Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 35, Decatur, Adams County, 11 February 1959 — Page 1

Vol. LVII. No. 35.

St. Mary’s Is Receding Here

The St. Mary's river at Decatur had receded about four inches by noon today from the high water mark of 22.59 feet reached Tuesday evening, but high water on high schools, and made regular rural mail delivery impossible on all six of the Decatur routes. At noon today the watre level was 22 32 feet, 932 feet above flood level. Water was in home in the Bellmont addition east of Decatur for the first time since Feb. 14, 1950, and seven families there were evacuated, several by boat. Many Evacuate - • At Park View, the water reached one or two homes, and cut off all of the homes, most of which were evacuated. Those living in this addition include the following families: Raymond L. Lehman, Richard Garner, Earl W. DeWeese, Richard D. Roberts, M. C. Staling, Richard Green. Ray L. Shepherd. Dwight E. Egly. Sephus Jackson, Robert C. Darling and Arthur Krauss. At Bellmont, Mr. and Mrs. Warren (Barney) Lehman reported six inches of water in their living room at 2 p. m. Tuesday when they left after placing all of their furniture on blocks, purchased last summer to raise the house, but never installed. Also believed to have left Bellmont were Dorwin Drake, Robert — Feasel, Rex Sheets. James Bolt. Mrs. Addie Pitzer was evacuated by boat Tuesday night by sheriff Merle Affolder, who used the Red Cross boat. While the water was down •tout • foot Decatur Youth Center, at the Pleasant Milta bridge at 10.90 a. m. it was down only about four inches. Most of the smaller creeks were down a foot or two. but snow on top of ice which formed early this morning made it difficult to tell the exact depth ot the creeks. ■■ The covered bridge was not in — danger, because most of the water was flowing north of the bridge area. The river was about onequarter mile wide. Schools Closed Adams Central, Monmouth, and Pleasant Mills were unable to

■■ ■ — Giant Storm ■ 1 • Pushing East

United Press International The second giant storm of winter, which triggered a deadly combination of tornadoes, blizzards and floods, pushed into the East today with a blanket of ice and snow. A sheet of ice spread from the southern Great Lakes into New England, turning highways into treacherous skidways. In St Louis work crews probed the rubble and debris of a tenement area where a pre-dawn tornado early Tuesday killed at least 22 persons and injured more than 350. In addition, there were three weather-connected deaths in both Illinois and Wisconsin, two each Michigan, and one apiece in both lowa and Pennsylvana for a total of 38. Flash floods swirled out of streams to inundate parts of Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania — the same areas which weathered some of the worst floods in their histories less than a month ago. Gusty winds drifted heavy snow

Lenten Meditation . * (By Rev. Stuart Brightwell, First Baptist Church) Philippians 3:12-16 “Make Up Your Mind” An auto repair shop has built a two-way car from two old cars of the same make and model. This car has two fronts, two motors, ' and two steering wheels. It can be driven both ways. When it is standing still, no one can tell which direction it is headed. So it is with us. We want to go two ways at once. We like to look bacK yet we know we ought to move forward. We see the need of/serving, yet we are painfully selfish. We love God and want to follow Christ, although at times we are tempted to follow our selfish desires. e We must'make up our minds which way we are headed! The Bible tells us that Jesus was steadfast in his determination to go up to Jerusalem. Hie apostle Paul knew which way he wanted to go because he took his directions from Christ alone. In Him we find that singleness of direction that gives us peace and power in living. “But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the-mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14) J 7 ■ 7

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

, have school today because ' the buses could not make it through. ’ the county roads to pick up the children. At Adams Central the boiler which was out of commis- ! sion Tuesday was restored. The . boiler in the gym was also out of commission, before the flood started, and it was being repair- : *d. <■. ; Immanuel Lutheran school in Union township was closed today, and no buses ran from Union township to Decatur. Also, a number of school children from ; Stratton Place did not . attend school today, as the water was still quite deep Decatur high school reported attendance was about 10% off this morning. Bobo ; school in St. Mary's township, and the Kimsey and Lincoln schools ' in Blue Creek township were closed. Geneva, Hartford, Jefferson, and Berne were open. Mail Deliveries All six of the Decatur rural mail carriers reported considerable trouble making deliveries on Tuesday. On route one, the driver was stopped at the first bridge northwest of Decatur on the river road, and had to deliver on the east side of the river first. On the roads which headed towards the river he delivered as far as was accessable. At St. ' John's he was able to cross the river, and then delivered some mail on the west side, but every creek and ditch was over the ■ bank.'~”~— — Route two’s driver reported that he had to drive 100 extra miles to deliver mail in the flat, level area of Kirkland township. : Water was reported down there today, and mail was expected to go through on schedule in that area. The first rural carrier to return Tuesday was on route five, who" was about an hour and a ( half later than usual. \ Rescues Made Sheriff Merle Affolder stated that two boat rescues were made last night. In one, Mrs. Addie Pitzer was taken from her home in Belmont Park when the water came to her doorway. The second occurred when a large truck tried to drive through

from the upper Mississippi Valley into New England, with up to six inches of snow blanketing portions . of Wisconsin and Michigan, and , three to four inches common elsewhere. The snow pushed into western New York—the scene of earlier heavy snows this season. The nation’s mid-continent, reel- ( ing under a three-day onslaught of ice, snow, rain and high winds, was besieged by a fresh invasion of arctic air that worsened highway conditions. Many roads were closed or impassable because of high waters, and the freeze after a thaw increased the hazards of the slippery roads. Ohio once again bore the brunt of floods unleashed by torrential rains. About 600 persons were evacuated and emergencies declared in Findlay, Van Wert and Elida near Lima. Van Wert was the hardest-hit by floods. An estimated 75 to 100 families were evacuated from their homes when Town Creek overflowed its banks.

the water across highway 224 at Bellmont Tuesday evening. Hie truck stalled in deep water. Sheriff Affolder took his boat and rescued the driver, then returned and attached a tow rope, and the truck was pulled to safety. A number of trucks were pulled out during the evening. This morning rescue centered on the St. Mary's river north of Decatur. Sheriff Affolder, in a Red Cross boat, took a sump pump to the Gallmeyer home about onehalf mile south of Rudy Meyer’s corner towards the river. On the same blacktop road a car was found floating, and it was pulled to safety by a wrecker. Water was even with the steering wheel in the car. ' ' CtaUr Closed The Decatur Youth Center closed at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday because of the high water. The water was not threatening the center, but Dick Linn, manager of the center, felt that the young people should not be Attracted to that area, since there was some question as to how safe the bridge over the St. Mary’s river was. Highway 27 was dry this morning from Decatur to Berne, as the small creeks and ditches returned to their banks. Blue Creek apparently crested before noon Tuesday, and was only a foot deep over the highway by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Wabash was out of its banks in Adams county, but flooding there was not nearly as severe as in the past. The southern three townships of Adams county, Jefferson, Wabash, and Hartford, reported much less rain than Decatur. Higher in 1913 The water at Decatur was reported lower than in 1913, and also at Pleasant Mills, wijere the bridge is marked with the high water level of that year. However, the bridge was raised slightly, and also the road there, when the new floor was installed. The Red Cross office reported that most of the people evacuated themselves, and that many persons who worked in Decatur, but lived east of town, spent the night with relatives or friends in Decatur. Actually, many who desired to get home headed north on highway 27 to Rice’s corner, and then took county roads north of Monmouth, cutting back to highway 224. From Bluffton to Decatur, highway 124 was out, and persons traveling that way were still coming by 224 this morning. _______ Local Man's Mother Dies At Fort Wayne Funeral services for Mrs. Ellen A. Litchfield, 84, mother of George Litchfield of Decatur, will be Thursday at 8:30 a.m. in the Tom Mungovan funeral home, and at 9 a.m. in St. Peter's Catholic Church, in Fort Wayne, the Very Rev. Msgr. John Bapst saying the requiem mass. Mrs. Litchfield died at the Lawton nursing home Monday at 9:15 a.m. A native of Eel River township, she spent most of her life in Fort Wayne. She was a member of St. Peter’s Catholic church, and its Christian Mothers Sodality. Survivors include three other sons, Everett of Fort Wayne, Robert of Detroit, and Walter of San Diego; two daughters, Mrs. Mildred Dunne and Mrs. Alber a Reed, both of Fort Wayne; three brothers, Julie Pequignot of Dupont road, Albert and Robert Pequignot of Fort Wayne; three sisters, Miss Louise Pequignot and Mrs. T. C. Bohn, and Mrs. Edna Fleckenstein, all of Fort Wayne; 32 grandchildren and 48 greatgrandchildren. The Christian. Mothers will meet after the holy hour today at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Catholic cemetery in Fort Wayne. INDIANA WEATHER Fair tonight. Thursday mostly sunny and warmer. Low tonight 12 to 20 north, 20 to2B south. High Thursday 32 to 38 north, 38 to 48 south. Sunset today 8:17 p.rn. e.d.t. Sunrise Thursday 7:41 a.m. c.d.t. Outlook for Friday: Mostly cloudy and warmer with showers likely by afternoon or night. Low Thursday night 25 to 35. High Friday 45 to 55.

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, February 11,1959

E. W. Busche Si Dies Tuesday | At Hospital Ernest W. Busche, 85, oneji Adams county's best known cfß zens, highly prominent in farming, banking, church and chflfe affairs of the community, died at 2.10 o’clock Tuesday afternoon s the Adams county memorial ho# pi tai. Mr Busche had been in good health until the past few weeks, but had been seriously iS for the last 10 days, when he admitted to the hospital. '* He resided on a large farm one-half mile east of Monroe, where he had made his home since 1902* , - Mr. Busche had been a director of the First State Bank sine* April 2, 1935, when he succeeded Dr. J. W. Vizard. He was elected chairman of the board Jan. 15, 1946. when he succeeded Dan Sprang. Native Os Germany ■ A native of Germany, he was born in the village of Helpsen, near Hanover, Germany, May 18, 1873, a son of Henry and Sophie Busche. He came to the United States in 1888, living on a farm near Tipton until 1902, when he moved to Adams county. His wife, Nettie, to whom he was married March 28, 1895, preceded him in death in October of 1950. Mr. Busche. vitally interested in church affairs, had served for years as chataman of the board of trustees or the Monroe Methodist church. One of the county’s most successful farmers, he was president of the Central Sugar Beet Growers Association for several years while the Central Sugar Co. operated in.this city. He was statewide recognition a number of years ago when he was named a master farmer. Mr. Busche was a member of the Masonic lodge, Scottish Rite and the Modern Woodmen, and for more than 20 years was a member of the Decatur Rotary club, which he served as presi-

Wabash Crests At Top Level In 46 Years

United Press International The Wabash River crested today at the highest level in 46 years at Wabash as Indiana’s second major flood of ,1959 forced more than 400 families from their homes in at least 10 counties. The Red Cross reported about 400 families evacuated in the Marion, Peru, Logansport, Delphi, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Decatur and Huntington areas. Other evacuations were reported in the Kokomo area and a scattered few from other areas in north central Indiana. The general situation appeared to be easing. But the threat of additional rain hovered over the stricken areas. Forecasts originally called for showers Friday and through the weekend into Monday, but noon predictions indicated rain would start falling Thursday afternoon or night. The muddy stream, irritated by ice gorges and four-inch rains, touched 24.75 feet at Wabash at 5 a.m., and the Weather Bureau said that was the highest” stage since the disastrous 1913 flood. Meanwhile, the river fell six inches at Huntington near the headquarters, and the situation appeared to be easing for much of a seven-county area hit by flash floods Tuesday in a North Central section stretching from Lafayette to Bluffton. Time to Prepare Downstream, other areas had plenty of time to prepare for the rushing water. Barring further heavy rain, however, the Wabash was due to flatten out without posing major problems to Southwestern Indiana, although West Terre Haute, hard hit by a 1957 flood, prganized volunteer crews to throw up sandbag levees in the event the big stream boils over its banks there. At Wabash, between 80 and 100 families were temporarily homeless. About 35 persons were housed overnight in , emergency shelters set up by the Red Cross. When water seeped into the basement of the city’s National Guard Armory, the Red Cross moved to the Eagles Lodge in what amounted to an evacuation of evacuees. As the Wabash reached its peak at Wabash and remained virtually stationary pending an expected

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

I Dies Tuesday I ME | y ' jl j Ernest W. Busche dent in 1939. Surviving are one daughter, Miss Louise Busche, a teacher in the Elkhart schools; one son, Martin Busche of Lafayette: three grandchildren; five greatgrandchildren; and three brothers, Frwkjßusche of Decatur, and jtori and Wilhelm Busche. both One brother and three sisters preceded him in death. • Fuheral services will be conducted at 1:30 o'alock Friday afternoon at the residence, one-half mile east of Monroe, and at 2 “o'clock at the Monroe Methodist church. The Rev. Willis Gierhart will officiate. Masonic services will' be held at 8 o’clock this evening at the home, where the body win be returned from the Zwick funeral home. Friends may caU after 7:30 p. m. until time of the services. Friends who so desire may make memorials to the building fund of the church. Pallbearers will be William Isch, Harold Fricke, Robert Isch, Earl Johnson, Clifford Brown and Karl Ray. Serving as honorary pallbearers win be Harold W. McMillen. T. F. Graliker, Elmer Baumgartner, W. Guy Brown, J. Ward Calland, Earl Fuhrman, ;Avon Burk, Cal E. Peterson, George Thomas and Harry Essex.

drop of about 18 inches by tonight, the crests moved downstream to harass such cities as Peru and Logansport and smaller communities in between. Bridge Links City At Logansport, only the 18th St. bridge linked the main part of the city with the south side. Two bridges were closed. The Wabash raised an inch an hour. Part of the business district was under wftter. Logansport’s crisis was brought about by a double attack from Goose Creek and the Wabash. Goose Creek flooded the south side. Five Logansport families were evacuated Tuesday night and their furniture moved to higher ground. Many homes were without heat and basements were flooded. _ Cass County’s Georgetown, a tiny community on the banks of the Wabash, was cut off completely. About 60 persons were evacuated, many head of livestock were drowned, and six sentries were posted to prevent looting. West Terre Haute's town board prepared at an emergency meeting to' meet the prospect of a sharp rise In the river by Saturday, when a crest of 23 to 24 feet was due at Terre Haute. Levee Still Unrepaired A lowland area in the Vigo County section already was under water and residents noted that a 300-yard break in earthen levees left from the 1957 flood never was repaired. \ While the flood took its toll, temperatures plunged from balmy heights early Tuesday to subfreezing levels this morning. In contrast to a high of 68, at Evansville and 84 at Indianapolis Tuesday, overnight lows ragging from 16 at Lafayette to 23 at Evansville were recorded. Except for occasional snow flurries in the far north, no additional precipitation was expected before Friday, when “showers and warmer’’ was forecast. The five-day outlook indicated temperatures will average near normal, with a warming trend Thursday and Friday vanishing in a colder trend during the weekend.

Tornado Toll Placed At 22

ST. LOUIS (UPD—An army of workers today struggled to clear away mounds of debris that once were homes and searched for possible additional victims of a tornado that killed at least 22 persons and injured more than 350. A check of police districts in the tornado disaster area near the center of the city showed one person still missing. An officer said, ‘We are not sure if he is missing due to the tornado, or if he is just dislocated.” Rescuers believed they had recovered the last of the dead and concentrated on cleaning up the wreckage from a teeming Negro tenement district hit hardest by Tuesday’s twister. The workers toiled* through the cold, windy night under the glare of portable flood lights. City officials declined to give an authoritative estimate of the damage, but unofficial estimates ran above the 10-million-doUar figure. President Eisenhower Tuesday night declared the nation’s eighth largest city a major disaster area and authorized the use of federal aid for relief efforts. The bodies of the last two missing persons, a mother and her young son, were pulled from the wreckage of a rooming house Tuesday night and taken to the city morgue. Husband Escapes The victims were identified as Mrs. Lee Buggs and her son, Lee Jr., 1. The woman’s husband, Lee Buggs Sr.: who had: miraculously escaped when the building collapsed, had reported his wife and son missing. Twenty of the dead were Negroes and eight of them children Other victims included Mrs. Mildred Campbell, 29, and her five children, aged. 1 to 8, who were crushed in a mass of brick and wood when their three-story rooming house collapsed. Seventeen other tenants were trapped and injured. The Red Cross estimated about 5.000 persons were homeless, but said most of them were taken in by relatives, neighbors and friends. The Red Cross set up four centers capable of caring for 50 of the needy and homeless Donations poured in to the Red Cross tornado relief fund, among them checks for $5,000 each from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Globe Democrat and Anheuser-Busch, Inc. An unidentified woman walked into a shelter and handed a Red Cross worker a roll of $5. in dimes. Most of the 353 tornado injured were treated and released, but 52 remained hospitalized, some of them in serious condition. Twister “Sprung Up” The tornado struck a 210-square block area before dawn Tuesday, catching the city without warning. Meteorologist C. M. Caswell said —. ' January Deficit Shown By Hospital The Adams county memorial ..hospital started the year with a January deficit of $6,380.85, Thurman I. Drew, hospital manager, said today. Bills and the payroll for six weeks total $32,315.27. while deposits amounted to $25,934.42. The operating cash balance was reduced from $12,263.37 to $5,882.52. The books at the hospital are closed for the year during the middle of December to allow the bookkeeper to have all the records prepared by Jan. 1. This throws two weeks’ bills into January each year. A total of 172 patients were admitted, and 37 babies born during the month. There were 43 patients and 12 babies in the hospital on Jan. 1, and 10 patients died during the month. A total of 165 patients and 47 babies were dismissed, leaving 40 patients and two babies in the hospital on Feb. V" There were 224 persons treated as outpatients at the x-ray, emergency, and laboratory rooms. A total of 18 boys and 19 girls were born during the month, including one set of triplets. Record Number Os Books Issued Here Hie largest number of books ever issued in one day were handled Monday by the Decatur public library, Miss Bertha Heller, librarian, said this morning. On the first day of the new addition opening, 775 books were issued, 539 of which were from the children's department.

IHK ets w y "■ 1 - j ?■’ ■ w / w • a| h V'- - ; * '** ? DESTRUCTION IN ITS PATH—A demolished car (foreground) is all but buried beneath the debris of a fallen'building in the heart of St. Louis after a tornado struck without warning killing 20 and injuring hundreds. The American Red Cross reported 21 multiple dwellings were destroyed and 1,245 suffered major and minor ‘ damage in the wake of the worst tornado in St. Loins since 1927.

the Weather Bureau Issued no warning because the twister “just sprung up.” He said “it happened so suddenly and so close to St. Louis there wasn’t enough time to give a warning.” However, even if a warning had been issued, it is doubtful that many persons would have been alerted. The giant funnel swooped into the city at 2:15 a.m., when most of the city was asleep. St. Louis Civil Defense Director Francis P. Hardaway criticized

License For Berne Tavern Is Rejected

The Adams county alcoholic beverage board rejected the application for a beer and wine license in Berne by Mr. aid Mrs. Melvin Walchle, of route two, Geneva, Tuesday afternoon at the liquor hearings held at the Adams county court house. After deliberating for approximately 45 minutes to rjach a decision, the board announced that the application of the Walchles was rejected. No reason was given for the action, but the comment that too much pressure was overheard. Approximately 550 persons from Berne attended the hearings to protest to the board the granting of the license. Usually the hearings are held in the small room adjoining the auditor’s office, but with the approval of Judge Myles F. Parrish, the crowd was granted the request of the use of the Adams circuit court room. — All of the court room seats were full and several persons were forced to stand at the back of the court room, some were not able to get inside. * Numerous remonstrances were presented by six different persons protesting the granting of the tavern license. The Rev. Robert Magary, of Berne, presented several of the remonstrances which contained 1,354 names protesting the license. One remonstrance was from 67 businessmen from Berne, another contained 1,287 of registered voters. Decatur Banker On State Commission Herman H. Krueckeberg, Decatur banker, has been named a member of the Anthony Wayne Parkway Commission, replacing Judge G. Remy Bierly, who resigned to become a member of the Indiana appellate court. Krueckeberg was named to the bi-partisan board as a Democratic member By Gov. Harold H. Handley. Handley, in asking Krueckeberg to take the position on the council, stated that he is “certainly very sorry to lose Mr. Bierly on the commission, and know that he has been a valuable member.” Krueckeberg reported that he had received his commission, and would attend the next session. Judge Bierly served as chairman of the commission for the past two years. Krueckeberg is also vice-presi-den of the Anthony Wayne council of the Boy Scouts of America, and holds many other positions on state and district boards of directors, in addition to serving as cashier and a director of the First State Bank of Decatur, i 1

Six Cento

the Weather Bureau for failing to report the tornado through regular operating channels until two and one-half hours after it struck. The Weather Bureau said it did not learn of the tornado until 45 minutes after it hit and then concentrated on warning Illinois areas in its path. The twister crushed a total of a multiple dwellings and 20 business places. Another 1,245 multiple dwellings and 423 businesses were damaged, along wnth 13 single residences.

A seperate form containing 205 non-voters was given, and 191 names of high school students were presented on another remon. strance. Other remonstrances were issued to the board containing more names protesting the license. They were presented by Gorman E. Me. Kean, of the Berne P.T.A.; Mrs,' John Eicher, of the Berne Moth, er's club: Mrs. Ira H. Sprunger, of the W.C.T.U.; Rev. Willis Geir< hart, president of the Adams County Ministerial association; Rev. J. J. Klopfenstein, secretary of the Adams county Ministerial association. Some of the remonstrances pre. sented by Rev. Magary were from the Berne Business Women’s club; Berne Mothers Study club; Berne Home Demonstration club; and the Berne-French Jhigh school Bible club. Custer and Smith, attorneys, represented the Walchle’s as counsel. Smith presented three remonstrances oontaining several names in favor of the license, which were to be recognized in benefit of the Walchle’s. After six persons appeared protesting the application, and Smith spoke in behalf of thb applicants, the board retired to an adjoining room for a decision. The decision was given as soon as the board convened. It was announced at the start of the hearings by Paul Gibbens, a representative of the state alcoholic beverage board, that the application of Edna Shannon for a beer and wine permit for Shannon’s restaurant, had been withdrawn. The members’ of the local beverage board are Boyd Rayer, " John Blakey, and Charles Zimmerman.

,0n Commission H. H. Krueekeberg