Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 57, Number 67, Decatur, Adams County, 20 March 1959 — Page 1

Vai. LVII. No. 67.

To Repair Generator At City Plant; May Obtain More Standby Power

The Deeatur city council, in special session late Thursday afternoon, voted to spend $37,000 to have the huge inner coil of the 5,000 kilowatt generator rewound by the General Electric apparatus service shop in Toledo, 0. The expenditure is partly covered by insurance; it is estimated that the repair work will take aboub7l4 weeks. Indiana-Michigan may be able to furnish some standby power during this period. Meanwhile, the city will operate at peak load throughout the day with no standby power as the result of Wednesday’s breakdown, Mayor Cole explained. If the old 2,000 kilowatt steam generator, the diesel, or the Indiana-Michigan power line fail to operate, the emergency clause with General Electric and Central Soya, allowing the city to cut their power, will go into effect. Business and residences would be affected next, and finally the emergency areas, such as the county hospital. Fully Discussed The eity council in its meeting fully discussed '♦tie four alternatives which the General Electric company presented to them for repairing the generator. First, they decided against the patch repairs, at the regular-time rate of $31,500 Or overtime rate cf $35,500. Ibis repair work coiud not be guaranteed for even one day, as the insulating material on the rest of the wrapped coils could have been damaged by the same surge that caused the Wednesday blowthrough. Since the cost differential was so small, and since there was no accompanyingguarantee, the council felt that it could not make such a repair and justify it. The council then considered the rewrapping job, at $37,000 for straight time in 714 weeks, and $41,000 for overtime and Sunday work in five weeks. Transformer Suggested Since it is to the city’s advantage to get the repair done as quickly as possible, the possibility of doing the work on an overtime basis was discussed. However, the possibility of renting & standby transformer to receive more power from Indiana-Michigan was suggested; a telephone call to the Fort Wayne office of the company assured the council that a 3,000 kilowatt portable transformer could be rented immediately if needed. The council then decided on the $37,000 offer in 714 weeks. J. Calvin Hill, of the Fort Wayne office of the Indiana-Michigan Electric company, will meet with the board of public works and safety this afternoon to see what agreement can be reached on additional transformer capacity. Cut In Profit Mayor Cole pointed out that the city will make nC money on the power produced Ly the diesel during the two months it will take to repair the steam generator. On the other hand, it may be possible to use a rented or borrowed transformer, and use more power from Indiana - Michigan, thus making more money, and also allowing some standby security. Mayor Cole praised the quick work of those involved in setting up the repairs. Within a few hours after the blowout R. F. Coles, manager of the Toledo service / shop, and Robert Wolf, a supervisor, were at Decatur and inspecting the damage. W. H. McHale, the engineer-insurance adjustor for the Union Group of Insurance Companies, Indianapolis, which insure

Lenten Meditation (By Rev. E. L Anderson, Union Chapel E. U. B.) “IMAGINATION” • Daniel 10: 1-9 It is good for a person to use his imagination. Imagine yourself in Daniel’s place wheri he had the vision suggested in the above scripture. Would your Reaction be similar to that of Daniel or would you run and hide as did the men who were with him? Notice 'too, that Daniel alone was the one who saw the vision. The others with him realized that something strange was happening but became frightened and ran to hide. Why did this happen? Perhaps it was because it was Daniel alone who had prepared himself. In fact the scripture suggests that ’he had prepared for three weeks. It is thrilling to imagine all of the visions and messages we would receive from God if only we were ready to receive them. - It is through Jesus Christ, the one who suffered, bled, died and arose from the grave, that we can have the right kind of preparation.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER pt ADAMS COUNTY

. the loss from damage, was on’, • hand Wednesday before the coili cooled enough to be examined. » Rest Diesel i Lester Mitchel, plant engineer, explained that after midnight, when the peak load is not. being used, the diegel will be rested. It will be impossible to bank the old 2,000 kilowatt steam generator, , however, because it is not practical. One failure, and the city will be in serious trouble, Mitchel emphasized. The insurance policy calls for a two per cent depreciation each year in the replacement value of the generator; the generator is 19 years old, and the depreciation will amount to 38 per cent. The insurance policy also only covers direct positive damage—it does not cover the possible or probable damage to the rest of wrapping on the inside of the generator. • Therefore, the insurance payment • will be based upon 62 per cent of , the patch repair job, and should be within $2,000 of the estimated i figure. The city can plan on a cost of about $24,600 from the utility I depreciation fund, it was estimat- ]’ ed. ■ The huge inner coil will have to be removed from tie generator be- 1 fore the exact amount of damage can be determined, but at present j seven coils and 14 sots are believed blown. The last actual opening J of the generator was in 1946, but ; an inspection even six'months ago . would not have revealed the leakage. < While, tiie exact cause is not « known, It is believed to have happened because o» Monday’s powersurge which occurred when the 25,000 kilowatt breaker on one line was too light to hold the entire load, and caused all the breakers on the panel to close down; this in turn threw the entire load on the Indiana-Michigan line, closing its breakers. The resulting surge , from the first shutdown may have caused the lining damage.

Allied Leaders Call On Dulles

Youth Injured During Speed Chase Is Dead GARY, Ind. (UPD—Richard Rebollo, 17 .Gary, injured last week when a speeding Car in which he was riding crashed into a pole in Hobart during a police chase, died Wednesday in a hospital here. INDIANA WEATHER Cloudy and becoming windy with showers and scattered thunderstorms south and occasional rain north tonight. Saturday rain changing to snow north and showers changing to snow flurries south. Windy and colder Saturday. Lows tonight 35 to 40 northwest to 40s southeast. Highs Saturday near 40 northwest to near 50 southeast. Sunset today 6:57 p.m. e.d.t. Sunrise Saturday 6:48 a.m. e.d.t. Outlook for Sunday: Mostly fair, colder Saturday ’ ’night and continued cool Sunday. Lows in the 20s. Highs 35 to 45.

Allen County Jury Indicts 16 Persons FORT WAYNE, Ind. (UPD— Mayor Robert Meyers of Fort Wayne today demanded that a grand jury wfiich returned 21 indictments charging pinball gambling be recalled immediately "to complete the job.” Eight men have been arrested and one more is expected. In addition, a Fort Wayne policeman is under suspension on a charge of horse-betting. The mayor handed newsmen a statement today in which he demanded to know why the jury was dismissed and why the prosecuting attorney did hot "insist upon a complete investigation.” "We believe the people of Fort Wayne are entitled to an immediate recall of the grand jury to complete the job,” Meyer said. “Charges should be sustained or not made.” The jury report on the indictments said “there is more involbed in gambling activities in Fort Wayne and Allen County than has been disclosed in the limited time of our activities.” Those under arrest on charges relating to pinball-connected gambling were identified as Forest Hiser, Sr., 66; Forest Hiser, Jr., 39; Floyd Lee, 41; Jack Eiser, 40; William Reed. 50, each named in three indictments; Theodore Hawk. 54, four indictments; Max Seiss, 33, and Harry Biraiie, one each. - Find Body Os Man Dead Eight Weeks CLINTON, Ind. (UPD—Authorities said today that Wandrus McKee, 65, whose body was found in his farm home Thursday, had been dead eigth weeks. Death was due to natural causes, a coroner’s report indicated.

a WASHINGTON (UPI) — President Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan held a hospital-room conference with Sec- - retary of State John Foster Dulles c ! today before departing for their » across-the-table talks at secluded i Camp David. 1 The two free world leaders stopped at Walter Reed Army Hospital to consult with Dulles, who has been under treatment for cancer. Their visit was more than a courtesy call. There was no question but that they discussed with Dulles the main points of the thorny cold war problems to be dealt with during their three-day conference at Camp David. Brit]ish Foreign Minister Seiwyn Lloyd accompanied them to the hospital. During his stay at the hospital, Dulles has been keeping abreast of all developments centering J around the Berlin crisis and the possibility of a Big Four summit conference later this year. Macmillan was reported hopeful of persuading the President to ’negotiate with Russia on a limited J pull-back of troops in Europe as a , means of easing tension. (Paris diplomatic reports said one of the main purposes of Macmillan’s visit was to try to persuade Eisenhower to drop Jiis decision to attend a summit conference only if the foreigp ministers conference is successful. The French diplomatic reports said other Western powers feel this condition is likely to hantper the West in talks with the Russians.) ■ British sources said Macmillan favored talks on some form of troop withdrawal on both sides of the Iron Curtain and a reduction of armaments there as a means of lessening East-West tension. The British prime minister faced the necessity, however, of overcoming American objections to any such plan unless it-is tied to a broader disarmament program enforced by ,an inspection and control system.

Decatur. Indiana. Friday. March 20. 1959.

Ex-Convict Seized, . Hostages iJnharmed

‘ CHARLESTON, W. Va. (UPD . —A plucky, hammer - swinging , mother told Thursday night how she helped in the capture of an j ex-convict who had kidnaped and . held hostage her and her three ; children to barter them for the f life of a prison enemy. Mrs. Elma Baldwin attacked j her kidnaper, Richard A. Payne, . with a hammer during the nearly , 24 hours he kept her in his car . but failed to subdue him. She fit nally grabbed the wheel as Payne turned to fire at pursuing i police, swinging the car off the . road where her captor suirend- , ered meekly. Neither Mrs. Baldwin nor her three children, aged 5 to 10, was harmed. Gives Himself Up As the police surrounded the stalled car, Payne threw down his pistol and gave himself up. He said he didn’t want to hurt the children. Payne was scheduled for a hearing today before Kanawha County Prosecutor Charles Walker. Officials also said Payne would be given a sanity hearing. Mrs. Baldwin, reunited with her relieved husband, John, told newsmen "it was like sitting on a volcano that might erupt at any- time.” _ A;. She and her children, Darthy, 7 Kenneth, 10, and Susan, 5, returned to their home accompanied by a state trooper to ward off curiosity-seekers. The nightmarish incident, which took less than 24 hours, apparently cost Mrs. Baldwin and Her children little more than lost sleep. Tired And Hungry "The children were tired and hungry. So was the mother, but they were all okay,” said state police Cpl. M. S. Hofstetter, who helped run down Payne as he passed the Logan, W. Va. barracks late Thursday afternoon. The capture came at 5:15 p.m. e.s.t., when the ex-convict’s stolen auto passed within 100 yards of the station. Hofstetter and two fellow officers gave chase, sirens wailing. Payne invaded the Baldwin home in South Charleston Wednesday night on the pretext of making a phone call. He tied up John H. Baldwin. 30, and fled in the family car with Mrs. Baldwin and the children as hostages. He left behind a note addiessed to Gov. Cecil H. Underwood demanding the “head of my worst

— -1 Berlin Crisis Pressure Eased

MOSCOW (UPD—Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s news conference statements have somewhat eased the pressure on the Berlin question, diplomatic circles said today. Khrushchev Thursday agreed to a May 11 foreign ministers’ meeting to discuss the problem and denied there was any deadline for changing the status of Berlin. ’Die, diplomatic circles speculated that Khrushchev had a change of heart for these reasons: —A feeling of self-confidence. Khrushchev feels he is in control of the situation. —An easing of the Western position, exemplified by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan's visit to Moscow and President Eisenhower’s television broadcast agreeing to a summit meeting. —Khrushchev’s desire to smooth ■ any obvious rifts between East and West on the question. Second News Conference The news conference, only the second Khrushchev has ever held in Moscow, was vastly different from the first one last Nov. 27. • At that time, the Soviet Premier outlined plans for the unilateral ending of the Potsdam agreement and handing over controls of West , ' r ■

_ enemy” in return for release of v the Baldwins. The enemy was _ identified as his former cell-mate j at Moundsville, W. Va.’ Penitene tiary, Burton (Junior) Post. * Annual Easter Seal ; Drive Is Underway * The annual Easter seal drive is underway for the Adams County Society' for Crippled Children and | Adults, and will continue until Eas- , ter Sunday, according to Gail Grabill, president. The 1959 campaign co-chairmen , are the Rev. William C. Feller, of f Decatur, and Leslie Sprunger, x of Berne. t Grabill stated in his announcement that funds collected during i the campaign are used for needed i help and aid for medical attention ‘ and for special braces and equip- > ment for crippled children and adults. Funds are also used to ‘ sponsor the summer speech clinic 1 held each year at Berne and Deca- ! tur. ’ The amount of funds received in i’Ms year’s campaign will help de- ’ termine if the speech clinics will . be held again this summer as in I the past few years. Grabill stated . i that hopes are high for a good ; campaign so that the speech clint ics can continue. Easter Seals Mailed At the present time, all homes in I Decatur and Adams county are t receiving the Easter. Seals by , mail. During the past few days, , Grabill was assisted by volunteer ; workers in mailing the seals to - county residents. A gift os donation for the seals of $2 will buy one therapy treat- • ment for a crippled child; a $2 ■ gift will give treatment and educa- ’ tion for one day; a sls donation 1 will pay for a pair of special surgical shoes; and a $25 donation 1 will buy special braces for a cere--1 bral palsy child. Officers of the Adams county society other than persons or offices before mentioned include: vice president, Leslie Sprunger, treasurer. Mrs. Franklin Noll, and di* 1 • rectors. Miss Marie Felber, Mrs. ; ■ Richard Mies and the Rev. Wil- ( I liam C. Feller. ' ... « i

Berlin’s routes through East Germany to the East German government at the end of six months. But Thursday, Khrushchev appeared to have softened. He presented no picture of doom. Smiling and waving his arms to emphasize points, he seemed like a gentle father soothing excited children. He said he had arbitrarily selected the six-month limit for solving the Berlin question by ¥ looking at the ceiling,” and implied there would be no showdown at its end, May 27. Ad Libs Comments Flashnig his gold teeth and : quoting Russian proverbs, Khrush- ’ chev answered questions from the 300 correspondents for nearly two : hours. He also added his own ad : lib comments on world personal!- i ties: .—United Arab Republic Presi- ' dent Gamal Abdel Nasser: -."A j young man, rather hotheaded.” —U.S. Adm. Arleigh Burke and : Gen. Maxwell Taylor: "Deprived 1 of reason.” —West German Chancellor Kon- 1 rad Adenauer, who is 83: “Be- : having like a young fighting i cock.’’ " —President Eisenhower's tele- : vision speech: "Contained seeds ; of health and reason..” i

Charges State Budget Is Not Constitutional INDIANAPOLIS (UP I) — State Auditor Albert E. Stein wedel today asked Attorney General Edwin K. Steers for an opinion on a charge made by a Democratic state senator that the state’s bil-lion-dollar biennial budget is unconstitutional. Steinwedel said he felt Sen. Nelson Grills had raised “some very good points” in an eight-page letter to Steinwedel. The letter was written “as a friend and Democrat” but Steinwedel said he understood a restraining court action would be filed against payments by him under the new budget “by July 1.” He said, therefore, he wants the attorney general’s opinion on making payments under the budget bills passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor. Steinwedel referred to this paragraph as containing “one of the main points” of the Grills letter: “We have seen example after example of corruption, waste and extravagance during the last two Republican administrations. These unfortunate actions are not the result of less capable or less morally responsible persons in public office. They are the result of an indifference of the general public to the importance of the protections provided them by their constitution. Further, an increase in waste, extravagance and the accompanying tax burden upon the public is more likely to occur as a result of a calloused indifference to their responsibilities displayed by the members of the General Assembly who relinquished their constitutional duties to the Executive Department of government.”

Reveal Possibility OLJladiation Traps

WASHINGTOM (UPD — Atomic weaponeers pave demonstrated the possibility of laying artificial radiation traps tor anyone who might date to venture unshielded into nearby space. Nature itself has created two zones of radiation—the first start? ing about 400 miles up—which reach peaks of deadly intensity at 2,000 and 10,000 and miles. Now man himself can plug the gaps In these natural zones, leaving only the regions around the poles safe for unshielded space departures and arrivals. This was revealed by Thursday’s disclosure that the military, n Project Argus, secretly exploded three small atomic bombs — each equal to about 1,000 tons of TNT—more than 300 miles above the South Atlantic last August atid September. Impair Radio Communications Another revelation was that man can now mess up his electromagnetic environment to the point where radio communications and radar warning systems may be blacked out or impaired. Such disruptions normally are caused only by discharges of charged particles from the sun. A third disclosure was that unless someone is looking for them, high altitude atomic tests apparently can be staged without detection. The Russians did not tumble to the Argus tests. There was no radioactive fallout, because of the extreme altitude. The Argus tests provided much information about the military effects of nuclear explosions above the atmosphere. The information is secret. It is known, however, that the lethal range of bomb radiations at high altitudes is far greater than on the surface — on the order of hundreds of miles for H-bombs. Some' scientists fear such explosions might upset delicate balances among forces affecting life on earth. Advance Defense Knowledge Deputy Defense Secretary Donald A. Quarles told reporters that the Argus explosions “advanced the basis of knowledge” needed to develop defenses against longrange enemy missiles. He said this was true in the' “broad sense” that all knowledge is militarily useful. By that he may have meant it is now possible to figure which radio frequencies vital to defense are least likely to be disupted by high altitude nuclear explosions. He said the disruptive effects are not the same for all frequencies. Quarles plainly indicated that the military—if the Geneva test ban negotiations did not prevent —would like to conduct further nuclear experiments above the atmosphere with 1,000-fold bigger exposions equal to millions of tons (megatons) of TNT. Many others in both the Defense Department and the Atomic Energy Commission heartily agree with him.

Marked Decline In School Absenteeism i Marked decreases wefe noted J in absenteeisms today 'at tire Decatur area high schools and elementary schools as the flu siege appears on the wane. The two-week outbreak sent school absentee lists soaring sky high. Lincoln school, although reaching its twelfth consecutive day of ! ‘ more thtn 130 absent, dropped 15 from the absent ranks, leaving 1 138 out today. The twoday total of returnees amounts to 43 pu- 1 pils, an indication that conditions are improving. ... , The Northwest school, joins its ] • sister public school in number of | ; reductions as 33 reported absent ■ today, a drop of seven from yes- j ■ terday. The high at that school , i had been 58. • < ’ Adams Central reports only 19 i absent in the upper six grades this morning out of more than 350 enrolled. Officials there say that i this constitutes a normal situa- ’ tibn. Decatur high and Decatur Catholic resumed their normal trend , set earlier this week as 15 and 5, respectively, are absent in the . city. Monmouth reports only 4 absent, while Pleasant Mills has 11 out. Monmouth had 10 absent Thursday, and Pleasant Mills had 12. St. Joseph’s grade school held the fort with the same number out today as yesterday. The number remained at 69. 1 St. Mary's River Dips Another Foot St. Mary’s river dipped more than a foot today as weather observer Louis Landrum reports the : level at 5.14 feet. Thursday the I river was at 6.22 feet. No rain or snow was reported. ' _ . ■ . .■ ■ - . ■ - - - I

d J Bids April 22 On 1 Highway Building 3 To correct errors made in Thurs- ’ day’s edition of the Daily Demoi crat concerning bids on the new 1 Adams county highway building planned for Monroe, the bids will be accepted from today until 10 ’ a.m. (e.d.t.) April 22. All bids , must appear on state board of accounts form 96 and must be accompanied by a bid bond of 5 per cent. If the bid is more than $5,000 an ’ additional form, 96A, must accom- . pany it. ■» t Bids may be turned into the ■ county board of commissioners. I All sealed bids will be opened after 10 a m. Wednesday, April 22, while bids received after that date, will be returned unopened. A legal notice appears in today’s issue of the Daily Democrat.

fl JHPw ' J I A t ' I ' 'IwM I ft Ml . Jl*■ *mß i 9 IHBj fiHK' I Saw f MB MHr wwf cr mh Blk ? i v Hr" FREED FROM “VENGEANCE” KIDNAPER— HeId nearly 24 hours with their mother, Mrs. Elma Baldwin, of South Charleston, W. Va., her children (1. to r.) Kenneth, 10; Susan. 5, and Danny, 7, were rescued unharmed Thursday evening when Richard A. Payne, ex-convict, was captured.

Six Centl

Third Major March Storm Heading East United Press International A third major snowstorm of the month bore down on the Midwest Friday on the eve of the spring season, chasing an advance preview of mild weather in the nation’s midsection. Weathermen warned travellers and stockmen of heavy snows likely in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, lowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Four inches or more of snow was predicted, with winds of 30 to 50 miles an hour expected to cause ~ drifting. Spring-like weather pushed info the Midwest and Northeast Thursday, but even that was not an unmixed blessing. Readings ip the 50ju and 60s triggered flood threats from heavy snow runoff along the Mississippi River between lowa and Illinois and in southwestern Wisconsin. The U. S. Weather Bureau at Moline, 111., warned Mississippi River communities between Guttenberg and Muscatine, lowa, to "take immediate precaution against at least moderate flooding." The weather bureau said the Mississippi would climb above flood stage at Dubuque, Bellevue, Davenport and Muscatine, lowa, and at Rock Island, 111. Weathermen also warned of possible floods on the Rock River at Joslin, 111., and the Pecatonica River at Freeport, 111. Tn Wisconsin, floods threatened 30 communities, most of them in Gov. Gaylord Nelson immediately the southwestern part of the state, authorized the use of National Guard troops in the event of an emergency. Wisconsin rivers threatening to overflow include the Kickapoo, Wisconsin and a number of Mississippi River tributaries. Hundreds of basements in Milwaukee were flooded when 56-de-gree temperatures Thursday caused rapid, melting of the mountains of snow in the city. Other readings Thursday included 67 in Chicago, the warmest day since last Nov. 23; 68 at St. Louis, 66 at Kansas City, 69 at Los Angeles, 67 at Louisville, 59 at Washington, D. C., and 52 at both Minneapolis and New York. Spring fever brought tragedy in lowa when . two Ottumwa boys, Dennis Johnson and Charles Staton. both 15, played hookey Thursday and went boating on the Des Moines River. The snow-swollen stream swept their boat over a dam, drowning both boys. A 4-year-old girl tumbled into a ditch Si) led with swift-running water and drowned at Cedar Rapids, lowa. Overnight readings remained mild over most of the Midwest and East with 50-degrees temperatures as far north as northern Illinois and lows in the 40s in New England.