970.554. mm unobligated funds which It can use if it gets permission to conduct an experimental or exploratory program of guaranties to private investors. Social security a large-scale overhauling of the old age insurance program by the house ways and means committee would ex elude about 4<m.mm professional persons from social insurance coverage Tile committee voted to exclude physicians, surgeons, law yers, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors. osteopaths, optometrists, engineers, and editors awl publishers so long as they work for them selves and not on salary Meanwhile, Democratic leaders predicted the house would make good on President Truman's cam paign pledge to boost the minimum wage to 75 rents Despite opposition by a powerful coalition of Republicans and southern Democrats, labor commit tee chairman John Lesinski said he was "absolutely confident” the, house would approve the adminis (Tara Ta Page Flv»»

Local Man's Sister Dies At Fort Wayne Lena B. Craig Dies After Long Illness Mrs Lena Braun Craig. 73. sister of Fred Braun of this city, died Tuesday afternoon at St. Joseph's hospital in Fort Wayne, where she had l»een a patient for two days. She had l*een ill for the past year A former resident of Herne. Mrs Craig had resided in Fort Wayne for 18 years. She made her home with a son. Earl, 2505 • South Hanna street. She was a member of St. John's Evangelical Reformed church. Surviving In addition to the eon and the brother In thia city are another brother. Charles Braun of Berne: two slaters. Mrs John Hilty of Berne and Mrs Minne Hawk of Rockford. 0.. and two grandchildren The body was taken to the C. M Sloan * Sons funeral home In Fort Wayne, where friends may call after 7 o'clock thia evenlag Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

Price Four Cents

14 Survive Crash Near Bloomington Today; Victims Are Trapped And Burned Bloomington. Ind., Aug. 10 — I UP; A Greyhound bus hit a concrete bridge abutment and explod* ed Into a roaring sheet of flames today, trapping and killing 15 passengers The dead Included two children, eight women, four men and one adult so badly burned its sex could not be determined Fourteen persons survived, many of th'-m saved by bus driver Wayne Cranmer, 25. Indianapolis, who braved the fire and was burned himself dragging out the screaming injured Six hours after the Indianapolis-to-Evanzvllle coach ripped into the abutment, burst into an inferno and overturned on Its side, 15 bodies were removed. They were placed in a convoy of eight ambulances and brought to the Bloomington armory where a temporary morgue was s--t up by Mayor Tom Lemon. More hours later, three bodies were Identified tentatively as those of Mrs. Joan Aikman (1019 Harrison St j. Kokomo, Ind., and her six-year-old son and four-year-old daughter. Mrs. Aikman's husband. Dale, 30. a soldier stationed, at Camp Campbell. Ky. was among the surviving injured Steven Campbell, a Bloomington undertaker who helped remove the b<sites said the 15th body was the last. Rescuers abandon'd theft charred and smoking wreckage, from which they removed 13 of the bodies with acetylene ton hes The huge Ims. blackened and twisted by the heat of flames fed by 100 gallons of gasoline In the coach's tanks. blocked part of Ind. 37, a winding, hilly 50 mile highway connecting Indianapolis with this Indiana university city. It hwtked like a flame-thrower had d'Wlroyed the bus. Melted metal from the white-hot wreckage i poured into the highway. Firemen pumped water from a small creek beneath the bridge, but it was hours after daybreak before work crews could enter the debris and remove bodies. Two hand fire extinguishers, charred by the flames, remained on the dashboard of the bus. Neither had been used. The flames shot up so fast there was no time Cranmer believed a tire blew out, swerving the bus into the abutment. But state police tr<M>per It A. Dunlap said it would never lie known just what happen- , e<| H,. said the tires were burned completely off the wheels Bus company officials said 37 passeng. rs were on the bus when it left Indianapolis around midnight Cranmer said some got off at Martinsville. Ind, and other points along the line and he be- ' lieved there were 28 left when the accident happened One of the injured. Bill Elderbrook 24, Evansville, said his I parents wre riding on the bus ■ with him. They were not among the known survivors and author!I ties assumed that Charles Elderbrook. 78, and bis wife. 66. were dead. Many of the bodies were so badly burned they were shape:ess Some were just charred torsos. The limbs were burned off. They were laid side by side beneath sheets at the roadside until the torch wielders signalled ambulance drivers that the 15th body was the last Then the eight ambulances lined up. loaded the bodies and drove slowly over the hil(Tara Ta I’aae Ibreri Mrs. Hansel Foley Office Assistant Mrs Hansel Foley will be the assistant in the county school superintendent's office when her husband. Hansel Foley, assumes the office next Monday Mrs Foley is a graduate of Monroe high school and attended Ball State Teachers ('o)lege at Mancie. She tangbt whool in Washington township for three yean and later assisted In operating a general •tore at Preble, formerly owned by the Foley's.