Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 50, Number 23, Decatur, Adams County, 28 January 1952 — Page 1

Vol. L No. 23. —r; , c ' .. A;.:," ; - * -

15 ARE FEARED DEAD IN MINNEAPOLIS FIRE

Flood Walers Pouring Over . Five Stales 8,000 Persons Are ’ > Made Homeless, six Persons Lose Lives Marietta, 0., Jan. 28 — (UP) — Flood waters poured over sections of five states today, routed some 8,000 persons from their homes, took six lives and caused thoufanda. of dollars of property damage. A ' t The borderlands of southeastern Onio and eastern West Virginia, (separated by the rampaging Ohio r.ver, were suffering-the full brunt > of the flood. Western Pennsyl- ; vania, northern Kentucky and southern Indiana also had large sections inundated. The Ohio river downstream from here to the southeast Indiana border was rising steadily. Indiana was the fifth state to join the growing list of flood scenes. The Wabash and its tributaries flooded, rbuting families from their homes and causing 1300.000 damage at Franklin alone. The river climbed 3.5 feet above flood stage here and was expected ' to start falling providing there are no additional rains. i \ • The river was going down slqw- ’ ly in some places after cresting above flood stage but the muddy crest moving along the Ohio and Kentucky ‘border will be above flood stage during the week, the \,weather bureau said. The flood began Saturday night after record rains climaxed several’ days ot showers and warm weather. The weather bureau in Columbus said that the “persistence ot rains earlier this month along with the mild weather had conditioned the. soil so that there would be a ’.ot of water running oft anytime there was a heavy rain.” . The water was going down here and the flood was not as bad as first expected, Mayor C. H. Hartline said. The river was feet above flood stage and overflowing into the business district today. Weather officials were cautious in predicting a major flood as many of the cities along the river have ‘floodwalls but the damage now has gone into the thousands of dollars. Meterologist A. W. Walstrong in Cincinnati said that the ’‘flood situation will get worse before it gets better” because it has yet to lit the major cities along its course. Walstrom said that the river will crest at Cincinnati at about r-9 feet, which is seven feet above flood stage, late Thursday. A crest of 33 feet, four feet above flood stage, is expected in Lousville, Ky., Saturday, but this would not be enough to cause heavy damage or foree more than a few: persons to move out of their bombs. However, in the areas along the rivef’s headway draining Ohio. Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania were hard hit. The Wheeling Downs race track on Wheeling Island was covered by more than seven feet of water. About 7-5 percent of the streets on the West Virginia island, the home • of about 10.000 persons, were under- water. The people there, accustomed to floods each spring, stayed on, moving to the second • floor oft their homes. The Red Cross evacuated 182 families in Wheeling while the Salvation Army took 75 families to safety. Army engineers said they exl . (Turn T« P»<* Sil) )’ - ' K Young Driver Held In Hit-Run Deaths \ Indianapolis, Jan. 28 —(UP) — A preliminary charge of manalaughter was filed today against Lee A. Idol. 23 in connection with the deaths of two women in a hiband- « run accident. .Idol. arrested yesterday on Infor- , mat ion given by witnesses to the 'accident and on an anonymous 'telephone tip. was accused of driving the car which struck and killed Mrs. Mary Throckmorton. 30, and Betty Stinson. 23, as they crossed a downtown street last Saturday. Witnesses said Idol stopped and returned to the scene but fled after a brief look at the victims.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ORLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN COUNTY 1 ’ ■" —■ - - , , - - : . . . SJ . 'L- ■ ( <l, ' I-

Gigantic Gray Market tn Steel Under Probe N.J., Jan. 28.—(HP)—A gigantic gray market in steel, with an overcharge take -of more than |3,W)b.<HLU a month was under federal investigaficMg here today. I Charles J. Tnle, first assistant XL S, attorney,-said the under-tho center racket Nourished throughout north Jersey but said he was not Tin a position to talk about it" Tyne, however. «aM the 13,000,000 estimate may not ‘'even scratch the surface” of the racket. MattooiMll. Is Rocked By Blast Series L Part Os Business i j District Blocked, Testing For Gas Mattoon. 111.. Jan. 28 -4 (UP) — Police blocked off part of the Mattoon business district and firemen tested basements for ggs,. today following a chain of explosions that rocked the yesterday. A butane gas tank exploded behind a drug store, touching off three more blasts that followed “like a line of artillery shells.” Half a dozen buildings were damaged, one man was seriously injured, and the loss was estimated at 1500,000. It was the third time in 22 days that a gas explosion* has ripped through an Illinois town. Five persons were Injured in < blast at Nashville Jan. 5 and two died ip an explosion at Crossville Jap. 13. . , '■■ 'M, - f Fearing that there' might be more blasts, policemen, firemen and 50 national guardsmen patrolled a two-block area last night to still kept a block and a half roped keep pedestrians away. Police off today. Firemen tested for gas accumulations in basements of business houses before permitting merchants to open up again. Businessmen were asked to stand by at their stores, however, to prevent looting. Fire chief John C. Storm, deputy state fire marshals, and explosive experts scheduled a meeting in Storm’s office today launch an investigation. Cause of the blasts still was undetermined. Storm said today that it would be “impossible” to assess the damage as yet and that any figure would be “strictly a' guess/’ He said thkt he believed the loss would total more than $500,000 but he could not give'a more exact figure until insurance adjusters finish inspecting scene, ji Residents a strange train of coincidents * connected with the blast , . Five years ago this week A fire wrecked the Harris Furniture company, also damaged by yesterday’s explosions. Fifteen yeans ago next mouth, one man died in a fire at the site of the drug store where the first blast went off yesfTar* To Peace Stt) 1 I i' Mrs. Martha Becker Dies Sunday Night Funeral Services To Be Wednesday Mrs. Martha Becker, -82, a lifelong resident of Van Wert county. 0.. died Sunday night at her home in Convoy. She had been .seriously ill for 10 days. /She was born in Harrison township. Jan. 12, 1870. a daughter of George and Margaret Reidenbach. Surviving are her husband, Crist* Becker; four sons, Paul pecker of Monroe township, Herib®rt and Richard Becker, both of Van\Wert county, And Oscar Becker at Convoy; one daughter, Mils. Edna Krueckeberg of Convoy; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Funeral services will foe held at 2 pj m. (BST) Wednesday at St. Johri> Lutheran church in Harrison township, the Rev. J. H. Klausmeier officiating. Burial #lll be in the church cemetery. The body will be removed from the Herts funeral home to the rAetdence, where friends may call' after 7:30 o’clock this evenings > n

■■■■■ ■ : — 1 - ■ —- Quints On Parade. | j -Xj j‘; i ' •*' ■ I \ . J j. J -:■> ’f ( H • H RB hbbH •L I I I TMh . flr ; 3 ' Hl ' k Sl. ' 1 CANADA’S DIONNE QUINTUPLETS (above) are shown riding one of the more than forty floats pa St. Paul, IMinneltota’s annual Wintefr Carnival opened Saturday. The quints shared the spotlight with more than 92 queen candidates in the colorful parade. i

Many County Roads Closed By Rainfall St. Mary's River *’ls Out Os Banks Saturday's rainfall, 1.61 inches ffe Decatur, wm one of the htavlMt ever recorded in Jswreery, according to Herman “HP Meyer, Decatur's official weather observer for the government | Colder weather Sunday and today eased the threat of a general flood but the St. Mary’s river, which Sunday recorded a depth of 17.25 feet, rose this morning to 17.56 feet. Meyer stated that he believed the crest had been reached and there would be a constant recession of water today. Thirteen feet is flood stage for the St. Mary's here. '= The ; heavy rainfall forced the closing Os many county roads. Almost | every cutoff from U.S. highway 27 to the River road to the west was blockaded Sunday because of high /water and the blocklades continued in force today. The river was out ’of bank throughout the city and lowlands I all over the county were under water. State and federal roads were open, but many fields were inundated nearby. |j ' I. I ‘ Rain fell constantly Saturday until about 7 o’clock at night, and temperatures did not start to descend until later at night. More seasonable temperatures were recorded in Decatur today and during the night there were some slight snow* flurries. The heavy Saturday rain'Vanuished all snow and ice which remained and at noon today Decatur streets and sidewalks were clear ‘! and dry. Colder weather was forecast for the balaticeof today and Tuesday. Business Building Is Sold At Auction . • r>. I ’ j ;i' * George W. Rentz, well* known florist of this city, bought the Charles J. Brock building on N. Secppd street, at public auction this afternoon for\ $20,000. The runner-up in the bidding was Joe Hlday of Noblesville, who bid j $19,500. Bidding started at $12,000. Several local men were prospective buyers in the sale conducted by the Kent Realty & Auction Company. ' 7 -...'.'j Chicago Press Club Honors MacArthur > Chicago, Jan. 28—(UP)— The Chicago Press club has named Gen. Douglas MacArthur as the outstanding American of 1951. The club announced yesterday that more than 700 members gave MacArthur 65 percent of the votes. The general had a 10 percent edge over three other candidates. G«l Dwight D. Elsenhower, Sen. Robert A Taft (RrO.) and Sen. Bates Kefauver (D- Tenn.). ! • \I • • ■ I : :

a—ic .. 1.,...—u , Decatur, Indiana, Monday,

* Bargain Days' In Decatur Feb. 5-6 > ■ 7- ' ! ,■ a ■’ l "Bargain Days" will be observed by Decatur merchants on Tuesday and Wednesday of next Week, Feb. 5 and 6. The special days are sponsored by the retail division of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, and hosts of bargains Will b$ offered shoppers by : Decatur merchants. To Seek Change In Jail Cell Inferior J Make Segregation Possible In Jail Sheriff Robert Shraluka today sought permtaetop to. appear next Monday before. the -Adams county board of commissioners to submit a plan to meet the recommendations of the wetfare department to change the interior of jail cells to “eegrw gate minor, women, ah< insane ftk mated from the general run of occupants;’ , -\ For an expenditure of lees than S2OO this recommendation can be accomplished, it Is bellevgg, and the sheriff plans to ask the commissioners to visit the jail! next Monday so the board members can see the proposed alteration. The plan calls for the recon- ! Struct lon of a food tray door on the south side of the downstairs cellblock and the construction of. a partition between the two blocks. This would make three segregated rooms on the first floor and the women's cell upstairs would make the fourth block. For several years, the, Adams county jail has had one mark against it in annual welfare reports because there has been no way to segregate prisoners. After a conference this morning with county auditor Thurman t. Drew, secretary of the board of commissioners, the sheriff said that he believed the reopening of the food tray door could be done immediately with the approval of the commissioners. The balance of the work might have to wait Until next year, when an appropriation can be placed in the annual budget, f However, if they deem It an emergency, the commissioners could ask for a special S2OO appropriation now. Godfrey Funeral At Mooreland Tuesday FJ. • ' 'fl Funeral services for Mrs. Robert Godfrey, of 715 Schirmeyer street, who died Saturday at the Adams county memorial hospital, will be held in Mooreland Tuesday. The body was removed Sunday from the Gillig A Doan funeral home to Mooreland. V Surviving in addition to the husband 'are a daughter, Patricia; three sone, Robert and James, at home, and Edward Smith of Mooreland ; her mother, Mrs. Etna Hilton of Mooreland; two brothers, Melvin and Harry Hilton, both of Mooreland, and a slater, Miss Beatrice Hilton, also of Mooreland.

Waits Go Sign To Build New Church / Hope To Start On i Church This Spring r I . i Injoiiaklbg bis annual report to the congregation Sunday. loe Very. Rcv./Msgr. J. J. Selmetz, pastor of St. Wary’s Cathottc church, stated he was Waiting the final “go sign’’ from' the national production authority to begin work on the new church. . / Approval to use the steel and other 'Vital materials which the contractor, F. A. Wilhelm of Indianaiiblis, has on hand, may be given (hiring the second quarter of this/fear, beginning April I. Blds .on the modern EnglishGotlite churoh and rectory were awafdqd jaat June. The general contact, heatiqg, plumbing, ventllating and electric wiring totaled mar|; than $790,000. Construction of the church was teldj up last summer, following the '"government’s clampdown on the Sise of steel. Msgr. Geimett i 'Stated.that the allocation of steel had rbeen approved, hut that the division In charge of vital materials |iad not yet informed the coni tractor he could begin construction!/' ' *\ . /' Tl|e new church will face east on Fourth street and extend west i alonk Madison street to Fifth ’ .street, with rectory attached. Mjgrj Seimetz stated that the bullling fund now exceeded 'More than SIOO,OOO of the $123,000 pledged by parishion<Twm To Pw «l*> ‘ i i | Mrs. Mary Plumley Is taken By Death Funeral Services Tuesday Afternoon • i ■ 1 ■ M|s. Mary Esther Plumley, 45, of east of Decatur, died Saturday nlgltt. at the Adams county memorial hospital following a month’s IllnM .. Her condition had been serious for the past week. Surviving are her husband, Dexlsy Plumley; her mother, Mrs.'da| Johnson of Rosebush, Mich.; fiveyjont, Harold and Dean of Fort Waine, Robert of Decatur and Chaimer and Ruq|ell Plumley, both at home; a daughter, Eva Mae Plumley, at home; five grandchilJ dreig; two brothers, Lee and ©hr- ( wln| Johnson of Mt. Ple&sadt, f ,Mic|., and two sisters, Mrs. Dor- ( othji Bellinger and Mrs. Irone Stil- , cenh mer of Rosebush. Funeral services will be cohduct- . ed It 3 p. m. (EST) Tuesday at the piton, Q. Methodist church, ■ the Rev. L. T. Norris officiating. . Burlial Will be tn the I. <j. 0. F. i cemetery at Convoy, O. The body i- bsa|been removed from the Hertz - homo to the residence, > whaft friends may calk until time of tja services

Tenement Building Near City Business District Is Swept By Fire Today I i —1 -2

New Premier 1$ Named Io Steer Egypt's Crisis J Will Continue To | Seek Evacuation Os 4 British From Suez gCairo, Egypt, Jan. 28.—(UP)— (My Maher Pasko, new “strong .Waii” premier of Egypt, received . support °L|be Wafdtat party today for a program which Includes restoration of law and orand pursuance of Egypt’s nationalist policies. • Maher appeared beforethe chamber of deputies for the first time Ijrier being sworn in by King Farouk, who ousted Wafdlst preigder Mustapha El Nahas Pasha because of Saturday’s anti-foreign in Which millions of dollars irorth of property was burned by sobs. g The new premier, an independent and known as a strong man, eaid he vfduld continue to seek the evacuation of British troopk from the Suez Ctthal zone and to unify the Sudan frith Egypt. \ I* Farouk stepped dramatically into Wgyptte crisis with Britain last flight as the two countries sppeah ed on the verge of breaking ott dipIbnwatic relatione. He dismissed the Nationalist cabinet of Mustapha $1 Nahas and summoned a veteran independent, Aly Maher Pasha, to Iwead a new government. Mahas FJasha Is a Wafdlst party leader. The monarch was expected shortIt tb dissolve parliament to factlk » Maher’s task. itmy and police units patrolled charred streets where antlBritish mobs rioted unchecked Saturday and burned numerous American and British, buildings. More than. I*oo persons were killed or inured. . -UJ3. ambassador Jefferson Cat f«try told American reporters that tfoe embassy had protested to the government oyer the f ' (Tara Ta Paa* Six) T - ' Preble To Receive lire Truck Shortly | New Department In I; Operation Feb. 1 ;The recently purchased Preble township fire truck is expected to arrive at its new home in Preble week, according to a report of t|e Preble fire department officers sheriff Robert Shraluka, and the have asked Shraluka to the necessary steps to provfiie ‘loo parking” in front o|,the fire station. station is the old Preble slMte bank building and a ramp has b4»n constructed into the building sd thkt the fire fighting equipment CO be kept In the building. sheriff stated/thtt he would contact the county highway department and arrange to have the propAJl signs erected. Officers of the Preble fire department Are: { Bieberich, chief; Walter Peck, assistant chief; Ed Reinking, piosident; Lewis Worthman, vtceDavid Macklin, secretaijy, and Fred Bieberich, Jr„ treesIpie association includes members from both Preble and Kirkland townships and it is understood that adTreeent. there are more than 300 department will be in. operation by February 1, it was indicated today. 1 :/ ■ ' : \ Rehearse Tonight For Uons Minstrel Show |tfembers of the Decatur Lions cljb are reminded to attend the reirearsal at 8 o’clock tonight in thb* music room of the Decatur hiUt sehbol for the minstrel show, which will be given next week. 4*

| Youth Speaker . ■A - . ' JA ■ It ' V The Rev. Robert W. Roschy, executive secretary since January 1 sos the associated churches of Fort Wayne, will be the inspirational speaker Sunday evening, February 3, before the mass meeting of church young people on “The Call.” The meeting will be held In the First Presbyterian church of Decatur at 6p. m. The plan of th*)- United Christian youth movement under the national council of churches of Christ in America is to enlist one million young Americans to take a stand far x juries Are Chosen For February Term Grand, Petit Juries I Drawn This Morning Juries for the February term of Adams circuit court were drawn today by commissioners Ed Bertlng and Frank Rawley in the office of county clerk Ed Jaberg. The grand - jury draw, in order of selection includes: Jean A. Werling, St. Mary’s township; Joseph Baumer, Jefferson township; \ Luther F. Brokaw, Washington township; Lester A. Tumbleson, St. Mary’s township;. lx>ra Ewell, Preble township; Waldo Eckrote. Decatur; Edward K. Kolter, Kirkland township; Alvin E. Gerber, Preble township; Lloyd L. Byerly, Kirkland township; Richard H. Russell, Root township; Ellis V. Converse. Washington township; Reuben Meyer, -Monroe township. The first six will compose the jury and the latter six are alternates, chosen In rotation, if there is a vacancy in the first six. The petit jury includes: Fred Thieme, Union township; William H. Barber, Decatur; Alton Pittner, Preble township; Daniel C. Lentz, French township; Clim ton J. Dubach. Hartford township L Page B. Mitch, Union township; Arthur D. Lytle, Root township; Charles E. Mcßride, <St. Mary's township; EM win Collier, Berne: Osie Durr, Washington township; Erwin Stbckey, Monroe township; Marie Boch. Decatur; Ray W. Coon, Geneva; Clifford L. Claipp, Wabash township; Robert Lehman, Jefferson township; Paul E. Arnold, Kirkland township; William Affolder, Washington township; Frank M. Crist, Kirkland township; Theodore McCune, Hartford township; Julius Brile, Washing-* ton township; Arthur D. Heeler, Decatur; Arthur Irwin> fit. Mary’s township;' Ray E. Butcher, Blue Creek township; Florain C. Geimer, Union township. Judge Myles F. Parrish has not indicated whether he would call the February grand jury, but, indications from the tentative court calendar are that the petit jury will have considerable work . j.-| INDIANA WEATHER I; Partly cloudy and colder tonight and Tuesday. Snow slur- i riss north and east portions.. Low tonight 5 to 10 north, 10 to 20 south; high Tuesday 15 to 20 north, 20 to 25 aouih. • - *' • ■ ■ :■i- : E- # ■- *■. i

Price Five Cents

i Red Cross Reports 15 Missing After Fire In Tenement House Early Today Minneapolis, Minn., Jan. (HP)—Fire swept through a threestory tenement bundling near the MtiiineapoHs business district today Und hours later the Red Cros« reported 15 persons “umfccottnted for.” The fire department said it had [ of “from four to 11 miss- ' tog,” and said "your guess aa' good as ours.” : , l[ * , J. G i Gaiser, assistant executive | wecreta’-y. of the Hennepin county Red Crt-ss chapter, sqid Red Cross Workers pad been unable to get any | reports oo the 15. Firemen feared ; some ot them were in the charred wreckage cl the bulking, but heat I and smoke kept them from search- . tog the wreckage imtiedfately. ’ Gaiser said it w«J» “possible” . some of the <5 rad reached safety, but said it appeal »d “ loubtful.’’ The fire brpke ut about i a.m» ’ and residents of the biildipg—most not even stopping to put, on shoes- - ‘ fled to their nightclothes into the 0 1 snow and ISfoelow j,ero weather, 1 Most of them took ref ige in nea J houses. A total of *8 persons ii\ j • in the building. f Eleven ot the mb sing perso, J were children. FlrelL« n feared'the - ipight have suffocated, or have been trapped when part pf the Inside I structure collapsed. j- • » Only one person wins injured in the blase, Hellmut Schoenfeldt, 44, who leased the building from the Northern Construction company. He suffered facial burns. But two men were rushed to General hospital for \ treatment of shock after they learned their wivee and children were among the missing. William Lahti, whose wife and! children—Burton, 8, h ancy 9, Ava- ; ion 6, and Donnie 3—were reported missing, was taken to General hospital. Francis Smith, 29, nearly collapsed and waft taken to the hoepe ' tai after he* rushed o the scene from a machinery film where he i worked nights. His wife Sylvia,<27, and children, Fraflctej, Jr 4. 6, and , Betty Jane, 2, were reported miss- .. tag. H . H Lee Sharp, 38, and tie wife, Mel- . ztaa, 37, and their five children fled their second-floor apartment barefooted. , “The smoke was so thick that we wouldn’t have found the stairs if we hadn’t lived in the building for a long time,” Sharp Said,. “I wrapped , one of my little boys in a blanket and my wife wrapped up the other one. One of the older girls took her younger sister by the hand and the oldest b °y by himself.’’ ' “We were scared witless," Sharp said. “The building was so old and the fire seemed to be! eating it up under our feet." ' The building, a hrlcto-veneer J structure, was one of a group ot I ' four, crowded together just outside I the Minneapolis loop. ■ I /■ ■ I 1 Muncie Man Crushed By Door Os Garage Muncie, Indt, Jan. \ 28—(UP)— James W. Shirey, 62, by k 400-pound garage door, was the victim of an accidental death according to a report filed today by Delaware coupty coroner Eugene Etesman. Shirey’s mangled body was found between the door and * his car yes- ’\ terday by his wife, Majry, when she went tor the car to drijire td church. Eissman said death Occurred Sat--1 urday night and wai cuased by • .“crushing i injury to the spine.’’ There were no counter-balances on the door and Elssman said Shirey • apparently had been lifting it by “brute force.” >I ; - '*-/■ ■’ '■< d ■ ■ ! Indianapolis Mon . Is Killed By Car Indianapolis, Jan. ! 28 —(UP) — William Taylor, 75, died tn Methodist hospital today soon after he was struck by a car driven by Roy R. Chatham, 35, at a street intersection. Chatman was not held. ’