Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 51, Number 113, Decatur, Adams County, 13 May 1953 — Page 1

Vol. LI. No. 113.

' Twister Leaves Waco In War-Like Ruin , „ *~~'^^flßßß. ~ no2's* *4^ *ißyn»wfy ? j £a »fc SP®*^hß& — a«im O T£^ ,L M ON DO h LAR f “ rrow cut l) y a tornado through the heart of Waco. Texas, is shown clearly in this airview. In the center thJ wn mXw * Purniture building and the adjacent theater where many died. The steadily mounting toll of known dead neared the 100-mark as crews dug at the debris, in search of the many missing.

Reds Say UN. Plan Threatens To Wreck Truce Detailed Formula To End Deadlock Outlined By U. N. PANMUNJOM, Korea. VP — The United Nations gave the Communists a detailed formula for ending the Korean truce deadlock today and, after hearing and reading it, the Commuists said the proposal threatened to wreck the entire armistice negotiations. > r* Lt. Gen. William K. Harrison, chief U. N. negotiator, handed the Washington - approved plan to North Korean Gen. Nam 11, the Communist chief delegate, at a meeting in the truce hut. Gen. Mark W. Clark, supreme U.N, Far East commander brought the plan, a 'counter-proposal to the eight-point ’Communist formula, to Harrison in a dramatic flight * Tuesday to the allied base at Munsan. “The Communists did not like it but suggested we meet again tomorrow;” Harrison said after the one-hour and 40-minute meeting. The U. N. truce formula contained 10 articles and 26 paragraphs in addition to a preamble. The Communist plan contained only eight paragraphs Which the U. i N. considered vague. The allied plan calls for repatriation within two months after an armistice of all prisoners who want to go home and release on the effective date of an armistice of all Korean prisoners refusing to be repatriated. The plan would turn over to a five-national neutral commission proposed by-the Communists all " Chinese prisoners who refuse to go home. India would serve as chairman of the-commission and supply armed military police forces. Poland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Switzerland would serve as commission members. Whereas the Communist plan proposed that the commission operate on a majority-rule basis, the allied proposal called for decision of policy matters within the commission upon a "basis of unanimity.” Thus the .U. *N. plan would give veto powers to any of the neutral nations. " It would release to civilian status in Korea all prisoners who still refuse to be repatriated after two months in custody of the nefltral commission. Then the commission would be disbanded. Under the allied plan, the Communists would be permitted to interview the prisoners for tw'o months to allay th&r fears about what might happen if they returned to the Communists. * If the Communists should fail to persuade the reluctant prisoners during that period, the captives would be free to go where they wi*h. Under no circumstances would the prisoners be forced to go home against their will. Those who desired to return to Communism after hearing part or all of the “explanations" would be repatriated speedily at the Paninunjom prisoner-exchange site. / <Tara To Face Six)

DEQATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT . . li A • ' ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER Mt ADAMB COUNTY

City Plant Trouble Is Quickly Solved ' Estimate Damage At Over $1,200 It’sjbeen roughly estimated that the blow-up of . the temporary switch at the city light and power plan’ at about 3:10 p’clock Tuesday afternoon cost the city upwards •from $1,200, according to power superintendent L. C. Pettibone. The stwitch "was being worked on i 4<j/speed up operations next Sunday when here will be a shutdown to connect the panel that will go between the diesel plant and the present plant. The connection had just been completed, said (plant worker Floyd Mcßride, and, the switch cut in. Then it blew up. Floyd Huntj er. behind the board at the time of the explosion, said he heard a i loud blast and the next: thing he knew he was lying in a corner, i about eight feet away from where j he was standing. Only he and Clarence Stevens, lineman, in the building when I the , blast came and they beat a quick retreat 1 when acrid fumes from oil and seared insulation ; from heaVy capacity cables filled I every square inch in the plant. Every outlet in town was dead instantly. Pettibone said the switch car- ■ Tied^^2.4oo volts and the power I lines were rated at a safety fac- [ tor of four, that is, they could carry with some safety 400 amperes,. although no more than 100 amps usually flawed in them. Pettibone did not speculate on. the tremendous power that must have , flowed in the switch and caused such damage, not to mention the : explosion. Damage itself is classified by I Pettibone to- the equipment, $800; [ and capacitors in the area, S4OO. Other cash losses, said the power chief, will come from repainting and cleaning the plant, (which had been done only recently. While .the definite cause of the big blow cannot be stated with [ certainty, Pettibone guesses that the switch hob>l:ed in out-of-i phase, that is to say there was ’ some miscpnnection, possibly, and power was applied in the wrong relationship. ope generator to the other. Firemen and plant workers alike tried to get in and battle any fire that might result from th* burntout switch, but found it almost impossible because |of the strong fumes in the plant. To add to the headaches, pyrene, a carbon tetrachloride extinguishing fliud used i in electrical fires, was thrown on the hot switch. In a snap, the chemical reaction resulting from i the carbon-tet and the metal rei -moved all the oxygen from tpe air, sending the men staggering out of the plant to the oXvgen tank on the lawn They .took a few sniffs of it and ran back into the plant. That went; on for about 30 minutes, until finajly the building was cleared and another switch employed.. jThere never seemed to h*ve been a real fire in the building, that thick, vitriolic smok that reddened the eyes and nearly sufrmn T» pace Elckt)

Congressmen Resent Attlee Attack On U. S. Show Resentment At Briton's Attack On American Policies WASHINGTON, UP- Members of Congress btistled with resentment today at former British prime! ' minister Clement R. Attlee’s attack on the American government and its foreign policy. \ Both Republicans and Democrats said Attlee was way out of bounds -when he told the house of -commons Tuesday that “some elements” in this country want to continue the Korean war. * The former labor prime minister also criticized the UnS. constitution as an outmoded “isolationist” document, and said the division of powers which it creates in the U. S. government makes it questionable “which is the mofe powerful, the President or Sen. McCarthy.” None of this was well received on Capital Hill. r Chairman Alexander Wiley] RWis., of the senate foreign relations committee said “no one has any right” to question this country’s sincere desire for peace -in Korea and all over the world. He advised Attlee to “remember that this country has already spent $40,000,600,600 to work for peajee” through the Marshall plan and other foreign aid programs. Sen. Allen J. Ellender, a member of the senate Appropriations committee, said Attlee’s speech will stimulate the congressional drive for sharp cuts in the pending $5,800,000,000 foreign aid bill. He angrily told a reporter that Attlee had struck “a terrific blow at the hand that feeds Britain.” Sen. John C % Stennis, D-Miss., was more grieved than angry. “It is a tragedy of our times,” he said, “that the English-speaking nations cannot get together on Asiatic policy.” Sen. Homer Ferguson, R-Mich.. said Attlee seemed to be favoring a “stalemated sitdown in Korea, one which could be very costly as the Communists build new air bases to resume the attack; we all want peace but most K bf us here want a worthwhile peace." McCarthy, when appraised of Attlee’s reference to him. displayed an enlarged newspaper picture of Attlee which he said showed the labor party leader with Communist Spanish generals during the Spanish Civil War In 1937. “When I hear Attlee making statements of that kind. 1 think of the picture of him reviewing Communist troops in Spain and giving the clenched fist salute,” McCarthy said. Rep. James P. Fulton, R-Pa„ of the house foreign affairs committee said Attlee showed a "misunderstanding” of U. S. policy.

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, Moy 1j,J953.

Waller Sittman Is, President Os Lions Annual Election Is Held Tuesday Night Walter Sittman of .this city was elected president of Decatur Lions cldb at the annual election of officers held at the regular meeting at the K. of P. home Tuesday night. Sittman will succeed Ronald Parrish, retiring president, on July 1, artd will serve for One year, j\ x Other newly elected officers [for 1953-54 include: Paul Hancher, first vice-presi-dent; Richard Macklin, second vicepresident; Frank Lyharger, thiud vice-president; Merritt Alger, secretary; Norman Steury. Robert Worthman, tail twister; Fred Corah, Lion tamer; Robert Zwick and Harry Knapp, directors. Retiring president Ronald Parrish has been appointed district sec-retary-treasurer by newly-elected district governor Roy Price of the Decatur club and he will assume those duties when Price becomes the 1953-54 governor of the 58 northeastern Indiana Lions clubs] Weekly Lions meetings will Continue until after the installation of new officers July 1 and later /Turn To P«*e KlKht) Mrs. Ralph P. Felger Dies At Fort Wayne Mrs. Ralph P. Felger, forriierly of Decatur, died this morning at her home, 669 West Wayne street. Fort Wayne. Mr. and Mrs. Felger operated the Hotel Coffee shop here from 1949 to 1951, and are well .known here. Funeral services will he held at the Chalfant-Perry funeral home Saturday afternoon;. 1

Plan Entertainment v For School Graduates

Here we go again; With the greatest imaginable sue l cess the Decatur Lions club last year initiated a graduation night program that was at once, safe,loads ■of fun, and tiring. Those, as one can plainly see. are the ingredients of the formula for a great graduation night. Graduation next week will be no different, it was announced today. | As last year, Roy Kalver . wiil again throw open the doors of the Adams theater . . .at 2 a.m. . . , and present, to the graduates, a first-line, full length movie. This year, however, something new will be added. The Decatur Elks will entertain graduates immediately after \ the graduation dance Thursday, 21, on the fik-st floor of the Elks home with a' buffet dinner until time for- the show at the Adams. Off then to see “By the Light of the Silvery Moon," a technicolor muslcdl starring Doris Day and Gordon Macßae. Come 4 a.m., a very wee time of the morning, indeed, the innocent graduates will find themselves pounced upon by a bunch of redeyed but friendly Lions, with a capital L, that is, ready to do everything but bust (heir britches at the American Legion home do show the young people that the

Flood Threat For T ornado-Ravaged Waco Subsiding

Hew Unification Fight In Prospect Z'7 , f. ; .' “ ■'"■ '*'■;" »,. Radford Nomination Sets Congress Stage r WASHINGTON UP — Adm. Arthur W.-Radford’s nomination of th e joint chiefs df istatff set the stage in fo4g re » s day for an epic new unification fight and a bitter- wrangle -over the GOP admihistration’s military jfas. - • . s ?< - . .' The Paefic fleet commander, who led the “admirals revolt’ l ’* againut uniHeation policies in 1949, was expected- io ,win senate«.confinrnatlon. | But . powerful Democrats on the senate armed services committaa said he will first be "thoroughly examined” on his views of the "air force’s strategic] air ebrnmand, keystone u.p to now of American retaliatory -striking power. Old unification sores are certain to 4>e picked open in these sessions And the controversies will spill over into appropriations hearings where Democrats are preparing an assault on defense secretary Charles tE. Wilson's |rt*oposhl to slash projected air rdjrce goals from 143 to 120 wings. • 'lnformed sources said Wilson will .be the main target of Democratic fine. The argument twill be tW 1 * 0,1 HiUthai Radford was hie personal choice’M’head rife joint ehkifs. and that the selection was not cleared in advance with other Pentagon officials,. Including secretary of the navy Robert B. Anderson. President Eisenhower sent Radford’s nomination to the senate Tuesday along with that of Gen. iMatthew B. Ridgway, 'present North Atlantic pact commander, to lie army chief of staff, ujfr. Eisenliower said he also will name Adm. •Robert 'B. Carney. 6th fleet commander and chief of NATO forces in southern Europe, th replace Adm. William M. Fechteler as chief of naval operations/]’ iFechteler apparently will leave the ipost soon, although he had been appointed to a four-year term expiring in August, 195$'. Carney supported Radford in the p 49 fighi against the Pentagon emphasis on strategic bombing planning. CTurw Tn P«*r Kight* | INDIANA WEATHER Partly cloudy and colder with froat or freezing temper- ' aturea north, cloudy ancl colder south with occasional light aljowlers extreme south tonight. Thursday generally fair and cool. Low tonight 3035 north, 40-48 south. High Thursday 50-58. ;>]

grown-ups of Decatur care about giving them a big time on their exclusive\“bight out." At the Legion the post-grads will find a hassel of costumed waiters giving out! with skits, songs, acts and want-not—in the Lion planner — to arouse the folks sufficiently from the [early morning stupor to receive a juice-sausage-egg-toast-milk or coffee breakfast. General chairmen of the stow annual event will be Walter Sittman and Larry Anspaugh,. the Committees outlined as follows: p ! The general chairman wllj serve on the entertainment committee with Ron Parrish and DaVe Tervqer. Guest pianist will be the retired band director of Decatur high school Albert Sellemeyer, who volunteered to play early in the tporaing for the students to whom he dedicated the greater pa,rt his life, and has had his dedication returned by the love of all '-wciio know him. Serving on the decoration .committee will be Dr. John B. Spaulding, chairman, Lewi* L. Smith, Mat colm Locke and Robert Anderson. Tables will be Hn charge of Roy Price, chairman, Clyde Butler, Chalmer Deßolt, John DeVoss, (Tw Te P’r Kl*ht)

Economy Drive Slows As Money Bill Approved * * \ House Committee Mokes Little Cut * In Appropriation • WASHINGTON, UP —Congress’ economy drive slowed a bit today *hon > the « house appropriations committee approved *-53,444,145,000. treasury-post office money bilk If’ Thisj /was 1172.983.000—0 r only 3.5 J percent —less t|jan former President Truman had requested in appropriations for the 1954 fiscal year beginning July 1. It, was only |4,955;000 —or oneseventh of 1 percent—less than the Eisenhower administration requested in its revised budget. And it was only $5,425,000 below the amount appropriated Llast year. It was the fourth regular fiscal 1954 money bill to reach the house floor and/the first in which the Eisenhower administration's appropriation requests had escaped almost unscathed from the comeconomy a|x. The measure on -which the house later this week foreshadowed inevitable sharp drop in the house’s economy batting average. So far the house has approved 12,000,297.638 in fiscal 1954 appropriations, a cut of aljnost 40 percent from the Truman requests. House passage of the committee’s new bill would reduc4 the over-all percentage cut to about 12 percent, if all of the new appropriations approved by the committee is included in the Comparison. Tn addition to direct appropriations, the bill would authorize an estimated $7,000,000,000 in permanent and indefinite appropriations. The biggest of these is an estimated: $6,350,000,600 for interest on the public debt over which congress teas no control. The committee approved the Eisenhower administration's proposed cut bf $34,350,000 in* coast guard funds sought by the Tru(Tura To Pan Sial \

John A. Loshe Dies Early This Morning r ; Funeral Services On Triday Morning [ John A. Loshe, 53, of 109 South Ninth street, well known Decatur resident, died at 1:*46 o’clock this morning at the St. Joseph hospital, Fort Wayne/ 'following an illness of two months of complications. , A lifelong resident of Decatur, he wae a veteran employe of the ■ Decatur General Electric plant. Born in DecatUr Aug. >2, 1899. hei was a son of John and Elizabeth Wolpert-Loshe, and was married to Marcella Keller May 11, 1926. , Mr. Loshe was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic church, the Holy Name society, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the G- E. QuarterCentury club. Surviving aVe his wife; one son, Eugene Loshe becatur; two daughters. Misses Catherine and Patricia Loshe, both at home; two grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Edward Gase of Decatur, and ' seven brothers, Leo Loshe of Coldwater, 0., Herbert, Barnard, Herman, George and Arthur Loshe, all of Decatiir, and Albert Loshe of Fort Wayne. Funeral services will be : conducted at 9 a. .m. Friday at the ’St. Mary's Catholic church, the Very Rev. Msgr. J. J. Seimetz officiating. Burial will be in the Catholic cemetery. , The body -was removed to the Gillig & Doan funeral home, where friends may ckll! after 7 o'clock this evening. The Holy Name society will recite the rosary at 8 p. m. Thursday.

Parade, Amateur Contests Planned Special Events To Feature Festival 'I! 1 - '■ - is 1 The (Monday night parade of hands iand the amateur* contests, Tuesday through Friday nights, will all be started at 8 o’clock, during the Decatur spring festival next .if This official announcement] was made: today by Martfn S-prunger, chairman for the retail merchants 1 who are sponsoring the band s ppr*; ade and amateur contests during th s e festival, which is conducted bj* the Decatur Chamber of Commerce. The final amateur contest 'On Saturday night will be held at 9:30 o’clock. The Monday night parade, .at 8 o'clock, will feature high school bands, plus displays by Decatur auto dealers and implement dealers. . '/ / \ First prize of $35 will be awarded to the best band in the parade, and all other bands participating will be awarded $25 each. The amateur and home talent shows will be held at 8 p.- mj, Tuesday through Friday, -with three prize* awarded each night. The first and second prize winners from each of these I'our nights will compete for the gi-and prize at 9:30 p. m. Saturday. Several rides, provided by the Gooding Amusement Co., will be located here all week on Madison street between Second and First streets, and on the lot - at the east end of MadisdSn street.

Friday Is Deadline For Assessments i Work Is Completed J In Five. Townships County assessor Albert Harlow announced today that Friday ‘is the last day assessments on* personal property will be made. He said the following townships had already been reported as having had a complete assessment: Union, Blue Creek, French. Hartford and Jefferson. Harlow said the complete assessment of townships will leave work cuty out for the board of review, due to conyene, by law. on June 1 for 28 days, at the assessor’s office. Harlow said their job will be |o fix mortgage exemptions, servicemen’s exemptions and carry out a check on each and every assessment made in the county to acertajn that' no errors had been made. . Another purpose of the board of review is tb receive any grievances' that crop up from'county residents., Members of the board consist df, by virtue of their offices, the assessor, chairman; the county auditor. secretary; and the treasurer. Two laymen have already been" appointed by the court, iMiss Florence Holthouse, Democrat, and > Dick Burdg, Republican. The board convenes each morning at 8 o’clock and quits at 4 p.m. No Objections To Adams Central Lease | No objections were filed against the lease proposal between the Adams Central school building corp? oration, at the formal hearing last evening. \ I J The lease for the new building* being financed by the Adams Central School x Building Corp., was signed by the school trustees. P Objections to terms in the leas* my be filed by 10 or more taxpay* era in. the consolidated unit with the county auditor within 30 days, the legal notice published In this newspaper states. However, objections to the lease are not expected, as taxpayer* resolved the plan several weeks ago. T | I• | ■ ’ i- TTP • T - i K

Price Five Cents

Rescue Crews Seeking More Tornado Dead 1 ■.■ x 1 r'- ■ At Least 87 Known Dead; 50 Others Unaccounted For Tex. UP — Brick-by- » brick rescue digging in the tornado* I leveled section >of Waco [slowly increased the toll from Monday's storm today as a flpod threat to the city abated. [ ’ At least 87 persons, all but two of them Identified, were known dead', up io 50 others were unaccounted for and some 320 were on the injured list here. Nine other dead had been counted in a similar storm at San Angelo, 190 miles to the West for an overall Texas figure of 96. In addP tion. ope person 'was dead from a tornado in Louisiana and lightning killed one person in neighboring Oklahoma. The tempo of the search through the heaps of rubble turned mote ’ and more to hand-to-hand digging as all bulldozers which had been plowing intp the debris were called ’ off the job because of the slim , possibility there might still be someone 5 alive ' underneath the wreckage. \ ] The search was concentrated this morning in the basement of what was once the six-story Dennis furniture store where bulldozers operators thought they heard: screams!3 After the buldozers were quieted no screams were heard, but rescue officials sidelined the heavy ma-i chinery for individual digging with the aid of small power lifts and a few draglines. Meanwhile, predictions that the usually sluggish Brazos' -Riveti which bisects Waco would hit a; flood stage, of 28 feet today failed to materialize' and the weather! bureau said the danger had J)een averted. ] , f The Red Cross had evacuated 150 persons from lowlands around Wacohaijla precautionary measure, i At the rear of the Dennis store a detail of men from Connally air force base entered the basement and found no bodies immediately;! But they said there still was a, great deal of debris to be examined. J They were using their hands only in tackling the twisted wreckage and said it would take days to get it all removed. Pumping operations were only part of t|ie struggle in Waca today.; City engineer Brahn I Jones said only 15 out of the 30/major buildings wrecked by the tornado have been touched by rescue operations. However; most of the building owners said there, were no persons in their buildings, he added. A twister; struck Colfax, La., Tuesday night, crumbling a church and killing an elderly Negro woman. Nelly King. About 300 persons had attended services in the church 1 earlier in the evening, but only 30 were ( left| when the tornado bore down. M •' ■, i Speakers Named For Adams Central Rites Baccalaureate services for the Adams Central high school will be ■ held at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Monroe Methodist church. Elmer Neuenschjwander, dean of students at Fort Wayne Bible college, will be the speaker. He is a graduate . of McPherson college, received his B. A. degree at Asbury college and his B. D. degree at Asbury Seminary. He has been at Fort Wayne since 1945. • ‘Dr. J. McLean Reed, superintendent of schools at Danville, in., will be the commencement speaker at 8 p.m. next Tuesday, at the Monro* Methodist chursh. He received his B. A. and B. S. degrees in education at Ohio Northern University, his M. A. at Ohio State and his P. E. D. at Ohio Northern.