Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 5, Decatur, Adams County, 7 January 1959 — Page 1

Vol. LVII. No. 5,

‘ rr ■’l ■ ■ ■ - . -a ; n.y. calif. t 03 i" j PA. ‘ > hi. I- ja aui /% r^ w *HnT^ w, * w *jrvA<///////i afffffffffffffl I TEXAS F J hi J# ■*?> vZ^BiS B v I MASS r H ■ WW/I » ■ HJ - II j/w/»wzzt ' A n.c. | '1 7pi * 1 S ; 'XX'fyXg.WJ »». 1 13 WT M ’ ’ m° | ea Th I ca. I 'BB 1 va. I _ia ~ t .jgQWa w,s - r owriw l ''- ' cjsssstt. -ws ala - I _ ».. r i>?b | jrt L.\ .; -■ ■ - '•• •• '■'■’ ,'• tenn I g 111 Wtit* sci ii ■ HA » bl *iy/; * *4k?rWßl.llV iowa |' |y tZ.4-7/1 *»• I a bl EKSjfiSl ia I j I JQMHH MWygk mu ■ b warwll WMH It B 6 ,1 fnO-qlnf »ffl9 a«k Ffl c onn I B I s KAN. [' djjgß;. -- miss. nJ okla rjzg wK. «\ T A’*- 1 -, sc r~P~| ’■•*&'ll« '9 9 it' ir W Witw va. [jTi ff m n*® W® w® B coio nrrc t** r>'FMli Jflil wira [CI Yi'A IHj Yi - - iii ii i i ■'>.*" *PW3a»ar- mi ore gpl ®^^****’* , *'S? MAINE [apl i —Ba?** _ amz. |EB ©AHO |^'jaEMMHM« MMIMMM mont. ralijr nh. [ljmi9R9lm9WlWWrll <• nm. rBjVTW 10! ND. ffijljl ■ '’■■"■ '* Rl. LgJ* I s I9IfWO |l H | ■ s.o. mu*■ I ■ l| ■ ■ Ir-feWi KaiS IB I utah EBjfifW p WWxJIJLHb Ww K 'dfr-v del. VT - IP IP 8 fl - wyo. 9 9 JSI ALASKA t 283 TO 153— Here is how the U. S. House of Representatives iff the new Congress Hnes up by state delegations. Shaded bars indicate the 283 JDemocrats, lined bars the 153 Republicans. The chart comes from the National Industrial Conference board. New York. "'■"*. " T - ■ ■ .■ ; ' —

Well-Digger Rescued From Cave-in Today Cldvys Way Free In Cave-In After Being Trapped 13 Hours BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (UP!)— A 45-year-old well-digger trapped in a cave-in for nearly 13 hours clawed his way free from a steel and sand prison today with the help of a winch. -i Leslie Stafford Jr,, once given up for dead, was trapped at the 20-foot level of a narrow four-foot (Jiameter sump hole by a steel strip which pinned his ankle and prevented rescuers from pulling him out after tons of gravel had been removed from atop him following the cave-in at 3:22 p.m. p.s.t. Tuesday. Cramped conditions and fear of another cave-in made rescuers virtually stop digging. He dug with his bare hands for more than eight hours before he was freed and was pulled from the hole at 3:57 a.m. p.s.t. The terribly tired man who had been forced to forego pain-easing sedatives so he would be alert enough to dig his way free was carried in a stretcher to a waiting ambulance and taken to Bak.-, ersfield HospitaL His condition appeared to be good. Aided by Winch A large hook was lowered in - the hole connected onto the metal strip holding up tons of gravel and pressing on his ankle. A winch to which the hook was attached by a steel cable managed to lift the metal a few inches. Stafford was able to free his ankle between the space opened by the winch and the frantic digging he had done with his hands. The same strip of metal which had pinned Stafford's ankle also saved him from sure suffocation when he remained completely • covered by more than five feet of gravel during the first four hours after the cave-in. The metal, used to shore up the sides of the 30-foot-deep sump hole, buckled under the tremendous weight of cascading gravel when the walls of the hole collapsed. The metal strip formed Continued on page five INDIANA WEATHER Tight rain or drtale central and south, light snow or frees- , ing drtesle extreme north tonight and Thursday. Considerable fog north and central tonight and Thursday. Warmer tonight with not much change in temperature Thursday. Low t tonight 26 to 33 north, 32 to 37 south. High Thursday 30s north, 35 to 44 south. Sunset today 5:37 CDT. Sunrise Thursday 8:06 a. m. CDT. Outlook for Friday: Mostly cloudy with seasonable temperatures. Lows < Thursday night 20 to 30. Highs Friday 30 to 40.

DECATUR DAU A" DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILT NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY ' ■ .

City Police Report Is Listed For Year - 230 Auto Accidents Reported For Year A total of 230 auto accidents, two fatat and 18 personal injuries, were investigated by the city police in 1958, and their figures show that more accidents occurred when the drivers were 16-20 years of a£e, on Saturdays, and between 2 and 4 p.m. than at any other time or in any other age group. About half the drivers involved were from Decatur. A total of 287 accidents happened in Decatur in 1958, police chief James M. Borders reported Monday night to the Lecatut city council. Nine of these were pedestrian accidents, one pedestrian was killed, and five injured. There were 230 auto and truck accidents, with one fatal and 18 injuries. There were six train accidents, eight bicycle accidents, with three injuries: 29 fixed object accidents, with two injuries (car hitting a tree, for example) ; five vehicles ran off the street, with two injuries. There were a total of two deaths and 38 personal injuries investigated. Fred Engle was the pedestrian killed, and James L. Kocher, Sr., was the vehicle fatality. ; Listed By Days’ Broken down according to the days of the week, 21 accidents took place on Sunday; Monday, 39; Tuesday, 40; Wednesday, 47; Thursday, 39; Friday, 45; and Saturday, 51; four were not given. Os the drivers involved in accidents, 261 were from Decatur, 209 were from outside the city. There were 105 accidents involving 16 i 20 year olds; 65 involvings 21-24 year olds; -84 involving 25 to 34 years olds; 73 involving 35 to 44 year olds; 51 involving 45 to 54 years olds; and 76 were 55 and over. In 25 cases the age was not given. According to the time of happening, one occurred between midnight and 1 a.m.; three between 1 and 2; three between 2 and 3; 2 between 3 and 4 a.m.; 4 between 4 and 5 a,m.; 4 between 5 and 6 a.m.; 13 between 6 and 7 am.; 6 between 7 and 8 a.m.j ’A between 8 and 9 a.m.; 22 between 9 and 10 а. 15 between 10 and 11 a.m.; 20 between 11 a.m. and noon; 13 between noon and 1 p.m.; 23 between 1 and 2 p.m ; 27 between 2 and 3 p.m.; 22 between 3 and 4 p.m.; 14 between 4 and 5 p.m.; 12 between 5 and 6 p.m.; 16 between 6 and 7 p.m.; 14 between 7 and 8 p.m.; 9 between 8 and 9 p.m.; 12 between 9 and 10 p.m.; nine-be- ■ tween lOwnd 11 p.m.; and five between 11 and midnight. < ■ Calls Increase s Calls received at the station last year increased to 6,990; in 1957, б, calls were taken by telephone; and in 1956, 5,110 calls were received. A comparison of radio messages dispatched to the cars shows: 1958, 2,302; 1957, 1,624. Continued on >*ge five

Halleck Voted In By GOP As House Leader 20-Year Tenure Os Joe Martin Ended «- By Vote Os 74-70 WASHINGTON (UPI) — Rep. Charles A. Halleck of Indiana took over the leadership of House Republicans today with a mandate to give the Democrats hell. He was ready, willing and able to do just that. " Halleck, by a 74 to 70 vote Tuesday, ousted Rep. Joseph W. Martin Jr. (Mass.) from the leadership post Martin had held for 20 years. Most Democrats and Republicans figured that with Halleck as GOP leader the temper of House debate in the 86th Congress would be far more partisan than it would have been under Martin. Halleck’s Republican supporters were counting on him to move more quickly, frequently and effectively to challenge the Democratic version of what’s going on in Congress. -iThe turnover in leadership apparently foreshadowed more of a change in advertising techniques than in ideological position. Halleck, like Martin, is a conservative by nature who has found they were in agreement on one point: House Republicans after their reverses in last November’s election needed a vigorous new articulate spokesman if they were to put their best foot forward for the 1960 election. “Now we’ll get a Better packaging of the Republican Party’s product," one Halleck supporter predicted. “And the public will get a better appreciation of what’s in the package.” Halleck, an expert tactician, has in past years been one of the chief architects of the bipartisan coalition of conservative southern Democrats and Republicans which blocked a number of proposed new federal spending programs. Some liberal Democrats felt that Halleck’s election as GOP| leader wqjdd strengthen this coali€vn**ued on page five Officers Named By- - Appeals Board Dorwin Reelected Chairman Os Board The annual election of officers for the board of zoning appeals was held Monday evening at the city hall at 7:30 o’clock, John DeVoss, secretary, said today. The re-elected officers include: Deane Dorwin, chairman; Robert Yost, vice chairman; and John DeVoss, secretary. . Chalmer Deßolt, newly appointed member of the board of zoning appeals, attended his first meeting. Deßolt replaced Robert Gay, who resigned to accept the position o! newly-elected Washington township trustee. Other members attending Monday’s meeting included Charles Cloud and Walter Gilliom. The board of appeals was asked by Ralph E. Roop, city engineer, to determine the boundary line between zoning districts R-2, and C-l. The lot in question, Lot No. 331, is located at Five points between the Aeschliman apartments and the home located south of the Sinclair service station on the southwest corner of Adams and Winchester streets. The board members decided that the boundary line runs 83 feet from Adams street south on Winchester street and includes the home, just south of the service station building. This means that both the home and the service station are located in C-l. Roop stated that the board of zoning appeals shall determine zoning boundary lines of zoning districts where they do not follow a street; alley or lot line. It was also reported that the Pure Oil company has presented the city engineer with a “drawing for a proposed service station planned for the site in question. As of yet, no application has been filed with the city engineer’s offlcfe for a building permit. Sales Os Christmas Seals Are $5,015.12 Mrs. W. Guy Brown, executive secretary of the Adams county tuberculosis association, reported today that receipts from the Christmas seal sales to date total $5,015 12. This is $289.83 short of the $5, 304.95 received last year. Persons who have not yet made payment for the seals mailed to them are asked to pay at once in order-ihat yast year’s total may be equaled or exceeded.

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, January 7, 1959. — L r ■■ ■" ——;

86th Congress Opens At Noon; Many Os Top Issues Facing Solons

Heavy Toll Os Lives Taken By Fire Outbreaks Cold Wave Blamed For Rash Os Fires Throughout Nation United Press International Bitter cold which froze the nation at the’close of the New Year weekend was blamed for an outbreak of fires which took a heavy toll in lives and property damage. A United Press International count showed at least 44 persons died in fires since Monday. A father and five children died in a pre-dawn fire Wednesday at Brandon, Minn. Only the mother escaped ths ilaze which destroyed the hou; The jrtad were identified as Mari Kelly, 45, and his children, Jim, 16, Pat, 14, Denny, 11, Mary Lee, 9, and Peggy, 3. Mrs. Kelly was taken to a hospital suffering from burns and shock. Hie fire was believed caused by a defective floor lamp. Fourteen persons, including sev- ■ en airmen in a single blaze, died lin New York State; six were I killed in Mississippi; five in Virginia; four in West Virginia; two in California; and one each in Washington, Missouri, Tennessee, Illinois, Florida, Alabama and Connecticut. Property damage appeared to climb well into millions of dollars. v A costly blaze gutted a city block in downtown Niagara Falls, N.Y., injuring nine firemen Tuesday. A midnight explosion in a West Frankfort, 111., garment factory destroyed $300,000 worth of merchandise and the plant building owned by Rep. Kenneth J. Gray (D-Ill.). Airmen Killed Five students were injured and SIO,OOO worth of damage caused Tuesday in a fraternity house fire at Williams College. A rash of home fires added thousands of dollars more damage to the total. At least 15 other airnfen were injured in a Syracuse University barracks fire Tuesday that killed seven. The men, stationed at Syracuse for language' study, (Continued on page six) Bloodmobile Unit In Decatur Jan. 14 57 Blood Donors Are Signed Tuesday Mrs. Wanda Oelberg, executive secretary for the Adams county chapter of the American Red. Cross, said today that 57 blood donors have agreed to give blood at the bloodmobile visit scheduled for January 14 at the Decatur Youth and Community Center. It was reported that 32 donors were contacted during the first day of calling by Red Cross volunteers. A special plea to persons between the ages of, 18 and 21 years, made today by Mrs. Oelberg. Persons in this age group are asked to obtain a release from their parents, (unless married), .and to contact the local chapter office if interested in donating a pint of blood. Volunteer workers contacting blood donors today include Mrs. Ralph Merriman, Mrs. Lee, Fleming, x and Mrs. Louis Zwick Thursday’s workers include Mrs. Arnold Ostermeyer, Mrs. Lawrence Rash, and Mrs. Dorus Stalter. Volunteers for Friday are Mrs. Earl Fuhrman and Mrs. Max Kreps. Mrs. H. P. Engle will call from her home in contacting donors who may be contacetd in the evenings only. More information concerning the bloodmobile visit maV be obtained by contacting the Adams county chapter, of the Red Cross.

City Councilmen In Session Tuesday Light Contract With Monroe Ends June 30 r Two electric line extension contracts, three department reports, the termination of the Monroe power agreement, and the report bn the amount of money in each fund completed the, business of the Decatur city council Tuesday night. Reports were given by the zoning committee, the fire department and the police department, given in detail elsewhere. The city signed a contract with Mr. and Mrs. Alpha Barkley of Root township for $228.12 for labor and materials used in an electric line extension to be built to their home. A contract was also approved with Allen L. Fleming, of Root township, for $167.24 to pay for labor and materials in completing an electric line extension to his property. The five-year agreement, signed in 1953 with the Monroe town board, for the city of Decatur to ’ provide electricity for that town, 1 will be terminated on June 30 of this year, according to the agreement signed with Indiana-Michi-gan, new electricity suppliers to that town, and the city, on December 19. It was made a matter of record by the council Tuesday. Six months notice was required by either party to terminate the contract, which ran on a yearly basis after the first five years. ' No new business was taken up by the council. The following .balances were given as of Jan. 3 in the city funds: general, $191,001.08; Barrett law, $2,251.90: electric light depreciation fund, $239,665.35; electric utility bond fund, $29,294.05; light department meter fund, $18,095.15; parking meter| fund, $5,462.27; water department, $17,121.68; police pension, $lO,069.60; fire mem pension, $13,035.25; sewage constrtiction, $170,823.35; sewage works, $7,583.35; sewage works depreciation, 52..000; sewage sinking fund, $28,541.43. Name More Workers To March Os Dimes Kocher Memorial To Aid March Os Dimes Friends and Relatives of the late James Kocher, Sr., contributed $163.25 to the March of Dimes in his memory, it was revealved today by Mrs. Kocher. Their granddaughter, Margaret Kocher, was a victim of polio eight and the family had requested that i memorials for the late Mr. Kocher be in the form of gifts to the National Foundation. Hie 1959 Adams county camgain is underway with Mrs. Leo Curtin as county drive chairman and George Auer as city chairman. Mrs. Curtin today announced additional workers in the county campaign. In Monroe, Mrs. Harry Crownover will be in charge of the Mothers’ March Against Polio and will also supervise the coin collection in the Adaihs Central schools. Wilma Everett 'will be in charge of coin collections in the Blue Creek township schools. George Hensley, principal of Hartford Center, will oversee the coin collection in his school. In the Jefferson township school, principal Edward Heimann, will be in charge, of the collection. Mrs. Robert Meyer will supervise the collection in the parochial schools in Preble township.- In Root township, Mrs. Robert Holthouse’, assisted by the M6nmouth P.T.A., will conduct thg Mothers’ March and the coin collection. Mrs. Gordon Suman will be in charge of the Pleasant Mills schools. In Union township Mrs. Herman Bleeke will have charge of the parochial school. Mrs. Dale Biery of Geneva will take .care of the schools in Wabash township. Claren Neuenescl)w»nder, prin- ’ Continued on pa«e fly*

Soviet Leader Arrives Today In Cleveland Deputy Premier Os Russia Guest Today Os Industrialist - CLEVELAND (UPI) — Soviet Deputy Premier Anastas I. Mikoyan arrived here today to spend the- day as a guest of financierindustrialist Cyrus Eaton. The Soviet official and his party were welcomed with a warm handshake by Eaton, but banners on a group of 100 cars, some with out-of-state license plates, which assembled at Hopkins Aitrport some two hours before Mikoyan’s arrival from Washington, were not so cordial. “Mikoyan—go home and take Eaton with you!” was one of the sentiments expressed on placards carried by six organizations in the protest demonstration. Conspicuous in the crowd were life-size pictures of Mikoyan and Eaton, bearing the captibn: “Poison!” one tanner read: “Mikoyan—mass killer! ” More than 100 policemen were on hand to guard Mikoyan and the seven other Russians, including Mikhail Menshikov, Russian ambassador to Washington, and . Mikoyan's son, Sergo, but there , was no indication of violence. Eaton, in welcoming Mikoyan and his party to Cleveland, applauded the increasing “exchange of-visits between* the United States and the U.5.5.R.,” which he termed the “two most powerful nations in the history of the world.” Eaton, a vigorous advocate of better Soviet-American relations, said he hoped the visit would give the deputy premier an impression of a community hard at work, prosperous and without envy of I the successes of the Soviet Union. As Mikoyan flew into Cleveland, he left a two-day trail of cold war peace feelers through official and unofficiai Washington, but American officials said it is too early to tell whether the Russian’s frequently expressed desire to negotiate on Berlin and other East-West tensions would lead.to some compromise on these problems. _ , The real test of the usefulness of Mikoyan’s U.S. visit, officials * Continued on pa.ge five Print Ballots For Plant Referendum . Vote February 24 On City Plant Sale Printing of nearly 4,800 ballots for Ute city power plant election took place today atthe Decatur Daily Democrat- Mayor Robert D. Cole and city clerk-treasurer Mrs. Miriam Hall, in compliance with the statute, ordered the printing. The ballot, printed on white paper six inches by seven inches, will read as follows: "Shall the City of Decatur, Adams County, Indiana, sell and dispose of its municipal electric utility system to Indiana & Michigan Electric company as provided in Resolution No. 100 duly passed and adopted by the Common Council of said city on September 16, 1958?” Two squares, about inch on each side, are below this. One is marked “Yes” and the other, “No”. Those who favor the sale will vote yes, and those who oppose it will vote no. _ The election is scheduled to take place February 24. The number of ballots is based upon the last .presidential election, and is 25% more. Precinct by breakdown is as follows: lA, 457; 314; IC, 435; ID, 487; 2A.-528; 28, 384 ; 2C, 315; 3A, 580 ; 38, 518; 3C, 359; Decatur-Rdot, 378. Total ballots number 4,755. i. I The ballots will be bundled for each precinct, sealed, and delivered to the county election board for the election, Mayor Cole said.

Recommends Single Stale Highway Head Single Executive Officers Favored INDIANAPOLIS (UPI) — The Legislative Highway. Sub/ft frrfe/i&sltf / that the present three-member Indiana State Highway Commission be replaced by a single executive officer, effective after Governor Handley leaves office. Sen. Ruel Steele (R-Bdford), chairman of the four-member subcommittee. told the legislative Advisory Commission the proposal was “not intended to embarrass or rip any one.” j But he said past experience has shown that the • present threemember setup often doesn’t function efficiently. “The present three-merhber commission has done a good job,” Steele said. “But we all know of instances in the past where they didn’t even speak to each other. “Under the present system, the members are in a position to ’ scratch each other’s back. Two can get together and make the , third a water boy.” Effective In 1961 : Steele said the one-man hiigh- ■ way department would be effective Jan. 1. 1961, if the proposed , bill passes the General Assembly, i The executive officer would be ap- . pointed by -the governor and would j be guided by recommendations j from an 11-member highway ad- , visory commission.. The 11 members of the advisory , commission would be named by the governor, “not more than six , of whom shall be from one po- , litical party and each of whom » shall be selected from different 1 congressional districts within the > State of Indiana.” Steele denied reports that the f highway executive officer would be a “czar.” I “Nothing could be further front ! the truth,” he said, Steele and his committee, made f up of Sen. Von A. Eichhorn (D-j Uniondale) and Reps. J: Howard ' Hetzler (R-Wabash) and Robert E. Gramelspachar iD-Jasper), ’ also made several other recommendations intended to eliminate Continued on page five Mrs. Ora M. Holler Is Taken By Death Former Willshire Resident Is Dead Mrs. Ora M. Hoffer. 87, well known resident oi Willshire, 0., for more than 50 years, died about noon Tuesday at Van Wert, 0., where she had resided for the past year. She hasrbeen in failing health for several years and Critically ill _ .since suffering a broken hip in a fall three weeks ago. \ She was borh in Romney, W. Va. 1 June 24, 1871, a daughter of Robert E. and Sarah M. Allen-Morehead, and was married to William GHoffer Dec. 19, 1893. \ 1 Mrs. Hoffer was a piano teacher for many years. Her husband, the late William G Hoffer, was editor and publisher of the Willshire Herald for many yedrs and also served for 22 years as Willshire postmaster. ' I ’ Mrs. Hoffer was a member of the' Willshire Methodist church, where she served as pianist for ' many years, was a charter mem--1 ber of the Willshire Pythian Sisters, and a member of the Eastern 1 Star at Willshire. Surviving are a daughter, Miss Gretchen Hoffer, associated with the Starr commonwealth for boys at Van WertLa brother, R. M. Morehead of 1 Fresno, Calif., and a sister, Mrs. Blanche Hall of Lyons, Kan. One son preceded her in death. \ Funeral services will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday at the Cowan &. Son funeral home in Van Wert, the Rev. Paul D. Childs and the Rev. William Powers officiating. Burial will be in the Willshire cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 o'clock this evening. The family requests omission of flowers, but Memorials may be made to the Start commonwealth-

Six Cento *

Economic And Space Challenge Face Congress Largest Congress In History With Alaska Additions WASHINGTON (UPJ)—The new and bigger 86th Congress convened today with a Democratic leadership pledge of “responsible service” and a Republican minority operating under a changed command in both the House and Senate. An economy challenge from President Eisenhower and a space challenge from the Russians were expected to dominate the first session of the most overwhelmingly Democratic Congress since New Deal days. But sparks were expected to fly on such .issues as efforts to curb Senate filibusters, civil rights and labor legislation. The Congress with which Eisenhower must deal in his last two years in the White House rs the largest in history becausebf the addition of two senators and a House member from the new state of Alaska. As the gavels fell in both chambers for the opening, 64 Democrats and 34 Republicans were on hand in the Senate; 283 Democrats and 153 Republicans in the House. Revamp GOP Leadership Shortly before the Senate met. Senate Republicans elected Sen. Everett M. Dirksen of Illinois as their leader and Sen. Thomas H. Kuchel of California as whip. This completed a GOP congressional leadership revamping that began Tuesday when Rep. Charles A. Halleck of Indiana ousted Rep. Joseph W. Martin of Massachusetts from the House leadership he had held for 20 years. Democrats operated under their long - established leadership — Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas in the House and Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas in the Senate. The Republican leadership controversy apparently resulted in a compromise settlement. Dirksen, an “old guard” nominee, defeated Sen. John S. Cooper (R-Ky.), the nominee of a liberal bloc. Kuchel, however, came from the liberal group. He defeated Sen. Karl E. Mundt (R-S.D.) by i®"c.omblhued on page five 56 Fire Calls In Decafur Last Year \ Estimate Damages $50,000 For Year The’ Decatur lire department handled 56 Decatur fires in 1958, with total damage estimated at about $50,000, , fire thief Cedric Fisher told the city council Tuesday night. ‘ \ ■r was anjf dm it with 40,000, were reated taused tes. pecial e city wreck, sh an es, oh overcome by tractor fumes. Decatar also made 16 rural fire runs in 1958, With no estimate of the damage. Os the 16. only six paid the department the present low charge for the run. B U L L ET I M The black animal reported near Willshire earlier this week was reported today at Pleasant Mills. The city police received a call at 12:35 p.m. today from a Mrs. Currie sayin that a “black panther” was seen there. Jack Hurst, district conservation officer, is investigating the report.